Sophie POV
I walked quietly out of the gate. The iron bars clanged behind me. I felt disappointed.
The air was cold. It carried the scent of pine and burnt coal. I saw Alaric pacing the dirt path. He was already trying to find his way in. He must be wondering what I was doing.
He looked at me with sharp eyes.
"What did he say?" Alaric asked.
He stepped toward me. His shadow fell over the grass.
"He said he can't make a pressure cooker." I replied.
I looked back at the gate.
"I know he is lying. He knows the mechanics of the machine. He knows how to seal a vessel. He is just not convinced. We have to look for another way to appease him."
Soon we heard thunder rumbling. The sound rolled across the mountain. Signifying it was about to rain.
The sky turned a bruised purple. Dark clouds moved fast over our heads.
We walked to a small batcher house. It stood just outside the blacksmith's gate.
It was a rough shelter made of wood and thatch. It had firm walls and a leaky roof.
At least we can be covered when the rain starts.
We stood there. I watched the first drops of rain hit the dust.
I thought about Kaelen. A man who lives alone in the Silent Peak does not have many options for food. He eats scraps. He eats bland rice.
I thought about the way his nose twitched. When he smelled the sugar.
"What if I cook something to change the his mind?" I asked to myself.
I looked at the group.
"Who is hungry?" I asked.
Alaric raised his hand first. He did not hesitate. Then Thomas and Roland followed. Their stomachs rumbled.
"We need ingredients to make something." I said.
We all ran into the rain. We headed for a nearby market. It was a small outpost for travelers. We found flour. Oil. And yeast. We found tomatoes. And a ball of hard white cheese.
We returned to the batcher house as the rain began to pour heavily. I saw some leftover wood in the corner. It was dry.
"Roland, please make a fire manually." I pleaded.
Thomas tried first. He used a flint. The sparks flew into the dry leaves. Smoke started coming out.
Alaric sat down away from us. He leaned against a wooden pillar. He was tired. He needed rest. But his eyes never left me.
Roland began to blow the fire. He stayed low to the ground. Thomas joined him.
"Hmmmm. Good. Good." I said to them.
Alaric kept staring at us. He watched Roland and Thomas working near me. He was getting jealous. He stood up. He brushed off dirt from his tunic.
"Move." Alaric commanded.
He stepped between his men.
"I will blow the fire." He said.
He took a large palm fan from the corner. He started blowing the fire with powerful strokes. The flames roared to life.
"Like this?" He asked me.
He looked up. His face was flushed from the heat.
"Yes. Good." I replied.
A quick smile spread across his face. He looked proud.
I began my work. I mixed the flour and water. I added the yeast. I made a dough on a flat piece of wood. I gave Thomas and Roland the tomatoes.
"Grind these into a smooth paste." I said.
Roland and Thomas took a smooth stone.
They washed it with water from the rain. They started grinding the tomatoes.
I complimented them for their work. Alaric saw this. He left the fire immediately. He went to help them grind. He wanted to be the most useful man in the shelter.
I wanted to make pizza. It is a food for comfort. It is hard to resist the smell. Especially the smell of melting cheese. And toasted bread.
I prepped the ingredients. I arranged the dough on a pan. I added tomato paste. I sprinkled the cheese. I added other ingredients. And placed it over the fire to bake.
"Uhmm." Alaric yawned.
He leaned in closer.
"It smells delicious." Thomas said.
He wiped his hands on his tunic.
"What kind of dish is this?" Roland asked.
He looked at the bubbling cheese.
"I have never seen such dish before."
"It is called pizza." I said.
I looked at the smoke. The wind was blowing it toward the gate.
"We should blow the scent toward his gate." I said.
"I want Kaelen to perceive it. A man like him won't have many options. This scent will haunt him."
Thomas and Roland did as I have asked.
Soon the pizza was ready. The crust was golden. The cheese was brown and bubbling.
I brought it down with the pan. There was no plate we could use. We heard the gate open. The wood groaned. I saw Kaelen peeking out. He was sniffing the air.
"Don't act like you see him." I whispered to everyone.
We were all focused on the meal. We acted like we were having the best meal ever.
Kaelen walked slowly to the batcher house. He saw Alaric. He attempted to run away.
"Kaelen, don't run." I said.
I did not look up from the pan.
"No one is angry with you here."
He stood still. He did not say a word. His gaze was fixed on the pizza.
"What is that?" He asked.
His voice was weak.
"Is it the scent I have been hearing inside my house?"
"This is what I call pizza." I explained.
"It is a dish from where I come from. It is warm. It is filling."
"You can join us." I urged him.
He looked at Alaric. He wanted to join us. He feared what Alaric would do. His stomach rumbled.
"Come join us." I urged him again.
I sliced the pizza into six parts using Thomas' dagger.
I took one part. I gestured that he should collect it. He moved swiftly. He took it from my hand. He took a bite.
"Uhmm. Hmmm. Hmmm." He made a sound. His eyes closed.
"Oh. I never thought I would taste a meal like this since I was exiled." Kaelen said.
His voice cracked.
"I... I have only been eating scraps. I have been eating bland rice."
He was teary. He devoured the pizza in seconds.
Thomas, Roland, and Alaric took theirs too. They ate in silence.
"Indeed the ghost chef knows how to cook." Thomas said.
"Shhush." Alaric hushed him.
"She is not a ghost." Alaric whispered.
Kaelen finished his slice. He licked his fingers. He looked at the empty pan.
"You have given me a taste of home." Kaelen said.
He looked at me with respect.
"I will consider your request."
"When do you need the cooker?" He asked.
"In two days time." I responded immediately.
"Hmmm. Two days is not enough time for me to make a pressure cooker." Kaelen said.
He shook his head.
"I am the only one here. I don't have enough manpower."
"If you have a man to help. Will you be able to finish it in two days?" I asked him.
"Yes." Kaelen said.
"We would work all night and all day. We can finish it in two days if we don't stop."
"Thomas will stay with you to help." Alaric stated.
He stood up. He looked at Thomas. Thomas nodded.
"Let me have the sketch." Kaelen said.
I gave him the parchment. He took it. He headed back to his gate. Thomas followed him.
I turned to Alaric. He looked relieved. It was as if a weight was lifted from my chest.
"We will go to the southern territory tomorrow." I said.
"We need to get other ingredients and wild herbs."
"That will take about a day and a half. We would go from here and come back for the device." Roland said.
He checked the map.
"Are we going to make it back in time?" Roland asked.
"We would walk fast." I said.
"We will get the herbs quickly. We must return in time."
"We can't start the journey now." I added.
"It is already late. The rain will make the paths slippery. We should go in the morning."
"Come have some rest, Sophie." Alaric said.
I sat on a pile of hay. I was ready to sleep. It was really cold after the rain. The damp air moved through the open walls of the shelter.
Alaric removed his tunic. He placed it across my shoulders to help me feel warm. I leaned back. I slept sound. I could smell him on his tunic.
The next morning. We prepared to start the journey. The sun was just hitting the peaks.
We bade Thomas and Kaelen goodbye.
We had solved a part of the puzzle. We had a manufacturer.
But we still have a long way to go.
