God Mage (3 page)

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 tempting 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.

I
t 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.

“That is the fear of anyone who controls the
elements,” the master said. “Though for most that would only mean a
slight deviation in their actions. I believe that in your case, it
would be much more severe. We do have those who can naturally use
the arts, and we have seen what can happen when their emotions take
control, and that is the last thing we wish to have happen during
your stay in our village. We will talk among ourselves, and will
let you know of our decision,” master Yamato said, his eyes moving
to the door.

Bren took the hint and left the room. His
mind was racing as he left the building. He hadn’t intended to ask
the masters for anything when he went in, but with the realization
that they could help him, he couldn’t help himself.

Outside, Bren found the others waiting on
him, and oddly enough, Hayao looked the most relieved when he came
out. Bren hadn’t thought about the pressure that the man had been
under. Looking around, Bren noticed that everyone looked relieved.
He hadn’t thought about the fact that they were all living under
the threat of death for the past few days. Not for the first time,
Bren hated the new way he viewed life. It was almost as if he was
nothing but a spectator anymore.

“Master Torin,” Hayao said, bowing to
Bren.

“When did I become master…I thought it was
just Lord Torin?” Bren asked.

“I no longer have a house to call my own,”
Hayao said, his face showing his emotions for the first time since
Bren had met him. “There is no greater shame for one of my lineage.
Yet you have still offered to take me in, and for that, I am very
grateful. I swear that for as long as my line exists, we shall
guard you and yours.”

“That is very…generous,” Bren said
hesitantly. “But I do not think my offer garners such a
commitment.”

Hayao didn’t respond but simply bowed again.
Out of everyone that Bren had met, Hayao was the hardest to figure
out. Bren believed it had to deal with the training that he had
endured since he was young. Arashi had said the man had no honor,
but Bren didn’t believe that was true. He was just a man who had to
do things that others might find hard to swallow in order to hold
to his own meaning of honor.

Once they arrived back at Hayao’s family
home, they were greeted much more warmly than they had been on the
previous day. Not only were the welcomed with a large feast, their
rooms were changed to a newer section of the house that was much
more comfortable. It was not as if they were treated badly, but the
atmosphere had been cold and distant, now it felt as if they had
actually been welcomed.