Read Online Prophecy, Child of Earth by Elizabeth Haydon - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Elizabeth Haydon
Ads: Link
"Food often calms nerves, I've found. Besides, it's your turn to cook." There was a mischievous note in his voice.
Rhapsody smiled. "I see, it's a ploy. All right, I'll cook. A fire should be safe enough here, don't you think?" They had rarely had one while on the plain, both of them knowing it would act as a beacon in the absolute darkness.
'I suppose so."
'Good," she said, her spirits lifting a little. "I'm going to see what I can find in the immediate vicinity, forage a bit."
'Don't go far." Ashe heard her sigh as she walked away into a copse of trees.
She was back a few minutes later, looking excited. "Wait until you see what I found," she said, sitting cross-legged on the ground of the clearing they had chosen as camp for the night. She pulled her pack into her lap and began to rummage through it.
Ashe watched as she spread a kerchief on the new shoots of spring grass, mixed a number of ingredients in a battered tin cylinder, then covered it, dug a small hole, and buried it in the ground. Along with it she buried two potatoes she had brought with her, and then built a fire directly on top of it all.
While it burned she cored two small apples she had located in the woods, leftovers from the fall, and spiced them with dried matter from a pouch in her pack.
She hung a small pot over the fire into which she had sliced some old leeks and wild horseradish she had found in the forest. When the flames had reduced to coals she pulled the pot off the fire and set the apples into the glowing embers, roasting the fruit in the heat. After a while they began to bubble and send forth an amazing smell that made his mouth begin to water.
Rhapsody pulled the apples from the fire and set them aside to cool, then dug up the cylinder and the potatoes. The latter she set with the apples while she pried open the tin and gave it a good shake. Onto the kerchief slid a small loaf of bread, the aroma of which was slightly nutty and wholesome. She gave the leek soup a brisk stir, releasing an impressive tang into the smoky air.
Ashe felt his appetite increase as she cut the steaming loaf open, then reached back into her pack for a small piece of hard cheese. She sliced this effortlessly, and topped the bread with it. The cheese melted as she set the other elements of the meal before him.
'There. I'm afraid it's simple fare, but it should stave off your hunger for the night."
'Thank you." Ashe sat down next to her, pulling the kerchief she offered him closer. "This looks good." He watched until she had sampled the food herself, then took a bite of each thing she ate in turn.
'It's not much," she said apologetically. "Just a country folk tune."
Ashe's mouth was filled with the spiced apple. "Hmmm?"
'I'm afraid you can't do much composing when you only have the ingredients that you can find in the immediate vicinity."
He swallowed. "Composing?"
Rhapsody smiled at the hooded figure. "Yes, well, a truly well-planned meal has all the aromatic elements of a good musical piece." There was no response, so she continued on with her explanation, hoping he didn't find it as inane as Achmed had. "You see, if you put enough thought into the way things impact the senses, you can affect the way they are perceived.
'For instance, if you were planning an intimate dinner, you might want it to come off like a minor orchestral concerto. So you have the string bass section be something like a rich soup. Then, to put in an overlay of violins, some flaky biscuits, topped with sweet butter and honey. Perhaps you serve something light and tangy, like crisp vegetables in an orange sauce, for that addition of an impish flute line. So first you decide what you want the meal to be in terms of a musical piece, and then you compose the food to match the mood."
Ashe took a bite of the bread. "Interesting. Manipulative, but very interesting."
The nutty flavor melded perfectly with the cheese, making both items seem far more substantial than they would have been
Rhapsody smiled. "I see, it's a ploy. All right, I'll cook. A fire should be safe enough here, don't you think?" They had rarely had one while on the plain, both of them knowing it would act as a beacon in the absolute darkness.
'I suppose so."
'Good," she said, her spirits lifting a little. "I'm going to see what I can find in the immediate vicinity, forage a bit."
'Don't go far." Ashe heard her sigh as she walked away into a copse of trees.
She was back a few minutes later, looking excited. "Wait until you see what I found," she said, sitting cross-legged on the ground of the clearing they had chosen as camp for the night. She pulled her pack into her lap and began to rummage through it.
Ashe watched as she spread a kerchief on the new shoots of spring grass, mixed a number of ingredients in a battered tin cylinder, then covered it, dug a small hole, and buried it in the ground. Along with it she buried two potatoes she had brought with her, and then built a fire directly on top of it all.
While it burned she cored two small apples she had located in the woods, leftovers from the fall, and spiced them with dried matter from a pouch in her pack.
She hung a small pot over the fire into which she had sliced some old leeks and wild horseradish she had found in the forest. When the flames had reduced to coals she pulled the pot off the fire and set the apples into the glowing embers, roasting the fruit in the heat. After a while they began to bubble and send forth an amazing smell that made his mouth begin to water.
Rhapsody pulled the apples from the fire and set them aside to cool, then dug up the cylinder and the potatoes. The latter she set with the apples while she pried open the tin and gave it a good shake. Onto the kerchief slid a small loaf of bread, the aroma of which was slightly nutty and wholesome. She gave the leek soup a brisk stir, releasing an impressive tang into the smoky air.
Ashe felt his appetite increase as she cut the steaming loaf open, then reached back into her pack for a small piece of hard cheese. She sliced this effortlessly, and topped the bread with it. The cheese melted as she set the other elements of the meal before him.
'There. I'm afraid it's simple fare, but it should stave off your hunger for the night."
'Thank you." Ashe sat down next to her, pulling the kerchief she offered him closer. "This looks good." He watched until she had sampled the food herself, then took a bite of each thing she ate in turn.
'It's not much," she said apologetically. "Just a country folk tune."
Ashe's mouth was filled with the spiced apple. "Hmmm?"
'I'm afraid you can't do much composing when you only have the ingredients that you can find in the immediate vicinity."
He swallowed. "Composing?"
Rhapsody smiled at the hooded figure. "Yes, well, a truly well-planned meal has all the aromatic elements of a good musical piece." There was no response, so she continued on with her explanation, hoping he didn't find it as inane as Achmed had. "You see, if you put enough thought into the way things impact the senses, you can affect the way they are perceived.
'For instance, if you were planning an intimate dinner, you might want it to come off like a minor orchestral concerto. So you have the string bass section be something like a rich soup. Then, to put in an overlay of violins, some flaky biscuits, topped with sweet butter and honey. Perhaps you serve something light and tangy, like crisp vegetables in an orange sauce, for that addition of an impish flute line. So first you decide what you want the meal to be in terms of a musical piece, and then you compose the food to match the mood."
Ashe took a bite of the bread. "Interesting. Manipulative, but very interesting."
The nutty flavor melded perfectly with the cheese, making both items seem far more substantial than they would have been
Similar Books
