God Mage
By D.W. Jackson
Copyright © D.W. Jackson
Smashwords edition
This book is dedicated to my many friends who are too numerous to count.
Names, characters, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, organizations, or persons is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author.
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Prologue
Thad watched as his son blew apart the Brotherhood’s palace and couldn’t help but feel his heart rise. When Bren walked out of the wreckage carrying the young lady on his shoulder, Thad turned toward Humanius to boast but found the god bent over on the ground holding his chest and gasping for air.
Suddenly, Thad felt a huge burst of magical energy. It was raw and powerful and made his body ache. It had been so long since he had felt the touch of magic that it was painful, almost like giving a man dying of thirst, a single drop of water. It made Thad yearn for the feeling of magic once again.
As the wave of magic flooded the area around him Thad heard Humanius scream again. Thad didn’t have to look; he felt the magic and had an idea of what it was for. Turning back to the window, Thad found that it was gone. Bren had destroyed Humanius’s link to the outside world, and thus blinded not only the god but Thad as well. Thad felt a mixture of pride and sadness. His son had won, but now Thad was once again left alone in the dark of the abyss with nothing to keep his mind busy.
Bren sat in his bedroll staring down at Faye. Ever since he had awoken in that small cave, she had not left his side. Oddly, Bren no longer felt shy around the woman—or in truth any feeling. He knew that something was wrong, but he didn’t know what. It wasn’t so much as he felt empty, but that he was too full. He could see, hear, and feel more than he could before. The way he saw had changed as well. He no longer had to focus to see the rivers of magical energies that flowed across the land, nor the patterns that existed in a person. In Faye, he could see the slight mixture of mostly water and wind but a little of the others as well. Bren found it odd that he could almost tell what Faye was thinking by how the colors changed and swirled within her. That fact that the elements changed because of mood or thought, meant that Bren had been right about training in thought patterns. If one could teach someone to think and feel a specific way, then it would be possible to bring up any kind of mage that one wished.
We need to decipher the map.
“Right now that is not possible,” Bren replied to the staff. Another thing that Bren found odd was that the staff had a flow of elements just like that of humans, and it changed with the staff’s thoughts. “We need not hurry. Once we arrive at Hayao’s village, we can take our time and plan things out. Right now the Brotherhood is trying to follow us, and if we sit and wait for them, then things will only get more complicated.”
You could simply kill all of them. It is not like they would not do the same if they could get ahold of you.
“True,” Bren admitted. “I just see no point in their death. They follow their own path, and though it may not be the same path that I follow, it is not my job to judge them.”
“My lord, it is time for us to leave,” Arashi said, walking over and standing over him. Since he had learned they were going to Hayao’s village, the samurai had been sullen and quiet. Bren could tell that the man was not really mad, but rather he was feeling more helpless at the moment and was not completely happy with Bren’s decision.
Bren shook Faye lightly until she opened her eyes. “It is time that we left,” Bren said, his voice sounding cold and distant.
Chapter 1
We are almost there my lord,” Hayao said with a barely contained smile.
“I see nothing that would hint that we are near a village,” Bren said as he looked around. They had left the main road two days past, leaving their wagons and goods behind. Since leaving the roads behind, they had not passed so much as a farm, and it had been days since Bren had seen another human beside those traveling with him.
“As I told you before, only a select few are ever allowed inside my village,” Hayao said, no longer trying to hide his smile.
Bren nodded his head and remained silent. He didn’t know why Hayao was taking them to his homeland if it was such a secret. Bren could detect no hint of subterfuge coming from Hayao, but he was one of the few that he could not read. The man kept his feelings so close that he would make a Vathari jealous.
Bren looked around at his other companions. Each of them looked at him as if he was a stranger. The only one who still treated him the same was Faye, and even she held doubts about him hidden deep within her. Bren couldn’t blame them, he felt like a stranger to himself. Ever since he left the Brotherhood camp, he had changed a great deal. Not only had his skin turned a light silver, his hair was now white as snow, and his eyes now burned a deep gold, almost like a coin thrown into a fire.
“You seem to be thinking a lot lately,” Cass said, reining his horse in next to Bren.
“My mind seems to have a lot of thoughts that need answers,” Bren replied. “Every moment I find new questions, but few of them have I found answers for.”
“What kind of questions would those be?” Cass asked.
“Let us start with a simple question then,” Bren replied as he looked up at the overcast sky. “What is love?”
“An easy one,” Cass said laughing. “I believe that is anything but easy. Love…I guess I would say it is a feeling of….Ugh,” Cass said scratching his head. “It is…Caring for someone deeply, so much so that you would be willing to give your life for them.”
“Is that how you see it?” Bren asked, his voice still calm and emotionless. “You might be right, but it is hard for me to know. I can feel emotions swirling inside me, but it is almost as if I am looking down on them from outside.”
“At least you still know you have them,” Cass offered. “I can’t say I know what you are going through. In fact, I don’t think I really would want to know. I would suggest you simply take it slowly, and get to know yourself first. I am sure it will get better…I think. For now, I think acting like you have emotions will make many of us feel a little more comfortable.”
Bren didn’t respond but thought about what Cass had said. He had changed, and he had to admit that and not only just in appearance. Bren forcibly put a smile on his face and looked around at everyone, and for the first time in days, they smiled back.
“See makes a big difference,” Cass said laughing lightly.
Bren continued his introspection as he
rode along. After a few hours, he quickly grew tired of looking at himself, so he thought he would try to push himself a little. Pulling in magical energy for the first time since he had awoken, Bren found it as easy as breathing. Focusing light energy in his eyes, Bren extended his sight.
In the distance he could see a thick forest. It was still a few hours away, but Bren could see it as clearly as if he was standing a few feet in front of it. When he noticed a small hare among the grass, Bren tried to focus in on it to see how close he could get. Surprisingly, the hare looked in Bren’s general direction and smelled the air. After a few moments, the hare went back to grazing, but every so often, it would look back toward him as its small muscles twitched nervously.
“Does anyone have a bow?” Bren asked, not letting his sight waver from the hare. After a few moments, Hayao handed Bren a short bow and a black shafted arrow. Keeping half his attention focused on the hare Bren looked over the bow. It was made of a mixture of wood that was both strong and supple, giving it more range, but even then, an arrow would not fly very far.
Notching the arrow Bren pulled back on the bow and took aim as he pulled in more magical energy. Once he was sure that everything was ready, Bren let the arrow go. The arrow flew straight and continued on, well out of sight of everyone else, but Bren still followed it as it continued on its magically designated path. The hare looked toward the arrow as it flew toward it and tried to jump away, but Bren altered the arrows path ever so slightly skewering the hare straight through the heart.
Bren felt a slight sadness as he felt the life leave the small creatures body. He could have as easily shot at a tree but Bren wanted to test more than just his skill with a bow. He watched as the small amount of ethereal energy left the hare’s body. It looked like a mass of energy far beyond what could have fit inside the creature’s body. Bren followed the mass of energy as it floated into the air and began to dissipate. Bren tried to see where the energy went, but it was almost as if the universe itself had soaked it up like water spilt upon the ground.
Bren had a few ideas about where the energy went, but he wanted proof. He was sure it was part of a cycle that sustained the universe. As far as he knew, energy was seldom destroyed—it could be—but to do so would be dangerous, and not even Bren was sure what would happen if he committed such an act, even if he could. When one used magic, one simply changed elemental energy into a different form, and as soon as it was used, it was soaked back into the universe.
On the other hand, energy could be created, though Bren couldn’t do it. It was a product of the life and growth of natural creatures. One might call it a soul, but it was simply a mass of natural energy that grew with the body and one’s experiences. This did not just apply to humans and animals but trees and grass as well. It was an odd thing that Bren had only recently noticed. His main question was not why it grew, but what the universe did with this ever expanding amount of energy.”
“That was one powerful shot,” Cass said with a low whistle. “How far did the arrow go?”
“It landed in a forest off in the distance,” Bren said handing the bow back to Hayao who looked at him with a look of reverence.
“The forest should still be over twelve miles away,” Hayao said with a since of awe. “How can you even see it let alone land an arrow near it.”
“Magic,” Bren said with a fake smile.
“A coward’s tool,” Arashi said distastefully. “A real man relies on his own strength and skills.”
“Magic is a skill and power that I can command. What is wrong with using it to keep myself and others alive?” Bren said emotionlessly.
“Don’t mind him, my lord,” Hayao said, his voice steady and even. “Samurai all tend to look down upon any form of battle that is against their so-called code of ethics. If it was up to them all, war would be done on open battlefields with just the strength of their sword to win the day.”
“Sounds fun to me,” Cass said laughing. “No wonder the Katanga love to come here to fight. It is truly the perfect place for them to hone their skills. Speaking of which, you should really start working on your own skills with a sword some.”
The idea of practicing with the sword seemed pointless, but Bren pushed that thought aside. No matter how strong his magic was, it was not a cure all, though he couldn’t imagine a time when there would be instances where a sword would be preferable to magic. “You might be right. How about tonight after we make camp?”
“Really, you’re not going to start up your other practice instead?” Cass asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I don’t think I need to practice the other right now,” Bren said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I have learned what I need to in that area; the rest I can train anytime now, but sword work is something best done with a partner.”
“That is good to hear,” Cass said, patting him hard on the back.
“My lord, by tonight we will be in my village,” Hayao said, looking slightly worried.
“Will it be a problem if we practice in the village?” Cass asked trying to make his voice sound worried.
“I do not think so, my lord, but some of our younger clansmen might wish to challenge you. Most of them have never been outside of the village, so you will be an oddity and…” Hayao said, his voice trailing off as he fished for the right words.
“You are afraid that we might accidently hurt one of them or maybe the other way around,” Bren said, finishing Hayao’s statement. “I am sure that we can all act like adults. If we get injured, then it will just show how lacking in skills we are.”
“Thank you, my lord,” Hayao said, bowing slightly. “The young do tend to be a bit temperamental, and I don’t want any problems arising.”
Bren bowed his head back and turned his attention back to the front. They would reach the village tonight. That was good news.
Once they reached the forest, they found it too dense to pass with their horses. Bren didn’t like the idea of leaving them behind but could think of no way except using his magic to rip apart the forest and he didn’t want to go that far just for a little extra convenience.
The forest looked overgrown, and if Hayao had not been leading them, he would have sworn that no other human had passed through it in a century. There were no paths, but as he followed behind Hayao, he started watching him, observing Hayao as he looked closely at the trees they passed. Bren started to look too and began to notice small scratches on the bark of the trees they passed. Had he just seen one, he would have thought it was just a large mammal marking its territory, but as he began to see more and more, he began to understand that it was how Hayao determined he was on the right path.
After more than an hour of walking, they encountered a steep mountain face. Hayao walked along the face of the mountain, letting his fingers run against the cold stone. When he suddenly stopped, Bren and the others looked to the hooded man, who gave them a weak smile as he pushed against the wall, which gave way, swinging open to reveal a dark passage beyond. “Welcome to the village hidden within the rock,” Hayao said, signaling for them to enter the narrow entrance.
As soon as Bren entered the tunnel, he found himself in complete darkness. Without thinking, Bren called a ball of light to float in front of him. He could tell that the tunnel was not natural. The walls were too smooth, and he could see a faint light coming from the far end.
Chapter 2
As the tunnel opened up, Bren let go of his magical light and looked around him. The village was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was almost like something one might see in a dream. The houses were made of wood with thatch roofs, but that was not what caught Bren’s attention. It was the large building that sat in the center of the town.
Hundreds of young boys from the age of five up were sectioned off and training. It looked much the same way that the Katanga trained with the exception that it looked much harsher. Bren could also sense the use of magic in the air, though he couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from. Letting his
senses narrow, Bren looked for any place where the flow of magic was concentrated.
Following a small stream of magical energy, Bren found a small group of older students sitting on the ground meditating. “What are they doing?” Bren asked Hayao, who looked at him with a worried look.
“I am not allowed to talk about things such as that,” Hayao said. “We need to first talk to the village elders and announce our presence.”
Hayao led Bren and the others to the large building. As the doors opened, Bren could sense a feeling of power coming from inside. It wasn’t overpowering but still made him feel tense. The feeling got more pronounced as they moved further in. When the last door opened, Bren found the source of the power.
Behind a large golden-edged desk sat four older men. Though old, Bren could tell that any of the four would be a challenge in a fight. Not only were their bodies well trained, they could also use magic, though the way that it flowed around their bodies was slightly different than Bren was used to.
“You have returned before your contract has been concluded Hayao,” said the elder man in the middle wearing a deep, dark blue robe with odd symbols embroidered on it.
“Yes master. My contract was signed over to this man,” Hayao said, bowing and waving his hand toward Bren. “Lord Torin.”
“Lord Torin, it is an honor that you grace us with your presence. We have heard much of you over the past year,” the elder said with judging eyes. “What has brought you to our village?”
The question was asked with a slight hint of anger to it. The real question the elder was asking was why Bren and the others had dared to come to the village. “We have come for sanctuary. The Brotherhood is after me. Hayao said that we could find refuge here while we plan our next move.”
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