The general paused to gather his thoughts and then continued. “The Assassin’s Guild is just that—a guild. It is a commercial enterprise comprised of individuals selling their services for a profit. The members work for the common good of the guild. If they feel the grandmaster is failing to work toward the good of the guild, they will remove him. However, assassins have a strict set of rules and beliefs by which they live and operate. It is almost a religion in itself.

“By declaring the Raven Riel’gesh, they are essentially admitting defeat and declaring fealty to him. This changes the way they operate. Now, they function more like a cult. They will do whatever he commands of them, regardless of the outcome. He could order them to kill every man, woman, and child in Ashai; or he could order them to fall on their own blades, and it would be so. More so, Riel’gesh is a term recognized by assassins in every kingdom. Other assassins’ guilds may not recognize him as Riel’gesh, but they will acknowledge that the Ashaiian guild does. He will be honored as such, but he will also be tested. I am no expert in matters of assassins, but to my knowledge, no one has ever actually held the position. For men and women who value such abilities, it was more of a theoretical or spiritual belief in a higher being, an individual with inhuman skill. They do not take the declaration of Riel’gesh lightly.”

“So, Riel’gesh is like the assassins’ version of the stories of demigods?” Tam asked with interest. “Like the heroes who have godlike strength or speed and go on great adventures battling beasts of myth and toppling evil armies and empires?”

“Something like that,” the general conceded. “Only this one is a villain.”

Rezkin had an academic understanding of the significance of the title of Riel’gesh but had not actually considered the reality of his newfound power. The young warrior did not care for power simply for its own sake. He cared only that he had the resources to do what was necessary. He needed to protect and honor his friends, and he needed to find Striker Farson. Beyond that, he cared little about the Assassins’ Guild.

Rezkin was a little miffed that the general referred to him as a villain. Rezkin’s personnel might be criminals, but all of the policies he had instituted had been for the betterment of society. He protected more people than he hurt, and the ones he did hurt were criminals in their own right. The thieves and assassins simply were not aware of his ulterior motives. He had to satisfy himself with the knowledge that the general did not know this either.

“It sounds like he may have some serious trouble if assassins from other kingdoms will seek to test him,” Jimson observed.