God Mage (10 page)

Bren and Cass had walked along the forest’s
edge, so as soon as the fort was in sight, they moved back in the
forest line so that the chances they would be seen would be
reduced. The Brotherhood were not idiots and had built their fort
far enough away from the forest that anyone trying to approach it
had to cross a large expanse of open ground. The area was flat as
well, making it impossible to approach the fort from any direction
without being noticed.

Bren wished he knew how to make himself
invisible the way Faye did. He had watched her use her power, but
he still didn’t understand how it worked, and that was the key to
magic. Internal magic users were different. They didn’t always need
any understanding; it was almost innate with them. Mages, on the
other hand, had to understand how things worked—at least in a basic
sense—and Bren was at a complete loss when it came to how Faye’s
power worked.

That said, it didn’t mean that Bren was
without options. He just didn’t have any that he thought would work
as well. “Any ideas?” Bren asked his friend as he looked at the
soldiers who were beginning to leave the fort in the direction of
the forest.

“I have a few,” Cass said in a hushed
whisper. “We just need to get their attention right?”

“Yes. Why?” Bren asked curiously.

“We don’t need to attack the fort then,” Cass
said. “We can just attack the men coming out to gather from the
forest. Most of them are lightly armed except for the guards so it
shouldn’t be too dangerous.”

“I think that would work,” Bren said as he
watched the men coming toward the forest. There were only slightly
more than three hundred of them, and most of them only carried
swords and no armor. “And I have just the way to get their
attention.”

Bren felt most at ease using wind magic. He
didn’t know why, but the way to use it came more natural to him
than the other kinds. He knew that he could use all magic the same,
but that didn’t mean he felt the same link to all the elements.

Wind was versatile and great for precision
attacks. Fire was flashy but could easily get out of control; earth
was great for defense but was slow and hard to use to attack. Light
was great for surveillance but took a lot of energy if used for
offence. Dark was great for attacking at night but was better used
in tight spaces and not on open ground. They all had their uses,
but Wind was everywhere, even in the darkest places in the
world.

When the soldiers were no more than a hundred
yards from where they were hidden, Bren began to form the magical
energy. When he released the spell, a small back blast of wind
nearly knocked him down. Ten large blades of wind tore across the
plain tearing into the unsuspecting soldiers.

Each blade of wind hit their mark cutting
down two or more of the men in the field. Bren was slightly amazed
at how well the wind blades tore through the men. He doubted that a
real sword could do the same damage, even if it had been wielded by
a giant.

As soon as the soldiers dropped to the ground
and puffs of red filled the air, the rest of the soldiers began to
run back toward the fort. Bren decided this was the best time to
make his full presence known.

Bren stepped out from the wood-line and
rushed across the open field letting loose winds of blade with each
step. Bren even flicked his hand with each blade helping him guide
them. Cass ran to catch up to him, but Bren gave him little heed as
he continued to let loose more and more blades of air.

With each release of magic, Bren could feel
the wind calling to him. It wasn’t a strong pull but a gentle
easing like a woman whispering in your ear. It asked him to let go,
to simple become nothing. Bren tried to keep the voices out of his
head, but they grew stronger and stronger with each passing
second.

“Bren stop,” Cass yelled.

Bren felt something grabbing at his ankle.
Looking down he noticed Cass hanging onto his leg as they both
floated above the ground. Bren slowly let go of the magical energy
he had pulled in as he forced himself to the ground. It was painful
to let go of the magic as if his lungs were on fire and his heart
was being ripped out of his chest.

As the last of the magic left his body, Bren
let out a muffled scream of pain. As his feet touched the ground
Bren’s knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground. “What the
hell was that?” Cass asked laughing wildly.

“I let myself go too deep,” Bren said between
gasping breathes. “I won’t let it happen again.”

“That is a good thing to know,” Cass said
still laughing. “Looks like you got their attention with that
little stunt, now we just have to get the hell out of here.”

“Right,” Bren said, struggling to his feet.
He gave a quick look to the fort to see a large number of soldiers
headed in their direction on horseback. “We should hurry.”

Bren and Cass rushed back toward the
direction they had come as fast as they could, which given Bren’s
condition was more of a slow jog. Bren kept looking over his
shoulder to see the horsemen gaining every moment. At the speed
they were moving, Bren and Cass would be overcome by the time they
reached more than two hundred yards. Trying to forget about the
horseman, Bren continued to run as fast as he could.

It didn’t take long for Bren to hear the
sound of hoof beats in the distance. Bren tried to pull in magical
energy but his head was still out of sorts from earlier, making it
impossible for him to hold his focus. Cursing himself for losing
control, Bren reached for his sword when he heard the familiar
twang of bows from the wood line. Turning his head slightly, Bren
saw a small rain of arrows thundering into the horsemen.

More than half of the soldiers were taken
out, which still left more than a dozen still astride, but now they
were a little more uncertain of themselves. Bren and Cass turned as
one as they drew their swords and ran back toward the soldiers.

Cass jumped onto the back of one of the
horsemen, cutting his throat and tossing him aside. Bren ducked
under a blow from one of the soldiers shoving his black glass
bladed sword into the man’s abdomen. As the man fell from his horse
Bren tried to grab the reins, but the horse galloped off, pulling
the leather strap from his hand and bending his fingers back
painfully.

Cupping his hand under his arm, Bren turned
toward the next opponent just as the man caught an arrow in the
neck. As the man started to slide from his horse, Bren made another
grab for the reigns, but his fingers hurt too badly to keep a firm
hold, and within moments, the horse was galloping back toward the
fort.

Bren quickly looked around for his next
target but found that the few remaining soldiers were rushing back
toward the safety of their fort. Cursing, Bren sucked on his
swollen knuckles.

“Need something?” Cass asked, reigning his
horse in next to Bren as he pulled along another horse.

“Thanks,” Bren said, wincing as he pulled
himself in the saddle. “Thanks,” Bren yelled as he waved to the
woods. He didn’t know if the men from the village were still
around, but if they were, he wanted to show his gratitude.

“Your hand looks bad,” Cass said, keeping a
slow canter northward.

“I think I might have broken a few fingers,”
Bren said looking at his hand in the morning sunlight. “More
importantly, do you think they will follow us?”

Cass looked over his shoulder and slowed his
horse down to a near stop. “Looks like they are already breaking
down camp to do just that. If we stick around here for a few hours,
I believe they might be ready to say hello to us.

“As much fun as that sounds, I would prefer
to meet up with the others to make sure no one was watching the
roads further away from the forest,” Bren said, kicking his horse
into a full gallop.

Cass gave another hearty laugh and followed
Bren’s lead. Hayao and the others had a small lead on them, but
with horses, there was a chance that Bren and Cass could catch up
with them by the end of the day. Bren didn’t have a map of the area
anymore, but he had a great memory, and if he was right, the
closest town was more than two days by foot and under one by horse.
That was if they didn’t need to stop. “Think we can reach the
others by evening?” Bren asked as he still cradled his hand.

“If we wanted to we could,” Cass said
lightly. “But I don’t think we should ride too fast. We don’t want
the Brotherhood to lose track of our passage and head back to the
village… Do we?”

Bren cursed under his breath. “I guess we
will just have to see them when we get to the village,” Bren said
as he slowed down his horse and patted it on the side with his good
hand.

When they reached the edge of the wood-line
Bren’s mind started to clear. He looked at his hand and noticed
that the swelling had already gone down, but it still hurt
considerably when he tried to move his fingers. His body was
resistant to blades but his bones underneath still seemed to have
the same weakness as a regular human.

As his mind cleared from the effects, he
could feel his body healing. It was painful, but it eased with each
passing second. To make sure nothing was wrong, Bren pulled in a
small amount of energy from the surrounding area and held it in. He
didn’t know why but it felt good to hold the magic inside him. It
was like a warm light in his chest. Whenever he let it go it was as
if something was missing inside of him.

Don’t let it control you. If you can’t learn
to live without it, then the magic will take you over.

“What do you know?” Bren asked angrily.
Though as soon as the words formed in his mind, he started
wondering why he was so mad at Thuraman. The staff was a pain and
often only nagged him, but it seldom told him anything about magic
that didn’t hold true.

You are not the only one that has to fight
against the grip of the magic. I may not be human, but it calls to
me all the same, just not in the same way.

Bren released the magical energy that he had
been holding inside and brought his attention back to his
surroundings. He didn’t know why the magic felt so good, but he
knew that anything taken too far could be dangerous, and magic was
no different.

Bren and Cass stopped three times before the
sun set and they made their final camp. Even in the waning light,
Bren could see the large cloud of dust that the Brotherhood
soldiers were putting up in the distance. They were staying close
to make sure they were followed, but Bren didn’t like the idea of
camping with them so close. It was highly unlikely that they could
reach them on a forced march, but Bren preferred not to take
unneeded risks.

As soon as Bren laid his head down on his
makeshift pillow of saddle and blanket he quickly fell asleep.

Bren didn’t know how long he had slept, but
he was rudely awoken when Cass softly kicked him in the side. “What
is it?” Bren asked in a sleepy tone as he turned to his side.

“We are going to have company here shortly,”
Cass said in a light whisper. “Yeah, I know you were right,” Cass
added when Bren gave him a scornful look.

Bren quickly started to move his gear around
to make it look as if he was still sleeping. As he moved things
around, he started to think that he was getting used to this. Soon
as everything was in place, Bren and Cass moved back a few yards
from their camp spot and lay in a small dip in the terrain that
would hide them from any but the most astute person.

After more than a half hour of waiting, Bren
started to think that Cass was losing his touch. As his head began
to dip and his eyes grew heavy, the first hint of intruders reached
his ear. A few moments later a group of ten men crept into their
camp. As he watched them, Bren stared to wonder if nighttime
entries were all taught by the same person. It all seemed the same
as the last attack. It felt as if he was just reliving the same
night again. He could only hope that it would also go the same way
as before.

Bren started pulling in magic but at the same
time, he made sure to keep his mind as separated from the energy as
possible. He didn’t want a repeat of what had happened earlier that
morning.

Bren didn’t want any more holes in his
blanket so as soon as the soldier raised his sword Bren started his
attack. Each of the soldiers wore thick steel armor and that was
Bren’s focus. Within moments the soldiers began to pull on their
armor. The screams didn’t start until small wafts of smoke began to
rise into the air. Bren hadn’t meant for his attack to be fatal,
just to get their attention while Cass and Bren attacked, but
before they reached the camp, the men lay on the ground, their skin
bubbling. The screams of the men as they lay on the ground raking
their fingers across the glowing red armor tore at Bren’s ears but
it was nothing compared to the smell.

“I think it is time for us to go,” Cass said
holding his hand over his nose.

Bren just nodded his head as he tried to keep
the contents of his stomach where it belonged.

U
nlike the day
before, Bren and Cass didn’t play around, they rode straight out.
The first signs of the village where their friends were waiting on
them came into view a few hours before midday. Bren felt anxious as
they neared the buildings.

He had been in Northern Kurt for almost half
a year now, but the buildings still amazed him. Everything was made
of wood, and most the roofs had hard clay tiles that gleamed like
dried blood in the sun. It was very rustic yet beautiful at the
same time. They took a great deal of effort for the smallest
details on the outside of the house. It was the small statues that
really caught his attention. They were so well sculpted that from a
distance they almost looked real.

The inn was easy to find as it was the only
three story building in the village. The inn looked more like small
palace of one of the daimios. It had more than a dozen steps
leading to the door with a statue of a dragon on each side. Bren
caught himself staring at the dragon. It looked so real that Bren
half expected them to start spewing fire. They even had a slight
red glimmer to the scales.