Free the Darkness (King's Dark Tidings Book 1) (11 page)

Communicating with outworlders was so much more difficult
than the masters had said. He tried using the lines he had been forced to
memorize and mimicked the gestures and pleasantries, but it was tiring and
confusing at times. When he thought he had performed a gesture just perfectly,
people would stare at him with confusing expressions.

The men had seemed easy enough, until Tam, anyway. It was
the women who were so confusing. He knew it was an unavoidable tactical error
that he had met Frisha first. By the time he met Tam, the young man’s
protective instincts had kicked in, and he was less willing to see reason. If
he had somehow met Tam first, he might have found a way to convince him of his
sincerity.

Swinging his pack over his shoulder he stepped quickly to
the door and pulled it open to reveal Tam standing on the other side with his
arm poised to knock. Rezkin released the hilt he had grasped in surprise. He
could not believe he had made such a mistake as to not check the door before
opening it. His mind was muddled with his failure, and he knew he had to get it
together before he failed completely.

He stepped aside to allow Tam to enter and said, “I have
gathered my things and will inform the innkeeper of the change upon my
departure.” He stepped toward the door to make his way out, but was stopped by
Tam’s hand on his shoulder. He forcefully resisted his instincts to grab the hand
and twist until the young man submitted. He calmly turned toward the young man
instead.

“Wait, please,” Tam quietly requested.

Rezkin simply stared at him, willing the young man to get to
the point.

“I-I’m sorry,” Tam said while wringing his hands awkwardly.
“What I said was uncalled for. I didn’t mean to offend you, nor did I mean to
be ungrateful.” He let out a heavy breath, and his shoulders slumped. “You’re
right. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m in over my head. When I made the oath,
I though it was no big deal. I would just stand up for Frisha when she needed
me.”

The uncertain young man scratched at his scruffy jaw as he
thought and continued, “On the way here from Cheswick, I spoke to several of
the caravan guards. Some of the things they described…attacks along the roads
and even on the river, well, they scared me. I know I’m supposed to protect
Frisha, and I want to, but if it comes down to it, I know I
can’t
. So,
if you could possibly forgive me, I would like to accept your offer to
accompany us to Kaibain.”

Tam looked up into Rezkin’s eyes almost pleadingly, that
vulnerability that Tam was trying so hard to hide earlier was obvious to anyone
who looked. Rezkin inclined his head and said, “It was my fault. I failed to
communicate my purpose properly. You had every right to be defensive and
protective of your companion.”

“No, I should not have spoken to you in such a disrespectful
manner,” the young man replied. “Your behavior has been above reproach. I just
didn’t like having to face the truth, and I was ashamed to do so in front of
Frisha. It’s better this way, though. It was wrong to let her think she was
safer than she really was.”

Rezkin smiled to soften his words, “I do not think Mistress
Frisha is a fool.”

Tam barked a self-deprecating laugh, “No, no she’s not.”

“When were you planning to leave,” the young warrior asked.

“We were going to see if we could purchase passage on a
river boat tomorrow. From what I hear it takes a day or two to reserve a space,
so maybe the day after?”

Nodding, he said, “That will be fine. I can go with you in
the morning to make arrangements, but I will need the afternoon to complete a
task.”

“After breakfast, then?” asked Tam.

“Yes, good night, Master Tamarin,” he replied. He shifted
his pack and turned to leave.

“Wait!” Tam nearly shouted.

The young warrior turned back to him with sad blue eyes. At
least, Tam thought they looked sad. “I don’t have any intention of kicking you
out of your room, although I do truly appreciate the gesture. The innkeeper
said I could sleep in the common room once all the patrons have gone, so it
worked out after all. It turns out it’s a lot cheaper that way, too.”

Rezkin could tell that Tam wanted to escape the room but was
blocked by Rezkin’s own large frame. He frowned at the thought. The common room
would not be secure by any means. Anyone could sneak up on the unsuspecting
young man. It was one of the most vulnerable places he could think of, only one
step above actually sleeping out in the street. Tamarin would presumably be protected
from people outside the inn, but anyone from within could sneak down upon him.
In addition, Rezkin imaged that all of those patrons below had no intentions of
leaving until very late.

Rezkin cocked his head to the side in the way he did when he
was considering something deeply. “This room is plenty large enough for two
people. I see no reason why we cannot share. At least in here you only have one
person to worry about. In the common room you have the entire inn’s worth.”

“You would do that? You would share with me?” Tam asked
curiously.

Rezkin cocked one brow and replied flatly, “I was willing to
give you the whole room. From my perspective, this is a better deal.”

Tam finally smiled, “So it is. I wonder if the innkeeper has
an extra cot. I’ll go check and let Frisha know what’s happening. You take the
bed since it was your room in the first place. And…thanks.”

Rezkin stepped back into the room shaking his head. Were all
commoners this difficult? If he was supposed to be protecting and honoring
commoners, why had his masters insisted they were too inconsequential to study?
Perhaps this was one of those difficult lessons he was supposed to learn on his
own. He set his pack back on the bed and dug around for some items with which
to make an alarm.

A short while later, Tam returned with Pot, each lugging one
end of a mattress. Roxie followed close behind carrying bed linens. The young
woman gazed at Rezkin, smiling shyly and fluttering her lashes. Since she was
not paying attention to her surroundings, Roxie found herself crashing into Pot
who was bent over settling the mattress, sending bed linens flying into the
air. Tam stared at them mouth agape, while Rezkin simply cocked his head and
said, “Perhaps you both need to review
Rules 8, 24, 84
and
96
.”

Pot snickered and, untangling himself from Roxie, asked,
“What are those?”

Rezkin recited, “
Know your surroundings, never let your
guard down, do not let your attention linger
, and
always be prepared.
”
Tam could no longer contain himself and burst out laughing. It was clear now,
why these two ended up in such a predicament. They had not even bothered to
learn
the
Rules
, much less follow them. How
had
these people grown?

 “Have you managed to break
Rule 6
as well?”
Rezkin continued.

Pot grinned as Roxie hid her face in her hands. “Which would
be…?” the small man asked.

“Do not get injured,” Rezkin stated in a quiet, steady
voice, while looking at Roxie who was peeking between her fingers. Surely these
two should at least know
that
Rule
.

Roxie slowly lowered her hands to reveal her bright red
face. She smiled shyly again and softly replied, “No, I am well. Thank you for
your concern, my lord. You’re so kind.”

Rezkin cocked his head to the side. He was not particularly
concerned. The woman was not bleeding all over Tam’s bed, and she was certainly
well enough to be removed from the room when he wanted to turn in for the
night. Any discomfort she might be feeling would not hinder him in any way nor
affect his purpose.

Pot regained his feet and reached down to help Roxie recover
hers. Rezkin nearly intervened but held himself back since he was neither of
these people’s master.
No wonder these people never learn the
Rules, he
thought. If someone assisted them every time they failed, how would they ever
learn anything? If anything, both of them should be punished for their failure.
Roxie had managed to cause the incident, but Pot failed to recognize the danger
and avoid it. He was certain that a week of pain and suffering and a trip to
the infirmary would impress upon them the importance of the
Rules
.
 Then again, with these two, a week might not be enough. None of them
seemed to expect any kind of punishment to be administered, Tam included, so he
held his own.

Roxie went to retrieve the linens from Tam, who had already collected
them. The young woman turned to make the bed, but Tam refused saying he could
do it himself. Tam was simply trying to save the girl from further
embarrassment, but Rezkin only saw it as encouraging disobedience. Tam was not
doing the young woman any favors. Then again, maybe Tam no longer trusted the
hapless woman to perform her job. Rezkin nodded. This made sense. If she could
not be trusted to follow the
Rules
, what other anarchy might she
instigate?

As soon as the duo left the room, Tam burst out laughing
again, “On the Maker, Rez, you’re funny! I couldn’t think of anything good to
say fast enough, but you’re quick. That was hilarious.”

Rez?

Rezkin was utterly confused. He did not know what humor had
to do with anything, but he let it go since Tam was obviously in a much better
mood than he was earlier. Rezkin retrieved the supplies he had been tinkering
with before all of the commotion and began setting the alarm around his bed.

Tam watched Rezkin quizzically. “What are you doing?” he
asked.

“Setting an alarm,” Rezkin replied.

“Why?” Tam inquired.

“To wake me in case someone attempts to attack,” he stated.

“Why would you need that? Who is going to attack you in
here? Wait…am
I
the someone?” Tam asked with round eyes.

Rezkin glanced at him with a look of contrition. “There are
two ways to enter this room – the door and the window. There are any
number of people outside who could intend harm, and perhaps a few inside. It is
prudent to always keep an alarm set where one is sleeping.”

“You worry about that kind of stuff? This has happened to
you before?” Tam asked with concern. He was no longer sure he wanted to share a
room with someone who attracted that kind of attention.

Rezkin shook his head, “Where I grew up, the men were always
sneaking in to test me. They did all kinds of things to teach me the
Skills
,
particularly when I was most vulnerable.”

Tam visibly relaxed and nodded as he said, “Yeah, I
understand that. My brothers and I were always pulling pranks on each other.
One time, my oldest brother, Caineth, convinced Perrin to help him sew Connin’s
bed linens closed around him like a sack while he was sleeping. Then, they put
a mouse and a snake inside with him. I’m pretty sure you could hear the screams
from the other end of town. Ma and Pa were
really
angry. Plus, ma made
Cainith and Perrin pay for the ruined bed linens.”

Rezkin considered this attack,
prank
, as Tam had
called it. He could not see any practical use for such a technique except
perhaps to teach the victim to be vigilant even in his sleep. Still, if it was
effective, then who was he to judge?

Tam had finished applying his linens while he spoke, and
Rezkin finished adjusting his alarm. The young warrior looked back at Tam who
was removing his boots and asked, “Have you any more need to leave the room
tonight?”

“No, I’m good. I’m exhausted after traveling and running
from inn to inn looking for a room,” Tam replied. “I really do appreciate you
offering to share. It put Frisha’s mind at ease, too.”

“How do you expect to protect her in her room from in here?”
he asked curiously.

Tam was surprised, “Well, I don’t expect anyone to attack
her in her room. It’s not like people are after us. Besides, her door will be
barred.”

Rezkin shook his head and then grabbed a small pouch from
his pack. “I will be back in a moment. Bar the door.”

“What? Why, if you’re going to be right back?” asked Tam.

“Just…bar the door…please.” His masters had said that many
people found it difficult to deny a request if one said “please,” especially if
the request would have no direct impact on them.

Tam got up and barred the door after Rezkin left. Rez was a
strange man, calm and commanding at all times, but he had a wicked sense of
humor. Tam began to wonder if Rez was really as dangerous as he seemed. He was
so polite and courteous, and he spoke like a learned man. Tam did not doubt the
man had some weapons training. Anyone carrying around two swords would have to
or be an idiot. It was just asking to be challenged to a duel, especially if he
was a commoner, since many lords were arrogant enough to want to put a commoner
in his place.

Rezkin stalked down the hall to what he knew to be Frisha’s
door. He rapped softly against the hard wood. A moment later, the door swung
open to reveal Frisha wrapped in a silky cream robe. Wavy brown hair framed her
face, and her cheeks were slightly flushed from rushing to cover herself.

“Rezkin!” she said in surprise. Her mind worked quickly
wondering where this late night bedchamber encounter might go. Would this smooth,
devastatingly handsome man push his way into her room, take her in his arms,
and ravish her? The young woman’s cheeks turned deeper red as she realized her
thoughts stemmed less from concern than from fantasy.

“Mistress Frisha,” Rezkin said as he bowed slightly. “I
apologize, again, for the incident in the common room earlier. I meant no
offense.”

“Oh, no, you have nothing to apologize for. Tam was out of
line, but I understand you two worked out your differences,” she quickly
replied.

“Just so,” he nodded in affirmation. “You should probably
inquire as to whom is at your door prior to opening it, though.”