Soul Fire

Soul Fire - Chapter 41

"Eat, Dathion. There is no need to make decisions on an empty stomach."

The food offered by the Erynyans caused as much pain as it relieved, when sating Dathion's hunger; for although it was utterly delicious, it did much to remind him of home and family. The bread was imperfect, with the crust burned in two places. The eggs varied in size, and some had two yolks. The bacon had not been cut to uniform thickness, with some approaching thin slices of ham. Nothing here was pretentious. Instead, it had been offered through the love and toil of honest families, bringing simple joy and food to people they loved and cared for. They did not consider this to be a job, but rather their way of life.

Dathion became aware of the others watching him as he ate. He remained unsure of when the pendulum had swung so weightily toward him.  Previously, Malithas had been happy to lead their group, with Dathion deferring to his instructor's greater wisdom and knowledge in all matters. Now, it seemed Dathion's decisions had become paramount.

Why?

Dathion did not bother to study those around him. In his mind, he could imagine what they were thinking and doing. As usual, Malithas and Salidon would be observing Dathion when they thought he was unaware. They always sought to discern his mood, but more importantly the final decision he may have made. Gergan would be absorbed by his attempt to consume a good quarter of the food on the table, maybe more if he could get away with it. The Elves and Maebell had not joined them, no doubt conferring about Dathion and the events of the previous night. Perhaps, they already knew his next path. The could divine the future after all - at least to some extent. Jerodai should have picked up on the mood by now, and would be flashing furtive glances around the table, trying to unravel the intrigue. Ellishan, of course, would offer Dathion reassurance any time he chose to meet the gaze of his younger brother.

Having completed his own picture of events, while having stared at nothing other than his plate, pleased Dathion. He mirrored his self-satisfied smile with his food, using two eggs as eyes, and a curled rasher of bacon as the mouth. A mushroom dropped in the center gave it a nose.

"Feeling better this morning, heir of Asillia?"

Dathion jolted, turning to an amused looking Malithas. He quickly broke his yolks and moved his bacon to the side. When a second grin grew on the face of Salidon, he knew he had been too late.

"Are you going to eat that, or just play with it?"

Dathion shook his head absently in answer to Gergan's question, sliding his plate across to the Cerd. Gergan's hearty enjoyment of food was best described as a force of nature. Curiously, Dathion noticed the Cerd went about his consumption in a carefully planned way. He began with the vegetables - the spinach and mushrooms. He then ate the meat, bacon first, followed by ham. Finally, he broke the egg yolks over his toasted bread, eating the egg whites first, before finishing with the yolk soaked bread. This last part, he cut into strips and chewed slower, his eyes closed as he did so. When Gergan's eyes finallyopened, he met Dathion's unbroken stare.

"What?"

"It is nothing, sorry, Gergan."

"Why do you always watch me eat? It's a little creepy."

"I said I am sorry, really I am."

Dathion turned away.

"You haven't eaten much, Dathion. Does this mean that you do not intend a hard ride today?"

Malithas's voice sounded tinged with hope.

"I guess not, Malithas. We should repay the generosity of the Erynyans and bolster their defenses, at least to some extent. Asillia owes them much."