Reign of Madness (Revised Edition) (25 page)

The young nobles glanced at each other uncertainly before
the baron finally remarked, “If the young man is truly a Swordmaster, then it
is not unlikely the king called upon him to perform some duty. Considering what
swords are designed to
do
, and that young man’s reaction just now, I
think it is safe to assume Rezkin was ordered to kill someone.”

“You mean the king had Rezkin
murder
someone?” Frisha
asked in disbelief.

The baron shook his head and said, “No, my dear. There
are
certain protocols that prevent the king from ordering someone’s death without
cause, noble and commoner alike. For example, the king cannot have a duke
killed simply because he does not like the man. He must present evidence that
the duke was guilty of some serious transgression. The peerage would not stand
for it otherwise. Commoners, as individuals, have less influence, so their
protections against mistreatment are fewer. If a king mistreats his subjects
too often, though, it can lead to rebellion.”

“Oh, come now, Lord Nasque. We have all heard the stories of
the Shadow Knight. It is common knowledge that the king employs his own
assassin,” Tieran scoffed.

The baron held the young lord in his gaze and firmly stated,
“It is common
conjecture
, Lord Tieran, born of fear and fantasy. Anyone
stating otherwise could find himself the subject of scrutiny by the king.
If
the king has such a man, it would probably be best not to speak of it.”

Tieran, catching the poorly veiled warning replied, “Yes, I
see your point.”

Lord Nasque shook his head and said, “Besides, young Lord
Rezkin does appear to be a formidable warrior, but he hardly seems like the
messenger of the king’s
Dark Tidings
.” The baron chuckled and remarked,
“I mean, Lord
Rezkin
is a little too obvious, is it not? If I had to
speculate, I would say it is more likely the young lord was called upon to dispatch
a criminal on the run or some such business.”

“But, why Rez?” Frisha asked. “Why not call upon the army or
a striker or a knight?”

Tilting his head, Lord Nasque replied, “It is not so
uncommon, especially in the more remote areas, for a lord or other official to
call upon a capable man to carry out such orders. The kingdom is vast and
resources are limited. I have made such requests of capable men, myself. The
order probably did not even come directly from the king. From whence does Lord
Rezkin hail?”

“Uh, he said he came from some fort in the north, but I
don’t know the name,” Frisha replied with embarrassment, since she still did
not know the name of Rezkin’s home.

“Ah, well, there you see. The north is largely wild and
untamed woodland and mountains. It would not be unreasonable to call upon a man
who is familiar with the terrain to perform such a duty, especially if he is
known to be a formidable warrior. I am sure he was paid well for his services
in addition to having the privilege of carrying out the king’s justice,” the
baron explained.

“But, why would Tam be so appalled?” Frisha asked with
concern and confusion.

The baron sighed and said, “He is young, Lady Frisha. You
are
all
young. You all have not seen the darkness that lurks in the
souls of men. You are unfamiliar with the terrible deeds such villains conduct
behind closed doors and in dark shadows. I, myself, have presided over a few
cases that filled my wandering mind with such terror they left me wanting in
the night for dreamless slumber. It is the responsibility of all good and
capable men to rid the world of this malignity, lest it fester and spread to
infect the minds and hearts of innocent neighbors, as such evil is prone to do.
I believe your young Master Tamarin considers only the deed and not the cause
or consequence.”

“I understand what you’re saying, but Tam is not so
innocent,” Frisha protested. “He killed a man, you know. We were attacked by
bandits on our journey south. The man would have killed Captain Jimson had Tam
not gotten him first.”

The baron’s brows rose. “Did he? Well, then it might be that
some of the anger Master Tamarin directs toward Rezkin is anger he is feeling
for his own actions. It is not easy to kill a man for the first time. Most
people continue to feel guilt for a very long time, sometimes the rest of their
lives, even if they were justified in taking the life.”

“Oh, I had not thought of that,” Frisha said softly. She had
not really spoken to Tam about the man he killed. Tam never talked about it, so
neither did she. She could not imagine what her friend was enduring, and to be
honest, her discomfort with the subject had left her in avoidance.

“Perhaps it would be best if he spoke with someone who has
had a similar experience,” the baron remarked as he looked around at the faces
that surrounded him. All of the other young nobles looked away or shook their
heads. None of them had been in any combat. Their martial skills had resided
solely in training and dueling rings. “Well, perhaps one of the soldiers or
guards, then. I have not directly killed a man, but as my post requires, I
have
ordered more than one execution. I cannot say the feelings would be the same,
though.”

“I-…I could speak to him,” a low, soft voice said from
behind. Frisha turned to see Wesson shifting uncomfortably, unwilling to meet
anyone’s gaze.

“
You
?” Frisha exclaimed in surprise. The beautiful,
sweet, innocent-looking mage shrugged slightly and ducked his head as his eyes
avoided everyone. Noticing Wesson’s discomfort, she decided not to pry and
simply said, “Thank you, Wesson. If you think you can help Tam, I would be most
grateful.” Pain-filled blue-green eyes met her own. Wesson nodded and quickly
looked away.

Frisha looked around and noticed that no one seemed interested
in eating any longer. Whatever food was left had cooled and congealed into an
unappetizing slop. The young woman bobbed a slight, awkward curtsy and said,
“Thank you, Lord Nasque. You’ve given me much to think on.”

“Of course, my dear. I, for one, will turn in early and
perhaps enjoy a bit of reading before sleep claims me,” the baron remarked as
he rose from his seat and exited the mess.

Frisha and the others slowly trickled out into the fresh
evening air. Even from the cabin where she stood, Frisha could hear the
clomping of hooves across the floorboards and knew that Rezkin was running
Pride on a lead around the main mast. The ship had little room for a battle
charger to exercise, but everyone recognized the need, since the prickly,
short-tempered beast became unruly if forced to endure too much tedium. When
the stallion nearly shattered the stall two nights in a row, the captain
finally ordered the main deck cleared for a short time twice a day, allowing
Rezkin to keep the beast satisfied. Frisha once inquired as to how the soldiers
and strikers traveled with their mounts by sea for long periods, and Rezkin had
informed her that usually a few mages traveled with them who were skilled in
life magic and could soothe the beasts. Unfortunately, Wesson had little talent
for that particular type of magic, which was what led him into their company in
the first place.

The young woman made her way to her cabin with the intent of
collecting a few necessities before she visited the
bathing chamber
,
which was a space only slightly larger than a wardrobe. It contained a simple
metal tub with a drain that released used water back into the river.
Unfortunately, one still had to draw up a number of buckets to fill the thing,
and the water was cold and only as clean as the river.

When she arrived in her room, she was surprised to see Tam
sitting on her bed waiting for her. “Tam, what are you doing here?” she
inquired.

“I need to talk to you,” her friend replied.

“Is this about Rezkin?” Frisha asked.

Tam sighed loudly and hissed, “Yes, but can you bar the
door? I don’t want to be interrupted, and it’s best to keep things between just
us.”

Frisha glanced back at the door uncertainly and said, “Um, I
don’t know. It’s not proper…”

“Gah! I don’t care if it’s
proper
. This is
important
,
Frisha,” Tam exclaimed.

Frisha released a heavy sigh and said, “Fine, but only for a
short while.” After closing and barring the door, she strode over and took a
seat on Reaylin’s bed. It occurred to her that this was probably the same situation
in which Rezkin and Reaylin had found themselves before
that
little
drama.

“What is it, Tam? I know you are upset with Rezkin, but I
don’t know
why
,” she prodded.

“It’s-…It’s complicated, and I can’t tell you everything. I
just don’t think you should marry him,” Tam stated.

“What? Why?” Frisha asked with alarm.

“Look, I found out some things today – things I can’t
talk about; but I need you to trust me when I tell you that Rezkin is not the
man you think he is,” he pleaded.

“That’s not good enough, Tam. Just yesterday you were
bragging about his conviction and today you are suddenly rejecting him,” she
remarked. “It’s my life, and I want more information if I am to make such a
decision.”

Tam growled in frustration and said, “That’s exactly what he
said.”

“What
who
said?” Frisha asked.

“Rezkin. He said he didn’t push the issue of marriage with
the general because you didn’t have enough knowledge to make an informed
decision,” Tam replied.

“And he’s right. What do you know that’s so important?”
Frisha asked.

“It’s just…okay…you see, this morning he offered me a job,”
Tam began.

“Who did?” Frisha asked.

“Rezkin! It’s who we’re talking about,” Tam replied with
irritation.

“But, what kind of job would Rezkin have for you?” Frisha
asked with confusion.

Tam shrugged and said, “None, really. He thinks I don’t
really want to be a soldier and that I’d rather be an adventurer.” The young
man ran a hand through his hair and continued, “And, he’s right. So, he offered
to take me along on his own adventures and train me, and said he would pay me
for doing whatever errands he needs done.”

Frisha’s eyes grew wide as she excitedly exclaimed, “Wow,
Tam, that’s a really generous deal. I mean, it’s not every day a Dual-Blade
Swordmaster comes along and offers to pay you to…well, to be his friend.”

Tam’s mouth hung open as he considered the prospect. It
really was a dream come true – until he found out more about the man for
whom he would be working.

The young man shook his head vigorously and said, “No, you
don’t understand. I
can’t
be his friend!”

“I can’t believe you just said that, Tam! Rezkin is already
our friend! He has done so much for us and asked nothing in return. He saved
our
lives
, Tam!” Frisha argued.

“You’re not listening, Frisha! He’s not who you think he is.
He’s done things – terrible things. He’s
killed
people!
A lot
of people!” Tam hissed with overwhelming strain and frustration.

“I know he’s killed people, Tam. I’ve
seen
him kill
people. I’ve seen
you
kill someone,” Frisha calmly replied.

Tam gripped his hair and huffed loudly. “It’s not the
same
.
That was a battle, and those men would have killed us if we didn’t kill them.
Rezkin is more like…like an executioner.” Frisha shivered at the thought as
tears welled in her eyes. “You see?” Tam asked. “It’s not so understandable.”

“Oh, I understand. How terrible it must have been for him.
Can you imagine, Tam? What must it be like to have such a job? Day after day,
you snuff the life out of living beings,
human
beings,” she said sadly.

“So, you understand what I’m saying?” Tam asked.

Frisha shook her head and said, “No, I don’t. Someone has to
do it, Tam. Rezkin is more capable than most, and there are some really
terrible people out there. Should they be left to steal and murder and rape
innocent people simply because good men don’t wish to kill? Can you imagine
what the world would be like if those evil creatures were allowed to live and
walk amongst us freely? What if some of those men were on this ship?”

Tam looked at his friend with disbelief. “What are you talking
about? I’m saying that Rezkin kills people and you’re talking about fantastical
stories.”

“They’re not
stories
, Tam. It’s real life. What do
you think happens to the murderers and rapists who are caught?” Frisha asked.

“They’re thrown in a dungeon or executed,” Tam remarked with
a roll of his eyes.

“And what of the man who has to carry out those executions?
Did you ever think of
him
? What must his life be like?” Frisha asked.

“I don’t know, and I surely don’t wish to find out,” Tam
stated firmly.

“But you
are
, Tam. You just said that Rezkin has had
to perform such acts. He is your friend, and you should consider what you know
of
who
he is rather than judging him so harshly for performing a duty in
which he had little say,” Frisha chided. “How many people ever
thank
the
executioner for helping to keep them safe? Most people, like you, want to
pretend he does not exist.”

“They
could
just keep them all in the dungeons,” Tam
replied weakly.

Frisha rolled her eyes and said, “Yes, and in a few years,
the dungeons would be filled and we would need to build
more
dungeons,
all the while good men work tirelessly in the fields to feed evil men in cells.
Should we keep them in there forever? Do you expect them to change their ways?
How long will it take a rapist or murderer to realize the error of his ways?
Five years? Twenty? And, how will you
know
he has changed? More
importantly, how will rotting in a dungeon cell with other evil men convince
them of the sanctity of life?”