Free Free the Darkness (King's Dark Tidings Book 1) by Kel Kade Page A

looked as though he was not
sure if he should be offended. “I mean no offense, but this horse can be
aggressive, especially toward anyone but me.”
    The small-man smiled and nodded his head. “Will you be
staying with us then, sir?”
    “Yes, if you have a room available,” replied Rezkin.
    “Oh, yes, sir. It is still early enough that they have not
filled up. If you bring your horse around, I’ll show you to the stables. I’m
Pot, by the way,” said the gangly small-man.
    “Pot?” asked Rezkin. He had never heard of anyone named Pot.
    “Yeah, well, it’s short for Potkinally. It’s just easier to
say Pot. I don’t know what my ma was thinking when she named me,” the small-man
laughed.
    “Your mother named you?” Rezkin asked with interest. He had
never really thought about where he got his name. He wondered if his mother had
named him.
    Pot yanked open the gate to the yard and closed it again
after they had gone through. “Yeah, my da was off on the trade route somewheres
when I was born, and my ma got tired of calling me the babe, so she went ahead
and named me. My da wasn’t too happy about it when he got back, but he couldn’t
really say nothin’ since he’d been gone a lot longer than he was s’posed to.”
    “I see. I am Rezkin. It is a pleasure to meet you, Pot.”
    “That’s kind of a funny name. Why’d they name you that? Is
it cause of your hair?” asked Pot inquisitively.
    “A man named Pot is saying my name is funny?” asked
Rezkin, although he had no idea what his hair had to do with his name.
    The small-man looked surprised for a moment and then
straightened proudly as he said, “Ah, sorry, sir. I didn’t mean offense.
There’s an open stall here. You can lock your tack over there in the cupboard.
The key’s in the lock. Please, don’t lose it. It’s a hassle to find a Lock
Master to get into it and make a new one. There’s only one in the city, you
know…the Lock Master, I mean. Everyone wants him to take a few apprentices, but
he refuses. He doesn’t want anyone stealing his business, you see?”
    As the small-man rattled on about various happenings, Rezkin
unloaded his belongings and brushed down the horse.
    “What’s his name?” the small-man finally asked.
    “What is whose name?” asked Rezkin in confusion.
    The small-man pointed at the battle charger, “Your horse.
What’s his name?”
    Rezkin looked back at the horse in surprise. He had never
considered naming a horse. He was not sure why a horse needed a name, but the
boy seemed to think it was the normal thing to do. He thought quickly. Just as
he was about to speak, the horse lifted his head high and rolled his eyes
around to look at Rezkin as if daring him to come up with something strong and
proud.
    “Pride,” Rezkin said. The horse snorted and went back to
chomping on the oats and alfalfa the small-man had poured into the feed bucket.
The young warrior felt a slight tug at the corners of his lips as if his mouth
was about to quirk into a smile all on its own. That was odd.
    “That’s a good name,” said the small-man. “He does seem
really proud.”
    Rezkin gathered his things together and motioned toward the
inn. “We can go in, now. You had best stay away from him. He could injure you.
I would suggest keeping other horses away from his stall, as well, if
possible.” Rezkin then remembered he was supposed to give the small-man a
gratuity for his assistance. He pulled a silver from his purse and handed it to
the small-man. Pot’s eyes lit up and he smiled grandly.
    “Thank you, sir! I’ll keep a good eye on him, but I won’t
bother him at all,” Pot said.  “I should help you with your things.
    “I would prefer to carry them myself,” Rezkin replied.
    Pot’s face fell once again, and he looked put out. Rezkin
wondered what he had done to upset the small-man this time. Not knowing what else
to do, he decided to give the small-man additional information in case he was
confused.
    “Some