Lior knew not to expect much from Ironguard rations, even the good ones, but he was pleasantly surprised at the freshness of the food. The sea bass was caught just yesterday, still flaky and soft, and hadn’t just been seasoned with peppers and salt. This close to Merchant’s Rest meant the outpost had access to pine nuts and wild bergamot leaves to give the fish a woodsy taste and a mint finish. The bread was puffy and soft, too; it was nothing like the hardtack in the supplies he and Zeke had packed. And there was savory cheese, something Lior had considered an extravagance for the last several years.
He was sharing the food with Mighell and Zeke around the outpost bonfire. It had been stacked with just enough wood to provide light after the sun had gone down, but not enough to emulate the oppressive heat of the noonday sun. Mighell was still reminiscing about Callum while Zeke seemed lost in own little world, head bowed, and drawing non-shapes in the dirt with a thin stick. He had been unusually quiet since their arrival.
“What about you?” Mighell asked around a mouthful of fish.
Lior had been watching Zeke for a moment too long and found himself lost. “Hmm?” he asked as he turned back to Mighell.
“What part of Callum do you remember most fondly?”
“Well, certainly not his cooking,” Lior said, putting a friendly smile back over his concern for Zeke. “But I do remember that he never forwent discipline just because he cared about me. There was one time, back when I was younger than Zeke, where Callum caught me only cleaning the outside of my armor. I felt like the inside didn’t need upkeep so I just didn’t do it. He gently explained to me why following directions to the letter was so important and showed me a more efficient way to clean. But that didn’t stop him from bringing in his battle armor and decorative armor for me to clean next.”
Mighell laughed, but Lior thought he heard Zeke give a sardonic huff underneath the noise. He looked over at his friend once more, but Zeke’s posture hadn’t changed.
“He was quick indeed to pass responsibilities to those he deemed ready,” Mighell said.
“Yes, Lior said, setting down his empty plate and staring into the fire. “Though I believe that may have been partially due to the Duke refusing to give more responsibilities to those that were ready. Callum could see that, and he was willing to take the risk of giving me duties I wasn’t cleared for when he knew I could handle them.”
This time there was no mistaking it. Zeke sat up with a look of distaste on his face and tossed his little stick into the flames.
“Aye,” Mighell said. “I’ll miss how firmly he stood on his beliefs. He knew that duty demanded sacrifice, and that loyalty is stronger than love.”
Zeke stood up and mumbled, “I’m more tired than I realized.” He turned and walked away. Lior looked down at the plate he had left behind. Zeke had barely eaten half of it.
