Free the Darkness (King's Dark Tidings Book 1) (38 page)

“What are you doing?” Tam inquired.

“I am rewrapping this handle. The leather came undone,”
Rezkin answered.

“No, I mean, why are you doing it in the nude?” Tam asked
with a chuckle.

Rezkin motioned to the small mound of dirty clothes near the
door and said, “Most of my clothes are dirty. I decided to dress closer to the
dinner hour so that I do not get the others dirty as well. I hung them by the
window to air out, and hopefully lose some of the wrinkles.”

“Oh, right, that is why I’m here. Lady Adelina wanted to
know if you needed something to wear to dinner tonight, but it seems you have
it covered,” Tam said tugging at his new tunic. It was made of fine quality
green silk cut with simple clean lines and embroidered with white thread. The
pants were of finely woven dark brown wool. Rezkin nodded approvingly when he
noted that Tam had polished his belt and strapped his sword at his hip.

Tam noticed Rezkin’s appraisal and said, “Ah, the lady said
it was considered
dress appropriate
to wear the sword with formal
attire, especially in a soldier’s home. She said the general would not be
caught dead without his sword. She said that any man of standing keeps his
sword on him at all times. It’s kind of strange, really. These nobles seem
backward. I think my parents would find it offensive if a guest of theirs
thought he needed to wear a sword in their home.”

Rezkin grunted. “You are not a noble. Nobles have different
rules than commoners. They have
a lot
of rules about protocol and
propriety and many of them are functionally pointless or seem to conflict with
each other. A man is expected to carry a sword to dinner but not a dagger. A
woman may carry a dagger but not a sword. Neither weapon is to be used or even
drawn lest the man or woman offend the host. Therefore, the swords and daggers
are largely decorative or ceremonial.

“Most nobles would not know how to draw their swords
properly if their lives depended on it. Those who
do
learn do so solely
for the purpose of showing off their superior skills to their peers and have
absolutely no intention of ever using the skills in battle.
You
are a
carpenter’s apprentice. You learn to use a lathe because you need to use it,
not so that you can show off your skills to the baker.”

“An apt assessment,” came a deep grumble from behind Tam.
The young man nearly jumped out of his skin as he stumbled further into the
room. Rezkin had heard the heavy footsteps ascend the stairs and knew a man had
entered the corridor.

The man was close to the same height as Rezkin with broad
shoulders and a narrow waist. He was dressed in a flawless black military
uniform covered with flashy gold and silver medallions and insignia. A silver
scabbard with a golden jewel encrusted hilt hung at his hip. Despite the man’s
age, which Rezkin knew to be about sixty-five, he was fit and moved with
determination. His hair and short-cropped beard were once dark but were now
mostly grey with streaks of white. Dark brown eyes sparkled with mirth at Tam’s
antics.

“Hello, young Tamarin. It is good to see you again, son,”
the general said as Tam recovered his wits.

Breathing heavily Tam chuckled and bowed to the older man.
“Greetings, General Marcum. It is good to see you again, as well, and thank you
for your hospitality.” The lines were perfectly rehearsed and delivered. That
was most likely the influence of Tam’s mother…or perhaps Frisha’s father.

The general turned his attention to the young man sitting in
the chair by the fire. The stranger looked completely unconcerned with the
abrupt appearance of the General of the King’s Army of Ashai in his bedchamber,
particularly considering the young man was wearing nothing but a drying cloth
about his waist. The young man rose with fluid grace. It was not his impressive
physique or height that caught the general’s attention but his eyes and face.
That face was so much like…but it could not be. Or could it?

The young man bowed courteously and said, “Greetings,
General Marcum. I am Rezkin. The Lady Adelina has graciously offered your
hospitality, and I hope it is not an imposition that I have accepted.” This
line was delivered with perfect sincerity and courtly grace. The young man
might as well have been dressed in the most elegant finery for all the
difference his nudity made. The man seemed to find no discomfort or shame in
his lack of dress.

The general nodded in return, “Well met, Rezkin, is it? And
your family name?”

“I have none, sir. I am simply Rezkin,” the young man
answered.

The general found that difficult to believe but did not push
the issue. “Well, if my wife offered you a place here, then you are welcome, I
am sure. I do apologize for intruding, but I overheard your conversation from
the hall and thought to put a face to the words. I take it you are not one of
these pompous nobles who cannot draw their own swords?”

“I assure you, General, I am
Skilled
in all of the
weapons I wield,” Rezkin stated with complete confidence.

“And that ax?” General Marcum asked nodding toward the ax
Rezkin left on the floor near the chair.

Rezkin replied, “I would not bother to own it if I could not
use it.”

The general grunted. “You are a practical man, then. A
soldier?”

Rezkin cocked his head in consideration, “I am a warrior but
not a soldier.”

“A mercenary?” asked the general with a hint of disapproval.

“Not as such,” Rezkin stated. “I have taken no payment for
any services, and thus far, all of my services since I left my training have
been given freely to your niece and our friend, Tam, here.”

Tam finally perked up at his name and added, “Rezkin
provided protection and guidance for us both since we met him in Justain. If it
were not for him, we would not have made it here. We had some serious trouble
on the way.”

“Is that so?” the general queried. “I will need to hear
about this trouble and the services you provided, Rezkin. For now, I will let
you get on with your business, and I will go greet my wife and niece. I will
see you both at dinner.” The general nodded once and departed.

Rezkin sat back down, picked up his ax and returned to
rewrapping the handle just as he was before the interruption.

“I can’t believe you had to meet the general in what amounts
to little more than a loin cloth!” Tam laughed.

Rezkin shrugged unconcerned, “I had to meet him some time.”

“Yes, but you’re naked!  Weren’t you embarrassed or
ashamed? I would be,” Tam replied.

The young warrior shook his head without looking up from his
work, “I have nothing of which to be ashamed.”

“No, I suppose you don’t,” Tam grumbled under his breath
with just a hint of envy. He knew he would never measure up to Rezkin’s perfect
physique. It looked to him like the Maker had personally sculpted Rezkin to
represent the ideal male form. While women tripped over themselves to get
Rezkin’s attention, they barely even glanced Tam’s way. Tam could not fault the
warrior, though. He was how he was, and Tam knew Rezkin worked hard to remain
fit. Even more impressive, Rezkin displayed not a hint of superiority or
conceit regarding his appearance.

Tam had always been fit and strong. He had to be in order to
work as a carpenter, but he had never developed chiseled ridges and rippling
muscles like Rez. He had to admit, though, that his own body was becoming more
tone, and he was filling out since he began training with the warrior. Maybe,
given enough time, the ladies would start to notice him, as well. Tam shook the
thought away. What was he thinking? He was joining the army soon. He would not
have time for romance or a family.

A couple of hours later, everyone met in the formal dining
room to partake of the evening meal. Rezkin dressed in his dark blue silk shirt
and black breeches he had been saving for an occasion such as this. His masters
had taught him that the clothes said a lot about a man, and Rezkin knew it to
be true since he had been taught how to assess a man based on his attire.
Master Peider said that to make the greatest impact, he should chose colors
that complimented his features. He thought the dark blue and black with silver
accents did just that for his smooth black hair and ice blue eyes.

Rezkin replaced his usual worn belt with a new black one
that was embossed with the images of ravens in flight along its length. He
mentally chuckled at the sight of the ravens. His scabbards and hilts were
polished to a shine. On his feet were polished black boots in a dress military
style. His clothes were not the ridiculously frilly garb typical of the
courtiers. This was the fine dress style of a practical man of station, a man
of power, a man who did not care for the opinions of others but demanded their
respect instead.

Rezkin knew he should not have been, but he was surprised to
see Frisha in a gown. It was a deep burgundy that brought out the hidden red
highlights in her otherwise brown hair. The neckline was cut low, and her bosom
was pushed up as though the two were attempting to switch places. Mounds upon
mounds of silky fabric swirled around her legs, which had completely
disappeared. Rezkin thought she looked lovely as usual, even if the dress was
completely impractical. This was the way of nobles, though. He was not the only
one who had to practice proper decorum when the situation demanded.

The Lady Adelina escorted Rezkin to the dining room, and he
was seated to her right in the place of honor. This made Rezkin a little
uncomfortable since he did not know why he was being treated so. Tam sat to
Lady Adelina’s left, and Frisha was to the right of the general next to Tam.

After a bit of small talk the general commented, “So,
Rezkin, I take it that is your battle charger in my stable. I went out just
before supper to check on my own and imagine my surprise to find another.
Wherever did you get him, might I ask?”

This was a difficult question for Rezkin to answer without
going into the details of his life at the fortress, something he was not
willing to do with the General considering he had been ordered to kill fifteen
of the kingdom’s strikers. Rezkin hedged, “I sort of inherited him from my
masters upon completion of my training.”

“I see,” the general commented neutrally. “And, where did
you train?”

Frisha perked up at finally having something to share about
Rez that she actually knew. “He was raised in a fort by a bunch of soldiers.
I’m sorry, Rez, I cannot imagine what it would have been like to have been
raised without your family,” the young woman said as she looked at Rezkin with
compassion.

Rezkin shrugged and replied, “It is simply how things were.
I knew no different, so I missed nothing.”

The general considered the information. If Rezkin was an
orphan from an unknown family, it would explain his lack of family name, but
then he would have taken the name of the town or region in which he was raised.
“What fort was that?” the general questioned with interest.

Lady Adelina broke in, “Marcum, dear, let the young man eat.
You can interrogate him later.” Changing the subject, she said, “Frisha, love,
I know things must be so different for you here with us. It will take some time
for you to get used to being around the nobility. If you have any questions,
please, do not hesitate to ask.”

“Of course, Aunt Adelina, thank you,” Frisha replied with
relief.

“I have a question,” Tam said cautiously.

“Yes, Tamarin, dear, what is it?” Lady Adelina asked. Her
excitement over getting to share her knowledge was plain to see.

“Well, my name is Tamarin Blackwater. My father’s and
mother’s and brothers’ and cousins’ names are all Blackwater. The general is
Marcum Jebai, but you are Lady Adelina Marcum and this is House Marcum. Why are
you not Jebai?”

Lady Adelina laughed softly, “Oh, I guess that would be a
little confusing. You see, only the immediate family of the direct bloodline
are called ‘Jebai.’ Marcum’s brother, Simeon, is the eldest son of Jerand Jebai
and is now the Lord Jebai, Count of Glasbury. Simeon’s wife is the Lady Jebai,
Countess of Glasbury, and all of his children are Lords and Lady Jebai. Simeon
is the head of House Jebai.

“Marcum, being a son of Jerand, is also a Jebai, but I, as
his wife, am simply the Lady Marcum, and any of his children…if he had
any…would be called Marcum after his given name. Therefore, Marcum is the head
of House Marcum. It makes it easy to identify the direct lines of the great
houses, but it creates a mess of smaller houses of which one cannot possibly
keep track.”

Tam thought he understood. “So, my father is a Blackwater. I
have three older brothers. If we were nobles, my eldest brother, Cainith, would
marry and have children who would be called Blackwater. If I married and had
children, my children would be Tamarin?”

With a pleased smile the lady replied, “Yes, exactly,
although I think it would be so much easier if the nobility followed the common
customs in this and just passed down the family name through the male line.”

The general grunted, “Yes, well, I think the same can be
said for many of the customs of the nobility.”

Frisha asked, “What happens if the main bloodline dies? If,
the Maker forbid, Uncle Simeon’s line failed, then Uncle Marcum would inherit,
correct? Then would you become a Jebai?”

“Yes, Marcum’s descendants and I would be Jebai,” Lady
Adelina replied.

“What about the king?” asked Tam. “I don’t think I’ve ever
heard his family name.”

The general grunted and replied, “That is because the line
of kings does not carry a family name. Each king rules only by his given name,
and his descendants bear no family name as well. They are simply distinguished
by their titles of King, Queen, Prince or Princess. Nieces, nephews, cousins
and such all take on the family name of their other parent who married into the
royal family.”