think about what his actions would do to those around him.
When they entered the hall where they had met the elders the previous visits, Bren made sure that he walked with confidence, each step like a small conquest. Bren looked the elders directly in the eyes as he entered the room. Unlike the time before, they didn’t sit behind their desk with the same smug look as before, now they shifted nervously in their seats.
“Why did you call us here?” Bren asked his voice still tinted with the anger that had filled him moments before.
“You…” one of the elders to the right began to say before the head elder silenced him with nothing but a stern look.
“I won’t apologize for our actions, but I believe it would be best if we both let it go for now. If not, then we will get nowhere, and I must admit that the situation is far worse than you might surmise,” the elder said with a blank look on his face. “I don’t know how, but it seems that the Brotherhood has followed you. Right now more than three thousand soldiers are combing the woods outside the village looking for something, and we can only believe that it is you.”
“Nine hells,” Cass cursed under his breath.
“You have been granted sanctuary in our village but given the sheer number of soldiers outside, it will only be a matter of time before they find a way into the hidden valley.”
“If we leave, I don’t think the Brotherhood will simply go away,” Bren replied thoughtfully.
“We don’t want you to leave,” the elder said quickly. “We want you to fight, along with us. It is just as you said, the Brotherhood will not simply go away, and while we believe that their best would not be a match for even our younger soldiers, we are vastly outnumbered. If you were to count every soldier within our village it would number less that one thousand. What we need now is help,” the elder’s said, his voice remaining eerily calm and void of any emotion.
“I see,” Bren replied as his eyes turned toward his friends. “They have given us a safe haven and much more during our short stay. I will not agree for everyone but I think we should fight along with the village.”
“I don’t mind getting my sword a little wet,” Brenda said with a thin smile. “Honestly, my sword arm has been itching a little ever since we left. I would have found more action had I stayed in Abla. At least there I would have had a few tournaments to fight in.”
“You know how I feel,” Cass said, giving Brenda an odd look. “My job is to keep you safe, and if you want to fight in a war then it’s my job to go with you.”
“It has been a while since I got to let my magic go wild,” Phena said, moving between Cass and Brenda and pushing herself close to him. “A woman needs to cut loose from time to time.”
“I am not much of a fighter but I will do what I can,” Faye said meekly.
The others made their own point, but none of them seemed to want to leave the village without fighting first. Bren wasn’t that surprised; everyone with him lived in a country that had been affected by the Brotherhood. Then again, it didn’t seem like there were many places that hadn’t seen the hand of the Brotherhood over the past few centuries. “Looks like we will be fighting then,” Bren said, trying to sound happy about the decision.
“I am happy to hear it,” the elder said, letting his strict demeanor slip slightly. “Then shall we get to it. We need to learn your specific sills so that you may be used to your fullest potential.
They were led from the building. It didn’t take Bren long to notice that they were headed toward the part of town where he had come across the training youth a few days prior. Unlike the time before, the large open area was not filled with energetic youth training but a host of men wearing various types of bone armor readying for a battle. Their guide pulled another older warrior aside and talked to him for a few moments then brought the man over to where they stood.
Most of the men were basic warriors and were spread among the different groups. Faye, having a unique ability, was moved to a group of young warriors