Paul Klee Fire in the Evening

Paul Klee Fire in the EveningPaul Klee FarbtafelClaude Monet Haystack at Giverny
When Will next became aware of things, it was completely dark, and his hand was hurting more than ever. He sat up carefully and saw a fire burning not far away, where Lyra was trying to toast some bread on a forked stick. There were a couple of birds roasting on a spit as well, and as Will came to sit nearby, Serafina Pekkala flew down.. They were astringent, but he felt more awake and less cold, and the better for it.
They ate the roasted birds, seasoning them with lemon juice, and then another witch brought some blueberries she'd found below the scree, and then the witches gathered around the fire. They talked quietly; some of them had flown high up to spy, and one had seen a balloon over the sea. Lyra sat up at once.
"Mr. Scoresby's balloon?" she said."Will," she said, "eat these leaves before you have any other food."She gave him a handful of soft bitter-tasting leaves somewhat like sage, and he chewed them silently and forced them down