Free God Mage by D.W. Jackson

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 wish to believe
it or not.
    “I like to believe that they would prefer to
live in peace than war,” Bren said in disgust.
    You can keep thinking that, but from what I
have seen, the history of your race is built on war. Your books are
filled with wars, and the times of peace are barely remembered.
    Bren ignored Thuraman’s taunting, knowing
that the staff was only trying to anger him. The fighting continued
to last late into the night, and by the time the sun crested the
horizon, nearly two hundred Brotherhood soldiers had fallen to
their blades. Bren felt bad that he had only watched it happen from
a distance, but he took comfort that they had not lost a soul
during the many hidden battles that had taken place that night.
    When one of the generals made a disgusted
sound, Bren turned to him to find the man shaking his head. “What?”
Bren asked