Rezkin was suddenly surprised to realize that the man before him looked dangerous. He had an air of wealth, power and authority but also a confidence and self-assurance such that he did not need to flaunt it. This was the kind of man that people respected simply because his presence demanded it. Is this who I am? He did not think so. He realized that he must have settled into a role on instinct, not even realizing what he was doing.

Gathering himself and hiding away the absurd amount of wealth he was carrying around with him, he headed down to the common room for dinner. In his absence, the room had become quite full with patrons enjoying food and drink. It smelled like herbs, roasted meat, and fresh bread. Rezkin’s stomach grumbled, and he realized that he was hungrier than he thought.

“Ah, Lord Rezkin, I am glad you could join us for dinner,” Master Nol called out from a few paces away at the bar.

The young man nodded and replied, “Thank you, Master Nol, but please, just call me Rezkin.”

Master Nol’s smile faltered at the odd request, as if he hoped he had not offended the young man. “Of course … ah … Rezkin. Please have a seat, and I will have a meal brought out to you. Would you like an ale, perhaps?”

Rezkin had only had ale, wine, or spirits for training purposes because they were appropriate to consume in certain social situations, but he had never developed a taste for any of them. Glancing around quickly, he realized this was one of those situations when he would be expected to imbibe. “Yes, thank you. Your best, please,” Rezkin replied with a tight smile. He would have preferred water.

Upon entering the room, he had immediately taken stock of the occupants and available seating. Now, he strode toward the far side where a small table sat near the hearth. It was not the most ideal seating in the room, but it would suffice. He could observe most of the common room from his seat, and no one was sitting behind him. None of the people around him seemed threatening. An older couple sat with a middle-aged couple on the other side of the hearth, and a young man and woman were seated directly in front of him. A lean man in a flashy silk robe was strumming a lute to his left.

The young couple across from him caught his eye again. He had never seen two people behaving in such a way. The man was holding the woman’s hand, and Rezkin wondered if he was restraining her. The woman did not appear to want to get away, though, since she was laughing and smiling. All of their attention seemed to be focused on what the other was saying and staring into each other’s eyes.