The elder nodded his head then looked toward Hayao, who looked as stalwart as ever, though Bren could see the insecurities that were raging in side of him. It looked like a mix of red and black were fighting for control in the center of his chest. “Master, the Brotherhood has killed the Miko of the Ice Temple. Lord Torin avenged their deaths and drew the wrath of the Brotherhood. I believed it only right that we shelter him during this time.”
“Hayao, I believe the Brotherhood have already been after Lord Torin; also, from the news we have acquired, Lord Torin earned the Brotherhood’s wrath for another reason.”
“That is true,” Bren admitted. His words drew the Master’s glare, but he didn’t stop Bren from speaking. “I did go after the Brotherhood for my own reasons, though I will admit that I did find their senseless slaughter of the shine maidens to be more than slightly disconcerting. If you ask us to leave, then we shall, but I hope that you will allow us to stay. At least for a time.”
“It is not that simple, Lord Torin,” the elder said with a slight frown. “This village is kept secret. If we decide that you are a threat, you will not be leaving. That aside, for now it is too late for us to stop your knowledge the location of our village, so tonight, you will be provided lodging until we decide your fate.”
The elder’s words were a dismissal as well as a warning, and all of them knew it. Without saying another word, Bren and the others left the room and followed closely behind Hayao, who led them to a large building near the edge of the village.
As they neared the house, an older man in his late fifties greeted them with a stern glare and a stiff bow. “Son, I heard that you have returned and with guests as well,” the man said, his voice rough and uneven. “It is a pleasure to have you as guests within our home. Hayao, once your friends have settled, father wishes to have a word with you.”
“What is his problem?” Cass asked as the older man disappeared into the house.
“Please forgive my father’s rudeness; it was not directed toward you,” Hayao said bowing. “The truth is that if you are deemed a danger to the village, not only will you be killed but my clan will be severely punished for allowing you into the village.”
“If there was such a threat in us coming, then why would you bring us to your village?” Bren asked, trying to sound concerned, though he didn’t feel it.
“The Miko are considered sacred, even more so among our people. My sister was one of those chosen to enter the Ice Temple as a Miko, and her blood covered the temple grounds along with the others. You avenged them, even if that was not your intent. For that I am grateful, and I am willing to take the chance. You are a good man, and I am sure that the masters will see that as well.”
“I believe you have too much faith in me,” Bren said with a sad smile. “I am just a man after his own goals. I have done nothing because it was the right thing, or because it was just.”
“That may be so, but you do not seek to hurt innocents. Even if your actions are not done for the good of people, the way you go about it is. This says much about a man,” Hayao said bowing.
Bren could think of nothing to argue with the man, and after a moment, he was wondering why he was even trying to. Hayao led them into a small room near the edge of the house in what looked like an older section. It was a bit drafty, and though it was near the end of spring, it was still slightly chilly inside the building. Once they had all settled in the large room, Hayao dismissed himself to go deal with his own problems.
Bren opened the door to the room and looked at the large courtyard in front of the house. “We don’t have anything else to do,” Bren said, looking at Cass while holding up his sword.”
“I don’t think real swords would be a good choice,” Cass said looking at the black blade of Bren’s sword. “Think we could find a couple of straight sticks that are sturdy enough to take a few rounds.”
Bren looked at his sword and remembered what it had done to the Brotherhoods soldier’s swords. “Yes, it might be best if we found something else,” Bren said, looking around the open yard. There were only two trees and both of them were meticulous trimmed so that no spare limbs stuck out, and the ground itself looked as if someone had picked up every stray leaf.
Bren casually walked over to one of the trees and pulled a small bud off it. He knew that he could make the bud grow but that wouldn’t be enough. Bren placed his hand on the trunk of the tree and let his mind drift through a small stream of energy that linked the bud and tree. Unlike a person or animal, the tree didn’t have a conscious stream of thoughts, but it did have memories and though they were simple, they pulled at him and made him feel euphoric.
The bud in his hand twisted as it grew. As the bud spilt off, the small thin limbs began to come together until he held two long swords. Once the swords were finished, Bren turned and handed one to Cass who lifted it in his hand and gave it a few practice swings. “Very nice,” Cass complemented. “If I didn’t know better, I would swear that I held a real sword in my hand.”
Bren and Cass took their positions, standing only four paces from each other. Cass started the attack, coming at Bren with an overhand strike. His hand slipped slightly causing the strike to lose a lot of its power. Stopping the attack, Cass looked at his practice sword. “One second,” Cass said before running back inside and grabbing an assortment of pieces of thin leather that were often used to make temporary repairs for leather armor. Using a small dagger, that normally hung on his hip, he began to cut small strips, and then wrapped them around the wooden handle of the sword. Once he was done wrapping his own sword, Cass cut a few extra strips and tossed them to Bren.
Once both of their swords were wrapped, they once again faced off. The sword felt a little better in his hand with the makeshift leather grip added. Cass made the same move coming in with an overhead strike. Bren shifted his weight slightly and raised his sword. Suddenly, he noticed that Cass’s body flickered slightly, and Bren knew, though he was not sure how, that Cass was about to change the direction of his sword. Bren let his right leg drift back slightly and angled the blade of his sword just a bit. Cass swung his leg behind him and pivoted, turning completely around and coming at Bren with a backswing.
As Cass made his move, Bren stepped forward and came in with a diagonal slice that caught the trained warrior in the collarbone before Cass could complete his strike, forcing him to hit his knees. “How did you do that?” Cass asked as he got back to his feet. “Last time we sparred you could barely block that attack.”
“I knew what you were going to do,” Bren admitted. “I could see the change in your body.”
“Interesting,” Cass said without a hint of anger in his voice. “Let us see how well that new body of yours can really move.”
Cass didn’t give Bren a moment to breath, and while he could see most of what the other man was going to do, he still had a bit of trouble knowing how to react. Though it felt awkward, Bren was able to beat Cass four out of the ten battles. While it wasn’t a great number, it was still better than he had ever done before. Especially since Bren had never won a battle against his friend before.
Moments after they finished their spar, a young woman brought them glasses of cool water that they gratefully received. “You still give away your attacks,” Cass said as he slumped on the ground. “The only time you could get in a good strike was when you countered one of my attacks. Even then, you still moved a little too slowly.”
“I am still getting used to this,” Bren said after taking a large drink of cool water. “I can understand a little of what a person is thinking, but it is not as if I can read their mind. My mind is pulling in more information than I can work though,” Bren said softly.
“You don’t sound too happy about the changes,” Cass said smirking.
“I don’t know if I like it or not,” Bren replied. “Sometimes it is a bit much to take in at one time. If I don’t force myself to stay focused, my mind wants to drift along the magical flows. I must admit, it’s te
mpting sometimes to allow them to take control.”
“Let the magic take control?” Cass asked his voice sounding slightly confused.
“Yes,” Bren said, looking up at the thin tree. “As I told you, I still have feelings, but they are…removed. When I do allow myself to indulge in them, I can feel the magical elements tugging at me, and then they become a lot more pronounced. It’s freeing, but at the same time, it scares me.”
“Sounds interesting,” Cass said with a bewildered look on his face. “It doesn’t look like it is going to change anytime soon, so you might as well try and get a hold on it.”
Before Bren could say anything, Faye came over and handed him another glass of cool water. “You two stink,” she said, pinching her nose.
Cass lifted his arm and smelled himself then made a gagging motion. “It is an acquired taste,” he said after a few moments.
“Acquired?” Faye said looking at him as if he had made his head spin around. “Even a skunk would walk well away from you.”
“I think she is telling us that we need to take a bath,” Bren said faking a laugh.
“Really,” Cass said feigning surprise. “A bath…what is that?”
“Men,” Faye said before walking back toward the rest of the group.
Cass laughed and looked at Bren. “Let’s go see if we can find a bath.”
Bren smiled and followed Cass, who started looking for someone to ask about a bath. Bren gave Faye a small smile as he looked inside himself. Somewhere deep inside he felt happy. He let the feeling wash over him. Happy was mostly the air element. It was a light feeling as if one could do anything. Before Bren knew what was happening he found himself floating slightly off the ground a few inches.
When Cass turned around he jumped slightly. “What in the nine hells,” he said, grabbing his chest. “Why are you floating?”
“Why shouldn’t I?” Bren asked. “It is a lot faster than walking.” Bren reached his hand out and flicked a small stray leather strap.
Cass, understanding that something was wrong, grabbed Bren by the shoulders and pulled him down. “Concentrate,” his friend said, looking at him in the eyes.
Bren shook his head and forced his mind to focus. “Sorry,” Bren said as his feet settled back on the ground.
“The way your eyes looked reminded me of a Nadarie,” Cass said laughing slightly. “I was expecting you to start throwing things at random. It would have been fun to watch, but I think we are walking on eggshells as it is, and I don’t fancy having my head removed because you wanted to have a little fun.”
“Sorry,” Bren said, forcing his emotions deep down. He didn’t like feeling empty, but it was simply too dangerous to let his emotions run wild. “What is happening to me?” Bren asked slightly to himself.
You are becoming one with the elements. It is interesting—very interesting. I can sense some of what the elements want and think, but thanks to the way your father designed me, I am only partially linked to them. At first I was able to drain away some of the elements effect on you, but this last time happened too fast.
“You were draining the magic away from me?” Bren asked. He didn’t know if he should be happy or mad about Thuraman’s actions.
I didn’t want you to lose focus. There is too much now to even try, but if you wish, I can control it a little, but I doubt that you would even notice a difference.
“No need,” Bren said. “It’s too late now. I’ll just have to learn how to control this.”
Cass found a young woman who showed them to the bath. It was a large open air bath that sat nestled among an array of large rocks behind the house. There was a tall wall so that they didn’t have to worry about being seen. Around the bath, there were a number of large rocks, making it look more like a small shallow pond than a bath.
After washing their body and rinsing the soap away, they entered the bath. The water was a lot hotter than Bren was expecting, but thanks to his new body, it didn’t really bother him, though Cass had to ease himself slowly into the water.
Cass drifted down into the water and looked to be thoroughly enjoying himself. He didn’t want to bother his friend, so while he waited, Bren let his mind drift into the water. It felt different from the other bodies of water he had been in. He didn’t know how, but he knew that there were minerals in the water that helped encourage the body to heal itself.
Bren had to force himself to drift with the water. It felt welcoming, but he reminded himself that he still had his own things to attend to. When Cass stood and readied himself to exit the bath, Bren followed him. Once they returned to the main room, they found Hayao waiting on them.
“How did it go?” Bren asked, noticing that there was a troubled aura coming from the man.
“It did not go as bad as I had thought it would, but then again it did not go well either. The head of the house has decided that my willful line should not continue with the house.”
“What does that mean?” Faye asked looking worried.
“It means that weather you are deemed a threat or not, I will be forced to leave the village. Neither I nor my children may return. We have been banished,” Hayao said, his face remaining outwardly calm while his heart raced with fears and doubts.
“I wish it had not come to this,” Bren said bowing to the man. “If you wish, you may return to my town. You have done us a great service, and no matter the outcome here, you will always be welcome.”
“Thank you, my lord,” Hayao said, though Bren could tell that he could not make a decision at the moment.
There was a tense feeling in the room, and it was covered by a strange silence, but no one was willing to break it. As night approached, everyone went to their respective places to sleep without a word. Even though Bren didn’t really feel anything, he still knew that it was a fragile situation. Without knowing what else to do, Bren lay down to sleep. After a few moments, he felt Faye’s arm snake around him as she pressed closely to his body. Feeling her warmth, he drifted off to a troubled sleep.
Chapter 3
It was three days before the council of masters called them. As they slowly walked toward the building, Bren could feel the pressure as soon as he saw the building. Keeping his mind focused, Bren didn’t let the pressure emanating from inside the building bother him.
“You may wait outside,” the young person who was waiting outside the building told Hayao when they arrived. Bren went to say something in response, but Hayao stopped him with an outstretched arm. Bren watched as Hayao walked toward a small tree and sat beneath it.
Unlike the last time they were standing before the masters, Bren didn’t let himself become intimidated. Instead, he allowed himself to sink deeper into himself as he watched the masters closely. Bren was surprised that even though he was watching them, he still couldn’t detect the slightest waiver in them.
“It is no use,” the master at the head of the table said. “You can look all you want, but we are not as easy to read as your friends.”
“You knew what I was doing?” Bren asked slightly startled.
“It is a high level technique that many of our high level men can use,” the master said. “I admit that I am surprised that an outsider can use the gift as well.”
“That makes two of us,” Bren said. “I didn’t expect that so many people in one place outside of Torin could use magic.”
“Magic,” the master scoffed. “If that is what you wish to call it, then you may, but it is nothing more than having complete control over one’s body and mind.”
Bren took a close look at the masters and understood why they felt different. Most of them were not born with magical talents; they acquired them through their own perseverance. Bren was amazed he never considered that Magic could be learned outside of those born with the gift through their bloodline, but just as the masters said, it would take an extreme amount of control over one’s own body.
“We have watched you closely over the past few days and have decided that while you
are not one of us, you are honorable people and shall be allowed sanctuary within our village,” the master said in a bland tone. “We advise you that while we are admitting you into our village, we suggest that you still watch yourselves. No decision is ever final, and if our views of you change, then so will that decision.”
The master’s tone had a ring of finality to it, so they moved toward the door feeling a large amount of relief. “Go on ahead I need to talk to them for a bit,” Bren said to the others.
“Then I will stay as well,” Cass said, stopping at the door.
“Not this time, Cass,” Bren said pushing his friend through the door. “What I need to say, I would like to keep between them and myself. I believe that will make things go much smoother, and I really need them to go smoothly.”
Cass gave Bren a worrisome look but didn’t say anything and left without complaint. Once Bren was sure that everyone was gone, he shut the door and turned back toward the masters.
“Can we help you, Lord Torin?” the elder asked as Bren turned back toward them.
“I think that you might be able to,” Bren said emotionlessly. “I have a problem…and I think you can help me solve the problem. I need to learn to control myself, or more to the point my emotions.”
“We have noticed that your aura is a bit different. In fact, more than a few of the people watching you have spoken of being afraid of the sheer amount of power you control. It is not because you pose a threat mind you, but they were afraid of what it would mean for your mind.”
“Master Yamato,” the other elder said that sat on Yamato’s right. “We should discuss this.”
“Yes we should, but first I think we should hear his reasons,” Yamato said looking back toward Bren. “Why do you seek our help? What is it that you think we can do to help you.”
“I have suddenly found myself able to use a large amount of power…far too much for my mind to handle. If I don’t learn to control it, I am afraid that it will control me,” Bren replied honestly.
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