Reign of Madness (Revised Edition) (29 page)

“True, but once the king was dead, there is little he could
do,” the striker replied. “What would you do in that situation?” Kai inquired
curiously.

Tieran thought for a moment and replied, “I suppose killing
his son before he committed an offense would not have been a viable solution,
especially if the man had not done anything to deserve such a fate at the time.
I cannot say I would respect any man who killed his own son for naught but
fear. I suppose I would find someone worthy and make sure he had the skills,
power, and support necessary to claim the throne in his own right.”

“Let us say that King Bordran selected such a man. Would
you
lend him your support?” Kai pressed without looking in Rezkin’s direction.

Tieran shifted uncomfortably and glanced around at his
peers. “I do not see the purpose of the discussion since it is not so. It seems
to me that such talk would be treason.”

The striker shook his head and said, “Not if Bordran’s
selection is the
rightful
king. King Caydean would be considered the
usurper, so to speak against him would not be treason.”

“I do not think King Caydean would feel that way,” Tieran
snapped.

“Tieran is correct,” Rezkin stated firmly. “Such talk could
be dangerous, regardless of the truth of it.”

“On the contrary,” Kai argued. “To not speak of it lends
more danger, especially for Lord Tieran. With Prince Thresson gone, Tieran is
now in the direct line of succession. Do you think Caydean will not take notice
of him?”

“What are you saying?” Tieran hissed. “Are you saying that I
am in danger from the king?”

“I am saying that I would not expect your father to rule his
House for much longer,” the striker snapped. He leaned forward and stared
across the two tables at the young noble with such intensity that Tieran would
not have thought they were separated by an inch. “You are of age, and you are
young and malleable in Caydean’s eyes. When last I saw you, you were more
interested in strutting and proclaiming your own grandness. You were a
pretentious fop with little ambition who Caydean would not consider a threat.
Since I joined this party, I have borne witness to a maturity and idealism from
all of you that is uncommon amongst your peers. Once you leave this ship, you
will all be scrutinized and listed as potential threats should anyone hear of
your sentiments.”

“Are you saying we are wrong, then, to want to help the
people? We are wrong to want to preserve Ashai?” Malcius questioned with
exasperation.

Kai took in the faces of those in the small cabin. The
nobles and Rezkin’s companions were riveted on the conversation. Luckily, the
soldiers and guards had taken to eating their meals separately due to a lack of
space and seating. At least he had a captive audience.

“I am saying that if you feel so strongly about the subject,
then you should be prepared to do something about it,” Kai stated fervently.
“Sitting about complaining in secret will not prevent the kingdom from falling
into ruin. You do not support Caydean’s actions, but you fear to speak against
him; and you do not support the rebels for fear of the repercussions should
they lose. Most of you are heirs to major Houses. I can promise that you
will
have to choose a side eventually. Caydean would prefer you did not know you
have other options. Some of you might be inclined to stand with the
rightful
King of Ashai.”

“What?” Malcius shouted. “Are you saying King Bordran
did
name his successor? Someone other than King Caydean?”

Rezkin shot the striker a look of warning. Kai pretended not
to notice. “He did. I have seen the documents, myself, authenticated by a mage
under oath.” Kai did not look at Wesson when he said this, either. Icy blue
eyes blazed with feverish flames, but no one noticed the young warrior’s rising
anger. The audience was captivated by the striker’s declaration.

“You have proof of this?” the baron muttered in surprise.

“Better yet, I know the true king, and he carries his proof
with him,” the striker commented.

“Who is it?” Malcius prompted urgently.

“Ah, well, that I cannot say as I am under oath,” the
striker muttered. “As you can imagine, being such a man at this time is
dangerous. If Caydean were to learn of the man’s identity, he would have the
entire kingdom out for the man’s blood before he is ready to claim the throne.”

Rezkin narrowed his eyes at the striker. He had no intention
of claiming the throne. At most, he might be willing to help find the missing
prince and reclaim the throne in the prince’s name. It seemed that Kai had
decided to take this opportunity to recruit followers to his ridiculous cause.

“I doubt the young lords would be willing to announce their
support for an unknown man who you
claim
is the rightful king without
proof or knowledge of his character,” Rezkin supplied.

“I agree,” Kai said with a syrupy smile. “I doubt the true
king will remain anonymous for long, though. Something is bound to happen that
will expose him, and then he will have to act quickly to gather his supporters
lest he be set upon by the full might of Caydean’s forces. If people know of
him now, they will be prepared to follow him when the time comes.”

What irritated Rezkin the most was that Kai was right.
Caydean would view Rezkin as a threat whether he wanted the throne or not. When
Rezkin first set out from the fortress, he had not even considered the fact
that he had any claim to the throne. It was not until Kai and Wesson pointed it
out that he realized the full extent of the power granted him by the old king.
Caydean and his supporters would not miss the implication, though, and neither
would the rebels. Prince Thresson had no claim to the throne so long as his
brother lived, but Rezkin had a claim
now
. With the prince missing, the
rebels would use Rezkin as their figurehead, giving their cause
legal
validity. As the striker pointed out, sooner or later word of his unlimited
authority and autonomy would get out, and Rezkin would be thrust into battle
for a throne he did not desire. So long as any other ruler sat upon the throne,
Rezkin would be considered a threat.

“It sounds to me as if you support this so-called
true
king,” Tieran commented.

Kai stood and grinned broadly as he said, “I am a striker,
trained and bound during the reign of King Bordran. I swore an oath to serve
the King of Ashai, and I will serve the
true
king with honor, not some
degenerate usurper who would ruin this kingdom with his paranoid delusions.”

“Bold words, Striker,” Tieran remarked, “and unexpected.” He
turned his attention to Rezkin and asked, “Rezkin, you are more learned than
the rest of us, I think, particularly in matters of history. What say you about
this so-called
true
king and his claim to the throne? Do you know of
him?”

Rezkin sat back in his chair and turned to fully face the nobles.
He rested one arm on the table and tapped his finger against the wood a few
times as he struggled to form an honest but censored response. Finally, he
replied, “I do know the one of whom the striker speaks, and he does have an
arguable claim to the throne.”

Tieran’s jaw dropped. Kai was a striker, an elite warrior
answerable only to the king, and it had been shocking to hear him speak of a
mysterious
true
king; but somehow, hearing Rezkin confirm it made it
real. The young lord realized he had come to trust and respect Rezkin with a
regard he had not felt for any of the other nobles he knew, including his own
father. If Rezkin said it was true, then Tieran believed him.

“If you say it is so, then you have my trust. My question is
this, then. Is the man more worthy of the throne than King Caydean? Is he
worthy
of my fealty?”

“Since when do you ask if your king is worthy of your
fealty?” Kai argued. “Did you ask yourself this question with regard to
Caydean? Perhaps you should have.”

“I gather your point, Striker, but the question stands. If
there are truly two contenders to the throne, then I would care to make an
informed decision,” Tieran stated.

“Lord Tieran, to say such a thing could lead to charges of
treason,” Lord Nasque argued. “In fact, every one of us could be accused of
such simply for having this conversation.”

“You had best remember that, Baron,” Kai spat. “The fact
that any of you even has knowledge of a contender to the throne could lead to
your deaths. If you think to report these words to Caydean’s supporters, then
you had best think again. They will bury any knowledge of the true king, and by
bury, I mean
you
.”

“Then we have nothing to lose by continuing. I would ask you
my question, again, Lord Rezkin. Would you follow this
true
king?”
Tieran inquired.

Rezkin cocked his head thoughtfully and replied, “I have
served others without question, carrying out orders regardless of the
consequences. I assure you it is completely self-serving when I say that in all
my future days I will serve no other.” Kai grinned wolfishly. The man was
enjoying this conversation entirely too much.

“So you
do
serve this true king?” Malcius exclaimed
in shock.

“The strange relationship between the two of you now makes
sense,” Tieran remarked as he gestured between the striker and Rezkin. “You
both serve the same challenger to the throne. The striker speaks passionately
about King Caydean’s alleged misdeeds, and you, Rezkin, have eloquently
expressed your viewpoints on noble responsibility and accountability on more
than one occasion. You are both highly skilled, powerful, and of exceptional
erudition. I hold your opinions in high regard. Please, be honest and answer me
this. Do you support this contender for his values and competency or simply because
he is not Caydean?”

Rezkin mentally applauded Tieran’s insightfulness. The young
warrior knew the striker had only sworn fealty to him as a means of escaping
Caydean.

Kai chuckled and remarked, “You are a sharp one, I grant you
that. I admit, I first swore fealty to the man for only two reasons, neither
being the man’s values or competency. One of those was certainly because he was
not
Caydean. The other was that King Bordran chose him, and I trust in
Bordran’s judgment. However, that is not the entire reason I serve him, now.”

“Do you remember what you said about the ancient Gorsht
king?” Kai asked rhetorically. “You said that the king should have chosen
someone with the ‘skills, power, and support necessary to claim the throne in
his own right.’ Well, the man I serve has the skills, and Bordran bequeathed to
him the power and the tools necessary to achieve the support. Most importantly,
I have come to know the man’s ideals, and I believe him to be a worthy king,
worthy of my fealty,” Kai finished, his steady, determined eyes boring into
Rezkin. The young warrior held Kai’s gaze for a moment before his attention was
drawn back to Tieran.

Palis and Brandt were whispering indistinctly to each other
every so often as they cast curious glances at Kai and Rezkin. Waylen’s eyes
shuffled from speaker to speaker and occasionally landed back on the whispering
duo.

“That is high praise, indeed, from one such as you. What of
you, Rezkin? Are this
true king
’s beliefs congruous with your own?”
Tieran asked.

Kai grinned as Rezkin’s eyes met Tieran’s, and the young
warrior answered, “They are one and the same.”

Frisha squeezed Rezkin’s arm and said, “Rezkin, was it this
man who made you do whatever it was that upset Tam? Did he make you kill
people?”

Rezkin narrowed his eyes at his former friend wondering just
how much he told Frisha. He clenched his jaw and answered, “No. Those events
took place before, when I served others. I am no longer accountable to my
former masters.”

“So, this man freed you?” Frisha remarked.

Kai chuckled and Rezkin cocked his head. “I suppose you
could see it that way, in a manner of speaking; but in truth, it was King
Bordran who freed me.”

“I suppose that is true, since it was he who named the man
his successor,” Frisha mused.

“I should like to meet this man – this
true
king,” Tieran commented.

“What do you hope to gain? Would you give him your fealty,
or would you choose to deny King Bordran’s right to name his successor?” Kai
growled.

Tieran’s brows rose. “In case you have forgotten, as the hierarchy
stands, with the prince missing and King Caydean refusing to wed,
I
am
likely to be the next king of Ashai – assuming there is still an Ashai to
rule,” he muttered. “I believe it prudent that I meet the man who would seize
the crown from my head.”

Kai raised a brow and said, “You have designs on the throne,
then, Lord Tieran?”

Tieran frowned and replied, “I have never coveted the throne
– far from it, actually. The thought of being responsible for an entire
kingdom of people, the complexity of running trade and commerce, maintaining
the economy, domestic and interkingdom political maneuvering – all of it
is positively terrifying. I…well, to be honest, I doubt I have the courage or
mentality for such an endeavor. I could probably do no worse than my cousin
does now, though. I think it only prudent to know such a man before I even
consider supporting his vie for the throne.”

“I think you are overlooking something,” Rezkin stated. “The
man of whom we speak has a claim to the throne. He may even have a responsibility
to seize the throne from Caydean before the man does irreparable damage to the
kingdom. He is not the
only
contender for the throne, though. What of
Prince Thresson? Suppose this man claimed the crown from Caydean on behalf of
the prince.”

Kai scoffed and Tieran rolled his eyes. “Believe me, Rezkin,
I love my Cousin Thresson,” Tieran replied. “He is a good man with a big heart.
He is even a highly talented duelist, but I doubt he could kill a chicken to
save himself from starving, and he is certainly no
king
. Thresson would
be the first to say as much were he here. We have spoken of it on more than one
occasion. He wants nothing to do with the throne. He is ill suited to
high-stress activities and finds it difficult to interact with people. Thresson
is no leader. He even informed me once that if the crown ever fell on his head,
he would immediately hand it to me.”