The Reunion of Loved Ones

33. Icy North

Since they feared the entire army of Valsor would come after them, they didn't stop until they were more than fifty miles away from the city of the Orcs. There, they halted between three mountainous protrusions that - growing towards each other - formed a kind of large triangular tent. The injuries they had sustained in Valsor were now quietly healed by the dragons, and they could breathe calmly again.

Dana then took the food bags off her back and examined her loot. After Ivana's message, she entered the first tower she had seen. It was a soldiers' barracks, where the Orcs stayed and were trained to become the unyielding soldiers they were. She had to take out two guards before she could enter the tower. Dana had almost immediately turned around inside. The interior of the tower was dim, with only sporadic, flickering torchlight providing some illumination. But the lack of light was not the reason she had nearly fled. A penetrating stench of rot, sweat, and blood had filled the air, and the smell of mould and dampness was pervasive and had taken Dana's breath away. Even if there had been food here, it was surely spoiled by the stench that prevailed here.

However, Dana had felt Ivana's and Lana's agitation growing, and the time pressure had made Dana pinch her nose and continue her search. There were common rooms where the Orcs gathered to eat and rest. These rooms were filled with rough wooden tables and benches, stained with remnants of food and drink. Bones and other waste were scattered everywhere. Fortunately, Dana encountered only a single resident, whom she was able to avoid. On her way to the storeroom, she passed the barracks' kitchen. The kitchen was a chaotic space with large kettles hanging over open fires. The smell of charred meat and poor hygiene hung heavily in the air and made Dana retch again. Orcs seemingly prepared their meals quickly and roughly, without attention to cleanliness or taste. She had expected nothing less.

The storeroom was next to the kitchen, where a smooth, narrow staircase led to the dungeons. The stones were rough and uneven, making it dangerous to navigate, especially in the haste Dana was experiencing. In the dungeons, she had recited the spell for X-ray vision, allowing her to effectively locate their storerooms on the west side of the underground passages, where groans occasionally broke the silence. The storeroom had been surprisingly well-stocked, and Dana had filled their bags to the brim. This was quite a task since she had no time in her haste to distinguish the edible from the inedible food.

She believed that despite her haste, she had made a good choice, as her nose had never let her down. And their mother had always taught them that when they were unsure, they should trust their nose. It would warn them of poison or harmful food. Still, Dana didn't entirely trust the food. It was, after all, Orc food, and Dana didn't want to know what was on their daily menu. Dana asked Prudentus and the other dragons, who with their enhanced sense of smell could trace the inedible food, to give the food an extra thorough check. The worst food was immediately thrown away, but some foodstuffs even the dragons couldn't identify.

The found bread didn't look appealing either. It seemed to have a normal brown colour, but on closer inspection, there was a hint of green. It was also not uncommon for pieces to be covered in mould. The meat they couldn't identify looked like normal pork but was dripping with blood and was pink in colour. Lana turned pale when Dana held the meat in front of her. The water didn't look appetising either. It was black, like the water in the Sroc - where Dana had unpleasant experiences - and had a musty smell.

The three girls were disgusted by it, but hunger forced them to eat something. They cut the strange spots out of the bread with their daggers and roasted the meat until it was as crispy as a cookie. They were now a day's march away from King Lembo's hiding place, so they had to regain their strength now. Food was indispensable for this. Dana carefully took a piece of bread and gagged: the taste was no better than the colour. To her surprise, the meat tasted delicious, and she gratefully took a piece, despite her jaws working overtime to chew the meat. She didn't want to know which animal produced pink meat, but the taste was like duck, and the girls were more than satisfied with it in these lands.