Even though it was not summer, Africa was scorching hot today. The temperature was more than 20 degrees Celsius, and Gidro Lockhart, who was carrying Patricia on his back, was panting as he walked forward slowly.
Lockhart's meticulously groomed blonde wig and his usual handsome appearance had disappeared as he fled for his life. His bald head was covered in sweat. His eyes were dull and lifeless. His stiff body moved mechanically. Little Patricia on his back seemed to have lost all her strength. She lay on Lockhart's back and stared blankly at the ground.
Lockhart and Patricia's clothes had long been tattered by bushes and hooks during the fight and escape. The sleeves of Lockhart's shirt had been torn off, and he used the tattered sleeves to secure Patricia on his back.
After a long journey on foot, Lockhart could finally see something different from the unchanging grassland. In the distance, mountains stood tall, mountains were full of mountain passes, and valleys were interspersed with dense forests. The mountains were shrouded in clouds and mist. This was an equatorial snow mountain with a scorching equatorial sun overhead. This kind of scenery was extremely rare in the equatorial region.
This was the first time Lockhart had walked such a long distance without any rest. Moreover, Patricia had been lying on his shoulder all the way. He was exhausted. The physical fatigue and the mental trauma had exhausted him. When they finally reached the dense forest in the mountains, Lockhart put down Patricia on his back with trembling arms. Only then did he collapse on the ground.
"Will anyone catch up with us?" Patricia asked with cracked lips.
Lockhart took a deep breath and forced a smile on his face that was scratched by the leaves. "Yes, so we have to continue walking now. Don't be afraid. Do you see the top of the snow mountain in the distance? We'll be safe when we climb up. There are many wizards there who will help us. Then we can go back to England to find your mother. "
Lockhart could not resist the temptation and allowed himself to rest for a few more minutes. He used his magic wand to drink a few mouthfuls of Spring Water on himself and the little girl. Then, he dragged his legs and carried Patricia on his back and continued on his journey. They were not far away from the wilderness that they had just escaped from. Thinking of the Death Eaters that would appear from time to time and search for them, he did not have the confidence to escape from the search team again.
His sweaty clothes stuck to Lockhart's body. He felt his legs getting heavier and the weather seemed to be getting hotter. What was more tragic was that Lockhart heard his and Patricia's stomachs rumbling.
"When we see mother, we'll ask her to make chowder for us …" Hunger made Patricia miss her mother. Her hands clutched Lockhart's clothes tightly. She was sensible enough not to ask for food from him. Instead, she quietly sobbed behind the bald wizard. Then, the little girl twitched a few times in Lockhart's arms. It was not because of her emotions, but because the little girl was tortured by Dolfin's Heart-Drilling Curse in the dark cave a few days ago. She could not sleep well these few nights and was often awakened by nightmares.
"When we go back, I'll fill your stomach with scone biscuits …" Lockhart said longingly. "The classic sweet ones are cranberry, banana, lemon, chocolate, and so on. The salty ones are mainly added with ham and cheese. It's a bit like Italian pie … Finally, a cup of black tea with jam …"
The more he spoke, the hungrier Lockhart became. He scanned his surroundings, trying to find a reliable source of food. That was until he heard the sound of flapping wings above his head. He looked up and saw a few birds chirping as they flew back and forth between the trees.
These birds had a corolla-like crest on their heads that could be opened and closed like a folding fan. There were black, white, and orange patterns on their bodies and wings. They looked beautiful as a whole. However, when Lockhart got closer, he realized that they were exuding a very stinky and strange smell.
Even though the smell reminded Lockhart of the mixed smell of tombs, rotten tree holes, and bird feces, his hunger still made his heart itch when he saw these birds. The bald wizard carefully took out his wand and pointed at the bird closest to him. "Faint. Fall to the ground."
Unfortunately, even though he had cast the spell accurately this time, it was difficult for him to aim at such a small target with his accuracy. The bird flew away in fright and disappeared without a trace. The rest of the birds flew up due to this sudden fright and let out a trumpet-like cry as they quickly flew to other places in the sky.
In a hurry, Lockhart used his wand to continuously shoot spells at them. However, as the distance between the birds grew larger and larger, he did not manage to shoot down the last one. Dejected, he said to Patricia regretfully, "I'm really sorry, Patricia. Just like I told you yesterday, I'm actually not proficient in magic … "
When Lockhart talked about his true ability in spells, his eyes were calm. He no longer used his glib tongue when he pretended to be in disguise. He honestly told the little girl about his shortcomings. When he was on the run, he had honestly told Patricia that he was useless except for the Amnesia Charm. He used the Amnesia Charm to obtain other people's experience and then made it into a story with himself as the protagonist to deceive the readers in exchange for fame and wealth. He even touched his bald head and told Patricia that his biggest dream was to sell his own line of hair conditioners.
"This is a Dai Shengbird. Mom took me to the park to see it." Little Patrice rested her chin on Lockhart's shoulder. Although she had swallowed a mouthful of saliva when Lockhart was casting the spell, she deliberately said to the sorcerer, "They are sloppy birds. They don't clean up their nest. I don't eat them."
"When we get to Wagado, I heard that the local wizards will serve a kind of banana rice called 'matoki.' It is said that the raw material is a kind of banana that is not sweet. After peeling and pounding, it is steamed and mixed with red bean juice, peanut butter, braised chicken, and curry beef. It is the main dish of the Ugandan state banquet. " Lockhart touched Patricia's hair and said, "These birds are definitely not as tasty as matoki. Let's not eat them. Let's go."
"Okay! We don't eat big stinky birds. " Patricia wiped the sweat on Lockhart's forehead with her hand. "Lockhart, you're the best. You defeated another bad guy today!"
Her praise made Lockhart smile. He raised his eyebrows proudly. He did use the Amnesia Charm and Healing Charm to defeat a few Death Eaters who came to hunt them down. He felt that after running for his life and going through life and death situations, his spell skills had indeed improved a little.
After that, hunger and exhaustion made the two of them walk in silence. Suddenly, Lockhart strode forward and said excitedly, "Aha, little Patricia, there are fruits on the cactus! Look, how plentiful it is! "
Not far from them, there was a large pile of cactus with some oval to pear-shaped berries growing at the top.
When Lockhart trotted closer, Patricia, who was behind him, could not help but reach out her small hand to pick them, but Lockhart quickly pulled her back. "Don't move, let me use my magic wand. Speaking of which, one year when wild boars were rampant in the Forbidden Forest, Professor Sprout used something similar and used them as a natural fence."
To avoid making a mistake with his spell, Lockhart carefully put Patricia down and took a few steps away from her. Then, he cast a flying spell on the small fruits. After that, he screamed and fled to the side. The cactus with thick thorns also flew to the place where he was standing just now.
Lockhart, who had nimbly escaped, returned to the distance. There were a few piles of cracked cactus and some thorny pear-shaped fruits on the ground. He bent down and used his branch to pierce one of them. Then, he carefully poked the thick skin with his magic wand and observed it. Inside, there were emerald green fruits that looked like small grapes. They looked full of water and had an attractive color.
"It looks like a kiwi fruit." Under the urging of his growling stomach, Lockhart hardened his heart and used his wand to pick up a small piece of the fruit and put it into his mouth. A bitter taste exploded in his mouth along with the juice. However, the rich juice made him feel as though he had come back to life in an instant.
Patricia looked at Lockhart and unconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva. However, it seemed that Lockhart had no intention of sharing with Patricia. He dug up another piece of fruit and put it in his mouth, swallowing it in big mouthfuls.
The little girl was hungry. She could not help but reach out her small hand to touch the fruit on the side. Before she could even touch the thorns on the fruit, Lockhart had already pierced her target with his magic wand.
Gidro said in a muffled voice, "Little Patricia, wait for me to finish eating. You can eat on the way when we're on the road."
Patricia's eyes were brimming with tears, but she nodded obediently. She thought that Lockhart was complaining about her slow eating speed, so she just watched him gulp down the fruit. In a few bites, he had finished the fruit that wasn't too big.
Lockhart was not as picky as he used to be. He just wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and put the rest of the fruits into his pocket. Then, he bent down and carried little Patricia on his back and continued on his way.
The hungry and aggrieved little Patricia was lying on Lockhart's back. When she saw that Lockhart had no intention of feeding her, she couldn't help but whimper softly. Her little hand covered her stomach that was aching from hunger. However, Gidro continued walking in the forest as if he didn't hear her at all. The hunger in her stomach, coupled with the effect of the Heart-Drilling Curse, made Patricia's little body tremble even more.
After walking for a long time, just when little Patricia began to feel drowsy on Gidro's back, Gidro shook her awake. He then cut open the rest of the fruit and put it in her pocket. "Little Patricia, hurry up and eat. It's all yours. It's a little bitter, but it doesn't seem to be a big problem. After eating, I'll make some water for you to rinse your mouth." Gidro Lockhart's herbalism class was not good. He could not rely on his knowledge to determine whether the fruit, which was actually called a pear cactus, was poisonous. So, he could only try it himself. After he found that there was no problem, he was relieved to let the little girl use it.
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