Read Free the Darkness (King's Dark Tidings Book 1) for Free Online Page B

Rule
1 meant, much less put it into practice. For that matter, Rule 2 did
not make much sense either. Kill with conscience . What, for the sake of
the masters, was conscience? It did not sound like any weapon he had
been trained to use. And, why would there be a Rule to use only one
weapon when he had been trained to master Skills using many weapons. Rule
233 clearly stated that he was the weapon, and anything else was actually
just a tool. So, maybe this conscience had something to do with him .
Maybe it was a type of knowledge. Yes , that would make sense .
But, where was he to gain this knowledge with the masters and strikers dead?
    Farson might know. The masters had been secretive about Rules
1 and 2 , but it was possible that Farson had been allowed this
knowledge. The only way to get Farson to talk, though, would be to torture him.
Farson certainly knew Rule 3 – Reveal nothing . Any amount of
torture Rezkin could inflict upon him would probably be for naught, and if
Farson did talk, it was unlikely he would be truthful. How could Rezkin
ever know if what he was told was accurate? No, he could not ask Farson.
    Rezkin wandered among the bodies just to make sure they were
all truly dead. This whole situation made no sense. Why did he have to kill the
strikers? Why did the masters kill each other? In the end, he decided the only
way to get answers would be to adhere to Rule 1 – Protect and
honor your friends . Now, he just had to find these friends . Perhaps
he could ask them what conscience was. Surely, if they were the
subjects of Rule 1 , they would know.
    Rezkin headed back into the fortress to get some help with
disposing of the bodies. The only people left would be the cook, his two
assistants, and the healer’s two assistants. Peider had been the true healer in
the fortress, but he kept two others who provided healing when he was busy.
Upon entering the kitchen, Rezkin realized he would be getting no assistance.
The cook and his two assistants were all dead. Rezkin knew the healers would be
dead, as well, but he went to check anyway. Once he confirmed his suspicions,
he headed to the washroom. The young man had already come to the conclusion
that he could not take the time to bury everyone since he did not know Farson’s
intentions.
    Rezkin had never thought Farson a coward, but Farson’s
disappearance was curious. He thought about it in terms he understood. Farson
had failed to kill him or even engage him as far as Rezkin could remember,
which would go against Rule 258 – Obey your masters and 176
– Finish your tasks. But, had Farson been ordered to attack him?
    Rezkin had been told to kill the strikers, but he did not
know that they had been ordered to kill him in return. So, Farson seemed to
have adhered to Rule 245 – Retreat when you cannot win , in which
case Farson had not broken any Rules . He had acted like a big-man by
holding to the Rules and Skills, and therefore, he had prevailed
by staying alive. Yes, Farson’s actions made sense, now. It was as it should
be. If the other strikers had remembered the Rules they, too, would be
alive. Well, maybe some of them...for a while. Rezkin had been ordered
to kill the strikers, so the young warrior would have to hunt down the missing
striker.
    If Farson left the fortress, which Rezkin was fairly sure he
did, then the striker had gone into the outworld. Rezkin could not go to the
outworld covered in blood. It would raise alarms and draw attention. He would
need to clean himself and don outworld attire. He would also need money, food,
and supplies. Since he had practiced these Skills over and again, he
knew exactly where everything was located. As for where he would go, he would
start by following Farson’s trail. Farson would not risk an open confrontation
at this point, so Rezkin knew the man would keep running.
    It was a week’s ride to the closest village, and Farson left
on foot. The fortress had three packhorses and a battle charger, but