Free the Darkness (King's Dark Tidings Book 1) (48 page)

Jimson was startled when suddenly
addressed…and confused. “Ah, it is Lieutenant, sir.”

“I think I know the ranks of my
own officers. I believe a promotion is in order. I read the reports from your
encounters with the bandits after first hearing of your involvement in my
niece’s journey. For your bravery and leadership in the face of mortal danger,
you are hereby promoted to the rank of Captain. The fact that you assisted in
preserving the life of my own niece makes me personally beholden to you, and
therefore, I am inclined to award you with a gift.”

“Thank you, sir! I am honored, but
I must say that they were hardly battles. The first was only a little more than
a few dozen. They were nothing like the battles of hundreds or thousands fought
during times of war,” the lieutenant argued.

General Marcum huffed, “They were
battles none-the-less and more than most of your peers will have endured during
these times of peace. You all could have been as easily killed by those few
dozen as you could have by a thousand considering your few numbers and the need
to protect the civilians. Yet, you prevailed, and I have my niece here today.”

The lieutenant rubbed his neck
anxiously. He did not want to argue with the general, but neither did he want
to take credit for an accomplishment that was not his to claim. “Yes, General,
thank you for your recognition, but I think we really have Rezkin to thank for
our successes. Without him, we would not have made it out of either situation
alive.”

The general grunted. He was not
yet ready to concede anything in Rezkin’s favor. The idea that Rezkin and his
niece meeting was purely coincidence seemed even more far-fetched now than it
did before. Knowing what he thought he did about the young man, he felt that
very little of what Rezkin did would ever be left to chance.

General Marcum stood, and as he
did, the two other men gained their feet as well. “Come, Captain. Let us see
about that gift.” The general led the two men to the first study that Rezkin
had entered upon arriving at the house. It was the one filled with weapons.
Captain Jimson’s eyes widened at the display, and he released a soft whistle.
Selecting a key from the ring in his pocket, Marcum marched over to unlock a
small display cabinet. He waved the captain over and commanded, “Choose one. It
will be yours.”

Captain Jimson’s jaw nearly
dropped, but he managed to barely maintain his composure. “These are master
blades?” he asked uncertainly.

“Several of them are. The others
are close enough. They are all excellent weapons and are a worthy reward for
the man who helped save my niece’s life.”

The captain’s eyes unconsciously
darted in Rezkin’s direction. The movement was fleeting, but the general caught
it, anyway. Marcum scowled as he added, “I have nothing that could rival what
he already possesses.”
Except Frisha
, Marcum’s subconscious added
sardonically.

Captain Jimson cleared his throat
and focused his attention on the contents of the display case. His eyes roved
over the selection of swords carefully lined up and hanging from pegs. Each was
polished to a shine and sharpened to a fine edge. Jimson was familiar with
swords, but he was far from an expert. All of the blades before him were
beautiful, and he could not decide which he should choose. Hesitantly, he
reached out and selected a longsword of similar weight and length to the one he
carried. He had not yet purchased a new blade for himself, so he was still
carrying the mediocre army issued officer’s blade. It looked like a child’s toy
compared to the one he held, now. He hefted the sword and swung it a few times,
but still he was uncertain as he looked back at the others.

Not wanting to anger the general,
he tried not to look at his friend, but he could not help the pleading glance
aimed at the young warrior. Rezkin noted the captain’s hesitation and imploring
eyes and decided to help him out, despite the general’s blatant dislike.

Rezkin walked over to the captain
who held the blade up questioningly. General Marcum stood back and watched the
two men. He could see that somewhere along the journey the two had bonded. It
was probably best for the captain’s sake, as the general doubted Rezkin would
have left the man alive had he desired to be rid of him. Rezkin’s kind were
cold-blooded killers. Even with the men’s apparent friendship, he knew Rezkin
would not hesitate to kill the captain if it suited him. It was in the young
man’s nature, or so he believed, now that he was nearly certain of Rezkin’s
identity.

Rezkin grasped the hilt of the
blade the captain proffered and replaced the sword in the display case. He
selected a sword that was slightly longer and a bit heavier than that to which
the captain was accustomed. Rezkin handed the sword over to the Jimson and then
stepped back, allowing the man to make the decision for himself.

Captain Jimson was surprised at
Rezkin’s selection. This sword was larger than the one he typically carried,
but he found that he could still easily maneuver the blade. When he sliced the
air, he could feel the difference the added weight made in the momentum of his
swing. Jimson remembered how difficult his practices had been when he first
received his old sword and realized, now, that he had gained quite a bit of
strength since that time. In fact, much of his increased strength was acquired
in the past month that he had been traveling with Rezkin.

General Marcum approved of the
sword Rezkin had selected for the captain. It did, indeed, appear to be a proper
fit for the man. He noted that it was actually one of the better master blades
and wondered briefly if the young warrior had chosen it just for spite. He
immediately banished the idea, as it was only fair since the general had
offered any one of the blades to the captain. The general truly did want to
thank the captain for his part in saving his niece’s life, and as such, Marcum
wanted the captain to have the best blade that suited him. Had the captain
asked for
his
advice instead of Rezkin’s, he might have selected a
different blade for the man, but he grudgingly admitted to himself that this
one was a better fit.

Captain Jimson turned back to the
general with eyes filled with gratitude and pride and said, “Thank you,
General. This is truly amazing. I cannot express my appreciation.”

“The thanks is all mine, Captain,”
Marcum said with sincerity. The general stepped forward and pulled out a drawer
in the bottom of the display cabinet. The drawer was lined with soft fabric and
held several of the scabbards belonging to the swords displayed above. Marcum
pulled out the scabbard that belonged to the blade the captain had selected and
turned it over to the man. The scabbard was lacquered black with red swirls
scrolling along its length. A black leather strap with a dangling red silk
tassel was used to attach the sword to the belt. It matched the red
silk-wrapped hilt of the sword. The hilt had a gold-toned bar-shaped crossguard
and flat gold pommel, which was inset with several small red-black garnets.

“Now, I believe it is past time
for dinner,” General Marcum said. “Captain, you will be joining us.” It was a
command rather than a request.

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir,” Jimson
replied.

Marcum met Rezkin’s silent gaze
with a frown but said nothing. The young man’s persistent silence was
unnerving. The general lead the way to the dining room. He really did not like
having Rezkin at his back, but it was unlikely the man would stab him under the
circumstances. Besides, Rezkin
had
given his word not to harm the
general so long as he remained a guest in the general’s home. Marcum realized
that somewhere along the line he had come to at least trust Rezkin at his word,
even if the young man did lack any other sense of morality.

Adelina, Frisha, and Tam were already
patiently waiting in the dining room, although they had yet to be served. As
soon as the others arrived, the staff began flooding the room with an aromatic
feast. An extra place had been set on Rezkin’s side of the table, and Rezkin
took the initiative to move down a chair. This put him closer to the general,
but seated Captain Jimson in the place of honor by the hostess. Marcum nodded
in approval at Lady Adelina’s questioning look. After the first course was
served, Marcum stood and announced Jimson’s recent promotion to Captain.
Everyone cheered and congratulated the captain, except Rezkin who remained
silent but nodded meaningfully toward his
friend
.

The rest of the meal was filled
with pleasant chatter about the journey and stories from back home for all
those at the table except the young warrior who remained silent throughout the
meal. Frisha’s curious glances in his direction were only interrupted by the
occasional silent plea in Lady Adelina’s direction, after which Lady Adelina
would glance meaningfully between Marcum and Rezkin. Tam’s eyes kept bouncing
between the four trying to pick up on the unspoken current of conversation
taking place beneath the audible pleasantries.

Jimson could tell that he was
missing something important, but could not quite grasp what was going on around
him and felt it was not the time to ask. General Marcum stubbornly refused to
acknowledge anything abnormal and relentlessly questioned the captain when the
others failed to carry the conversation.

Once the meal was finished, the
lady invited her guests to join her and the general in the sitting room once
again. Rezkin simply bowed politely toward the general and his wife and then
left through the rear door of the kitchen without a word. Everyone else retired
to the sitting room where they took their places among the chairs and couches.
They were in the exact same places as the first night, except that Captain
Jimson now sat where Rezkin had previously been seated.

Frisha chewed at her bottom lip
anxiously. When she could not take it anymore she asked, “What’s going on?
Uncle Marcum, what did you say to Rezkin?” she asked accusingly.

General Marcum huffed, and Lady
Adelina interrupted, “Frisha, dear, this is not the time. We have a guest.”

“Nonsense! Jimson is our friend
and Rezkin’s, too. He knows how we feel about each other,” Frisha asserted. She
turned to Jimson and said with a dazzling smile, “Rezkin asked to be my prime
suitor.”

Jimson’s eyebrows shot up in
surprise. He knew the two cared for each other, but he had not known it had
become so serious. “Oh,” he said before turning his attention to the general.
“So, that is the request you denied?” The general scowled and Jimson flushed.
He had forgotten himself. It was so easy, when surrounded by the general’s family
who treated him as a friend, to forget that the man was the General of the Army
and his superior.

“What!?” Frisha shouted as she
lurched to her feet. “Y-you denied it? B-but,
why?
”

“He is not right for you, Frisha.
You deserve better than
him
. I will not have you bound to one such as
he,” General Marcum barked.

“What are you talking about?
Rezkin is a
good
man! He has ever been the gentleman. He took it upon
himself to protect us without asking for anything in return,” Frisha said.

“Except for
you!
” the general
interrupted.

“That’s not the same, and you know
it. It wasn’t like he
planned
to fall for me. Besides, it’s more than
just the protection. He’s
brave
. He went into that other riverboat all by
himself, which I admit I didn’t really care for at the time. But, he did it and
he came back with the captive. And, he
cares
for people. You should have
seen the way he ministered to the injured, and not just me, either! He treated
all of the lieutenant’s – ah, sorry –
captain’s
men after
the first battle. He also saved Reaylin from that huge monster of a man and
treated her wounds as easily as a Master Healer. You should have seen him. You
would never think such terrible things if you knew him!”

Captain Jimson truly wished he had
not
been present for this conversation. The general’s face was flushed
with anger, and never in his life had Jimson thought to see anyone stand up to
the man in the way the young Frisha was at this moment.

General Marcum stood to face the
hysterical young woman. “I
do
know him – better than you! I will
not let you marry such a soulless creature!”

Frisha gasped in shock. “Soulless
creature! Is that what those letters told you? That Rezkin is a soulless
creature?”

Marcum scowled. “Of course not.”

“Then what did they say? I know
they were about Rezkin, and it was something important. What was it?” Frisha
asked as she lifted her chin in determination.

The general ground his teeth as he
glanced at the captain. Jimson sat curiously, wondering what the general would
come up with to keep from exposing Rezkin’s secrets, which he was obliged to
conceal since Rezkin had asserted his authority on the matter. “That is none of
your business, Frisha.”

Frisha stomped a foot and said,
“Like Hells it isn’t! If you will deny me my chosen husband then I have a right
to know why!”

Lady Adelina gasped, “Frisha,
dear, language!” She looked at her husband and said apologetically, “She
does
have a point, love.”

Marcum huffed, “Nothing in those
letters said anything negative about the man.”

“Quite the opposite, really,”
Captain Jimson supplied. He knew he was playing with fire, but he felt that he
owed a great debt to his friend.

The general turned his ire on
Jimson but before he could say anything, Frisha perked up. “Is that so? What
did they say, then? How did they
not
refer to him as a soulless
creature?” she asked flippantly.

“Rezkin has asked that I not
divulge their contents,” the general answered.