The Brotherhood: Blood by Kody Boye Page A

course, highly revered as well—and both had used magic in order to make their world a better, safer place. Why was he to be denied such a privilege if he had the opportunity to use it?
    This is it, he thought, sitting up, then running a hand through his hair. This is where I decide what I’m going to do.
    It took only one look at his father to show that the man had been asleep for a very long time.
    Sliding out of his bedroll, Odin began to pack as swiftly and quietly as possible—first the sword, which his father had given him at thirteen, went to his belt, secured on his right for easy access, then his bedroll and his saddle came next, both of which fell under either of his arms. While he carried a heavy load, he managed to slide out of the tent without making so much as even a whisper of noise.
    Be quiet, he thought, grimacing at each and every step he took across the campground. You don’t want to wake anyone up.
    In these weather conditions, there was little chance of anyone hearing but a few footsteps, as beneath his feet the only sound made was the squeak of mud beneath his boots. Were one to be awake, however, that would be an entirely different question. A figure stalking across the campsite could surely be seen as a threat and the entire party would be woken, only to find poor Odin Karussa sneaking off in the night after being punished by his father. What a sight that would be.
    When he came to the line of mares and stallions situated on the outer edges of the campground, Odin gestured them to be quiet with a simple wave of his hand, then broached the area where his own mare had been situated. Gainea, as had been named by the Goddess of Life, stood on the outer edges of the campsite snorting and flipping water from her mane.
    “There were go,” Odin said, securing his saddle atop her back before maneuvering under her stomach in order to clip the harness in place. “We’re going to leave now, ok?”
    She nudged his chest with her snout shortly after he climbed out from beneath her.
    “Yeah,” he whispered, disengaging the rope that held her to the tree with a simple cut from his sword and gesturing her out of the campsite.
    When he left the perimeter of the line of tents, horses and carts that made up the caravan, Odin began to make his way through the forest and toward the road that led through the forest, but stopped before he could get there.
    In lieu of his feelings, Gainea bowed her head and sneezed.
    Odin turned his attention back to the campground.
    Goodbye, he thought, closing his eyes and trying desperately to fight swarms of emotions from overwhelming him. I’m sorry it had to be this way.
    With a kick of his foot, he pushed Gainea into a trot.
    He would forge his own destiny.
     
    The rain startled shortly after he left. Cold, foreboding, grueling, whispering of a hard trip and not in the least bit pleasant, it showered down around him as if he were being punished for his choice and gestured him to turn around, almost as if it were the ghost of his father raging in his sleep.
    I’ll turn us both around and take you back to Felnon if you disrespect me.
    If any an action were to disrespect his father, this one would be it.
    You can’t think about it, Odin sighed, his thoughts soon falling back to the men at the camp. You’ve got bigger things to worry about.
    If anything were to hinder his progress other than the rain, it would be a man having recently awoken to find one of the horses gone. There would, he knew, be a search party, after which they realized young Odin Karussa had disappeared. Along with that, his father would likely pursue him up the road on his giant black stallion in a full-out gallop. If that were to happen, there would be no way for him to possibly escape the persecution he so desperately deserved.
    Bracing himself for the worst that could possibly happen, Odin turned his head up and watched the trees and surrounding forest.
    Under the dark, barely-moonlit sky, almost anyone