God Mage - D.W. Jackson Page 0,23
that no one could see her, Faye moved out from her hiding spot and walked through the trees toward where the soldiers slept.
A third of the solders remained awake, some sat around the fire while the others walked the perimeter of the camp, looking for anything or anyone. Every time one of her feet touched the ground, the noise they made sounded like falling trees to her ears, and she kept looking around to make sure no one else had heard. The closer she came to the first sentry, the more nervous she felt.
Taking a deep breath, Faye grabbed the man by the mouth as she slid the blade over his throat. A small gasp escaped the man’s mouth, and Faye heard the sound of blades being drawn as her stomach began to wrap in knots.
Her breath coming hard and fast, Faye looked around to see that the soldiers were looking around for the assailant. The fact that she hadn’t been noticed didn’t help calm her nerves nor the retching of her stomach.
The soldiers quickly woke their comrades who had been asleep. As they spread out, Faye moved around them, driving her dagger into them as she quickly walked past. The men had told her to aim for the back of the men slightly above the hips and to the right side. She didn’t know why, but she did as she was instructed.
When the fourth man fell to the ground holding his side the soldiers moved closer together so that it became impossible for Faye to get close to them easily. Faye breathed a sigh of relief as her job was done. She moved to the back of the camp and watched as four thin chains shot out of the darkness wrapping around the soldiers throats and pulling them into the air.
At the same time that the four soldiers were pulled into the air, a number of small daggers shot into the group, bringing three more soldiers to their knees. The previously composed nature of the soldiers began to break down as they moved farther apart, looking around for their attackers. They found them quickly enough as the men dressed in dark blue seemed to simply appear out of nowhere in front of them, moving through the camp quickly and quietly, and within moments, the few remaining soldiers were sent to their maker.
As the men moved from body to body driving their long daggers into the men’s chest to ensure they were dead, Faye moved into the forest where she could no longer hear the sounds of the daggers biting into flesh or see the eyes condemning her for their deaths. Dropping to her hands and knees, she emptied her stomach onto the forest floor.
Bren felt a pang of pity for Faye as he watched the tears flow from her eyes while she sat on the ground. He knew that a part of her would be forever changed after this, but as much as he cared for the young girl, he knew that he couldn’t let that sway his choice. Right now, the Brotherhood posed too much of a threat to let those who could fight sit and rest in safety.
It was not hard to find Phena who moved through the forest as if she was at home. Four others traveled with her, and they moved in unison as if they had fought together for years. Bren didn’t know why he was surprised. The Vathari were a warrior race and are trained from birth to fight.
Unlike with the others, there was no hiding or sneaking up to the camps they came across. They moved through them as if they were a force of nature giving their opponents little chance to counter attack. Phena was especially devastating, using not only her sword but also her magic in deadly harmony. Bren watched as she ran from the cover of the forest, killing a standing guard before he had the chance to cry out and using her lightning magic on another within the space of a heartbeat. Shortly after she had made her way through the camp, the others quickly followed behind, killing the ones who had turned away to chase after Phena.
Bren slumped to the ground. His friends were much better at killing than he would have ever suspected. He now felt more than a little foolish about having gone into the Brotherhood camp alone.
Given the chance, I believe that most humans will kill. Your race is a bloody one, whether you