Reign of Madness (Revised Edition) (14 page)

“Reaylin, thank you for coming,” Rezkin said as he slipped
on the broad smile she seemed to like so much.

“Of course, Rezkin. I’ll always come when you call,” she
said sweetly with a return grin.

Rezkin raised his brows, “Is that so? I will hold you to
that.”

It was only then that Reaylin looked around and noted all of
the other people in the room. There were the two soldiers, the mage, and…

“Who is
that
?” Reaylin asked in surprise as she
pointed at the half-dead man on the floor.

“
That
is your patient,” Rezkin said as he barred the
door behind her.

Reaylin jumped at the sound of the world closing in on her.
This was not happening. The most perfect man in the world had invited her to
his room to do something she hated…
detested
…
reviled
! She wouldn’t
do it.

“No, Rezkin! You can’t do this to me! You know how I feel
about it,” Reaylin accused.

“Do you know what I think, Reaylin? I think you did not hate
it as much as you thought you would. I think you actually enjoyed the feeling
of the power running through you. I saw how you did not wish to withdraw it
when the healing was finished. And, I think you enjoyed actually helping
another being. It made you feel good – like you made a difference in the
world,” Rezkin asserted as he moved closer to the young woman. He entered her
personal space to keep her off balance. He did not want her escaping into
denial and feeble excuses.

“Come,” he said as he took the young woman’s hand. Reaylin
practically melted at Rezkin’s touch. His crystal blue eyes were haunting as he
gazed at her with uncanny understanding. He pulled her in the direction of the
wounded man lying on the floor.

“Look,” he ordered as he turned her face with warm, strong
fingers. And, Reaylin did look. The man at her feet was covered in filth and
blood. His clothes were torn nearly to shreds, and dark blue and black patches
of flesh covered much of his body. Angry red swelling rose where more bruises
were sure to form. Cuts and scrapes covered his arms and legs as though he had
been dragged for quite a distance. A reddish purple ring ran around his thick
neck, cutting so deeply that the skin under his jaw was split and torn. The
man’s face was smashed and so swollen she could never have determined how he
was supposed to look. His lips were split, the nose was broken and twice as
large as it should have been, and one eye was swollen shut. The other bloody
brown eye looked back at her with empty resolve. It was the kind of resolve a
man feels when he knows nothing is left for him. He was a man resolved to his
own death.

“By the Maker, what happened to him?” Reaylin gasped.

“We have yet to receive the full story, and I hardly think
he is in any condition to tell it,” Rezkin replied.

Reaylin’s eyes widened as she looked back at the wheezing
man. “Y-You were the reason for the mob earlier.” It was more of a statement
than a question.

Kai forced himself to nod once. It was painful. All of the
muscles in his neck and shoulders were strained, and his skin was tight and
torn.

Reaylin’s eyes darted back to Rezkin. “Why did they do this
to him?”

“He has been accused of murder,” Rezkin replied factually.

“You want me to heal a murderer?” she shouted.

Rezkin caught her eyes as he said firmly, “I said he was
accused
.
I did not say he was guilty.”

“So, he’s innocent?” the young woman asked.

“I did not say that, either. I am conducting the
investigation. At least, I will be if you ever heal the man,” he stated, allowing
a hint of irritation to enter his voice.

Reaylin scowled. “I told you before, Rezkin. I am not a
healer! I am a warrior.”

“So you will let this man suffer? The baron has agreed to
accept my findings in the morning and issue his ruling in the matter. If this
man, Kai Colguerun, does not succumb to his injuries tonight, then he will hang
in the morning…unless,” Rezkin added as he raised a finger, “I find that he is
not guilty of murder. In order to determine the truth, I need to hear the man’s
story. Reaylin, will you let him die?”

“I cannot believe you would manipulate me in such a way!”
Reaylin exclaimed.

Captain Jimson suddenly fell into a coughing fit in his
chair a few paces away. Rezkin raised a brow at the captain. The man held up a
hand as he pounded on his own chest and then said, “Sorry. Please continue.”
Jimson had nearly come to the conclusion that if anyone could manipulate the
gods, it would be Rezkin.

Rezkin turned back to Reaylin and replied, “I only seek to
help you accept who you are, Reaylin. That, and to get this man healed. I could
treat him in the mundane way, but it would do him no good before tomorrow, and
Journeyman Wesson cannot do it without you.”

Reaylin literally stomped around the room as she huffed and
released a few unladylike frustrated groans and growls. Wesson and Drascon
stared wide-eyed at the young woman who was throwing a childish temper tantrum,
but Jimson’s eyes held a fondness that lifted the corners of his lips. As
Rezkin patiently waited for the fit to end, Kai’s eye rolled around to meet his
gaze, his thoughts clearly communicating, “
Are you serious?
”

Reaylin’s stomping was interrupted by a soft knock at the
door. Lieutenant Drascon opened the door to admit one of the young men from
earlier. He was carrying two buckets of water, and the maid who followed held a
tray containing a large platter of meats, cheeses, bread and soup along with a
carafe of wine and several stacked goblets. The maid set the tray on the desk
near the door and then scurried away after the boy.

Lieutenant Drascon barred the door behind them, and everyone
turned their attention back to Reaylin. “Are you about done?” Rezkin asked.
Reaylin responded with a scowl. “The man is suffering, Reaylin,” Rezkin
remarked just as Kai fell into a coughing fit that ended with bloody phlegm
spattering over the floorboards. Rezkin balled a fist in frustration. He knew
Reaylin was going to cave or she would not be acting so petulant. He just
wanted her to hurry up. He had other tasks this night.

Finally, Reaylin stomped over to stand opposite Rezkin over
the body of the injured man. She glared at Rezkin and then turned toward Wesson
and said, “Fine, lets get this over with. Hurry up.”

Wesson shuffled forward and knelt beside the man as Reaylin
did the same. Kai’s good eye roved over the two curiously and then fluttered
shut. Wesson talked Reaylin through the process again, indicating she should
place her hands on the bare skin of man’s chest. He said that since the
injuries were so extensive, it was easiest to start at the core and let the
power flow outward. Reaylin struggled with herself when it came to calling upon
her vimara. Part of her wanted to feel its utterly unique energy, but another
part wanted desperately to forget she had it at all. When she finally released
the flood, summer sunshine and lightning and a cool breeze and honeysuckle
flooded through her. It was as if every sensation in the world was balled into
one and held within her.

The young mage guided Reaylin through the process. She
pushed a trickle of power into the damaged body and then pushed more. Once a
decent flow was going, she chanted over and over in her mind that her will was
to heal. Wesson wrested the power and guided it toward the most serious
injuries. In addition to the obvious wounds, Kai had several broken ribs, one
of which was pressing on his lung and was dangerously close to puncturing the
vital organ. He had a few bulging disks in his spine, three broken fingers, a
fractured tibia, several shattered bones in his face, and a damaged kidney, not
to mention the internal bleeding.

Wesson pushed the healing much further than he normally
would for a single session, since he did not think they could convince Reaylin
to go for a second round later. If Kai was innocent, the mage did not want the
man to suffer needlessly. When he felt Reaylin begin to sway next to him, he
released her power and ordered her to do the same. As the energizing vimara was
sucked back behind whatever gates held it, Reaylin fell back onto her rear. She
was gasping for breath and felt as though she had just endured two or three
training sessions in a row.

Rezkin handed both her and the mage goblets of wine, which
they gratefully accepted. Kai could breath normally, now, without the
excruciating pain. He glanced toward Rezkin and then slowly pushed himself into
a sitting position with his back resting against the rear cot. Captain Jimson
handed the man a goblet of water, which he drained practically in one gulp. The
man’s major injures had been healed, leaving only superficial bruising and a
few cuts and scrapes. His eye, which had previously been swollen shut, was
still slightly puffy but was open and clear. The healing could not restore his
energy, though, and the man had been through much.

Captain Jimson pulled the chair he had vacated around into
the center of the room and told Kai to sit. Kai gingerly gained his feet. The
injuries were gone, but much soreness remained. He shuffled over and dropped
into the stiff, wooden chair. Jimson brought the man a bowl of soup and a small
plate with a chunk of bread, meat and cheese. Kai gratefully took the offering.
He honestly had not thought he would receive another meal again. In truth, he
was certain he would already have been dead by now. He tested his jaw and noted
that it now functioned properly.

Reaylin stomped over to the desk, filled her goblet with
wine, drained the contents and then positioned herself before Lieutenant
Drascon, daring him not to open the door. Rezkin nodded, and the lieutenant
stepped aside, taking the bar with him. Just as she made to leave, Kai spoke.

“Thank you, Lady Healer. I owe you a debt. If I live long
enough to repay it, I will not forget,” he said in a gruff voice.

“I am not a healer,” Reaylin protested. “And, I want nothing
to do with you or your debt. This is all on Rezkin,” she said just before she
stormed down the corridor. Drascon watched her from the doorway as she banged
on her own door and shouted, “It’s me!” The door swung open, and Reaylin
disappeared. The lieutenant turned and shut the door before dropping the bar
back into place.

All attention turned to Kai. He immediately dropped his eyes
and began shoveling food into his mouth once again. When the food was gone, the
captain took his bowl and plate and handed him a goblet of wine. Rezkin removed
his constricting doublet and laid it across his bed. His shirt was wrinkled and
damp from the summer heat, and Kai could see the outline of several weapons
through the clinging material as he surreptitiously observed his captor.

Rezkin turned and eyed his companions before his gaze fell
back on the prisoner. He began removing his hidden knives in the same order the
man had observed them, placing each one neatly on the bed. Six silvery blades
lined up in the lamplight.

Kai grunted and said, “You do not expect me to believe that
is all you have.”

Rezkin bared his teeth in a mockery of a grin and said, “No,
those are just the ones you found.” The man grunted again. Rezkin cocked his
head and said, “It does not bode well for the city guard that they managed to
miss a total of
four
of your own.”

Kai froze, his eyes slowly moving back to the impressive
young man. “Saw that, did you?”

Rezkin raised a brow. “Not that it would have done you any
good with your arms bound while you swung from a noose. I am going to question
you, Kai, and I am going to insist that you answer me fully and truthfully,”
Rezkin announced.

“I will tell you whatever you want to know about that dirt
bag. I only wish he had suffered more before I killed him,” Kai answered.

“Those are not the questions I will be asking,” Rezkin
replied. “I have little interest in the death of the mayor’s son. My interest
is in
you
, Kai.”

Jimson, Drascon and Wesson each exchanged looks of
confusion. Kai’s brows rose as he considered the young man.

“What I want to know is how you managed to get yourself into
that
mess. You must have a wish to die,” Rezkin remarked.

“I have many wishes,” Kai stated, “but dying is not one of
them. Truth is, I screwed up. I let my emotions get the best of me.”

Rezkin nodded, “You broke the
Rules
and you suffered
for it.”

Kai narrowed his eyes at the young warrior. The way he said
rules
seemed to imply more. “What rules are those?” he asked.

“Hmm…
Rules
6, 8, 24, 37, 57, 96, 117, 245, and very
nearly 156. Perhaps others, but I cannot say since I do not know your story.”

Kai gave a start. He could see through the damp white
material that no marks lay upon the man’s body. “You are not one of us,” he
stated with certainty.

“No, I am not,” Rezkin replied.

“Who are you? A washout that survived the culling? Are you
the king’s new pet?” Kai spat.

“I am about as far from either of those as you can get,”
Rezkin replied. “Whom do
you
serve, Kai?”

“Is that what this is about? The king sent you to hunt me
down? I knew they would come for me sooner or later. Was he afraid one of our
own would not follow through?” Kai questioned.

“I am not here on behalf of the king,” Rezkin replied. “I am
here of my own accord, and I did not come looking for
you
. In that, I
simply got lucky,” he finished with a predatory grin.

“I was a king’s man. I served King Bordran with honor. He
was worthy of my loyalty,” Kai remarked.

“And King Caydean?” Rezkin inquired.

Kai lifted his chin and said, “I serve the kingdom. And you?
What did you do for King Caydean to receive your Sheyalin? I heard no
announcements of the honor. It was kept secret, then.” Kai narrowed his eyes.
“Was it an assassination? Who did you kill for the king? Was it the prince?”