What else was there? He could pass for a merchant. Although he had never been to a market, the masters had described them in detail and made certain he was knowledgeable in matters of currency and bartering. On a greater scale, he was qualified to broker trade deals between merchant houses, evaluate supply and demand, determine trade routes, and he understood (and could undermine) levies, tariffs, and taxes. The masters had even brought in a master of one of the great merchant houses, Lord Butrand, for a few years to teach him from firsthand knowledge. Lord Butrand had been a rather nervous man who sweated profusely and always seemed on edge. After Rezkin passed his Merchant Skills test, he had never seen Lord Butrand again. He briefly wondered what had happened to the man. Redirecting his thoughts to the present, he wondered how his training in poisons and battle tactics would be useful to a merchant.

A noble might need any one of his Skills but would probably never actually need all of them, and from what he understood of the nobility, one had to be born into it. Rezkin had never thought much about his birth, but he was fairly certain he was not a noble. He had been thoroughly trained in court etiquette and intrigue in case he ever had to pass as a noble, but he was certain he lacked the long-term social skills necessary to endure such a position. Furthermore, no one in the fortress had ever treated him with the carefully choreographed illusion of deference that was supposedly the thing to do among nobles.

Rezkin supposed he could become a spy, but anyone could be a spy. From what he understood, outworlders valued gold and power more than anything, and with promises and payment anyone could be bought. Average commoners made excellent spies because nobles rarely took notice of scullery maids and footmen. Of course, what a maid might think was important information might not be the same as what a merchant or lord would.

Well, Rezkin knew he would find out soon enough. He had no more time to ponder his purpose now, so he pushed it to the back of his mind. “Masters, when will I be leaving, and will any of you be coming with me?”

“There is one task you must complete before you leave, Rezkin,” Master Jaiardun solemnly stated. The master’s dark eyes bored into his own, and Rezkin realized for the first time that he was no longer looking up at the master. In fact, he might even have been looking slightly down.