The Reunion of Loved Ones

38. Garlicus Aqua

Ivana stared petrified at the red dragon, which was menacingly creeping closer. She had recognised him immediately, as he was the one who often chased her in her sleep. However, this was no nightmare; this was reality. She remembered vividly how she and Dana had had to run for their lives in King Lembo's tower when they were captured by the Orc army. Fortior had almost killed them then, as their energy from their nightly game was rapidly dwindling. Now they were surrounded by towering steel storage racks, making the pantry resemble a labyrinth twenty feet high, whose centre they could not find. Would today be the day that Fortior triumphed?

Ivana wished she had beheaded him in the battle. She had had the chance, but her respect for dragons had prevented her from delivering the final blow. He had been mortally wounded then, and Ivana had hoped that the wounds would eventually prove too much. She should have known better: a dragon was resilient. Seeing him here now, alive and well, she cursed herself. Why hadn't she killed him when she had the chance?

At that moment, Fortior roared furiously and bridged the last few feet between them with great leaps. Ivana immediately pushed her musings aside and looked for an opening between the many steel racks. 'RUN!' she shouted as Fortior's neck began to glow. She ducked behind one of the iron racks and shielded her face from the heat. Where she had just stood, there was now a black soot mark. Dana and Sheila had followed her example, while Lana and Nissa ran eastward before also disappearing behind a rack. The dragon roared angrily and strode after them. The cat-and-mouse game had begun again.

Ivana glanced back to ensure he wouldn't suddenly appear next to her, then began examining the racks as quickly as she could, searching for the Garlicus Aqua. Fortior could not be a hindrance. They were so close to their final goal. They only needed to find Lana's remedy and they could leave this infernal place behind. If they could keep the dragon at bay...

The moment they were between the racks, all sound disappeared, and Ivana wondered whether the large racks were blocking the sound or if Lembo had enchanted the racks so that you couldn't hear pursuers approaching during your search. The towering racks cast eerie shadows over their path, making Ivana think she saw Fortior's greedy eyes behind every corner. However, their chosen path seemed completely deserted.

They encountered several forks in the path and, after whispering consultations, usually managed to choose a route. However, at their second fork, they ended up in a dead end, after which they quickly and panickily ran back before any pursuers could trap them. Before they returned to the fork in the path, Dana stumbled over a glass bottle that shot out from under her with a bang. It kept rattling as it noisily found its way under the racks. Sheila caught Dana, and all three of them strained their ears anxiously. Ivana hoped for a moment that their blundering had gone unnoticed, but soon they heard rapid footsteps, racks being flattened by a large force, and loud roaring.

They didn't hesitate for a moment and bolted like hares. They ran into the next row and turned left at a second fork to lose their pursuer while scanning the rows for the Garlicus Aqua. When Ivana heard a thud behind her, she stopped and saw that Sheila had tripped over a crack in the floor. She hesitated for a moment but, after a look from Dana, they both ran back and quickly pulled Sheila upright. They had just gotten Sheila back on her feet when Fortior's hideous head appeared around the corner. His eyes took on a triumphant look, and Ivana swallowed hard. They were trapped. She didn't see a new fork in the path quickly, and if they ran straight ahead, Fortior's fire would surely catch them.

However, Dana jumped at them and pushed them to the ground just as the first flames shot over them. The heat was breathtaking, and Ivana felt as if the sun had descended to earth and was now scOrching them with its rays. As if they had been thrown into the fiery depths of hell. She smelled burnt hair, clothing, and even skin and could only pray that the gods wouldn't let them die like a pig on a spit.