“I would hate to face those men on the battlefield,” Cass said appearing at Bren’s side.
“That is the truth,” Bren replied as he continued to watch the show of skill. “Then again while their skills seem impressive they wouldn’t be of much use when faced with thousands of soldiers. One misstep and the archer would find himself dead on the field.
“True enough, but it is impressive all the same,” Cass said, his eyes fixated on the man who was currently on the field who was firing blindfolded, hitting small bells that had been placed throughout the field. It was impressive feat on its own but soon the bell’s sounds blended together with the women who played the lute like instruments.
“Beautiful,” Faye said from behind Bren causing him to turn and look at her. Bren found himself speechless as his eyes fell on Faye. “How do I look?” She said twirling around in a light pink garb with a glimmering pattern that looked like flowers covering it.
“It suits you very well,” Bren stammered causing Faye to blush deeply.
They continued to watch the show until the sun started its descent and the people began to dissipate heading toward the temple. Bren and the others quickly rushed ahead not wanting to be late in case the priest needed their aid.
Once they reached the temple they found the priest standing near the large building that had the rock hounds standing around it. Avalanche was sitting on the top of the steeps almost as if he was guarding the door to the temple. People would walk up to the shrine and pull in a thick rope that rang a large bell and then clap their hands and bow toward the shrine and Avalanche. Once they had finished their prayer they would bow again then throw a few coins into a large offering box that sat near the steps of the shrine. Bren was surprised to find not only Hayao in the line to visit the shrine but Arashi as well.
The shrine didn’t have much in the way of shops but at the base of the steps many different stands had started to open up. Unlike the ones earlier these were a combination of food stands and those with simple games of chance and skill to entertain the festival goers.
After giving their own prayers at the alter Bren and the others moved down to where the stands had been set up to find Jin near the foot of the temple with his own stand. Bren had not seen the young man lately but he had not given it much thought. He was surely like his mother finding any chance he could to make a profit.
Bren looked at the goods arranged on the table and found that most of them were magical items that they had brought through the chest. They were not the more expensive kinds but simple things like lights or small blocks that continuously let off cold air. Anyone could find these thing in Torin but here in the North they were a rare sight, and Jin was taking advantage of that though his prices were not so extravagant that anyone would complain.
Before Jin could say a word to Bren, Faye grabbed him by the upper arm and dragged him off toward the rest of the stalls. She said little as she pulled him along but the look on her face said everything that was on her mind.
Faye took Bren to stand after stand, spending a large amount of gold but Bren didn’t mind. To see her laughing and having fun was worth the price and it was not like he couldn’t get more gold if he needed it. Soon they would be up against the Brotherhood and there was no telling how that would end. He figured he might as well enjoy the few days left before the blood started flowing.
Bren couldn’t pull himself away from Faye until the moon had fully taken the sky. He was tired and in need of a good rest so he snuck away to his bed in the temple only to find one other person there ahead of him.
Hayao sat in the corner of the room with the hood to his cloak pulled over his head obscuring his eyes. Bren knew that the man was asleep so he moved quietly as to not disturb him, climbing into his own bed to get some much needed rest.
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“Your son seems to be enjoying himself,” Humanius said to Thad who sat watching his son enjoy the festival.
“I have heard much about the Northern people but they keep their secrets close to them. I have always wanted to visit but once I married Maria I couldn’t get away for such a long trip and she never had dealings with countries so far away,” Thad said without looking at the god. “It is nice to see the places I have read about and enjoy them through my son. I do pity him though, that woman might even be better at manipulation that my wife was,” Thad added laughing.
“She has watched your son closely, and attacked his heart accordingly,” Humanius said thoughtfully. “She would make a fine war general with those eyes of hers.”
“That she would,” Thad agreed.
“I would suggest that you enjoy the next few days as best you can. Your son’s time has nearly come to its end and it never does a soul good to dwell on the bad,” Humanius said his voice changing from its light tone to a more serious and darker one.
“My son will not fall to your soldiers,” Thad said adamantly. “He will prevail and it will be you that will be at a loss for what to do about your soul.”
“There is always that chance but this time your son is greatly outnumbered,” Humanius replied. “Even with his strong magical abilities he will find himself with no other place to go but to his own death.”
Thad found himself clutching his fist in anger, unable to calm himself. He knew that trying to strike the god was useless. This was a place where time didn’t exist so no damage or physical pain could be inflicted and even if that was not the case, Thad knew that he was no challenge for a god. All he could do was to continue to watch his son and hope for the best.
CHAPTER XVI
The next morning Bren and the others slept in slightly longer than he would have wanted but given the late night it was expected. After the long walk to the small farm that held their horses, they were on their way but it was slow going. The festival was still ongoing and the roads were packed and many of the people passing them slowed them down more by offering their prayers to Avalanche who was thoroughly enjoying the attention.
By the time nightfall was upon them, they had only traveled half the distance that they would on a normal day. Bren was frustrated but there was little they could do about it. On the up side, the roads had cleared for the most part so the next day traveling would be much easier.
As they made camp, Faye placed her stuff down next to where he slept again and Bren feared that she would cling to him as soon as she was asleep, depriving him of another night of restful sleep. Bren tried to move his bedroll without drawing Faye’s attention but there was only so far he could move it before it became obvious to her.
Bren wasted no time and went to bed as soon as he had finished eating. He knew that he should practice his magic but he was too worried about the large crowds they had passed and something being reported to the Brotherhood. The best thing he could do was to get some good sleep so that he wouldn’t be too tired if Cass wanted to practice his sword work early in the morning.
Thanks to the busy past few days it was not hard for Bren to drop into sleep. Oddly enough as he slept, he didn’t feel his sister or mother pull him to talk to him. His mother had tried once a few days back but when he refused her call she must have known that right now he was not going to answer her and had not tried again since. His sister had also called him one more time but he had not been in the mood for a long chat, as when he did so, he didn’t really feel as if he had gotten any real sleep.
Bren was woken by someone pushing on his shoulder lightly. At first he thought it was Faye clinging to him and tried to ignore it, but when it continued he was forced to open his eyes. Bren nearly screamed when he found a hooded dark figure standing over him. “There is a large group of soldiers moving toward us with drawn swords,” Hayao said in a hushed voice.
As soon as Bren acknowledged his words the man began waking up the rest of the group. Once everyone was awake they moved their bedrolls closer to the fire and used whatever they could find to stuff the rolls to make it look as if people were still sleeping within
them. Once their rouse was finished they moved to the edge of the cleaning on the opposite side that Hayao had spotted the soldiers approaching and laid low to the ground.
It wasn’t long before they caught their first glimpse of the soldiers that Hayao had warned them about. As soon as Bren saw then he felt a cold shiver run down his back.
They belong to the Brotherhood.
“How can you tell?” Bren asked Thuraman as he felt a cold bead a sweat form on his forehead.
There are spots around them that are void of magic. Me and your father have faced the Brotherhood countless times during our time together. If you are still unsure then you could simply ask them, but that would be ill-advised.
“I have no reason not to believe you,” Bren said as he tightened his grip on the black sword in his hand. “That is unless were talking about women.”
The plan was simple, wait until all the soldiers were in the light of the fire and attack. With them in the light this would give the advantage as it would be harder for the soldiers to see their advance and greatly reduce their reaction time.
Bren found his breath coming hard to him as the men approached where they had been sleeping only moments before. He had fought for his life before but it had only lasted a moment and Bren could not recall the event clearly in his mind. Though trained to fight by a member of the Katanga, he still felt nervous as this would be his first real battle with a sword.
Unable to control himself, Bren looked down at the untested black bladed sword that Crusher had made for him. It was not made of any type of metal but instead from a special type of glass that the dwarf had assured him was harder and more durable than any steel blade, not to mention if he was ever forced to fight another mage it would cut through their spells and considering his current relationship with the tower there was always that possibility.
Once the soldiers raised their blades to strike at their supposedly sleeping targets Bren and the others rushed from their concealment to attack. They moved forward silently. The first one to reach their target was Arashi.
For a few moments Bren was caught in the way Arashi fought with his sword. Unlike the blades that were common among his own people Arashi used a blade that was shorter than a long sword and held a slight curve to the blade. That was not the only distinction though, it also had a lot longer grip and the blade was much thinner in width, yet thicker in body. The sword itself, while different than the normal ones he was used to, did not stick out to him since he had seen many variations of weapons, and in truth the weapon slightly resembled the Vathari sword. Even his own blade had a slight curve to it though the blade was much thicker at the hilt and got thinner as it neared the tip. The sword was meant for slicing and piercing chainmail. What really caught his eyes was the way Arashi moved and fought with the blade. Most fighting styles he had seen with a blade relied on strength and strikes were made with the middle of the blade. Arashi relied more on speed and his feet moved quickly and his strikes came at a blinding speed and he seemed to be striking with the top two inches of the blade instead of the middle.
Bren forced himself to quit watching Arashi as he approached the first soldier. He wished he had the skill to fight with a curved blade that Arashi had but at the moment he would have to rely on his training. His sword flashed striking the blade of the soldier in front of him and amazingly cutting a deep chunk into the metal of the blade. Bren continued his assault striking three more times in succession and on the last strike the soldiers blade flew from the hilt and Bren quickly followed through cutting a deep line through the man’s midriff.
Bren didn’t have time to marvel at Crushers skill, but it was hard to miss the advantages of such a sword. There were always rumors of weapons that could cut through steel but they were often just that, rumors. Smiling and feeling a bit more confident Bren moved onto the next soldier who was moving around to try to get to his blind side.
Though they had been outnumbered nearly three to one at the beginning of the battle, the enemy’s numbers quickly dwindled, partly in thanks to their surprise attack of the would-be ambushers. The rest was purely on the superb skill of their group. Even the common soldiers were hand-picked and trained by Cass who was recognized as being good enough to be a member of the Katanga.
As the last of his opponents fell, Bren looked around to notice that only a few battles were still taking place. Arashi sat on the ground wiping his blade clean using the tunic of a fallen foe. Hayao still fought at the edge of the camp though it looked more like he was playing with his opponent than taking it seriously, so no one moved to his aid. Any soldier knew that interrupting a fight needlessly could get someone killed as easily as saving them.
Hayao fought with a sword that was vastly different than Arashi’s weapon. The sword looked almost like a mix between a long sword and the weapon that Arashi used. It had a shorter blade and was straight but it was sharpened only on was side. Seeming to notice that everyone was watching him Hayao shrugged his shoulders and easily parried the attackers next blow then almost as if he had vanished, Hayao was behind the man and with one swift blow send the soldiers head rolling across the field.
With the fighting over all that was left was to clean up. Hayao started checking the bodies as the rest of them started dragging them to a big pile. Bren thought about making a pyre but it was already late in the night and the thought of smelling burning flesh for the rest of the night did not sit well with his stomach.
“I think it would be best if we moved farther down the road and made another camp,” Bren said as he looked at the mounting pile of bodies. They had fared well in the attack with only one death. Bren looked at the face of the guard who had been killed and though he had often seen the face he couldn’t remember the man’s name. He had been a quiet sort and rarely talked around Bren but that didn’t mean that he didn’t deserve the full honors of a proper burial.
“Jaoun was a good man,” Cass said as he walked over to where Bren stood next to the body.
“Did he have a family?” Bren asked his voice almost sticking in his throat.
“No,” Cass said solemnly. “His mother discarded him when he was young, and he spent most his life living off the streets, though that is where most of your guards came from. They are eager, have few ties, and have a lot less to lose. It is the reason that I chose them for this trip.”
“Lord Torin,” Hayao said grabbing Bren’s attention. “All of the men we found were wearing these,” Hayao said holding out a number of white medallions in his hand.
Bren reached his hand out and touched one of the medallions and a cold shiver and a small twang of pain ran from his hand all the way through his body. Ignoring the pain Bren picked up one of them and held it so that he could see it better. The medallion was made of the famous white metal that the brotherhood used to cut through mage’s spells and had their symbol of a fox imprinted on its face. “Brotherhood soldiers.”
“Are you sure my lord?” Arashi said coming over to where they stood.
“I wouldn’t be mistaken,” Bren assured him. “There is no mage that lives in Torin that would mistake this for anything else.”
“We should alert the local lord that the Brotherhood has acted in his domain,” Arashi said fiercely. “Then we can request an army and attack them head on.”
“That sounds well and good but there is too much chance that the item I am searching for would be destroyed in a full on attack. Once we have what I need then we can wipe them off the face of the earth if you wish,” Bren said gripping the medallion hard in his hand as the pain from it became so bad that his head started to spin. Then the medallion turned black and started to crumble. Bren was surprised by the metals reaction to his touch. From what he learned when one of the swords broke, it opened a one way rip into the abyss. He had even thought about using it to get to his father but Sae-Thae had assured him that not even a god could escape that way.
Once all the bodies were collected and Jaoun was given a proper burial, they loaded u
p the wagons and continued down the road. It was still hours before daybreak but no one was in the mood to sleep after what had transpired.
The air around the group was tense. Everyone knew now that the Brotherhood was on to them and that they were under the threat of constant attack. With days left before they could make a proper camp, Bren didn’t think that anyone would sleep easily in the next few days. Worst of all, if the Brotherhood was aware of their position then entering their camp by stealth might be impossible, making the whole trip pointless.
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“Seems your surprise attack didn’t work,” Thad said as he watched his son stand over the defeated soldiers of the Brotherhood.
“It would seem that my children are still underestimating your boy,” Humanius said shaking his head. You would think after the thrashing defeat that you gave them they would learn that not all mages can be easily dealt with just because they carry the white swords,” Humanius said sourly.
“You don’t seem as sure of yourself as you did a few moments ago,” Thad said victoriously.
“It is not over yet,” was Humanius’s reply.
CHAPTER XXVII
The next few days passed quickly though everyone’s nerves were on end. Surprisingly they didn’t run into any more of the Brotherhood’s troops, making Bren think that their meeting had been mere coincidence, though he knew it was foolish to think so.
Once they reached the borders of Houremara Bren started to feel the weight of what was coming. All too soon he would be faced with how to deal with the Brotherhood. He wanted to sneak in, but if they knew he was coming that could be disastrous. The one thing Bren didn’t want was all of his friends being drug into his personal battle. Not even saving his father was worth their lives.
Just as Arashi had said, there was a small village close to the mouth to the valley where the Brotherhood was camped. Unlike the other towns they had moved through, this one was not on a main roadway and was mainly made up of hunters. That meant that as soon as they entered the town they quickly stood out.
Silver Mage (Book 2) Page 22
