Reign of Madness (Revised Edition) (42 page)

Rezkin cocked his head and inquired curiously, “By what
method have I become your friend, Malcius? I do not recall applying for such a
position.” The warrior was still uncertain as to the process by which such
decisions were made.

The young noble laughed heartily. “Ha! You may jest, but it
was not such a difficult decision. Think you that I have so many rapping at my
door? ‘
We come, great and glorious Malcius! We entreat thee! Let us sing thy
praises and call thee friend
!’ No, Rezkin, it is I who would be honored to
be counted among
yours
.”

Rezkin thought quickly. He had no desire to offend Malcius
by rejecting him solely because he did not know the proper procedure for such things.
The young Jebai seemed to imply that it had been Malcius’s own decision to call
Rezkin
friend
. Was it so simple as that? Was he permitted to choose
those he called
friend
?

“If ever I could name one to be among my
friends
,
Malcius, it would be you,” he finally said.

Malcius smiled and clapped the warrior on the shoulder.
“Good, then it is settled.”

The warrior spent the next few days gathering intelligence,
training his
friends
and associates, and constructing his disguise for the
tournament. He had to finish the latter before he could register for his place
in the tiers, since he could not be seen registering as himself. The warrior
worked with Wesson to prepare the mask he would wear during the competition. He
needed something that would not interfere with his vision and breathing, would
not easily fall off, and would prevent anyone from seeing his features. Wesson
warned him that his ability to influence people’s minds through the spell that
had been cast on him had a limited range, and its effectiveness was too
variable to be dependable.

“This material is called
selaric
,” the mage said as
he held up a thin black disk. “It is a mage creation, and it is very difficult
to produce. Few mages have the proper power ratio to create the material, and
even fewer are willing to take the time and effort. Those that do, however,
make a hefty profit. It comes at a high cost, but you said you were not
concerned about the money. It is durable and lightweight,” Wesson explained.
“It is not strong enough for use as armor. It will not protect you and will
likely shatter if you take a direct hit to the face, but minor glancing blows
should be deflected.”

“It does not matter,” Rezkin stated. “I do not require it
for protection. I seek merely to conceal my identity. Why did you choose this
material?”

The young mage grinned and excitedly said, “Well, as you can
see, it is already sized to fit over your face, but the material is rigid and
cannot be shaped. When a trickle of vimara is fed into the selaric, however, it
will become pliant like silk, and can be smoothed over your face to take on
your exact form. This will make it comfortable to wear because it will fit
exactly and should not constrict your vision. The greatest advantage, however,
is that, like most mage materials, it reacts to your
will
when the
vimara is applied. So, although it fits the form of your face perfectly on the
inside, you can make adjustments to the outer appearance, within reason, of
course. You cannot use more material than is present.”

“This is splendid,” Rezkin stated as he examined the dark
disk. “Can it be shaped more than once?”

“Minor adjustments can be made afterward if you find it is
too uncomfortable or you need extra air holes or something like that, but I
would not suggest attempting to reform the entire mask. Selaric seems to last
indefinitely when formed the first time but degrades quickly with additional
transformations,” Wesson explained. “Shall we form the mask now?”

Rezkin nodded and handed the disk back to the eager mage. He
seated himself on a chair next to a small table that held a mirror. Wesson
pulled over a second chair and sat facing the warrior. As the mage held the
disk to Rezkin’s face, the warrior felt a faint buzzing in the air, and his
muscles tingled. As soon as the disk touched his nose it began to slip over the
curves of his face until it fit as a second skin. His body suddenly surged with
alarm as he realized it would be impossible for him to take another breath with
the material over his face. Wesson quickly split the selaric below the nose and
over the mouth so that Rezkin would not suffocate. Next, he created holes over
Rezkin’s eyes so the warrior could actually see what was happening.

The image in the mirror was amazing. It was a perfect replica
of Rezkin’s true face formed in the darkest black. With the exception of the
few holes, the mask was flawless. As he watched, the face in the mirror began
to distort in a most disturbing way. Although he felt none of the changes from
within, the surface was roiling with continuous waves of hills and valleys.

“Now is for the difficult part,” Wesson stated. “I will have
to do the forming, since my vimara responds to my
will
. You will have to
tell me how you want it to look. This may take a while to get right. I have
never been very good at sculpting,” the mage said with chagrin.

For the next while, Rezkin and Wesson worked to get the mask
just as Rezkin desired. They tried several looks. Some were grotesque and
others simply frightening. Both were pleased when they finally agreed on one.

“An additional advantage to this material is that
enchantments are much easier to apply and are more stable when cast on mage
materials. Your eyes are particularly striking when set against the black of
the mask. People will remember those eyes. I can apply an enchantment to fix
that little problem, though,” the mage stated.

“Will that not cause problems with the tournament officials?
They will sense the enchantment,” Rezkin replied, his voice muffled by the
mask.

“Yes, they will notice the enchantment, but they will also
be able to determine its purpose. The officials will not be able to see past
the enchantment unless they break it, though, and I doubt they will be able to
do so,” Wesson informed.

“Why is that?” the warrior asked.

“Because I am extremely powerful,” Wesson replied without a
hint of conceit. “I intend to use a nocent spell to disrupt the light as it
passes through the eyeholes. Like the sound barrier, it will only work one way,
so it will not interfere with your vision. From the outside, though, people
will see nothing but a black void where your eyes should be. I think it will be
most intimidating,” he said with a boyish grin.

“That will be perfect,” Rezkin commented.

“Since we extended the lower part away from your mouth, I am
putting some ventilation slits here along the sides of your face,” the
journeyman said. “I will cover over those with the same spell, so they will not
be seen. Additionally, I am creating a slight negative pressure zone on the
inner side of the lower mask, which will effectively draw fresh air in through
the slits so you will have no problems breathing. I could place another spell
to vaporize any dust that enters, but it might cause the air to heat
uncomfortably.”

“No, that will not be necessary,” Rezkin stated.

“Hmm, I may be able to create a filter that prevents
anything but air from entering,” the mage mused. “The last thing I need to do
is add a spell for your voice. This spell is a combination of constructive and
destructive. It will enable the sound to pass through the mage material
unhindered, so it will sound as though you are speaking without the mask, and
your voice will not be muffled. The spell will also disrupt the listener’s
ability to connect the voice with any in his or her memory or to store the
voice as a new memory. Not even I will recognize your voice,” the mage added.

“That will be exceedingly helpful. I had intended to simply
avoid speaking unless absolutely necessary. This is a much more convenient
solution. You have a cunning and devious mind, Journeyman. You are well-suited
to your profession,” Rezkin praised.

When the mask was finished it was something to behold
– or
not
, as the case was. By no magic, but rather the simple
design and appearance, the mask made one wish to look away. It was most
disturbing because it lacked any humanity. It was not intricate or fearsome,
but its utter simplicity was frightening on a base level. The facial contours
had been smoothed away, and the lower half had been raised outward. From nose
to chin ran a smooth ridge with the sides slanting away. The brow ridge was
smooth but enhanced, causing the eyes to appear as sunken black pits. It looked
like a face that had gone unformed with no nose or mouth, and the black voids
that should have been eyes could surely capture one’s soul.

Rezkin tested the finished mask and found that the mage had
been truthful in his assertions. The inner form was comfortable and caused no
chaffing or restrictions. He could see clearly, and the material was thin enough
that it did not narrow his field of vision. The constant inflow of air was
interesting. It was a bit like breathing with a breeze in your face at all
times, but he could see how it would be advantageous during a battle.

“If you did no other work for me, I would say you have
earned every copper of your pay,” Rezkin stated with approval.

Wesson grinned broadly and said, “It was not so difficult,
really.”

“Perhaps, perhaps not. I cannot say, but how many other
mages do you think I could trust with a task such as this? Any that did not
attempt to kill or capture me immediately would surely alert the authorities if
they knew the reason for my needs,” the warrior stated.

Wesson shifted uncomfortably. “I do not know about that.
Mages are affected by the happenings in the kingdom as much as anyone. King
Caydean has turned his demands and restrictions on us, as well. I am certain
that, in a few months time, it will be impossible to obtain any selaric and
probably a number of other necessary or useful mage supplies. The man from whom
I obtained this piece mentioned rumors of a mage draft. Caydean is not just
building up his mundane army.”

“That is disturbing, but it does not change the fact that
you are an invaluable resource to me at this time. If you are in need of
anything, do not hesitate to ask. I would not have you choose to leave my
employment simply for a better offer,” Rezkin stated as he stared at the mage
meaningfully.

The young mage flushed with the praise. He bowed slightly and
said, “Thank you, Lord Rezkin. Your confidence in my skills is gratifying. I
will be sure to notify you if I have needs that surpass the already generous
sum you offered.”

“Excellent. Now, if you would retrieve Kai and Tam and bring
them back here in about a quarter of a mark, I will don the rest of my guise,”
Rezkin requested.

After Wesson left, Rezkin stripped out of his clothes and
dressed in all black garb. He wore a fitted black shirt and black breeches.
Black leather armor with silver buckles came next. The armor was light but had
several metal plates sewn between the layers for protection. Over this he wore
a long, black tabard with jagged green lightning embroidered along the panels
to match the pattern in his new blade. The crackling lines in the blade were
thin, but in the light they were filled with luminescence that he had no doubt
would be visible from the furthest stands. He added polished black boots that
turned down just below the knees.

Rezkin was not done, yet. He still needed to do something
about his hair. Black hair was fairly common in Ashai, but his was blacker than
most and very straight. He did not want to give any clues to his identity until
it became absolutely necessary. He braided his hair with a dozen plaits and
then gathered the bag of hair samples Frisha obtained for him. He had prepared
the samples already by braiding the multicolored locks into separate plaits and
attaching each of them to a small clip. The warrior carefully clipped the
braids into his own hair in a random array. The effect was superb. His head was
covered in dozens of braids in every color and shade from his natural black to
browns, blondes, reds, silvers and whites. No one could possibly guess his true
color.

Just as he heard the others tromping up the stairs, Rezkin
strapped on his thick black sword belt that was held together by large silver
and gold buckle set with emeralds to match the scabbard. Finally, he donned the
disturbing mask and threw on a long black cloak leaving the hood hanging down
his back.

The door swung open, and all three men jumped back. Kai’s
hand immediately went to his hilt, but Wesson stopped him short of drawing the
weapon. The mage ushered the two awestruck vassals into the room and shut and
barred the door. The mage turned, and all three men stared at the most
frightening apparition they ever had chance to witness.

“Um…Rez?” Tam finally stammered.

“It is I, Tam,” Rezkin replied.

Tam was unnerved, and Kai narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
“You do not sound like Rezkin.” To the mage he said, “Are we certain this is
he? What stands before me is surely a demon or wraith.”

Even though Wesson had formed the mask, he still felt the
overall appearance was terrifying. He chuckled at the absurdity. He knew full
well Rezkin was under the guise and, yet, he was still filled with sudden
dread. “I think your disguise meets with their approval.”

“Forever more, when I read
Tales of the Shadow Knight
,
this is the image I will see in my mind,” Tam muttered under his breath. “In
fact, this might be the image to haunt my nightmares hence forth.”

The striker finally grinned and said, “You truly do look the
part. Wrathful king, vengeful wraith or dreaded assassin, you will instill fear
in the hearts of your enemies. Let it be known just
who
those enemies are,
and you will have the hearts of your subjects.”