Free the Darkness (King's Dark Tidings Book 1) (33 page)

Their first day on the trade route, the travelers did not
get as far as Rezkin had hoped due to Tam and Frisha’s inexperience and complaints
of saddle-sores. Reaylin did not ride often and was also quite sore, but true
to her word, she was a competent rider. Since they did not reach the village
where they intended to stay, the travelers were forced to camp off the road.
Many nights of camping were to be enjoyed on this journey.

Jimson went about setting up camp while Frisha and Tam
gathered firewood. Reaylin and Rezkin both had bows, so they set out to hunt
for fresh meat. Rezkin took the opportunity to scout the area and found that,
as expected on the trade route, people had passed through recently. Luckily,
none were in the vicinity at that time.

When everything was situated and a brace of rabbits was
roasting over the fire, Reaylin sidled up to Rezkin. She stood much closer than
was comfortable for the young warrior, but he made no overt moves to stop her.

Reaylin tilted her head far back and said, “Wow, you really
are a big guy, huh?” She shifted her weight placing one hand on a cocked hip
and grinned with a twinkle in her eye. “Are you so big
everywhere
?” she
asked demurely through thick lashes.

Reaylin took a small amount of sadistic pleasure in the gasp
that emanated from Frisha’s throat. Frisha could not believe the audacity of
the little blonde tramp, and how dare she behave so with Rezkin. Rezkin,
however, was considering the question seriously. Why would the young woman be
so concerned about his size? It did make a certain sense that, given her short
stature and the discrimination she had received because of it from the
soldiers, she would naturally focus on size as being of great importance.
Rezkin, of course, disagreed.

Looking down at the petite woman he replied, “Obviously, I
am large, but size is not necessarily of the most significance. What is most
important is one’s
Skill
.”

“Oh,” she said sweetly, “Have you many skills?”

Rezkin nodded in the affirmative. “I have mastered all of
the
Skills
,” he stated succinctly.

Reaylin grinned and reached out to stroke his arm. Rezkin
withheld his instinct to thrust the young woman away or knock her unconscious.
“Is that so? Perhaps you would be willing to show me some of your skills,
then?” she asked suggestively.

“Certainly,” Rezkin said. “You can join Tam and Frisha in
their weapons training if you like.” With this statement, he turned and walked
away.

Tam and Frisha who had been completely shocked during the
entire exchange could not possibly hold back their laughter at the look of
stunned dejection on Reaylin’s face. Reaylin glared at them over heated cheeks
and then stormed into the dark trees. Frisha, having been furious during the
last few minutes of conversation, tried to maintain her composure but could not
hide the satisfied grin that graced her lips. When Rezkin glanced up from
rifling in his pack, she gave him a stunning smile of approval.

Tam walked over to Rez and remarked, “You really have a way
with women.”

“What?” Rezkin asked in confusion.

“Yeah, they all seem to flock to you. Now you have them
throwing themselves at you. But, you handled Reaylin well. She was being way
too forward, especially in present company. I think you managed to put her in
her place. I don’t see her doing that again. It’s just as well. Someone needed
to teach her.”

Rezkin had no idea what Tam was talking about. All he had
done was agree to teach her weapons
Skills
. He had attempted to dispel
the misconception that her size was a limitation on her advancement as a
warrior. Was that the lesson to which Tam was referring? Since Reaylin was not
one of his
friends
, Rezkin did not feel truly concerned. She was not his
responsibility. Rezkin shrugged and replied, “It does not matter so much to me.
She will learn or she will not. It is up to her.”

“I’m starting to regret letting her come with us,” Tam
stated as he stared in the direction Reaylin had gone.

“Why is that?” Rezkin asked, suddenly alert. Had Tam picked
up on some sign Rezkin had missed that indicated the woman was a threat?

“I just…I don’t trust her. I don’t know why, but there is
something wrong with that girl,” Tam replied.

Rezkin nodded and said, “You should listen to your
instincts. Sometimes your mind picks up more than your consciousness. We will
keep an eye on her, and if she becomes a problem, I will take care of it.”

Tam eyed Rezkin quizzically and then shrugged. “You’re the
expert on women. I’ll leave it up to you.”

Several more days passed, each nearly identical to the last.
They would rise at dawn, ride until midday when they would break for lunch, and
then ride until about an hour or two before sunset. In the evenings, Rezkin
trained his
friends
, including Lieutenant Jimson and Reaylin, in their
various weapons.

After Reaylin had stormed off the first night, she had
sulked for a while and remained aloof around Rezkin. There was no end to her
annoyance of Tam and Frisha, though. It was as if she was taking out her anger
toward Rezkin on his
friends.
The girl was hotheaded, defensive, and
prone to bragging. She went on and on about her exploits as a warrior, which
were no doubt largely fictionalized. Lieutenant Jimson tried to maintain a
distance from the whole mess. Reaylin mostly ignored his presence, probably
only because he was an army officer.

One day after the midday meal, Frisha invited Rezkin to take
a stroll with her before they continued their ride. She said she needed to
stretch her legs, but she really just wanted to opportunity to be alone with
the handsome warrior. When they returned to the group, they were speaking
amicably, and Frisha was smiling and laughing softly. Reaylin decided she had
to put aside her sore feelings and try another method if she was going to get
Rezkin to notice her.

That night as the others were setting up camp, Reaylin
approached Rezkin once again. “Rez?” she said sweetly. “My I speak with you a
moment?”

“Of course,” he replied. The two walked a few paces away
from camp to speak in private.

Tam and Frisha watched Rez and Reaylin walk into the
deepening shadows. Frisha scowled and huffed, “What is that hussy up to, now?”

Tam shrugged, “I don’t know, but I wouldn’t worry about it.
Rez can handle himself.”

Frisha turned her glare on her best friend, “I’m not worried
about him handling
himself
. I worried about him handling
her
.”

The young man sighed loudly, “Oh, come on, Frisha. You know
he’s totally smitten with
you
. He doesn’t want Reaylin. He’s probably just
going to have a talk with her about how annoying she’s being. I know
I
would be glad for it to stop.”

Frisha was only mildly mollified. “Hmf. If she tries to
steal him from me I’ll…I’ll…”

“You’ll what?” asked Tam with a smirk.

“I don’t know, but it won’t be pretty!” Frisha snapped.

Lieutenant Jimson was sitting quietly off to the side taking
in all the drama. On the one hand, he was glad he was not a part of it. On the
other, he kind of wished Reaylin would give him even a small amount of
interest. He had been drawn to her from the beginning. Her petite frame and
womanly curves were enticing, and he enjoyed that fiery spark that seemed to
put everyone else on edge.

Jimson knew he had no chance of competing with Rezkin,
though, so he would just have to bide his time until the girl realized the
young man would not be swayed. It was no secret that Frisha favored Rezkin, and
it appeared that the warrior returned her affections, although he was subtler
in expressing his interest.

Reaylin turned to Rezkin more anxious than she expected.
“Look, Rez, I just wanted to apologize for my behavior. It was inappropriate
and forward. Before, I thought that maybe we could…well…but, now, I am hoping
we can be friends.”

Rezkin cocked his head in contemplation. She wanted to be
his
friend
? Was that even possible? He was not sure how to make someone
into a new
friend
. Did she have to be inducted? Did she need to contact
the leader of the group and submit and application? Was there some protocol for
selecting new
friends
? He really did not know how the whole process
worked. It would be best to discuss it with his other
friends
before he
gave her an answer.

“I do not know, Reaylin. I will consider it. I should
discuss it with Frisha, but I think she is a little upset with you right now,”
he replied honestly.

“So, you and Frisha are…
together
?” she questioned
coyly as she twisted the end of her ponytail in her fingers.

“She has agreed to stay with me,” Rezkin answered.

“Oh,” Reaylin said suddenly feeling very embarrassed. She
had not realized Frisha and Rezkin were so serious. She could see, now, that
she had never really had a chance with him, and she had offended Frisha. “I
guess I’ve been kind of a jerk to her.”

Rezkin was unfamiliar with the term
jerk
, so he just
shrugged and said, “You would have to talk to her about that.”

“Yeah, I guess I should,” Reaylin conceded. “I’m just not
like her, though. She acts so perfect and proper. Just like all the other women
I don’t get along with.”

The young warrior considered her words and replied, “I do
not agree. I have seen many women…”

“I bet you have,” Reaylin interrupted inappropriately. She
flushed as she realized her mouth had gotten away from her again.

Rezkin frowned at her in confusion but continued, “…and she
does not dress or act like them. She does not wear those ridiculous mounds of
fabric, and she has made a significant effort to learn to protect herself with
both the sword and knives. In my experience, that is unusual for most
outworlders, but especially for women. She has also been traveling for weeks in
the company of men under harsh conditions with little complaint. Most of the
women in the cities seem too soft for such circumstances. Frisha also
maintained her composure during the battle with the bandits and, although she had
no fighting
Skills
at the time, she did not panic.”

“There was a battle?” Reaylin gasped in disbelief.

Rezkin simply nodded once.

“You admire her, don’t you?” she asked.

The young warrior considered the question. Frisha had not
mastered the
Skills
, and she did not follow many of the
Rules
,
but she
was
still trying despite the fact that most of the outworlders
around her did not bother. She also had strength and spirit that he did not
think was common based on his observations of other outworlders. Rezkin nodded
once again and said, “She has many admirable qualities.”

When the travelers were all once again gathered around the
campfire, Frisha spent the evening glowering at Reaylin but otherwise avoided a
confrontation. She did not know what had taken place between Rezkin and the
offensive girl when they wandered off into the dark, but her imagination gave
her plenty of fuel for her fire.

The next day as the travelers were riding, Tam caught up to
Rezkin who was in the lead at that point. Frisha and Reaylin were keeping their
distance from each other in the middle, and Lieutenant Jimson brought up the
rear.

“So, what did Reaylin want last night?” Tam asked.

 “She said she wants to be
friends
,” Rezkin
replied. “Do you think it is possible?”

Tam shrugged uncomfortably. He did not particularly like
their newest traveling companion. “Maybe,” he said, “but Frisha is your
girlfriend, and she would not like you getting too close to Reaylin.”

Girl friend?
That was a new term. Neither woman was a
small-one, so they could not really be considered
girls
, but he felt the
term was being used loosely to indicate a female. They were both female,
though, so would they both not be called
girl friends
?

“Reaylin is a woman, as well,” Rezkin stated with confusion.

“Exactly,” replied Tam. “So you understand that, naturally,
your girlfriend would not like you spending too much time with her. You need to
respect Frisha’s feelings.”

He thought he understood, now. Apparently, there was a
hierarchy among
friends
.
Girl Friend
was actually a title issued
to the superior female friend. If Frisha was his
Girl Friend
, did that
make Tam his
Boy Friend
, or was it only a female distinction?

“So, if Frisha is my
Girl Friend
, what does that make
you?” he asked.

Tam smirked and said, “Well, I’m your
best
friend, of
course!”

Rezkin returned his smile, because it seemed like the thing
to do, and nodded. So, Tam held the title of
Best Friend,
Frisha was his
Girl Friend
, and Jimson and possibly Reaylin were just
friends
.
It all made sense, now. He could appreciate such an organized system. He just
wished the masters had taken the time to explain this one. Perhaps it had
simply slipped their minds among all their other teaching requirements. Since
he had been teaching weapons
Skills
to his
friends
, he could now
appreciate how difficult a task it was.

For several days, the ride was long, boring, and uneventful.
Reaylin had yet to apologize to Frisha, her pride getting the better of her.
Frisha tried to ignore Reaylin’s presence as much as possible, but her
simmering jealousy was reignited every time she caught the girl’s longing gaze
directed at Rezkin.

One afternoon, the group found a shady spot near a creek to
partake of their midday meal. The sun was high and warm, as it was now into the
heat of the summer, and no clouds graced the clear blue sky to block the
searing rays. The horses were hot and sweaty and the traveler’s clothes were
damp. Frisha was gradually becoming offended by her own smell. It had been
several days since they had the opportunity to bathe, since none of the streams
they encountered had been large enough to submerge themselves.