than a juggler and musician,” he’d say eventually. “Johann Georg Faustus, you’re full of surprises.”
Indeed, Johann didn’t find much time to practice his tricks over the winter; the horoscope the master had entrusted him with kept him busy. After four more weeks, the birth chart of the Palatinate abbot was finally completed. Making one final stroke with his quill, Johann carried it downstairs. As usual, Tonio was sitting at the table with his books.
“Here you go,” Johann said defiantly and handed Tonio the scroll. He fully expected the master to tear it up again, but to his enormous surprise, Tonio didn’t seem to find a single mistake.
“What a boring fellow he is, this abbot. His stars are gray and insignificant.” Tonio laughed. “But the birth chart is all right. Tiny oversights here and there, but generally well done. I didn’t expect anything else of you. You’ve proven in the last few weeks that you’re talented—more talented than many other students I’ve had.”
The birds in the cage started to squawk wildly, shuffling back and forth on their shared perch.
“Hush, you beasts,” Tonio shouted, turning to them.
Johann breathed a sigh of relief, but the master wagged his finger in warning.
“This was just a simple task, boy. Nothing more than the horoscope of a pale abbot. Don’t let it go to your head. There’ll be much harder tests for you yet—especially once we turn to alchemy, the jewel in the crown of the arcane arts. But you’ve done enough for today.” He clapped his hands. “We should celebrate your first horoscope. Go down to the village and get us a small keg of wine, bread, and some juicy smoked sausages. What do you say?”
Johann nodded enthusiastically. Until then, the master had always forbidden him to go near the village so they wouldn’t arouse suspicion. This would be his first excursion since they’d moved into the tower almost three months ago.
“Wash your face before you go.” Tonio winked at him. “And don’t mess about with the village girls. You’ve grown a fair bit in the last few weeks, and you’re a handsome chap. Taller and a little stronger. If anyone asks, you’re just a traveling tinker’s journeyman, understood? We don’t want any trouble. And now off with you—I can tell you’re itching to go.” He handed Johann a few coins. “I don’t want the cheapest wine. Woe to you if you come back with swill!”
Johann took the coins with a grin and reached for the coat he had brought from home, which looked rather worse for wear by now and was becoming too short in the sleeves. Then he hurried outside.
The sun was shining and the first birds were singing, welcoming the nearing spring. As Johann ran through the snow, he could feel the stress of the last few weeks fall away from him like a lead weight.
The master waited until he could no longer hear Johann before going upstairs to prepare the ritual. The blood he kept in a small barrel was a little congealed, but it would do. Slowly, he stirred the sticky liquid, dipped his finger into it, and sucked it with relish. There was no taste like blood—warm and salty and full of life.
Especially when it was as young as this blood.
He dipped his hand into the barrel, and the liquid dripped onto the floor like paint. Using his fingers, he drew the ancient pattern that had served as a means of communication for thousands of years. He renewed the faded symbol on the floor, and a faint smell of decay spread through the chamber.
He was almost certain.
He hadn’t thought it possible at first; he’d studied the ancient maps and watched the skies with the apparatus he’d invented. But the stars didn’t lie. The day was close, very close, and it seemed he’d finally found the right one. The chosen one. They had to act now! Or the moment would pass, and no one knew when it would return.
He paced the circle with measured steps like he’d done countless times before, murmuring the ancient words.
“Remember then! Of one make ten, the two let be, make even three, there’s wealth for thee . . .”
When the master had finished, he sat down in the middle of the circle, closed his eyes, and waited for a reply.
The trees dripped with melting ice, and the path that had been covered with a thick layer of snow just a few days earlier was now sodden with puddles. Johann nimbly jumped across mud and puddles