room. The bathing tub had been removed but nothing
else seemed to have been disturbed. He roved over the room, once again looking
for traps and poisons, and after finding none, he began to pack the few items
he had left out of his pack. He would need to pick up his laundry later. Rule
1 was going to be harder than he thought. Protecting and honoring seemed
like easy things to do, except when they conflicted with each other. In trying
to protect his new friends he had dishonored them.
Rezkin was sorely disappointed in himself. He had only found
his friends little more than an hour ago, and he was already failing
miserably. Now, in order to protect them, he would have to follow them from a
distance, staying unseen. That is what he promised them, after all…that they
would not see him. How would he secretly protect them on a riverboat?
Surely they would know he was aboard. Riverboats were not so large, after all.
He would have to disguise himself. Neither of them had seen his horse, so Pride would not give him away. But, was it dishonoring them to mislead them and
pursue them in secret?
Communicating with outworlders was so much more difficult
than the masters had said. He tried using the lines he had been forced to
memorize and mimicked the gestures and pleasantries, but it was tiring and
confusing at times. When he thought he had performed a gesture just perfectly,
people would stare at him with confusing expressions.
The men had seemed easy enough, until Tam, anyway. It was
the women who were so confusing. He knew it was an unavoidable tactical error
that he had met Frisha first. By the time he met Tam, the young man’s
protective instincts had kicked in, and he was less willing to see reason. If
he had somehow met Tam first, he might have found a way to convince him of his
sincerity.
Swinging his pack over his shoulder he stepped quickly to
the door and pulled it open to reveal Tam standing on the other side with his
arm poised to knock. Rezkin released the hilt he had grasped in surprise. He
could not believe he had made such a mistake as to not check the door before
opening it. His mind was muddled with his failure, and he knew he had to get it
together before he failed completely.
He stepped aside to allow Tam to enter and said, “I have
gathered my things and will inform the innkeeper of the change upon my
departure.” He stepped toward the door to make his way out, but was stopped by
Tam’s hand on his shoulder. He forcefully resisted his instincts to grab the hand
and twist until the young man submitted. He calmly turned toward the young man
instead.
“Wait, please,” Tam quietly requested.
Rezkin simply stared at him, willing the young man to get to
the point.
“I-I’m sorry,” Tam said while wringing his hands awkwardly.
“What I said was uncalled for. I didn’t mean to offend you, nor did I mean to
be ungrateful.” He let out a heavy breath, and his shoulders slumped. “You’re
right. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m in over my head. When I made the oath,
I though it was no big deal. I would just stand up for Frisha when she needed
me.”
The uncertain young man scratched at his scruffy jaw as he
thought and continued, “On the way here from Cheswick, I spoke to several of
the caravan guards. Some of the things they described…attacks along the roads
and even on the river, well, they scared me. I know I’m supposed to protect
Frisha, and I want to, but if it comes down to it, I know I can’t . So,
if you could possibly forgive me, I would like to accept your offer to
accompany us to Kaibain.”
Tam looked up into Rezkin’s eyes almost pleadingly, that
vulnerability that Tam was trying so hard to hide earlier was obvious to anyone
who looked. Rezkin inclined his head and said, “It was my fault. I failed to
communicate my purpose properly. You had every right to be defensive and
protective of your companion.”
“No, I should not have spoken to you in such a
else seemed to have been disturbed. He roved over the room, once again looking
for traps and poisons, and after finding none, he began to pack the few items
he had left out of his pack. He would need to pick up his laundry later. Rule
1 was going to be harder than he thought. Protecting and honoring seemed
like easy things to do, except when they conflicted with each other. In trying
to protect his new friends he had dishonored them.
Rezkin was sorely disappointed in himself. He had only found
his friends little more than an hour ago, and he was already failing
miserably. Now, in order to protect them, he would have to follow them from a
distance, staying unseen. That is what he promised them, after all…that they
would not see him. How would he secretly protect them on a riverboat?
Surely they would know he was aboard. Riverboats were not so large, after all.
He would have to disguise himself. Neither of them had seen his horse, so Pride would not give him away. But, was it dishonoring them to mislead them and
pursue them in secret?
Communicating with outworlders was so much more difficult
than the masters had said. He tried using the lines he had been forced to
memorize and mimicked the gestures and pleasantries, but it was tiring and
confusing at times. When he thought he had performed a gesture just perfectly,
people would stare at him with confusing expressions.
The men had seemed easy enough, until Tam, anyway. It was
the women who were so confusing. He knew it was an unavoidable tactical error
that he had met Frisha first. By the time he met Tam, the young man’s
protective instincts had kicked in, and he was less willing to see reason. If
he had somehow met Tam first, he might have found a way to convince him of his
sincerity.
Swinging his pack over his shoulder he stepped quickly to
the door and pulled it open to reveal Tam standing on the other side with his
arm poised to knock. Rezkin released the hilt he had grasped in surprise. He
could not believe he had made such a mistake as to not check the door before
opening it. His mind was muddled with his failure, and he knew he had to get it
together before he failed completely.
He stepped aside to allow Tam to enter and said, “I have
gathered my things and will inform the innkeeper of the change upon my
departure.” He stepped toward the door to make his way out, but was stopped by
Tam’s hand on his shoulder. He forcefully resisted his instincts to grab the hand
and twist until the young man submitted. He calmly turned toward the young man
instead.
“Wait, please,” Tam quietly requested.
Rezkin simply stared at him, willing the young man to get to
the point.
“I-I’m sorry,” Tam said while wringing his hands awkwardly.
“What I said was uncalled for. I didn’t mean to offend you, nor did I mean to
be ungrateful.” He let out a heavy breath, and his shoulders slumped. “You’re
right. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m in over my head. When I made the oath,
I though it was no big deal. I would just stand up for Frisha when she needed
me.”
The uncertain young man scratched at his scruffy jaw as he
thought and continued, “On the way here from Cheswick, I spoke to several of
the caravan guards. Some of the things they described…attacks along the roads
and even on the river, well, they scared me. I know I’m supposed to protect
Frisha, and I want to, but if it comes down to it, I know I can’t . So,
if you could possibly forgive me, I would like to accept your offer to
accompany us to Kaibain.”
Tam looked up into Rezkin’s eyes almost pleadingly, that
vulnerability that Tam was trying so hard to hide earlier was obvious to anyone
who looked. Rezkin inclined his head and said, “It was my fault. I failed to
communicate my purpose properly. You had every right to be defensive and
protective of your companion.”
“No, I should not have spoken to you in such a
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