Free the Darkness (King's Dark Tidings Book 1) (13 page)

“Perhaps,” said Rezkin. “There are many kinds of soldiers,
and it is dependent on whether or not you master your
Skills
. If you
joined the city guard, I imagine you would learn most of it if you worked
hard.”

Tam shook his head, “I do not think I want to be a city
guard. I want to travel the kingdom. Maybe even go to other kingdoms. Do you
think I could do that?”

“If you join the regular army, you may be posted at a fort
somewhere in the kingdom, but it is unlikely you will transfer more than a few
times in your career, depending on how long you serve, of course. We are not at
war, so most positions are fairly stagnant, and few are ever sent beyond the
borders. You would have to join the navy to get beyond the kingdom, and even
they rarely make calls to foreign ports. Your best bet would be to become an
escort for an ambassador, but you would have to be an exceptional soldier, at
least a sergeant major with notable accomplishments, to acquire such a
position.”

Tam’s face fell. “But, that’s not at all what it sounds like
in the stories. They always talk about great battles and travels and unusual
places around the world.”

Rezkin shook his head, “Stories are rarely accurate. Those
that are not pure fiction are embellished. Sometimes bards will take the
adventures and accomplishments of many different soldiers and tell it as though
it all happened to only one. The truth is, soldiering is not about excitement
and glory. If you were to become an officer, you might have a better chance at
experiencing the things you want. They have more freedom and ability to request
transfers. Since you are not a noble and are therefore unable to purchase a
commission, it is highly unlikely you will ever become an officer. Few
commoners ever receive the honor, despite their hard work and dedication.”

“Is that why you haven’t joined the army?” asked Tam.

Rezkin glanced at Tam and shrugged. “My
Skills
would
be wasted in the army.” Rezkin nearly came to a halt when the next thought
crossed his mind. “Although, if you join, I may have to as well.”

“Why!?” Frisha exclaimed in surprise. Tam was startled, as
well.

Rezkin shook his head once again looking at Tam as though
the man was completely dense. “
Rule 1
, Tam, remember?”

“Wait, you would join the army just to protect
me
?”
asked Tam. He was flabbergasted. He had just met this man, and the idea seemed
a bit…obsessive.

Rezkin rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. “I cannot think of how I
could protect you in the army and Frisha at the same time, though.”

Frisha laughed, “Rez, you cannot expect to protect
both
of us
all
of the time. We have our own lives, you know. And, we’re not
your responsibility, anyway. Besides, you only said you would lend your aid on
our way to Kaibain. After that, we will each go our own way.” Frisha’s tone was
soft and understanding, and the last was said with a note of sadness.

Rezkin felt the tightening in his chest again. They would
each go their own way? But, if that happened, then what would be his purpose?

“I must protect and honor my friends,” he said with
distressed confusion.

“Don’t get me wrong, Rez. It’s an honorable Code to live by,
but I think it should be more of a general sense of protection,” Frisha said as
she waved her hands around. “It doesn’t mean you have to stay with us at all
times. Besides, what happens when you find
new
friends?”

New friends?
He had not thought there would be more
of them. How many of these
friends
did he have? And, how would he know
who they were? Did they have some way of identifying each other? Was he
supposed to approach them or wait for them to come to him? Master Peider had
not lived long enough for him to find out. Frisha seemed to know a lot about
it, though, so maybe he could just leave it to her to identify his
friends
for him.

By now the trio had reached the docks and set about finding
the riverboat offices. They wandered down to one of the piers and asked a
dockworker for directions. Once they knew where to go, the three found the
office easily. It was a short, wooden building with faded, peeling blue paint.
The sign above the door was a small mural of a riverboat. The door and windows
stood open, but upon entering, they had to wait a moment for their eyes to
adjust to the dimness. An old man with a worn face sat smoking a pipe as he
shuffled through a stack of parchments on his desk.

“What ken I do fer ye?” the old man asked.

Tam took the lead. “Greetings, sir. We seek passage to
Kaibain. Is there space available on any of the riverboats leaving in the next
day or two?” he asked.

“This be all of ye?” asked the man out of the side of his
mouth.

“Yes,” said Tam.

“And my horse,” Rezkin interjected.

Frisha glanced at Rezkin. “You have a horse?” she asked.

“How else would I have gotten to the city?” he remarked.

“Um…walked?” she said, her own voice filled with doubt.

Rezkin shook his head, “That would have been a long walk.”
Frisha was about to ask where he was from when the old man interrupted.

“I ain’t got all day, now. Things ta do,” he griped. “There
be a boat leavin’ in two days. Ye ken bring yer ‘orse, but ye’ll be carin’ fer
and cleanin’ up after ‘im yerself. There be a stall onboard fer ‘im. It’ll be
two and a ‘alf golds fer the each o’ ya an’ fer the ‘orse.”

Frisha gasped, “So much!?”

Tam stepped forward. “The two of us,” he motioned to Rezkin,
“can share a room.”

The old curmudgeon laughed, “Oh, ye be sharin’ a berth
a’right. Ain’t got room fer each o’ ye ta be ‘avin yer own. I’ve got one berth
‘vailable ye be sharin’.

Anger suffused Frisha, and she huffed with disdain. “You
expect me to share a room with two men!?”

The old man donned a crooked smile, “Ain’t no more wenches
aboard. Might ‘ave ta put more folk with ye if they be comin’ ‘round, too.”

Rezkin had heard enough. He took two large strides forward
to stand glaring down at the old man over his desk. The man bit his pipe as his
smile fell. “We will pay one gold for each of us and forty silver for the
horse. You will also receive another twenty-five silver to ensure that no one
else shares our berth.

The old sailor scowled and said, “Now see ‘ere young man. I
be givin’ ye a deal.”

Rezkin leaned over the desk, his hands on the hilts of his
swords and said, “
That
is the deal. We both know you are trying to
swindle these good people. I suggest you take my offer.”

The old man narrowed his eyes and replied, “Done this afore
‘ave ye? One and a ‘alf gold fer each o’ ye, one fer the ‘orse, and one ta make
sure no one else stays wi’ ye.”

Rezkin’s eyes darkened, and he straightened with a cool
demeanor that was somehow all the more frightening. The old man’s Adam’s apple
bobbed up and down as he gulped. “Twenty-five silver for each of us and the
horse, and you generously make sure no one shares our berth. In return, I will
not
take your slight personally, I will
not
hurt you for your attempt at
robbery, and I will
not
inform the River Transport Licensing Board of
your attempts to rob decent travelers blind. I will
not
have to report
how your
business practices
hinder travel between capital cities,
effectively stymieing trade, nor how you would make it nearly impossible for a
new recruit to afford passage so that he can report to the army recruitment
board.” He said this last with a nod toward Tam. “How much would your business
suffer if an embargo was placed on your transportation of soldiers and
supplies?”

The old sailor, who was now sweating, jumped to his feet and
stuttered anxiously, “M-My apologies, m-Me Lord. I didn’t mean nothin’
pers’nal, ye see. Jus’ business, it be. Ah, ye offer a fair rate, ye do. I be
‘appy ta book yer passage as ye ask. Please, don’ be talkin’ ta no ‘fficials,
now. Ain’t no need fer that.”

Rezkin narrowed his eyes at the old man who shifted
nervously and would not meet his stare. “I might feel inclined to keep an eye
on the riverboat trade. It might interest me to ask around every so often to
see if people are satisfied with their service.”

The old man nodded vigorously, “Aye, I understand, Me Lord.
Ye won’t get no complaints from me passengers, I promise ye that.”

“I take promises very seriously,” Rezkin stated.

The anxious sailor cringed, “That be well, Me Lord.”

Rezkin nodded and then motioned Tam to step forward. Tam
stood gaping after the exchange. He was not sure if he should be impressed or
appalled. Watching Rezkin throw his weight around like that unnerved him, and
he could not quite make himself support Rezkin’s methods. He felt guilty for
his part in bullying the man into compliance.

Tam gave the old man their information and obtained a Writ of
Passage. They handed over half the money in deposit and left the timeworn,
musty office. All three took a whiff of fresh air tinged with the smell of
fish.

After walking for a while in silence, Rezkin noticed his two
companions had not said one word to him since they left the office, although
they had muttered quietly to each other a bit. He would not have been concerned
except that this was uncharacteristic behavior based on what he knew of them.
When they reached a location of relative safety, he came to a halt and turned
to them. Neither companion would meet his eye.

“What is it?” Rezkin asked.

They both shifted uncomfortably and glanced at each other.
Frisha started to speak and then shut her mouth nodding toward Tam to go ahead.

“Rez, it’s just…we don’t really feel right about what
happened back there,” Tam finally managed to say.

Rez nodded in understanding, “You have to be prepared for
this kind of thing. People will take advantage of you when they can.” At least,
that is what the masters had taught him.

The young man and woman glanced at each other again, and Tam
rubbed the back of his neck. “Is that what you did? Took advantage of him?” he
asked.

Rezkin was surprised to say the least. “
Me
?”

“You were pretty forceful back there, and I can’t help but
think we’re robbing the guy,” Tam said as Frisha nodded in agreement.

Rezkin frowned as he felt that tightness in his chest,
again. He was becoming concerned that there might be something wrong with his
heart or lungs. He put the thought aside to address his
friends’
issues.

“The man was blatantly attempting to rob us. Riverboat
passage to Kaibain from here should
never
cost more than a gold and a
half and that is for a private berth – the kind a highborn lord or lady
would require. My first offer was quite generous considering the service he was
offering. Still, he tried to take advantage hoping I did not know any better
and was just haggling the price. My final offer of payment is only slightly
less than what the king pays for transportation of his soldiers. That old man
is not put out in the least.”

His words were firm, but his voice was calm and unemotional.
“Do you realize that he could actually be thrown in the dungeon for what he was
attempting? At the very least, he would lose his boats and licenses and receive
a hefty fine. I
am still mulling over the decision
not
to report
him, and you are taking offense to
my
actions?”

Rezkin shook his head, turned and continued the walk back to
the inn. Not wanting to think about the whole incident, he tried to keep his
full attention on his surroundings to avoid any troubles with the locals. It
seemed these two were still unwilling to trust him. He could not really blame
them, since they had not known him for even a day, but it seemed they were
constantly expecting the worst from him. Just because he
could
force
people to submit to his will did not mean he
would
. He was not a cruel
man, the kind who took pleasure in intimidating or hurting others.

In truth, he was most disappointed with himself since he was
trying his best to adhere to
Rule 1
, and he seemed to be constantly
failing. He knew he had the
Skills
to protect his
friends
, but
honoring them at the same time seemed beyond his abilities. They were not happy
with anything he did. He mentally sighed. The whole situation was completely
new. As they became accustomed to each other and engaged in more tasks, they
would gain an understanding of each other’s
Skills
and dependability in
following the
Rules
. It had been so with the strikers at the fortress.
The team had actually been extremely effective after training together for so
many years. Rezkin unconsciously rubbed at the tightness in his chest once
again. Given time, he could have that with his new
friends
.

Rezkin escorted his two companions back to the inn in
silence and then left without a word for the main guardhouse. He bought a meat
pie and an apple from a couple of vendors on the way. For a few hours he pored
over the previous week’s entry records. As he expected, he found nothing
concerning Farson, but he did make a mental note of the comings and goings of a
number of nobles, successful merchants and other people of interest.

Leaving the guardhouse, he headed back to the market
district. He would need to restock a few supplies for the voyage. He had never
been on a boat, but he had learned about them in his studies. His masters had
said that some people became ill with the motion of the vessel, and a few of
the strikers had confirmed this. Apparently, even well trained warriors could
be vulnerable to the affects of water. He stopped in an herbalist’s shop and
purchased a small amount of fennel, horehound and ginger, in compliance with
Rule
96 – Always be prepared
.