When Rezkin arrived at the scene of the disturbance, two of his traveling companions were engaged in a vicious … What do I call this? Fight? Battle? It was the strangest fighting technique he had ever seen. The women were like two wild animals scratching and ripping at each other’s hair. One tangled limb, he wasn’t sure whose, appeared to have teeth marks.

“What is going on here?” he shouted above the snarls and shrieks.

Both women froze instantly. When their eyes landed on Rezkin, they gaped but said nothing. They were still wrapped about each other with their hands tangled in blonde and brown strands.

Frisha’s mouth worked without sound a few times before she was finally able to speak. “You’re naked!”

Rezkin looked at her quizzically and then scowled. “Of course I am. I was washing. I do not bathe in my clothes.” He simply held his ground unashamedly as he eyed them both. “It does not look like either of you are bathing.”

Both girls flushed and began disentangling themselves. Once all of their fingers and limbs were separated they pushed apart to stand a few feet from each other. Neither woman would look him in the eye as if they were ashamed to be caught fighting like animals half submerged in the creek. Neither could seem to keep their eyes off of him, either. They kept glancing his way, each time flushing a darker red.

Rezkin heard the thrashing through the bushes and knew Tam and Lieutenant Jimson had heard the commotion as well. When the two men arrived, they barely noted the women except to see their presence in the water and the fact that they both appeared to be injured and bleeding. Tam stood gaping in shock while Jimson’s face contorted in anger.

“Rezkin!” he barked. He slid his hand over the hilt of his sword and said, “What do you think you are doing? How dare you intrude on these women while they are bathing and expose yourself. If you touched a hair on either of their heads, I will beat you down even if it kills me!”

Rezkin gaped at the lieutenant. “What are you talking about? I did not …”

“I do not want to hear it! Not until you put some clothes on. Go!” the lieutenant shouted. There was no doubt that this was an order from an army officer.

For some reason, Rezkin felt anger creeping into his mind, and it was directed at the lieutenant. Nothing about this situation should have incited the emotion. No one had been killed or injured … well, beyond a few scratches and what looked to be turning into a black eye.