As Rezkin surveyed the courtyard, he noted that both of the masters were also down. Master Jaiardun was obviously dead. He had been nearly cut in half from shoulder to hip. Master Peider was lying not far from him. The master struggled to breathe and suffered from a fatal gut wound. Rezkin rushed over and knelt beside him.

Master Peider grabbed his arm in a firm grip on his wrist. Rezkin continued to glance around as he kept in mind that Farson was still a threat. Peider strained to deliver one last message.

“You … are the only one … the only one now who knows of you … except …” His words were garbled and clipped as Master Peider coughed up blood. Rezkin could not understand what he said, but perhaps the old man knew that Farson had survived. Peider’s grip on Rezkin tightened as if it was all he could do to cling to life.

“Rule 2—kill with … conscience.” The coughing and wheezing made his words come out in fits. Master Peider’s head spun in a vortex of ever encroaching darkness as he tried to remember what he had been saying. Yes, kill without conscience. He continued, “Rule … 1—Protect and … honor … your … k—” His words were cut off by another round of coughing. King! Say it! Peider thought to himself. His world spun, and suddenly Peider was surrounded by people from long, long past. He was a young boy. Other boys were all around him. He was laughing, and they were laughing with him. Benson and Teyry were there. It had been so long. You are all here! He smiled, All of my … and somewhere far, far away in the waking world he said, “Friends.”

Rezkin frowned as Peider released his last breath. Friends? What are friends? It was not that he had never heard the word. Peider and Jaiardun had taught him about many relationships between men. There were partners, associates, allies, comrades, peers, lieges, and vassals, to name a few. A contract between and man and a woman was called marriage, which resulted in the titles of Husband and Wife. All of these relationships tended to be based on some written or oral contract of mutual interest. A few, such as those pertaining to slaves and indentured servants, were decidedly one-sided. Then, there were the familial relationships of blood into which one had to be born—mothers, daughters, sisters, brothers, fathers, sons, etc.

He had heard the term applied—so-and-so was a friend of so-and-so, but he never understood what the word meant or how one obtained such a status. He looked around again. Everyone he knew was dead, except for Farson, and Rezkin knew enough that he was certain an enemy was not a friend. How could he have friends if he and Farson were the only ones left who knew of him?