Page 57 of Bound By Blood
She glanced up into the sky and started counting off on her fingers as if actually trying to remember a recipe rather than running through a list of likely and unlikely ingredients. "Well…rosemary, garlic, yarrow, chives, lamb root, and wolf's bane to start. Turnips and potatoes if you've got them. Carrots are good for the journey."
This would be a fine step of a dance to navigate. The ingredients couldn't be too unlikely for them to find or else they'd give up and go forward with their original plan, but it had to be challenging enough to let her stall until she came up with something better or Ryul got there. This was a decent start. At least a couple should give them a little pause—wait…
Disa started pulling out several of the ingredients from the bags. Nendri called out that there was lamb root in his, and Alrik said he had more garlic if they needed it. Everything they gathered up was also in large enough quantities it would be difficult to say it wasn't enough.
"Venison and a couple antlers," Erryn said, lifting her shoulders. Antlers shouldn't be so easy—
Disa retrieved antlers from the cave and laid them on the ground next to the potatoes and turnips. "These good enough, dear?"
"Um, yes."
"Good, because the longer we keep working on that portal, the more it scares off everything else. We're gonna have to finish here soon, or else there'll be nothing. What else do you need?”
"Um…I'll also need, um…leeks, onions, parsley, kingsfoil, polka berries, salt, and—" She blinked as Disa and Ilvan were already digging out these items. All right. "Stag moss, silverwood bark, parsnips, parsley, barley, dried eel, red obain."
None of those items tripped them up either. The mound of ingredients became enormous.
"Anything else?" Disa asked.
Erryn pursed her lips. She needed something a little more flexible for her purposes. "Oh!" She snapped her fingers. "Whispering rocks and hag stones."
Bet they didn't just have those lying around in their travel bags. Especially since there was no such thing as whispering rocks.
"I know where to get those." Disa picked up a walking stick and struck out from the camp.
Erryn refrained from raising an eyebrow. That at least would buy more time and allow her to sort out the rest of the plan. These people were swift workers, but at least they couldn't make water boil faster. Still, if there was anything they could do faster, they seemed determined to get it done.
Nendri went to get the water as Thurra hauled the cauldron up the stairs. She suggested that perhaps she could start chopping the onions and peeling the potatoes. He insisted she do everything on the platform. They would bring her whatever she needed when she needed it. Even though that meant multiple runs with the different ingredients.
Ilvan then pointed to the platform. "Get up there now, or the deal is off."
"Can't I take a little more time to savor the sight of the staircase from down here? I want to commit it to memory."
He glowered at her, then pointed again.
"Fine."
She sighed dramatically and then strode toward the staircase, trying to take her time without looking like that was what she was doing. They still had a couple hours to go before sunset. From there, Ryul would have to figure out where she was. Buttons might help him. Ryul insisted he wasn't a good protector or tracking dog, but she knew that little dog could find her anywhere.
As she set her foot on the first of the mossy stairs, the air changed. It hummed and buzzed, trying to pull her into a haze. Even without the portal active at the top, it was still alive. In its own way. Maybe a little angry too about being forced to stay here.
"I don't mean you any harm," she whispered, unsure if that would do any good. "I don't want to make soup on you, but they said I have to, so I suppose I do."
The haze lessened a little, but it still buzzed in her ears.
Up, up, she climbed until she reached the top. She was only about twenty feet in the air, but it felt as if she had climbed much longer. The broken platform at the top was large enough for the fire, a log to sit on, and another upturned log to chop on. If the portal itself arrived, the platform would expand. At least it had when she had walked up the last one. It had been rather mesmerizing. As if it was calling to her. This one probably just wanted her to leave.
Sitting down on the log, she stared into the flames. Already, tiny bubbles formed in the cauldron as the water heated. Traelan sitting below on the camp side meant she couldn't even use this as a weapon. The dull knife they provided her for peeling and chopping wasn't going to be much good, although…
"I need one more thing," she called down.
"What could you possibly need?" Ilvan demanded.
"A frying pan and some bacon, please. The magic in the stairs feels upset, and bacon will calm it right down."
"We've got fatback," Ilvan responded dryly.
"That'll work! And go ahead and bring up the onions and leeks. I'm going to get this started." She rubbed her hands together briskly. All she needed was time and wit.
