Rezkin made his way back to his quarters as he pondered the dead man’s words. Why did the man seem so offended that Rezkin might be cruel when the criminal himself had been cruel? He shook his head. Of course, Rezkin had not been cruel. Rule 37—Separate from one’s emotions. If he had felt any pleasure, it would also have been a breach of Rule 14, which stated that he should not revel in his success. And, breaking any Rule was an automatic breach of Rule 258 to obey his masters, so he could never break fewer than two Rules at any time. Master Jaiardun had told him long ago that people who failed to adhere to Rule 5—Master your fear would often say or do anything to preserve their lives. Yes, that must be it. He nodded to himself satisfied that he had solved the mystery and promptly put the whole matter behind him.

It was still early, barely midafternoon. He had been up all night tracking the strikers through the woods, so he could use a couple of hours of sleep. As he entered his quarters, he checked for hidden traps and poisons. His room consisted of a small, windowless square, no more than eight feet wide and ten feet long. It contained a bed with a straw-filled mattress and plain wooden wardrobe. There were few places to hide treachery, and that was how he liked it. When he was satisfied that his room was secure, he placed his own traps and alarms. If anyone attempted to enter his room while he slept, the intruder would get a nasty surprise, and the clanging glass and metal shards would be more than enough warning.

While Rezkin knew he was not quite a full-grown big-man, he was expected to be cognizant of his surroundings and prepared to defend himself. The masters and strikers would often set traps and ambushes for him. If he failed to avoid them or fend off his foes, the results were less than desirable. The young trainee slumped into his bed, let out a deep sigh, and sunk into blackness.

Chapter 2

Rezkin stood patiently before his two masters with fifteen strikers arrayed around him. His muscles were loose but ready to coil into action at the slightest provocation. He no longer thought about Rule 24—Always be on guard or Rule 96—Always be prepared. These rules required little consideration since they were ingrained in his mind. When he was a small-man, those Rules were necessary because he did not know any better, but now that he was nineteen and close to fully grown, he realized many of the Rules were superfluous. It dawned on him that this was the entire reason for the Rules in the first place. If he adhered to all the Rules and learned all the Skills, then he would grow into a big-man at which point the Rules and Skills would simply become a part of his being.