Rezkin allowed his hood to fall back, but he kept his will focused. His masters had always purported the power of mind over matter, even in those without the talent. They pressed him to always stay focused on the image he wanted others to remember of him, whether it be noble or street sweeper. In this case, the young warrior did not want to be remembered at all, so he focused his will on appearing average and unassuming. It was not enough to want others to believe it so, especially with individuals who had trained most of their lives to recognize faces, even of those attempting disguise. He had to believe it as well, and now Rezkin knew he looked no different than any other man in Ashai.

A few flicks of his wrists assured that no one was focused on his visage anyway. The wicked but graceful blue swirls of the Sheyalin blades reflected the amber rays of the setting sun. Audible gasps escaped the observers, and the grandmaster paused in astonishment and shocked admiration. “Sword Bearer,” he whispered. The man’s surprise was quickly replaced with disbelief and then anger. “Where did you get those? You are no true Sword Bearer. We would have known had a new Bearer been raised.”

Interesting. Rezkin was certain that if anyone in Ashai besides the king, the strikers, or the general of the army were to have known anything about his blades it would have been the Grandmaster of the Riel’sheng. But, the man’s surprise and scorn were genuine. He knew nothing.

“They must have come from the outside,” the secrelé commented. “He knows of the Adana’Ro. He is obviously well-traveled.” She huffed a mirthless laugh, and Rezkin thought he saw a smirk behind the mask. “Only a man with his skills could retain two Sheyalin blades.” Rezkin inclined his head in appreciation of the remark. He knew it was meant to be a compliment even if it was a simple statement of fact.

The grandmaster shook his head. “It does not matter. We will see how well he uses them.” One did not have to be a swordmaster to be an assassin. In fact, many assassins did not use swords at all, although the masters were trained in many weapons including swords. Rezkin knew the grandmaster was a swordmaster. Not only that, but the older man had spent time training with masters in both Channería and Sandea in order to master multiple techniques.