Forgotten Mage (30 page)

“It would seem that even magic has its
drawbacks…Don’t know what the use of a weapon that leaves you so
weak is, but to each their own,” Jacob said in a disapproving tone.
“Enough yammering, get the boy inside before the sun dries out what
little nutrients he has left.”

Bren half expected to be taken to the
younger trainee’s barracks, but instead he found himself taken into
the main section of the building and placed on a soft bed. Almost
as soon as he was placed under the soft covers, a bowl of bright
yellow broth was handed to him. His hand was still shaking a
little, but most of the liquid in each spoonful reached his mouth.
He didn’t feel hunger, or more to the point, he was too weak to
know that he was famished, but he forced himself to eat the full
bowl of yellow liquid. After he finished the first bowl, a second
was brought and Bren tried to push it aside, as his stomach began
to cramp.

“It’s not a choice,” Flynn said with an
evil smile. “The Weapons Master said that you have to eat at least
two bowls. If you don’t do it willingly, then we have his
permission to pour it down your throat.”

Not wanting to give Flynn the
satisfaction of getting to force feed him, Bren began eating the
second bowl of broth. With each spoonful, his stomach protested,
but he fought until the last of the bowl was empty.

As soon as the second bowl was taken
away, Bren found it hard to keep his eyes open. He knew that he had
slept for two days, but he still felt tired. Forcing himself to do
so much when he had just awoken must have been too much for his
body. Knowing that he was safe while within the Katanaga training
grounds, Bren let his eyes close and he drifted off to
sleep.

Bren didn’t know how long he slept. He
woke as he heard footsteps enter his room. Letting his eyes open
just a bit, he prepared to fight if needed. Turning his head
slightly to see who it was, Bren noticed the short spiky blonde
hair that he had not seen in days. “Cass, I figured that you would
still be in the medical ward,” Bren said, sitting up in
bed.

“I see that you got rid of that heavy
sleeping habit of yours,” Cass shot back with a smile.

“Things have been a bit too hectic for
me to enjoy a nice restful sleep, but that didn’t answer my
question.”

“The Weapons Master came and collected
me a few hours ago. I am mostly healed and he figured I had
languished around for more than long enough. To tell the truth, I
am surprised that he didn’t retrieve me earlier, but I did enjoy
the rest…and the nurses,” Cass said with a wide grin. “Though
things did get a bit more tense after your stunt in the Tower. I
couldn’t learn much, it seemed that no one really knew what was
going on. Some were even saying that you attacked the
council.”

“Really? That would have been a thing
to see. Maybe I should have,” Bren said thoughtfully. “But no, I
just demanded that they quit making laws that treated non-humans as
lesser creatures.”

“Then you attacked them,” Cass said
laughing. “Just not with a sword. So, what do you plan to do
now?”

“I don’t know. I have to find a way to
show my right to set the laws, at least ones that deal with the
normal populace. I doubt I can crack the wall within the Tower
itself, but I still have a chance with the rest of the
city.”

“Well political positioning isn’t
really the Weapons Master’s strong point, but he might have a few
ideas,” Cass offered.

“It is worth a shot. At the moment, I
don’t have a clue where I should start. I could ask my mother, but
I hate to run to her for help. She would just see it as a reason to
drag me back home,” Bren said, his brow furrowed in thought. “Right
now though, I am still tired and I can tell the sun is already out
of the sky, so I think I will take a good night’s rest before I try
to take over the world,” Bren said laughing.

“That might be a good idea,” Cass
replied with a smile. “As for me, I need to see to my gear. It
seems that the Weapons Master was not kind enough to get anyone to
look after it while I was idling away in the medical
ward.”

“Then I will see you at a more
appropriate time,” Bren said, turning on his side and closing his
eyes.

The next morning, Bren was not allowed
to sleep in. Flynn was in his room well before the sun rose to make
sure that he would make it to training. “The Weapons Master said
that allowing you to lounge around in bed would only be bad for
you,” Flynn said, tossing Bren a set of worn leather pants and a
tattered shirt. “That’s all any of the trainees had to spare. They
should fit you well enough, but I would suggest you get something
better before they fall apart.”

Grabbing the clothes, Bren smiled.
Flynn still acted as if he was nothing more than an eyesore, but
his words didn’t seem to hold the same venom as they had only a few
days beforehand.

After getting dressed, Bren started to
head for the supply building to start cleaning weapons, but as soon
as he stepped out of his room he found the Weapons Master waiting
on him. “Bren, I spoke to Cassius last night. He said that you
might wish to talk to me.”

“Yes Weapons Master…It is about the
council,” Bren replied hesitantly.

“Then it would be best if we talked
inside of my office. I don’t think any of my trainees have wagging
tongues, but one can never be too safe in cases such as
these.”

As soon as they were within the safety
of his office, Jacob shut the door firmly and took a seat behind
his desk. “Now, what is it that you think I could help you
with?”

“It is about the how to take control of
the city, Weapons Master. I mean, I don’t need to seize it, but I
need to make the people see me as their leader and not the Tower
council,” Bren said, trying to explain what he wanted.

“I see,” Jacob said, moving his hand up
to his chin, brow furrowed in thought. “As a king, I wouldn’t know
how to handle this, but I can tell you how I would handle taking
over a troop of soldiers from an unworthy commander. Whenever you
are placed over a new group of soldiers, you must assert yourself.
For you, that would mean a show of power or strength. Next, you
show what kind of leader you will be. For the army that would be a
strong leader, a harsh leader, there are many kinds, but soldiers
feel more comfortable once they know your true
character.”

“So I need a base of power, like a
throne, and I need to get out among the people and let them get to
know me, but I also need to show that I have the power to enforce
my reign…Is that what you are saying?” Bren asked, trying to muddle
through the Weapons Master’s words.

“I believe that is the core of what I
am meaning. As for power, you have your magic. However, from all
accounts, it isn’t trustworthy, and no matter how strong you are, I
doubt you could match the entire Tower at once. For soldiers, you
might think of putting together an army, but you will need leaders.
That is one thing I could help you with.”

“Do you think Cass would agree to do
it?” Bren asked hesitantly.

“I think Cass would be a decent choice,
but for leading troops, Flynn would be a much better choice.
Though, I don’t know if he would agree to such a task. If you wish,
I will call him here and we can all discuss it. That might give you
a better chance at convincing him,” Jacob offered.

“Please do,” Bren said, after giving it
a great deal of thought.

It didn’t take long for Jacob to have
not only Flynn in his office, but Cass as well. Bren still wasn’t
sure about having Flynn at the head of his force, but he trusted
the Weapons Master’s choices. He hated it, but he knew that it was
his mother’s teachings were rubbing off on him. “What is the use of
having people more knowledgeable around if you refuse to heed their
advice?” That was one of her favorite saying, and in this case,
Bren had to agree.

“Flynn, I have a job offer for you,”
Jacob said, once the two men stood in front of his desk. “Bren
needs a leader for an army he is putting together to enforce his
role as king of…Bren, what do you plan to call your Kingdom? It
needs a proper name instead of Mage Town or the Tower.”

“Torin,” Bren said quickly. “My father
created the town and Tower, so I think it is only natural that it
be named after him.”

“That might work on more than one level
given that your father is still seen as a hero by almost everyone
in the region,” Jacob said in agreement. “Bren needs someone to
lead the army of Torin. What do you say Flynn?”

“Weapons Master, I cannot stand nobles.
Why would I agree to be the lapdog of one? I want to be a warrior
of the Katanaga,” Flynn said, his voice sowing his clear distaste
at the offer.

“Flynn, I know of your distaste, and it
is a problem. Not only in this, but in your chances to move any
higher than a foot soldier in the Katanaga. A leader of the
Katanaga must be able to work with nobles. You don’t have to
respect them, you have to learn to at least act like you do. If you
took this job, then in a few years, I might be able to recommend
you to be an officer within our nation’s forces.”

Bren could see the wheels in Flynn’s
mind working as he processed what the Weapons Master had told him.
“If you believe it will help my chances with the Katanaga, I will
accept the chance to lead the armies of Torin…But, don’t expect me
to bow to you,” Flynn said, aiming the last statement at
Bren.

“”
Cassius, the reason I
called you here is for a different reason. A king needs a guard
that he can confide in and trust. It has become customary in the
past few years that many nobles hire Katanaga soldiers for this
task. You have already proven to be ready for service. The only
thing holding you back is your lack of experience, I believe this
post would be a perfect example to show off your skills. What do
you say?”

“I would be honored Weapons Master,”
Cass replied quickly, giving Bren a quick wink.

“In that case, Cassius and Flynn, I
promote you to full rank of a true Katanaga,” Jacob said, pulling a
pair of clean read cloths from his pocket and handing it to Cass
and Flynn.

“Now that you are both true Katanaga
warriors, you no longer have to train with the others, but I hope
that you will. It will give them something to strive after. Now, I
suggest you three get together to talk about what steps you should
take next.”

CHAPTER XXV

Without a proper place to plan, the
Weapons Master loaned them the war room of the fighter’s academy.
Bren never liked the name war room. His mother spent many hours in
hers, though most of the time it was to discuss any type of
planning, not just wars. The room normally had vast maps, covering
every inch of the country as well as nearby ones.

“Do you guys have any ideas of where we
should start?” Bren asked, unsure of himself.

“Just great, a king who doesn’t have
any thoughts of his own,” Flynn said as he rolled his eyes. “I
would suggest first, we get a base. The fighter’s academy is a
start, but we can’t work from the soil of a foreign power. It will
make us look weak. Second, we need to get you some better clothes…a
king who looks like a popper just isn’t very appealing,” Flynn
added with a smirk.

“I think a uniform would be a nice
touch. Something that will show that we are unified, but do you
have the funds for that? It could get costly to outfit more than a
dozen people, but the more you can field, the stronger effect it
will have. ” Cass added thoughtfully.

“If we do that, then we will need
separate uniforms for the guard and the regular army. It will give
a more pronounced feeling, as well as help to separate the two,”
Flynn said, the ire having completely left his voice.

After more than two hours of
discussion, the three had a starting of a plan. Bren having title
in the way of funds, would have to request assistance from Rane in
the form of a loan. Flynn wanted him to request the same from
Farlan, but Bren couldn’t set aside his pride to request funds from
his mother. It would take a while for Bren get a response from King
Killian, so until then, they would see if there were any stores in
the non-human side of town that would be willing to help with their
needs. At the same time, they would need a base. Cass suggested
they once again, look in the non-human side of town, yet try to
keep it close to the center of town as possible. Otherwise, it will
be as if their showing too much favor. The other thing they would
need would be people…That was going to be the hard part, but it was
also the most important. As long as the Tower had control of the
only real force in Torin to uphold laws and collect taxes, nothing
Bren could do would change the cities structure.

As he three left the fighter’s academy,
they found a surprise waiting on them outside in the form of a
large rock hound. Bren was happy to see Avalanche, though not just
for her company. She had been one of her father’s companions and
was as well recognized as his father. Having her along would help
them…He hoped.

It didn’t take long to reach the
non-human side of town, and as always it was easy to see when they
crossed the invisible line in town separating the two. Bren knew
that they didn’t have the luxury to be picky, so they entered the
first clothing shop they found. As they entered the shop, Bren was
surprised to find that while the outside of the building looked
shabby, the inside held some impressive looking goods. All of the
clothing was well made and looked on par with something his mother
might buy.