Sweet Summoning

Each line hand drawn with painstaking precision; it had taken hours to complete the entire form. Each line connected to exactly three other lines, The pentagram in the center surrounded by a true circle, and another larger pentagram surrounding everything. The form drawn in two different bloods, and demonic ichor as well. It was the most complex summoning form he had ever attempted. The grating voice of his familiar prattled on about the theory, and the needed perfection for this most puissant summoning of his career, nay his entire existence. He began to apply energy to the spell form within the summoning circle. The red, brown, and green, lines began to glow as his power touched them; one line touching three more lines in an ever-widening crescendo. After three minutes of concentration, sweat began to form on his forehead. By five minutes, he started to become fatigued, hands began to shake. After fifteen minutes, his subvocal chanting naturally rose to audible levels gaining in strength; after twenty, his throat began to burn and his voice grew raspy. At thirty minutes in, his nose began to drip, but his will was iron, and he persevered, maintaining his concentration until the end. Finally, after 45 minutes, as the very last of his innate strength was funneled into the construct. All of the blood lines burnt away, save one lonely spot that somehow was disconnected. One small, tiny detail was missed. For a moment he feared that this one mistake might cause his summoning to fail. His familiar continued berating him now that a flaw was seen. To fail after all this time, effort, and expense was unthinkable. His nose bleed became a steady drip, and pain centered in the front of his skull was nearly enough to cause him to fall. He refused. His will was adamant, and he would die before he would succumb. Pushing through the pain, with one more convulsive effort of will, he screamed the final words of power and emptied his pool of magical energy. It was enough.

The tower in which he worked began to shake. All of the flames in his workshop were snuffed in an instant. The only light shone from an ethereal glow in the central summoning space. Finally with a blinding light, and a thunderous crash, a hole drilled into the Never Never and sprang open. As quickly as it had come, it all ended. A clattering thump sounded as something landed in the middle of his pentagram. A large rectangular form wrapped in shiny silver and brown paper and covered in arcane script the likes of which he’d never seen. “No!” screamed his familiar. “It’s Hershey’s, you were supposed to summon Ghirardelli. Oh my god, its milk chocolate, not even the special dark. This is a catastrophe.” His fatigued mind raced. He had painstakingly gathered all of the ingredients from the alchemical formula. The dark Darjeeling tea was steeped and waiting with butter for this final ingredient. The eggs separated, whites beaten to stiff peaks, and the dry ingredients were sifted and waiting nearby in a consecrated silver vessel. He refused to allow this to derail him! His foot intentionally smudged the nearly precise lines to release any residual energy, and he stepped into the circle to retrieve the final ingredient. He realized that he had much more of the confection from out of time and space than the alchemy required. Perhaps this could still be salvaged. He unwrapped the package, and removed the smallest sliver, and placed it reverently upon his tongue. His eyes flew open, his fatigue instantly forgotten. It was sweet like ambrosia, with subtle, complex flavors and aromas never before tasted or smelled. Chuckling with evil, maniacal laughter, he measured precise quantities into the bubbling liquid, slowly allowing it to flow together as a single viscous fluid. The shiny fat in the butter mixed with the melted chocolate just as the alchemy formula stated. He drank a tincture of restoration to return his empty power pool, and clear his fatigued mind, before beginning the next step. Mixing the fluids with the sugar laden yolks, and allowing it to become even more viscous. He began rhythmically folding the bowl of dry components; fold, turn, fold, turn, repeat. When it was almost fully integrated, he added the beaten whites to the bowl, and reversed the folding, by turning widdershins, and syncopated the previous rhythm, turn, fold, fold, turn, fold, fold, and repeat. He placed the entirety back into the consecrated vessel, tapping once to ensure it was evenly distributed. His left hand began to glow faintly white as the container rose into the air and continued to spin widdershins. At the same time, his right hand began spinning deosil in precise counter to his left, and glowing a brighter red color. Heat surrounded the gently spinning vessel, evenly bathing the entire surface. For another half hour he continued his ministrations, evenly heating the alchemical reagents into his master work. He set the finished concoction aside, and contemplated how he could redeem his failure with the summoning. Thinking quickly, he took the remaining chocolate, and in a reenactment of the pervious procedure, he began it tumbling in mid air slowly melting into a pool of brown sweetness. He slowly folded the pool of chocolate into the waiting whipped cream prepared for topping. The folded chocolate and whipped cream, known as mousse, named for the small bubbles it contained. Once finished he applied a low powered cooling charm to keep it cold as he waited for the consecrated container to cool completely. He could tell by the complex aroma wafting from his master work, that it had been a success. Once it had cooled completely, he removed it to a silver platter, and began to coat it in an even layer of the mousse. Once it was perfectly coated, he inscribed a perfect nine-sided figure on the top of the perfectly square object. Thin curled shavings of the chocolate dusted on top completed his work. His work completed he finally left his tower.

“Daddy,” came the strident voice of his daughter as soon as he appeared. “Is it done? Nine servings? Is it good? I can’t listen to Jenny talk about her dad’s cookies again this year.” The quivering of her lower lip more than he could bear.

“This is guaranteed to be the best treat in the bakeoff, Saruman will not beat us this year sweetie.” His evil laughter when he said this brought a gleam back to his daughter’s face. “No one will beat us this year!”

For those who would like to follow along:

Death By DarJeeling Cake

3 tsp Darjeeling Tea

½ cup Boiling Water

100 gr Dark Chocolate (Milk Chocolate will be sweeter, and not as complex)

½ cup Butter

3 Eggs

1 Cup Sugar

1 pinch salt

¾ cup flour

Optional

½ cup Heavy Cream or Mousse

1) Preheat Oven to 350 °

2) Brew tea with boiling water for 4 minutes

3) Melt butter and chocolate with tea mixture in double boiler

4) Separate Eggs, reserve Whites, combine yolks with sugar and crème together

5) Sift flour into egg mixture

6) Combine chocolate mixture with creamed sugar mixture until smooth

7) Beat Egg whites until stiff peaks form

8) Fold gently into batter

9) Bake in a 9” by 9” baking pan for 30 minutes (testing doneness after 25 minutes)

10) Will make 18 cupcakes cook for 20 minutes (testing doneness after 15 minutes)

11) Top with Whipped Heavy Cream or chocolate mousse if desired.