God Mage - D.W. Jackson Page 0,29

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