“Yes, sir,” the captain said as he marched from the room. Jimson was certain the reservations would be exactly as Rezkin had said they would be. He did not doubt the young warrior’s abilities or, surprisingly, his truthfulness. If Rezkin said he did something, then it was a sure thing that he had. While Rezkin kept many secrets, what did come out of his mouth seemed to be the truth.

Rezkin had once said that he could pull off any role he chose, so the captain knew the man was capable of lying; but Rezkin had also assured them that he was playing no role at this time. Jimson frowned at his own logic. Could you ever really trust someone who claimed to be able to lie and play a false role like a master performer? Perhaps everything that Rezkin had said and done was a performance in itself. The thought did not sit well with the army captain, and he realized that despite Rezkin’s admission of fraud mastery, Jimson still trusted his friend.

Rezkin, General Marcum, and Captain Jimson had all departed from the sitting room, which left Tam and Reaylin sitting in wonder and confusion.

Reaylin turned her hazel eyes toward Tam and asked, “What in the world was that?”

Tam shook his head. “I really don’t understand anything that goes on between those two. General Marcum has hated Rezkin since they first met, despite the fact that he seems to agree with him most of the time on pretty much anything that doesn’t involve Frisha. He even seems to respect Rezkin for his knowledge and skills, I think. The general has never trusted him, though. Every time they are in a room together, I am almost certain one of them is going to end up dead.”

“But, didn’t you notice? Rez didn’t push it, but it seemed like he was the one in charge. Don’t you think that’s odd?” Reaylin asked.

Tam shook his head. “I don’t think Rez was actually ordering the general around. I think they were both just being antagonistic. General Marcum gives orders and expects people to comply, and Rez just doesn’t. He has always been respectful toward the general, but he doesn’t recognize the man as having any authority over him.” Tam scratched his head and furrowed his brow. “Which, I guess, he doesn’t since Rez isn’t a soldier. One thing is for sure, though. General Marcum knows something about who Rez is that we don’t.”

“Why do you say that?” Reaylin questioned with wide eyes.