Reign of Madness (Revised Edition) by Kel Kade

would be
very poor protection, indeed, if she were to end up slaughtered on the deck by
my own hand.”
    Tieran ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “I suppose
that does make sense.” He performed a slight bow toward the captain and said,
“I apologize, Captain Jimson. I was out of order. I did not realize you were
not the commander of this party.” Jimson nodded his acceptance, and Tieran
looked back at Rezkin. “I apologize to you, as well, Rezkin. I realize, now,
how absurd my fears were. But, seriously, you are kind of frightening
sometimes.”
    Rezkin laughed as he placed a hand on Tieran’s shoulder and
guided him away from the relieved captain. Rezkin remarked, “Tieran, sometimes
our instincts warn us of dangers our consciousness does not perceive. Other
times… we just die.”
    Tieran looked at Rezkin askance and then laughed. “That was
not comforting at all, Rezkin.”
    “Hmm, no it was not, was it?” Rezkin replied with a grin,
managing to calm the young lord and keep him on edge at the same time. Jimson
shook his head both in admiration and aversion. Rezkin truly was a master manipulator
of the truth.
    After nearly a week, the ship’s captain announced that they
would be stopping over in the riverside town of Teurning. Teurning was a
moderate-sized logging town in the Barony of Fendendril that most people simply
called Fenden. The baron and his son were also traveling to the tournament and
would be boarding the ship. The weather, so far, had been ideal, and despite
the earlier mishap, the ship was more than a day ahead of schedule. The crew
would be able to make necessary repairs, and it was the perfect opportunity for
some much-desired shore leave for the passengers.
    Pride was especially grateful for the respite from his
confinement aboard the ship. He was restless during the best of times, and he
was becoming positively unruly as time passed. Rezkin decided to take the
stallion for a run along the forest road. When he mentioned his plans to the
ship’s captain, one of the deck hands overheard. The man, originally from the
town, indicated the location of a scenic spot, complete with waterfall and
crystal pool, which he should take in along the way. Hearing this, Frisha
decided she needed to see the place. Since Frisha desired to go along, Tam,
Jimson and his soldiers were obliged to go as well. Not to be left out, Reaylin
demanded a place among them.
    Captain Jimson procured horses for the group at the
general’s expense. Rezkin was relieved that the nobles had little interest in
traipsing through the forest and desired nothing more than to luxuriate in the
comfort of a hot bath and a few bottles of wine at the inn. Frisha insisted on
taking a picnic along, which was not a bad idea considering they intended to be
gone for several hours.
    Rezkin found himself watching the young woman as she
strolled up to her assigned mount. She wore a beige tunic with brown pants. Her
corset-like knife belt accentuated her narrow waist and emphasized her womanly
curves. Rezkin realized he was not evaluating the length or consistency of her
gait or the manner in which her weight fell on her feet. For a brief moment,
his assessing mind was quiet as he silently appreciated the soft sway of her
hips. Rezkin shook his head to clear his thoughts. Somehow, Shiela’s
overbearing attempts at seduction had only succeeded in highlighting Frisha’s
less contrived, natural femininity. Unlike with Shiela, Rezkin did not feel
inclined to decapitate someone every time Frisha was present.
    Tam, still wanting to join the army after the tournament,
had been spending more time with the soldiers. They showed him some of their
formal drills and instructed him on proper behavior and army speak. He was a
little less enthusiastic, though, when he found out the soldiers had not
traveled or had any adventures. It seemed that most of the common soldiers
spent their days and nights performing drills, standing guard against
nonexistent