her horse to follow.
Bren concentrated on his surroundings as they descended the large hill and entered the valley below. Even though it was still hours before noon, the sky was dark and covered with large, ominous clouds making it hard to see more than a few hundred yards in any direction, as the only real light came from the large, arcing energy that flashed through the clouds. Bren tried to expand his vision with magic, but as soon as he tried to pull some in, it was as if his whole body was filled with an abundance of magic. It was far more than he had ever felt before and vastly more than he could control. Not only was his vision extraordinarily heightened, allowing him to see every strand of filament on each blade of grass, but his hearing was exceptionally acute as well, making it possible for him to hear the worms moving beneath his feet. Within seconds, his head began to spin, and it felt as if someone was trying to rip apart his skull.
Bren tried to release the pent of energy, but there was just too much. Before he knew it, he was slumped over the back of his horse as it raced to join the others while he let out billowing screams of pain. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but the next thing he noticed was Cass holding the reins to his horse, trying to talk to him, but his words were lost in the other sounds that echoed in his ears. Bren tried to tell his friend what had happened, but he couldn’t get his brain to form the words nor his mouth to say them. All he could do was grunt and scream.
Bren had expected to lose control and faint, but he was not so lucky, as the pain didn’t give him that pleasure. He was vaguely aware as he was lowered from his horse and laid on top of his bedroll. He could feel Faye’s hand holding his. He could feel her heartbeat and hear every single breath she took. It was like drums pounding in his ear and winds bellowing through the mountains.
Fool, close off your mind to the magic.
“I’m trying,” Bren gasped out loud as he tried to force the magic away, but it was like a flood, and his dam had been broken.
Suddenly, the pain started to subside, and Bren was able to force the door closed that he had opened to let the magical energy enter his body. As his senses cleared, Bren looked over to the ground and found that the diamond on Thuraman’s top shone so brightly it lit up the surrounding area like a miniature sun. It was so bright that he couldn’t even tell that the other gems along the staff’s entire body had started to glow as well.
“Thuraman,” Bren said to the staff but received no response. “Thuraman!” Bren said again, this time a little more franticly.
After a few moments, the diamond died down to a warm glow, allowing Bren and the others to see the myriad of smaller gems shining with a new light. That wasn’t the only change to the staff either. The wood had changed from a marble like surface to something that felt akin to glass to Bren’s touch. And most astounding, the top of the staff that had once been a simple piece of carved wood now looked eerily like a clawed hand clasping the large diamond that sat on its top.
“Thuraman what happened? Are you alright?” Bren asked once the glow in the diamond had faded so that it only lit up a small area around the staff.
I tried to drain the magical energy from you. It looks like it worked. There was so much… I thought that I would break apart. Do us both a favor and don’t do that again.
“I think I can agree with you on that,” Bren said with a short laugh getting a few odd looks from his friends. Faye was trying to say something to him, but he pushed her voice aside and continued to focus on Thuraman. The staff had never been the most friendly thing in the world, but he had been around since he had been born and had always talked to him when he felt lonely, and Bren wasn’t sure, but he thought it was possible that it had just saved his sanity if not his life. “You seem different than you did before.”
I feel