Reign of Madness (Revised Edition) (33 page)

“So,” Waylen started, his curiosity piqued, “How does this
dispersal
ward
work?”

“Well, most mages construct a barrier to prevent the sound
from leaving a certain area, but that is a constructive magic and more
difficult for me. It would take quite a bit more time, focus, and vimara than
creating the dispersal ward. Basically, as the sound hits the ward, which is
shaped like a sphere of a particular diameter, the sound is broken apart. You see,
sound is like an ocean wave that you cannot see. If you disrupt the wave
enough, it simply falls apart and no longer exists.”

“So you can just
destroy
the sound before anyone
hears it?” Waylen asked with surprise. “That is amazing. I never realized sound
was like an actual physical thing. I mean, I never really thought about it
before. I just knew that things make sounds and I can hear them with my ears.
Is that why I cannot hear as well when I cover my ears?”

“Yes,” Wesson said excitedly as he explained. “The wave has
to travel through your hands, which is more difficult, so it becomes
distorted.”

“Fascinating,” Waylen remarked as he went on to ask a series
of questions that eventually led to another discussion of the nature of light.
The conversation was interrupted when an excited titter reached their ears.

“Lord Rezkin! It is so good to finally meet you. I have
heard so much about you that I feel I know you already,” exclaimed a mature
woman dressed in sophisticated travel ware. Silky black lace and ruffles fell
to her feet beneath a burgundy velvet overcoat adorned with an attractive pink
floral broach. Her hair was piled atop her head in a bouquet of golden curls
beneath a dainty black hat pinned to one side. Large hazel eyes sparkled
beneath thick, darkened lashes, and a welcoming smile graced her rose painted
lips.

The men stood in greeting when the lady approached the
table. Rezkin smiled cordially and bowed slightly over the woman’s proffered
hand. He brushed his lips across her fingers as he said, “It is a pleasure to
meet you, my lady, but I am afraid I am at a loss. Perhaps you would grace us
with your name.”

The former Razor Edge Guildmaster from Kaibain sucked in a
breath, and her face flushed as the most delicious man she had ever seen pressed
his lips to her hand. She eventually gathered her wits and said, “Hilith
Gadderand, widow to my dear departed husband, Lord Horus Gadderand.”

Rezkin bowed again and said, “Lady Hilith, I am pleased to
meet you. I am sorry for your loss. Of course, I heard of Lord Gadderand’s
departure, but I am afraid I was not acquainted with your husband personally.”

“Oh, do not concern yourself on my behalf,” Hilith replied.
“I am beyond mourning. I cannot say his death was unexpected. Dear Horus was on
in his years. He was quite a bit older, you see.”

Rezkin smiled pleasantly and responded, “I see.”

In truth, he had learned that poor Horus was barely fifty to
Hilith’s thirty-three, and the man had died only a few months prior. The former
Razor Edge Guildmaster was performing to expectation, except he felt she
underplayed the effect of her husband’s death a bit too much. He thought the
lady might have used her loss to greater advantage by garnering sympathy; but
it seemed, for some reason, she wanted to assure him she was past it. Rezkin
had originally planned to use the woman to improve his credibility and
reinforce his persona of the high standing noble. When he made these plans, he
had no idea the young nobles with whom he was traveling would be quite so
receptive to him in the first place.

Hilith was elated about the task she had been assigned by
the ominous Raven. The man told Hilith that by completing her tasks, she could
prove herself to him and thereby keep her life. This task was to seek out a Lord
Rezkin in Port Manai with whom The Raven had business dealings. Lord Rezkin was
unaware that the man he dealt with, a man by the name of Lord Starling, was
actually The Raven, Ashai’s most notorious criminal overlord. Lord Rezkin
believed the business to be wholly legitimate. Hilith was to get close to Lord
Rezkin and gain his confidence so that she could report back to The Raven about
the young lord’s activities and other business and political maneuverings.

The Raven had assured Hilith that she would not enjoy her
assignment, and, indeed, her trip to Port Manai had been miserable. Hilith
hated
traveling, and she hated traveling by boat even more. The sweltering heat and
the constant rocking did terrible things to her stomach and head; and the filthy,
uncouth ship’s crew reminded her of why she worked so hard to drag herself from
the dregs of society. The workers only distanced themselves because she was a
lady
,
but none of the men gave her the respect deserving of a thieves’ guildmaster.
Of course, thanks to The Raven, she was a guildmaster no longer. She hated The
Raven more than she hated traveling.

After The Raven’s assurances of misery, she had expected
Lord Rezkin to be a miserable terror. When first she spied him from across the
common room, she refused to believe this could possibly be the man to whom The
Raven wished her to ingratiate herself. The Raven had described the man as
being above average height with stark black hair and cold blue eyes. This man’s
hair was onyx silk, and his eyes were anything but cold. They were crystal
pools of clear, refreshing water that somehow appeared to see through to her
very soul.

The fact that Lord Rezkin carried two swords like The Raven
was notable, but this man carried them at his waist rather than across his
back, and the scabbards and hilts were adorned with silver and silk, unlike The
Raven’s plain but menacing blades. Perhaps the man was emulating the notorious
scoundrel who not only took over most of the thieves’ guilds in Ashai but also
the Black Hall. Once she heard that little tidbit about the infamous Raven, she
was more than thankful to have escaped with her life and did not blame herself
so harshly for the loss of her position. When Hilith finally met the dashing
Lord Rezkin, she was suddenly filled with hope and not a small amount of
desire. He was young, and Hilith knew how to entice a man.

“Please, Lady Hilith, allow me to introduce my companions.”
Rezkin introduced the young lords first. When he introduced his own battle
mage, she turned and studied Rezkin anew. The striking Lord Rezkin was far
wealthier and more influential than she first thought, and she could understand
why The Raven would want to keep an eye on the man.

Lord Rezkin surprised her when he introduced the plain young
woman as his girlfriend. The fact that the woman Rezkin was courting just
happened
to be the heir to House Marcum and the General of the Army’s niece was not lost
on her. It was no matter. The girl looked sweet but could never compete with
Hilith’s practiced charms. What did surprise her was that the illustrious Lord
Rezkin introduced a simple commoner as not only his employee but also his best
friend. In her experience, the few nobles who deigned to befriend a commoner
did not admit to it in public.

“Well, Lord Rezkin, you certainly travel with interesting
company and with army officers as guards, no less. I am afraid I cannot say the
same since my husband passed away. I am traveling to Skutton in hopes of making
some new business deals, but you know how difficult these things can be for a
woman traveling alone.” Hilith looked up at the towering demigod through thick
lashes and licked her lips suggestively. “I imagine I would feel so much better
traveling with such a group, especially with a man of your obvious strength and
character at its head. A woman would be
very
grateful for the
opportunity.”

Frisha abruptly stood with a heated glare, but Tam held her
back from going any further. Hilith paid the silly girl no mind and reached out
to stroke Lord Rezkin’s impressive bicep.

Lord Rezkin took Hilith’s roaming hand in his own and said,
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Lady Gadderand, and I do hope you find yourself
such an escort. As you can see, we have finished our meal and are ready to
depart. I bid you a good evening.”

At that, Rezkin turned and away he strode. The entire group
left the tavern with satisfied bellies and whispered snickers. Two of the Jebai
House Guard who had accompanied the three young nobles, trailed behind. One of
the guards surreptitiously made a comment that Rezkin was a fool for rejecting
the beautiful and obviously experienced widow.

The lords followed Rezkin to his room, and the warrior
requested Wesson’s presence, which was convenient since they were sharing a
room. Frisha and Reaylin headed to their own room, while having a heated
conversation full of insults. For once, none of them were directed at each
other.

“I can’t believe the nerve of that woman!” Frisha exclaimed.

Reaylin donned a syrupy falsetto, and, furiously batting her
lashes, said, “
Oh, Lord Rezkin, you’re so big and strong. I’ll be your bed
if you take me with you.
”

The furious huffs and growls paused when the two women
reached the top of the stairs and spied the group of men entering Rezkin’s
room.

“They better not ask me to heal someone again,” Reaylin
grumbled.

Frisha glanced at Reaylin wide-eyed and was overcome with
curiosity as she called out, “Wait, Rez, what are you all doing?”

Rezkin glanced at the nobles who exchanged conspiratorial
looks of their own. Palis finally turned to Rezkin and said, “She is
your
girlfriend. You must believe you can trust her with this if you hope to marry
her.”

Rezkin frowned and looked at the young woman. “I do not keep
anything from Frisha for fear that I cannot trust her. Anything she does not
know has been kept from her for her own safety,” Rezkin stated.

Frisha smiled at Rezkin’s admission of faith in her, and
then asked, “What is it? What’s going on?”

“It is nothing, Frisha. You should not concern yourself,”
Rezkin stated. “They only wish to know more about the man we discussed before.”

 “Of course I concern myself!” Frisha exclaimed. “I
want to know more about him, too. I must know more of the man I am to serve as
your wife,” she said with raised chin as she fought off a blush and pushed her
way into his room. Without saying anything, Reaylin forced her way in, as well.

The warrior stepped into the room and took in the seating
arrangements with interest. Frisha sat on one bed next to Palis with Reaylin
beside her. Waylen and Wesson took up seats on the other bed, and Brandt sat in
the single chair. The baron’s son and the mage seemed to have bonded over talk
of magery, and Frisha and Reaylin were apparently willing to set aside their
differences when faced with being the only females in a room full of men. Palis
maintained his duty as familial escort by seating himself next to his cousin.
Brandt was the determined nonconformist, as usual.

Rezkin leaned against the barred door and nodded to Wesson.
He felt a tingle run through his blood as the spell was cast, and then he took
a few steps forward until he could feel that he was within the sphere’s
influence.

Wesson watched Rezkin move with interest. When the man was
within the range of sound, he said, “Sorry about that. The room is longer than
it is wide. If I extend it to the door, people in the adjacent room could
potentially listen in, although I think it unlikely.”

“Above and below?” Rezkin inquired as his eyes roved the
ceiling.

“The sphere stops at the floor there,” he said pointing to a
spot centered on the group. “If you were to lay down where you are, you would
not be able to hear. It does extend beyond the roof, but it would take a mage
of considerable skill, I think, to listen through the layers of construction
between.” The mage pondered for a moment and said, “I think I could layer a
second spell to monitor the number of life signs within the sphere, but I would
have to make adjustments for the
size
of the life forms. I would not
care to know the number of mice and insects…” Wesson continued thoughtfully
before being interrupted by his employer.

Rezkin held up a hand and said, “Just do as you think
appropriate.” Wesson nodded appreciatively at his employer’s trust. The warrior
placed his hands on his hips and said, “Okay, what do you wish to know?”

“Well, who is he?” asked Palis with excitement. The young
man shook his head and said, “I know you will not tell us his identity, but
who
is he? What kind of man is he? What does he stand for?”

Rezkin thought the question over for a minute before saying,
“He is a man who does what needs to be done. He does not desire the crown, but
he will wrest it from Caydean if he must.”

“You heard what the tavern maid said,” Palis scoffed. “Trade
is already suffering. Apparently, in the short time we have been traveling,
trade deals with the Kingdom of Verril have already fallen through. After what
the baron told us about the taxes and army recruitment, it is obvious the
economy is in decline. Pretty soon it will completely crash, and the whole
kingdom will be in dire trouble. How can you think it might
not
be
necessary?”

The warrior raised a brow and said, “Then you support him
already?”

Palis shifted and said, “I told you. I think
something
needs to be done. I do not know if your master is the solution.”

Rezkin nodded understanding and said, “He would agree. There
are a number of men who could take charge of the kingdom. After Caydean and
Thresson, Tieran’s father is the next in line.”

“Have you
met
Duke Wellinven?” Brandt asked
dispassionately.

Rezkin cocked his head and said, “Would he not be better
than Caydean?”

Brandt grimaced and said, “Perhaps, but Duke Atressian has
almost as much claim, and he is much younger than Wellinven. He could argue
that the imminent death of Wellinven so soon after turnover from Bordran and
then Caydean could cause undo damage and strain on the kingdom, not to mention
that Tieran does not
want
the throne. With the long-lived feud between
the Houses, you can be sure that Wellinven would not defer to Atressian,
especially if it meant losing the throne for his son. Duke Ytrevius currently
has no male heir, so an attempt on the throne would be pointless. He will side
with Atressian, and Darning will side with Wellinven, if he does not make a bid
for the throne in his own right. It would be civil war – a war of
Houses.”