The Sword of Ages: The Mage Breaker Book 1 Read Online Free PDF Page B

father, with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. “So what do you think of all this war business Golden? I heard you and the Tanner here threatened a wizard and were ready to kill the lot that came recruiting”.
                  “He was acting like an arse and I treated him as such” Tanner chimed in. “Told the stuffy bastard I would run him through before he gets any of those fancy spells off”.
                  “The Tanner better be watching his manners” Jack said as he moved a strand out long brown hair out of his face. “Those wizards can enact the old law, they can challenge you to trial by combat. My Da told me about five years ago when he was in Totterdam he saw a mage roast three men alive who were accused of theft. From the whispers in the crowd those men were innocent, you’d be best to keep your head down from here on out. I couldn’t imagine that the wizard would forget your face, we are marching under the Baronet’s colors, he might be looking for you”.
                  “We let that dandy come meet his maker, my bow will take him in the throat” Tanner stated like he was trying to convince himself.
                  “Well on to the real reason we are here” Thomas said. “Golden you are the best swordsman in Kol, but we know you going to learn your spells. Tanner you are a great blade yourself, I think only my Da and Gwen’s father bested you. I think we should try to stick together, all of us from Kol when we get there if we can. All of us want to go home, if one of us falls at least our effects and last words will get back to our loved ones. I hear my Da talk all the time about people who never heard any word of what happened to their sons and husbands”.
                  “Just as long as that idiot Todd Greenley is not in charge” Tanner said as he spat in the fire. “That tosser is likely to get us all sent to the pit following behind him”.
                  That elicited some laughs as the group got up and walked over to the next fire, apparently saying the same things to the men all over the makeshift campground. Tanner and Golden sat in silence until the stew was done, apparently lost in his own thoughts about what was to come next. After finishing the stew they laid down their bed rolls and went to sleep.
     
    ~
     
                  The next morning came too fast for Tanner, he spent the night having horrible dreams about war and dying. He had pictured Mary crying over his body for a young love lost, how or why she was on the battlefield made no since now he was awake but it was as real as could be while he was dreaming. Tanner shook the fleeting memories away and jostled Golden awake, their fire’s dying ember providing some of the direct light the lightening sky didn’t.
                  “What time is it?” Golden asked, his blond hair all over his face.
                  “Time to get up, I know you haven’t swung any sword for a bit at least you could go through the morning’s practices with me” Tanner said as he had both the sword Golden had made for himself and the two handed sword along with his own.
                  Golden grumbled but had gotten up, Tanner thought he must have seen the wisdom in training. Most wizards relied on their spell flinging or magic charms and such. It took a little bit to fling a spell, an up close opponent would gut you before the spell left your lips. Tanner couldn’t imagine anyone being stupid enough to run up on Golden swinging a sword unless he was daft or wanted to die. Tanner gathered himself some space and went through the forms he had known by heart, Golden at first started off with the one handed sword, Tanner could tell he was a bit rusty but that didn’t mean Golden wasn’t still a danger with it. Golden was big, fast with a lot of reach, his body made him a hard target, Tanner could score a hit on him