God Mage

by D. W. Jackson

  Without thinking, Bren wrapped his arm around Faye’s shoulder and pulled her in close. As soon as her face touched his chest, he could feel her shaking slightly as she quietly sobbed. Their guide continued to walk toward the building’s entrance, but Bren didn’t move to follow until Faye had calmed down. Once her sobs subsided and her shoulders quit trembling, Bren gave her a tight squeeze and started walking toward the entrance. Without letting go, Faye followed him, her hands gripping his shirt tightly and still slightly trembling.

  The pressure he had felt the past three visits to the building was gone. It would seem that they didn’t see the need for it, or they feared he would turn it against them once again. Either way, it made him slightly more at ease knowing that it was gone.

  As they entered the room, Bren noticed that the elders had drawn looks on their face. Bren hadn’t expected a happy reunion, but he didn’t expect such a tense atmosphere either. The auras of the elders were different than normal, though they still kept them close to the chest, so it made it hard for Bren to know what they were thinking. All he could tell was that they didn’t all agree on what was about to be discussed.

  An overbearing silence filled the room as neither party seemed to want to be the first to talk. When it became clear Bren wasn’t going to be the first to clear the air, the lead elder cleared his throat and shifted uneasily in his seat. “Things have become difficult…” The elder said, leaving the thought unfinished.

  “How so?” Bren asked, fishing more for information. It wasn’t hard to understand what the elder was getting at, but he wanted to know more about how the elders viewed the situation, and the only way to do that was to get them to say more than they wanted to.

  “The Brotherhood,” the elder said after a tense moment of silence. “They have stopped trying to enter the valley, but it does not look as if they’re going away anytime in the near future.”

  “It does look as if they are planning to stay,” Bren agreed. “But at least your village is safe for the time being.”

  “Yes, but for how long,” the female elder to the right said hotly.

  “Enough Mina,” the head elder said, turning toward the older woman. “It is just as she said. Right now, the Brotherhood has stopped trying to get into the valley, but they have camped right at our door, making it near impossible for any of our people to leave, and while we can feed ourselves…”

  “You don’t want to stay cut off from the rest of the world,” Bren said, finishing the man’s thought. “How do you think we can help?”

  “That is where we are having trouble,” the elder said, shaking his head. “I believe the best choice right now would be for you to leave and take them with you.”

  “We would be more than happy to leave but…” Bren said, leaving the thought hanging.

  “Yes. Lord Hayao has told us what you are looking for, as well as brought the map that you have brought with you. I have to agree that we cannot let you leave the village with such a map. If the Brotherhood got ahold of it again, it would be disastrous for more than just our village.”

  “Then we have a problem,” Bren replied, raising his voice slightly.

  “Maybe not,” the elder replied in a calming voice. “Hayao said that you were looking for a specific place that is on the map. Just as you have asked, we have ruled out all the places that we know of.”

  “How many does that leave?” Bren asked slightly excited.

  “Three,” the elder said as he unrolled a large map of Northern Kurt. The three places the elder spoke of were each marked with small pins.

  “It would be surrounded by mountains. Hard to reach,” Bren said looking at the map.

  “This place is near the Forelia Mountains. It is hard to reach, and there is a town nearby where you can work from, though it is not a very hard mountain to scale and should only take you a few days to search the area.

  “That might be it, but from what I understood, it should be in a more remote location,” Bren said looking at the map.

  “What are you looking for?” The elder asked, his voice deepening into a near whisper.

  Bren thought about keeping it vague but he knew this was his first real chance to learn what he wanted, and after a moment of thought, decided there was little reason to keep it hidden. “I am looking for a hidden valley that is supposed to hold the key to the doorway to the abyss.”

  The female elder said something in a language that Bren didn’t understand, but it was clear that Bren had touched on something that had put them on guard. “I would guess that you know the place I am looking for,” Bren said, getting up from his chair and advancing toward the elders.

  “We know of the place you are talking about,” the elder said, leaning back in his chair trying to get some distance from Bren. “Or at least I believe we know where you are talking about.”

  “Then tell me” Bren demanded.

  “It is not that simple,” the elder said. “The place you are looking for is taboo. Each hidden village is tasked with providing two people every three years to guard the entrance to the valley. Even if I told you where the valley was at, they would never allow you to enter it.”

  The air in the room grew chilly as ice crystals began to form on the large window overlooking the city. “I can be very persuasive,” Bren said as small sparks of energy flashed around him.

  “Calm down,” the elder said in a palliative tone. “You might be able to get out of the village without trouble but what about your friends.”

  The mention of his friends brought Bren back to his senses and the air the room quickly began to warm. “Where is the valley?” Bren asked, placing his hands on the elder’s table and leaning in close. “No matter what the cost I will learn what I want to know.”

  “Here,” the elder said pointing to a place far to the north of the village. “It is settled in the Kami Mountains. There are no towns or villages along the way. Even the village that we send our children to remains unknown to us.”

  “Thank you,” Bren said turning toward the door. “We will leave in the morning and do our best to take our friends with us.”

  “One thing before you go, Master Torin,” the elder said half rising from his chair. “The valley of the gods is sacred to us. It is said to hold the doorway to the home of the gods. If that is true or not, I don’t know. I have never seen a god, but remember that a portion of the guardians are made up of our children.”

  “I will do my best to kill as few as possible,” Bren said continuing on his way toward the door.

  As he left the room, the others quickly followed, but they kept a few steps behind him. “Are you okay?” Faye asked touching his arm lightly.

  “Fine…Why?” Bren said, looking at her and noticing that her face was pinched tightly.

  “You’re still… Sparkling,” Cass said lightly.

  Bren stopped in mid-stride and took a deep breath and tried to clear his body of the excess magic. “Better?” Bren asked, once he was sure he was clear of magical energy.

  “A little, though the air around you still seems a bit chilly,” Faye said laughing.

  As soon as they were back in their room, everyone started readying for the journey without Bren having to say a word. Bren did the same though he kept most of his things in order, but as he always did when he planned a long journey he emptied out his father’s old pack and went through it once again.

  There was still a little food stored in the pack as well as a few canteens of water but not enough to last more than a few days should they run a dry spell between villages. “Hayao,” Bren hollered causing the young warrior to come running from where he had been.

  “Yes, Lord Torin,” the man said quickly.

  “We need supplies for a long trip,” Bren said. “Do you think you can get us enough to last us for most of the trip?”

  “Getting the supplies will be easy, my lord, but we do not keep horses in the village,” Hayao said.

  “Don’t worry about that,” Bren replied.
“I have my own ways to carry the supplies over long distances.”

  Chapter 9

  The next morning started long before the sun crested the horizon. As they left through a dark exit far away from the one they had entered, Bren caught Hayao looking back with a slight look of loss on his face. Bren thought about saying something, but nothing he could think of seemed like the right choice. Bren had left his own home, but he knew there was always the choice that he could go back. Hayao didn’t have the same choice.

  As soon as they neared the edge of the forest, Bren called the others to stop. “Hayao take everyone northeast until you reach the first town and wait for us.”

  “What are you planning?” Cass asked following Bren as he headed in the direction of the Brotherhood’s impromptu fort.

  “Just thinking of getting their attention,” Bren said.

  “So you don’t know what you are going to do yet,” Cass said laughing lightly.

  “No idea, but I am sure that I can come up with something,” Bren replied.

  Bren’s best guess was that it would take a little under a half hour to reach close enough to the fort to see it. That wasn’t much time to think of anything but it was enough to start getting ready for whatever came to mind. With each step, Bren slowly began to pull in small amounts of magical energy.

  Planning something foolish again. Just when I think that you have shown more brains than your father, you start to do things like this.

  “I don’t plan to do anything foolish,” Bren said lightly to Thuraman.

  Doing anything other than leaving right now would be foolish. The best choice is to leave and let the Brotherhood continue to build their little fort.

  “And leave the village to deal with them?” Bren asked shaking his head.

  Yes. You don’t owe them anything. It is no different than allowing them to fight for you. There are always sacrifices; there is no reason that it has to be you.

  “I refuse to lose what little humanity I have left,” Bren said vehemently. As soon as he said the words in his mind Bren started to consider just what Thuraman had said. He doubted that the Brotherhood would be able to get into the valley easily, and given what had happened a few days beforehand, he doubted they would even try until they got more men. Bren shook the thoughts from his mind. The second he began to think in terms of only what was best for him, he would lose what little of himself he had been able to take back.

  By the time the fort came into view, Bren had built up a large amount of magical energy, so much that while he didn’t feel full, it was getting hard to keep it all under control. If he had to compare it to something, it would be like trying to lead eight horses at once when all of them wanted to go different directions.

  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 focu
s. 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.