novelraw Chapter 98
Chapter 98
Garruk was ravenous. The strange plants had done nothing to quell the gnawing hunger in his belly. He fell upon the viscera, tearing at the raw meat with his sharp teeth.
…
Azure looked away from the feeding gnoll. Coiling her tail around one of the large purple eggs, she carried it and the other two back to Aiden.
The oil in the stone griddle was shimmering, a faint wisp of blue smoke rising from its surface. It was ready.
Aiden took one of the eggs in his left claw. With his right, he drew a line around its circumference, and the shell fell away in two clean halves.
Sizzle!
The albumen and yolk hit the hot stone. Aiden noted with interest that the yolk was a deep, vibrant purple. I wonder what it will taste like. Using the same technique, he cracked the remaining two eggs onto the griddle. Without a proper spatula, his claws would have to suffice. He carefully slid his talons beneath one of the frying eggs and flipped it over.
After a few moments, both sides were a rich, golden-brown. With a few quick slashes, he divided the three large omelets into four portions: two for himself, and one each for Azure and Bianca.
He lifted the griddle with both foreclaws and stomped on the fire beneath it, extinguishing the flames. He carried the griddle to the large cauldron and peered inside. The water was roiling with bubbles. It was boiling.
Hmm.
He stared at the water. The color seems… off. A seven-hued, oily sheen shimmered on the surface. His gaze fell upon the floating mushrooms. It must be them, he concluded. He shrugged. No matter. It's not as if something like this could poison a dragon.
He tilted the griddle, sliding the four portions of cooked egg into the bubbling cauldron. Setting the griddle aside, he plunged his right claw into the soup and began to stir. As he did, the broth began to change, the swirling liquid slowly taking on the color of the eggs, until the entire cauldron was filled with a rich, purple soup.
He withdrew his claw, shaking off the droplets. The color was magnificent, whetting his appetite. Yes, this should do nicely.
He stamped out the fire beneath the cauldron. Leaning his head over the pot, his nostrils flared as he took a deep breath. A wave of fresh, savory aroma washed over him. In his mind's eye, he saw a vision: beneath a great, ancient tree, a host of colorful mushrooms pushed their way through the earth, brimming with a powerful life force. Excellent, he thought with pride. As expected of my creation. The aroma alone is a masterpiece.
As tempting as it was, he knew the soup was best saved for after the main course. He turned and walked back to the roasting rack.
His two companions were still waiting patiently. It seems my culinary prowess has already earned their reverence, he thought, a pleased smirk spreading across his maw. A fine feeling.
He stopped before the six skewers. Two for each dragon. But… something was wrong. One of the pieces of meat on the right side of the rack was missing a chunk, the cut mark smooth and clean. He glanced at the dragon sitting to his right.
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She stole a bite?
A wide grin split his face. He felt no anger. For a chef, having one's cooking stolen before it was even served was the ultimate compliment. The meat was a perfect golden-brown. It was done.
“Two pieces per dragon,” he announced. “Help yourselves.”
He reached out and took the two central skewers for himself, which had been cooked to perfection. Without needing to be told twice, a white claw and a blue claw shot out, each taking the two pieces of meat before them.
Aiden brought a skewer, larger than his own head, to his snout and inhaled deeply. Magnificent. He opened his maw and took a huge bite.
Ah-wumph.
He chewed thoughtfully. The outside was perfectly cooked, crisp and flavorful. The inside, due to the thickness of the cut, was still rare. The combination of seared and tender meat was exquisite.
...
In a vast, pure white hall, a young girl with long, silver hair sat upon a throne hundreds of times her size. She wore a simple white dress, its waist cinched by a black sash adorned with a three-leaf clover.
Before her, a length of dark red chain hovered in the air, bearing a platter. On the platter was a piece of roast meat and a bowl of purple egg soup, a few colorful mushrooms floating on its iridescent surface.
The end of the chain morphed into a knife and fork, slicing a piece from the roast and lifting it to the girl's mouth. She opened her lips, and the meat disappeared inside. She chewed twice, and with a delicate motion of her slender neck, she swallowed.
...
Six skewers lay scattered on the stone floor of the lair. Two of them had been gnawed down to half their length.
A red, a white, and a blue dragon lay side-by-side on their backs, their large, round bellies pointing toward the cave ceiling. They were too full to move.
After a few moments of blissful rest, Aiden's red eyes snapped open. Wait. We haven't had the soup.
He glanced at the two prone forms beside him.
“Do you two want some soup?”
“I want to, but I can't, aow…” Bianca moaned, her voice lazy and slurred. “I don't want to move, aow…”
“I am also full,” Azure rumbled.
This would not do. A chef needed his creations to be appreciated.
“My soup contains the very taste of spring, the essence of life itself,” he said slyly. “Are you certain you don't want to try it?”
At this, Azure's head lifted from the floor. She was interested.
Seeing he had hooked her, Aiden turned his attention to the white dragon still playing dead.
“Is it really that good, aow?” she mumbled.
“I guarantee, one taste and you will never forget it for the rest of your life.”
“Alright then, aow…”
Excellent. The other one is convinced.
With some difficulty, the three dragons pushed themselves to their feet. They waddled toward the large stone cauldron, their round, full bellies making their procession somewhat comical.
Bianca was the first to reach the pot, which was still steaming gently. She leaned her head over the rim and sniffed. Her shining white eyes widened. In her mind, she saw a great tree, and beneath it, a host of colorful mushrooms growing with stubborn vitality. Aiden wasn't lying, aow! It really does smell like spring!
She plunged her head into the soup. Seeing Bianca begin to drink so enthusiastically, Aiden and Azure lowered their heads as well.
Working together, the three dragons slurped down the entire cauldron of soup until not a drop remained.
They collapsed where they stood. Aiden lay on the ground, his red eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, his mind filled with trees, an endless, thriving forest. The life essence in that soup was incredible, he thought proudly. Truly, my magnum opus. I wonder if I will ever be able to create such a thing again.
As he pondered this, his heavy eyelids slowly drifted shut.
Beside him, Bianca shook her head, trying to clear it. So sleepy, aow… so many trees, aow…
Go away, aow! Not the trees! My little darlings, aow!
The white dragon staggered to her feet, swaying as if drunk. She stumbled over to her two sacks of treasure, flopped onto them, and wrapped her claws around them in a protective embrace. Her heavy eyelids closed, and she fell into a deep, profound sleep.