Free the Darkness (King's Dark Tidings Book 1) (10 page)

Frisha’s eyes widened, “Oh, well, he’s not completely
incapable. I mean, he’s gotten in fights before with some of the other boys,
and he can hold his own.” She bit her lip and furrowed her brow in
consternation. “I mean, I guess if he were really up against any skilled
fighter or swordsman, then he probably couldn’t do much, but there are always
other people around to help. And, not that I would want him to, but I know he
would probably die fighting if he was trying to protect me.” Frisha’s face was
scrunched up with worry, and it was obvious the thought of this Tam dying on
her behalf was upsetting to her.

“And, you? You are able to protect yourself?” he nodded
toward the dagger hilt that he could just see poking over the top of the table.

Frisha worried her lip again. “Well, it’s better than
not
having it, but no, I’ve never learned any fighting skills. My father insisted I
have something with which to protect myself, just in case.”

With a shake of his head, Rezkin realized that this was
exactly his purpose. He had managed to find his
friends
, and they needed
his protection. He applied what he hoped was a disarming smile and said, “I am
also going to Kaibain. It would be my honor if you would allow me to travel
with you and provide additional protection.”

Frisha’s face lit up, and for a moment, Rezkin thought
perhaps the sun had risen again. She smiled widely, and her eyes sparkled.
Rezkin was actively aware of his surroundings throughout their conversation,
and now he noticed the young man who had just entered the inn was heading in
their direction. As he waited for the young man to arrive, he took the
opportunity to study him carefully. He was just under six-feet tall and had
short-cropped, messy brown hair and brown eyes. His muscles were toned but not
bulky, and he walked with a confident, playfully arrogant gait. None of his movements
had the careful coordination or grace of a trained fighter. His only visible
weapon was the dagger at his waist, which looked nearly identical to the one
Frisha carried.

“Frisha!” the young man called out from several steps away.
Frisha jumped from her seat and grabbed the young man’s arm, pulling him
forward.

“Tam! Did you find any?” she asked quickly.

Tam shook his head in the negative and glanced over at
Rezkin.

“Oh! Tam, this is my friend. He has agreed to travel with us
to Kaibain and provide extra protection!” Frisha rattled off quickly with
excitement.

“Has he, now?” Tam’s gaze had not left Rezkin since he
approached the table. His smile and tone were friendly enough, but there was a
glimmer of warning in his eyes. Rezkin might have thought the young man had a
chance at being intimidating if he did not know it was all bluster.

Rezkin rose from his chair like a viper uncoiling moments
before a strike. “I have,” he said, his powerful frame towering over the young
travelers. Frisha’s smile fell, and she froze with wide eyes staring at the two
swords and dagger strapped to the handsome young man’s waist. When he helped
her to her seat earlier she had been so completely caught up in his striking
blue eyes and courtly manners that she had not even noticed them. Tam must have
noticed, as well, because he suddenly gripped her arm tightly as though doing
so would somehow protect her.

Tam’s smile fell and his eyes darkened, “You make
interesting friends quickly, Frisha. Can I not even leave you alone in a
crowded inn for less than an hour?”

Frisha shook herself and, with feigned confidence, pulled
her arm from Tam’s grasp. She smiled brightly. “Don’t be silly, Tam. Rezkin,
this is my friend and escort, Tamarin Blackwater. Tam, this is Rezkin.”

Rezkin held out his hand, as was the traditional greeting
among commoners. Tam did not take it. He crossed his arms over his chest (a
ridiculous stance since he could now no longer reach his weapon), and his
eyebrows arched as he asked, “Rezkin…is that a joke?”

Rezkin frowned. “Excuse me? I assure you, I do not jest.”

Frisha smacked Tam’s arm. “Tamarin Blackwater! Don’t be
rude!”

Tam turned to Frisha exposing his left flank and placing his
only weapon within Rezkin’s reach. “Frisha, I am sworn to protect you, and you
have just agreed to travel with a complete stranger without even consulting me.
We don’t know anything about him!”

Frisha scoffed. “Of course we do. He’s….well, he’s…”

Tam interrupted her sputtering, “Where’s he from, Frisha?”

“Well, um…”

“Why is he in Justain?” Tam queried.

“Uh…”

“What does he
do
? What is his job?” he asked with
frustration.

Frisha thought back over their conversation. She couldn’t
think of a single detail about the man she knew as Rezkin except that he was
going to Kaibain, and he had only told her that after she mentioned that it was
her own destination. Her face flushed in embarrassment as she meekly peered up
at Rezkin through dark lashes. She said in a hushed voice that he could
obviously hear, “Shush, Tam, you will offend him.” Tam looked back at Rezkin
suddenly aware that his behavior probably
had
offended this very
formidable-looking man carrying multiple deadly weapons.

Far from being offended, Rezkin was relieved that at least
Tam’s mind was in the right place, even if he was completely devoid of martial
skill. He had withdrawn his hand after Tam’s slight, so this time he performed
a shallow court bow and said, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Tamarin
Blackwater. I am pleased that you show such concern for your charge. If you
care to sit, we can get better acquainted, and perhaps I can allay some of your
fears.”

Tam was momentarily taken aback by the scary man’s
uncommonly good manners, but after glancing at Frisha’s pleading face he
finally relented. “Yes, very well.”

Rezkin nodded and then strode to a nearby table with a few
extra chairs. “Pardon me, Master, Mistress, might I borrow one of these
chairs?” Rezkin was fairly certain his evaluation of this situation as
non-threatening was accurate, but he would be remiss to let his guard down,
which would also break
Rule 24
, so he maintained complete concentration
the entire time his back was turned.

Once he returned with the chair, the three sat down at the
table. He placed Tam on his left, but recognized that the young man would not
understand the significance of the gesture. Since most swordsmen were
right-handed, their swords were strapped to the left hip. Placing a potential
opponent on the left meant that the opponent was closer to the sword and could,
therefore, interfere in drawing the weapon. Of course, Rezkin was equally
skilled in using both hands and carried two swords in addition to a number of
other weapons, so the gesture was largely symbolic as a sort of good-faith
gesture.

Roxie returned looking a little happier now that Tam
separated Rezkin and Frisha. She brought a fresh round of ale and asked if Tam
would like a meal. Frisha, still embarrassed, avoided looking at the handsome
warrior. When she had first seen him, she was completely taken aback. She had
never seen anyone so striking and powerful looking as Rezkin, and he had just a
hint of danger about him that made her blood heat. She wanted to run her
fingers through his silky black hair and thought for certain that she could
drown happily in those crystal blue eyes.

Now, after seeing Tam’s reaction and realizing Rezkin was
very
well armed, she acknowledged that he had much more than a
hint
of
danger. She worried that she had made a huge mistake, but he seemed so kind and
courteous. No man had ever treated her like a true lady, and it was not just
toward her. He had been polite and gentlemanly toward everyone so far. He had
even brushed off Tam’s rudeness with cool grace.

“So, Master Rezkin…” Tam started.

Rezkin held up a hand, “Please, just Rezkin.”

Tam nodded, “I’m curious about your mannerisms. Are you a
noble?”

The young warrior smiled but gave neither affirmation nor
denial, “Just Rezkin.”

Tam shifted in his chair and glanced back at Frisha who was
doing an admirable job of examining every nuance of the table in front of her.
“Rezkin, then. Frisha says you wish to travel with us. Why?”

Nodding, Rezkin replied, “Yes, first of all, we have the
same destination, and are traveling at the same time. Secondly, there is safety
in numbers. Third, and most importantly, is because it is
Rule 1
.”

Tam was nodding in acquiescence up until the last one. He
furrowed his brow in confusion. “What is rule one?”

Rezkin cocked his head to the side and studied Tam anew. “I
thought you knew.
Rule 1 – Protect and honor your friends.
”

Tam’s face relaxed. “Well, of course, one should always
protect and honor one’s friends. But, what makes you think we are friends? I
mean, no offense, but we just met.”

Rezkin forced himself to smile again and nodded toward the
oddly silent young woman. “Frisha told me so.” Frisha glanced up and smiled
weakly.

Tam looked askance at Frisha who lowered her eyes back to
the table. “So, you accept that just because she said so?”

Rezkin cocked his head, again, as he studied Frisha. Her
cheeks flushed under his scrutiny, but she still said nothing. “I have no
reason to doubt her. She is a surprisingly open and cheerful individual.
Nothing she has said or done leads me to believe her to be duplicitous or
conniving. Thus far, her most grievous flaws seem to be that she is entirely
too trusting and is unable to protect herself. Both are problems for which I
can be of assistance.”

The carpenter’s apprentice was staring at Rezkin with his
mouth hanging open. “You seem to have a firm grasp of Frisha’s character, but
you still know little about us. By the looks of you, you could easily make it
to Kaibain on your own much faster and without the extra effort. Why would you
take on the extra burden of two more people, even if we are
friends
?”
His last words were heavy with skepticism.

“You are Tamarin Blackwater, a carpenter’s apprentice who
wishes to be a soldier. You have little to no knowledge of combat, no martial
or weapons training, and carry only a dagger at the waist, although you
probably do not know how to use it in combat. You swore an Oath of Protection
for Mistress Frisha with full knowledge that you will probably end up dead if
you ever have to uphold it against an enemy. I do not believe you thought that
one through. I am quite certain Mistress Frisha did not.” Tam gave Frisha a
sidelong look.

Rezkin continued, “I think you will find that she is less
willing to allow you to risk your life on her behalf than either of you
thought. I believe you were both excited about traveling to Kaibain for your
own reasons, you were both excited about traveling
together
, and you
both accepted the oath without considering the consequences. I would be remiss
in my duties under
Rule 1
if I allowed you to continue on your journey
under such conditions without my protection.”

Both of his new acquaintances were now staring at him
wide-eyed, mouths agape. Neither could think of anything to say. Tam recovered
first with heated indignation, “Say, now! How dare you claim I am incapable of
providing protection! I am every bit as capable as the next man.” Tam’s face
was hot with anger and embarrassment, but all three of them knew it was all
bravado.

Rezkin leveled his stare at Tam. “Very well, let us go into
the yard. We will spar with daggers, since that is all you have. If you can
defeat me, I will leave you both alone, never to see me again. If I win, we
will travel together to Kaibain.”

Tam immediately snapped his mouth shut as his face lost some
of its color. Staring into cold blue eyes, he nearly started shaking. Swallowing
the lump in his throat, he cleared his voice and said, “No, I think you’d best
just leave us alone. Just because you’re the stronger fighter doesn’t mean you
can bully your way into our lives.”

Frisha gasped, “Tam!”

“No, Frisha, I won’t let him threaten us,” replied Tam.

Rezkin was taken aback. He had not expected Tam to interpret
his words in such a way. He felt the tightening in his chest, again, as he
reached into his purse to retrieve a few coins. He placed them on the table and
stood. Bowing low toward the two companions he said, “I beg your pardon. I
truly meant no offense, nor did I intend to threaten or frighten either of you.
I apologize if I have dishonored you. I only meant to offer my protection
toward my newfound
friends
. Master Tam, if you were unable to find
suitable lodging for your stay, I am willing to vacate my room so that you can
stay near to Mistress Frisha. Do not worry yourselves that I will cause you
problems, for you will not see me again.”

Rezkin turned and, staying cognizant of his surroundings,
made his way back to his room. The bathing tub had been removed but nothing
else seemed to have been disturbed. He roved over the room, once again looking
for traps and poisons, and after finding none, he began to pack the few items
he had left out of his pack. He would need to pick up his laundry later.
Rule
1
was going to be harder than he thought. Protecting and honoring seemed
like easy things to do, except when they conflicted with each other. In trying
to protect his new
friends
he had dishonored them.

Rezkin was sorely disappointed in himself. He had only found
his
friends
little more than an hour ago, and he was already failing
miserably. Now, in order to protect them, he would have to follow them from a
distance, staying unseen. That is what he promised them, after all…that they
would not
see
him. How would he secretly protect them on a riverboat?
Surely they would know he was aboard. Riverboats were not so large, after all.
He would have to disguise himself. Neither of them had seen his horse, so
Pride
would not give him away. But, was it dishonoring them to mislead them and
pursue them in secret?