Aether's Guard
Date: 2020-08-30 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy; Harem; Magic; Romance; Adult; Martial Arts; Young Adult
Description: Gregory’s life changed when his aether sparked to life during the Age Day ritual. He left his old friends and his old life behind, and was taken to the Magi Academy to start training to serve the Vela Empire. Suddenly alone and out of place, he prepared for the worst. When the beautiful novice, Yukiko Warlin, asked if they could be friends, his life changed again. After six months of duplicity from the people who they had thought of as friends, Gregory and Yukiko isolated themselves from all the other novices. Gregory chose a path considered impossible for his training, and Yukiko followed, pu

Aether’s Revival

Book 2:

Aether’s Guard

Daniel Schinhofen

Copyright © 2020 Daniel J. Schinhofen

No parts of this book may be reproduced in any form by an electronic or mechanical means – except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews – without the written permission from the publisher.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

Copyright © 2020 Daniel J. Schinhofen

All rights reserved.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-six

Chapter Twenty-seven

Chapter Twenty-eight

Chapter Twenty-nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-one

Chapter Thirty-two

Chapter Thirty-three

Chapter Thirty-four

Chapter Thirty-five

Chapter Thirty-six

Chapter Thirty-seven

Chapter Thirty-eight

Chapter Thirty-nine

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty-one

Chapter Forty-two

Chapter Forty-three

Chapter Forty-four

Chapter Forty-five

Chapter Forty-six

Chapter Forty-seven

Chapter Forty-eight

Chapter Forty-nine

Chapter Fifty

Chapter Fifty-one

Chapter Fifty-two

Chapter Fifty-three

Chapter Fifty-four

Chapter Fifty-five

Chapter Fifty-six

Chapter Fifty-seven

Chapter Fifty-eight

Chapter Fifty-nine

Chapter Sixty

Chapter Sixty-one

Chapter Sixty-two

Chapter Sixty-three

Chapter Sixty-four

Chapter One

Gregory groaned as he sat up, rubbing at his eyes to remove the gunk from them. Getting to his feet slowly, he nearly stumbled, but retained his feet as he went to dress. He’d started to put on his novice kimono before he remembered it was his day off after the tournament. Pulling on one of his other sets of clothes, he took one of the aether-refining pills from Alvis Alchemy.

Need to wake Yuki, he thought as he made his way toward the door. Supposed to ask Dia about leaving the academy during the week... Something else was at the back of his mind, but he couldn’t recall it in his sleep-addled condition. Write a letter home today, give it to Steva to have their son take there. Brow furrowing as he reached the door, he tried to pull whatever was nagging him to his thoughts. Rafiq should have the money Yuki bet on us… but that’s not it, either... Hand on his door, Gregory blinked slowly as the fog of sleep began to slowly pull back from his memory.

Welcome home, Aether… welcome home. Darkness’ words came back to him like a hammer to the face.

Frozen in place as the dream flooded his mind, Gregory started to hyperventilate as everything he’d been told replayed for him. Aether reborn? That’s crazy... yet Darkness wouldn’t joke like that to me. It would explain why we could walk all three paths. Does that mean I can extend that to others?

A soft knock on his door snapped him back to reality. “Greg, are you awake?” Yukiko asked from the other side of his door.

Opening it, Gregory saw her standing there. Yukiko looked as tired as he felt, but she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, even with the dark circles under her eyes. Her smile matched his own as they just gazed at each other in silence for a moment.

“Morning, Yuki,” Gregory said softly. “We need to talk. I had a dream last night.”

Yukiko’s smile vanished as she became serious. “Here?”

Gregory stepped aside, letting her into his room. Once he closed the door, the two of them took a seat at the small table. “Here is probably best, honestly. Darkness talked to me again.” Gregory pulled his medallion from inside his clothing, showing her that the seventh circle was now illuminated.

Yukiko fished hers out and blinked, not having noticed it was also on the seventh circle. “Oh, I missed that this morning.”

“She told me things you should know, too,” Gregory said. “My magic is twofold… one is from my mother’s bloodline. That’s the part that lets me see possible futures. I can try to actively use it, but it’s draining. The other part is... that I’m apparently a reborn soul.”

“I’m not surprised by that,” Yukiko said softly, covering his hand with hers. “Did she tell you what the magic is? And is she really called ‘Darkness’?”

“She won’t tell me her name yet, and I can’t make her. She told me to call her what I wanted, so Darkness is her name until she tells me otherwise.”

“Okay,” Yukiko’s amusement was easy to hear. “Hello, Darkness.”

“As for my magic from being a reborn soul… uh… well, this is the weird part. She says I’m Aether reborn.”

Yukiko’s smile widened as she waited for him to laugh, but when he just looked at her seriously, her smile slipped. “You’re serious?”

“Yes.”

“Oh…” Yukiko’s hand squeezed his. “Then the reason we can use all the paths…?”

“Is because of me. My wanting you to be my equal somehow extended it to you. It also explains the strings of aether I see sometimes. It’s because my magic is to touch the raw aether of the world. She hinted that I’d be able to alter, change, or even stop it from being used by others.”

Yukiko stared at him, her cyan eyes focused on his face. “We need to keep this as secret as we can.” Her words were barely audible. “If that’s true, you’ll be a threat to grandmasters, sages, and even the emperor.”

Gregory swallowed, as he hadn’t thought that far ahead. “You’re right. We need to keep this just between us. Not even our families can be told.”

“I’ll keep my heart safe,” Yukiko said, squeezing his hand again.

Gregory smiled. “I’ll do my best to keep you safe, as well.”

“We have things to get done today,” Yukiko said softly. “We need to speak with Dia first.”

“Yes,” Gregory said, standing and making his way to the door again.

“I hope that there aren’t any clan emissaries waiting for us downstairs,” Yukiko sighed as she got up to follow him, “but with us being the top two from the tournament, the chance of that is pretty low.”

Gregory stopped just short of the door, turning to face her. “Before we go...” He put his arms around her and pulled her in for a kiss.

Yukiko returned the embrace and kiss with a happy sound. As the kiss lingered, she pressed against him.

Gregory was breathing a little faster when he stepped away. “Darkness also said she can do as you asked, but it won’t be often, because it greatly taxes her.”

Leaning her head against his chest, she breathed deeply. “Thank you, Darkness. It doesn’t have to be right away, even if that’s what I want. Just the chance of it is enough for right now.”

Kissing the top of her head, Gregory smiled. “I like the idea of stealing a kiss first thing in the morning, too.”

“Yes,” Yukiko agreed.

They separated after another few seconds. Gregory opened the door, leaving the room first, looking both ways as he went. Making it down to the first floor, they traded their slippers for shoes and exited the dormitory.

“Morning to you both,” Dia said, exhaling a smoke ring. “Congratulations on your betrothal.”

The new couple turned and bowed to her. “Thank you, Keeper,” Gregory said.

“We’re grateful to you, Keeper, and our thanks for allowing your staff to attend as they did. They’ll be welcome to the wedding, as well.”

Dia smiled. “They were excited when they returned last night. I’m sure that many of them would like to attend when that day comes. When might it be?”

“After the second tournament,” Yukiko replied.

“Ah. Depending on exactly when that is and if you’re still staying inside the dorm, I might be able to attend, if the invitation is still open.”

“It is,” Gregory said, beating Yukiko to it.

“Very well. I look forward to hearing when the date is set for.”

“We did have a question for you,” Yukiko said, changing the topic. “Are novices allowed to leave the grounds during the week?”

Dia shook her head. “No. Even with your classes considered passed, that isn’t allowed. The only day novices can leave the grounds is on their day off.”

Yukiko and Gregory shared a glance, both of them wondering what that would mean for them.

“If you were part of a clan, you’d be free to have the trainers there teach you, since you wouldn’t need to attend the classes,” Dia said, exhaling a large smoke ring, then blowing a smaller one through it. “Though you both seem to be avoiding them.”

“What does it take to make a clan?” Yukiko asked.

“I don’t know. The archive should have that answer for you, however.”

“Thank you,” Gregory said. “We’ll be scarce until the curfew.”

“I’ll let the clans know you aren’t due back until then. You’re permitted to use the back stairs to avoid them.”

“Thank you for moving our shoes to the front for us,” Yukiko said, not having thought about it until that moment.

“You’re welcome. Don’t let me detain you from your routine,” Dia smiled.

“Thank you, Keeper,” they said before heading away.

As they walked toward the mess hall, Gregory glanced at Yukiko. “Yuki, I’ve been meaning to tell you about Nick.”

“What about him?”

“Before the final eight, he tried to convince me once more to join the Eternal Flame and bring you with me. He suggested a drug that’d make you susceptible to suggestion and having a magus on hand to servant-brand you.”

Yukiko’s lips thinned. “I thought I already had a low opinion of him... I was wrong. It was able to go lower.”

“I wanted you to know so you’re careful around any drinks,” Gregory said.

“Thank you, dear one,” Yukiko smiled. “I’m always wary of drinks and food. After all, people do many different things to try getting the best deal from merchants. I’ve even built up a resistance to some of the more usual drugs of that kind.”

“You have?” Gregory asked in surprise.

“Yes. It was just something that seemed prudent when I was going to follow in my father’s footsteps.”

“Oh, right.”

Entering the mess hall, the duo waved back to the cooks, who looked exhausted. “Morning to you all,” Gregory said when they got to the serving area. “I hope you enjoyed dinner.”

“Thank you for having us,” Velma smiled. “It was worth the lack of sleep.”

“Will you have the letter tomorrow?” Steva asked Gregory.

“Yes. I’ll bring it with me tomorrow morning.”

“I won’t accept any money with it,” Steva said. “We’ve already made so much from the tournament.”

Gregory sighed, “I’ll feel bad.”

“I’d feel bad for taking it,” Steva said adamantly.

“I’m not going to fight it,” Gregory said. “Thank you, and your son.”

“Thank you,” Steva smiled.

“You’re seventh rank already?” Velma asked in surprise after Yukiko held out her medallion to be checked for her food.

The other cooks all looked over in surprise, too.

“So am I,” Gregory said, holding out his medallion to her. “Can we get our snacks, too? We’re going to be off the grounds most of the day.”

Velma quickly hovered her hand over both medallions before rushing off. “Of course.”

“Thank you,” Yukiko smiled. “When we set a firm date for the wedding, we’ll let you know.”

The cooks all bowed to her. “We’re honored,” they said together.

“We’re thankful that you came,” Gregory said.

“Enjoy the meal,” Zenim said.

“We always do,” Yukiko smiled.

~*~*~

Arriving at the archive after breakfast, they were surprised to find Rafiq on duty. “Morning to you both,” Rafiq greeted them.

“Morning to you, too,” Gregory replied.

“Before you go study, I have this for you.” Rafiq pulled a pouch from his desk and held it out to Yukiko. “Your winnings.”

Yukiko took the pouch. “Thank you for betting for me.”

“Many novices do similarly if they feel they can trust the one betting for them,” Rafiq grinned. “I hear that Shun and his friend lost a good amount of vela during the final four matches.”

Yukiko touched her short hair with a pained expression. “It was a near thing.”

“Twice,” Gregory added.

“Yes, I heard about that, as well,” Rafiq said somberly. “I’m glad to see you’re both alright.”

“I have a question, Rafiq,” Gregory said, remembering one from the other day. “Why do the tournament winners need an honor guard to the arena?”

Rafiq shook his head. “Because some people are sore losers.”

“They’d really attack before awards are given out?” Gregory asked.

“Yes. If the winner is no longer alive, then the next place winner is moved up to take their place.”

“I hadn’t even considered that,” Gregory said.

“I had hoped it was for different reasons,” Yukiko sighed. “Sadly, it looks like I was right.”

“You’ll need to be especially aware of your surroundings,” Rafiq said. “Without the backing of a clan, it’ll be tougher for you.”

“We’ll be careful,” Gregory said.

“Did you wish for the scrolls you’d been reading?”

“I’d like to look at anything on meditation during tea ceremonies,” Yukiko said. “Anything that talks about the meditative trance, specifically.”

Rafiq bowed his head. “I’ll have something brought to you.”

“I’d like to see what it takes to create a clan.”

Rafiq blinked for a moment. “I can get you the laws for the creation of such, but I do not think it’d do you much good. For a clan to be recognized as legitimate, it requires other clans to back them.”

“Well, that’s a problem,” Gregory sighed.

“Do you still want to see the books? Or would you rather something else?”

“I’ll continue with the scroll I was working on,” Gregory said.

“Very well. I’ll have them brought out,” Rafiq replied. “Please enjoy your time of study.”

“We will,” Yukiko smiled as the pair headed for the table they had come to think of as theirs.

Chapter Two

When the seventh bell rang, they stopped reading and gathered their things. Wishing Rafiq a good day, they left the archive behind and made their way to the gate. Crossing the grounds, they noted the other novices, most with bags on their shoulders.

“Moving day,” Gregory said.

“Yes. The dormitory will be quieter after tonight.”

“Mostly quiet. There will likely be clan representatives waiting for us.”

“That’s true, but maybe they’ll take rejection easily?”

Gregory snorted, “Unlikely.”

“True.”

“Pettit, do you have a moment?” someone called out to them.

Looking around, they spotted Jenn Bean jogging their way.

“What can I do for you?” Gregory asked.

“I was curious if you’d chosen a clan yet.”

“We have not,” Yukiko replied. “You’re joining the Iron Hand, aren’t you?”

“They have approached me,” Jenn said, “but I haven’t joined them yet. Did they approach both of you?”

“We’ve talked,” Gregory said. “I’m not sure it’s the right fit for us, though.”

“Too martial,” Yukiko clarified.

“That’s amusing, coming from the top two finishers in the tournament,” Jenn laughed.

“We were almost knocked out a couple of times,” Gregory reminded Jenn. “You could easily have been against Jason in my place.”

“Almost doesn’t count. It’s true, but I would’ve lost badly, considering that barrage of fire he had as a trump card.”

“Yeah, that was not fun,” Gregory winced.

“Yet you managed to dodge it...” Jenn said, staring at Gregory intently. “You were moving before the next flame came your way. It was amazing to watch.”

Yukiko smiled. “Gregory is special.”

Jenn, hearing the underlying message, took a small step back. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“That’s good; he’s already mine,” Yukiko said plainly. “We had our betrothal dinner last night.”

Jenn’s lips twitched down before they went back to neutral. “Congratulations to you both. You’re both trying to join the same clan then, right?”

“That’s our goal,” Gregory admitted. He glanced at Yukiko, having missed the subtext before her declaration of the betrothal. “It would be difficult for us to be split up by clans.”

Jenn nodded slowly. “That’s a very good point. I’m sure that everyone but the Eternal Flame will be eager to recruit you both. I need to get going, but I look forward to seeing you at physical conditioning. You aren’t dropping that class at least, are you?”

“It’s unlikely,” Gregory said, “though it’ll depend on a number of things.”

“It’s the one class that most clans still push their novices to attend,” Jenn said. “Anyway, sorry for stopping you. See you later.” With that, she spun and jogged away.

Gregory watched her go with a thoughtful expression. “She’s a good fighter. If she joined us in a clan, it would make the apprentice tournaments easier.”

“It would, as long as she understands that you’re already spoken for.”

Gregory gave Yukiko a smile. “My heart already beats inside you.”

Yukiko’s expression melted and her cheeks heated. “Thank you, dear one. I know you hold mine, but hearing that I hold yours equally makes me happy.”

“We’d better hurry or we’ll be late,” Gregory said. “Gin won’t be pleased with us if we are.”

“You’re right,” Yukiko agreed.

~*~*~

“You’re barely going to be on time,” Indara said as she let them in. “Hurry.”

The pair were changed and kneeling in the training room just as the eighth bell struck the hour.

“I was wondering if you two would come today,” Gin said. “It’s good to see that your winning hasn’t gone to your head. However, considering your injuries, we’ll be going light today. Yu, how’s your eye?”

“Better, but still a little fuzzy.”

“Inda, take Yu and train her on magic today.”

“Yes, Master. Follow me, Yukiko.”

Yukiko rose to her feet gracefully and followed Inda from the room, leaving the men alone. Gregory watched her go, worry marring his features.

“She’ll be fine,” Gin said. “She wouldn’t downplay her injury to me or you.”

Nodding, Gregory looked back at Gin. “I know, but I still worry about her eye.”

“We don’t have long, as we have lunch with Yu’s parents today. I’m going to drill you on counters. Your leg is fine?”

“It hasn’t bothered me at all,” Gregory said.

“Good. Let’s begin.”

~*~*~

Washing the sweat off, Gregory was glad for the healing ring that sped his recovery. If not for that, he’d be badly hurt in a few spots instead of minorly bruised. Glancing at Gin, he had to wonder how dangerous being a trader’s guard was, considering how heavily scarred the man was.

“Did you find out if I’d be able to train you more than a single day a week?” Gin asked as he poured water over his head.

“We’re unable to leave the grounds except on our day off.”

“A pity. It would greatly accelerate your training if you weren’t constrained that way. You’ll have trouble keeping up with the major clans in the next tournament.”

“Because their novices will be getting personal training?”

“Yes, but also because they’ll be focused on making sure you don’t repeat your success. The Eternal Flame, especially— they lost a lot of face during the tournament. Not only did their chosen favorites lose to you, but their apprentices also lost to Han.” Grabbing a towel, Gin looked thoughtful. “They’ll be more aggressive than they otherwise would be because of that.”

“And with no clan, we’ll have nothing to help blunt their aggression.”

“That’s correct. You lack a shield.”

“Going without one will invite them to be even more aggressive,” Gregory murmured.

“Yes.”

“I’ll talk with Yuki. We might have to join a clan, after all... Making one requires being backed by the other clans, from what we’ve been told, and I doubt we’d get that backing.”

“You might be able to get it, but it would cost you more than should be paid.”

Gregory set the towel aside and began to dress. “That leaves us in a precarious place.”

“That’s my assessment.”

Gregory thought over their options in silence as he dressed. Following Gin out of the room, they met Inda and Yukiko in the front room. Yukiko looked thoughtful as well, so neither of them spoke, merely following Gin and Inda as they left.

~*~*~

Entering Stabled Hunger, the group had to pause. None of them expected the place to be full near to bursting. The applause, whistles, and cheers took both Gregory and Yukiko by surprise.

“Settle down!” Ramon shouted over the din. “Don’t be bothering my customers.”

The noise died down, but a full-blooded wolf eurtik stepped forward. “We just wanted to congratulate you both.”

“Thank you,” Gregory said awkwardly. “We just did our best, is all.”

“Yes, but you did it and cost the Eternal Flame face,” the eurtik grinned. “That makes it even better.”

“My daughter at the academy says you’re the most studious novices,” a woman with a mouse’s ears and tail said from her seat. “You always go to the archive to study.”

Yukiko gave the woman a smile. “Your daughter works in the archive?”

“She does. Not that she can say much and I rarely see her, but she’s told me of you two. Friendly, caring, respectful, and with a thirst to learn as much as you can. That’s what she’s said.”

“I think I know who she is,” Gregory said, recalling the woman with large teeth that had brought them scrolls in the past. “She’s been very helpful.”

The mother beamed. “All she wants to do is learn as much as she can.”

“Knowledge is power,” Yukiko replied.

“I hate to ruin the moment,” Gin said kindly, “but the young miss’ parents are waiting for her.”

“We apologize,” the wolf eurtik said, stepping back. “We’ll be rooting for you in the second tournament.”

A round of agreement went through the patrons, including the Warlin guards, who had been ready to help if things had gone badly. With the moment over, the group passed through the room and into the hall. Conversations sprang up behind them as they left.

Gin knocked on the private dining room door before opening it. “Excuse us for being delayed.”

Hao chuckled, “We figured it was you when we heard the commotion.”

Yoo-jin gave the two novices appraising looks. “Kept your routine?”

“We woke up like normal,” Yukiko replied. “Well, a little later than normal, but it didn’t deter us.”

“We’ll probably go to sleep early tonight,” Gregory admitted. “Since curfew is back in place now, it’ll make it easier to comply.”

“That explains why the buyer asked for the meeting to be moved up to a few hours from now,” Hao said. “I was asked to bring both of you with me.”

Yukiko and Gregory exchanged a look. “Do you know who the buyer is?” Yukiko asked.

“Only that Hemet set it up,” Hao admitted. “I doubt they intend harm, but we’ll have the guards nearby, just in case.”

“Inda and I can come with if you would like, Hao.”

“Thank you, Gin. Considering the unknown quality, I would prefer to have you on hand. The person buying the box has to be at least a grandmaster, but might be an elder.”

“Think they just wish to congratulate us and possibly try to sell us on their clan?” Yukiko asked.

“Very likely.”

“Hemet did tell me they aren’t with the Eternal Flame, at least,” Hao chuckled.

A soft knock stopped any reply. Nessa, the daughter of the owner, came in with a tray of glasses and two pitchers. “Pardon me. I have the juice and wine for you.” She was quick to serve them, leaving the pitchers on the table. “If you’re ready, I’ll bring the food out.”

“We are,” Yoo-jin smiled. “Thank you, Nessa.”

Nessa ducked her head before leaving the room.

“You were right about him being circumspect. Hemet, that is,” Hao said as he picked up his glass. “He’ll be a good contact to have.”

“Oh,” Yukiko smiled as she drew her medallion out of her kimono, “we reached another rank already.”

Hao laughed, “You two are going to shake them up... I wonder what the record is for anyone reaching apprentice before you two?”

“I’m assuming that no one else has done so yet?” Yoo-jin asked.

“Not that we know. Nick and a few others were at sixth during the tournament,” Yukiko replied.

“That will twist them even further,” Gin said. “Everything will push them a little more, making it more likely they target you harder.”

“Without a clan, it’ll be very harsh,” Yukiko agreed. “Unfortunately, forming a clan is impossible without backing from the others… that explains why all the smaller clans started as offshoots of the major ones.”

“Hmm. Joining a small clan won’t deter them much at all, either,” Yoo-jin said, “which leaves only the intermediate and major clans.”

“None of which appeals to us much,” Yukiko said.

“‘Hard paths make the best magi,’” Gregory said. “That’s what Proctor Bishop told me when she brought me here. She did add ‘if they survive’ to it, though. With Yuki at my side, I think it’ll be tough, but we’ll survive.”

Yukiko gave his hand a squeeze. “We’ll survive.”

A knock on the door stopped them from saying more. Nessa brought their food in on a cart and, serving them all, she checked if they needed anything more before leaving them to eat.

Gregory smiled when he noticed the spiker fruit with the meal. It reminded him of his first time eating with Yukiko. Glancing at her, he found her looking back at him with a knowing smile.

“Spiker fruit… reminds me of our first date,” Yoo-jin said, smiling at Hao.

That statement got the attention of both novices. “How so, Mother?” Yukiko asked.

“The first time we went out to eat alone, Hao arranged for a private table at a local inn. The meal featured spiker fruit on the side and was used as the main part of the glaze on the fowl.”

Hao chuckled, “It’s always been a favorite of mine since then. It reminds me of that day, too.”

Gregory and Yukiko shared an amused glance before they cut into the spiker-glazed boar. Neither of them said anything, but both of them laughed on the inside that they’d inadvertently copied her parents.

~*~*~

Since they had time to kill before the meeting with the mysterious buyer, Gregory and Yukiko got some training in. Lin had the guards stationed to keep people away from the yard for them.

Gregory examined his aether cavern while continuing his slow martial exercises. The channels in the walls were slowly getting deeper and wider. His aether flame wasn’t growing or shrinking, but did appear to be getting denser and hotter. While he worked, Gregory tried to add in the mind path, doing mathematical calculations in his head.

Lin’s voice brought him out of his meditation, “Almost time to go.”

Ending his exercise, he was pulled from his aether cavern. Yukiko was smiling as she finished her meditation.

“I think it’ll work, or it won’t hurt,” Yukiko said. “I was able to do a Magi Square while staying in form.”

“I didn’t go that far,” Gregory replied. “I was just doing equations.”

“The carriage is coming around back,” Lin said. “Your parents should be here in a moment.”

“We know where we’re going?” Yukiko asked.

“Sakura-ji,” Lin replied.

Yukiko’s eyebrows went up. “Interesting.”

“What’s that?” Gregory asked.

“There are two of them in the empire, and they carry the same name,” Yukiko explained. “They’re places for exceptional food and drinks that are found nowhere else. It’s said that if you have to question if you can afford the place, you cannot. The buyer must be an elder or a sage.”

“That was my thought, as well, Yu,” Hao said as he came out the back door with Yoo-jin. “We were informed just about five minutes ago. Are you ready to go?”

Yukiko took a deep breath. “I didn’t think we’d go there short of graduation.”

Gregory felt nervous. With the way Yukiko and her parents were acting, he knew he would never even get to see a place like that if not for them. His nerves faded the moment Yukiko took his hand and gave him a soft smile.

“Just copy one of us if you’re unsure,” Yukiko told him. “I’m glad we’d been having you practice with chopsticks since the start of the year. I believe that’s the only cutlery they offer.”

“It is,” Yoo-jin said, the silk-covered box in her hands.

“You’ve been?” Yukiko asked.

“No, but we’ve always wanted to go,” Yoo-jin said.

“Today, we will get to do so,” Hao smiled.

Conversation was cut off while the carriage pulled up to the gate. As they left the inn behind, Gregory asked about Gin.

“He’s coming in his carriage,” Hao replied, “and he’s bringing a couple of the men with him. It’ll be secure, but Inda will have to stay with the carriage.”

“They don’t allow those with obvious traits of eurtik into Sakura-ji,” Yoo-jin said with a bit of tightness.

Yukiko frowned. “What of me, Mother?”

“Obvious,” she repeated. “If you had ears like Inda, they wouldn’t let you in.”

Yukiko looked unhappy, but nodded. “I see... I’m just human enough.”

“I still can’t get used to the discrimination,” Gregory muttered.

“You don’t have to like it, but you’ll get used to it,” Hao said. “We have. Don’t let it be a tripping point for you… fringer.”

Gregory took a slow breath. “Your point is made, Father.”

Hao gave him a tight smile. “Yu’s first year in school was hard for her. It was also hard for us, dealing with the bigotry and slights. You learn to let them slide off, but it doesn’t stop you from keeping track. I’ve made sure that everyone who hurt my daughter or wife paid for it.”

Yoo-jin took Hao’s hand. “Repeatedly. It might have taken time, but every slight was repaid at least threefold.”

Yukiko’s eyes glittered. “I still recall Isola’s tears when she learned that her father had lost everything. I smile every time I think about it.”

Gregory took Yukiko’s hand. “Ignore, remember, and then repay. I’ll do my best.”

“I know, dear one,” Yukiko said softly. “It does hurt. It’s a small hurt, but with my heart beside me, the pain fades quickly.”

Chapter Three

Arriving at Sakura-ji, Gregory did his best to not gawk. The building outdid the auction house for sheer wealth on display. The bas-relief on the walls showed life-like cherry trees. The outer columns were the same lava stone as the Eternal Flame manor, and were currently lit up. The warm lighting pulsed in such a way that the trees looked like they were swaying in a gentle breeze.

“So much wealth...” Gregory murmured.

“Both places are owned by the Sakura family,” Hao said. “The family is as wealthy as some clans. It’s said the cooks are members of the family, but I don’t know if that’s true.”

“Which makes one wonder where they learned. The majority of their menu is aether-infused,” Yoo-jin said, again transporting the silk-covered box for them.

Gin’s carriage pulled up and he climbed out. Walking in a stately manner, he came even with the group. “I am your guard for the duration of this evening, Hao.”

“That’s the best way, old friend. My apologies that you won’t be enjoying the food.”

“It’s a shame, but you and your family were invited, not me. However, bringing a single guard would be allowable. I am fine with the sacrifice to make sure things go smoothly.”

“We’ll find a way to thank you properly,” Yoo-jin said.

“Knowing I can help is payment enough,” Gin said softly. “You must not keep your buyer waiting.”

“Very well,” Hao said as he brushed at his outfit.

Following Hao into the building, Gregory knew he was failing at being impassive, but he made sure not to stare. Small cherry trees dominated the front room. The rest of the interior was done in cherry wood, and had golden lanterns illuminating the room.

“Welcome to Sakura-ji,” a beautiful woman said, coming forward to greet them. “Who is the room held for?”

“Warlin,” Hao said.

“Of course. The other guest is already here. Please, follow me.”

The short-sleeved, long, red dress hugged the hostess’ curves tightly. Gregory’s mind drifted briefly to what Yukiko would look like in that red dress before he pushed the thought aside. The gold filigree decorated it with images of cherry trees.

They were led down a hallway, decorated with more of the small cherry trees and paintings of cherry trees in bloom. They really do love these trees, Gregory thought idly as they went up four stories to the top floor.

Stopping in front of a set of double doors, the hostess rang a bell and paused for a few seconds before opening one. The room inside was as richly appointed as the rest of the building. The golden lanterns cast a warm glow in the room that the cherry wood seemed to absorb.

The only person in the room was an old man. His head was bald, marked with liver spots and scars. His mustache and goatee were long, thin, and as pale as Yukiko’s hair. The lavender kimono he wore looked pristine, denoting his status as an elder magi. His eyes are what Gregory noticed most— they were a rich blue and shined with power.

“It’s good to meet you, Warlin,” the man spoke. His voice was worn and aged, much like the rest of him. “I am Elder Lightshield.”

All five of them bowed to the magi. “Elder, it’s an honor to meet you,” Hao said politely.

“Please, come in and sit. We have time before the meal is served,” Lightshield said. “The white pitcher is diluted wine for the magi, and the black is undiluted for the others. You may join us as well, Gin Watashi.”

Gin’s eyebrow rose. “You know me, Elder?”

“I looked into who I was dealing with. It would be a shame if you are here and unable to sample the wonders of the food.”

Gregory caught sight of a sigil on the elder’s kimono, and his breath caught as he recognized it; a shield engulfed in aether flame. “Honored elder, are you with Aether’s Guard?”

Lightshield’s lips twitched. “Perceptive, young novice. Not many of the youth know our emblem.”

“I’ve read a lot on the clans. Yours was the third of the original great clans.”

“Yes,” Lightshield’s tone shifted to melancholy. “We were, back in my great-grandfather’s day. Sage Lionel Lighthand was a man who did everything he could for the empire... but that takes us away from the reason for your meeting with me today. Please, sit.”

The table was set for six people. Hao and Yoo-jin took the seats to the right of Lightshield, while Gregory and Yukiko took the ones to his left. Gin sat at the foot of the table.

“Did you wish to conduct business first?” Hao asked.

“It’s for the best,” Lightshield smiled. “I’ve heard what you’ve paid for the box. If I may examine it before we go further?”

Yoo-jin uncovered the box and slid it over to Lightshield. “It’s a remarkably well-crafted piece, considering its supposed age.”

Lightshield didn’t reply, instead intently focused on the box. Sliding it closer, he took his time examining each side of it. When he found the indent for the lock, he nodded before continuing his investigation.

“It predates the eurtik empire,” Lightshield said when he finished his examination. “If any of the sages had known it was going to be for sale, they would have been here to purchase it. I will purchase it from you, if your price is agreeable.”

“It cost me five million vela,” Hao said.

“Yes, and trouble with the Eternal Flame, as well,” Lightshield nodded. “Though considering the tournament, that would have happened regardless.” Lightshield looked at the novices. “Well done to the both of you for finishing in the top two spots.”

“Thank you, sir,” Gregory said.

“We are honored, Elder,” Yukiko added.

“What are you asking for it?” Lightshield asked Hao.

“I would at least like to make back what I paid, if possible,” Hao replied.

“As any merchant would. Would you say that this box is exactly the same as the moment you purchased it?”

Hao hesitated before shaking his head. “Not exactly the same, no.”

“Honesty from a merchant? The world never ceases to provide wonders,” Lightshield chuckled. “I won’t ask any more questions if you sell it to me for four million vela.”

“In the spirit of the offer, I accept,” Hao said.

Lightshield pulled a bond from his belt pouch, filled it out, sealed it with his blood, and passed it to Hao. “A successful business deal, concluded.”

Hao nodded as he gave the bond to Yoo-jin. He took the silk from her in return and covered the box. “The silk goes with the box.”

“I won’t turn it down,” Lightshield replied. “Now that business is over...” He reached over and pulled on the cord beside him. “Let’s start the meal.”

Gregory realized he’d never poured himself a drink and did so. He filled Yukiko’s mug along with his own, earning a smile from her in return. Taking a sip, he was surprised at the flavor— it defied his attempt to put it into words. A second later, he felt his aether flare for a heartbeat.

Lightshield smiled. “Gets your attention, doesn’t it?”

“Why did it do that?” Gregory asked.

“The aging process for each wine is handled in different barrels, and that’s what makes the difference. The barrel for magi is infused with powdered core. It gives it that kick, but also mellows the potency of the alcohol. It takes an alchemical magi who is knowledgeable in vinification to even be able to make it.”

“This is one of the best wines I’ve ever tasted,” Hao said after a sip of his.

“I would be surprised if it wasn’t,” Lightshield replied.

A soft bell chimed and, after a couple of seconds, the door opened. A group of three people came in with a cart and swiftly served the group before retreating silently.

“I do hope you’ll enjoy it,” Lightshield said as he picked up his chopsticks.

Gregory looked at the thinly sliced fish rolled into bite-sized portions. Picking up his chopsticks a little awkwardly, he surreptitiously watched the others. Yukiko deftly plucked one of the three bites up, holding it parallel to the floor the entire time. Making sure he copied her, he was able to get the first piece into his mouth.

It was fish— very fresh fish. He was surprised at the small round things that he hadn’t seen inside the fish wrap. They exploded when he bit down and a new flavor flooded his mouth. It was slightly salty, and carried a different flavor of fish with it. The shocking part was that the moment he swallowed, his aether flared high for a half-second. Sitting there in surprise, Gregory set his chopsticks across his plate while he waited for his aether to adjust.

“They aren’t used to preparing food for novices,” Lightshield said. “Take your time. There are hours before you must return to the academy.”

“Thank you, sir,” Yukiko said. “This is koi, isn’t it?”

“The roe inside of them is. The fish is regular salmon for you. If you were an adept, then the fish would be koi.”

“It’s delicious,” Gregory said.

“We have just the salmon, correct?” Yoo-jin asked.

“Yes. Freshly caught this morning and prepared shortly before now.”

“It’s very good,” Hao said.

The second course was steamed salmon served on rice and wrapped in nori. Gregory had never had sushi before, but he loved every bite. The next course was another complete surprise to Gregory. The tray had three bowls with a black liquid in them, and each bowl had a single type of finely sliced food; vegetables, pork, and small blocks of a white cheese-like substance.

The sauce was salty and sweet, with a lingering light bitterness. It mingled well with both the pork and vegetables, which turned out to be radish and carrot. Gregory was undecided on the unknown, faintly bean-flavored white stuff.

“You don’t care for the soy sauce or tofu?” Lightshield asked.

“The soy sauce is very good, but I’m uncertain about the tofu. I think ‘ambivalent’ would be a better word. I neither hate nor love it.”

The next part of the meal was an unfamiliar type of salad. Cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and spiker fruit made up the bulk of it, but the reddish-colored dressing made Gregory slow to sample it. Hearing Yukiko’s happiness as she sampled it, he followed her lead. The flavor of the vegetables and the sweet-yet-sour dressing complimented each other.

“I hope your aether has settled. You will need to take the next course very slowly,” Lightshield warned them.

Gregory was surprised when the servers came in with the fish still being cooked on the cart. The aroma of fish being grilled over the small grill almost made Gregory start drooling. Each person was served a few ounces of meat, along with a large spoonful of rice. The chopsticks easily separated a small sliver of the fish from his plate and he sampled it.

Blinking as his forehead beaded up with sweat, Gregory quickly took a bite of rice. Chewing slowly, he was glad the rice had been served with this. Yukiko had done the same thing he had, using the rice to dampen the flare-up of aether the fish had induced.

“The ingredients used are excellent, and the cook is the most skilled I’ve ever had cook for me,” Yoo-jin said after sampling hers.

“Of course. They’re the best cooks outside of the Imperial Palace,” Lightshield said.

A fairly simple dish of radish and cucumber in a light vinegar followed the grilled fish. Gregory was glad for it, as that gave time for his aether to settle down.

The course that followed was plain-looking white rice balls with bits of pickled plum mixed in. Gregory smiled as he picked up his first bite. He’d grown fond of pickled plums since he’d first had them, and enjoyed the flavor as he chewed. His aether crackled when he swallowed the first bite, making Gregory frown.

“Purity plums,” Lightshield said, seeing his expression. “They cleanse your aether of any impurities that it might have. Don’t be alarmed later tonight; it’s just a side effect of the plums.”

“Those are highly valuable. I’m shocked to see them in rice. Ours are, of course, different,” Hao said.

“Certainly. Purity plums would be useless to someone who doesn’t have aether.”

Gregory wondered what side effects Lightshield alluded to, but opted to not ask.

Once the rice balls were finished, the servants brought in small lidded bowls. Gregory smiled, knowing it was the same miso soup he’d had at the academy. At least, he’d thought so, until he tasted it. The difference in flavor was staggering and Gregory paused, wondering if he’d ever be able to enjoy the soup at the academy again.

Almost stuffed to bursting, Gregory sighed happily, echoed by Yukiko.

“There is one last course,” Lightshield chuckled, “if you can handle it.”

“I’m not sure,” Yukiko said softly. “As long as it’s not too large, it should be fine.”

The servers were back a moment later with the dessert. Yukiko’s eyes went wide when she saw what was being served. Gregory wasn’t sure what it was, but was willing to try it.

“Anmitsu?” Yoo-jin asked. “Goodness, we’ve only had it once or twice ourselves.”

“This is Sakura-ji anmitsu,” Lightshield replied.

Yukiko picked up the small pot of black liquid that came with the dish and poured it over the bowl she’d been served. Gregory copied her, coating the sweet bean paste and the fruits with the syrup. He was glad that the bowl had come with a spoon once he finished coating it.

Yukiko let out a soft sound of happiness as she savored her first bite. Gregory glanced at her before he followed her lead, using the spoon to get some of the paste, syrup, and a bite of spiker fruit onto his spoon.

The sweet flavor topped any other dessert he’d ever had in his life. None of the flavors clashed— the spiker fruit mellowed the sweetness of the syrup, which in turn, accentuated the sweet bean paste.

Before he knew it, Gregory had finished and felt absolutely full. His aether was burning higher, but not uncomfortably so. There were small crackles and pops as he sat there.

“My goodness, the time here will never be beaten,” Hao sighed happily.

“It’s a guilty pleasure to indulge in the food here,” Lightshield said.

The servants were back with pots of tea and bitter bean. Gregory felt his lethargy climbing higher, and took some bitter bean drink. Yukiko thanked him when he poured for her, as well. Adding butter and sugar to their drinks, the couple shared a smile.

“With business done and the meal over, it’s time for me to address one last thing,” Lightshield said. Seeing Yukiko and Gregory tense, he chuckled. “I would be remiss if I didn’t offer you both the chance to join the clan.”

“Elder, what would your clan offer?” Yukiko asked.

“Freedom,” Lightshield said softly, locking eyes with Gregory. “Aether’s Guard was established to be what its namesake says. We have only a handful of magi still with the clan, and those who are still deeply believe in the clan’s original intent. One of them is known to you, Novice Pettit.”

“Proctor Bishop?” Gregory said.

“Yes.”

“Proctor Harrison said you hadn’t been seen in twenty years,” Yukiko said.

“I’ve stayed well away from those who’d like to see the clan vanish for the last twenty years,” Lightshield replied. “As it is, I’ll be handing over the clan to a successor in another year or three.”

“With the other major clans upset at us, it might harm your clan to have us join it,” Gregory said, feeling a chill.

“Perhaps, but many clans owe us favors... favors we’ve collected over the many long years since the founding of the clan. Favors that can be called in.”

Gregory shivered as a myriad of visions hammered him in rapid succession, all of them diverging from this point in time. Most showed them joining Aether’s Guard, some didn’t. In every vision where they didn’t, Yukiko and him were separated when it came time for them to serve the empire. In most of the visions where they joined the clan, they stayed together.

Gregory swayed in his seat as the visions vanished. Yukiko grabbed him, staring at him with worry. “Greg?”

“Sorry, it’s passing,” Gregory replied.

Hao, Yoo-jin, and Gin all watched him with concern. Lightshield watched him with a carefully blank expression.

“Can you offer anything at all?” Gregory finally asked.

“Everything you require,” Lightshield said. “I can prepare a place on the academy grounds and staff it with trustworthy people. I can find you trainers if you need me to, but I believe you have the best physical trainer you’ll get. I will even make sure you have guards for the third year if you wish, or you can rely on others for that.”

Everyone looked back at Lightshield, shocked at how much the man was promising.

Gregory wasn’t, though. “Was it you who arranged for Bishop to patrol the fringe for the last twenty years?” he asked.

Lightshield bowed his head. “Yes.”

“Yuki,” Gregory said, turning to meet her gaze, “I think we should. It’ll make things difficult, but I think we should.”

“If it’s what my heart wishes, then I do, too,” Yukiko said softly.

“We will join Aether’s Guard,” Gregory said.

Lightshield’s smile widened and his eyes shined. “I am honored to have you both join us. You are the first novices to do so in many years. It will take me a week or less to arrange the housing for you.” Lightshield shifted his gaze to the other end of the table. “Gin, I wish to retain your services for my clan’s novices. What will you charge to shift your life from your current home to the academy for at least five years?”

Gin frowned, meeting the elder’s gaze for a moment. “At least five years?”

“Today marks the start of Aether’s Guard returning to its rightful place. Yukiko and Gregory are only the first novices. If you require, I can see about getting some others to assist you.”

“It would be what I gave up, training whole groups again. What demands would the clan put on me?”

“To train those who join the clan inside the academy. To assist them when they go on to train their own units. You will never be deployed by the clan unless you request it.”

“Very well. I will require my two assistants to come with me. My pay would need to be a hundred thousand vela a year. I have the right to end my employment with one month’s notice.”

“Hmm...” Lightshield murmured. “I can’t accept those terms. Your assistants are fine. Ending the employment with a month’s warning is acceptable, as well. Your pay, though, is not going to work. Two hundred thousand a year for you, and fifty for each of your personal assistants.”

Hao blinked. “That was the worst haggling I’ve ever seen.”

Lightshield didn’t reply as he waited for Gin to speak.

“I accept,” Gin said, a little shocked.

“Excellent. Warlin, it wasn’t a haggle. It’s me acknowledging the work he’ll have to undertake.”

“You think the clan will have so many new members?” Yoo-jin asked.

“Enough that the pay will be required.” Getting to his feet, Lightshield picked up the box he had bought earlier. He pushed it toward a small pouch on his hip and the box vanished, making Gregory stare. “I must go start on the deals to fulfill my end of this bargain. I’d suggest neither of you acknowledge you are part of a clan until everything is ready. Thank you for meeting with me.” Everyone stood, but Lightshield hadn’t waited for them— he was gone with only a light breeze announcing his departure.

“Why them?” Hao asked Gregory.

“Because they won’t split Yuki and I apart,” Gregory said. “He’ll do everything he can for us. I could see it in his eyes.”

“It’s done,” Gin said. “Things will change.”

“Thank you for agreeing,” Yukiko said to Gin. “I would be upset if you weren’t the one training us.”

“And have someone undo all my hard work?” Gin snorted.

Gregory yawned. Even the bitter bean hadn’t helped overcome his tiredness.

“Let’s get them back to the academy,” Yoo-jin said. “We should see about making sure that the guards they need are the best we can arrange. I believe that will be the best we can do. Lin has a lot of work ahead of him.”

“Yes,” Hao said, looking pensive, “we’ll start on that. Yu, are you sure?”

“My heart wishes it,” Yukiko replied.

“Very well,” Hao said. “Since this is the last time that we’ll see you until the next tournament, we’ll take you back.”

“I’ll start arranging for my small family to move,” Gin said as he led them to the door.

Chapter Four

Gregory woke with the bell. Dressing in his novice kimono, he was at the door just before Yukiko could knock. He gave her a smile and stepped aside for her. Yukiko’s eyes twinkled at him as she entered the room and shut the door behind her.

The moment the door was closed, the two of them were kissing. As much as they both would’ve loved to stay like that all morning, they knew they couldn’t. After a couple of minutes, they composed themselves and were making their way to leave the dormitory.

“Morning, Keeper,” they greeted Dia.

“Morning to you both,” Dia replied. “I doubt you’ll be able to sneak in much longer.”

“Yesterday did prove to be a challenge,” Yukiko agreed.

“Keeper, we won’t trouble you for much longer,” Gregory said, feeling the need to give her a hint.

Dia raised an eyebrow and exhaled a long stream of purple smoke. “Ah. Are you keeping it a secret?”

“Until things can be arranged.”

“Very well. I hope you’re prepared for what’s coming.”

“We’re as prepared as we can be,” Yukiko said.

“Are you going to classes?”

“Everything but history,” Yukiko said. “We don’t want to alienate Magus Han, aether introduction is informative and interesting enough that we don’t want to skip it, and as difficult as it may be, physical conditioning is necessary for us in the short term, at least.”

“All of which makes sense,” Dia nodded. “Don’t let me detain you. Having a routine is good, but be aware that if one has enemies, being predictable can lead to complications.”

Yukiko frowned, nodding slowly. “Sage advice. Our thanks, Keeper.”

Dia exhaled a smoke ring. “Advice? I was merely musing out loud.”

“Have a good day, Keeper,” Gregory said before they both bowed to her.

“You, as well, Novices.”

As they walked down the path toward the mess hall, Yukiko spoke up, “We didn’t get a chance to talk after meeting Lightshield. We both passed out when we got back here. Did you have a vision?”

“Yes. Like I said, joining Aether’s Guard is the most likely path to keep us together past the academy.”

“Thank you, dear one,” Yukiko smiled. “Did you write the letter to send home?”

“I managed it before I collapsed last night.”

“I have a letter to add to yours, if that’s okay?”

“You do?”

“It’s for your father,” Yukiko said softly.

“Okay. Mine is addressed to Gunnar, but he can get it to my father.”

“Why didn’t you write to your father?”

Gregory started to speak but stopped, taking a moment to think his words through. “I’m not sure how he’d take it... I’m hoping to get an answer from Gunnar first.”

“Afraid he still won’t accept you being here?”

“Yeah.”

Yukiko nodded and handed him her letter so he could give both to Steva. Folding them together so his was visible, Gregory put them into his pouch. Side by side, they finished their walk to the mess hall in silence.

The teachers were all having their breakfast when the two of them entered the building. Adept Thomas Marten gave them a sour look, clearly unhappy that they had left his class. Magus Marcia Han had a knowing look on her face. Magus Paul Erichson appraised both of them for a moment before turning back to his book. The only one of the four who appeared completely oblivious to them was Adept John Dunn, the teacher for aether introduction.

“Morning, Novices,” Ravol, the weasel eurtik cook, greeted them.

“Morning,” they echoed back.

“Looking forward to classes today?” the scaled eurtik, Zenim, asked.

“Learning is always good,” Yukiko smiled.

Gregory slipped the letters to Steva, the friendly rat eurtik. “The food here is better than it was at home,” he said to help mask the moment.

“Thank you,” Steva said, quickly tucking the letters away.

“We could use our snacks, as well, Velma, if that’s okay?” Yukiko asked.

“Of course.” The mink eurtik smiled in return, handing over both snacks after marking their medallions. “We hope you have a good day.”

“Thank you,” they replied in near unison, grabbing drinks before making their way toward a table.

~*~*~

As they were getting up to leave, Gregory was surprised to find Adept Dunn still in the hall. Dropping their dishes off with Quilet, the otter eurtik, they exchanged pleasantries and turned to leave.

“Novices,” Dunn said in greeting, having come to drop off his dishes, “will I be seeing you later?”

“Yes. We have much to learn still,” Yukiko replied.

“I’m sorry we haven’t been able to assist you with your magic yet, Pettit,” Dunn said. “Master Damon is still searching for any clue as to what the ryuite means, and I know you haven’t had any luck with class, either.”

“I’m sure something will come up,” Gregory said. “Thank you for your concern, Adept Dunn.”

“Of course. I’ll see you in class.”

“We look forward to it,” Yukiko said. “Have a good day.”

On their way to the archive, Gregory had an idle question. “How long do you think it’ll really take Elder Lightshield to get everything organized?”

“If he’s as efficient as I think, two or three days,” Yukiko said. “Do you think he suspects anything, Greg?”

“When he was describing the purpose of the clan and locked eyes with me… I’m not sure, but I think he’s very devoted to the clan goal. The fact he had Bishop stay as the proctor for my small village makes me wonder if he doesn’t know more.”

“What about Bishop?”

“She was always very neutral when dealing with the village. I didn’t know she could be harsh until I became a magi. Even then, she gave people a chance to make amends. During our time together to reach the academy, she seemed stern but willing to help as much as she could. Bishop is a good person, even if she did make me disrobe in front of the class.”

Yukiko giggled. “I still thank you for that, because she said she could’ve picked me instead. Besides, I didn’t mind seeing you that way... I can admit that now.”

Gregory’s lips twitched. “I can say the same for a certain ‘dream.’”

Yukiko’s cheeks heated. “I don’t regret you having seen me. Darkness might allow us to have time together soon.”

“I hope so, too,” Gregory agreed.

~*~*~

“Morning, Novices,” Rafiq greeted them. “Are you ready for the trials ahead?”

“Trials?” Gregory asked.

“You’ll be seeing them soon,” Rafiq said. “What scrolls can I arrange for you today?”

“I want to continue with the tea ceremony scrolls,” Yukiko replied.

“I’d like to switch,” Gregory said slowly. “When reading about the clans before, one called ‘Aether’s Guard’ was mentioned. I want to know more about them, please.”

Rafiq bowed his head. “I’ll see that one is brought to you.”

“Thank you, Rafiq.”

“We do our best to help those who seek knowledge,” Rafiq smiled.

The pair moved to their table, where Yukiko’s scroll was already there for her. Gregory pulled out a Magi Squares and began to work on it while he waited— Magi Squares before studying had become a habit.

When the archivist came to drop off a book for Gregory, he gave her a smile. “Miss, a moment, please? I believe we met your mother the other day.”

The archivist blushed. “I apologize if she bothered you.”

“She didn’t, but she did tell us about how much you love knowledge. It’s nice to know you’re a kindred spirit.”

Smiling, the woman’s teeth became even more prominent. “Thank you, Novice Pettit.”

“What’s your name?” Yukiko asked kindly. “We didn’t get the chance to ask your mother.”

“I’m Murium, daughter of Mumisa,” the archivist replied. “If you need anything, just let me know.”

“We will. Thank you,” Yukiko replied.

Once Murium left, Yukiko smiled at Gregory. “I love you, dear one. Her mother talking about her made you want to meet her, didn’t it?”

“Yes. A mother’s love always moves me,” Gregory said softly.

“And you see everyone as a person,” Yukiko added softly. “Did you finish your squares?”

“Yes. You?”

“Just before you stopped the archivist,” Yukiko replied. “Let me know if I should read that book after you.”

“Of course.”

~*~*~

When the fifth bell chimed, both of them started to put things away. Gregory was a little distracted as he got to his feet, and Yukiko stayed silent when they waved to Rafiq on their way out.

“Greg?” Yukiko prodded him as they walked to class.

“Sorry. Rafiq picked a good book. It’s an account of the clan during its early days. From the way it’s written, I think one of the clan members wrote it, but they didn’t use florid prose to make it look better.”

“Anything stand out?”

“Not yet, though it’s nice to have a clan book that doesn’t make them seem infallible. How’s your scroll?”

“The visions during the tea ceremony are thought to be a product of the tea itself, combined with the alchemist who brews the tea.”

“She was a magi?” Gregory asked.

“Yes. The Green Leaf clan are the only ones who can do the ceremony, according to the book. They’re very selective on who they allow into their ranks. I didn’t find anything about how or why, though... that seems to be a secret of the clan.”

“A pity,” Gregory sighed, “but it makes sense.”

“Yes. That kind of power would be tightly guarded.”

“Do you think class will go okay?”

“It depends on the students. I don’t think any of our three remaining teachers will try to hinder us. We can just leave the class if it becomes untenable.”

“True... Hopefully, that won’t be necessary.”

Chapter Five

Getting to class was no different than any other day. Taking their seats, they made sure they had supplies for notes ready. Gregory looked over the last set of notes he had taken for the class, refreshing himself on what the teacher would be covering.

“For a magicless, clanless fringer, he sure acts like he cares, doesn’t he?”

The snide voice behind them almost made Gregory turn to look, but instead, he ignored the taunt. Yukiko glanced back to see the same student who had called Gregory a fringer on their first day in the class months before— Petak.

“For someone who looks down on Greg as a fringer, you don’t seem to be able to answer the questions put forth by Magus Marcia any better than he does,” Yukiko said.

“I’m sorry, did the little bird say something?” Petak snickered.

Gregory’s hands clenched and he bit down on the anger he felt. I was warned not to let them goad me like this, he reminded himself.

Yukiko laughed, “I’m sorry, what rank did they give you at the end of the tournament? It must be higher than fifty.”

Petak inhaled sharply as if he’d been slapped physically. “Do I need to prove where you belong, half-breed?”

Gregory started to turn, but Yukiko placed her hand on his shoulder to stop him. “Ignore him, dear one. If he wanted to, he could challenge one of us, but since he knows he’d lose, he’ll just stand there yammering on, hoping to provoke us.”

Gregory gave her an apologetic smile, as he’d almost done exactly as he shouldn’t. “You’re right, Yuki.”

Seeing his insults not having the impact he hoped for, Petak took his seat with a severe frown. A couple more students entered the room and the muttered comments grew, but no one was as outspoken as Petak had been.

Sixth bell began to chime and Magus Marcia wasn’t in the room. Gregory was just starting to wonder what that might mean when the doors shut hard, followed by the sound of the teacher walking toward the front of the room.

“Good, we’re all here. I wasn’t sure if some of your clans would pull you from the class or not,” Magus Marcia said when she reached the front of the room. “Even our top two novices are here. That makes it hard on the rest of you. They don’t even have to be here, and yet here they are. I find myself slightly surprised by that. Why are you two here?”

“We’re here, Magus, because your class is informative. Missing it would be a detriment to us. We also do not wish to anger the Han clan,” Yukiko answered.

Marcia’s lips twitched. “You think missing the class would impact how the Han clan views you?”

“It might be seen as an insult to the one who heads the clan inside the academy this year,” Yukiko replied. “It’s because of those reasons that we’re here. Even if one wasn’t the reason, the other would remain, so we will, as well.”

“Your father is a shrewd merchant, Warlin. I see you’re as savvy as he is. The truth is that the Han clan wouldn’t be pleased nor upset with your actions. However, as a teacher, it’s gratifying to know that my time is being appreciated.”

“Kiss-ass half-breed...” Petak muttered.

Marcia thrust her hand out instantly, which was followed by a surprised yelp. “Novice, do not interrupt my class because you’re jealous of another novice’s standing. If you wish to prove yourself their better, challenge them or beat them in the next tournament. Next time, I will eject you from this class. Understood?”

“Yes, Magus!” Petak said in a near panic.

“Good.” Closing her hand, she turned to the board, ignoring the dull thud and groan from the student she had just dropped. “Now, we had been speaking of compound interest…”

Gregory picked up his pen and got ready to start making notes, his attention focused on the teacher. Yukiko did the same, but a small smile touched her lips as she listened to Petak continue to make pained sounds behind them.

~*~*~

With class over, the couple got their stuff put away. Marcia watched them as the rest of the students shuffled out. “Pettit, Warlin,” she called out as they stood up, “what are your plans for joining a clan? The offer to join the Han Merchant Exchange is still open.”

“We’re still weighing all of our options,” Yukiko said.

“I do not envy you what the next few days will bring,” Marica said. “To have the wrath of the Eternal Flame and no one to aid you…? I’m sure you will see the shelter that can be yours in time.”

“Thank you, Magus,” Gregory said, bowing to her. “Also, congratulations to your clan on the apprentices winning in the tournament.”

Marcia’s lips thinned slightly. “We’d prefer to win again next year, as well.”

“We’ll make a decision soon,” Yukiko said. “As you said, we’ll be needing aid. Allies, as well, if things go differently than hoped.”

“That will depend on who you choose. We do have allies in clans not tied to us. If you choose one of them, we’ll be amenable to such things.”

“Of course, Magus,” Yukiko bowed. “If you’ll excuse us?”

“May your day be less eventful than this class was,” Marcia dismissed them.

~*~*~

Making it back to the archive, the two of them greeted Rafiq on their way to their table. Their steps slowed when they saw Master Damon sitting at the table already.

Looking up from the scroll he was reading, Master Damon stared at Gregory. “Novice Pettit, I would like some of your time.”

“How might I assist you, Master?”

“Your father was distinctly unhelpful. It seems he didn’t know your mother’s maiden name.”

Gregory frowned. “I’m sorry, sir. I don’t either.”

“Yes. We will, however, discuss a few things. By doing so, it might help me narrow my search for her point of origin. If I can find out who she was, I might be able to find a starting point for your magic.”

“I’m eager to assist,” Gregory said, taking a seat.

“Novice Warlin, you need not stay for this,” Damon said.

“If my betrothed is going to speak of his mother, I’d like to stay, Master.”

“Betrothed? I hadn’t heard. Is it recent?”

“Yes. It was after the tournament, sir.”

“Hmm. Congratulations, but you must be aware that your clans will surely separate you?”

“We’ll be joining the same clan, sir,” Yukiko replied, “once we decide on one.”

“That will make one clan very happy, indeed. That isn’t the reason I’m here, though.” Taking out some paper and ink from a small hip pouch that was much too small to hold those items, Damon nodded. “We’ll start with language. Did your mother ever pronounce the following words differently than others in your village…?”

~*~*~

Gregory felt drained when Damon left them a little over an hour later. Yukiko sat beside him, her hand on his under the table.

“Are you okay, dear one?”

“Exhausted. I never knew answering questions could be so nerve-wracking.”

“You should ask Darkness if there’s a way to misdirect them to an innocuous magic,” Yukiko whispered, “to throw them off this trail. I don’t think Damon won’t stop until he unravels it.”

Gregory nodded slowly. “I will, but I don’t get to speak with her until we go up a circle.”

“That might be problematic,” Yukiko sighed. “Come on, we need to get going to aether introduction. That took all of our normal study time.”

“Yeah,” Gregory sighed as he got to his feet.

The walk to their next class took them across a good part of the academy grounds, and helped Gregory feel less drained the closer they got.

“Novices, do you have a moment?” someone called out.

Stopping, they turned to find the head of the Iron Hand clan approaching them. Bowing together, Yukiko spoke up, “How might we help you, Master Chen?”

“I’d been hoping to speak with you about joining the clan again. All of my subordinates have failed to speak with you. Do you desire to be clanless so much?”

“We do not, Master. Choosing the right clan is proving to be more difficult than we had thought.”

“Understandable. Your skills in combat— both of you— were proven during the tournament. Even without magic, you rose to the very top, Pettit. That tenacity is something we value. Standing against the Eternal Flame, enduring the fire, and winning is also something to be very proud of, Warlin.”

“Thank you, sir,” Gregory said.

“I’m honored, sir,” Yukiko added.

“Do you detest joining a clan devoted to protecting the empire?”

“No, sir,” Gregory said before Yukiko could. “I just don’t think we’d be the best fit with your clan.”

Chen sighed. “Very well. I had to try before the Eternal Flame sought its revenge. I wish you both the best with finding a clan.”

“Thank you, Master,” they said.

With Chen striding away, Gregory exhaled. “Everyone is warning us about what’s coming.”

“We’ll have to be very observant and ready to react,” Yukiko said. “Maybe we should wait off to the side of the class for a few minutes? We’ve run into Nick and the others here before, and right now, it’d probably be best to avoid them.”

“Good point,” Gregory agreed as they took a side path, away from the next class.

Chapter Six

Gregory and Yukiko watched the students leave the aether introduction class. Nick, Jason, Michelle, and a half dozen others walked out together. Their conversation wasn’t hard to hear.

“Figures they wouldn’t show up early today,” Jason snickered.

“Little bitch deserves to pay for what she did to me,” Michelle grumbled.

“Oh, she’ll pay,” Nick sneered. “I made sure that some things are in motion.”

Gregory frowned as he watched them go. “Assholes...”

“I wonder if being part of Aether’s Guard will matter to them?” Yukiko said. “I doubt it will.”

“For them, it might not,” Gregory replied.

“I think that was the last of them,” Yukiko said when two more students rushed out well behind everyone else.

Before they could step out of the shadowed area they had waited in, five people in emerald kimonos and two in cyan left the training area. Gregory and Yukiko exchanged a glance, both wondering if the other had a guess.

“Hands-on training today?” Gregory guessed with a questioning lilt.

“Possibly... the majority were adepts.”

“Let’s go see,” Gregory said, leading them toward the class.

More people in emerald robes sat at a table inside, sipping tea. When the pair came into view, their conversation dropped off. They bowed to the adepts that were present.

“Good day,” Gregory said.

“You’re the first ones to class,” Dunn said. “Missing your previous class?”

“We haven’t been to history in months, sir,” Yukiko replied.

“Have a seat, but don’t get too comfortable. Today is a hands-on day,” Dunn said.

“Thank you, sir,” Yukiko replied.

“I’ll get my notes ready, sir,” Gregory added.

“I’ll still want you to try copying the others,” Dunn said.

“Yes, sir.”

As the other novices started to show up, the adepts got up from their break. Another three adepts joined the ones who had stayed behind, along with a single magus. When the bell for the hour rang, Dunn moved to the front of the class.

“Today, you will be learning another technique for your magic with an adept or magus that has the same magic. For fire, you’ll learn what you saw during the tournament: the ability to throw a globe of fire. Wind magi will be taught how to use the environment to distract your opponent, and so on. Crafters, the adepts will join you to help you better understand your magics so you can use your aether in less stressful ways. Now, the grounds are marked out with places for each of you to learn. Separate and begin.”

The single magus was staring at Yukiko. “Novice Warlin, when you are ready.”

“Of course, Magus Aldum,” Yukiko said.

“Warlin, there is no spot marked for you to learn, but the tree near the wall would be best,” Dunn said.

“Yes, sir.”

Gregory watched the others for a few moments before he got to his feet. Starting with the crafters, he paused to listen to each adept instructing the novices. The adept teaching alchemy to one of the novices had a single green leaf embroidered on their kimono.

“Now, this part is the tricky part— you need to infuse the leaf with aether,” the adept was saying. “It’s a finely balanced thing. If you give it too little, the potency is lost. Too much and…” Trailing off, the adept pushed too much aether into the leaf. The vibrant leaf glowed for a moment before it went up in smoke. “You lose the leaf, and have to start all over. This matters even more in later recipes. A failure like that in the later stages means having to start the whole thing over.”

Gregory wondered if the same was true for recharging enchanted items. Thinking it over, he headed for Dunn. “Excuse me, sir? If an enchanted item needs to have aether pushed into it to charge, can it be given so much that the item would be ruined?”

“In theory,” Dunn nodded. “In practice, it’s nearly impossible. You wear enchanted rings. Have you tried doing as you ask?”

“No, sir. They recharge off the ambient aether.”

“Ah. The answer we are taught is yes, but it’s improbable. When overcharging an enchanted item a little, the extra vanishes. The material of the item, along with its total capacity, can tell you a lot about how much you’d have to overcharge one.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Of course. Are you trying to do as the adepts are instructing?”

“I will, sir. I was just watching the alchemist, which prompted the question.”

“Very well.”

Gregory spent the next hour going from group to group. He never had any luck with the magic being taught, but he did catch a few glimpses of aether strings. The adept teaching fire glared at him when Gregory paused to listen. Seeing the flame on her kimono, Gregory didn’t stay long with that group.

Finally making it over to where Yukiko was working, Gregory smiled as he watched her manipulate the shadows. Her strings were easier for him to catch sight of.

“It was an item? That explains a lot,” Aldum nodded. “A novice shouldn’t be able to do that. It caused a stir in the clan.”

“I didn’t mean for it to do so, sir,” Yukiko said as she focused on a shadow that was slowly reaching out for a leaf.

“As it is, the ability to shadow-bind and trip is what you should be learning now. Which magi taught you how to do those tricks?”

“It seemed like the next natural step, sir,” Yukiko responded, evading the question.

“Hmm. What is it, Pettit?” Aldum asked sharply when he noticed Gregory.

“I’ve been instructed to watch each person and try to do the same, sir.”

“Dunn...” Aldum sighed. “He wastes all our time. If you had the magic to do this, we would know already. Just stay back so Warlin can work.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gregory smiled when Yukiko was able to deftly pluck the leaf from the limb.

“Passable, but you’re taking too long,” Aldum sniffed. “If you joined the right clan, though, they would greatly advance your ability.”

Yukiko’s neutral expression didn’t shift. “I’m aware, sir. I’m still considering all my options.”

Aldum’s frown grew. “It’ll be such a pity to see your talent stunted. The wrong clan will surely stifle your chance to grow.”

“I’m aware, sir,” Yukiko said, again doing her best to placate him without saying anything she’d regret.

“I need to make my notes. Excuse me,” Gregory said.

“Will you make me a copy, Greg?”

“Of course,” Gregory smiled.

“You know, if you were to both join… a clan…” Aldum said, his voice slowing as he tried to hint at his own clan without saying it, “I’m sure your magic could be found so much faster, Pettit. Master Damon may be knowledgeable, but no one person will know everything a clan might about Aether’s Blade.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, sir. I’m still weighing all my options.”

“A pity,” Aldum tsked. “Warlin, back to work!” he snapped at her, as she had paused for a moment.

“Yes, sir.”

“Still nothing, Novice?” Dunn asked when Gregory went back to his table.

“No, sir.”

“I’m sure Master Damon will find something in time. Have you started on a path, at least?”

“I’m torn on which would be best, sir. What if the one I pick isn’t good for my magic?”

“A valid fear, Novice. Even though it’s widely looked down on, the spirit path has no disadvantage with any magic. It just doesn’t have many it synergizes with, either.”

“I will consider it. Thank you, sir.”

“I’m glad to assist those under my tutelage.”

“Sir,” Gregory asked slowly, “how hard is it on novices who don’t pick a clan?”

Dunn thought about it for a while. “Very. The first year, you have four classes, but you don’t have four next year, as that time is spent with your clan. Next year, your only class is tactical analysis. You can request aether studies and physical conditioning if you don’t have a clan, though.”

“Tactical analysis is to prepare us for third year?” Gregory asked.

“Yes. That year is different. You’ll see when you get there.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Dunn gave him a nod before wandering off to check on others.

Gregory began to take notes. He was a page in when he saw a gathering of aether strings start to form in front of him. Looking up, he found the fire adept staring his way. Gregory pushed himself backward just before the paper he’d been writing on burst into flames. The heat of it was intense— if Gregory had stayed sitting there, his hands would be badly burned and he would have minor burns across his front.

“Adept Mawic!” Dunn shouted, advancing on the fire adept. “What happened?”

“I was jostled by a novice when forming the spell,” Mawic said indifferently.

Gregory stood up, dusting his kimono off. “Luckily, I wasn’t injured.”

Mawic frowned for a second before she smiled. “Oh, good. When Novice Petak bumped me, I was worried.”

Novice Petak had a nasty smile on his lips. “Sorry. I caught a foul odor and my near-retching made me bump into the adept.”

“What did you smell?” Dunn asked, having come to a stop a few feet from the fire group.

“Refuse, offal... something that doesn’t belong in a city, but would be right at home on the fringe,” Petak snickered.

Dunn nodded in understanding. “I see. If it happens again, we might need to remove you from the class, for your own good. Can’t let a novice get sick in class.”

Petak’s face went blank. “What?”

“If you’re incapable of managing to not get ill, I will remove you from the class,” Dunn said.

Mawic sneered. “You think that you can go that far, Dunn?”

Dunn met the woman’s eyes and nodded. “As the instructor of this class, I am well within my purview to remove anyone who is impeding my class.”

“Then why is the magicless novice still here?” Mawic hissed.

“Because Pettit has not interfered with others,” Dunn said simply. “He’s been trying to do what the academy has failed to do for him.”

Mawic looked like she had swallowed her tongue for a moment. “You would insinuate the academy has failed?”

“The Keeper of the Blade, Master Damon, has yet to find out what the ryuite means. No one has been able to assist Pettit with finding his magic. If that isn’t failure, what is?” Dunn’s calm monotone voice laid out the facts simply.

“How—?” The bell chiming the hour cut Mawic off.

“It seems we’ve run late,” Dunn said. “Due to the fire, I would say. You’re all dismissed.”

Gregory gathered his unburned things and got ready to leave. Yukiko was there a moment later, picking up her things, too.

“Greg, are you really okay?” Yukiko whispered as the class began to break up.

“Yes. I’ll explain later,” Gregory whispered back.

“Lucky fringer,” Petak sneered as he went past. “You’ll be getting yours in time.”

Gregory met the other novice’s eye. “Anytime you want to challenge me, feel free.”

Petak sniffed and kept walking. “There’s that stench again.”

“Now that class is over,” Magus Aldum said, approaching the pair, “I want to once again offer you the chance to truly learn shadow magic by joining the clan, Yukiko. Your friend would be welcome to join us, as well. It would deter… things.” The last word was tacked on to emphasize what was going on.

“We appreciate the gesture, sir,” Yukiko said. “We’ll come to a decision soon.”

“Not before it’s too late, I hope,” Aldum said before the shadows swallowed him.

Chapter Seven

Making it to the blue arena, Gregory and Yukiko took seats against a wall, eating their snack as they slipped into meditative states. Dimly aware of other novices showing up, Gregory sat in his aether cavern, working on the economic problems Marcia had posed to them earlier in the day.

“Gregory?” a feminine voice pulled him from his meditation.

Blinking, he saw Jenn kneeling down a few feet away from him. “Something wrong?”

“Thought you might want to be awake when Shun and his friends get here.”

“Hmm, that’s a good point,” Gregory said. “Thanks.”

“Of course,” Jenn gave him a smile before standing up and walking away from them.

“Yuki?”

“I’m aware. I came out of my meditation when she woke you, but I wanted to hear what she had to say. She has a good point, though. Being aware when Nick and the others are around is a good idea.”

“That’ll cut into our training time,” Gregory said.

Yukiko looked over to where Jenn was limbering up. “Maybe.”

A burst of laughter from the nearby tunnel caught Gregory’s attention. Nick, Jason, and the others were laughing as they appeared. Nick found Gregory looking their way and his laughter died.

“Do you have a problem, Pet-tit?” Nick asked, breaking and stressing Gregory’s family name in a derogatory way.

“I don’t,” Gregory said as he stood.

“Then stop staring!” Nick snapped.

Gregory shook his head, looking away from the volatile novice. “Yuki, we should get ready to line up.”

“Yes,” Yukiko said, rising smoothly to her feet.

“Taking your pet for a walk?” Michelle snickered.

Yukiko gave Michelle a soft smile. “The only one collared and chained here is you.”

Michelle’s face went white and she made it a step before Jason grabbed her. “I’ll make you pay for that!” Michelle screeched.

“Pet-tit, if you can’t keep your beast civil, we’ll have trouble,” Nick said flatly.

Gregory’s muscles tensed, but Yukiko put her hand on his shoulder. “Ignore him. He’s mad that you don’t bend to his every whim like those who follow him.”

“Fall in!” Magus Paul shouted as he walked out onto the arena floor.

Gregory and Yukiko ended up in line behind Jenn and a couple of others. Nick and the others who had joined the Eternal Flame had a line all to themselves. The lines shifted without being told, separating for stretches.

“Good. You’ll have to instill that into others in the future. Before we begin, I am going to reiterate: if you have a problem with another novice, arrange a duel. We do not tolerate unsanctioned fights. Am I clear?”

“Yes, sir!” the novices yelled back.

“Very well. We’ll start with the legs…”

The stretching was over quickly and turned into running laps around the arena. As Gregory and Yukiko ran together, they kept pace to complete the run without slowing, which had them near the back to start with. As the laps continued, they moved up when people slowed down to catch their breath. The novices had to get moving again quickly or be met by Paul with his switch.

The trouble started with Fureno and another novice wearing the emblem of the Eternal Flame. As Gregory and Yukiko went to pass the two when they slowed, Fureno jerked hard to the side. Gregory moved without conscious thought, his arm shooting out to stop Fureno colliding with him. Fureno let out a scream and went tumbling. A similar sound came from Gregory’s other side where Yukiko had done the same to the other novice.

“Don’t stop moving!” Paul yelled at the novice who had slowed when Fureno and his friend had gone tumbling. “I’ll deal with the problem after the laps.”

Gregory and Yukiko exchanged a grim look, but kept going. The next set of Eternal Flame novices came to a complete stop in front of them, almost causing Gregory and Yukiko to collide with them. Gregory spun to the side, able to keep most of his momentum as he went around the roadblock. Yukiko fell into step beside him with an annoyed expression.

“Keep moving!” Paul yelled from the back of the line.

Michelle and her friend, Gina, became the next problem. The two women dug into the sand hard, flinging a thick spray of it back at Gregory and Yukiko. Blinking away the grit in his watering eyes, Gregory sighed. “Around, at speed?”

“Yes,” Yukiko said as she wiped at her face.

The couple split apart and missed the next spray of flying sand as they accelerated past the two women. Coming back together once they passed them, Gregory and Yukiko cleared their eyes.

The last lap put them behind four people: Nick, Jason, Hayworth, and Clement. The four were busy running and jockeying for first position. Yukiko pointed to an opening near the wall and Gregory nodded, stretching his legs for all they were worth.

“You’re not finishing first, Nick,” Hayworth snickered. “You should be used to it by now.”

“You might finish in the top four, which would be new,” Nick snapped back.

All four were shocked when Gregory and Yukiko slipped past them. Keeping the speed up, the pair raced ahead as the four forgot their argument with each other and tried to catch up.

Finishing the run, Gregory and Yukiko peeled into the middle of the arena and began to walk, cooling down and catching their breath. Gregory had a smile on his face when he realized he wasn’t as winded as he used to be from running that much. Yukiko stayed in step with him the entire time, smiling as well.

“Pettit, Warlin, come here! Fureno, Weyla, Morlit, and Asmit, you four, too!” Paul commanded, moving to the exact center of the arena.

Gregory and Yukiko approached him as the other four came from Paul’s other side.

Paul glared at one group, then the other. “I never want to see that again during training, understood!? You do not try to block, stop, or hinder the other novices while stretching and running. If you have a problem, challenge them, but if you act up again, I will come down on you. Understood!?”

“Yes, sir!” the novices yelled back.

“Now, did any of you have a challenge?”

When no one spoke, Paul’s lips thinned. “Fine. Move back to the class.”

Once the six of them had made it back to the others, Paul moved to the novices who had collapsed to catch their breath. “Last one to get up will be running laps after class.”

~*~*~

With everyone done running laps, Paul had them spar against another novice. Class continued as it normally would at that point, with the only change being the irate looks the Eternal Flame members gave to Gregory and Yukiko. With Paul and the adepts watching everyone, no one tried to do anything but glare.

About halfway through their normal sparring time, Paul called them all to stop and line up again. The novices exchanged a number of puzzled looks as they did what they were told. The adepts assisting Paul flanked him in rows, all of them wearing knowing smiles.

“The next tournament is notably different in one major way,” Paul said. “Weapons are allowed. We will be starting your training with them tomorrow. Today, we need to know which weapon best suits each of you.”

A dozen apprentices started to come out onto the sands, each carrying a weapons rack. As those were being set around the arena, another dozen apprentices started bringing various weapons out of the tunnels.

“You will move in lines toward me. You are to head to that weapon rack,” Paul pointed to the one to his left. “There, you will pick up each weapon before putting it back. You will then proceed around the arena to each new rack. Once you are done, you are to return here. Stay silent while you are checking— no one is to speak until everyone is done. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!” the novices shouted back.

“Very well. Shun, your line is the closest. Move out!”

“Yes, sir,” Nick replied.

Gregory watched them go, wearing a small smile on his lips, as he already knew what was going to happen. Time dragged on little by little as each group was sent to go find the weapons they had an affinity with. Gregory and Yukiko were in the last group with Jenn, walking around the arena slowly. He touched each weapon like he had been told to do, even the ones he knew weren’t for him.

“Now, I want each of you to go to the rack that had the weapon you felt the most affinity for,” Paul said after they had all come back together.

Yukiko and Gregory exchanged a glance before they split up. Gregory and all of the crafters stood in front of the polearms. Gregory looked to where Yukiko was standing. She was in the largest group, consisting of everyone with a high sword affinity.

“Starting tomorrow, the sparring time will be as short as it was today. The rest of the class will be training on how to use the weapons you are with right now. The arenas you will report to for weapons training will be posted along with the arena the class will be in.” Paul paused, “Any questions?”

Jenn raised her hand. “Sir?”

“Bean, go ahead.”

“Why these weapons, sir?”

“The weapons you stand before are the ones best suited to you, either by magic type, personality, or some other factor. For instance, the crafters all have polearm affinity, as that extra reach might be what saves their lives.”

“What about the fringer?” a snide voice asked.

An adept blurred up to Fureno, staring down at him. “Did you interrupt the instructor, Novice?”

Paul looked over and grunted. “Good question, Fureno. Pick up the weapon you felt suited you best. Once you do, come here.”

Fureno picked up a pair of wakizashi. With them in hand, he moved to Paul with a slightly wary look. “Sir?”

“Pettit, pick up your preferred weapon and come here.”

Fureno’s eyes grew large and his face paled, “Sir, is th—?”

“Are you questioning me, Novice!?” Paul roared at Fureno from a foot away.

“No, sir!”

Gregory picked the su yari instead of the naginata, hoping that the tale of his duel during the tournament could be overlooked. With the spear in hand, he went to where Paul and Fureno waited.

“You will fight until first blood,” Paul said simply.

“Fight him? With him using that?” Fureno asked.

“Did I stutter?!” Paul bellowed.

“No, sir!”

“Until first blood only,” Paul said again. “I will be the adjudicator for the fight. Adept Klim will be ready to heal you if the first blood proves a bit more dangerous than I think it will.” He stepped back two feet. “Novices, bow to the watchers.”

Gregory turned to the class and bowed. Fureno did as well, but was a bit slower.

“Turn to me and bow,” Paul said.

Gregory turned and bowed calmly, but Fureno was looking increasingly nervous when he did so.

“Novices, bow to your opponent,” Paul said.

Gregory stared into Fureno’s eyes and bowed. Fureno’s face was pale as he bowed back.

“Fight!” Paul called.

Fureno rushed forward and Gregory was able to step aside, using the haft of the weapon to guide Fureno past him. Turning with the deflection, Gregory brought the weapon around as Gin had taught him. Fureno screamed and fell to the ground, blood dripping onto the sand. The adept nearby rushed forward to heal the deep wound on Fureno’s backside.

“The fight is over,” Paul said calmly. “Winner is Pettit.”

“What was that supposed to prove?” Hayworth asked.

“Nothing, besides that you should think before speaking in my class. No, the point is about to be proven now.” Paul bent and picked up the two swords. “Pettit, you will face me. It’s going to be to blood.”

Gregory went cold as he met Paul’s gaze. “To blood? Yes, sir. I ask that you try not to maim me.”

Paul’s lips twitched. “I’ll do my best, but that depends on how hard you make me work.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Bow to the crowd,” Paul said.

When they finished bowing to each other, Paul called the fight to begin. Paul didn’t rush forward— he shifted his stance and began to pace to the side.

Gregory felt a moment of worry. Should have brought the naginata, he thought. As he continued to mirror Paul, he watched the magus, looking for a hint of when he would attack.

“Cautious? Good, Pettit,” Paul said before raising his voice so the class could hear him easily. “It’s always wise to be cautious when you know your opponent is better than you. Doing that, however, plays into the more experienced fighter’s hand.”

Gregory nodded, as Gin had said the same thing before. With no warning, he attacked, giving a single quick thrust before resetting to defense.

“Good. A probe, but it was the most obvious attack, Pettit. Going back to the defensive was smart. That would’ve been when most would attack back, trying to capitalize on your shift of balance.”

“Why didn’t you, sir?” Klim asked, having finished healing Fureno and knowing Paul wanted to be asked.

“Because I am testing Pettit and showing everyone that it’s not the size of the weapon, but the skill of the user, that influences the fight more.”

Gregory swallowed, seeing Paul’s face become still. He’s coming, Gregory thought. A brief moment of knowing came to Gregory and he acted on the impulse. The attack was nearly a blur, but Paul and Gregory separated again. Paul looked a little surprised, and Gregory was breathing fast.

“That was expertly done,” Paul said loudly, before he dropped his voice. “I see Armsmaster Gin has been teaching you well.”

Gregory gave a single nod. “I’m honored to have two gifted teachers.”

Paul chuckled, “Flattery doesn’t work on me.”

Gregory grunted as he felt the endcap of the wakizashi hit his chin when Paul went past him in a rush. Gregory backed off and touched his chin, which was now bloody. Gregory lowered the su yari and bowed to Paul.

“Now, if I had put any aether behind that attack, Pettit would be unconscious or dead,” Paul said after he bowed back to Gregory. “It’s not the weapon, but the skill of the wielder that matters. Dismissed!” He bellowed just before the bell marking the hour started chiming.

As class began to disperse, Gregory waited as Adept Klim healed his jaw. Giving Klim a thank you, Gregory started to head toward Yukiko.

“Pettit, a moment,” Paul called to him.

“Yes, sir?” Gregory asked as he turned back to face the instructor.

“Why did you pick the su yari? I know you have better skill with a naginata. I saw your duel.”

“I’d rather not use it in front of others until necessary, sir.”

“You do have some skill with that weapon, too,” Paul nodded.

“Thank you, sir.”

“I won’t be your instructor for polearms. Be respectful to the adept who is.”

“I will, sir. Thank you.”

Chapter Eight

Leaving the arena behind, Gregory and Yukiko went to the training hall in the opposite direction from the mess hall. Stepping inside, they could hear voices coming from the baths. Gregory motioned Yukiko on until they found an empty room.

“We should finish our meditation,” Gregory said. “It’ll also give us a chance to miss the others in the mess hall.”

“Yes, that might be good,” Yukiko said as she put her things beside the door. “Are you going to tell me what happened in aether class?”

“The adept tried to fry my hands,” Gregory said, putting his bag down. “I saw the strings of aether and was able to get out of the way in time. I still need to recopy that last page of notes.”

“It’s good that you saw them,” Yukiko said. “The fact that an adept is trying to help them injure us means it’s worse than I feared.”

“Yeah... It might come down to avoiding the classes for the rest of the year.”

“That isn’t ideal, but it might be our only recourse if we wish to avoid the worst of it.”

“Yeah.”

~*~*~

With their meditation and bath done, the couple walked to the mess hall.

The sun had set, so only the lights from the lamps spaced intermittently and the moon lit the area. As they walked down the path, Gregory looked up, looking at the stars overhead. “The new year starts soon,” he murmured.

“Yes, and my birthday, as well,” Yukiko said.

“That’s in six days?”

“The day before winter solstice. We came that close to me being a year behind you in the academy.”

“Huh, that would’ve changed a lot of things,” Gregory murmured. “I might have fallen for Nick’s false face.”

“You wouldn’t have been happy there.”

“No, I wouldn’t have been. But once you join a clan, there’s no leaving that clan until you’re done with the commitment to the empire. Even then, it takes effort to leave one. Your dad isn’t even a magi and he had trouble,” Gregory said.

“Yes. It was another reason why I was so hesitant to join a clan. Not that we’re being given much choice.”

“We haven’t officially joined Aether’s Guard yet. Maybe we can work out a clause to leave at the end of our commitment?”

“We can ask. Though with the clan being so small, I doubt they will object too much if we leave. Their other members must have left over the years, too.”

“It’s also been more than twenty years since they’ve had any new members,” Gregory added.

“Yes. I think there will be others after us, though. They’ll have to be strong and talented, as the clan is likely to be a target for a long time because of us.”

“Then why take us in?” Gregory mused. “The trouble has to be more than what we can bring as tournament winners.”

“Which makes me think that Lightshield knows or suspects something,” Yukiko replied.

“Bishop...” Gregory said. “I told her I talked to my aether. I didn’t know it was unusual then.”

“She must have told him,” Yukiko nodded. “I want to ask at the archive, but even if they have any texts on Darkness, I’m sure they are restricted above novices.”

“Yeah.”

“Dinner, then back to the rooms to study,” Yukiko smiled as they stepped into the mess hall.

Pausing in the doorway, they were surprised at the scene going on. Everyone was watching a large man in a sunflower kimono kneeling and bowing, his head pressed to the floor.

“I’m sorry for not seeing you as people,” Jenga was saying as he bowed.

The cooks all looked anxious and were trying to get him to stand back up.

Jenga rose to his feet, his face blank. “I have done as my duel required of me.” Turning, he saw Gregory by the door and stiffened. “It’s done, Novice.”

“I witnessed it,” Gregory said. Placing his hands in a formal bowing position, Gregory bowed his head. “The duel has been satisfied.” He said, using the phrasing he’d read earlier in the year.

Jenga stiffened before he bowed his head back, his right hand cupped by his left palm at chest height. “The duel has been satisfied.”

Gregory and Yukiko headed for the food line, while Jenga and a handful of other people wearing the same clan symbol left the mess hall. Giving the eurtiks smiles, the pair were quickly served.

“My son left on his trip today,” Steva said.

“May the Traveler watch over him,” Gregory said.

“Thank you,” Steva replied.

“I didn’t mean to make that awkward for you all,” Gregory said. “I didn’t think he’d do it when so many others were present.”

“It’s fine,” Velma assured him. “By next week, no one will remember. Enjoy your meal.”

~*~*~

Nearing the dormitory after dinner, the two of them were ready to do a bit of studying and turn in for the night. When they arrived, three people in cyan kimonos were sitting on the bench right outside.

“Novices,” one of them said, getting to her feet, “we’ve been trying to meet with you.”

“We’re sorry, Magus,” Yukiko said. “We’ve been very busy.”

“The winners of the tournament usually are,” one of the others spoke up.

“We’d been hoping to speak of your future with a clan,” the third magus added.

Yukiko bowed to them. “I’m sorry. We’ve picked out three clans that we’re interested in.”

All three frowned, but inclined their heads. “We understand,” the first one sighed. “May your clan help raise you higher.”

“Thank you, Magus,” Gregory said, bowing to them.

As the three magi left, Dia stepped out onto the porch. “Novices, now that the majority of your year has gone off to the clans, would you care to change rooms?”

“No, Keeper,” Yukiko said. “We’ll keep them until we also leave.”

Dia bowed her head. “Of course. You’ve made your choice?”

“We’re close,” Gregory said. “Nothing has been finalized yet.”

Dia’s lips twitched and her eyes seemed to sparkle with laughter. “Of course. I did hear a curious rumor today.”

Yukiko glanced at Gregory before she took the bait. “What rumor is that, Keeper?”

“An old clan, one of the oldest, is about to be rejuvenated. My mother used to care for the clan when they had a building inside the walls of the academy. If that were the case, I would expect that my duties here might shift, as well.”

Gregory was able to mostly suppress his laughter. “That would be interesting.”

“Do you think that clan would be able to do right by their novices?” Yukiko asked, able to keep her face straight.

“They might be hard-pressed, but they would do everything they could.”

“Since we’re still undecided, we’ll keep an open ear for them,” Yukiko said. “If you will pardon us, Keeper, we’re going to study before bed.”

“Sleep well, Novices.”

“Thank you, Keeper,” they said.

Yukiko dropped her things off in her room before meeting Gregory in his. Settling in at the table, she passed the ring of the mind over to him. “Your turn. We forgot to pass it earlier.”

“We got a bit distracted,” Gregory replied, slipping on the ring that would help him train his mind path better. “Did you have a box waiting for you, too?”

“It’s marked from the academy. It should be the gifts from the tournament,” Yukiko replied. “Did you want to open yours?”

“Might as well,” Gregory said as he opened the lid of the small chest. “Powder, pills, leaves… looks very similar to what your father bought us.”

“I wonder if we can double up on them?” Yukiko asked.

“Ask Rafiq tomorrow?”

“Yes, that might be for the best.”

“Economics?” Gregory asked as he set the box aside, ready to get to studying.

“You’re doing much better with it, but yes, that’s for the best right now,” Yukiko smiled.

The next hour was devoted to Yukiko helping him understand economics better. When the hour chimed, they both sighed, as the day was done.

Yukiko moved around the table and leaned against Gregory. “A few minutes, just for us?”

“Agreed,” Gregory murmured as he put his arm around her.

“Do you think your father would come for the wedding, if he could?” Yukiko asked after a moment of silence.

Gregory exhaled slowly, conflicted on the question. “I don’t know. I think he would now, but a year ago? No, he’d never come near this place.”

“I asked Mother to see what the cost would be to have his debt paid,” Yukiko whispered. “I didn’t know how to mention it before now.”

Shifting, Gregory pulled her closer to him. “It’s okay, dear one. Afraid I was going to be upset?”

“A little. You resist me trying to pay for things.”

“I did,” Gregory nodded, “but I’ve come to accept that it will be like that. I’ll do my best to repay you in love.”

Gently tilting her head to face him, he kissed her softly.

Yukiko turned to make the kiss easier, wrapping her arms around him.

The kiss deepened slowly, their lips parting ever so slightly as they let the moment build. Yukiko let out a soft sound and pushed herself against Gregory. Gregory pulled her closer, almost dragging her into his lap as they continued to kiss.

Both of them let out shuddering breaths when the kiss ended, their foreheads resting against each other and their eyes locked on their lover’s.

“I need to go,” Yukiko said breathily.

“I know,” Gregory replied, his voice a whisper. “I’ll see you in the morning, Yuki.”

Yukiko didn’t move. She knew she should go, but she didn’t want to.

“We’d disappoint your father,” Gregory said softly. “Your mother would understand.”

With a shuddering breath, she closed her eyes and leaned away from him. “Yes... Six months. Why does it seem so far away?”

“Because time always crawls when you want something.”

“Yes... Yes, it does,” Yukiko agreed as she shifted farther away from him. “This is going to be difficult.”

“Yes,” Gregory agreed, scooting back.

Opening her eyes, she gave him a strained smile. “Good night, dear one.”

“Sleep well, my heart,” Gregory replied.

Her eyes sparkled as she got to her feet. “I will.”

Gregory watched her go, exhaling a deep breath when she left. Standing up, he picked up the chest to put it into his closet. When he opened the door, he frowned, as there were a lot more clothes.

“Guess the staff put you away for me,” Gregory said as he set the small chest on one of the shelves.

Taking one of the leaves from Alvis Alchemy, he put it under his tongue as he got undressed. The faint taste lingered in his mouth when he crawled into his bedding. As he closed his eyes for sleep, he could feel his aether working to process the leaf.

Chapter Nine

Arriving at the archive after breakfast, Gregory asked, “Rafiq, is there a limit to how much help one should give their aether through pills, powders, or other medicinal help?”

“Yes. It’s not a straightforward answer, though.”

“I finished the scroll on the tea ceremony the other day,” Yukiko said. “Can I see something that might help answer that question?”

“Yes, this can be managed.”

They both thanked him.

“Of course. Go take your seats.”

They were working on Magi Squares when the archivist came by with the books for them. Both looked up to thank the archivist before going back to their task. Yukiko finished first and pulled the book to her.

Gregory was only a few seconds behind her. “I think I’m getting better.”

“You are,” Yukiko smiled. “I wonder what the book will tell us.”

“Hopefully, we can use all of them, or we’ll have to let the alchemist know to hold back for a week or two.”

Yukiko nodded, already focused on the book.

~*~*~

When it came time to head to class, Yukiko seemed lost in thought as they left the archive behind. “We can, but we need to pay close attention to what we’re taking. There’s nothing that gives a clear answer as to what is too much, but apparently, our aether will react if we start to give it too much too fast.”

“As long as my urine doesn’t go black again,” Gregory said with a grimace. “I didn’t know what to expect from the purity plums, but that wasn’t it.”

“We should use them again after we finish using the tournament gifts. Since we’ll be flooding our aether with foreign help, we’ll need to be cleansed. We can wait until the next tournament, but we’ll want to do it.”

Gregory grimaced. “Okay.”

“It’ll be fine. At least it didn’t burn,” Yukiko said.

“That’s a good point,” Gregory nodded.

~*~*~

The rest of the day was almost a repeat of the previous, except with less fire and snide comments during classes. Magus Paul drove them hard during class until he stopped it to split everyone up for weapon training.

Gregory gave Yukiko a worried look as he looked back at her. Yukiko was staying with Paul, as he was teaching swords. Leaving the arena behind, he trailed the others, who were following Adept Klim.

When they arrived at the arena, Klim took them down into the waiting area. “All of you, get a su yari first.”

“But I felt better with—” one of the novices started to say.

“We’ll cover all of them in time, but it’s easier to start you all with the basics of one,” Klim cut them off.

Everyone took a practice su yari before following Klim out onto the sands of the arena. Gregory was surprised to see another set of novices on the sands already. The adept was holding a war hammer in one hand while addressing them.

“You may call me ‘adept’ or ‘ma’am’ while I’m instructing you,” Klim said. “During this portion of the class, I’m the one who is responsible for you. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Gregory said along with the others.

“Good. We’ll start with the stance for the first kata,” Klim said as she positioned herself. “Do you see how my legs are positioned and how I’m holding the su yari?”

“Yes, ma’am!” the class replied.

“Okay, space out and take the stance.”

Klim waited, watching them as they all tried to copy her stance. She looked at each novice before exhaling. “Most of you are wrong. I will correct you, one by one. This is the most often used stance with this weapon. You need to be able to assume this position on reflex.”

It took her time to go down the line of students, adjusting a foot here, a hand on a shaft there. When she got to Gregory, she just nodded before moving to the front of the class again.

“Now, you will follow along, doing as I do,” Klim said.

Class went by slowly as Klim walked them through the basic kata for the weapon. She’d correct people, making sure they had it right, before moving on. Everyone in class got corrected at least once, except for Gregory.

“Okay. Before class ends, you will walk through those stances,” Klim said. “Ready?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“As I call them, shift to the next,” Klim said. “First stance!”

As they switched to the second, two of the crafters messed up. Klim called a halt and had everyone reset to start again. Every time someone made an error, she would start them over from the beginning. Gregory didn’t say a word, just resetting and starting again each time. Others were clearly disgruntled that a few people were making them repeat the first steps over and over again.

When the hour bell rang, announcing the end of physical conditioning, Klim grimaced. “Tomorrow, we’ll be doing this over and over until you get it right.”

“But why, ma’am?” someone asked with an angry tone.

“Because these are the basics. Everything builds off this.”

“The other class wasn’t doing this...” the novice grumbled.

“I teach my way,” Klim snapped. “Disrespect my teaching again and we’ll be having a demonstration of why the basics are important.”

When no one spoke up, Klim nodded. “Dismissed.”

As everyone headed for the tunnel, Gregory sighed and watched the others leave.

“You never got corrected once,” one of the crafters asked, “did you?”

“He didn’t,” Klim answered, even though the question had been aimed at Gregory. “Novice Pettit is being taught by Armsmaster Gin and has supposedly faced an apprentice with a naginata. If he made errors during this stage, he’d not be a student of the armsmaster.”

“Hmm...”

“You only made two mistakes during class,” Klim said. “Behind Pettit, you’re the best at listening. Half of the problem for the others is they don’t want to fight. None of this group finished with more than a single win during the tournament, besides you two.”

“Crafters are bad at fighting,” the novice sighed.

“Not really,” Klim replied. “Polearms are best used to keep your opponent as far away from you as possible.”

“Is it possible to get extra training, ma’am?” the novice asked hopefully.

“If you were part of the clan, yes. Since you are clanless, no,” Klim replied.

“Of course,” the novice said tightly. “Thank you.”

“Thank you,” Gregory said, giving Klim a bow.

“I look forward to how much you two can learn over the next few months.” Klim turned and made her way toward where the other adept was standing.

~*~*~

Leaving the arena behind him, he met Yukiko coming his way. “How was it?” Gregory asked.

“He’s a good teacher, but the class is large,” Yukiko replied as they walked to the training building closest to them. “Nick, Jason, and Hayworth all have skill with swords, but longer bladed ones. Our group was split into two with Adept Linto, who is part of the Han clan, taking over to teach those of us who chose shorter swords, which has Jenn with me still.”

“That’s good.”

“Michelle and Gina are with me, though...”

“Oh, that’s not good.”

“Your class doesn’t have any of the Eternal Flame, does it?”

“None. The crafters are from other clans or unaffiliated.”

“How did your class go?” Yukiko asked.

Gregory relayed how the class went as they found an empty room and dropped their bags by the door. “I think she’s going to press me when she wants to demonstrate.”

“That seems likely.”

“Meditation, shower, dinner, study?” Gregory smiled.

“And a kiss,” Yukiko added with a smile.

“As my heart wishes.”

~*~*~

When they made it back to the dormitory, they found a cluster of magi waiting outside the door. The pair sighed before continuing toward the people waiting for them. The moment they were spotted, the magi came forward to greet them.

“Novices,” the lead one said, “we’ve come to speak with you about joining a clan.”

“As we explained to the magi who were waiting yesterday, we’ve already narrowed our choice down to three and are debating which of them we will join,” Yukiko said.

“Oh? Have those clans been notified?” another of the magi asked.

“No. We felt it would be wrong of us to tell them. We knew they would be disappointed when we finally settled on one.”

“Which three?” the first speaker asked. “Obviously, the Eternal Flame isn’t one of them.” His lips twisted slightly as he spoke.

“One of them is the Han Merchant Exchange,” Gregory said bluntly. “Do any of you think you could top them?”

The magi exchanged glances before they stepped away from the building. One of the others there sighed, “No. If you’re looking at clans with that kind of history, we’ll concede on trying to recruit you.”

“Thank you,” Yukiko said, bowing to them. “We’re sorry, but we didn’t wish to alienate anyone.”

“Besides the Eternal Flame and those closely associated with them, you mean?” the last said as the other magi left.

“Even them. We didn’t set out to embarrass or alienate,” Yukiko replied. “Some of the novices who joined them do appear to be having hard feelings over their loss during the tournament.”

The magi laughed, “Indeed. If you join Han, they’ll back off a good deal. Good night to you both.”

“Night, Magus,” they said.

As the last magi walked away, Gregory exhaled. “Maybe the word will get around?”

“Maybe, but when we don’t join Han, Marcia might take it badly now,” Yukiko said. “I was trying to avoid that.”

“Ah, I’m sorry,” Gregory apologized.

“Novices, welcome back.”

Gregory frowned slightly at the part-rabbit eurtik who welcomed them home. Her robe was the one Dia was normally wearing, not that of the staff who worked in the building. “Thank you…”

“I am Keeper Clau,” the woman replied, her long ears twitching. “I’ve taken over the duty of keeper here.”

“You replaced Dia, Clau?” Yukiko asked with a smile.

“The change took place just after sixth bell,” Clau replied.

“Then we’re still in good hands,” Yukiko said.

“Thank you. I was surprised when the change came, but I wasn’t going to turn it down.”

“What happened to Dia?” Gregory asked.

“Family business is what she told me,” Clau replied, but her eyes sparkled with laughter.

“Ah, I hope I understand,” Gregory said.

“I’m sure you’ll see her again before you leave the academy behind,” Clau smiled.

“Thank you, Keeper,” Yukiko said. “We have studying to do before bed. If you will excuse us?”

“Good night to you both,” Clau added as she took a seat on the bench.

Changing their shoes for slippers, the pair quickly went upstairs. Gregory followed Yukiko into her room and chuckled. “I hope it means what I think it does.”

“I’m sure it does.” Yukiko was grinning. “Hopefully, it means in another day or two, we’ll have a clan.”

“Yes.” Gregory’s grin matched hers as he slipped the ring free and gave it back to her. “Your turn. Instead of economics tonight, I was thinking we could just work on Magi Squares?”

“If that’s what my heart wishes.”

Chapter Ten

“I hope it’s today or tomorrow,” Yukiko was saying as they headed for the mess hall.

“That would be nice,” Gregory agreed. “Since Dia left—”

“Hey, Pet-tit,” Fureno said, cutting Gregory off, “I need to talk to you.”

The two of them stopped, surprised that Fureno was awake and waiting for them short of the mess hall. “About what?” Gregory asked.

“About your disrespect toward a great clan,” Fureno smirked. “Clanless, like you, need to be put in their place.”

Gregory shook his head. “Good luck with that. Come on, Yuki, we—”

“I’m challenging you!” Fureno snapped, again interrupting Gregory.

Gregory paused, frowning. “You’re serious?”

“Yes!”

“Fine. An hour before conditioning, in the arena we’re supposed to be at,” Gregory said. “No aether, no items, just hand-to-hand combat. What’re the stakes?”

“If you lose, you’ll publicly renounce your title as champion of the tournament. I’ll find an adjudicator,” Fureno said.

“No, I will,” Gregory said. “If I win, you’ll not participate in the next tournament. Now, pardon us, we’re on our way to breakfast.”

Fureno sneered. “Pets shouldn’t be allowed into the mess hall.”

“Why?” Yukiko asked as they went to pass him. “A weasel like yourself was allowed in.”

“My family hasn’t slept with beasts, at least!”

“How were you born, then?” Gregory asked as they continued walking.

Fureno scowled at their backs, watching them go. “You’ll pay for that...” he muttered and stalked off.

“That was odd,” Gregory said as they reached the mess hall.

“It seems like they’re going to start now,” Yukiko sighed.

Seeing the teachers having their breakfast, Gregory made his way toward Paul. “Sir, might I have a moment?”

Paul sighed and set his book aside. “What is it, Novice?”

“I was just challenged to a duel and am in need of an adjudicator this afternoon, an hour before physical conditioning.”

“Who?”

“Novice Fureno.”

“The Eternal Flame,” Paul nodded. “I will adjudicate the match. Rules and stakes?”

“No aether or trinkets, just hand-to-hand combat. I give up my position of champion, or he doesn’t participate in the next tournament.”

Paul’s eyebrows went up. “Very well.”

“Thank you, sir,” Gregory said, bowing to him before going to join Yukiko in line for food.

“That makes sure it’ll be a fair match,” Yukiko said.

“If he had declined, it would’ve been tough to find another I can trust.”

“A challenge?” Ravol asked.

“Yeah. The Eternal Flame is moving,” Gregory said.

“If they can’t use aether, you should win,” Zenim said.

“He should,” Yukiko agreed.

“We’ll be rooting for you,” Steva grinned. “Not that you’ll need it.”

“Your snacks are ready, as well,” Velma said, handing their snack bags and food over after she scanned their medallions.

“I’ve been meaning to ask— what are you doing when you do that?” Gregory asked.

Velma showed the ring on her hand. “This marks the medallion as having been here. If I try to scan it more than twice, it chimes loudly.”

“Huh... Thank you.”

“Have a good day,” the cooks said as the couple went to find a table.

~*~*~

After spending the hour in the archive, Jason stopped them on their way to economics class.

“I wondered what hole you were in,” Jason smirked, stopping them on a bridge a hundred yards from the classroom.

“We were improving ourselves,” Gregory said.

“That’s a simple thing, isn’t it? Not sleeping with animals would be a start.”

Yukiko touched Gregory’s shoulder and laughed. “For you, that would mean no longer licking Nick’s boots, right?”

Jason’s eyes went cold. “I wasn’t talking to you, half-breed. Someone will put you in your place soon.”

Gregory shook his head. “What do you want, Jason?”

“A challenge. The hour before conditioning. When you lose, you’ll publicly announce how inferior you are to any of the Eternal Flame.”

Gregory frowned. “Fureno has already challenged me for that time.”

“Are you refusing a challenge?” Jason snickered derisively.

“No aether, no trinkets. Just hand-to-hand combat,” Gregory said. “Your loss will require you to publicly kiss Yukiko’s foot.”

Jason’s face went white, red, and then white again. “I’ll enjoy watching you fail.”

“Will you move now? Some of us actually like to learn,” Gregory said.

Jason sneered as he walked off. “Your small mind will never learn.”

With him gone, Yukiko sighed. “Why does it feel like they’re up to something bigger?”

“No idea, but if Nick shows up next, I’m not going to be surprised.”

~*~*~

Economics and their second study session at the archive went as normal. Gregory was glad that no one else showed up to challenge him. Aether introduction was hands-on again, with the novices trying to duplicate what they had been taught a few days prior.

Gregory took notes, talking to the novices who seemed indifferent or partially friendly, but avoided the ones who looked hostile. While Yukiko was working on her shadow magic, she kept her eyes on Gregory to make sure he was okay. Dunn stopped by a couple of times and encouraged Gregory to keep trying different things.

When class ended, Gregory and Yukiko hurried to the arenas to find out where conditioning was going to be held that day. Seeing the paper on the board directing them to the green arena, they paused— the class had never visited the same arena as the day before. Not having anything else to go on, they went over to the green arena.

There was an old man sweeping the entryway when they got there. Gregory’s lips turned up at the corners, as he remembered meeting him before. “Laozi, it’s good to see you again.”

Pausing, the old man in the gray kimono looked up. “Ah, Novices. How are you?”

“We’re good,” Yukiko smiled.

Laozi’s eyes crinkled. “Why are you here? Novices should be at the blue arena today.”

“The announcement said green,” Gregory said.

“Hmm, odd... Either the magus didn’t change it, or someone is trying to get you in trouble,” Laozi said.

“That’s the first trick,” Yukiko sighed. “Thank you for letting us know.” She bowed her head to him.

“Oh, none of that. I’m merely a sweeper and am not worthy of a bow.” Eyes twinkling, he bowed to them. “I hope I’ve been useful to you both. Please excuse me, but I must go back to work.”

“Thank you, Laozi,” Gregory said, bowing his head. “You deserve respect. You’ve helped us again.”

Laozi waved off his words, smiling the entire time. “I wish you well, Novices.”

Once they said goodbye, they hurried to the blue arena. When they reached the sands of the arena floor, the novices of the Eternal Flame, the other novices, and Magus Paul were waiting for them.

“Pettit, I almost called you absent from your challenges,” Paul said sternly.

“Apologies,” Gregory said, his face grim. “When we passed the board, the paper said green. If not for the sweeper at the green arena, we’d never have known.”

Paul’s brow contracted, but before he could speak, Nick said, “Of course, fringer. Just admit you had cold feet. If you do that and beg forgiveness, we might not make you fight at all.”

“It’s the truth,” Gregory said simply as he pulled his bag off and handed it to Yukiko. “I’m here and I’m ready.”

“Very well. Everyone, move back,” Paul said. “We’ll get these challenges over with quickly. Pettit and Fureno, come stand in front of me.”

Fureno’s face was twisted in anger, but he did as Paul commanded. Gregory stared at the other novices as he took his position. “I’ll make sure you regret what you’ve done, Pet-tit.”

“Silence,” Paul said firmly. “This challenge is about to start. Recite the rules and stakes for all to hear.” Once they had, Paul raised his hands. “I am the adjudicator for this duel. You will listen to me, and the bout ends when I call it.”

“Yes, sir,” Gregory said.

“Yes, sir,” Fureno echoed.

Bowing when Paul directed them, the two took ready stances as the magus backed off and told them to start.

Fureno rushed forward. Gregory barely shifted, accepting a glancing hit as he grabbed Fureno and twisted. Fureno slammed into the ground right before Gregory kicked hard at him. Fureno rolled away and got up to his feet, avoiding the kick.

“I hit you first,” Fureno snickered. “So much for the vaunted champion.”

Gregory didn’t speak— he just adjusted his position and waited.

After a moment of them circling, Fureno rushed forward again. Gregory smiled when a glimpse of the future came to him. As Fureno feinted with the same attack, Gregory feinted as if he were going to block it. Fureno’s lips twisted into a grin as he shifted and went to plow into Gregory, but that grin fell away when he met Gregory’s knee.

A crunch and scream, accompanied with a fountain of blood, told of his shattered nose. Gregory didn’t stop— following Fureno as he backpedaled, his swift kicks and punches hit the dazed novice over and over again. Unable to properly defend himself, Fureno stumbled and fell. Gregory followed him down, rolling and wrapping his arms around Fureno’s neck.

Paul waited until Gregory stood back up before he stepped forward. Checking the downed novice, he nodded. “Winner is Gregory Pettit. Novice Fureno is barred from the next novice tournament, as stated.”

Jason stalked forward. “It’s my turn.”

“Indeed, it is,” Paul said. “One of you, remove Fureno from the area,” he told the cluster of Eternal Flame novices. “Now, state the rules of your challenge and the stakes.”

The rest of the class had shown up by the time Paul made them bow. Moving back, he commanded them to fight. Jason didn’t hesitate at all, coming forward in a flurry of kicks and punches.

Gregory found himself retreating, unable to blunt the attack. He blocked most of them, but enough were making it through his defenses to bruise him. The heavy assault pushed him back into a group of novices, who picked and pulled at his kimono, slowing his ability to block and allowing more hits to land.

“Stop! Break!” Paul shouted.

Jason didn’t stop, however. As Gregory started to lower his hands, Jason’s fist drove forward, just missing Gregory’s neck and hitting his collarbone. The moment the punch landed, Jason was quickly backing up, his hands held up as if he were complying with Paul’s order.

Paul glanced at Jason for a moment before turning back to Gregory, who had managed to step away from the novices who had been hindering him. “If I see any of you interfere again, I will make sure you learn a very hard lesson. Pettit, do you wish to continue?”

“Yes, sir,” Gregory panted, spitting a wad of blood to the side. He had bitten his tongue, and it was still bleeding slowly.

“Very well. Fight!” Paul commanded.

Jason rushed forward again, but Gregory didn’t back up. Instead, he ducked as Jason came in and shot forward the last foot, his shoulder catching the other novice in the gut. Lurching forward, Gregory’s hands clamped onto Jason’s thighs, lifting him from the ground. Elbows dug into his back, but Gregory committed to the attack, slamming Jason to the ground under him.

Jason wheezed as his breath was almost driven out of him. His attacks slowed and lost some of their strength, allowing Gregory to grab Jason’s legs and spin him into a submission hold. Jason let out a grunt of pain when he felt his ankle bend the wrong way.

“Tap!” Gregory shouted. “Tap or I’ll keep going!”

Jason screamed, refusing to tap. He tried to brute force his way free, but without his aether to help him, he wasn’t in a position to get the leverage he needed. Gregory grimaced as he applied more pressure, making Jason’s knee and ankle flex badly.

Paul came closer, watching intently and waiting to stop the match. Because he did, he caught the brief flash of blue just before Jason flung Gregory off him. “Stop! The match is over!” Paul shouted.

Gregory grunted as he rolled to his feet, his left arm a throbbing mass of pain. Jason surged to his feet, taking a single step toward Gregory before Paul grabbed him and forced him to the ground.

“I said the match is over, Novice!” Paul growled into Jason’s ear. “Now stop it, or I will make sure you learn the hard way!”

Jason was panting hard, but he let go of his aether. “I’ve stopped.”

“Good,” Paul said, letting him go and standing back up.

“Why did you stop the fight?” Nick demanded. “Jason reversed the hold.”

“Argon used aether,” Paul said bluntly.

Nick stared at him for a long moment before bowing his head the barest fraction. “I apologize, Magus.”

“Winner is Pettit,” Paul announced. He turned to Jason, who was having trouble staying on his feet with his damaged knee and ankle. “You may go see a healer, Argon, but when you get back, you’ll complete the loss as required.”

Jason’s lips curled back. “I will do it now, Magus, unless you order me otherwise.”

“I don’t want his lips to touch my foot,” Yukiko said. “I might catch something. I ask that the loss requirement be seen as done without the act.”

“Pettit?” Paul asked.

“If that’s what she wants,” Gregory said, his left arm still throbbing.

“Agreed,” Jason spat.

“Very well. The challenge is over and all conditions have been met,” Paul announced. “Argon, go see the healer, then go back to your clan for the rest of the class. You need time to reflect on your loss.”

Jason’s teeth ground together, but he bowed and left the arena.

“The rest of you, class starts soon,” Paul said bluntly. “Get ready to stretch and run.”

“Sir,” Gregory asked, “may I see a healer for my arm?”

Paul frowned, motioning Gregory to him. Taking Gregory’s left arm in his hand, he pushed the kimono sleeve up and nodded. “That muscle needs to be seen to. It must have torn when he forced you off. Give him a minute, then you may go.”

“Thank you, sir,” Gregory said through pain-gritted teeth.

“Come back for weapons training,” Paul added.

“Yes, sir.”

Yukiko touched Gregory’s shoulder as he started to walk away. “Take your bag. Your snack is still inside. I’ll see you here for training afterward?”

“Yes. Thank you, Yuki.”

“You did well, dear one,” Yukiko whispered as she gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Go get healed. I’ll see you after class.”

Chapter Eleven

Walking slowly, Gregory chewed on his jerky. Will this really stop once we have a clan? I doubt it will if we join Aether’s Guard... they’re seen as all but dead. Elder Lightshield seemed to believe that the clan still has sway, though, so I can hope...

Entering the infirmary, he found the same partial-fox eurtik he’d seen before. “Excuse me, miss, I was sent by Magus Erichson.”

Mindie looked up from the scroll she’d been reading. “Oh, another one of you?”

“Impromptu duel,” Gregory admitted. “It’s the muscle in my arm.”

Coming around the desk she’d been sitting behind, she pushed open the door beside her desk. “This way, please.”

“Thank you,” Gregory said as he followed her. “You were the one who helped save Yuki’s eye, right?”

Mindie frowned for a second before she smiled. “Oh, the novice from the tournament? Yes, I assisted the healers.”

“Thank you. She’s back to being able to see normally again.”

“Oh, good. How about you?”

“Besides my current trouble, I’ve been fine.”

“Your class seems to be more violent than previous ones,” Mindie said as she took him to a room. “Have a seat on the table, please.”

Gregory did as she said and popped another piece of jerky into his mouth. Mindie washed her hands in a basin while he got situated. When she was done, she pushed the sleeve of his kimono up and gently prodded the muscle of his biceps.

“Oh, yes, this is torn. I can heal it, though, so don’t worry. It wasn’t as bad as the other one. His ankle and knee both had damage.”

“He wouldn’t submit,” Gregory mumbled.

“The Eternal Flame rarely does,” Mindie said. “You might feel a chill or some heat. Just bear with it.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Mindie sighed. “I’m just a junior healer. Miss is fine for me.”

“Okay, miss. Junior healer? Does th—” Gregory started to ask before he snapped his jaw shut, cutting off the sentence.

Alternating waves of heat and cold rippled over his biceps, and had uncomfortable pressure following each one. Gritting his teeth, Gregory stared straight ahead, trying to ignore the sensations.

Mindie stared fixedly at his arm, a small smile on her lips as she worked. After a couple of minutes, she released him. “There you go. Good as new.”

The sensations had cut off just before she spoke, and Gregory sighed in relief. “Thank you. That was different than any other healing I remember having done to me.”

“Because you were unconscious for the other times,” Mindie said. “You took a lot of damage during the tournament.”

“Yeah, I did.”

“You did finish in first place, though, so maybe it was worth it.”

“There were some pluses to it.”

“Even though it nearly cost your life, and the life of the young lady whose eye was nearly lost?”

“Yukiko Warlin. She’s my betrothed,” Gregory said. “And it wasn’t worth that. But considering how upset it made the Eternal Flame…”

Mindie giggled before abruptly stifling it and looking mortified. “I didn’t—”

“It’s fine. They aren’t any friends of ours. In fact, that’s why the other novice and I were injured. They don’t take losing well.”

“I’m not supposed to disparage any clan,” Mindie said softly. “I could get into trouble if—”

“I never heard a thing,” Gregory gently cut her off. “Does that mean the healers are neutral, like the archive?”

“We’re supposed to be,” Mindie said, but her tone said that it wasn’t so cut and dry.

“But some of the others don’t hold to that as tightly as they should?”

“I… never said that.”

“No, it was just me idly talking to myself,” Gregory smiled. “Thank you for your help, Mindie. I’d been trying to ask earlier; what does ‘junior’ healer mean?”

“I’m technically an initiate,” Mindie said. “I never had a clan. I refused to join them. Because of that, I declined to participate in the tournaments and, instead of troop training, I was sent here to heal. I’ll likely be here for my adept year, and then posted somewhere else as a healer.”

“Huh...” Gregory said, at a loss. “I never knew that not joining a clan could work like that.”

“Only for healers. We’re needed in many places. Since there’s normally only a couple of us a year at best, they bend the rules for us.”

“Ah. Means I really do need to join a clan after all, then.”

“Which has to be hard with you not knowing your magic,” Mindie said.

“It’s been a mixed blessing,” Gregory replied. “I haven’t been hounded like Yuki. Her shadow magic makes her sought after by the clans.”

“Shadows are rare,” Mindie nodded. “Oh, what am I doing? You need to get back to class.”

“I should,” Gregory agreed. “Thank you again, Mindie. I hope you have a good day.”

“I hope yours is quieter, and less painful.”

“Me, too.”

~*~*~

Gregory made it back to class in time for sparring. Yukiko was happy to have him back so she wouldn’t have to face someone else. The two of them went back and forth, mostly working on their forms rather than real sparring. The adept watching them gave them tips instead of chiding them for not going all out.

When sparring ended, everyone dispersed to their weapons classes. Gregory walked onto the sands of the arena with a su yari in his hand. The class started with them having to flow from kata to kata— it only took five tries before the novices could do it without error.

“Good,” Klim said. “Now that we’ve managed that, we can move on. I need one of you to help me demonstrate.” She looked directly at Gregory. “Pettit, come up here.”

Gregory knew it would probably be him that got chosen, so he didn’t hesitate when she called on him. Moving to the front of the class, he turned to face the other novices.

“Do you all know why I chose him?” Klim asked.

“Because he is the only one who hasn’t made a mistake during the katas.”

“Correct. Why is that?”

“Because he’s had training before.”

“He has, indeed,” Klim said. “Armsmaster Gin, formerly with the Han Merchant Exchange, has been teaching Pettit, which is why he’ll make an admirable puppet for me to teach you all. Everyone, pay attention. This will show you why those katas are important.” She turned to Gregory and nodded. “First stance.”

Gregory did everything he was directed to do, not once flinching when she stopped her attacks just short of him. If he hadn’t been trained by Gin, he would have panicked the first time she did it.

When class came to an end, Klim had an appreciative look in her eyes. “That’s it. Tomorrow, you’ll be working on the correct attacks and defenses for each. Class dismissed.”

Gregory exhaled, happy to be relieved from being the training dummy. His relief was short-lived when Klim turned back to face him. “Is something wrong, Adept?”

“No, I just wanted to thank you. You will make this much easier. I would also request you to spar with me in earnest at least once with each weapon.”

Gregory frowned. “Adept, I’m not sure I would be a challenge to you.”

“It’s fine to refuse, but I think you’re holding back.”

Gregory exhaled. “Should we find out? Su yari right now?”

Klim’s lips twitched. “Excellent.”

The adept who’d been teaching on the other side of the arena came their way. “Hey, Klim, you done?”

“Come adjudicate this match,” Klim said.

“What?”

“We’re sparring, but I want a pair of eyes to watch us,” Klim said. “It’s just weapons.”

“Okay. Novice, you agreed to this?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Okay, bow to each other,” the adept said. Once they had, he stepped back. “Fight.”

The fight didn’t last long— Klim was by far more skilled with the su yari than Gregory, though both adepts were impressed that he lasted as long as he did. Klim held a hand out to him and Gregory let her help him back to his feet.

“A novice shouldn’t last even a tenth as long as that, Pettit,” Klim told him. “I look forward to the other weapons.”

“Hopefully, I’ll improve by then,” Gregory said, touching the bruise he felt on his shoulder.

“Did I break something?”

“Bruised. It’ll heal,” Gregory said.

“Very well. Thank you.”

“Greg?” Yukiko called from one of the tunnels.

“Sorry, Yuki. Adept Klim asked me to spar with her.”

Yukiko’s eyes turned to Klim, obviously sizing up the adept. “Are you ready now?”

“Yeah, she just finished trouncing me,” Gregory said, heading toward her. “Let’s get going.”

“Thank you again, Pettit. I’m sorry for delaying him, Warlin. Don’t be harsh on him. I did request his assistance.”

Yukiko met Klim’s eyes. “I would never be harsh with him, Adept. I only ask that I be informed ahead of time before you spar with him so that I may watch and learn.”

Klim smiled. “Agreed. I will inform him the day before, next time.”

“Thank you,” Yukiko said, bowing her head. “If you will excuse us, Adept?”

“By all means. I’m hungry, too,” Klim laughed.

As they left, Yukiko glanced at Gregory. “Isn’t sparring with her dangerous?”

“No. She seems like a good person. She just wants a challenge.”

“I’ll trust your opinion on it,” Yukiko said. “Meditation, bath, and food, right?”

“And a kiss before the bath,” Gregory said softly.

“If that’s what my heart wishes,” Yukiko smiled.

~*~*~

Meditation brought forth a memory instead of Gregory’s usual aether cavern.

The square was busy; it always was when the ceremony happened. Gregory, Gunnar, Eloria, and Amoria were perched on a wagon, looking at the stage as those who were to become adults began lining up.

“Do you think it’ll be one of them?” Amoria asked.

“Doubt it,” Eloria said. “Look at Scottie.”

“How did he dye his hair blue?” Gunnar laughed.

“I overheard his mother saying he found a patch of berries and mashed them into his hair,” Eloria giggled.

Gregory was only half-listening to them, as he had caught sight of his mother. Frowning, he wondered why she was speaking to the proctor. He knew he’d declared that he was going to be a magi to her the other day, but she wouldn’t tell the proctor, would she?

“Greg?” Amoria asked, taking his hand. “What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing.” Shaking his head, he gave her a grin. “I was thinking of those berries near my house.”

“Going to try making yourself a redhead?” Gunnar laughed.

The memory ended and he was back in his cavern. Gregory was moving through the slow-motion martial arts forms they used when meditating. “Why that memory?” Gregory questioned the aether flame.

The flame just burned away. Gregory did note the sparks and pops of different colors, as well as the way the fire seemed to surge and ebb. “Am I feeding you too much, aether?”

The fire did not respond or change as he kept moving through the motions. Shaking his head, he focused on the movement of the forms and let his mind work on the memory.

~*~*~

“That was odd,” Yukiko said when they finished their hour of meditation.

“Oh?”

“I had a memory of Father and Mother talking about me crying... It was because I was being bullied about my heritage. I remember the moment perfectly, and how it was Mother who convinced Father to take me with him. I always thought it was Father who had convinced her.”

“Did he object?” Gregory asked.

“No, he was just surprised that she suggested it. It meant she wouldn’t get to see me as much, and Father knew it would hurt her. It also explains why, when we did make it home, she was always with me.”

“She loves you and did the best thing she could for you, even if it hurt her.”

“Yes...” Yukiko said softly. “I’ll make sure to let her know how thankful I am.”

“That’d be good.”

“What about you?”

“A small snippet, and odd,” Gregory said. “The year before my mother died, I made my declaration of being a magi. When Bishop came to the village that year, my mother had a discussion with her. I was across the square from them, so I have no idea what was said, but the memory of seeing them talk is there.”

Yukiko’s brow furrowed as she gave it some thought. “Do you think she told Bishop?”

“I don’t know. When we see Bishop again, we can ask her.”

“Do you think she’ll admit anything?”

“I don’t know, but asking shouldn’t hurt anything.”

“Okay.”

Gregory pulled Yukiko into an embrace. “Before we leave this room, though...” He smiled as he slowly inched his lips toward hers.

“As my heart wishes,” Yukiko murmured.

Chapter Twelve

Leaving the dormitory, Gregory and Yukiko were surprised to find Elder Lightshield sitting on the porch, talking to Clau. “Keeper. Elder,” Gregory said, bowing to them.

“Novices, things are going a little faster than I thought they would,” Lightshield said. “Tonight, you will be able to move to your new residence.”

“Oh… Elder, we had a question,” Yukiko said.

“You may leave the clan at any point you wish to do so,” Lightshield said. “That policy has been in place from day one. It’s one of the reasons we have so few members.”

“Thank you,” Yukiko said.

“We were a little worried, as it’s tough for even non-magi to leave a clan,” Gregory said.

Lightshield nodded. “Yes, it is. Those in power wish to stay in power, even if it means forcing those under them to stay. If you are fine with Clau arranging it, she’ll have all of your things delivered for you. I would like to invite you to the second terrace for dinner tonight. It’ll be the public acknowledgement of you joining Aether’s Guard.”

“We’d be honored, Elder,” Yukiko said, bowing.

“Very well. I’ll finish my arrangements today and see you at the mess hall for dinner,” Lightshield said, rising to his feet.

“We normally get there an hour or more after classes finish,” Yukiko said.

“I see. Very well. An hour after classes are over, I will meet you there.”

“We’ll be there, Elder,” Yukiko said, bowing again, Gregory mirroring her.

By the time they straightened back up, Lightshield was gone. Clau gave them a smile. “Do you want me to have your rooms packed and sent over?”

“Please, Keeper?” Yukiko asked.

“We would appreciate it, Keeper,” Gregory added.

“Very well. I’ll make sure it happens. I just hope it wasn’t me that drove you away.” Her lips were twitching as she fought to keep the grin off her face.

“No, Keeper,” Gregory said.

“Of course not, Keeper.”

“Have a good day, Novices,” Clau said as she rose to her feet and went inside the dormitory.

Heading down the path toward the mess hall, Gregory chuckled. “I wonder what the others will say when they find out today?”

“No doubt they will have some very colorful words,” Yukiko grinned.

~*~*~

“Morning, Rafiq,” Gregory greeted the archivist.

“Morning to you both, Novices,” Rafiq replied. “Would you like a change in reading material?”

“I can use one,” Yukiko said. “Is there anything about meditation and martial arts together?”

Rafiq took a moment to answer, “I’m not sure if it’s approved for novices... I will check. If it’s not, did you have another choice?”

“Anything about the academy itself?”

Rafiq blinked slowly. “Very well. That’s not something anyone asks for, normally. I’ll have something brought out to you.”

“I’m almost done with the Aether’s Guard history,” Gregory said. “Can I see something about the various posts that adepts are assigned?”

“I’ll have a text brought to you,” Rafiq said.

“Thank you,” they each said, bowing to the archivist.

Once the two were out of earshot, a shadow formed behind Rafiq. “Give her the scroll she asked for. They’re already following its advice,” Sarinia said.

Rafiq inhaled sharply before nodding. “As you command, Chief.”

The shadow was gone by the time he finished speaking, and Rafiq called one of the archivists over to have them get the books for the novices.

Gregory and Yukiko were just finishing up Magi Squares when Murium brought them the requested materials. After a brief conversation, she hurried away, letting the novices get to their studying. Yukiko was absorbed in her new scroll, and Gregory worked to finish the Aether’s Guard book so he could start the next.

~*~*~

As they walked to their economics class, Yukiko explained what she had read to Gregory: “I’m certain it isn’t a novice text. The scroll is called ‘Study of the Peaceful Fist’. It detailed how the idea came into being, pushed by Lionel Lighthand during the First Eurtik War. It sought to balance physical and spiritual training... We’ve already been doing it.”

“That must be the continuation of the scroll we’d read that started us on the idea. I wonder why they gave us this one now?” Gregory mused.

“Do you think they know we’ve already been doing it?” Yukiko asked softly.

“Maybe. I think the chief archivist is trying to help us. Letting us see that scroll is almost a certainty, as I highly doubt novices should read it. I wonder if even apprentices would be allowed to.”

“Why would she go that far?” Yukiko asked.

“We could ask, but I doubt she’d tell us.”

“We could ask to speak with her?”

“It rarely hurts to ask,” Gregory nodded. “We can see when we stop back in.”

“What about your books?” Yukiko asked.

“Aether’s Guard is a complicated story. The clan declined because it was split over the ideal of protecting the empire or upholding that Aether himself would return. The Iron Hand is an offshoot of Aether’s Guard. They set aside the idea that Aether would be reborn and dedicated themselves to making sure the empire stayed strong.”

“They might be friendly to our clan, then,” Yukiko suggested.

“The book mentioned friendly relationships, but who knows how they feel now? I only got a little into the scroll on adept postings, but they are many and varied. I’ll know more tomorrow, but passing classes is the biggest part that restricts postings. Failure to complete a class satisfactorily will bar you from posts, just like the teachers said.”

“We’ve been given automatic passes for this year, at least,” Yukiko said.

“Yeah, which means we’ll have a wide selection of postings available to us. Some magic types can help slant things even more. The assistant healer who saw us both after the tournament told me about that.” Gregory relayed what Mindie had told him, finishing just before they reached economics class.

“Interesting. I can understand why things might be different for healers.”

Entering the class, Magus Marcia was already seated at the front of the room. She gave them hard looks, her lips compressed in displeasure.

“Magus,” Gregory said, bowing his head to her.

“Novices, I’ve heard a rumor that you have settled on a clan,” Marcia said bluntly.

“We have, Magus,” Yukiko replied calmly. “Did we upset you in doing so?”

Marcia’s lips thinned further. “I’d been given reason to believe that you were going to join the Han clan. An affiliated clan spoke with you a few nights before and you made them believe that was true. Yet today, I hear differently.”

Gregory sighed, “Magus, we did think long and hard about joining Han Merchant Exchange. In the end, we chose a different clan. We apologize if we made it sound certain that we would join your clan... it wasn’t our intent. We meant no disrespect. As we said, your clan was in the last few we were considering.”

Marcia’s lips softened slightly. “I see. Who have you joined? It was said to be a clan of history, and besides Han and the Eternal Flame, there are no other clans with as much history in the empire.”

“There is one other,” Yukiko said softly. “They promised us the ability to leave them at any time we wished, as well.”

Marica blinked at them, stunned. “Aether’s Guard? You’re joining that broken clan?”

“The freedom they promised us gave them the edge,” Gregory said. “While they might be nearly gone, they aren’t gone yet.”

Marcia covered her face with a single hand for a moment before shaking her head. “You can leave them at any time?”

“Yes, Magus,” Yukiko replied.

“Very well. When you find yourself in need of more aid, I’ll listen to your request, though it will require you joining the Han clan then.”

“As you say, Magus.” Yukiko bowed formally.

“We understand, Magus,” Gregory added, bowing just as formally.

“Take your seats. The others will be here shortly,” Marcia said. “I think you’re foolish for listening to that deluded elder, but we all learn through errors.”

Gregory and Yukiko did as she bade them. The next member of the class arrived a moment after they did. Class went by quickly, with Marcia being clipped and precise with her lesson. The few times she did call on anyone to answer a question, she picked the two novices in the class who had joined her clan.

~*~*~

Leaving economics, Gregory and Yukiko headed back toward the archive. “Do you think we should drop the class?” Gregory asked. “I doubt she’s going to be friendly toward us at this point.”

“Not yet,” Yukiko said. “If we drop today, it’ll irritate her more. We need to wait for an appropriate spot where our leaving can be attributed to other reasons.”

“Wait for Petak to make a scene again?”

“Exactly. Then, we can profess that we’re just tired of the harassment. It won’t make her happy, but it shifts the blame to Petak.”

“Makes us seem weak,” Gregory said. “It’d invite more harassment from the others.”

“It could. If we drop economics, we might drop aether introduction, as well. I can learn from Inda, and nothing there is actively helping you.”

“Dunn has been pretty forthright about wanting to help. Seeing the other magics in use is interesting, too. It’s like part of my mind itches when I watch them, like a memory just out of reach.”

“Hmm. Your past life trying to help you, maybe?” Yukiko murmured.

“That’s what I was thinking. Watching the different types of magic being used might be helpful, even if we aren’t seeing any progress right now.”

“Do we stay with physical conditioning?” Yukiko asked. “I’m in the same group as Jenn, and she’s the one bright spot there. If I leave, she’ll be the only target for them.”

“You two are getting along?” Gregory asked.

“She’s been helpful,” Yukiko said. “When we’ve paired off to train, she’s been there every time for me. It’s upsetting Michelle and Gina, and sparing me an accident.”

“Has she joined the Iron Hand yet?”

“Not yet... I think she’s going to follow us,” Yukiko said softly. “Let’s set it aside for now?” Yukiko added as they reached the archive.

“Okay.”

“Welcome back,” Rafiq greeted them. “Your material is waiting for you.”

“Thank you, Rafiq. We were wondering if we could talk with the chief archivist?”

“Regarding...?”

“Various scrolls,” Yukiko smiled.

Rafiq stared at Yukiko for a long moment. “I will inquire, but the chief is a busy person.”

“We understand. If she can find a moment, we’d appreciate it,” Yukiko said. “We’ll be at our usual table.”

“Very well,” Rafiq said.

The two of them took their seats at the table and started with Magi Squares. When they finished that, they started in on the materials they had been reading. Both of them were deeply engrossed in their reading and failed to see Chief Archivist Sarinia take a seat at the table.

“Novices?” Sarinia asked.

“Oh, we’re sorry,” Yukiko said as she closed her book. “It’s such an engaging text.”

“I’m glad you’re making use of it,” Sarinia said. “Most find it foolish and a waste of time when they read it.”

“They just lack the depth to truly appreciate it,” Gregory said.

Sarinia gave him a small smile. “Some of the magus and master levels would be upset to hear you say such of them.”

Gregory’s smile went wooden when he considered what she had replied with.

“We had a question, if you’re willing to answer it for us,” Yukiko said softly, lowering her voice. “This isn’t a novice-approved scroll, is it?”

Sarinia’s head tilted slightly to one side, her smile growing larger. “Are you suggesting my archivists have given you a text you shouldn’t have, Novice?”

“No,” Yukiko said slowly. “I was more wondering if someone with authority was helping us?”

“The archive is neutral,” Sarinia replied. “We’re forbidden from taking sides in any dispute.”

“But there is no dispute,” Gregory said.

“Then there’s no way for us to favor someone,” Sarinia replied.

“We’re sorry for taking your time,” Yukiko said. “I was wrong in my estimation, and I apologize for even suggesting such.”

“Thank you. Accusations of that nature are damaging,” Sarinia said. “Here, we only aim to assist those interested in learning to grow.”

“We thank you for your time,” Yukiko said, bowing in her seat. “Your staff is polite, helpful, and knowledgeable. We’ve grown faster than we would have because of them finding the right books for us.”

“I’m glad to hear it. May you learn and grow. If you will excuse me, Novices, I have an appointment with Blade Keeper Damon to attend.”

“Thank you for your time, Chief Archivist,” Gregory said, bowing.

“Thank you,” Yukiko echoed him.

Giving them a bow in return, Sarinia rose before slipping away on soundless feet. The two of them watched her go, then sighed.

“She’s helping us, but can’t admit it,” Yukiko said. “I feel bad for asking now. It might have gotten her in trouble if someone overheard it.”

“Yeah. We still have a bit more time. Study or walk?”

Yukiko thought about it. “Let’s take a stroll. The fresh air will help clear our minds before class.”

“As my heart wishes,” Gregory smiled.

Chapter Thirteen

Aether introduction found Gregory again sitting and taking notes while watching the others. The crafters were a bit more distant to him, which Gregory chalked up to jealousy over weapons class. Yukiko practiced with the shadows while keeping an eye on the novices with Eternal Flame emblems.

“Excuse me, Adept Dunn? I would like to speak with Novice Pettit,” Damon said, stepping under the awning of the class area.

“Master Damon? I trust it pertains to his magic?” Dunn asked.

“It does. Pettit, come with me,” Damon said.

“Go ahead, Pettit,” Dunn said, excusing him.

Putting his stuff back into his bag, Gregory got to his feet and followed Damon. They didn’t go far, maybe fifty yards away from the closest novices, before Damon stopped.

“Pettit, I had a visitor today that put together a hypothesis. I want to see if it’s true. Can you see into the future?”

Gregory didn’t reply right away as he tried to put his thoughts in order.

“You were able to dodge the barrage of fireballs during the final four matches. That’s something most would never be able to do, but you made it look like you knew where and when the fire was going to land. There was also your expertly timed dodge to avoid the earth spike.”

Gregory sighed. “I’ve had it happen a couple of times, but never when I’ve been actively trying to have it happen, and only a few seconds at a time.”

Damon nodded sagely. “Yes, it would be that way. There are fragments of hints of such magic. What I need you to do is document the next few times it happens. That way, I can record it and we can mark the ryuite as a known, and which magic it’s tagged with. It figures he would know what it was.”

“Yes, sir. I wasn’t sure it was magic, since I couldn’t manifest it myself.”

“That will come with time and growing in power. The moment you can force a glimpse into the future, make sure to inform me.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Very well, Pettit. You may return to class. I’ll make my preliminary findings known to the academy.”

“Sir, thank you,” Gregory said, bowing deeply.

“I’m just glad that I don’t have to try tracking down where your mother came from anymore,” Damon said as he walked away.

Gregory watched him go. Must have been Lightshield who gave him the idea. I can ask later, but if it was, does he know more about me? Or was he just guessing? Returning to the classroom with a thoughtful expression on his face, Gregory took his seat, as class was almost over with.

“Pettit,” Dunn said, coming over to sit with him, “did Master Damon have anything to say?”

“He has a theory, sir. I’m not sure he wants me to say more until he can verify it.”

“That makes a certain amount of sense. Until it’s verified, it’s mere speculation. I’ll speak with him later and see if I can help him verify it.”

“Thank you, sir,” Gregory said.

“Greg? Is everything okay?” Yukiko asked, coming over to join him.

“I’ll explain on the way to our next class,” Gregory replied. “It’s speculation right now.”

“Very we—” Yukiko began, but got cut off by the chime of the hour.

“Class dismissed,” Dunn said when the chimes stopped.

Picking up their bags, Gregory and Yukiko were the first ones out the door and walked quickly to the arenas. Once Gregory was certain that they weren’t going to be overheard, he relayed what had transpired with Damon.

“Well, that should shift the focus off anything else,” Yukiko said. “I agree that it was likely Lightshield who nudged him that way.”

“We can ask him discreetly at dinner.”

“Do you think he’ll give you an answer?”

“One can hope?”

They were approaching the bulletin board when they slowed their pace. An argument was taking place just in front of it. Fureno was seething and yelling at Laozi, who just stood there, smiling at the young man.

“Move, old man!” Fureno snapped. “This is the last time I’m telling you.”

“Novice, again I must ask you not to tamper with papers on the board. It’s to be kept clean and in order.”

“I’ve had enough of you!” Fureno snarled, his fists balling up.

“You might want to look to your left first,” Laozi said.

Fureno glanced over at where Gregory and Yukiko were standing. Jaw clenching, he turned and stormed off, leaving the two of them standing there. They glanced at each other before stepping around the hedge that had blocked them from Laozi’s line of sight.

“Afternoon, Novices,” Laozi said as he started to sweep again. “I hope you have a good day.”

“Thank you,” Gregory said, bowing his head.

“We appreciate you for keeping the correct paper on the board,” Yukiko added.

“My task is to keep things flowing as they should,” Laozi replied as he kept sweeping down the path.

~*~*~

Gregory was surprised when Jenn showed up a couple of minutes after they sat down to eat their snack. Jenn gave him a smile, but took a seat on the far side of Yukiko.

“Thanks for telling me about this,” Jenn said. “Getting the snack early and eating it here before class is better than standing in line at the mess hall right now.”

“You’re welcome,” Yukiko replied. “You were kind enough to warn us when Nick and his lackeys showed up.”

“I dislike them a great deal,” Jenn said. “I’m sorry I thought you were part of their group before the tournament.”

“We were trying to stay out of trouble,” Gregory said.

“Yukiko explained it to me,” Jenn said. “I’m also glad she’s in my weapons group. Otherwise, I’d be dealing with Michelle and Gina alone.”

“Or I would be,” Yukiko replied. “Maybe you would have had polearms with Gregory, instead.”

“No, polearms are best suited for…” Jenn trailed off.

“For those who need the reach to stay alive,” Gregory said. “Like the crafters, I don’t have any magic to help me in combat.”

Jenn nodded. “I didn’t want to say it.”

“It’s true, even if the truth hurts sometimes.”

“Yes, it does,” Jenn agreed.

“We might not be in class for much longer,” Yukiko told Jenn. “We’ll be joining a clan tonight.”

Jenn’s hand paused with her jerky halfway to her mouth. “You are?”

“Yes.”

“Which clan?” Jenn asked, finally taking a bite.

“Keep it a secret until tomorrow?” Yukiko asked, getting a nod from Jenn. “Aether’s Guard.”

Jenn’s eyebrows rose. She clearly wanted to say something, but also didn’t want to talk with her mouth full. Swallowing sooner than she should, Jenn coughed for a moment before she was able to speak again. “They’re gone, aren’t they?”

“No. They’re vastly reduced, though,” Gregory corrected her. “They were the parent clan to the Iron Hand.”

Jenn’s lips pursed and she sat there for a few minutes, nibbling her snack. “Will they accept others?”

Gregory and Yukiko exchanged a look, and Yukiko replied, “The person who is arranging things has hinted that the clan will start accepting people again. Why do you want to join them?”

Jenn looked away, chewing her last bite of jerky. “They don’t look down on people with eurtik blood like most others, do they? I mean, it would be hard to believe if you’re both joining them.”

“I don’t believe so,” Yukiko replied.

Jenn took a slow breath. “My father was half-dwarven... My size is because of that heritage. I want to be part of a clan that won’t care about it. The Iron Hand only cares about your ability to fight, and one of their best commanders is a dwarf. It was one of the reasons I was going to join them.”

“But...?” Gregory prompted her. She didn’t seem like she was done speaking, but she had stopped.

“They don’t want to change things, either,” Jenn sighed. “They want to preserve the empire, even in its flawed state, which means the slaves, servants, and bigotry will all stay the same. I had thought I’d have to join them. A novice without a clan… it isn’t pretty, from everything I’ve heard. Being in the top eight of the tournament made it better, but worse, too.”

“Because now, even more of them want you, but you see the flaws in them easier,” Yukiko nodded.

“Yeah... Then, I see you two, clearly not caring about what others say or think. Strong enough to win the tournament and not joining a clan? I thought maybe it was because…” Jenn trailed off before coughing and changing the topic. “Any clan you’d join would have to be a good one.”

Yukiko stared at her for a long moment. “Did you have many friends?”

Jenn shrugged. “Friends? I had people who didn’t say terrible things about my family around me, but I was never asked to their home and they never came to mine, even when asked. I’m not so sure what a friend really is.”

“Neither do I,” Yukiko said. “I would like one.”

Jenn gave her a small smile. “So would I.”

Gregory felt paths appearing in front of him, a single split that branched a thousand more times down each trunk. The divide stood with Jenn. One branch had her in a lavender kimono, bearing the burning shield of Aether’s Guard with a broad smile on her lips. On the second branch, she wore a cold, flat expression of hatred, displaying the Iron Hand emblem on her cobalt kimono.

“Have dinner with us tonight,” Gregory said as the image vanished.

Both women blinked, looking at him questioningly.

“We’re meeting the clan leader tonight for dinner,” Gregory said. “I think he’ll accept you into the clan, if that’s what you want.”

Jenn’s expression softened, her eyes glistening slightly. “Thank you, Gregory.”

“Greg. His friends call him Greg,” Yukiko said as she put her hand on Gregory’s. “He’s a good man. You may call me Yuki.” She held out her other hand to Jenn. “If you’d like to be friends, that is.”

Jenn pulled her gaze away from Gregory to Yukiko. She accepted Yukiko’s offered hand. “Thank you, Yuki. You, as well, Greg.”

“We’re meeting the clan leader an hour after class at the mess hall,” Gregory said.

“I’ll make sure I’m there,” Jenn said quickly.

Conversation tapered off as the other novices began to file into the arena for class. All three of them were lost in thought when class began, each thinking about what had just transpired between them.

~*~*~

Entering the empty training room, Gregory dropped his bag and waited for Yukiko to enter before shutting the door.

“Greg, did you have another vision?” Yukiko asked as she set her bag down.

“Yeah. It was involving Jenn and whether or not she joined us in Aether’s Guard.” Gregory took a minute to explain what he saw, and why he impulsively asked her like he had.

“I see... I agree with you, dear one,” Yukiko said, moving over to hold him. “I was shocked by your sudden proposition. I figured it out during weapons class. Did you see what other branches were past the first split?”

“Not really… a hint of others joining the clan? One of the people looked familiar, but I couldn’t place them at the time. I have the feeling they aren’t here yet, though.”

“A novice next year, maybe?” Yukiko murmured. “But familiar to you?”

“I don’t know,” Gregory said. “That’s just what my gut told me in the momentary glance.”

“We don’t have time for our full hour of meditation,” Yukiko said, putting the oddity aside. “Fifteen minutes of meditation, shower only, and then mess hall?”

“Probably for the best,” Gregory said and gave her a quick kiss.

“If she’s accepted by Elder Lightshield, we might want to include her in our training after classes,” Yukiko said. “I wonder if she’d grow on different paths, too.”

Gregory nodded slowly. “It will take away some of our chances to have moments alone, but yes, it might be a good idea.”

Yukiko exhaled. “I want to take it back now...”

Gregory gave her a soft smile. “We still have the morning and evening.”

Taking the first stance of their meditation exercises, Yukiko nodded. “I know, but I want more, not less.”

“I understand,” Gregory sighed as he shifted to the second stance.

Chapter Fourteen

Arriving at the mess hall, Yukiko spotted Jenn first. “Jenn, over here!” Yukiko called to her.

Jenn smiled and made her way over to them. “Thank you for inviting me. Are you sure it’s okay?”

“No,” Gregory said honestly. “We’ll find out shortly, though.”

“Novices, it’s good to see you. Oh, do we have a third applicant to the clan?” Lightshield asked, having appeared behind them without making a sound.

All three of them jumped slightly at his arrival. Yukiko was the first one to speak, “Elder Lightshield, this is Jenn Bean. She would like to join the clan with us.”

“I ask to be accepted into your clan, Elder,” Jenn said, bowing formally to Lightshield.

Lightshield stared at her for a long moment before the corners of his eyes crinkled and he smiled. “Novice Bean, as the clan leader, I welcome you, along with Novices Pettit and Warlin, into Aether’s Guard.”

A small commotion was starting as people caught sight of the elder. Lightshield looked up with a bemused smile.

“Elder Lightshield?” Marcia Han said from the balcony seating area, unable to hide her shock.

“Goodness, I hadn’t known my twenty-year absence would be such a surprise,” Lightshield chuckled. “Novices, follow me,” he said as he took the stairs up to the second floor.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he paused, as a number of people were standing there. Marcia was the one in front of them all. “I believed you dead, Elder,” she said.

“Merely taking some time away for my health,” Lightshield replied. “How is your grandfather doing?”

Marcia’s expression soured. “He’s fine. Like you, he’ll not attain sage before his time comes.”

Lightshield nodded sadly. “Many of us spend our last few years knowing that even we are mortal.”

“Do you still carry that delusion as a goal?” a magus asked, his kimono marking him as being with the Eternal Flame.

“Delusion? Magus… pardon me, it has been twenty years… Elkit, right?”

Elkit snickered. “And your memory is going, but not entirely gone yet, it seems.”

“My memory is as perfect as it’s always been. I just don’t remember the names of every novice or apprentice who slighted my clan. Did your limp get seen to? Bishop nearly severed your leg, as I recall.”

Elkit’s face turned beet red. “I haven’t limped in years. The Eternal Flame provides, as any clan of standing should.”

“Yes, that’s true,” Lightshield said. “Speaking of, I do have three new novices to welcome to my clan. I was just bringing them to dinner. Please step aside for us.”

The older magi on the second floor looked past him to where the three novices were standing, and many looked sour. Marcia was among that number for a moment before she laughed.

“Enjoy the moment, Elder. Your clan still holds to the antiquated notion that magi should be able to leave a clan whenever they wish, don’t you?”

“We’ve always believed in that freedom,” Lightshield replied.

The other magi suddenly looked a bit happier and a few went back to their tables. Elkit sneered at them. “Weakness in the novices and weaknesses in the leadership. No wonder your clan is all but dead.”

Lightshield’s eyes sparkled. “Excuse me, child, but did you just insult me, my new members, and my clan?”

“I did. What ar—?” Elkit began.

A sudden displacement of air ruffled everyone’s kimonos on the terrace. When the sudden gust abated, Elkit gasped and fell over. He wasn’t moving and was breathing shallowly. Everyone present looked suddenly wary.

Lightshield sighed, “I broke a rule there. I’ll have to see the council or even the overseer himself before I leave now. A pity. It should be a minor infraction, though; I didn’t permanently harm him. Well, besides his ego, but that could use a bit of deflating.”

Marcia cleared her throat. “Elder, if you will pardon me? I’ll be taking my leave.”

“Of course,” Lightshield stepped aside, motioning the novices to come up and get behind him. “Do tell your grandfather I wish him well. There are so few of us left now.”

Marcia inclined her head. “When I see him next, I will.” Walking slowly and using her cane, she left them standing there as she went down the stairs.

“It appears the fun is over,” Lightshield smiled. “I reserved a table over this way. Follow me.”

“What did you do to him?” a female voice hissed at Lightshield.

Gregory was surprised to see Gina, Michelle’s friend, cradling Elkit’s head.

Lightshield gave her a sad smile. “Helped him get some much-needed rest. I do think that put a damper on your plans tonight. One of the healers could have him up again in a moment or two, but he’ll be in a foul mood at that point. Excuse us.”

Gina glared as Lightshield and the three novices went past her and onto the second floor of the mess hall. Gregory could feel the hatred and spite from the two points digging into his back.

“Elder, did you create a scene on the balcony?” a tall, extremely thin woman asked when they stepped inside.

“I was forced to act. He insulted my novices, myself, and my clan. I do apologize to you and the others, but I won’t to him.”

“Always a ruckus when you’re here,” the woman sighed. “Twenty years was too short a reprieve.”

“For an elf, it would seem that way,” Lightshield replied. “Only magi come close to your life spans. Is the room ready for us? Oh, and I was right. It’s going to be three for dinner. Don’t mind that there are four of us currently.”

Gregory felt a chill and shared a glance with Yukiko. She dipped her head an inch, letting him know she had heard it as well.

“What did he mean, do you think?” Jenn whispered to Yukiko.

“You’ll see,” Lightshield said.

“Ignore him,” the elf said, looking past Lightshield. “He’s insufferable when you acknowledge him being right.”

“Still mad about me telling you about your husband? I was trying to save you the heartache.”

The elf sniffed and led them to a private dining room. Once they were seated, she poured them drinks before pausing in front of the door. “The meal will be served in half an hour. Until then, the room will be sealed. No one, except perhaps the emperor himself, will be able to hear anything you say.” With that, she stepped back and shut the door.

Lightshield exhaled deeply. “Still hates me for it. You’d think she’d be happy that I told her about her husband cheating on her.”

“Did he?” Gregory asked, unable to help himself.

“He did. I might have told her differently, though that was some time ago now. Before we get into anything important, you three all wish to join Aether’s Guard, yes?”

“Yes, sir,” Gregory said.

“Yes, Elder,” Yukiko said.

“If I’m allowed,” Jenn said.

“Very well.” Lightshield handed out three badges, each being identical to the others— a shield with stylized blue flames in the middle of it. “Welcome to Aether’s Guard. You are the first novices in twenty years to join our path. I’ve arranged for a clan hall, staff, and instructors. Your leader will be back in a little under six months, so until then, I have tasked an old friend with holding that post. Keeper Dia is known to you three, and you would be amenable to her caring for you still, right?”

All three of them agreed that Dia was more than acceptable as the one to oversee them.

“Very good. Gin and his assistants will be there tomorrow. I have staff taking care of his home in the city, and he’s agreed that you may use it during your days off. Speaking of which, you must take your single day off every week. That is not negotiable, and Gin understands that.”

“Why, sir?” Yukiko asked.

“Because you will face enough while inside the walls. Being able to rest will help you. I know what you underwent before the first tournament, but since Gin will be your instructor every day, you will soon learn to enjoy the day off, as will he.”

“Armsmaster Gin will be our instructor?” Jenn asked with wide eyes.

“Yes. He will be training you in the ways of combat. We don’t pressure you to train one path over the others. If you need someone to teach you about magic, one will be provided… well, in most cases,” Lightshield finished, looking at Gregory. “In some cases, that will be problematic.”

“Just train as we like, and you’ll provide for it to happen?” Jenn asked.

“As long as you hold to the ideal of the clan, we’ll do everything we can for you in return.”

“Ideal of the clan?” Jenn asked.

“Believing that Aether will return. When he does, we will be his shield and his guard against those that try to do him harm.”

“I believe,” Gregory said.

“As do I, and I will make sure he is as safe as my dear one,” Yukiko said.

Jenn hesitated, but she nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

“That’s all we ask. Trials will come up, and your belief will be tested. Hold firm to your belief and Aether will reward you in kind,” Lightshield said. “If you wish to be part of the clan, just attach the badge to your kimono.”

Gregory didn’t hesitate. He attached the badge and his kimono suddenly had the clan emblem embroidered on it. Yukiko had been only a fraction of a second behind him. Jenn took a deep breath and copied them, her kimono changing, as well.

“Just place the badge on all of your kimonos and it will make sure you are properly attired.”

“Thank you, sir,” Gregory said.

“Don’t thank me, Novice Pettit. Your road is going to be long, difficult, and full of pain,” Lightshield said somberly. “There will be bright points that will help keep you moving forward, and those points will glow all the brighter as long as they stay true.”

“I will be beside him every step of the way, Elder,” Yukiko said.

“Yes. He’s a lucky man. Congratulations on your betrothal. I hope to see the wedding.” His smile held a hint of pain when he said the last few words. “Our time is about up,” he added as he looked to the door. “Eat, enjoy, and welcome to Aether’s Guard. All of you will do the clan proud, as will those that follow you.”

There was a knock on the door and it opened up to reveal the three members of the academy council. The elder of the council stepped forward. “Elder Lightshield, you have caused problems today. We require that you come with us.”

“Elder Cho, it’s good to see you again,” Lightshield said. “Novices, I apologize for this, but it seems the council has need of me. My novices are allowed to enjoy the meal, I hope?”

“They may,” Cho replied. “Warlin, Pettit, Bean, stay and enjoy the food. Now, Lightshield—”

A gust of wind blew through the room and Lightshield was suddenly beside Cho. “I’m ready, Elder.”

One of the grandmasters behind her grunted and gestured. The moment he did, all four of them vanished.

As the novices sat there in silence, the elf returned and looked into the room. “Dinner is ready, and there are indeed only three of you.”

Chapter Fifteen

Dinner was lavish. It consisted of six courses, each one helping prepare them for the next. The drink that went with was a diluted wine that had their aether burning bright. Dessert was what stood out the most to Gregory— it was chilled purity plums, diced into small sections and mixed with frozen cream.

Conversation had been mostly nonexistent, since the food had come out almost as soon as they had finished the previous course. With dessert gone and the table cleared of everything but a mint tea, the elf who had greeted and served them, Bella, told them they could stay as late as they wanted to before leaving them alone.

“This was very different,” Jenn said. “An elder who appears to know the future...”

“I can do the same, although to a greatly reduced degree,” Gregory said, deciding to play into what people would know once Damon had informed people.

Jenn stared at him. “Did you use that to beat me?”

“No. I don’t have conscious control over it yet, though it saved me twice during the tournament.”

“Oh, the earth spike and Jason?”

“Yes. Master Damon is going to tell the academy and it’ll be out soon enough. Figured telling you up-front would be for the best.”

“Thank you for trusting me,” Jenn said, brushing some hair behind her ear.

“Lightshield can see further into the future, I think,” Yukiko said. “He knew there would be three eating. They also only served us meals for novices, who normally don’t eat up here, instead of two for novices and one for an elder.”

Gregory nodded. “I think you’re right... but he was also using wind magic. I thought people could only use a single type of magic?”

“There are stories of dual affinities, but they’re very rare and normally can’t do as much as a person with a single affinity,” Jenn said. “I’ve been reading about different magics over the last few days.”

“We should get going,” Yukiko said. “Jenn needs to get her stuff moved to the clan building and we need to find out where it is.”

“Good point,” Gregory agreed. “Let’s go.” He took one last sip of his tea before standing.

As they left the private room and walked through the main room of the second floor, all eyes turned to them. Muttered conversation about why three novices were unescorted sprang up, but when Bella bid them farewell, the muttering cut down.

When they descended to the ground floor, a warm voice called out to them, “Novices, are you ready?”

“Keeper, we are,” Gregory replied.

Dia shook her head. “I’m no longer a Keeper. I am Magus Dia, now that I am not in charge of the dormitory. You may all call me Dia. All of your things have been sent to the clan hall. I am here to show you the way.”

“Even my things, Kee… Dia?” Jenn asked.

“Yes.”

“But I didn’t even know I was—” Jenn began.

“Elder Lightshield said it would be so,” Dia cut her off. “If we had been wrong, it would have reflected badly on the clan. He appears to have been correct, however.”

“Yes, but that’s very unnerving,” Jenn said.

“Are you part of the clan, Dia?” Yukiko asked.

“Yes. I joined the other day when I was asked if I would care for you. It makes it easier for me to interact with the others if I’m an official member of a clan,” Dia said and smiled. “Now, if you will follow me?”

Trailing her, Gregory watched the path with a curious eye. Just before the last branch that would take them to the archive, Dia turned away and led them a different way. After another minute of walking and going past a large hedge, the clan hall came into view. It was a large building with ample grounds around it. The hedge they had passed surrounded the entirety of the area.

“This is Aether’s Guard clan hall inside the walls of the academy,” Dia said as she led them toward the doors. “It will easily accommodate everyone this year and for years to come.”

Gregory was glad the building wasn’t gaudy like the others he’d seen. It was very understated and appeared to be more defensive than anything. The windows were thin and tall, looking more like enlarged arrow slits than actual windows. The doors were iron-banded thick wood. The entire building abutted the wall, and the roof of the building was the same height as the walls. Gregory wondered if there was a trap door that would lead into the hall.

“Before I show you all the different rooms, we should start with the staff,” Dia said. “I think you know them.” Stopping on the porch, she pulled the bell-rope.

The doors opened to reveal five eurtiks that Gregory and Yukiko knew as friends. Ravol, Zenim, Steva, Velma, and Quilet all stood there in uniforms, smiling broadly. “Greetings, Novices,” the five said in unison.

Gregory and Yukiko smiled back at them, shocked that the cooks were there, but happy. Jenn’s brow furrowed as she tried to figure out why the cooks were there.

Dia chuckled, “They are most of the staff currently, but I’m sure we’ll be getting more before next year.”

“It’s good to see you all,” Yukiko said, moving forward to give Velma a hug. “We’ll miss your cooking, but it’s better to have you here.”

Zenim’s laugh was rough. “We’ll be cooking still. Most clans use the mess hall, as it’s free. Elder Lightshield assured us he’d rather we cook for the clan. Breakfast will be made to order, snacks will be ready at the start of the day, but dinner will be set to Dia’s specifications.”

Gregory shook hands with Steva. “Thank you again.”

“We still thank you both,” Steva grinned.

Yukiko looked back at Jenn, who seemed uncertain of what to do. “Jenn, these are our friends. Jenn is also our friend and joined the clan with us,” she told the staff.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Jenn said a little stiffly.

Dia placed a hand on her shoulder. “The clan doesn’t hold any prejudices and asks its members to do their best to dispel theirs.”

Jenn smiled. “Thank you, Dia.”

“Now that you’ve met with most of the staff,” Dia said, “we should continue the tour of the building. Follow me.”

The tour went fairly quickly, as Dia didn’t let them pause in any one area long. There was a garden for meditating, with a rock garden, a small pond with koi in it, and bonsai trees. The room with wooden sparring dummies made Jenn’s eyes light up. They paused for a little longer in the dining area and kitchen area so the staff could give a brief idea of what each person could order for food and snacks. Bedrooms ranged from half the size of what the novices had at the dormitory up to full suites. A room with a heavy covering on the large table and shelving was called the war room, but Dia didn’t elaborate on it further. The study was full of books with four tables and the last staff member.

Murium rose to her feet and looked mortified. Licking her lips, she brushed at her uniform and hurried to greet them after setting aside the book she had been reading. “I’m sorry, Dia. I never heard the bell.”

“Murium is the one who’ll be in charge of the study,” Dia said, ignoring her apology for the moment. “I’ve been told she’s highly skilled in knowing what and where everything is when it comes to knowledge.”

“She worked in the archive,” Gregory said. “She was always there with the book or scrolls we asked for.”

Murium lowered her head, clearly flustered. “Yet I’ve screwed this up already...” She chewed at her lip as she worried over what would happen.

Dia shook her head. “Murium, everyone makes mistakes. It’s not repeating them and learning to do better that matters. I trust you to never ignore the bell again.”

Murium looked up, hope in her eyes. “No, ma’am. Never.”

“Dia, not ma’am,” Dia said simply. “If you wish to study, Murium will assist you, Novices. The chief archivist herself vouched for her.”

Murium’s eyes bugged out, her lips trembling. “She did?”

“Yes. Now, if you will excuse us, I’m still conducting the tour,” Dia said, ushering them out of the study.

Dia showed them the baths last, making sure they understood which was the male side and which was the female side. “If you are ever caught in the wrong one, I’ll make sure you learn a very painful lesson, not that I expect any of you to make that error.”

“No, Dia,” Gregory said.

“Never, Dia,” Yukiko replied.

“No, ma’am,” Jenn said crisply.

“Dia or Magus, not ma’am,” Dia chided Jenn gently. “Now that you’ve seen everything, did you have any questions?”

“Which rooms are ours?” Yukiko asked.

“We would normally place you in the smallest rooms as novices. However, since we won’t have new novices until next year, it was decided to put you into the standard quarters. Follow me.”

She led them to their rooms and had them verify that all of their things had made it. Once they had, she bowed her head to them. “I wish you all a good night. The hall does not have a lights-out time, but we do ask you to respect your neighbors. I am on the top floor and there is a plaque with my name on the door, if you have to find me in the middle of the night. Any other questions?”

When the three said they didn’t, Dia took her leave. Left standing in the hall, they exchanged glances.

“We should be turning in soon, ourselves,” Yukiko said. “Normally, we do an hour of studying before bed.”

“Oh... Would it be okay if I joined you?” Jenn asked.

“I’d like that,” Yukiko replied. “We’ve been mostly focusing on economics to stay ahead of Magus Han.”

Jenn winced. “I could use help with that.”

Gregory chuckled. “I understand. Yukiko is a great teacher.”

“My room tonight?” Yukiko asked, opening the door. “We’ve been switching rooms for studying. Making it a three-room rotation is good, as well.”

Entering Yukiko’s room, Gregory took a longer look at the layout. It was similar to the rooms at the dormitory, but the walls here were solid wood, not the heavy paper and wooden slats of the dormitory. There was a closet for personal items, a short-legged table in the middle of the room, a mat and bedding near one wall, and a pitcher and basin on a shelf.

Taking his seat, Gregory pulled his bag around and took out his notes. “Do you have notes for economics, Jenn? We might want to see where you are, then work from there, so we’re all on the same page.”

Jenn winced. “Uh… I don’t have many notes.”

Yukiko patted her hand. “You will. We’ll begin with the basics and work back from there. Greg, you should start. It’ll let me see how much you remember.”

“A test? Okay then, I can do this,” Gregory grinned.

Jenn pulled out her paper, ink, and pen. As she got things ready, she wondered if she had done the right thing. Something about Gregory pulled at her. She felt like she needed to be beside him, to be there to help him. Glancing his way and seeing him smile at Yukiko, Jenn felt a twinge of jealousy, which she quickly squashed. “I’m ready,” she said.

“Okay,” Gregory said, giving her a smile, “let’s start at the beginning. Feel free to tell me if you already know a part so we can skip ahead a little.”

“I will,” Jenn said, returning his smile.

Chapter Sixteen

Gregory rolled to his feet, yawning and rubbing at his eyes. Blinking slowly as he adjusted to the light, he went over to the closet and pulled out his clothing for the day. Taking the clan badge, he rubbed his thumb across the shield before pinning it to the kimono. After getting dressed, he snagged his bag that had been set by the door, left his room, and turned to see Yukiko closing her door.

Giving her a smile, he stepped aside and let her into his room. The moment the door closed, the two came together, arms wrapping around the other as their lips met in a passionate kiss. The moment drew out and Gregory deepened the kiss. Yukiko followed his movements, lips parting so their tongues could briefly duel.

Pulling back with his face flushed, Gregory was breathing fast. “This is torture,” he groaned.

Yukiko leaned her head against his chest, hearing his heart race. “Yes... I’m sorry, dear one. I would gladly go further, but you’ve stated that you don’t want to hurt my family.”

Gregory’s arms tightened around her. Exhaling a deep breath, he kissed the top of her head. “I know. Your father wouldn’t be happy if we went further before the wedding. I’m doing my best.”

“Yes… I have to restrain myself from doing more, as well. It’s only your wish to do the right thing that stops me from pushing for more.”

Kissing her head softly again, he smiled at her. “I love you, Yuki.”

“And I love you, Greg.”

“We should get going.”

“Yes,” Yukiko murmured, kissing his chest before letting go of him. “Should we include Jenn in our morning study?”

Gregory released Yukiko. “You’re okay with that?”

She met his eyes. “She’ll be our companion for the next few years, and is a fellow clan member. Helping her expand as quickly and as much as she can is a good idea for the clan.”

“If that’s what my heart wishes.”

Yukiko touched his cheek. “If you don’t want her near us—”

Gregory took her hand in his and kissed the palm, cutting her off. “I’m fine if you want to include her in our training, but I’d thought you weren’t going to get along with her since she seemed interested in me.”

Yukiko giggled. “But I’m your heart, and you’re mine. She’ll learn that nothing will separate us. As long as she accepts that, there will be no trouble. I believe she’ll come to understand eventually. I’d also like to have more friends.”

“Okay, let’s see if she wants to join us. Not sure she’ll be able to walk all three paths, though.”

“That’s a fair point, but we can offer her the chance.”

Gregory put his arms around Yukiko again. “Just one more small kiss?”

“As my heart wishes,” Yukiko said breathily and closed her eyes.

~*~*~

Yukiko smiled at Jenn when she cracked her door open. “Would you care to join us for our morning studies?”

Jenn blinked slowly. “Are you both following the mind path?”

“In a way,” Yukiko said. “We can explain, if you’d like to join us.”

“Okay, let me get dressed. Can you have them make me something similar to your food, please? I’ll meet you in the dining room.”

“Got it,” Gregory said from a few feet away. “See you there.”

Jenn jerked slightly, as he’d been out of her line of sight. “Oh, uh... thank you.”

“He didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable,” Yukiko told her. “I sleep in my shift normally, and I was embarrassed when I opened the door one morning when he woke me.”

Jenn gave her a thankful smile. “Thank you, Yuki. I’ll hurry.”

Yukiko caught up to Gregory. “She’ll join us shortly.”

“Smart idea for you to ask her,” Gregory said.

“Yes. I think you both would’ve been embarrassed.”

“Yeah...”

Making it to the dining area, they found Velma preparing to cook in the kitchen. “Oh, morning to you both. I’m just getting things ready. What can I make for you?”

“I’m not sure what would be best,” Gregory said. “Since you’re more knowledgeable on what to mix for the best aether boost, I’ll leave it in your hands.”

“I agree with Greg, Velma. Please make us what you think best for us, and a third helping for Jenn. She’ll be joining us shortly.”

“Very well,” Velma said. “I’ll have it ready as soon as I can. There’s some juice on the counter here if you’d like something to drink while you wait.”

“Thank you,” Gregory said, going to pour two glasses.

“You can take the pitcher to the table. Glasses are in that cupboard there,” she said, pointing.

“I’ll get the glasses, Greg,” Yuki said.

They’d taken seats and were sipping juice when Jenn came bustling into the room. “Oh good, I’m not late,” she breathed with a sigh of relief, sitting with them.

“It’ll be a few minutes, yet,” Velma said.

“Have some juice,” Gregory said, pouring her a glass.

“Thank you, Greg. You, too, Velma.”

“After breakfast, we go to the archive for study,” Yukiko said.

“Yes. You said you’re not really on the mind path. What does that mean? You both study a lot, like you were on the mind path.”

Gregory looked over to see Velma focused on cooking. Pulling his medallion out, he let her see it. “We’ve been training fast.”

“Seven?” Jenn asked in a shocked voice. She fished her own medallion out, showing the sixth circle lit. “How? I’ve been training the body path with hardly any pauses. The sixth one just activated this morning.”

“We’ve been training more than one path,” Yukiko said softly.

Jenn’s jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. “But… isn’t that impossible?”

“Not for us,” Gregory said. “We’ve found a way, but it takes everything we have. We study in the morning before class and during the time that was for history class. We meditate and work on our body paths at the same time. It’d been before physical class, but now it’s after. Then, in the evening, we study more.”

Jenn’s brow furrowed. “But that… I do that much training on just the body path, and I don’t grow that fast.”

“It’s your choice,” Yukiko said. “If you trust and believe, though, you can join us.”

Jenn chewed her lip as she considered what they were saying. “If it doesn’t work, I’ll be hindering my growth.”

“That’s true,” Gregory conceded. “It’ll work. It has been for us.”

“But if it was that simple, then others would be able to do it, too,” Jenn said.

“No,” Yukiko said softly. “There’s a trick to it, but we can’t tell you what it is. You’ll have to choose your path— you can train as you have been or join us.”

“Breakfast is done,” Velma said and started plating the food. “I’ll bring it over in just a moment.”

Jenn was spared answering for a bit while they ate. It took longer to eat than their previous breakfasts, as the meal had more aether to process than they were used to. Rice, soup, pickled vegetables, and fish; it was the same thing they had most mornings, but this was seasoned and treated differently.

“I can tailor the food to your levels better than the food we prepared for all novices,” Velma told them as she took a seat and sipped at some juice. “I’m glad to see you’re enjoying it.”

Jenn stopped a little short of finishing. “It’s too much for me. It was very good, Velma, but I’m not as advanced as they are.”

Velma blinked. “Oh. I’m sorry. I di—”

“It’s our fault,” Yukiko interrupted her. “We didn’t know, and you made three identical meals like we requested.”

Velma looked worried. “But—”

“It’s fine,” Jenn said. “I’ll train harder and then it won’t be a problem.” She looked at Yukiko. “Please show me?”

Yukiko bowed her head. “Very well. The archive first.” She paused and pulled the ring she had gotten from Gregory yesterday off her hand. “Wear this for today. We trade it every day. It helps develop the mind path. Greg, should we share the rewards, too?”

Gregory nodded. “We do have the extra from the tournament.”

Jenn looked between them, unsure of what they were talking about. Taking the offered ring, she put it on. Jenn wiggled her finger when it resized to her hand. “That felt weird.”

“Come with me for a moment. We have some other things we can share,” Yukiko told Jenn. “Greg, we’ll meet you at the door.”

“Sounds good,” Gregory said as he finished off his juice.

~*~*~

Walking to the archive, Jenn was still trying to come to terms with what was going on. “But those are yours, Yuki... I shouldn’t be using them.”

“We already have our own,” Yukiko said. “This is a gift to a friend. Please, Jenn, let me help you advance with us.”

“Greg?” Jenn asked for help with a pleading gaze.

“Yuki’s right,” Gregory told her with a grin. “If you want to keep up with us, you’ll need it.”

Jenn frowned, but stopped arguing. The rest of the short walk to the archive was in silence.

“Greetings, Novices,” Rafiq greeted them. “I see you have brought another with you to learn. What would you be interested in studying, Novice?”

Jenn glanced at Yukiko and Gregory uncertainly. “What should I study?”

“Whatever interests you,” Yukiko said. “It’s the act of learning that matters. That’s easier if the material is something you like.”

Jenn nodded. “That makes sense… I’d like to learn more about Aether’s Guard, first.”

“It’s always good to know about the clan you’re a part of. A book will be brought to you, though your clan will likely have books we do not. Do either of you want different subjects?” he asked Yukiko and Gregory.

“I’m good with the text I was studying,” Gregory said.

“I’m still working on mine, as well,” Yukiko said.

“Very well. I’ll have a book for your friend brought to your table.”

“Thank you, Rafiq,” Gregory said, bowing his head to the archivist.

Yukiko and Jenn mirrored his thanks and bowed before they all headed into the back of the archive. Taking their seats, their books were already waiting for them. Jenn took a seat beside Yukiko, puzzled as the other two pulled some papers out of their bags.

“This is called Magi Squares,” Yukiko said, putting the sheet in front of Jenn. “Let me explain how it works.”

The three of them each finished a single Magi Squares sheet, though Jenn struggled through hers. “That was very complicated,” Jenn said.

“I didn’t have time to make an easier one,” Yukiko apologized, “but you did manage one that we were both doing, which is very good. We warm up with those, then start learning. We break in time to reach our first class.”

“My first class is aether studies,” Jenn said, “then economics, with history last. I quit history, though.”

“You can either come back here to study or train,” Gregory said. “We have economics, then we come back here to study before aether.”

“Okay. Is there anything else I can do to try what you two are?”

“We’ll show you after classes,” Yukiko said. “We can go back to the clan hall, have dinner, and then do meditation together. After you get used to the idea, you’ll be able to do it on your own.”

“Okay.” Jenn slid the book she had asked for in front of her and opened it up. “First, we study.”

Gregory and Yukiko exchanged a smile.

Chapter Seventeen

“She’s interested in trying,” Yukiko said as they walked to their economics class.

“Yeah. I don’t think I could have completed that Magi Squares if it’d been the first one I tried.”

“You would have, but it might have taken you just as long as it did for her.”

“Longer,” Gregory sighed. “She’s still from a large town or small city. Her basic education was better than mine.”

“You’re too hard on yourself.”

“Maybe.”

Yukiko took his hand briefly and gave it a squeeze. “What do you think the others will say?”

“Probably insult the clan, maybe us. Anything they can to try baiting us.”

“Yes, there is that. The teachers are likely to already know about us having joined a clan.”

“Need to see what happens with them. If they react badly, we’ll pull out of class… oh, Gin will be at the clan hall today. We should see what he wants to do for training, since it might affect our schedule.”

“Yes. Truthfully, we can probably skip one of our study sessions. I’m curious if he’ll want us to leave conditioning class for his training alone.”

“Jenn can’t join us for that,” Gregory said. “She has to go to classes. She isn’t exempt from them.”

“We’ll just have to wait and see what Gin says.”

“Yes,” Gregory nodded in agreement.

Falling silent, they entered the classroom. Magus Han was already seated and watched them with a thoughtful expression.

“Novices, I see you made your choice,” Marcia said.

“Yes, Magus,” Yukiko bowed her head to the teacher.

“Do you think it’s the right one?”

“We won’t know until later,” Yukiko replied. “They are supportive of us, though.”

“They’ll struggle to get you appropriate teachers,” Marcia said. “They had only a half dozen members left before you joined them. I don’t believe any of them are shadow magi.”

“I don’t know, Magus. The building and the staff they’ve provided were most generous.”

Marcia frowned. “They arranged for a clan hall?”

“Yes, Magus.”

“Hmm, interesting. It’s nice to see that you’re still attending my class.”

“We’d like to stay, Magus,” Gregory said. “We’ve been learning a lot from you.”

“That’s gratifying,” Marcia said.

“The fringer has a clan?” Petak asked incredulously. “What bottom-feeding clan took you in?”

Gregory and Yukiko ignored him as they got out paper and ink, getting ready for class.

“The clan must be a weak new one if you’re so embarrassed to not name them,” Petak snickered.

“Novice,” Marcia said, “I do trust you’ll stop before class begins?”

“I won’t interrupt your class, Magus,” Petak said quickly, remembering her restraining him with wind and dropping him days earlier.

“Good. Take your seat. The other novices are showing up.” Looking back to Yukiko and Gregory, Marcia gave them an appraising look. “If your clan fails you, know that the Han clan is willing to take you in.”

“Thank you, Magus,” the two said, bowing to her.

~*~*~

Economics class went by swiftly, as did their second study session in the archive.

“The postings for adepts are everywhere and cover so many different types of jobs. Tax collectors, border guards, teachers, assistants to a city magi... I find myself worried we won’t be posted to the same place,” Gregory said.

“Have you looked specifically at instances of two adepts being posted together?” Yukiko asked as they walked toward aether class.

“I’ll ask Rafiq,” Gregory sighed.

“I have some new stretches for us to do from the Peaceful Fist scroll,” Yukiko told him.

“Makes sense. It’s a mix of meditation and fighting.”

A commotion coming from the class ahead of them caught their attention. Quickening their pace, they took a side path, wanting to see and hear what was going on without being obvious about it.

They were in time to see two people carrying a charred body away. Gregory winced when he saw what was happening. Yukiko gripped his arm tightly, inhaling sharply.

“It was an accident,” Nick said as he left the training area. “They happen, Adept.”

“You will not be allowed back into this class,” Dunn said, his voice almost bordering on emotion. “That is twice this week that an Eternal Flame member has had an accident, and this time, it resulted in a death.”

Jason snorted as he walked past Dunn. “Grandmaster Shun will have something to say about that.”

“My word is final for this class,” Dunn replied, falling back into his flat monotone.

Yukiko pulled the shadows around the two of them as the argument happened, hoping that they would be missed. Dunn’s eyes flickered in their direction, but failed to see them. The other two never looked.

“My grandfather will likely be speaking with the council,” Nick smirked. “I’m sure I’ll be reinstated to the class. Until then, I’ll take my leave.”

“All of the Eternal Flame are removed from this period until a formal apology is made to me and the clan who lost their novice is appropriately compensated,” Dunn said. “The rest of you, go with him.”

Nick’s eyes narrowed. “If you want to bring conflict between the clans, you are well on your way, Dunn.” With that, Nick turned sharply on his heel and walked away.

Jason, Michelle, and the others hurried after him. Dunn watched them go with an emotionless gaze before turning back to the class. “Class is almost over. Collect your things. You may go early.”

The novices filed out of the area in small groups until they were all gone. When the last one walked away, Yukiko let go of the shadows.

“That doesn’t bode well...” Gregory murmured. “If they’re already looking to eliminate people before the next tournament, I don’t like our chances.”

“They already tried to get you once,” Yukiko said. “Next time, they’ll try harder.”

“Glad I don’t have any Eternal Flame in my weapons class,” Gregory said. “You need to be extra careful, though.”

“I will be, and I’ll have Jenn with me,” Yukiko reassured him.

Gregory nodded and stepped away from the tree they’d been standing near. “They’re all gone. We can go take our seats.”

Entering the class area, they found Dunn meditating in the sun. His legs were in the lotus position, and he had both hands resting palm up on his knees. They did their best to be quiet as they took their seats and got paper and ink ready.

“Today is training again,” Dunn said. “Only Gregory will be making notes.”

“Sir, I wanted to ask about dual affinities for magic,” Gregory said.

Dunn got to his feet. “Very rare... maybe one every decade. Normally, one magic is far stronger than the other, or both are weak.”

“I believe the leader of my clan has dual affinity,” Gregory said.

“He does,” Dunn nodded. “Wind and foretelling. Though the foretelling is far weaker for him, it’s been proven that he can see glimpses of the future. I’m surprised you joined Aether’s Guard.”

“The reason will be coming out shortly, sir,” Gregory said.

Dunn nodded slowly. “That would explain why no one knew what the ryuite meant. I can’t think of another magi who has foretelling as a magic.”

“You know a lot about aether, sir,” Yukiko said.

“By knowing oneself, we can get closer to our aether. It’s the reason I’m on the spirit path.”

“In some of my reading, there’s a cavern described for the spirit path,” Gregory said, wondering how Dunn saw it.

“Yes, the cavern of flame,” Dunn nodded, a smile touching his lips. “When I meditate on the flames, I can feel the aether trying to talk to me. I hope one day to be able to converse with it.”

Before either of them could ask Dunn another question, one of their classmates showed up and Dunn’s smile vanished. Giving them a small nod, he walked back to stand in the sun.

Aether introduction mostly went like it had the rest of the week: with Yukiko working on her magic, and Gregory talking to people and making notes. He got a slightly more friendly reception from the crafters than he had been getting.

Something different came near the end of class. Petak spun and threw fire at Gregory, but he hadn’t known that Dunn had been going to check on Gregory. The fire washed over Dunn, who immediately dropped to the ground and rolled, smothering the flames.

Petak’s face was white when he realized who he’d hit. The others near him backed away, not wanting to be involved. “Uh… sir… I… uh…!” Petak stammered, trying to come up with some excuse.

Dunn got to his feet, his skin red and slightly blistered. Looking at Petak, his voice was clipped and precise, “Novice, you will report to the council. The charge is attacking an instructor. Do you understand?”

“But, sir, I was aimi—!” Petak began before snapping his mouth shut.

“Add attempted assault of a fellow novice to the charges,” Dunn said. “Go. Now. If you delay, I will add more.”

Petak looked back at the other Eternal Flame clan members in the class, who backed away from him. “Dammit,” he hissed as he ran.

“Class is over early,” Dunn said, clapping his hands. “Gather your things and go.”

“Sir,” Gregory asked, “do you need help getting to the infirmary?”

Dunn glanced at Gregory and shook his head. “No, I can make it on my own.”

“Yes, sir,” Gregory said.

Class emptied out rapidly, and Yukiko came over to get her bag. Gregory and Yukiko exchanged a knowing glance, understanding that the risk of attending classes was going up rapidly. Bags in place, they left the class behind and made their way for the arenas.

“They really are trying to thin out the others,” Yukiko said.

“I’m thinking we should pull out of our classes,” Gregory said.

“That would leave Jenn alone in physical conditioning.”

Gregory grimaced. “Dammit... We need to talk to Gin, as it is, and see if he’s already set a schedule for us.”

“Agreed. We should be extra careful today...”

“Yes. We need to let Jenn know about the attacks, too.”

~*~*~

The pair hurried to the arena of the day and saw Jenn already waiting for them. “Snacks first, right?” Jenn asked.

“Yes, but we need to tell you about some things,” Yukiko said as they took seats next to her. “The Eternal Flame is being aggressive.” Taking out her snack, she relayed what they had seen.

“We’ll have to be especially cautious during weapons training,” Jenn said when Yukiko finished. “At least we don’t have an adept of the Eternal Flame as an instructor.”

Gregory shuddered. “That’s a good point. You have enough of them to deal with, already.”

“We’ll be talking with Gin and seeing how he plans to train us after classes today,” Yukiko said. “Then, we’ll do our meditation at the clan hall before bathing and dinner.”

“Yes, best to stay in the clan hall as much as possible,” Jenn agreed. “Sadly, I can’t skip classes, too… You won’t leave me alone in this class, will you?”

Gregory popped the last bite of jerky into his mouth as he thought back for a moment. “Yuki, remember the first day of classes? The instructors told us that failing their class would restrict our postings, but neither Dunn nor Erichson said that. We should check and see if there’s a penalty for leaving those.”

“You’re right,” Yukiko agreed.

“Wait, I can miss those classes, too?” Jenn asked.

“No idea. We need to check,” Gregory replied.

“Archive on the way home?” Yukiko asked.

“That was my plan.”

Chapter Eighteen

Things were fine until Nick and the others in the Eternal Flame showed up for class. As the pack crossed the arena floor to get to the group of students, Nick saw Gregory and angled toward them.

“Pet-tit, joined the worst clan in the empire, did you?”

“No,” Gregory said as he rose to his feet. “We joined one of the oldest clans in the empire, not the one that tarnishes its own name by its actions, like the Eternal Flame.”

Nick’s lips twisted into a sneer. “Just wait… you’ll learn not to mock your betters.”

“My betters?” Gregory asked in surprise. “Did I lose my standing as top novice?”

Nick’s eyelid twitched, but Jason grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “Magus is coming,” Jason said. “You’ll never repeat that, Pet-tit. Shun will be the one at the top next time.”

“No, he won’t,” Yukiko said. “But if Greg isn’t there, then either Jenn or I will be.”

“Silence, bird!” Michelle snapped. “Animals should be quiet until spoken to!”

“As should whores,” Jenn said calmly, coming to stand next to her friends. “Did you break that betrothal before or after you let Jason console you?”

Michelle’s face went white and she had almost made it to Jenn before Paul was suddenly between them. He stared Michelle down. “There will be no unsanctioned fighting in my presence. Understood?”

Michelle looked away from him. “Understood, Magus.”

“We apologize to you, Magus,” Gregory said, bowing formally to him. “We let them provoke us into exchanging taunts. We failed to account that ours would wound them so much.”

Paul’s lips twitched before quickly stilling back into a thin line. “If your two groups have a problem, you’ll get to settle it next year, during the apprentice tournaments. If things need to be solved before then, a duel can be arranged.”

“We’d accept it,” Nick sneered.

“Has your clan not lost enough face today, Novice Shun?” Paul asked pointedly. “One dead because of your ineptitude with fire, and an instructor burned by Novice Petak.”

Nick’s face flushed a deep red. “Ineptitude? I am the grandson of Grandmaster Shun. I am a prodigy with fire magic! I was able to cast an apprentice-level fire spell during the first novice tournament not once, but multiple times!”

“The fire that killed Novice Williams? You did it intentionally?” Paul’s question was pointed.

Jason spoke up quickly, overriding anything Nick might say, “Of course not. To even suggest that is to besmirch the name of the Eternal Flame.”

“Hmm, I hardly think a question besmirches the clan name. I had to ask, considering how much bragging Novice Shun just did. It was either ineptitude that killed a novice, or a deliberate attack.”

“We’re not going to stand for this!” Nick spat. “Eternal Flame, we go back to the clan, where we can be trained by an unbiased instructor.”

Paul watched the group leave with a flat stare. “Wasteful.”

“Sir, does this mean we can train with our clans during this class instead?” another novice asked.

Paul turned back to the class. “This is one of the classes that doesn’t restrict your postings if you miss it. It just makes it more likely you’ll die when you reach adept and beyond. Most of your clans won’t provide you the comprehensive combat training we will. The choice is yours, but I would consider it very carefully if you want a long life.”

“Yes, sir,” the novice said in a small voice.

“Now that they’re gone, fall in!”

The class shifted into the correct positions for stretching. Paul nodded before starting them on the routine they’d come to know. The class seemed a bit more relaxed when it was time to do laps around the arena.

“Now, we’ll move on to sparring. Instead of your usual partners, we’ll be pairing you off. This is the only way you’ll grow, by fighting different opponents. Adepts, pair them.”

Gregory was matched up against a novice he didn’t know that well. Yukiko ended up squaring off with one of the enchanters, and Jenn against an alchemist. Before his spar began, Gregory looked over the class and nodded, seeing the pattern.

Each of the worst fighters is against one of the better ones… Is that to help them learn through pain? Gregory tabled the idle thoughts as he bowed to his opponent.

“I’m going to get my ass kicked...” his opponent muttered.

“As I did when sparring with Yukiko for the first six months,” Gregory said. “I’ll do my best to win, but that just gives you more chances to learn.”

“Easy for you to say,” the novice grunted.

“Novice Pettit lost every match he sparred in for the first few months,” Klim said as she came toward them. “I paired you off so you could learn, but it takes dedication. Now, do you want to survive past the academy?”

“Yes, Adept,” the novice said.

“Good. Now, fight!” Klim commanded.

Gregory didn’t hold back. Yukiko had shown him the best way to teach was to hold nothing back. His opponent hit the ground repeatedly, but always pulled himself back up and reset for the next round. Gregory explained what he’d done each time as they reset, seeing the focus on the other man’s face.

“Break,” Paul called out. “Weapons training begins now, so head out. Pettit, Bean, Warlin, a moment, please?”

All three of them went to him as the rest of the class went to the arenas.

“All three of you joined Aether’s Guard... I assume that Armsmaster Gin will be your instructor?”

“Yes, sir,” Gregory said.

“Are you staying in this class?”

“We don’t know yet, sir,” Yukiko replied. “Gin will be at the clan hall tonight. We have to see what he has planned.”

“I see. If he is to be your instructor, there’s no reason for you to be here. I would ask that you stay in class, though, as having you here will help the others improve. While that might not be best for you overall, it would help the empire.”

“We’ll let you know, sir, once we know,” Gregory said.

“Very well.” Paul nodded, before looking to Jenn. “Bean, we were disappointed that you declined to join us. However, Aether’s Guard was our parent clan before they fell on hard times. We hold no ill will toward you, so please know that that door will remain open to you.”

“Thank you, sir,” Jenn said, bowing formally to him.

“That is all,” Paul said as he headed away.

“Guess we just have to ask Rafiq about aether class… We can do it tomorrow morning,” Gregory said. “Meet you at the bulletin board to go back to the hall?”

“Yes,” Yukiko smiled. “Be safe.”

“You, too,” Gregory replied. “You have a friend with you, at least.”

Jenn nodded. “We’ll be fine.”

“I have no doubts,” Gregory said before he jogged away.

~*~*~

Arriving at the clan hall, they found Gin on the porch of the clan hall, speaking with Dia. “Ah, there they are,” Gin said, getting to his feet. “How was class?”

“Bad for several people,” Gregory replied before launching into an abridged version of what had happened. “Which leaves us wanting to know how you plan to train us.”

Gin nodded. “I’m not surprised, considering everything I’ve heard of the academy. Two of you are exempt from classes, but one of you isn’t. I’ll train you during the same hours as your physical conditioning class. Before or after that, I’ll give you extra lessons, if you want them. This way, your schedule doesn’t need to change unless you want it to.”

“That leaves us with meditation after Gin teaches us,” Gregory said. “We’ll still study in the morning and between classes.”

“Same schedule, just replacing the last class with being trained here,” Yukiko said. “Maybe we should drop aether class, Greg. I think it’ll get worse there.”

“But how will you both learn your magic without it?” Jenn asked.

“We will provide,” Dia said. “We have someone to train Yukiko with shadow magic on hand already. Gregory’s magic is the tough one. If you wish to drop that class, we’ll provide an instructor for you.”

“Really?” Jenn asked. “I’d like that. I thought I had to pass that class, but I’d rather learn here if I can. If only I could move into economics class with them, too.”

“Only economics and history affect adept postings,” Dia said. “I’ll arrange for a teacher for you starting next week. You should ask Magus Han if you can change periods. The worst she’ll say is no.”

“I will,” Jenn nodded.

“We begin training tomorrow,” Gin said. “You are to meet me here at the same time your class would be.”

“Yes, Sensei,” Gregory and Yukiko replied, bowing formally to him.

“Yes, sir,” Jenn said a second behind them, also bowing formally.

“The rest of the day is yours,” Gin said as he turned to enter the clan hall.

“We get to start you on meditation, Jenn,” Yukiko said. “Come on.”

Jenn let Yukiko lead her away. Gregory went to follow, but Dia held up a hand to stop him.

“Gregory, I’ve been meaning to ask— what path are you taking?”

Gregory paused before asking a question instead of answering hers, “Are you staying with Aether’s Guard after this year, Dia?”

Dia laughed lightly. “A clumsy evasion. The answer is yes. This is the clan I belong in. I was part of it for over twenty years, but left it last year to take up Keeper duties.”

“Oh, I see. The answer is complicated,” Gregory said slowly. “We’re training more than one path.”

“The truth is good, even if it is incomplete,” Dia said. “Meditation implies the spirit path, yet I know you’ve been studying a lot as well, which indicates the mind path. Your bodies have grown firm and strong, more so than just the novice class would do, hinting at following the body path.”

Gregory just blinked at her, not thinking they’d been so obvious.

“Did you know that Lionel Lighthand trained both body and spirit paths?” Dia asked.

“We’d heard so. He wrote a scroll about it,” Gregory replied cautiously.

“‘The Peaceful Fist,’” Dia nodded. “There’s a scroll about it in the study here. It goes into more detail than the one in the archive.”

Gregory leaned forward slightly. “It does?”

“Yes,” Dia smiled. “Your friends are waiting for you. Don’t let me keep you longer. If you feel like sharing more, I’ll be here to listen.” Dia pulled her pipe from her obi.

Gregory wanted to ask her more, but he bowed and went after the others instead.

“Greg, is everything okay?” Yukiko asked.

“Dia knows we’re blending spirit and body paths. She said there’s a better scroll on it in the study.”

“I’ll ask Murium about it later,” Yukiko said. “Since I’ve just about finished the one in the archive, it’ll be good to see how this one differs.”

Jenn stood there, waiting. “How do we do this?”

“This is called the Peaceful Fist,” Yukiko said, turning to Jenn. “Just follow my movements. If you feel yourself starting to meditate, let your mind go.”

“But how will I be able to copy you if I do that?”

Yukiko smiled. “You will, because your body will continue the movements. Trust me.”

“Okay,” Jenn said and took up the same pose that Yukiko did.

Gregory moved to form a triangle with them. “Nice and easy, slow and controlled,” he murmured as he started the first kata.

~*~*~

When they had finished meditating, Jenn was happy. “I could almost feel it. Every time I tried to grab it, it slipped away.”

“You need to relax,” Gregory said. “Don’t grab at it. Just welcome it and wait.”

“Got it,” Jenn nodded.

“Time for our bath,” Yukiko said. “See you in a bit for dinner?”

“Yeah. I’ll stop in and see if Murium can find the scroll for us before going to the dining room.”

“We’ll see you there,” Yukiko smiled.

Gregory went toward his room, to the men’s bath. Stepping inside, he saw Gin pouring water over his head.

“Gregory,” Gin said as he wiped the water out of his eyes, “tell me, how is she doing?”

“Yuki? She’s doing well, Sensei.”

“If we aren’t training, you may call me Gin. I want to know if the other novice, Jenn Bean, is friendly to Yu?”

“Yes. I was a little surprised, too, but it might be because of her heritage. Jenn is part dwarf.”

“Ah, that might be enough. You’re sure that she’s a true friend, and not like Shun?”

Gregory thought about it before nodding. “I feel that she is.”

“I was going to ask Yu, but I’m glad I got to ask you, instead.” Gin fell silent for a second. “You and Yu are behaving yourselves, correct?”

Gregory spluttered— he’d been pouring water over his head when Gin asked. “What?”

“Propriety is being observed?”

“We’re being respectful to her father’s wishes,” Gregory said.

Gin stared at him before nodding. “Besides stealing a kiss here or there, you mean.”

Eyes going wide, Gregory wondered how Gin knew.

Gin laughed as he got up off the bench and headed for the tub. “Because you are both young and in love. If you had tried to deny it, I would’ve thrashed you. As long as she is a maiden for her wedding, I will not object.”

Gregory spluttered again. “Gin!”

“I know you love her and want to do the right thing,” Gin said, ignoring the indignation. “I also remember what it’s like to be your age and have a beautiful woman doting on you. I’m trusting you to do the best for her.”

“I’ll do my very best, Gin.”

“That’s all we can realistically ask.”

Chapter Nineteen

Rafiq greeted them when they entered the archive the following morning. “Novices, it’s good to see you. What can we do for you today?”

“I’d like to know more about couples being posted to positions,” Gregory said.

“Hmm, I do believe there is something. I’ll have it brought out to you.”

“I’d like to read about dual affinities.”

Rafiq nodded slowly. “I’ll bring you what I can.”

“I’m still reading about the clan,” Jenn said.

“That book is already waiting for you.”

“Thank you, Rafiq,” Gregory said, echoed by Yukiko and Jenn.

“A pleasant day to you all,” Rafiq replied.

When they finished with Magi Squares, they each started in on their subject of choice. Gregory’s book was slim, but not easy to get through. It started with the old laws and how they influenced how magi couples were treated for postings. After each section, there was a treatise on the reason why the law changed.

When it came time for them to leave for class, Gregory had only covered half of the book. “It’s complicated… the laws are changed every twenty years or so. I might finish it tomorrow.”

“Dual affinities are different. Either one is vastly dominant over the other or both are weaker than a single affinity,” Yukiko explained. “They do happen, as Adept Dunn said, about once a decade. The combinations that have been recorded are all disparate, as well. The records only go back to a thousand years ago.”

“Our clan history is interesting,” Jenn added, wanting to be a part of their conversation. “I had no idea its history stretched all the way back to the beginning of the empire.”

“I want to see what history books the clan has later,” Gregory said. “This is your class right here, isn’t it?”

Jenn nodded. “See you back at the clan hall. Stay safe. I hope Magus Han says yes.”

“Us, too,” Yukiko said. “You stay safe, as well.”

“Economics first,” Gregory said as they started down the path they needed to take. “We’ll do aether introduction today to let Dunn know that we’ll be quitting the class.”

“That’s fair, but are you sure that seeing all the magics isn’t better for you?”

“I’m not positive, but I don’t want to give them any chances for more accidents, either.”

“It was nice of Gin to send news to the magus that we’re withdrawing from physical conditioning class. I think he deserved to know.”

“That reminds me, I need to apologize to Klim. I’d promised to spar with her at least once with each weapon.”

“It’s good to keep your promises,” Yukiko nodded. “Maybe ask her to do it during our day off? We can set it for when we’d normally leave the academy, then head out afterward.”

“I’ll see about getting a message to her,” Gregory said. “Are you going to be ready to celebrate your birthday?”

Yukiko gave him a smile. “Did you have something planned?”

“Yes. I asked Dia to assist me with preparing it.”

“I see... Any hints about what it might be?”

“I don’t recall you giving me any hints,” Gregory chuckled, “not that mine will be that surprising.”

Yukiko bumped his hip with hers as they walked. “I’m glad you liked it, and I’m even happier that it led us to this point.”

“So am I, dear one.”

~*~*~

Economics and studying in the archive flew by with nothing unusual happening. The only oddity was Petak not being in economics class. Gregory wondered what Petak’s punishment for hitting Dunn with his magic was.

Getting to aether introduction just as the previous class was being let out, Gregory and Yukiko stood out of the way. Yukiko pulled the shadows around them, and no one looked their way. When no more students left, she dropped them.

“None of the Eternal Flame,” Gregory said.

“They haven’t apologized yet?” Yukiko asked. “I thought they would to get back into the class.”

“Do you really think Nick would?”

“Hmm...” Yukiko murmured.

“Adept, may we have a moment?” Gregory asked Dunn when they reached the desk that they’d used all year.

Dunn unfolded himself from his lotus position. “What can I do for you, Novice?”

“Yukiko and I will be leaving the class, and I wanted to let you know. It isn’t because of you— we’ve enjoyed our time here. However, considering the rumor that a novice died because of Nick yesterday, and the fact that Petak tried to hit me with that fire but got you instead, we feel it’d be safer to be trained at the clan hall.”

Dunn exhaled slowly, nodding his head. “I was afraid of that. I don’t blame you for wanting to stay safe. Are you sure that your clan will provide for you, though? Many clans will not hire magi to teach novices when the class here is free.”

“We’ve already been reassured,” Yukiko said.

“Very well. I thank you for telling me. I wish you both well.”

“Thank you, sir,” Gregory said. “We’ll be staying for today’s lesson, if that’s okay?”

“It is. Use it as best you can.” Dunn walked back to the sunlight and took up the lotus position again.

“Notes?” Yukiko asked Gregory.

“Not today. I’ll probably spend most of it talking to the crafters. They’ve been the most approachable.”

“Okay. If you see anything, let me know and we’ll leave right away.”

“I will.”

“You know, if we shift our schedule tomorrow, we can study with Jenn before Gin trains us,” Yukiko suggested. “I can train shadow magic during the second-class period.”

“That would be good,” Gregory agreed. “I’ll join you during that to see if I can get anything to happen.”

Yukiko gave him a soft smile. “As my heart wishes.”

~*~*~

When they made it back to the clan hall, Jenn was sitting out front, already eating her snack. “I’m so excited,” Jenn smiled. “Magus Han said she’d let me switch to your class.”

“That’s excellent news!” Yukiko grinned, giving Jenn a hug as she took a seat beside her.

“And an armsmaster is going to be training us today, too,” Jenn said.

“His assistant will be teaching us weapons,” Yukiko said. “She’s the better of the two with short blades. I’m sure Gin will be the one to do the first part of our training.”

Gregory took a seat beside Yukiko. “He’ll push us as hard as he can, too, just short of the breaking point.”

Jenn nodded. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Ah, there you are,” Dia said, stepping out of the clan hall. “Jenn, we have arranged a tutor for your magic. I overheard you say that your schedule has shifted to match theirs, as well. Since that’s the case, I have a schedule for you all to follow.”

All three of them focused on her.

“Your first class is economics with Magus Han. After that, you’re to come back here for magic training. Inda will be your instructor, Yukiko, and Master Chen will be your instructor, Jenn.”

All three of them looked shocked at what she said. Jenn was the one who stammered out the question first, “Master Chen…? Of the… Iron Hand?”

“A favor owed to our venerable elder was called in. Do your utmost to learn all you can.”

“Yes, Dia... Thank you.”

“I’ll pass your thanks along to Elder Lightshield. Gregory, we have no instructor for you, considering your magic. Elder Lightshield said that it’s an intuitive magic, and that you have to learn on your own.”

“I thought it might be that way. If Yuki and Jenn are being taught in the same place, it would be helpful for me to be there to observe.”

“I’ll see what I can do to make that happen,” Dia said. “After magic training, you are given two hours to study or meditate as you wish. A snack will be served after that time. Following your snack, your physical and weapons training will begin. Bathing and dinner will follow that, and then you are free to do as you see fit. Questions?”

“No, Dia,” Gregory said.

“The bath and dinner are required before anything else?” Yukiko asked.

“Yes. Everyone must be freshly bathed before dinner, and dinner will be served as a clan meal.”

“I have no questions,” Jenn said quickly.

“Dia, I have a request,” Gregory said.

“Yes?”

“Can someone send a request to Adept Klim? She was the weapons trainer for me. I’d promised to spar with every weapon against her, but now that I’m not in that class, I’m unable to do so easily. I want to know if she’d be willing to meet me at the blue arena at sixth bell to spar tomorrow, so I can fulfill my promise.”

Dia’s lips widened into a smile. “Keeping one’s word is important. I’ll make sure it’s done, and will have an answer for you at dinner.”

“Thank you, Dia.”

“Eat your snacks. Gin will not be kept waiting,” Dia said before going back inside.

~*~*~

Gin walked out of the clan hall, Inda trailing him. He nodded when he found them already lined up and waiting for him. “Good. I learned what your class was like from Magus Dia. We’ll be doing less stretching than you had been, and the run will be different for you. After that, we’ll have some hand-to-hand, then weapons. Ah, and I will be joining you for the run. Do not let me pass you.”

“Yes, Sensei,” the three novices said in unison.

“I found a better place for us to stretch and run,” Gin said. “Follow me.”

Following Gin and Inda, they went all the way up to the top floor, then up a ladder. When they finished climbing, they were on the roof of the clan hall. Gin took up a position across from the three of them, with Inda a dozen feet to his side.

“This is where we will meet for the first part of training. Now, we start with the legs…”

Stretching was less involved than their physical conditioning class had been, and the run ended up being a lap around the wall of the academy. The guards patrolling the wall looked at them with raised eyebrows as they sped past them. Gin was on their heels for most of the run— the last hundred yards, he slowed his pace, and Inda matched him.

“It seems I’m the one in need of more running,” Gin said when they finished, his breath still not completely caught. “This is good. I hadn’t realized I’d fallen so far. Now, we will spar, and that means down to the ground again.”

Trooping out of the clan hall, the three novices lined up on the sand to the left of the building. Gin joined them, and behind him was Inda and her sister, Indara.

“Indara will be your opponent today, Yu. Jenn, you will contend with me, and Gregory gets Inda,” Gin said. “I will call an end to sparring for weapons training, at which point, Inda will be teaching Yu and Jenn, and I will be teaching Gregory. Full contact, no aether… not for a month, at least.”

The three groups split apart and separated out to make sure they had room. Gregory lined up across from Inda, bowing to her. Inda bowed back before settling into a defensive posture and beckoning Gregory.

Gregory took a moment to look over her form, but he couldn’t find a weakness. Advancing slowly, he made sure to keep his balance. Just before he got to striking distance, Inda bounced forward. There was nothing else Gregory could call it— her legs flexed and she closed the distance in a single spring. Luckily, his balance was solid, so he was able to move with her, using the attack to help slide to the side. Inda was just as quickly standing apart from him again, as she had kept the movement going.

“Good. Balanced,” Inda said and set her stance again. “When fighting someone who isn’t entirely human or human at all, you need to account for their advantages. My bloodline has exceptional mobility, allowing us to make sudden attacks or retreats.”

~*~*~

Gregory was picking himself off the ground when Gin called a halt to sparring. “Separate into your weapons groups. You have a few minutes to catch your breath before we start.”

“Thank you, Sensei,” Jenn said, still huffing and trying to normalize her breathing.

“You did well; you have a solid base to build on. Inda is a master of the wakizashi. If you truly wish to master the weapon, you will not find a better instructor inside the walls of the academy.”

“Yes, Sensei,” Jenn said.

“Inda, train them as you see fit, but make sure they face each other at least twice.”

“Yes, Master,” Inda replied.

Jenn blinked at the title Inda used. Her eyes darted to Gin, then back to Inda. Yukiko noticed and leaned over to whisper to Jenn. Inda’s eyes twitched and the ghost of a smile crossed her face.

“You were learning the su yari, right?” Gin asked Gregory.

“Yes, Sensei.”

“We’ll continue with that, then. I already know your skill with the naginata. What was this sparring contest I heard about?”

Gregory kept his face impassive as he explained to Gin.

“Ah. I’ll be there to see that,” Gin said. “Make sure to save the naginata for the last weapon. Ending with a win will be good for you.”

“I’ll suggest that to Klim, Sensei.”

Indara brought two training su yari to them. “Master, the weapons you wanted.”

“Thank you, Indara. You have the items ready in case of accidents?”

“Yes, Master.”

Gregory managed to keep the wince off his face as he thought about what Gin was alluding to.

“Now, Gregory, show me what they taught you this week.”

~*~*~

“What’re your plans for tomorrow?” Jenn asked them.

“We’ll likely keep to our usual schedule, at least for the first part of the day,” Gregory said. “Wake early for breakfast and studying. After that, I have some sparring to do.”

“Oh, can I come watch?” Jenn asked, pushing some of her hair back behind her ear.

Gregory nodded. “Gin is going to be there, too.”

“After that, we’ll be heading into the city,” Yukiko said. “Greg has plans for my birthday.”

Jenn blinked. “Tomorrow is your birthday?”

“Yes. I came a few days away from missing the academy this year.”

“That would have been awful,” Gregory said.

“Agreed,” Yukiko smiled.

“What’re you going to do for her birthday?” Jenn asked.

“I’ve been keeping it secret, like she did for mine,” Gregory said, “though dinner here will be part of it.”

Getting the hint, Jenn nodded. “Ah, okay. Maybe I’ll use the time to meditate.”

“Make sure to get some training on all three paths,” Yukiko told Jenn. “You don’t have to push hard, but make time for it.”

“Didn’t Elder Lightshield tell us to take our days off... off?” Jenn asked.

“He did,” Gregory said. “We’ve found this pattern works for us, so we’ll likely keep with it. It means we’ll do less than a normal day, but still more than nothing. The more we do now, the easier the future will be.”

“Yes,” Yukiko nodded. “If we can widen the gap between us and Nick, it’ll be easier for us to deal with trouble.”

“I can see where that would be a good idea,” Jenn nodded. “Guess we should get our studying in.”

Chapter Twenty

Stepping out onto the arena floor, Gregory was surprised to find Gin speaking with Klim. Now I know why we didn’t find him at the clan hall… Gregory thought.

“There he is now,” Gin said. “I’ll be adjudicating these sparring sessions. It will be as follows; bo, su yari, kama yari, guandao, and then the naginata. Any questions?”

“No, Sensei,” Gregory said, bowing his head to Gin.

“No, sir,” Klim said. “I’m surprised we have an audience, though.”

Gregory looked over to find not just Yukiko and Jenn, but the entirety of the clan, including the clan staff, present. In addition to them, Paul Erichson was there with his clan head, Master Chen, and a dozen other magi of various tiers from the Iron Hand.

“It looks like our clans are expecting us to do well,” Gregory said.

“Indeed,” Klim said as she accepted a bo from Inda. “Let’s do our best.”

Gregory thanked Indara for bringing him the bo, then turned back to Klim. “As it should be, but I’m sure you’ll win most of the matches.”

Klim gave him a smile. “I would embarrass my clan if I didn’t. I will be trying to win them all.”

Gregory nodded. “I’ll be trying, too, even with no training with the third and fourth weapon.”

“Bow to the audience,” Gin said.

Once they had bowed to the audience, Gin, and then each other, Gregory and Klim set themselves into a defensive posture.

“Fight!” Gin commanded as he stepped back.

Gregory came forward fast and hard. He knew any lengthy encounter would heavily favor Klim. Klim nodded, clearly expecting him to take the initiative. The clack-clack of the two wooden staves meeting echoed over the sands.

Separating, they circled each other, both looking for an opening. Gregory darted forward again, thrusting hard at Klim’s ribs only to be met and rejected by a cross block, pushing his bo well to the side. Klim followed the block with a downward chop. Gregory anticipated the return attack and was able to step in and to the side, using the trailing end of his staff to deflect the strike.

The two separated and circled again. “You’re more skilled than the novices left in the class,” Klim said. “I was sad that you left. I don’t have a valuable training aid now.”

“I follow my sensei’s instructions,” Gregory said. “Besides, it’s obvious that the classes are now even more dangerous to be in.”

Klim agreed as she darted forward, her bo spinning a complex figure. “Indeed.”

The hard wooden smack of the staves meeting again echoed in the air as Klim pushed on Gregory. Gregory was focused on Klim, but could feel his chances of prolonging, or even winning, rapidly decreasing.

Not even a minute later, Gregory, well off-balance from Klim’s constant assault, stumbled and lost his footing. Klim slapped Gregory’s right leg, pulling it out from under him. Going down, Gregory winced and tried to bring his bo up to stop the next attack. Klim’s staff slammed into the sand an inch from his head.

“Stop!” Gin called out. “Adept Klim wins the round.”

Klim bowed to Gregory, then to Gin, before turning back to help Gregory to his feet. “You never should’ve stopped attacking me,” Klim told him. “You gave me time, which let me set the stage for my attack.”

“Agreed,” Gregory said as he got to his feet. His right calf twitched in anger, the bruise already forming.

“I would like even matches,” Klim said, giving Gregory’s shoulder a squeeze.

The warmth of Klim’s aether flowed through Gregory for a moment before it vanished. Flexing his calf, the pain was gone. “My thanks. Sparring with a healer has some bonuses.”

Klim laughed as she exchanged the bo for the su yari that Inda held out for her. “Minor as those may be.”

Gregory exchanged weapons with Indara, bowing his head to her in thanks. “I don’t think it’s a minor one,” he replied to Klim.

“Bow to the audience,” Gin said once they’d reached him.

The moment he told them to fight, Gregory attacked. He had a better feel for the su yari than he did for the bo staff, which gave him hope for this match. Klim’s smile became a frown of concentration as she defended herself. Gregory didn’t let up— he pushed into the attack, trying to win as quickly as he could while still being mindful of the proper forms.

The fight lasted minutes this time, but Gregory still lost. Klim eventually executed a beautiful counter, catching Gregory off-balance and driving him back. She ended it with a thrust that he didn’t block in time.

Wheezing slightly, as the strike had hit him hard, Gregory gave her a pained smile. “Almost...”

“Much better than the last time we fought,” Klim said. “It amazes me how skilled you are after only a week of training with it.” She healed his ribs. “Almost broke it... glad I didn’t.”

“Me, too.”

The kama yari and the guandao weren’t nearly as competitive. The kama yari might have gone better if Gregory had trained with it at all, but since he hadn’t, he failed to account for the side blade. Klim easily won when they fought with the guandao, which was a more powerful style than any of the other weapons.

“Four of four,” Klim sighed. “I’m disappointed. I thought you’d do better with the kama yari, at least.”

“I’m disappointed in me, too,” Gregory said as he traded weapons with Indara. “I won’t lose this match, though.”

“Very confident,” Klim chuckled. “I know you beat an apprentice with a naginata, but I’ve had much more time to train with it.”

“That’s true, you have,” Gin said. “You’re quite skilled with all the weapons you’ve sparred with so far.”

“Thank you, Armsmaster,” Klim said, bowing her head to him. “Might I entice you into a match?”

Gin chuckled. “If you beat him this time, I will spar a single match with you.”

Klim’s smile grew wide. “I look forward to it.”

Gregory kept his face impassive as he took up his position across from Klim. He did as instructed, bowing to the audience, Gin, then Klim. When Gin called for them to fight, he stood still.

Klim frowned when he didn’t attack. “Your form is good,” Klim said. “Better than when you’ve held any other weapon, in fact... But playing defensively won’t win this for you.”

Gregory stayed impassive, his weapon completely still.

“Very well. I’d hoped for more, but I’ll end it quickly,” Klim said.

When Klim came forward, Gregory just waited until his training naginata caught hers and deflected it. The follow-up strike was also pushed away from him, though his feet never moved. Klim reset her stance, wearing a puzzled expression on her face. She tested with another attack, only to be defeated with Gregory not moving an inch.

“What is this?” Klim murmured as she started to circle.

Gregory shifted with her, his feet moving as little as possible as he kept her in front of him. Klim watched closely, waiting for him to make a mistake, but she made it a hundred-eighty degrees around and his balance never wavered from perfect.

“You seem very poised,” Klim said.

Gregory didn’t talk, but he did move. His footwork was perfect as he launched his attack. Klim deflected the first, second, and third attacks with little effort, but by the fourth, her balance was being shifted little by little and she knew it.

Determined not to be positioned to his will, Klim launched an attack of her own to force him back. Gregory deflected it and used the momentum to unbalance Klim further, slamming the shaft of his weapon against hers. Klim grunted— the attack made her take an unwanted step, but she thought she was safe.

Gregory stepped closer as Klim started to regain her balance. Letting go of the naginata with one hand, he grabbed Klim’s kimono with his free hand. Klim blinked, not having expected him to grapple with her, and was startled when he began to twist.

Klim let out a startled cry when she was suddenly airborne for a few feet. The moment she landed, she started to roll back to her feet, but a tap on the back of her neck stopped her.

“Stop!” Gin shouted as he moved forward. “Match is over. Novice Pettit wins.”

Gregory bowed to Klim as she stood, then turned and bowed to Gin and the audience. “At least I wasn’t swept.”

Klim shook her head. “There was no flaw in your stance or attacks... It almost felt like you were toying with me.”

“That weapon is the one he is most skilled with,” Gin said.

“I agree,” Klim said, bowing to Gin. “My thanks for your time, Armsmaster.” Turning to Gregory, she bowed to him, as well. “My thanks for keeping your promise, even if it wasn’t like I had envisioned.”

“My thanks for the matches and the learning experience,” Gregory replied, bowing just as formally to her.

With the fight over, they handed the weapons back to Inda and Indara before heading for the exits. Yukiko and Jenn met Gregory as he left the waiting area.

“That was amazing,” Jenn said. “You handled the naginata so easily.”

“Greg is a man of many talents,” Yukiko said with a soft smile. “I have no doubt he can change the world if he wishes to.”

“I think changing the entire world would be a long and difficult task,” Gregory replied with a chuckle.

“The differences between the naginata and the other weapons were pronounced,” Jenn said.

“That’s true,” Gin said, joining them. “We’ll be narrowing that gap soon, though.”

“Thank you, Sensei,” Gregory said.

“It’s your day off,” Gin said. “Enjoy yourselves.”

“Sensei,” Jenn asked quickly before he could leave, “I was wondering if you could spare an hour of your time for me today?”

Gin nodded. “An hour is fine. Let’s go back to the clan hall.”

“Armsmaster Gin,” Master Chen greeted them as he came down the hall. “If you have a few moments, I’d like to discuss some things with you.”

“If you’ll excuse us.” Gregory bowed to Gin, then Chen.

Yukiko bowed as well before the two of them walked away.

Jenn watched them go, missing the start of the conversation between Gin and Chen. Another pang of jealousy hit her as they vanished around a corner, but she pushed it down, turning her attention to the conversation happening next to her.

Chapter Twenty-one

On their way toward the gates, Gregory’s pace slowed. “Look,” he murmured, motioning off to the side where Petak was pushing a broom.

Yukiko shook her head. “Guess that’s his punishment for trying to burn you and getting Dunn, instead.”

“Think he’ll give Laozi any trouble?”

“I doubt it. I think that old man is more capable than we’ve seen.”

Gregory nodded as they kept walking. “He does seem very calm about everything.”

Reaching the gate, the adept in charge gave them the standard warning of being back before sundown. A minute later, they’d arrived at the main street and saw a dozen rickshaws waiting. The first one in line was the rickshaw driver they’d used on most of their previous days off.

“Good morning,” Gregory greeted the man. “We’d like to go to the park where you’ve taken us before.”

“Yes, sir,” the driver grinned as he took the coin Gregory offered him.

“I’d forgotten all about us getting stipends until this morning,” Yukiko said.

“I’m glad they give it out every day off. My plans would have been severely curtailed, otherwise,” Gregory said.

“You don’t have to do anything for my birthday, dear one. Just being with you is enough,” Yukiko murmured as she rested her hand on his knee.

“After what you did for me? I have to repay that at least some, Yuki. It isn’t much, but I do hope you like it.”

“I will. Anything from you will be treasured.”

Gregory gave her a soft smile. “It’s the same for me, but I want it to be special.”

“I understand, dear one. I’m looking forward to what you have planned.”

It didn’t take them long to get to the park. Thanking the rickshaw driver, the two of them walked to the middle of the park, where a gazebo sat.

“We need to do our meditation for the day, so I thought we’d start with it,” Gregory said. “That’ll be all three paths at least touched upon for today.”

Yukiko gave him a smile. “A relaxing day?”

“We were told to relax during our days off. We are, even if we aren’t giving up on the training. I know that you feel the same as I do about it.”

“I do,” Yukiko nodded as she moved a dozen feet away from him. “An hour?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

~*~*~

Gregory sighed when the hour came to an end. The cavern eluded him, as he couldn’t stop thinking about what he’d planned for the day. He’d still been able to trance and do the stretches, but it wasn’t as deep as it could’ve been.

Yukiko ended her routine at the same time and met his eyes. “I couldn’t find the cavern.”

“Too excited?”

“Yes.”

“I understand. Now, we get to move on to the next part of my surprise for you.”

Yukiko’s smile grew, her eyes sparkling. “I wonder what it will be.”

“First, back to the main street to find a rickshaw.”

“Hmm, so down to the lower ring, at least,” Yukiko said as they started walking.

Gregory chuckled. “Maybe it’s the outer ring?”

Yukiko considered for a minute. “No, I don’t think it will be.”

“We’ve never gone to the outer ring to look around. Maybe I just want to see the rest of the city with you.”

“Like our first day off together? It’s a possibility, but I don’t think that’s our destination.”

Gregory stayed quiet as they walked, not wanting to give her any hints.

They quickly made it back to the main street. After a few minutes of walking down toward the lower city, Gregory saw an empty rickshaw and flagged him down.

“Yes, sir?” the driver asked, coming over to them.

Gregory leaned in, speaking softly before giving the man some vela, “The Rough Gem, please, and don’t let the lady know.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Thank you,” Gregory said before he motioned to Yukiko. “After you.”

Yukiko kept her face impassive as she got in. She felt bad that she’d overheard him— one of the things her heritage had given her was better than standard hearing. She fidgeted as the driver got them moving, wondering if she should tell him.

“Yuki? Is something wrong?” Gregory asked, seeing her uncomfortableness.

“I’m sorry, Greg. I didn’t mean to... but my hearing is very good because…”

Gregory’s brow furrowed for a moment before he nodded, giving her a soft smile. “Well, the cat’s out of the bag. I don’t blame you, Yuki. You know the destination, but not the reason.”

Yukiko glanced at him from the corner of her eye, seeing him calm and not upset. “I know you wanted to surprise me.”

“Did you guess where we were going?” Gregory asked, placing his hand on hers.

“No.”

“Then my surprise worked. It was just revealed a bit early.”

Yukiko’s lips pulled up when she heard only love in his tone. “You’re going to buy me something.”

“Yes. It was finished last night, from what Dia told me.”

Yukiko blinked. “How long?”

“Nearly a week… the moment we thought of joining Aether’s Guard. I knew if we did, we’d have a stipend. I asked Dia privately how much the stipend would be, and was happy to hear it would be enough for my surprises to work. I was planning to sell some things, otherwise.”

Yukiko lapsed into silence as she thought about what he was doing for her. Swallowing, she placed her other hand atop his. “You didn’t have to go so far.”

“Maybe, but I wanted to go further... so much further.”

“I understand, dear one. I truly do,” Yukiko said, squeezing his hand. “I want to do everything I can to make your life better.”

“Two peas in a pod,” Gregory murmured as he squeezed her hand back.

Yukiko leaned over and gave his cheek a quick kiss. “Peas in a pod is a good way to describe it.”

Gregory blinked, not having expected the kiss. Public displays of affection weren’t well regarded by society. Glancing her way, he found her cheeks dusted pink, but she was smiling. Shaking his head, he smiled back at her.

~*~*~

Gregory helped Yukiko out of the rickshaw when they reached Rough Gem. Thanking the driver before he led Yukiko to the door of the shop, Gregory felt butterflies in his gut. She said she’d love anything, but will she really feel that way when she sees it? She’s seen and probably owned jewelry worth a hundred times what I had made for her... He pushed his anxiety down and opened the door for her. “After you, dear one.”

Yukiko gave him a bright smile as she entered the shop. The interior was lit by the large window in the front, as well as two lanterns that were aimed to point at the display case at the counter.

The woman behind the counter smiled when she saw the two of them enter the shop. “Welcome to the Rough Gem. Are you shopping for something significant?”

“I’m Gregory Pettit. I had a piece commissioned, and I’m here to pay for it and pick it up.”

The woman’s smile grew wider. “Oh, let me get the master. Please, wait just a moment.”

The two of them looked over the display together while they waited. The curtain to the back parted, revealing the woman and a middle-aged man.

“I’m Blon Wesla, the jeweler. Did you want to present the item now?”

“Now is fine,” Gregory said as he pulled out a small pouch, setting it on the counter. “The agreed-upon price.”

The jeweler took the pouch. “I’ll bring the piece out. One moment.”

When Blon stepped into the back, the woman stepped up to the counter. “Is there anything else we can do for you?”

“Not at the moment, but possibly in the future,” Gregory replied.

“Very well,” she replied.

Blon came back out a few minutes later, holding a small case in his hands. He set it down for Gregory. “Here you are, sir.”

Gregory gave him a nod before he slid it in front of Yukiko. “Dear one, this is for you.”

Yukiko took a deep breath, resting her hand on the case and opening it. Her eyes widened fractionally as she gazed at the object inside. A gleaming wrist cuff sat on a velvet bed. Two gems came together at the center of the cuff, forming a heart. Picking it up with care, she saw the engraving and her breath left her in a rush: My heart is yours, as your heart is mine. Always together. Not saying anything, Yukiko opened the cuff and slipped it onto her wrist, closing it with a wide smile.

“You like it?” Gregory asked, not sure how she felt about it.

“I do, dear one,” Yukiko said, her eyes bright with happy tears held in check.

“It’s made from cobalt, so the metal is durable and won’t need special care,” Blon said. “Some mistake it for silver or other metal.”

“Cobalt, topaz, and peridot...” Yukiko said, her eyes fixed on Gregory’s, “and very well made. To manage it in less than a week, too? Very good craftsmanship.”

Blon blinked, not expecting the young woman to know so much. “Thank you.”

Gregory felt his heart unclench when she said she liked it. “I’m glad. Are you ready to go?”

“Yes,” Yukiko replied.

Gregory pulled his gaze away from Yukiko’s cyan eyes. “Thank you. I’m sure I’ll be back for more in the future.”

“I’m always glad for more business and repeat customers,” Blon said, bowing his head to them. “May you have a good day.”

“Thank you,” Yukiko smiled.

Leaving the shop, Gregory was glad to see an empty rickshaw coming their way and flagged them down. When the driver stopped for them, Gregory was quick to hand over some vela. “Stabled Hunger, please.”

The driver’s face twitched into a frown, but it swiftly vanished. “Of course, sir.”

When they were moving, Yukiko took Gregory’s hand. “It’s lovely... thank you. It fits wonderfully.”

“I had to draw the diameter of your wrist for him,” Gregory chuckled. “Luckily, I had a good idea of your size.”

“It’s a touch loose, but not enough to bother. The rounded edges are a nice touch. It’ll be less likely to dig into me. The stones and inscription, though... They’re beautiful. Our birthstones and the heart being half and half, showing we share our hearts with each other...”

“I’m happy he managed it. I was worried it would be late.”

“You paid to have it done in time, didn’t you?”

“Yes. I wanted it to be today.”

“I would wait, Greg. Never feel like you have to rush a gift for me. If you just let me know it’s being worked on, I’ll gladly wait for it. My upbringing is hard to disregard at moments like that.”

Gregory nodded. “I’ll remember your wish, Yuki.”

“Stabled Hunger?” Yukiko asked, changing the subject. “Are we having a private meal?”

“You’re very astute, dear one. It’ll be hard to keep a secret if you have information to work with.”

“I don’t want to ruin your surprises,” Yukiko said, squeezing his hand. “I’ll do my best not to. That place is going to be special to us, considering what happened there.”

“When we could both accept our hearts,” Gregory nodded. “I’ll always be fond of it for that reason if no other, though the food, staff, and clientele are all good reasons to enjoy it, too.”

“I agree.”

~*~*~

Entering Stabled Hunger, they were greeted by Ramon from behind the bar. “Novices, the room is ready for you. Nessa!”

Nessa, Ramon’s daughter, came hurrying into the taproom. “Everything is ready!” she said quickly.

“Well, take them!” Ramon said in the exasperated voice of a father.

“Oh, right.” Standing up straighter, Nessa dipped a curtsy. “Novices, if you will follow me, I will escort you to your dining room.”

Both Gregory and Yukiko smiled at her formality. “Thank you, Nessa,” Yukiko said.

They were taken to the same private room they used when eating with Yukiko’s parents. This time, it had a different atmosphere: candles illuminated the room, the light scent of cherries filled the area, and crystal glasses were sitting on the tables with the china.

Yukiko slowed as she entered, taking in the room as her heart swelled for the man she loved. “Oh, Greg…”

“We won’t get many chances to court, Yuki. I thought it best to officially start on an important day for you,” Gregory said, his voice thick with emotion.

Yukiko gave him a bright smile as she took her seat. “It means so much to me.”

Gregory’s smile matched hers. “I’m glad you like it.”

“Your beverage is a dark cherry tea,” Nessa said as she poured for them. “We were told it was a brunch, so Mother prepared the food to match your request.”

“That’s why breakfast was lighter than normal for us. I had wondered,” Yukiko said.

“Dinner will be a good meal, too,” Gregory said.

“I’ll bring your food,” Nessa said, giving them a curtsy before she left, wearing a large smile.

“I believe she’s a romantic,” Yukiko giggled when the door closed.

“When we finish eating, I’ve arranged for a rickshaw to be waiting to take us to Gin’s old home,” Gregory told her. “We can spend a few hours there before we have to return to the academy.”

Yukiko’s eyes glinted as she thought of many things they could do, then sighed, shelving most of them. “That might be dangerous.”

Gregory nodded. “Yes, I thought it might be. The last part of your gift will be there. And before you jump to any further thoughts,” Gregory said, seeing her eyes start to light up again, “it won’t be any of the things that would upset your father.”

Yukiko’s cheeks heated and she gave him a sharp smile. “You presume to know what I was thinking?”

“I don’t, but I know what I thought of before I arranged your last gift to make sure we didn’t.”

Yukiko sighed wistfully and gave him a soft smile. “I love you, dear one. Thank you for helping us avoid the temptation we both feel.”

Gregory’s brow furrowed in pain. “It’s difficult. I hope Darkness doesn’t take too long for us.”

“Aether, please...” Yukiko whispered without thought. When the words registered, she looked at Gregory, who was giving her a wry grin. Cheeks heating again, she stared into his eyes and her tone shifted, “Aether… please?”

Gregory’s face flushed red and he coughed, pulling his gaze away from her as Yukiko giggled. Gregory was just starting to control himself when a knock came to the door a few seconds before Nessa entered.

“Your meal,” Nessa said, not having any idea of the byplay she’d missed.

“Thank you, Nessa,” Yukiko said. “What’re we having?”

“Cherry bane fowl with sides of cherry rice and lightly sautéed vegetables,” Nessa replied. She placed plates down in front of them both. “I’ll be back to check on you. Please, enjoy.”

When the door closed behind Nessa, Yukiko nodded. “That explains the cherry incense. It was making me hungry for cherries.”

“Vana made excellent food for us before,” Gregory said. “I’m sure this will be no different.”

“I agree,” Yukiko said. “Thank you for this birthday meal, my heart.”

“It’s my pleasure to make you happy, my heart,” Gregory replied.

~*~*~

Nessa came back to check on them as they were finishing the last bites on their plates. “Did you enjoy it?”

“Your mother is a great cook,” Yukiko said.

“Everything was perfect,” Gregory added.

“I’ll let her know,” Nessa beamed. “Is there anything else I can get you?”

“Two bitter beans, with butter and sugar on the side,” Gregory said, “and the dessert.”

Nessa collected the empty dishes. “I’ll bring them right back.”

“Dessert?” Yukiko asked when Nessa left. “If it’s too big, I might not be able to go anywhere.”

“I’m positive Vana will make sure it isn’t too much,” Gregory chuckled.

“That’s true. She seems to know how much her guests can handle.”

The dessert was cherry tarts, which they both devoured with glee. With the meal ended, Nessa thanked them for their patronage. Gregory pulled out most of what was left of his stipend, making sure he paid before they finished their bitter bean.

“Thank you again, dear one,” Yukiko said as they got up to leave. “It was wonderful. Another bite and I might not have been able to walk.”

“I could carry you,” Gregory said, “but I’m sure that would be frowned upon.”

“Not by me,” Yukiko said.

“Come on— your final gift awaits you,” Gregory said as he opened the door. “Dinner tonight is from everyone.”

As they entered the taproom, they found a small gathering of eurtiks, who gave them wide smiles and greeted them. One of them was Mumisa, Murium’s mother. Yukiko guided them to her table, giving the woman a smile.

“Hello, again,” Mumisa smiled. “My daughter told me that she is employed by a clan now to care for their archive. Your clan.”

“Aether’s Guard,” Yukiko said softly. “That’s the clan we joined, but it isn’t our clan. We’re the youngest members of it.”

“Only for this year,” the same wolf-eurtik who had spoken to them last time said. “My daughter will be an adult next year. If Aether smiles, she’ll be going to the academy, and if she does, she’ll be joining your clan.”

“I wish the best for her, Mister…” Gregory trailed off.

“I’m Gufta Lyall,” the wolf-eurtik introduced himself. “My daughter is Daciana.”

“I wish the best for Daciana,” Gregory said.

“Thank you,” Gufta grinned.

“If you’ll excuse us, we have places we need to be,” Gregory said.

“Of course,” Gufta said.

“I’m ready, Greg. Sorry for the delay,” Yukiko said, having finished her conversation with Mumisa.

“It’s fine. I was talking to Gufta. A good day to you all,” Gregory said to the room as a whole.

“The rickshaw is ready,” Nessa said, coming in the front door.

“Thank you, Nessa,” Yukiko smiled. “Have a good day, and thank you for your excellent service.”

Nessa gave them a smile. “Thank you for your patronage.”

~*~*~

When they arrived at Gin’s old home, Gregory asked the rickshaw driver to return an hour before sundown, making sure the man was given a little extra to assure it. With their ride secured for later, he led Yukiko to the front door.

“The last gift is here,” Gregory grinned as he knocked on the door. “It’s a little odd, but I hope you like it.”

“I’m sure I will, dear one.”

The door opened a moment later, revealing an older woman that could have easily been related to Dia. “Ah, you’ve arrived. Good. Your guests are waiting for you.”

“Thank you,” Gregory said as they stepped inside and exchanged shoes for slippers. “Hopefully they haven’t waited too long?”

“Not too long,” the woman replied. “I’ll show you the way.”

“Thank you, Miss…?” Yukiko fished.

“I’m Baylyss. You know my sister, Dia,” she replied.

That statement hit Gregory like a battering ram. He knew that magi aged much slower, but it was driven home in that moment. Based on her appearance, Baylyss looked like she would have been Dia’s mother or grandmother.

His thoughts were shelved when they reached the room. Inside, three people were sitting at a table with a few decks of cards and dice, along with Shogi and Go boards. Gregory watched Yukiko, who examined the room.

“To help us learn the games for our third year?” Yukiko guessed.

“That was my thought. It seemed like a good idea to have some practice with them. It’s a learning experience, which is good for us and relaxing.”

Yukiko gave him a smile. “This is a good idea, Greg. You’re thinking well ahead, and that makes me happy.”

Gregory’s brow furrowed slightly. “You already know how to play them all well?”

“Go, yes. Shogi, I’m not good at. Cards, I’ve tried my hand in a number of variants, and dice... I think I know the basics. Gin and Lin didn’t let me play with the men often, so my knowledge there is very spotty.”

Gregory sighed, “Oh.”

“Greg,” Yukiko said, turning to face him, “this is a good gift. It’s good for both of us, and I’m happy with it. I will not lie to you.”

Seeing her honesty, Gregory felt his lips twitch upward. “Okay. You say it, so I believe it, Yuki.”

“Where did you want to start?” one of the men at the table asked.

“I’d like to start with dice. That’s my biggest weakness,” Yukiko said, drifting over to the table.

“That’s where we’ll start, then,” the man smiled.

~*~*~

The sun was just starting to set when they arrived back at the academy and followed a couple of other novices through the postern gate. The initiate on duty at the gate checked their medallions, his eyebrows shooting up when he saw the seven rings glowing with power.

“Novices, names?”

“Pettit and Warlin,” Gregory said.

“Ah, the champion and runner-up? That makes sense. A good day to you both.”

“You, too, sir,” Gregory replied. Putting their medallions away, they headed for the clan hall.

A couple of minutes later, after taking some of the lesser-traveled paths, Yukiko spoke up, “He was surprised about our rank until he knew who we were. I wonder what that’ll be like in another month.”

“When we’re up another rank? I’d say incredulousness. When we break into apprentice before the end of the year, that’s when we’re likely to get scrutinized.”

“Yes, that sounds right,” Yukiko said. “Tomorrow is the new year and I find myself looking forward to it for the first time in a long time.”

“You weren’t looking forward to this new year?”

“It would have meant me going to Bouldin to marry,” Yukiko said softly.

“Wouldn’t that have stopped you from following in your father’s footsteps?”

“For a few years, at least, but I would’ve forced my way into that role in my husband’s house. I had to give up that dream when I became a magi. It would’ve taken longer to reach it... first, my duty to the empire, then to my husband. Things changed when I arrived here, though. I met my heart and my old dreams vanished like ephemeral mist before the sun. I now dream of being beside you for ages to come.”

“Together.” Gregory gave her hand a brief squeeze before releasing it.

“Together.”

When they reached the clan hall, Dia was sitting on the porch, smoking her pipe. “Evening, Dia,” Gregory greeted her.

“Evening to you both. Yukiko, your mother’s gifts to me and the previous staff arrived today. She was most generous. Please give her my thanks the next time you send her a missive.”

“I’ll do so, Dia.”

“Good. Tomorrow, there are no classes, as it is the solstice and time for the new year. It will be a clan day— everything’s closed inside the walls of the academy, even the archive. Sleep in, and I’ll come rouse you when the festivities are ready. Every meal is a set feast, and there will be things for you to do. Oh, and don’t take any extra additives for the day. No powder, pills, or leaves.”

“Understood, Dia,” they said, bowing to her.

“Good. Once you two have bathed, we’ll be ready for dinner.”

“We’ll go now,” Gregory said.

“I’ll let the cooks know,” Dia said, taking a long draw on her pipe.

“Dia, a question before we go,” Yukiko said. “It’s been bothering me... we advanced three rings over the five months we’ve been at the academy. How possible is it for a novice to reach the apprentice tier by the end of the learning cycle?”

Dia’s eyes sparkled and she smiled. “That’s a very good question. As you undoubtedly saw, most of your contemporaries made two rank advancements, and some made three. Gregory managed four. You’d expect, then, that over the rest of the year, the others would get two or perhaps three more rings by the end of the year. That would leave most of your class at the eighth rank, and the ones who started out higher could reach the ninth or tenth rank. A few will be in the first rank of the apprentice tier.”

“Yes,” Gregory said when Dia paused to take another pull on her pipe.

“However, most students won’t reach the initiate tier by the start of their third year. The ranks indicated by your medallion are to help you gauge your growth, but your tier and title while at the academy are determined not by your actual tier, but by the years you complete. Most adepts are still in the initiate ranks when they are sent off to their postings. Most fresh magus are just brushing at adept ranks. To advance to master, you must have the power to match that tier, and for each tier thereafter, it is the same. This is why reaching master and beyond is not easily accomplished.”

“Oh, I hadn’t known that,” Yukiko said.

“The magi don’t advertise it,” Dia said. “The perception of power is normally enough to curtail any major issues with the populace.”

“We’ll be making it to initiate before the end of our apprentice year,” Gregory said.

“I don’t doubt it,” Dia smiled. “You and Yukiko have been the fastest rising stars of the academy in ages. The aether required to break into the next rank, and especially the next tier, is higher than the previous. That means the growth rate slows down. There are ways to help that— early on— for novices, apprentices, and initiates.”

“The leaves, powders, pills, and other alchemical supplements,” Yukiko nodded.

“Yes. They help a great deal for the lower tiers, but the higher tiers require more potent ingredients to get a helpful boost. Powdered cores are some of the best supplements for those of higher tiers.”

“My thanks, Dia,” Yukiko said. “If we were into the apprentice ranks by the second tournament, would it cause problems?”

“It’ll cause a stir,” Dia smiled. “Your contemporaries will be even more inclined to try removing you from the tournament and academy, as you’ll outshine them. For the clan, your ascension in that way will bring prestige. Because of that, we’d be more inclined to do even more for you.”

“I see. Thank you, Dia. We’ll go bathe now.”

Dia looked down at the bowl of her pipe before starting to clean it out. “Things will be ready for when you finish.”

Bathing didn’t take them too long, but the sun had finished setting by the time they were done. Everyone was already in the dining room waiting for them. A feast was laid out on the table, and the scent of food filled the air.

“Now that the birthday girl has arrived, we may begin,” Dia said.

Jenn grinned at Yukiko. “How was your day?”

“It was good,” Yukiko said, taking the seat beside Jenn. “Gregory had this made for me.” She showed off the wrist cuff.

Jenn tapped the cuff lightly. “I don’t think it’s silver.”

“Cobalt,” Yukiko said. “It’s a tougher metal, so I should be able to wear it in all circumstances.”

“The heart is two stones?”

“My birthstone, and Greg’s,” Yukiko replied.

“Ah, that makes sense,” Jenn said, pulling her hand back.

“Let the feast be served,” Dia said. “Yukiko, it’s your birthday, so you get the first serving.”

“Thank you,” Yukiko said, making sure to include the cooks in her statement.

Dinner was a lively affair with everyone excited. Since tomorrow was the solstice, most of the conversations were about the festivities being planned. Jenn looked a little sad that the morning routine was being changed for the day, but didn’t gainsay it.

When dinner finally came to an end, finished off with orange tarts, everyone at the table was full. Dia wished everyone goodnight and reminded the novices once more that their normal schedule would be changed for tomorrow.

The three novices retired to Jenn’s bedroom for an hour of studying.

“What else happened for you today?” Jenn asked.

“We had some instruction on various gambling games,” Yukiko said, “as well as strategy games.”

“The instructors were amenable to coming back next week,” Gregory said. “We’re likely going to spend days off at Gin’s home, learning more.”

“Ah.”

“You can come with us,” Yukiko said. “Today… Greg wanted to make it special for me, since it was my birthday. He had a special brunch made, and gave me this gift.”

“Oh. Okay... I thought that maybe you didn’t want me around on the days off.”

“No,” Gregory and Yukiko said together.

“No,” Gregory said again. “It was just a special day, is all. You’re more than welcome to join us for days off.”

“He’s right,” Yukiko said, placing her hand on Jenn’s. “I’m sorry we gave you that impression. You’re a friend and our compatriot. We enjoy having you learn beside us.”

Jenn’s lips twitched up, and she looked down at Yukiko’s hand. “Okay... Thank you both. I do want to go and learn. Speaking of, I’d like to learn more economics.”

“Yes,” Yukiko said. “Where had we been?”

Chapter Twenty-two

Greg woke with the third bell, as he had become accustomed to doing. With a sigh, he lay there, his mind drifting. Have to stay here until Dia comes for us. She said to sleep in, but that’s just not something we do. Shrugging, he got up and started to dress. No reason to not be ready.

It didn’t take long to dress, leaving him with the exact same problem he’d had before. Exhaling and feeling a bit of frustration, Gregory took a seat. He slowed his breathing down and tried to quiet his mind.

The aether cavern appeared for him. The channels in the stone were much easier to see than they had been when he’d first visited. The fire had grown, but not as much as it would have if he’d been solely on the mind path. The spirit path training helped keep the flames dense and burning brightly, but he never felt any heat from it.

Settling down on the ground, he pulled up a mental image of Magi Squares and began to solve them. As he worked, the image wavered, replaced with the fire taking on the form of the Magi Squares. He chuckled— glowing embers hovered in the air to mark the numbers, each one appearing in its appropriate place.

Gregory wasn’t sure how long he sat with his fire making burning numbers dance in the air, but the knock on his bedroom door pulled him from his meditation. “Yes?”

“Novice, it’s time to wake and break your fast,” Dia said from the other side of the door. “Come to the dining room.”

“On my way,” Gregory said as he stood up. Leaving his room, he saw Yukiko and Jenn in the hall. “Morning to you both.”

“Morning, dear one.”

“Morning, Greg.”

The three of them were the last ones to the dining room. When the novices took their seats, the cooks removed the lids from the dishes. Each uncovered dish had the same two ingredients, just cooked in different ways; kabocha squash and adzuki beans.

“I had a feeling it would be this, but I hadn’t expected so many different versions of it,” Yukiko said.

“My mother does adzuki dumpling soup for breakfast on the solstice,” Jenn said as she took a helping for herself. “You should try it, Yuki. You, too, Greg.”

“I will,” Yukiko said. “You should try the kabocha waffle with some adzuki jam.”

“I’ll make it my next portion,” Jenn said.

The rest of the table was just as lively as the two women, with everyone pointing out their favorite style of dish on the table and recommending it to others. Gregory felt out of place as the banter flew. They’d only ever had plain roasted kabocha for the solstice in his village, and that simple dish was one he didn’t see.

“Greg?” Yukiko asked, the concern in her voice evident.

“I’m fine, Yuki,” he said as he took a helping of the waffle and jam. “It’s just so much more than I’m used to.”

Dia watched them. “Today is going to be full of things you might not be used to, Gregory. The fringe is removed enough that some traditions are lost or diluted. That’s good for some and bad for others. We here— the friends and family around you at the end of this year and the start of the next— will help you find your footing for the coming year.”

Gregory’s eyes misted as he thought of his friends and family back in Alturis. Yukiko put her hand on his and brought him back. He looked into her cyan eyes, the love and concern in them helping calm him.

“I’m honored to have your help, and the help of everyone here,” Gregory said. “Every year, we’re told to celebrate the past year and embrace the new one. This year, it’s just more poignant than it ever has been before.”

“And we will help,” Dia said. “First, we celebrate with this meal. I’m sure you’ll like at least one of the offerings.”

Feeling better, Gregory felt a little foolish for his maudlin moment. He cut a section of the waffle and took a bite. The two ingredients melded together surprisingly well, even with the sweetness being a jolt to his system so early in the morning.

By the time breakfast had ended, everyone had been able to sample each dish. Gregory joined in the conversation, giving his opinion as each was talked about. With the table devoid of food and the three novices feeling energetic, Dia motioned them to follow her.

Leading them outside, Dia gave them a smile. “At the sound of the hour bell, the first part of the holiday will begin. You have a task to complete before midday: hidden in this yard are things the elder thinks you’ll find useful. If you find them, they are yours to do with as you will. Do not stop looking. I will come when it’s time to stop at the midday bell. May Aether guide your search.”

Before anyone could speak, the hour sounded. Jenn was off the porch like a shot, running toward the hedges. Yukiko was only a moment behind her, but going to the other side of the yard. Gregory didn’t move. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind, the soft sound of the door shutting distracting him only for a moment.

Nothing came to him right away, but after a few seconds, a certainty built inside of him. “Yuki, Jenn, come here, please?” Gregory asked as he opened his eyes.

Yukiko started to go to his side, clearly curious. Jenn hesitated, wondering if it was a trick, but seeing Yukiko go to him, she did, too.

“What is it, Greg?” Yukiko asked.

“Dia said we have to search and can decide what to do with the things we find, and to let Aether guide us. She never said it was a competition. The clan needs to be united, not fragmented pursuing their own ends.”

Both women stared at him for a second before Yukiko nodded. “You’re not wrong, dear one.”

“Okay. So, if we’re together on this, where do we start?” Jenn asked.

Gregory frowned, but a small tug at his mind pulled him. “Maybe this way?” He asked, moving off the porch toward the front of the yard.

Yukiko and Jenn fell into step beside him, flanking him as he let the tug guide him. Reaching the hedge right next to the entrance of the yard, Gregory looked up. Above them, dangling from a branch of the nearest tree, a small glint of silver caught the light.

“That looks like it’ll take at least two of us to reach,” Gregory grinned.

“Let Aether guide us,” Yukiko murmured with a smile on her lips.

“If you boost me, I can reach it,” Jenn said, not hearing Yukiko’s murmur.

“Alright,” Gregory said as he set his legs and cupped his hands together.

A moment later, Jenn stood back on the ground beside them with a silver ring in her hand. The band had a boar engraved on it. “I can feel the pulse of energy to it,” she said.

“Enchanted,” Yukiko nodded. “We’d need to know what it does to know who it would help the most.”

“Hold onto it for now,” Gregory told Jenn as another small tug pulled at him. “I think we should go this way.”

~*~*~

The three of them were seated on the porch when Dia came out to stop them. “Finished before I called for you?”

“Ten items,” Gregory said. “Three rings, three armbands, a set of earrings, and three necklaces.”

Dia’s lips twitched. “That’s indeed all of them. I will explain each one over food. It’s time for a midday repast, so come with me.”

Taking their seats at the table, all three felt famished, even though they’d eaten their fill just hours before. Gregory’s stomach rumbled loudly when Velma removed the lid from the dish in front of him, earning chuckles from others.

The menu for lunch was more diverse than it had been in the morning. The table was dotted with boiling pots of liquid that had plates of various ingredients sitting next to each. A sad smile came to Gregory, the meal reminding him of dinner with his friends when they were children.

Yukiko saw his expression and covered his hand with hers. “Which ingredients do you favor?”

“The daikon and lotus root go well with pork,” Gregory said, pulled from his melancholy. “I prefer to use carrot and daikon when using chicken. A bit of ginnan with either is good, too.”

“I like the fish and lotus,” Jenn said.

The meal again devolved into a discussion about their food preferences. Dia waited for the conversation to lull before she cleared her throat.

“I said I’d tell you about the items,” Dia said once she had their attention. “The rings are all designed to help heal whoever is wearing them. Yukiko and Gregory know about them. They replenish by pulling the ambient aether from the air. The ones you found are a bit more potent than the ones you two currently have. Here at the academy, it should take no more than a day for it to recharge.”

“You already have rings like that?” Jenn asked.

Yukiko showed Jenn her hand. “Yes. We’ve had them since the first tournament. We’ll have to give them up, though.”

“Yes. You’re still novices, so you can’t use too many items,” Dia nodded. “I’m willing to buy them for the clan’s use, at a reasonable price. They can be used next year when we have another set of novices.”

Gregory stripped his old ring off and set it on the table for Dia. “For the good of the clan.”

Dia bowed her head. “As you wish.”

“Mine, too,” Yukiko said, placing hers before Dia.

“Very well,” Dia said, collecting the two rings before continuing. “The earrings hold aether. You push your aether into them to charge them. These can easily handle a novice’s power, and could contain a lower apprentice’s.”

Yukiko smiled as she touched her ear, showing off where a similar set of earrings resided. “They can be very helpful. I like the design of the clan emblem. Jenn should take them, though. My father bought mine for me.”

“Are you sure?” Jenn asked, clearly shocked that the earrings were being so casually passed to her.

“Yes,” Yukiko smiled. “And, of course, the third ring is yours, as well.”

Jenn shook her head as she put the ring and earrings on. “Thank you both… and the elder,” she added quickly.

Dia lips twitched, but she didn’t comment on the clear addition. “The armbands and necklaces are all identical. The armbands will bring a shield of energy in front of you for a total of ten seconds. With training, you can trigger it for a second or less at a time. They replenish by you recharging them.”

Gregory chuckled as he took off his bracelet. “Again, a similar item, but lesser than what the elder hid for us to find.”

“Wait… is that what I injured myself against?” Jenn asked.

“It is,” Gregory nodded. “Used it to knock you down, too.”

Jenn stared at him as she took one of the armbands and put it on. “Next time, I’ll be ready for you.”

“I won’t win, then,” Gregory said honestly.

“The necklaces,” Dia said, distracting Gregory from seeing Jenn’s face flush, “are energy cloaks. They’re good for twelve seconds of invisibility. Unlike the armbands, they can’t be used in fractions. The good news is that they replenish off ambient aether, but it will take a week to recharge when used.”

“Again, the shield of the clan,” Yukiko said softly. “These are new items. Did we find them all, Dia?”

“Ten pieces were hidden,” Dia nodded. “You found them all. Four of them required cooperation to find or get. You did very well.”

“Yes,” Gin nodded. “It was good to see my students moving in concert with each other.” All three novices looked questioningly at Gin. “I was watching from the roof,” he answered.

Each of them slipped a necklace on, lost in their own thoughts as they continued eating.

Chapter Twenty-three

Dia stood up first when the meal concluded. “It’s time for the next portion of our day.”

They followed Dia out of the clan hall and down the paths of the academy. When they approached the gates, Gregory wondered what Dia had in mind. When she took the turn to the stables instead of the gates, her destination became clear, but not the reason why.

“Magus, everything is prepared,” the footman said as he opened the carriage door.

“Thank you,” Dia said before turning to the novices. “We are leaving the academy for a little while to help you find your way. Do not speak until we return here. Understood?”

“Yes, Dia,” the three of them said in echo.

She raised a single eyebrow, and they realized they’d just done what she told them not to. Shaking her head, she motioned them into the carriage. Silently, they complied with her direction.

All of them were growing more curious as the carriage continued its journey, but that curiosity hit a fever pitch when they came to a halt. Dia gave them a stern look before the door opened and the footman helped her out.

The destination was one that Gregory had not expected, but the sense of peace from the area helped settle his nerves. The small gate to the walled compound opened and the mature woman in an elaborate kimono that had attended to them last time bowed.

Gregory was the last one in line, the gate closing soundlessly behind him. The walk down the tree-lined path was at a slow, sedate pace. The long spiral of the path, coupled with the scent of the garden, had Gregory in a near meditative state.

The central building was exactly as Gregory remembered. Removing their shoes on the patio, they stepped just inside before taking their spots around the fire pit. Once they were all seated, the hostess presented them each with small lacquered plates, upon which a single small confection awaited them.

Warmth suffused Gregory’s chest as the pre-tea snack worked on his aether. The spot near the hostess grew dark with shadow to Gregory’s eyes, and a welcome smile hinted on his face.

“Another tea ceremony? Goodness,” Darkness laughed lightly. “It seems that you’ll get a short moment with your beloved before I can arrange things myself.”

Waiting for the tea to be presented to him, Gregory wondered why Dia had chosen for them to have a tea ceremony.

“Because, dear one, Aether’s Guard wishes only for true believers of Aether to stay with them. If you aren’t truly dedicated to the path, this ceremony would make you doubt it.”

Accepting the tea from the hostess, Gregory bowed his head to her. Drinking deeply, he felt the world shift around him as his perception of reality changed. When the world settled, he was in the same bedroom he had come to know from his dreams.

“Darkness, how are you?” Gregory asked to the midnight shrouded corner of the room.

“Lonely, dear one,” Darkness sighed. “Wait, here she comes now. We were having a moment together.”

Yukiko appeared beside Gregory. “Dear one.” She kissed his cheek before turning to the corner. “Darkness.”

“We don’t have much time,” Darkness said. “Tonight is the first big step for you all. You’ve added a friend to your circle, dear one. If you nurture her, she will grow faster. At the moment, she is seeing what could happen if she stays with you two. Yuki, you will need to help guide her into the proper role.”

“I will,” Yukiko replied. “I know why she’s with us. I’m not certain yet, but I think it’s possible.”

“You are my equal when it comes to Greg, Yuki. No one else will come as close.”

Gregory frowned, feeling that part of the conversation was going over his head. “If she trains alongside us, she’ll grow equally, right?”

“No. You have to want her to be with you. Your acceptance of her beside you is key. She’ll also lose everything she gains if she turns on you.”

“Why?”

“Now is not the time,” Darkness said. “She’ll have many questions for you, Yuki. Dear one, you just need to do what you think best. It will work out, but if you doubt, talk to me or Yuki. I hope you enjoy celebrating the new year.”

“Wait!” Gregory called out, but the room faded from view.

The hostess was rising to her feet and the group followed her. The walk back to the gate was in silence, Jenn and Dia contemplating their moment of clarity.

When the gate closed behind them, Dia spoke before anyone else could. “Novices, today is far from over. We will speak on your visions once we are back at the clan hall, as we have another step to accomplish today. Hold your words until then.”

All three of them bowed to her before climbing back into the carriage.

~*~*~

Entering the garden, Dia motioned them all to a bench. “Now, if you have questions about the ceremony, I will answer them for you.” She took a seat across from them.

“Is it the future?” Jenn asked.

“It isn’t set in stone,” Dia said. “It’s only a likely future. It could change for better or worse, depending on what you do.”

Jenn glanced at Yukiko and Gregory before nodding. “I see. Thank you, Dia.”

“This is the elder’s will. I’m just the instrument to put his plans in motion,” Dia said. “Now, for the part of the solstice that all learning magi look forward to.” Clapping her hands, Velma and the others carried several trays into the garden, setting them on the bench beside Dia.

Dia thanked each of the eurtik in turn before they left. “Novices, on the winter solstice, the clan gives gifts. How each clan does so is up to them. The Iron Hand holds a short tournament for their different tiers of magi, with rewards for people who prove themselves. The Han clan gives gifts to those who made the biggest contribution to the clan. The Eternal Flame gives gifts to those favored by Grandmaster Shun.”

“What of Aether’s Guard?” Gregory asked when a moment of silence stretched on.

“We give gifts equal to everyone,” Dia smiled. “Most of the gifts novices get are aether boosts to help you make it to the apprentice tier, or as close to it as possible.” Removing the lids from the trays, the scent of herbs started to grow heavy. “You need to be growing your aether while this happens. So exercise, meditate, or study.”

Gregory and Yukiko exchanged a look before they rose to their feet. Jenn got to her feet quickly and moved to the side, copying the other two as they started to meditate and practice the Peaceful Fist.

Dia watched them all, nodding slightly. “I’d wondered about that. We’ll start with the yuank leaf— it will try to smother your aether. Make sure you burn it all.” Gliding toward the three of them, she held three leaves in her hands.

Hours passed as they were fed additives and trained. Gregory was feeling the strain when Dia called them to a stop. Panting as he tried to regain his breath, Gregory was slick with sweat when he stopped.

“You all did wonderfully. You’ll see the difference tomorrow morning. Tonight, we need to make sure that you weren’t overtly harmed by what just happened. It’s time for the yuzuyu bath.”

Trailing Dia, the three of them came to the baths. Gregory stopped before the men’s side, giving Yukiko a smile as she stepped into the woman’s side. Stripping off his soaked clothing, Gregory was surprised to see that some of the other baskets already had clothes in them.

“There he is,” Gin said. “How was the forced growth?”

“Difficult,” Gregory said. His aether was still burning high and hot, with a lot of sparks.

“Glad that you didn’t pass out,” Steva said. “We’ve heard stories from previous years.”

“Yes,” Zenim nodded. “If you’re weaker than the additive, it can hurt your aether.”

“Dia wouldn’t do that to them,” Ravol said as he stepped out of the tub.

“It’s time,” Quilet said softly. “Enjoy the bath, Gregory.”

“Greg,” Gregory said. “My friends call me Greg. You can all call me Greg.”

“Greg,” Quilet said, bowing his head to him. “We are honored. Let the yuzu purify you.”

The scent of the fruit in the bath made his aether start to spin in a lazy circle. “What is it?”

“Yuzu? A fruit that helps a person with health problems,” Gin said. “For magi, it’s similar to a purity plum. It will seep the impurities from you. It’s why we’re getting out.”

Gregory eyed the bath with some trepidation. “Like the purity plums?”

“But not as sludgy,” Gin chuckled as he began to dry off.

Gregory went over to the washing area and took his time cleaning up. The idea of black sludge seeping out of him into the tub mildly horrified him.

“Greg, how did you get those scars?” Zenim asked as he dried off.

His hands faltered as the memory hit him. “Bane wolf,” he said softly. “Day of my ascension to an adult and magi.”

“A bane wolf?” Steva asked with shock. “A young one?”

“It stood higher than my waist,” Gregory said, looking down at the scars on his arm. “It was stalking a friend of mine. When it saw me, it changed its mind and charged me. I shoved my arm into its mouth to save my throat.”

“You’re lucky it didn’t bite clean through… some of them can,” Gin said. “Still, lodging your forearm into the back of its jaw was a smart move.”

“My best friend lost a couple of fingers before Bishop showed up and finished it off.”

“To face a full bane wolf and survive...” Ravol said with a hushed tone. “There’s a reason you won the tournament. I can’t think of another novice or apprentice who would have survived.”

“Greg has good instincts in combat,” Gin said. “Now, let’s leave him to clean and soak. Take your time. Until your aether settles down, don’t leave the tub. That’s what Dia told me to tell you.”

“Yes, Sensei,” Gregory said, going back to cleaning himself.

Once he was clean and alone, Gregory slid into the tub. A calm peacefulness settled over him as the yellow sections of yuzu floated around him. His aether spun a tighter circle and bits of debris were thrown from it. Gregory’s eyebrows rose when he watched the closest yuzu fruit start to blacken. The water stayed perfectly clear, but the fruit was somehow absorbing the impurities that his aether was giving off.

By the time he felt his aether calm, the majority of the yuzu fruit slices had changed color. Feeling like he was done, Gregory stepped out of the bath and reached for a towel.

“Gregory, it’s almost time,” Dia said from the dressing area. “Please don’t dawdle too much longer.”

Panting while his heart rate started to settle from the sudden shock, Gregory coughed. “I’m drying off right now.”

“Good. Your change of clothing is waiting for you. Dress, then meet us in the dining room.”

“Yes, Dia.”

Once he was dry, he checked the dressing room first and found it empty. Breathing a sigh of relief, he stepped out to get the outfit that had been left for him. Finding his normal novice kimono, he smiled and was quickly changed and on his way to the dining room.

The last one to arrive, Gregory bowed to the others. “I’m sorry for my delay.”

“You stayed in until your aether was calm?” Dia asked.

“Yes, Dia.”

“Then there’s no need to apologize. Sit, and we may partake of the evening meal.”

Gregory took his seat beside Yukiko, giving her and Jenn a smile. “That was different.”

“I’ve had yuzu baths before, but never seen the fruit change,” Yukiko said. “It’s a solstice tradition in the empire. Yuzu fruit is only grown and used for the bath during the winter solstice. The Han clan has a stranglehold on its production and transportation.”

“It’s one of the ways they rose to power,” Dia added as dinner was uncovered. “Eat as much as you’d like.”

Gregory smiled at the food in front of him; soba noodles in dashi broth with scallions and fish cakes. “This reminds me of home.”

“The fish cake is salmon with pieces of koi mixed together,” Dia told them. “Your aether will stir again, but it shouldn’t cause any problems.”

“Thank you for all the wonderful food today,” Gregory said, directing his praise to the cooks.

“It’s our pleasure,” Velma said for them.

When the meal came to an end, Dia smiled. “The evening is upon us... it’s time for the saying of goodbyes and welcoming the new year. The fire awaits us, as well as the lanterns.”

To the side of the clan hall, a bonfire had been built. Dia got it lit, and benches were pulled over for them to sit and relax. They chatted about the things that happened during the last year.

“The lanterns are ready,” Quilet said, bringing over a dozen paper lanterns to the benches.

Dia took the first one and, using the ink brush, wrote a single word on the rice paper side before lighting the inside and letting it drift into the air. “I always find this time of year uplifting, as old burdens are set aside.”

Yukiko took one and wrote out two words on hers before Dia lit it for her. “Regrets can burden you if you don’t let them go.”

One by one, everyone stepped forward, writing a word or two on their lantern before setting it free. Gregory watched them with curiosity. The tradition wasn’t practiced in Alturis, as a forest fire could start from such a display. As he watched, he saw more and more lanterns climbing into the sky.

“The other clans are also unburdening themselves,” Dia said softly from beside him. “Do you have nothing to let go of?”

Gregory swallowed and thought of a few things. Taking the last remaining lantern, he wrote onto all four sides. “If you will, please, Dia?”

Dia bowed her head as she lit the small wick inside the lantern. Gregory watched it with sadness as the light began to climb into the sky. When a warm hand took his, he blinked, finding Yukiko beside him.

“It’s okay to regret, dear one,” she said softly. “Even we will have moments we regret in the years ahead of us. Holding onto them and letting them choke you would be far worse.”

“You’re right,” Gregory said, feeling the burdens start to lift from him.

The sudden crack and boom made Gregory jerk slightly. The flash of light in the sky above him disoriented him as he tried to figure out what had happened.

Yukiko giggled and squeezed his hand. “Look up.”

Gregory did just as another crack happened. A second later, the boom was accompanied by a burst of glittering color. “What is that?”

“Fireworks,” Yukiko told him. “They’re used to celebrate the solstices. You’ve never seen them?”

“No... Even the lanterns were new to me,” Gregory told her.

“It’ll be a night of new experiences,” Yukiko whispered, leaning into his side slightly. “Darkness told me that tonight, we can dream together. Please, dear one, be kind to me as I learn.”

Gregory’s face felt like it was roasting as what she had said and the implications sunk in. “Tonight?”

“Yes. We’ve both grown tonight.”

Gregory’s smile was big as he stood in the night, watching the fireworks with his beloved.

Chapter Twenty-four

The bedroom was as it always appeared— the floor was black marble, shot through with gold veins. There were silk tapestries on the walls, depicting eurtiks and humans using aether side by side. The bed dominated the room, large enough for a dozen people to lay on comfortably. One corner of the room grabbed his attention; a well-padded chair with a footstool sat in it. That explains where you are most of the time, Darkness.

Shaking his head, he took a moment to look over his outfit. He was wearing a black silk kimono with a blue flame pattern on it. I don’t own an outfit like this, Gregory mused to himself.

“Greg?” Yukiko called out to him.

Spinning around, he saw Yukiko in a red kimono with a white snow owl pattern. Smile growing, he took a step toward her. “You look lovely, Yuki.”

“This is what I’ll wear when we marry,” Yukiko said softly. “Do you really like it?”

“I do.”

“Thank you, dear one. I like your outfit, too.”

Gregory looked away. “I don’t own anything like this, Yuki. I assume that Darkness did this before she left to give us privacy.”

Yukiko’s eyes took in the details of his kimono. “You look very handsome... Aether’s flame suits you.”

Gregory stopped a foot away from her. “Yuki, are you sure? This might make things even harder for us.”

Swallowing hard, Yukiko met his eyes with hers. “Yes, I’m sure, dear one.”

Taking Yukiko in his arms, Gregory kissed her softly. Yukiko returned the kiss as she put her arms around his waist, drawing them against each other. The kiss slowly deepened, gradually building. Reaching the point where they normally had to stop, Gregory didn’t this time. Since it was a shared dream, they could go further.

Yukiko let out a soft pleased sigh, her lips parting so her tongue could dart out to meet his for a moment. That sigh turned to disappointment when Gregory drew away from her. The disappointment vanished as quickly as it came when Gregory began to kiss along her neck. Yukiko gasped lightly when his lips grazed her earlobe. Hearing her gasp, he made sure to revisit her earlobe as he continued his exploration of her neck.

Yukiko was leaning into him when he finally pulled his mouth from her heated skin. “Greg, my legs are getting weak...”

“Let me help you, then,” Gregory said as he gently scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed.

Yukiko buried her face in his neck, her soft lips returning his earlier attention, kissing his skin. Gregory smiled as she kissed him, his footsteps steady and sure as he carried the most precious thing in the world to him.

Laying her down on the bed, Gregory leaned over her, his eyes locked on hers. “I’m going to take my time, Yuki. This will take a while… I want to explore every inch of you.”

Breath catching in her throat, Yukiko nodded. “I want my own turn to do the same, please.”

“As my heart wishes,” Gregory replied before kissing her.

Time slipped away from them as Gregory did as he promised. His lips, hands, and tongue roved over every pale inch of skin Yukiko had. Every time her breath caught, Gregory would go back to the area, making sure he knew what brought her the most pleasure. With his exploration done, he gave her a soft smile as he kissed his way down her body again.

Heavy-lidded eyes fluttered open, watching him as her breath grew faster the closer he got to her sex. “Greg, you’ve already teased that part of me.”

“I know... now, I want to savor you,” Gregory replied as his tongue traced a lazy line over her wet mound.

Yukiko stroked his hair. “I’m yours, dear one. I still want to explore you, though…” She trailed off in a moan when his tongue found her clitoris.

Her moan lit a fire inside of Gregory— he wanted to hear it again and again. Driven, his tongue lashed her sex, making her moan louder. It turned into a long wail as she gripped his hair tight and pulled his face into her.

Surprised by her sudden aggression, Gregory almost stopped, but instead, he drove his tongue faster and harder against her. Legs locking, Yukiko’s body quivered, her orgasm controlling her as she kept him pinned to her. Just as the orgasm started to abate, another wave hit her, and her wail of pleasure cut off in a guttural growl as her hips ground into his face.

Both of them were gasping for breath when Yukiko let go of his head. “Well, I think you enjoyed that,” Gregory chuckled, kissing her thigh.

“Oh, Aether... it was wonderful,” Yukiko murmured as small aftershocks traveled along her spine. “It’s my turn...” With a languid smile on her face, she patted the bed beside her. “Please?”

Gregory moved to lay on his back where she indicated. “I’m in your hands, dear one.”

It took her a minute to move, but she did, shifting to begin slowly caressing and touching him like he had with her. Yukiko giggled when she found that a kiss and lick at the hollow of his throat made him shiver. Again, time was lost to them as Yukiko took her time exploring his body.

When he laughed and jerked his leg away from her, she giggled. “Your knee is ticklish?”

“It seems so,” Gregory said.

“I’ll leave it be,” Yukiko said.

“Thanks. You’re lucky... no ticklish spots at all.”

Yukiko just smiled as she went back to touching him. She’d bypassed his stiff cock when she moved down his body, but she kept looking at it as she went. When she’d gone over every part of him but that, she took a deep breath.

Chewing her lip, her hands gently wrapped around his straining shaft. Gregory’s deep inhale made her smile. Her delicate hands stroked and rubbed both his cock and balls. “Am I doing this right, dear one?”

“Feels very nice...” Gregory exhaled.

“Can I do for you what you did for me?” Yukiko asked, uncertain how it would work.

Gregory’s whole body tightened up for a second, the thought of her doing that pushing him closer to the edge. “Yes... Lips and tongue to start with.”

Shifting her position on the bed, her mouth was inches from his twitching cock, her warm breath making him breathe faster. Tentatively, she leaned in and began to kiss and lick at the underside of his flesh.

“That feels amazing,” Gregory moaned, his toes curling.

Watching his face as she continued, she ran her hand up and down his length, the saliva-coated shaft sliding smoothly in her hand. His hips bucked lightly, making her smile. She began alternating between licking him and stroking him, slowly working him into a frenzy.

“Yuki, if you keep going... I… I...” Gregory panted, his whole body vibrating with need.

“I want you to,” Yukiko whispered as she planted kisses up his length.

Gregory moaned when she kissed the tip of his cock. Grabbing her head, he pushed himself into her mouth. He tensed up, his hips bucking as he started to come and fill her mouth. Moaning her name, he held her in place.

Yukiko was shocked when he forced her to swallow the head of his shaft. Her surprise grew when she felt the hot, thick, salty fluid that began to fill her mouth. Swallowing, she let him hold her in place as he moaned her name. The pleasure in his tone made her eager to repeat this moment.

When he let go of her head, panting and feeling wrung out, he found her looking up at him, his cock still in her mouth as she continued to suckle gently on him. “That…” He trailed off, unable to put what he felt into words.

Smiling, she bobbed her head and took in another inch. Gregory’s eyes rolled up as another pulse of pleasure coursed through him. Seeing him enjoying it, she worked on his shaft, slowly taking more and more of him with each downward bob. She only managed half when she came up quickly, coughing.

“Yuki!?” Gregory asked in panic.

“It’s… it’s okay,” Yukiko coughed. “I took too much.”

“You did amazing.”

“I wasn’t expecting the flood,” Yukiko said. “It was very salty. I don’t mind it, though, because you were obviously enjoying it.”

“Gods yes,” Gregory said. Yukiko moved up to lay beside him. “I’m sorry for grabbing you. It was a reflex.”

“No, it’s okay. I wouldn’t have thought of trying it if you hadn’t. Is that equal to what you did for me?”

“Yes.”

Yukiko held him, kissing his chest. “Too bad this won’t last.”

“It’ll be hard not doing more than kissing you now,” Gregory murmured as he stroked her hair.

“Yes.”

“Did you want to do more?” Gregory asked, his cock having been brought back to life before she gagged on him.

Yukiko nodded minutely. “I’d like to.”

“So would I.” Shifting, he gently rolled her onto her back and began to kiss and nuzzle her ear.

“Oh...” Yukiko murmured, turning her head to give him better access. She had no idea he’d moved again until she felt his hard length resting against her thigh. “Be gentle… please.”

“I will,” Gregory whispered and gently pressed his hard shaft against her wet slit. “It might hurt a little.”

“A little pain is nothing,” Yukiko said bravely as she looked into his eyes.

Gregory leaned down to kiss her. When she returned the kiss, he pushed forward, the tip finding her opening. She gave a sharp intake of breath as he inched in slowly. He stopped, waiting for her while she panted for a moment.

“It’s okay... go ahead,” Yukiko told him.

Kissing her again, he pushed another inch into her. This time, Yukiko didn’t feel pain, but pleasure. She kissed him back hard, her legs moving on their own to go around his waist. Feeling her legs encircle him, he pushed a little farther into her.

Awkwardly, they moved together for a few minutes until he was finally seated fully inside. Eyes locked on one another, both of them breathing raggedly, Gregory started to pull out and Yukiko’s legs pushed against him, making him sink into her. Time lost its meaning once more as they found their own pace and rhythm. By the end, Gregory was giving her long, solid strokes as they felt the release they both wanted building.

“Please!” Yukiko panted as she teetered on the brink.

Gregory was breathing raggedly when he lowered his head and took one of her pert nipples into his mouth. The added sensation was too much for Yukiko— her legs clamped down around him as her back arched. Gregory moaned around her hard nipple, feeling her sex tighten harder than her legs. With a few frantic thrusts, he emptied his seed into her.

“Aether...” Yukiko managed to say a minute later when they lay side by side, her head on his chest. “You’re amazing, dear one.”

“I think you are...” Gregory murmured, stroking her hair.

“I’m glad you both had this,” Darkness said from her corner, which was again enshrouded in her namesake.

“Thank you, Darkness,” Yukiko whispered. “I’m sorry.”

“No, dear one, it’s fine. We’ll talk later. You both need to sleep still. You have class again in the morning.”

“Sleep...” Yukiko mumbled as she drifted off, vanishing from Gregory’s arms.

Gregory yawned and looked at the empty spot where Yukiko had just been. “Thank you, Darkness.”

“You’re welcome, dear one. Besides, you’ll pay me back, in time. Now, sleep. You need to be sharp for tomorrow.”

Gregory started to reply, but he found his eyes closing on their own. I’ll pay you back for this gift, Darkness, he thought as sleep claimed him.

Chapter Twenty-five

Stepping out of his room just as third bell began to chime, Gregory thought Yukiko looked radiant as she shut her door. “Good morning, Yuki,” he said softly.

A brilliant smile crossed her face and she blushed. “Yes... a good morning to you, too, dear one.”

Gregory leaned in and kissed her cheek. “We owe her.”

“I agree. I’m sure we’ll find a way to repay her kindness.” She met his eyes. “It’s hard not to hold you, but I feel a certain peace now.”

“Yes. We should wake Jenn,” he said, needing to change the subject to get his mind off their dream together.

“Go on ahead. I’ll bring her down.”

Gregory walked into the kitchen and saw Steva cooking breakfast. “Morning, Steva, and a happy new year to you.”

“To you, as well, Greg,” Steva said. “I’m almost done preparing the meal.”

“You have a minute or two. The other two are still on their way.”

“We’re here,” Yukiko said.

“I stepped out of my room just after you reached the stairs,” Jenn said. “I have economics with you.”

“We’ll be spending the majority of our days together,” Yukiko said. “It’ll be interesting. We’ll be getting to know a lot about each other.”

“I look forward to it.”

“Here you go,” Steva said, bringing breakfast to the table. “Did your medallions change? Dia said that they would, with the boosts you got yesterday.”

Gregory had forgotten all about that with the dream last night. Pulling his medallion out, he looked at it, shocked. Yukiko and Jenn pulled theirs out and matched his expression. Gregory and Yukiko’s medallion showed the ninth circle lit, while Jenn’s had the eighth lit.

Steva’s mouth was open as he looked from one to the next. “That isn’t normal…”

“Our novices are exceptional,” Dia said as she came into the room. “I had hoped to catch you all before you left to see how you progressed. I’ll let the elder know about your growth. He’ll be most pleased.”

“Steva said this wasn’t normal, Dia,” Gregory said.

“He is right and wrong,” Dia replied. “A single circle is normal during the solstice, if the novices are given appropriate help. Two circles aren’t unheard of, and in some clans, are normal for their favorites. Your rivals in the Eternal Flame likely grew just as much.”

“We’re almost to apprentice levels,” Jenn said with a hushed tone. “We’ll easily be there by the end of the year.”

“I believe you will be,” Dia smiled. “Now, don’t let me delay you more— your breakfast is cooling. Steva, come with me. I noticed something that requires your attention.”

“Yes, Keeper,” Steva said, following her from the room.

Yukiko watched them go with pursed lips. Once they were out of the room, she said, “Steva was right. She’s going to chastise him for telling us. I’ve seen Gin take guards away from my father’s presence for similar reasons.”

“But why would she lie?” Jenn asked as she picked up her soup.

“I don’t think she was lying,” Gregory said, “but I think Yuki’s right, too. Steva is going to get an earful for saying too much.”

“She exaggerated,” Yukiko nodded. “It wasn’t a lie, exactly.”

“That’s how it felt to me,” Gregory said. “She was telling the truth about the elder being pleased, though. Her eyes were happy when she said that.”

“You’re getting better at reading people,” Yukiko said proudly.

“I’ve had a good teacher,” Gregory grinned, picking up his soup. “Dia wasn’t wrong… our food is cooling, and we have studying to do.”

~*~*~

As they walked from the archive toward their economics class, the three chatted about the topics they’d been studying. Yukiko had switched to reading about magi tiers in the academy, Gregory started on the myths of Aether, and Jenn was entrenched in the wars of the past.

“The books conflict so much,” Jenn said. “How do you know what’s true?”

“You don’t,” Yukiko said. “The best you can do is form your own opinion on the matter. History is written by the winner, though, and that should always be kept in mind.”

Jenn nodded slowly. “Which allows them to gloss over the worst they might have done... Downplaying the atrocities that they committed while making their foes look worse.”

“Exactly.” Yukiko looked at Gregory. “What of you, dear one?”

“Aether’s myths are difficult. They’re so intertwined with the other gods that I can’t read just his stories to get a full picture. Even then, the contradictions are abundant. Krog and Aether were enemies, friends, brothers, or any combination of them. Mortum hated Aether and wished for his demise, or else loved Aether and cried when he passed.”

“Vera loved him,” Jenn said softly.

“She did. That’s the only thing that stands out through all of them,” Gregory agreed. “That love is what pitted Aether against Krog in the story I was just reading.”

“You sound like you’re enjoying them,” Yukiko said.

“I am, but I’m also frustrated at how disparate they are.”

Yukiko giggled. “Disparate? How quickly you have grown, dear one.”

Gregory frowned, then started to laugh. “Yes, I would’ve never used that word back home. What about your books, Yuki?”

“The majority of what I’ve read is just like Dia said— it’s during the apprentice tier that magi start to lag behind in rank, and that gap gets more pronounced throughout the following years. There have been people recorded as being ahead of the curve, and a majority of them have been in the great clans.”

“Who can expend the money to help boost their young clan members,” Gregory said.

“The elder is doing the same for us,” Jenn added. “He seems intent on helping us rise as far and as quickly as we can.”

“He does, doesn’t he?” Yukiko murmured, her brow furrowed in thought.

~*~*~

Taking a seat at a different table, Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn got their paper and ink situated. The click of Magus Marcia’s metal cane striking the stone outside announced her arrival.

“Good morning, Magus,” Jenn said, bowing her head to the older woman.

“It is,” Marcia replied. “I hope there will be no interruptions from you three?”

“No, Magus,” all three said.

“You have that down pat, at least,” Marcia said, taking her spot at the front of the room. “Did your solstice go well?”

“It did, Magus,” Yukiko answered for the group.

“What of you, Pettit? Did you enjoy the solstice? It must have been vastly different than what you were used to.”

“A number of things here are traditions I’d never heard of, Magus. The fireworks were the biggest surprise.”

“Yes, I can see how that would be. Did you know that at one time, there was thought to turn them into a weapon instead of decoration?”

“I did not.”

“Buldoun tried to turn them into such a hundred years ago, but the Eternal Flame turned that idea against them quickly. You see, the powder in them that makes them explode is set aflame to make it work.”

Gregory nodded slowly. “A fire magi could turn it from being only a threat to them to a disaster for the one trying to use it.”

“Exactly. That war ended quickly.”

The sound of voices getting closer made Marcia look to the door. “The others are about to show. I wonder how many will be late today?”

Gregory looked back as the other novices began to pour in, but Petak never appeared. Besides him, a handful of others were missing when the bell rang six and Marcia slammed the doors shut with a gust of wind.

“It seems that some of your fellow novices are dropping the class. That improves your chances of getting a relatively easy posting.”

The door cracked open and drew everyone’s attention. Marcia glared at the novice who slipped inside, trying to quietly take a seat at the back of the room.

“Novice, come here,” Marcia said coldly.

As the novice in question began to approach the front, the door opened again and three more novices entered the room.

“You three, to the front,” Marcia said with menace.

Once the four novices were lined up, she let a full minute slip by as she glared at each one in turn. The others in the room shifted— even they were growing uncomfortable with the mounting sense of doom.

“You will each leave this class for today. Tomorrow, before class begins, you’ll present me with at least a five-page essay about what I’ve taught so far. If your essay doesn’t impress me, you will be failed and barred from the class. Understood?”

“Yes, Magus,” the novices replied loudly.

“Leave. Now!”

The four scrambled to grab their things and fled the class in short order. No one else spoke as Marcia looked over the room.

“Tardiness upsets me, as I said at the beginning of the year. I was lenient to them because it’s the new year, but this was an abysmal way to start the year for them. Now, we were discussing the tariffs on Buldoun goods.”

~*~*~

With class over, Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn headed back to the clan hall. Dia was on the porch smoking when they arrived, and she motioned them to her.

“Yukiko, you’ll be practicing to the left of the clan hall,” Dia told her. “Jenn, you’re on the other side of the hall. We wish to keep Yukiko away from Master Chen, or they would be closer together. Gregory, you’re free to watch either class as you see fit. The elder believes that you can learn from both instructors, but thinks the decision of when and who should be yours.”

“I’ll spend half of the time with each,” Gregory said. “I think that’ll be for the best.”

“Very well. The instructors should be ready shortly,” Dia said. “After class, you have two hours to meditate or study as you wish. I’ll find you again when it’s time for your snack.”

“Thank you, Dia,” each said, bowing together.

“Enough of that,” Dia laughed. “Go on.”

As Yukiko and Jenn split apart, Gregory followed Yukiko toward the left side of the hall. “Yuki, I’m going to start with Jenn every day, then finish with you. I think today is especially important, since it’ll be the first lesson for her with Master Chen.”

Yukiko gave him a soft smile. “I understand, dear one. You’re right... it’s best if one of us is there for her.”

Gregory caught her hand and gave it a squeeze before turning back the other way. When he rounded the corner on the right side of the clan hall, he saw Jenn looking sad.

“Something wrong?” Gregory asked.

Head snapping up, Jenn stared at him for a moment. “No! No. Nothing. I thought you were going to watch Yuki first?”

“Second,” Gregory said. “This is the first lesson for you with Master Chen. It’ll be informative to see how he instructs, and I thought you might like a friendly face around.”

Jenn smiled at him. “I would... thank you.” Her eyes went past him and the smile faded. “Here he comes.”

Master Chen walked like a soldier, his stride precise and measured, almost marching. His face was impassive as he crossed the yard to them. His gaze landed on Gregory and he came to a stop a few feet from the two of them. “I thought I was instructing a single novice.”

“You are, sir,” Gregory said, bowing formally. “I’m merely here to watch. That’s my task from the elder.”

Chen’s lips thinned slightly. “I see, but I doubt it will do you much good. The knowledge that your magic is foresight is already being spread.”

“Master Damon did say it would be,” Gregory replied. “I still follow the orders of Elder Lightshield. If you want me to leave, I can let Magus Dia know.”

“No,” Chen said. “Just stay well back. Physical enhancement magic can be a little imprecise for novices. I’ve seen one throw themselves into walls before.”

“Yes, sir.” Gregory bowed once more before moving a few dozen feet away.

Chen turned his attention to Jenn. “Bean, you were slated to join our clan, but changed your mind... Normally, I’d rather cut off a finger than aid a novice who slighted us in such a manner. However, Elder Lightshield saved my life three times since I’ve become a magi, and those debts need to be repaid. I will instruct you as if you were part of the Iron Hand clan.”

“Yes, Master,” Jenn said, formally bowing to him. “Thank you, Master.”

“‘Sir’ is enough,” Chen told her. “Now, let’s see how well you can channel your aether first.”

Chapter Twenty-six

The rest of the week flew by as they settled into a routine that worked for them: they ate breakfast early, following it up with studying in the archive for a little over an hour, then having economics with Marcia Han before returning to the clan hall. After that, they went into magic training. Both Master Chen and Inda were hard and demanding on their students, but encouraging of Gregory being there to observe.

When magic training was done, they were given free time to study or meditate. Normally, they used the time to meditate with the Peaceful Fist technique. They left meditation feeling rested and would get an aether-infused snack from the kitchen staff afterward. Once they had eaten, they met with Gin, Indara, and Inda for sparring and weapons training. The mandatory bath would help them recover from their grueling workout, and the meal that followed helped their aether.

Finally done with the training that was mandated for the day, they would retire to one of their rooms for studying, Magi Squares, or another intellectual pursuit before collapsing and repeating it all over the next day.

~*~*~

Waking to the sound of the third bell, Gregory started to dress out of habit before remembering it was their day off. As he was reaching for his door, he chuckled when there was a soft knock.

“Morning, Yuki,” he greeted her.

“Morning to you, too, Greg,” she replied with a smile. “Might I come inside for a moment?”

Gregory let her in, shutting the door behind her. The moment it clicked shut, the two of them were embracing and kissing. They weren’t wild passionate kisses, but soft, deep, and loving ones. They were interrupted a minute later by another soft knock on his door. Sighing, they parted, and Gregory gave Yukiko a moment to fix her hair before answering it.

“Morning, Jenn,” Gregory said. “We were just about to come get you.”

Jenn looked away from him. “Of course. I’ll go let them know we’re awake.”

“We can all go,” Yukiko said, stepping past Gregory. “You’re coming with us today, right?”

Jenn chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment. “I… I don’t want to intrude,” she finally said.

“You wouldn’t be,” Yukiko told her. “We three are training together, even if today is our day off. We’d both welcome you to come with us.”

“Yuki’s right,” Gregory said. “It’ll still be training in a way, but it’ll also be fun.”

Jenn glanced from one to the other, but didn’t see guile or deception in their gazes. Lips twitching upward, she nodded. “If you’re sure.”

Yukiko took her arm. “We are. Greg, we’ll see you downstairs. Make sure to get your supplements for today, too. We’ll be out until just before sunset.”

Gregory took the hint. “Oh, right! Can’t believe I almost forgot them. See you both in a bit.”

Giving them a couple of minutes, Gregory double-checked that he had the aether-increasing items he wanted before making his way down to breakfast. He arrived just as Ravol, the weasel eurtik, finished cooking, and greeted him as he took a seat with the women at the table.

“What are you planning for the day?” Ravol asked while he served them.

“Our normal routine,” Yukiko replied. “Some quiet time away from the hustle and bustle of the academy.”

Ravol laughed. “I find that hard to believe.”

“She’s not lying,” Gregory chuckled, “but she might be stretching the truth a bit. We’re supposed to enjoy our days off, after all.”

“The elder did seem concerned that you might not take days off,” Ravol said. “We were encouraged to nudge you to do so when we were brought in as staff.”

“We won’t be doing nearly as much as we normally do,” Yukiko said. “We hear and heed your advice, Ravol.”

“My wife says things just like that before she does whatever she wanted to do to begin with,” Ravol snorted. “I wouldn’t try to tell a woman what she should do.”

“Wise,” Jenn said. “You’ve already learned the most important lesson a man can learn.”

Ravol laughed and glanced at Gregory. “Good luck. With both of them going with you, you’ll be at their mercy.”

“I don’t find this a bad thing,” Gregory replied as he picked up the soup. “I’ve learned to trust my heart.”

“Very well said,” Yukiko smiled broadly.

Ravol shook his head as he left them to their breakfast. “I’ll have your snacks ready in a moment.”

~*~*~

“Greetings, Novices,” the mouse eurtik, Simon, said when they entered the archive. “Did you need new books?”

“I’d like to start on the Buldoun conflicts today,” Jenn said.

“I’m still working through Aether’s myths,” Gregory sighed.

“The book I was reading on eurtik history is sufficient,” Yukiko smiled. “It’s been very interesting.”

“I’ll make sure they are provided,” the eurtik replied. “Thank you for saying so, Novice Warlin. It’s not often any take an interest, much less a novice.”

“I find it fascinating,” Yukiko said.

“We’ll be at the table,” Gregory said.

“Don’t let me delay you,” the eurtik said quickly. “Knowledge must be passed on.”

The three of them took seats at their table, working on Magi Squares while they waited for their books to come. Today was a little different, in that they each made a fresh puzzle before passing it to the right for the other person to solve. Once they finished, they set aside the answers and started to read.

A set of eyes watched them from a deep patch of shadows at the end of a bookshelf. After a few minutes, the shadow lessened until it vanished entirely.

When the bell rang the sixth hour, they closed their books. Gregory stretched, feeling his muscles flex as he did so. “I’m starting to get a better feel for the myths. It’s easier to identify whether it’s a parable or if it might be something more.”

“This one is dense,” Jenn sighed. “The conflicts with Buldoun are not straightforward...”

“Not surprising,” Yukiko said. “Buldoun isn’t a nation run by an unaging emperor, but a nation run by a monarchy. Change happens with regularity there.”

Jenn nodded slowly as they got up from the table. “That makes sense. They have aether users, though, don’t they?”

“They do.”

“Then why hasn’t one of them taken over the country?”

“The way they handle people with aether is markedly different than the way our empire does. Not everyone is tested for aether there. It’s a choice each person can make. The only similarity is that they’re mandated to serve the country for a span of time.”

“How odd,” Jenn said.

“Have a good day,” the eurtik by the door said as they passed by him.

“Oh!” Jenn stopped suddenly. “Can you arrange to get a book about Buldoun’s magi for me next time, please?”

“I will check,” the eurtik said slowly. “I believe that’s a book reserved for more advanced years.”

“Oh, I understand,” Jenn said, bowing to him. “If not, I’ll continue with my current book.”

“Understood. Have a good day.”

“We will. Thank you,” Gregory said. “A pleasant day to you, as well.”

As the three of them left the archive behind, the eurtik watched them go with a small frown on his face. “The chief will never allow that...” he muttered.

“I wouldn’t allow what?” Sarinia asked from behind him.

Stiffening, the man inhaled sharply. “Chief! I didn’t—”

“Easy, Simon. Now, answer the question,” Sarinia said.

“The new one asked for a book about Buldoun’s Magi,” Simon replied.

“Hmm... Not now. Let’s see if she stays beside them, first.”

“Yes, Chief.”

“Oh, and Simon? Next time, don’t try to evade the question. I can have you go back to your other duties, if needed.”

“No, Chief! Yes, Chief!” Simon said rapidly. Swallowing, he took a deep breath. “Chief, is it true? The... rumor?” When no one answered, he looked back to find he was alone. “It’s so frustrating when she does that...”

Simon never saw the eyes watching him from the second floor, nor the feline smile, before they vanished into the shadows again.

~*~*~

Leaving the academy behind, Gregory looked at Yukiko. “Run to the park instead? Three is too many for the normal rickshaw.”

Yukiko’s eyes glittered, her lips twitching as she fought a grin. “I’m sure we could find a way for it to work. Though it might be improper, for instance, if I sat on your lap.” Gregory’s face heated and Jenn let out a small sound of surprise. Yukiko shook her head. “That wouldn’t happen, of course. It would mar my family name.”

“We should run,” Jenn said firmly. “Where are we going?”

Gregory exhaled a deep breath. “A park where we can train in peace.”

“This way,” Yukiko said, taking off at a good clip.

Jenn was right behind her, clearly intent on not falling behind. Gregory hesitated before he followed them, a certain dread rising in him. She was just trying to be funny... she wouldn’t actually do that, he tried to tell himself.

Because they were burning aether to move faster, it didn’t take them long to reach the park. It was as empty as it usually was in the morning. Making their way to the gazebo, Yukiko explained how they normally started training on their day off.

“The Peaceful Fist,” Jenn nodded. “I keep feeling like I’m on the cusp of something and failing, though.”

“Maybe today is the day?” Gregory offered. “You have to believe and want it.”

Jenn met his eyes. “I want it, and I do believe.”

“Then you’ll get there,” Yukiko said. “Together, we’ll help you.”

Jenn pulled her eyes away from Gregory, her cheeks showing the faintest dusting of a blush. “Okay. Today is the day.”

~*~*~

Two hours passed as they went through the meditation. When the bell chimed the eighth hour, they all came to a slow stop. Jenn was wearing a large smile and was nearly vibrating in place. Gregory and Yukiko shared a knowing glance.

“It worked!” Jenn almost shouted. “I saw it! I saw the cavern.”

“Congratulations,” Yukiko said, stepping over and taking Jenn’s hands in hers. “I knew you could do it.”

“How was it?” Gregory asked.

“Odd. The fire was smaller than I thought it would be, and the channels you told me about are almost as large as my wrists.”

“Because of your previous training,” Yukiko said. “The more we study, the more the mind path enhances the aether, helping it grow larger.”

“Thank you,” Jenn said, suddenly hugging Yukiko. “Thank you.”

Yukiko froze. She was not used to having friends, much less one hugging her like this. “You’re welcome,” she said after a few seconds, unable to return the hug with her arms trapped at her sides.

“With the warm-up done, we should move on to the next part,” Gregory said.

Jenn stiffened. Letting go of Yukiko, she stepped away from her. “Sorry! I just—”

“It’s fine,” Yukiko said. This time, she was the one to step forward and hug Jenn.

Gregory gave Yukiko a puzzled glance as she looked at him over Jenn’s shoulder. She made a small shooing motion, so he stepped quietly away. Wonder why she wants a moment? Wandering to the edge of the park, Gregory waited, the question stuck in his mind.

“Greg,” Yukiko called out, “we’re going to Gin’s next?”

“Yeah. The majority of today is going to be learning the games again,” Gregory said, turning to face them.

“We need to stop along the way,” Yukiko said, her hand on Jenn’s forearm. “We can meet you there. Okay?”

Gregory started to ask why before he caught the silent plea in Yukiko’s eyes. “Oh, uh... sure. No problem. I’ll see you both there.”

Thank you, Yukiko mouthed silently to him. “We’ll catch up as soon as we can.”

“Okay,” Gregory said before turning and taking off at a jog. Must be the herbalist thing, he thought as he left them behind.

Chapter Twenty-seven

“The other two have arrived,” Baylyss announced as she led Yukiko and Jenn into the room. “Do you require additional refreshments?”

“We’re good, ma’am,” one of the instructors said. “We’ll be looking forward to the midday snack, though. It was good last week.”

“Thank you,” Baylyss said. “Novices, do you require anything?”

“We’re fine, thank you,” Yukiko said.

“I thought we’d play a few of each of the card and dice games,” Gregory said. “After that, we can each choose something to focus on.”

“That sounds good,” Yukiko smiled. “Sorry to keep you waiting for us.”

“It’s fine. I’ve been clarifying some questions about Shogi while I waited.”

“We’re learning different games?” Jenn asked.

“The three most popular types of cards and dice,” Yukiko replied. “It’ll help us in the third year. We’re also learning Shogi and Go to help us with classes next year and beyond.”

“I see. Looks like I’ll be learning a lot today.”

“With help,” Yukiko said, her hand brushing Jenn’s where the mind path ring rested on her finger. “We’ll be starting with bones. Ask as we play. All of the instructors here are patient.”

“We’ll be joining the games to give you an idea of what you’ll likely see in a couple of years,” one of the men said. “Most of them will have four or more players.”

“That’d be for the best,” Gregory said. “Learning in a bubble is fine, but learning by doing is better.”

Once everyone was seated, the instructor teaching them dice began to explain how to play to Jenn. High Point was the first game, and it was easy to understand: throw two dice, and whoever had the highest toss wins the pot. If any players tied, they had to bet again and throw until a single winner emerged.

“As you can see, it’s a quick and simple game, so you probably won’t see it much,” the instructor shrugged. “Still, it sets a base for Hazard, the next game. There are two dice, and the player declares what total they want to roll. If they hit that number through any combination of the two dice, they win. If not, their chosen number becomes the losing number and whatever total they did roll becomes the next winning number.”

“That sounds easy enough,” Jenn said.

“That’s just the start. Depending on the number designated to win after the first toss, the players can bet on the next number to be thrown, at set odds. This game works best with a set banker, but can still work if the banker position moves around from player to player. It’s the most complicated variant played by soldiers.”

“What are the odds by number?”

“We’ll get to that,” the instructor chuckled. “The last game is Dice Pass. This is a popular game, mostly played amongst soldiers. The person being the banker shifts around the players, and if you play, you have to be the bank at least once. The thrower has to score a total of ten or more on three dice. If he does, everyone wins double their bet. If he doesn’t, the banker gets the bets. Once the thrower has lost three times, the dice move down to the next player.”

“Okay,” Jenn said, “I’m ready.”

“We’re using these chips in place of money, since we’re just instructing you and not trying to bankrupt you,” the instructor said as one of the others divided up the chips. “High Point to start. We’ll play ten times to make sure you understand.”

It didn’t take long to play through the dice games, though Hazard ran the longest of the three. When they got to Dice Pass, they understood why it was the most played variant: its simple rules and quick play were refreshing after Hazard.

~*~*~

“Now that we’ve finished with his specialty, we’ll be moving onto mine,” the next instructor said. “Cards are more diverse than dice.”

“Vexlin,” the first instructor sighed, “we promised not to start this argument again...”

“Then don’t argue, Lon,” Vexlin smirked. “We’ll be discussing the two games most often played by officers, and a third game that is just generally well-regarded in the empire.”

“Which games are those?” Jenn asked.

“We’ll start with Trade and Barter,” Vexlin replied. “It’s both complicated and simple at the same time. Knowing your opponents helps a great deal with it. I’ll explain the other games as we get to them, so there’s no confusion.”

The chips were separated and divided out again as Vexlin shuffled the deck of cards. Gregory felt good about the game— he’d played it a few times already, but he was humbled when they finished. Yukiko had the second most chips at the table, behind Vexlin.

“Fast learner,” Vexlin chuckled.

“My father is a merchant,” Yukiko said. “This game I knew and have played before.”

“I lost everything...” Jenn muttered.

“I almost did, too,” Gregory said. “We’ll get better.”

Jenn nodded. “Right.”

“Next up is Acey Deucy. Simple and yet unforgiving is how this game goes.” Vexlin shuffled the cards as he talked. “Everyone puts up an agreed-upon ante to fill the pot to start. Two cards get dealt face-up for the current bettor, one left and one right. Once those are on the table, the bettor gets to bet any amount up to the total current pot, but at least a minimum equal to the ante they put up. A third card is dealt face-up. If that one falls between the two cards, they keep their bet and win an equal amount from the pot. However, if the card in the middle ends up not being a number between the shown cards, they lose their bet to the pot. New cards are then dealt to the left and right, and betting passes to the next player.”

He paused for a moment to pass the chips back out. “That’s it, though the deck gets shuffled on the fifteenth hand. If the pot ever goes empty, everyone antes again and the deck gets shuffled. It’s an easy risk assessment game that can make or break a player.”

“Very simple,” Gregory said.

“It helps if you recall the cards that came before,” Lon said.

“Considering the game is normally played while drinking, that’s hard for most to do,” Vexlin said.

“If the middle card matches one of the two on the table, it’s a loss?” Jenn asked.

“Yes.”

“And if a pair of cards is shown, you lose automatically?” Jenn pressed.

“Normally, though there is a variant that allows that person to win if a third of the same card shows up.”

“Hmm, let’s play a few rounds,” Gregory said.

The game was easy for them to understand, but when they played, they realized that risk assessment and luck were its defining features. Yukiko again showed great skill when playing, and this time, Gregory had the worst luck. The first time he bet, he had a pair facing him, and the third set didn’t show up. The second time, he had an ace and a two, giving him the game’s namesake. He matched the pot to win it all only to have a second ace appear.

“Now, we move onto a slightly more nuanced game,” Vexlin said as he shuffled. “It’s Seven/Twenty-seven, and is known for the size the pots can grow to. The game is easy enough: get as close to seven or twenty-seven as you can without going over. All face cards are worth a half-point, and the aces can count as one or eleven, whichever you need them to be.

“First, there’s an ante, and all players get a single card, face-down. After they look at their card, another round of betting takes place, and then each player can request another card or pass. You can pass during any hand, but that doesn’t stop you from taking a card during the next round. Once everyone has passed, cards are revealed and the winners are determined. Half of the pot goes to the player closest to seven, and the other half to twenty-seven. It is possible to win both, as the aces can count as eleven for the high hand and one for the low hand at the same time.”

“This game always spirals,” Lon muttered.

“Not always, but frequently,” Vexlin chuckled. “Add in alcohol and a couple of people who don’t bet responsibly, it can spiral quickly.”

“Maybe this time, I’ll have better luck,” Gregory said.

“We’re moving onto Go after this?” Yukiko asked.

“Yeah, then Shogi,” Gregory nodded.

“Before that, you’ll have a midday snack,” Baylyss said, coming into the room. “I came to inform you that refreshments will be ready in a moment.”

“Thank you.” Gregory smiled.

“I’ve been getting hungry, so it’ll be welcome,” Lon said.

“Let’s get started,” Vexlin said. “The sooner we finish, the sooner we get some of that good food.”

~*~*~

The three of them were chatting as they headed back toward the academy. “I’m still surprised by that,” Gregory said.

“So am I, honestly,” Jenn said. “It just makes sense to me when I’m at the board.”

“Some people excel in certain things,” Yukiko said. “Or perhaps you’re a reborn soul?”

“I don’t think I am,” Jenn said. “I haven’t had memories of a previous life... Aren’t those required if you’re a reborn soul?”

“No,” Gregory said, “they aren’t.”

“Oh, huh. Maybe I am, then,” Jenn said thoughtfully. “It would explain some of the odd feelings I get at times when I know almost exactly what to do.”

“It would,” Yukiko agreed, “unless it’s just regular déjà vu, instead.”

“That wouldn’t explain the Shogi,” Gregory added.

“True...” Yukiko conceded.

“That’s not bad though, right?” Jenn asked, glancing at Gregory. “Would that make me odd?”

“Not to us,” Yukiko said. “Considering Greg’s skill with the naginata, we believe he might be, as well.”

“Yuki, maybe you are, too,” Gregory said slowly. “You were always helping your father and learning, but how much was learning and how much did you just know?”

Yukiko’s steps slowed. “Hmm... I don’t know. I’ve never been blessed with a masterful level of skill like you two are, but there have been times when I was younger and it seemed like I was remembering something instead of learning it.”

“Maybe that’s why the three of us get along so well,” Gregory said. “Maybe our souls harmonize with each other.”

“Mine does with yours,” Yukiko said softly. “I don’t mind Jenn being with us as much as I initially thought I might, either.”

Jenn glanced at Yukiko. There was a brief moment of guilt on her face before it vanished just as quickly. “I really do appreciate you both being my friends and including me. I fully expected you to tell me to leave you alone.”

“The thought did cross my mind when you ran into us the day after the tournament. However, since you’ve respected my love for Greg, I’ve mellowed on that stance.”

“I know that you two are going to marry,” Jenn said. “Even a blind person can see the love you feel for each other.”

“When you find your heart, you’ll feel the same,” Gregory smiled.

“What does that saying mean?” Jenn asked.

“In my family, it has a long tradition,” Yukiko said. “I’ll try to explain it later, as some of it is personal.”

“Mister, would you like to buy a flower for the ladies with you?” a young voice called out to them as they walked up the street.

Gregory looked back to find the flower girl from before standing next to an alley. “The guard’s not going to be happy if he finds you.”

“He hasn’t found me yet,” she smiled. “I was able to stay off the streets for a bit when someone bought all my flowers last time.”

“I’ll take a dozen for Yuki and one for Jenn,” Gregory said, pulling some vela from his pouch.

“Greg, is this the same girl as last time?” Yukiko asked.

“Yes.”

Yukiko stepped forward to look the girl over. “Still some time before your age day... Do you sell flowers to live, child?”

The flower girl paused in selecting the flowers to meet Yukiko’s gaze. Looking back to her basket, she replied in a soft voice. “I do what I have to.”

“Resourceful, if the guard hasn’t found you yet,” Yukiko said.

“Very. They normally pounce on street sellers,” Jenn added, coming up on Gregory’s other side.

“Maybe I should go...” the girl said, starting to move away.

“There you are!” a rough male voice said. “Caught you in the act this time.”

Gregory looked up to see the same guard as before coming toward them. “What do you mean, sir?”

The guard slowed. “This urchin has harassed people on these streets for over a year, selling her flowers. Selling goods without a license is a crime.”

“She wasn’t selling us flowers,” Yukiko said. “She was going to show us to a park. We asked for her help in finding one with flowers as pretty as she was carrying.”

“We were just about to follow her, but you stopped us,” Jenn added.

The urchin was staring at the three of them, shocked that they would lie for her. Her back was to the guard, so he didn’t see her expression.

“I saw her picking out flowers,” the guard said suspiciously.

“She was just showing us how pretty they are,” Yukiko said. “None of us has exchanged money with her. We might’ve given her some when she brought us to the park, as a guide should be compensated.”

“I was planning on giving her some,” Jenn added. “As Yuki says, a guide should be paid for their help.”

“If there’s nothing else, sir,” Gregory said. He extended his hand to the girl. “Are you ready to show us the way?”

“Yes, right away,” the urchin squeaked, taking his hand.

“Wait!” The guard stared at Gregory hard. “I’ve seen you before.”

“Undoubtedly,” Yukiko said. “He was the winner of the novice tournament.”

“Caused a stir in the academy,” Jenn nodded.

The guard stepped back a pace. “Oh... Never mind. I must have had you confused with someone else. Have a good day.” Turning on his heel, the guard marched away.

Gregory blinked. “What was that?”

“A winner of the tournament is going to be part of a big clan, and a big clan can make his life difficult,” Yukiko said. “I didn’t want to do that, but he was going to cause a scene.”

“Umm, thank you...” the urchin said softly, her hand still in Gregory’s.

“You need to stop selling flowers,” Gregory said. “Take this for now.” He dug out all the vela he had on him. “Next week, meet us at sunrise outside the academy gates.”

The urchin’s eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw the money he shoved into her hand. “But—!”

“Don’t worry. He’s mine, and he wouldn’t do what you fear,” Yukiko said quickly. “He just wants to help and is very clumsy at it.”

“He’s too good a man for that,” Jenn added. “Sunrise at the academy gates, okay? Now go, before the guard returns.”

The girl dropped her basket of flowers and bowed at the waist to them before sprinting away, the money clutched to her chest with both hands. Jenn picked up the basket of flowers and handed it to Gregory. Yukiko watched the little girl run off with a thoughtful look on her face.

“Baylyss?” Yukiko asked.

“Yes. I was going to ask Gin first,” Gregory said.

“We need to hurry or we’ll be late to the gate,” Jenn said suddenly.

The other two startled when they realized how long they’d been stopped. With no more warning, the three of them took off running.

~*~*~

Knocking on the postern gate as the sun was getting ready to set, they were breathing fast after having run the entire way back. A guard on the wall looked down at them before calling down to the people inside.

The gate opened, showing an apprentice and the sergeant with him. The apprentice eyed the three of them for a long moment. “Medallions?” he finally asked. They each presented their medallions, which made both the apprentice and sergeant’s eyebrows rise. After another few seconds, the apprentice’s brow furrowed. “Novices, and ranked to the eighth and ninth circle already?”

“Novices Pettit, Warlin, and Bean,” the sergeant said. “Three of the final eight for this year. Another few minutes and you’d be breaking curfew.”

“We were delayed,” Gregory said.

The guard looked at the flower basket in his arms, and a sardonic smirk appeared on his face. “Delayed for important reasons, it seems.”

“We’re back before curfew,” Yukiko said, “as you admitted, sir.”

“You are,” the sergeant agreed.

The apprentice looked sour. “Maybe you’ll get delayed a little longer next time.”

“Doubtful,” Jenn said. “May we enter?”

The apprentice walked away, clearly dismissing them. Watching the magi, the sergeant shook his head. “You three may enter.”

“Thank you, sir,” Gregory said. “Would you care to take some flowers home to your wife?”

The sergeant stared at Gregory before he barked a laugh. “On your way, Novice. Guards inside the walls are not allowed to be married.”

“I didn’t know. Apologies,” Gregory said as he trailed after Yukiko and Jenn.

“Not many do,” the sergeant said. “On your way.”

Taking the least used path near the wall of the academy, they began to loop toward the clan hall. “I didn’t know the guards had restrictions on them...” Gregory commented.

“Neither did I,” Jenn said.

“It might be to make sure they can’t be leveraged,” Yukiko said. “Family would make it possible to coerce them.”

“To what ends?” Gregory asked.

“A way in or out without being seen is the first thing that comes to mind. If you knew the magi on the gate was in your clan and the guard could be coerced into looking the other way, it gives a number of options.”

Gregory lapsed into silence as he thought about what Yukiko had said.

~*~*~

They reached the clan hall just as the sun set and found Dia on the porch. She gave them a questioning gaze. “Novices, I’m glad you made it back before curfew. Did you risk being late to pick flowers?”

Gregory sighed. “No, Dia. These flowers were from a girl who was selling them on the street.”

“He wants to help an urchin girl,” Yukiko said. “He believes she can be helped.”

Dia shook her head. “That does seem in his character.”

“He is kind,” Jenn agreed.

“I need to talk to Gin about it,” Gregory said. “I figure dinner is soon enough?”

“It should be ready by the time you finish washing up,” Dia said, exhaling a long line of smoke.

“We’ll go now,” Yukiko said.

“We won’t take long,” Jenn added.

“Did you want me to see about getting some water for those, Gregory?” Dia asked when he went to follow them.

“Oh, uh... Yes, please.”

“Set it beside me. I’ll see to them in a few moments.”

“Thank you, Dia.”

She bowed her head slightly, taking a deep drag on her pipe.

~*~*~

When Gregory came downstairs after his bath, he smiled when he saw the flowers on the table. “Huh, I beat the others here,” he said, noting the lack of Yukiko and Jenn.

“Not by much,” Yukiko said from behind him.

“We followed you,” Jenn added, chuckling because Gregory had startled when Yukiko spoke.

“Now that you’re all here, we can begin dinner,” Dia said.

The food was served as the three novices took their places at the table. Gregory cleared his throat. “Sensei, there’s a matter I need to discuss with you.”

“Dia mentioned something about an urchin who sells flowers,” Gin said.

“I ran into her months ago,” Gregory began. The story of his two encounters with the girl didn’t take long. “I was hoping you’d consider adding her to the staff at your house. Baylyss looks like she could help make sure the girl is okay.”

“I think it’d be an interesting idea,” Gin replied. “The house is being kept by the clan, though, so you would have to ask Dia if they are willing to hire another person.”

“Before you even ask,” Dia said, “I need to meet her first.”

“She’s supposed to meet us at the gate on our next day off, at sixth bell.”

“Hmm. Very well. I’ll make sure to meet the girl. If I approve, Baylyss will have the final word on the matter.”

“That makes perfect sense. Baylyss would be the one responsible for her,” Yukiko said. “I think she had some eurtik blood in her, but I’m not sure.”

“You do?” Jenn said. “Why?”

“When she spoke, I could hear a faint hum to her voice. Since neither of you mentioned it, I thought that my acute hearing allowed me to detect it.”

“Interesting,” Dia said. “I look forward to meeting her.”

Chapter Twenty-eight

The week flew by for Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn, thanks to the routine they had established. During their study time in the archive, Yukiko changed topics to learn about the traditions of eurtiks, Gregory put his myth study on hold to read about the guards inside the academy, and Jenn had gone back to the conflicts with Buldoun, since her request had been denied.

~*~*~

As they made their way to the postern gate, the three friends couldn’t help thinking about the flower girl, and wondered if she’d be there. Nearing the gate, they saw Dia conversing with the sergeant from the week before.

“There they are now,” Dia said once she saw them.

“Indeed,” the sergeant said. “The apprentice needs to verify you, first.”

Dia turned to the apprentice on duty, who was pale and looked ill. “Apprentice, the novices and I would like to go.”

“Fine... go on,” the apprentice said, not looking up, much less standing.

“You should see the healers,” Dia told the apprentice. “If you’re ill, it will impact your work and might spread to the guards.”

Lifting his head, the apprentice locked one bloodshot eye on Dia. “I’m not sick. Now go on.”

Dia shook her head and turned back to the sergeant. “If that is sufficient?”

“Open the gate. Let them out,” the sergeant told the guards, looking displeased at the apprentice. “Have a good day, ma’am. You, as well, Novices.”

“Thank you,” Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn said in echo, bowing their heads to him.

“At least I know where they get their respect from,” the sergeant commented.

Dia laughed lightly. “They were this respectful before they fell under my wing. I’ll return before my novices, sergeant. Maybe we can talk a bit more, then.”

“I’ll be here until sunset,” the sergeant said. “Good day.”

Outside the walls of the academy, Dia looked at the three of them. “Well?”

“She’d likely be at the main gate,” Yukiko said.

“I doubt she knows about the postern,” Jenn agreed.

“Let’s go,” Gregory said, leading the way.

The other three fell in behind him. Dia tapped Yukiko and Jenn on the shoulders and motioned for them to slow their pace. Jenn frowned, but did as she was told. Yukiko gave Dia a questioning glance before slowing her stride.

Making it to the main street, Gregory gave the rickshaw driver they’d used before a nod, but kept moving, looking for the girl. Nearly a minute went by and Gregory felt disappointment well up inside him.

“Mister, would you like a flower?” a young voice asked, making Gregory spin around. The girl was next to a building, obscured by the shadows, her feet shifting nervously.

“I was thinking that you could take care of some flowers,” Gregory said. “I know a place with a garden that could use some attention.”

Stepping away from the building, the little girl gave him a tired, worn, and shaky smile. “Something safe would be nice.”

Gregory gave her a smile in return. “There’s someone you need to speak with, first.”

“She doesn’t look as much an urchin as I had thought she would,” Dia said, approaching with the other two. “I am Magus Dia Ursinda, the head of Aether’s Guard inside the academy walls. What’s your name, child?”

“Elsa Bommot,” Elsa swallowed before bowing deeply to Dia.

“My juniors have thought that you’re in need of help. Is this true?”

Elsa didn’t reply right away, staying bowed at the waist. “Yes…” The single word was barely audible.

“Admitting you need help is not shameful,” Dia said softly. “You would have to work hard, diligently, and promptly. Can you do as you are bidden?”

“Yes, mistress.”

“Very well. You won’t be inside the walls, so no worry for that. You’ll come with me— my sister will have use for you. We’ll speak with her and then see if you still want this.”

“Yes, mistress.”

“Novices, I will take it from here. Enjoy your day off.”

“Thank you, Dia,” Gregory said, bowing formally to her. “I am grateful.”

“Thank you, Dia,” Yukiko added.

“Thank you, Dia,” Jenn finished.

“Enough. Go enjoy your day,” Dia said with suppressed laughter. Looking back, she saw the rickshaw driver watching them. “You, I have need of your service.” Touching Elsa’s head gently, Dia said softly, “Stand upright. We can’t have servants who don’t look up. They’d be forever running into things.”

Elsa giggled, then cut off in horror as she looked up. “I didn—!”

“It was right to laugh,” Dia said simply.

The three novices glanced back as they walked away. Gregory grinned. “I’m glad that worked out.”

“You do know it easily could have gone wrong, don’t you, Greg?” Yukiko asked him.

The grin faded. “I know Yuki... I know. Something about the girl just seemed right, though.”

Yukiko touched his hand. “I know. I trust her, too, and I normally wouldn’t. Between that and your insistence, I decided to trust the feeling.”

“She reminds me of someone,” Jenn said as they headed for the park. “I can’t place who or where, though...”

“Perhaps your previous life?” Yukiko suggested.

“Maybe,” Jenn replied.

~*~*~

Jenn sighed as they walked to Gin’s home. “Last week was the only time I’ve seen it.”

“It’ll happen again, and then slowly happen more often,” Yukiko said. “That’s how it was for both of us.”

“Maybe I’m just impatient,” Jenn said. “I just want to be your equal… or at least not too far behind you both.”

“I know that feeling,” Gregory said. “That’s how I felt with Yuki at the start of the year. She knew so much more, was a far better fighter, and was more advanced in aether.”

“You’ve closed two of those three, and I don’t think you’re going to be behind me much longer in the third,” Yukiko smiled. “Honestly, Greg, if I didn’t know you were from the fringe, I wouldn’t even guess it. The only advantage I have at this point is experience in business with my father.”

“That is what I am lacking,” Gregory said. “Experience.”

“Which we all get every day,” Jenn said.

“That’s true,” Gregory chuckled. “For instance, when Chen threw you across the yard yesterday.”

Jenn winced at the memory. “He’s a very tough sensei. Nothing is given by him. Every inch has to be earned.”

“I noticed,” Gregory said. “You appear to be learning quickly.”

“Yes,” Jenn said. “He mentioned that, too, right before he threw me across the yard.”

“Did he say anything specific?” Yukiko asked.

“Just said he was impressed at how quickly I was picking up his training. It’s only been a week, but some days, it feels like a week each day I see him.”

“I understand. My teacher is just as focused on my learning,” Yukiko said.

“She really worked you over the last two days,” Gregory said.

“It’s been rougher than before. I almost feel like she is trying to teach me faster than Jenn is learning from Master Chen.”

Jenn winced. “I hope not.”

“I’d feel bad for both of you, then,” Gregory said. “A competition between them would be very rough. Then again, someone once told me the hardest paths make for the best magi… if they survive.”

“Says the man who just watches us get thrashed,” Jenn snorted. “Yuki, shouldn’t we make him pay for watching us take the pain he doesn’t feel?”

Yukiko laughed. “I want to say yes, but Greg isn’t responsible for his magic. If he could be trained like us, I’m sure Dia would have arranged for someone that would be equally hard on him.”

“I guess,” Jenn tsked. “Still feels like he’s laughing at us while we struggle.”

“If I could use my magic like you, I’d train like you do,” Gregory said.

“We know, Greg,” Yukiko said gently, touching his arm briefly.

“I didn’t mean… I’m sorry,” Jenn said.

“It’s fine,” Gregory shrugged. “I’d probably feel the same if our spots were reversed.”

“Do you think Elsa’s settled in already?” Jenn asked, wanting to change the subject.

“We’ll find out shortly,” Yukiko said, “though we might not see her today. I’m sure Baylyss will be training her as hard as our teachers are. It probably runs in the family.”

“Maybe I didn’t do her a favor,” Gregory said wryly, earning laughs from the other two.

~*~*~

Baylyss opened the door for them. “Novices, welcome back. I have you to thank for my helper, I’ve heard.”

“Elsa?” Yukiko asked.

“Yes. She’s settling in today. Next week, she’ll be helping me in my duties when you are present.”

“Did Dia tell you that Elsa likes flowers?” Gregory asked.

“I’ve heard from both of them how she came to Dia’s attention,” Baylyss said. “It’s good to help others, but it does risk you being taken advantage of.”

“I know.”

“We’ll help him when he makes those choices,” Yukiko said. “We agreed with him, after meeting Elsa.”

“Did she have others she was caring for?” Jenn asked. “I’ve seen groups of lost children helping each other before.”

“If she is, she’s not mentioned it to me yet,” Baylyss said. “I’m sure she will open up to me in time. The teachers await you in the same room, and I’ll have some tea brought in shortly. To answer the question you haven’t asked yet, Gregory, she will be educated.”

“That obvious?” Gregory asked.

“It was,” Yukiko said.

“Very,” Jenn agreed.

“My sister and I know how to help those in our care,” Baylyss said. “She will have every opportunity. Whether or not she takes advantage of them is up to her.”

“Thank you, Baylyss.”

“Enjoy your games,” Baylyss smiled before she left them to go prepare the tea.

~*~*~

“Thank you for the hard work, Baylyss,” Yukiko said as they got ready to leave.

“We really do appreciate it,” Gregory added.

“Excuse me... may I say goodbye to them?” Elsa asked. All eyes went to the girl, who was wearing a simple maid outfit. She fidgeted under their gazes as she approached them. “Thank you. I’m very grateful, and I’ll do my best to make sure you’re proven right.” She bowed deeply at the waist to them.

“We already are,” Gregory said. “If you weren’t the person I thought you were, you wouldn’t be here right now.”

“Elsa, we do not bow like that to departing guests,” Baylyss said softly. “We thank them for coming and see them gracefully out. I’ll work with you on it. You’ll be helping me with my duties here, which includes seeing to them every week. You’ll get ample opportunity to show them how right they were.”

Elsa stood up straight, took a deep breath and, with her head held high, spoke in a clear voice, “Thank you for coming. We look forward to your next visit.”

Baylyss’ eyebrows raised slightly. “Very good.” Turning to the novices, she gave them a smile. “I look forward to next week. I have a feeling that Elsa will be doing her best to learn everything she can before you return.”

“We’ll be looking forward to seeing you both again,” Gregory said.

With goodbyes said, the trio took off toward the academy at a brisk jog.

Chapter Twenty-nine

Rafiq greeted them when they arrived at the archive. “Good morning, Novices.”

“Morning, Rafiq,” Gregory smiled. “We’re all in need of new material today.”

“I was wondering about that. What would you like?”

“The history of Krogga,” Gregory said, “a country ruled by a high priest of Krog. Considering how entwined Aether and Krog are in many myths, I want to see what their country has done differently.”

“There’s a subject no novice asks about,” Rafiq chuckled. “I’ll do what I can.”

“I’d like to see about the wars with Krogga,” Jenn said.

“You’ll move onto the country of Limaz after that?” Rafiq asked.

“Probably,” Jenn admitted.

“Very well.”

“I’d like to read what I can about bane beasts,” Yukiko said. “History to start with, then moving on from there.”

“Hmm... Another unusual topic. You three certainly keep us on our feet. I will have them brought over. How has your time been since the tournament?”

“Peaceful,” Gregory replied.

“How unusual. By now, there are normally challenges and accidents happening, and with you two holding the top places, I’d have expected you to field a number of them.”

“We only attend one class currently,” Yukiko said. “That’s probably kept a lot of the grief away.”

“Yes, that would cut down on opportunities,” Rafiq nodded. “Don’t let me keep you. The books will be brought right over.”

Thanking him, the three friends headed for the table they used every time they came to the archive. Taking their seats and getting Magi Squares blanks out, they set out to make them for each other.

“We’ve never seen any of the other novices in here, and we’ve rarely seen an apprentice or initiate,” Yukiko mused. “Why do they not take advantage of this resource?”

“Maybe they use it when we aren’t?” Gregory opined. “We’re up far earlier than most of the students here. We’ve come back during a class period before, and that’s when we saw the others. It also explains the lack of other novices.”

“That’s fair,” Yukiko said. “I just don’t understand not wanting to use it as often as you could, especially for those on the mind path.”

“From all I’ve seen and heard, other clans aren’t as willing to give their novices the freedoms we have. The Iron Hand especially— they’re highly regimented in what’s allowed and when,” Jenn said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the other clans are strict like them.”

“That makes sense,” Gregory agreed. “Yuki is also right, though. We use the archive every day, and we’ve never seen anyone here nearly as often.”

“We could ask Rafiq, but I don’t think he’d tell us,” Jenn said as she passed her Magi Squares to Gregory.

“Thanks,” Gregory said, putting the last number on his and handing it to Yukiko.

“And done,” Yukiko said before sliding hers to Jenn.

“Your books,” Simon said as he placed them on the table between the novices. “May the knowledge be easy to learn.”

“Thank you,” Gregory replied. “We’ll be starting on them in just a few minutes.”

Simon bowed his head before walking away.

“Focus on this first, then start reading,” Jenn muttered under her breath.

Yukiko’s lips twitched into a smile when she overheard Jenn. She did likewise, focusing entirely on the paper in front of her so she could get to her book.

~*~*~

Gregory shut his book with a sigh. “Sometimes, I think Rafiq is purposely making this difficult.”

“Why’s that?” Yukiko asked, closing her book.

“This history of Krogga... it’s so stilted and slanted in favor of them, it’s nearly painful.”

“It’s been thirty years since we had a war with them,” Jenn said. “That was just after the current high priest took on his position. Change of power in a country does seem like a warning that war is soon to come.”

“With increased power, many want to see what they can do,” Yukiko replied. “I don’t find that correlation odd. In fact, a change in leadership and no war either externally or internally would be the oddity.”

“I suppose,” Jenn said. “The war before that was right after Krogga put down a civil war. The oddity is in our history texts… it says they were the aggressor. In this book, it’s a bit more muddled.”

“I would expect that,” Yukiko said. “Is it written for their side?”

“No. It’s actually an observational report from an adept posted on the border at the time.”

“He can’t say too much outright, then,” Gregory said. “If he said it was the empire’s fault, he’d no doubt get in trouble for it.”

“Agreed,” Jenn nodded, “and that explains the parts that really conflict with each other.”

“We might be put in the same positions later,” Gregory said. “Border postings are almost exclusively adepts.” Gregory’s brow furrowed as he thought about that. “Wouldn’t it be better to have the higher-tiered magi there, though? It would be a deterrent, one would think, and allow for a better response if the other countries decided to start a conflict.”

“Hmm,” Yukiko mused, “that makes it sound like the empire leaves itself intentionally weak to invite attacks.”

“We should get going,” Jenn said suddenly.

“Yeah,” Gregory coughed. “We got caught up talking.”

Hurrying out of the archive, they said goodbye to Rafiq, and Gregory made a mental note to ask for a different book tomorrow.

~*~*~

They’d only made it halfway to class when Petak appeared, coming the other way toward them. He paused on the small bridge over the stream. “Well, if it isn’t Pet-tit,” Petak snickered. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

“Class. You’d know what that was if you hadn’t been thrown out of them,” Gregory replied, coming to a stop a few feet from the other novice.

“Maybe today, you’ll be late,” Petak smirked. “Magus Han hates it when her students don’t show up on time.”

“We won’t be unless you decide to physically stop us,” Gregory said, taking a step toward Petak.

“Only way past is to knock me down,” Petak sneered. “I was on this bridge first, after all.”

“And the way back is blocked, as well,” Jenn said, looking at where two clanless novices had come up behind them.

“What a coincidence,” Petak snickered. “Since I don’t have history anymore, it’s not like I have to be somewhere. It’s why I was meeting with those two, who’re hoping to be invited into a clan. You just happened to get in the way of our meeting.”

“Greg,” Yukiko said, “I can get past him. I’m not sure you two can.”

Gregory eyed the distance behind Petak. “Jenn can, too. Go on. We’ll be right behind you.”

“You really think you can just ignore us?” Petak laughed.

Yukiko ducked down, Gregory’s shadow surging to swallow her. Jenn took the two steps Yukiko had given her and her legs burst with aether as she propelled herself up and over Petak.

Petak and the other two stared in surprise at Jenn’s maneuver, not having expected her to manage what she did. When they looked back to Gregory, he smiled as he hoisted himself onto the railing of the bridge and walked past Petak, then jumped back down on the far side.

“Looks like your trap failed,” Gregory said as he started walking away, Yukiko and Jenn falling in beside him.

“This isn’t over, you beast-loving fringer!” Petak called after them. “You’ll get yours.”

“What about us?” one of the clanless novices asked. “We did as you asked. You’ll talk to Nick for us, right?”

Petak glared at the novice before he turned on his heel and stalked off.

“Is that a no?” the novice called after him.

~*~*~

“That was the start of it,” Yukiko said. “Small harassments; wear us down and make us miss class. We need to start altering our routes more. We didn’t last week, and this happened because of it.”

“You’re right,” Gregory said. “We got complacent.”

“What do you think they’ll do next?” Jenn asked.

“A duel or two,” Yukiko said. “They know Greg doesn’t like eurtiks being insulted, so they’ll try to leverage that against him.”

“And they’ll do the same to us,” Jenn nodded.

“We just need to be the ones challenged,” Gregory said. “That gives us the advantage of picking the weapons, or even something else entirely. The archive is set up for doing treasure hunts as challenges. I wonder when they last did one?”

“We can always ask Rafiq,” Yukiko said.

“Not important for right now, but something to keep in mind.”

“Do you think they’ll try to delay us again?” Jenn asked.

“Probably,” Yukiko said. “It’s why we’ll be changing our routes every day again. Avoiding an unneeded conflict is better than engaging in one.”

“Agreed,” Jenn said. “If we can’t, then decisive victory would be best.”

“I wonder if Magus Han makes exceptions if the novices are ambushed on the way to class?” Gregory asked.

“She doesn’t seem to care about the reason, only the results,” Jenn said.

“That’s consistent for her clan. The result is all they care about, not the means,” Yukiko said.

“I’m still going to ask. Best to know for certain,” Gregory said.

When they reached the classroom, Magus Han was already there. She gave them a piercing look when they entered the room. “Not as early as usual.”

“We were delayed by a former student who tried to make us late,” Gregory said. “Which prompted a question we had: what if the delay had worked and we were late? Would that be taken into consideration?”

Marcia’s lips pursed. “I would need to know the specifics. For the most part, it wouldn’t sway me, but I can think of a few instances where I could be persuaded to make an allowance.”

“Thank you, Magus,” Gregory replied, bowing from his seat.

“Have you been challenged to a duel yet, Novice?” Marcia asked, staring at Gregory.

“Not since joining the clan after the tournament.”

“Hmm... it must be because you only attend a single class now. I’m sure they’ll begin soon. Between classes and during meals are usually the times that challenges are issued.”

“That might be why, then,” Gregory replied.

“Yes. You three have made it difficult to find you easily. However, I fear that’ll only make those who want to test you all the more eager to do so.”

“Understood, Magus. Thank you,” Gregory said, bowing again.

“Ah, here come the others,” Marcia said, looking past them.

“Magus, I have a question,” one of the novices said when they entered the room. “We were harassed on our way to class by a couple of other novices. What if they make us late? None of us want to be late. We enjoy the class, and learning.”

Marcia nodded. “I just answered that question. I’ll answer it again when the class arrives in full. Take your seats.”

When the sixth bell chimed, Marica gestured and the door boomed shut. “It’s been brought to my attention that a few of you have been harassed on the way to class, and some of you asked if it will matter to me. It depends on the circumstances. This is one of the many challenges you face during your time here. Young magi hindering each other, allowing one to shine brighter, is a long-standing tradition of the academy. It’s the least of the challenges you will face. Only the truly strong will rise up to become a magus or something beyond. Your clan might help you, but other clans rarely will. Learn to overcome, but do it within the rules of the academy.”

She paused for a long moment, and when no one spoke, she nodded. “Very good. Now, where had we been…?”

Chapter Thirty

Another week went by without incident for them, although the lone novice from the Wind Wing clan ended up being late to economics class. She explained that she had been held back by some Eternal Flame clan members, who refused to let her past them. Marcia tasked her with writing a five-thousand-word essay for being late, but didn’t chastise her further.

They started their day off with breakfast, studying in the archive, and meditation using the Peaceful Fist at the closest park. Gregory exhaled slowly as he finished.

“I saw it again!” Jenn said excitedly. “The cavern. That’s two days in a row.”

“As we told you, it’ll start becoming more common,” Yukiko said. “It’ll go the other way soon— you’ll see the cavern more often than not.”

Jenn smiled and gave Yukiko a hug. “Thank you, for everything.”

“You’re welcome.”

“You, too, Greg,” Jenn said, stepping over to give him a brief hug.

“We’re glad you’re beside us,” Gregory said. “Time to go see if Elsa has settled in.”

“Yes,” both women said at the same time.

As they walked away from the park, Yukiko broached another topic, “I was thinking... we can do the morning exercises just as easily at Gin’s. If the clans and novices are going to start pressuring and trying to injure others, we might want to meditate there rather than in a public space.”

“If we go that far, we should vary when we return to the academy, as well,” Jenn suggested, “though I wonder if we aren’t being overly cautious at times.”

“We might be,” Gregory said, “but that doesn’t make it wrong, especially if it doesn’t cost us anything.”

“True,” Jenn said. “I just wonder if all of our steps to avoid potential confrontations are worth it… especially since we don’t know how many confrontations we’ve actually been avoiding.”

“Do you want to wait for another moment like the bridge?” Yukiko asked.

Jenn frowned. “I see your point. They might not be as easy to get around next time, or it might be something more than just them blocking our way.”

“Exactly. I doubt they’ll directly assault us, considering how that’s viewed by the academy, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

“Changing our paths is not a problem. We’ll ask Baylyss about using Gin’s for the morning workout. Cutting the day short to return to the academy is the only one I’m not sure of.”

“The time that we come back is going to become known, if it isn’t already,” Yukiko said.

“The first time they do something, it’ll be minor, to make sure they have the right information,” Jenn said. “We can change after that, if needed.”

“I agree with that,” Gregory said. “The game instructors are paid for our next three days off. I’m not sure I should retain them much longer than that.”

“I’m fairly certain we have the basics down,” Yukiko said. “We can find out how well we know them by then. If need be, we can engage them for a longer period.”

“Three weeks from now, I should be good,” Jenn said. “I’m still a little shaky on a couple of the games right now.”

“Okay,” Gregory said.

Getting to the main road, they’d turned toward Gin’s when the sound of a whip cracking got Yukiko’s attention. Looking back, she saw a carriage rolling toward them and gaining speed. “Run!” she shouted as she took off running.

Both Jenn and Gregory did as she said without questioning her. Gregory glanced behind them. The driver was snapping the reins while the man beside him cracked a whip, getting the four-horse team to go even faster.

Reaching the next side street, the three novices took the right and flattened themselves against the wall. A few seconds later, the carriage went thundering past them, still going straight. The emblem of the Eternal Flame was emblazoned on the side of the carriage, and Nick’s sneering face stared at them as it went past.

“He tried to run us down!” Jenn growled.

“Of course he did,” Yukiko said, “but there’s no proof of that. He’d plead something about being in a hurry and not even knowing we were there. I’m sure his lackeys would back his story. I just hope that a guard sees the carriage and he has to pay a fine for his actions.”

“Fine?” Gregory asked.

“Inside the city, going above a walk is endangering the public. It’s a minor fine for his clan, but it would be something.”

“Hmm,” Gregory murmured, thinking about how much he still had to learn. “Well, it’s over now. Let’s get moving again.”

“Do you think it was chance?” Yukiko asked.

“Yes. If it hadn’t been, we wouldn’t have known until it was too late,” Gregory said.

“You were the one who knew first,” Jenn added. “You would know best if they were lying in wait or not.”

Yukiko thought for a moment as they walked. “It was chance, but he saw us on that street, which means he’ll likely have someone watching for us next week. Nick is a petty man. He’ll not forget that we bested him and shamed his clan.”

“You bested him,” Gregory said, “even though he tried to kill you.”

Yukiko winced as the memory hit her. “He still wants to pay me back for his loss.”

“And I want to pay him back for what he did to you,” Gregory said, his hand brushing hers for a moment.

Yukiko’s pained face softened and she gave him a smile. “Thank you. I want to do the same to Jason, for you.”

“Kind of glad I didn’t face either of them,” Jenn said. “Not sure I would have survived.”

“You might not have, but we’ll be there to help for the next tournament,” Yukiko told her. “Our rings,” she said, touching the one she meant, “help dim the fire. It’s the only reason I didn’t lose my eye entirely.”

Jenn grimaced. “Can I get one of those?”

“They were expensive, but we can ask the man who had them. It never hurts to ask,” Yukiko said.

“Next week?” Gregory asked. “We can stop by his place and have a meal at Stabled Hunger.”

“Oh, that would be good. Jenn hasn’t been there yet,” Yukiko smiled.

“Been where?” Jenn asked.

“A wonderful little tavern,” Yukiko said. “They have food to rival what we get at the hall.”

“Really?” Jenn asked, surprised. “I thought the cooks were very skilled.”

“They are, but so is the cook at Stabled Hunger.”

“We’ll plan on doing that next week,” Gregory said. “That way, we can let the instructors know they can be a little late that day.”

“That’d be good,” Yukiko nodded.

~*~*~

When they reached Gin’s, they smiled when Elsa answered the door for them. “Welcome back,” Elsa said in a formal tone, belied by her wide smile. “The room is ready, and your guests have already arrived. Let me show you the way.”

“Oh, you’ve really been hard at work,” Yukiko said, stepping inside to change her shoes for slippers.

“She has, indeed,” Baylyss said from the hallway. “She’s been a quick study. I’m very grateful for that.”

“Once we have shown you the way, we’ll prepare the tea,” Elsa said, her formal tone breaking slightly in excitement.

Baylyss coughed once and Elsa blushed, looking down as she tried to compose herself.

“Thank you for the warm welcome,” Gregory said happily, a grin on his face. “We’re ready.”

“Follow me, please,” Elsa said and led them down the hall.

“Baylyss, would it be a bother if we showed up early and used the garden?” Yukiko asked.

“Did something happen?” Baylyss asked.

“We’re trying to stop any mishaps from happening before they do.”

“A wise idea. What time should I expect you?”

“It won’t be next week, but the week after,” Gregory cut in. “The time would be between sixth and seventh bell.”

“Why not next week?”

“We have other plans for early next week, and we’ll get here a little after midday. I’m going to let the instructors know that we’ll be late.”

“Very well. I’ll make sure that we’re ready to receive you early after next week.”

“Thank you,” Gregory said, echoed by the other two.

“We’d also like to hear how Elsa is doing,” Jenn said.

“I can arrange for updates on her status, as well,” Baylyss smiled slightly. Lowering her voice, she spoke softly enough that Elsa couldn’t hear her, “She’ll be doubly motivated to work hard if she knows you’re asking.”

“Here you are,” Elsa said, opening the door and stepping aside for them. “I’ll make sure the tea is prepared and brought shortly.”

“Thank you,” Gregory said formally, unable to stop the hint of a smile from showing.

“I look forward to the tea,” Yukiko added, her lips also curled up at the ends.

“I wanted to ask, Elsa, how are you settling in?” Jenn asked, stopping in the doorway.

“I’m doing my best,” Elsa said, giving Jenn a small curtsy. “Thank you for asking.”

“And so polite, too,” Jenn grinned. “We’ll be ready for the tea when you arrive with it.”

“I’ll make it with all haste,” Elsa said.

“We’ll bring it as quickly as we can,” Baylyss said.

“Thank you,” Jenn said as she followed the other two.

~*~*~

The rest of the day was spent learning, with brief moments of them speaking with Elsa. Baylyss had Elsa serving them anything they needed while she watched from the doorway. When it was finally time to go, Elsa was there to show them out.

“We’ll see you next week, a little later than normal,” Yukiko told her. “After that, though, we’ll be here much earlier.”

Elsa looked at Baylyss, then back to Yukiko. “We’ll have everything in order when you do arrive.”

“Thank you, Elsa,” Gregory said. “Have you seen the garden?”

“Yes,” Elsa said, her professional tone and attitude falling away in an instant. “It’s so wonderful! I spend a lot of time there, caring for the flowers.”

Baylyss coughed lightly. “She spends her free time there. The little she takes, as she’s been studying a lot. I gave her more, but she asked for more instruction instead.”

Elsa went red and looked at the floor. “I just want to show them I’m as good as they thought.”

“You’re proving it,” Jenn said softly, “but you also need to take time for yourself. Enjoy it. When the time comes for you to be an adult, you might lose your free time.”

“Like you?” Elsa asked. “I want to be like you when I grow up.”

“Not everyone becomes a magi,” Yukiko said. “Even those who don’t can still do vital things to help those who are, but to do that, they have to be trained.”

Elsa nodded and looked up, her eyes bright. “I’ll study everything and do my best to learn... and if I don’t become a magi, I’ll help you.”

Yukiko placed a hand on Elsa’s shoulder. “I believe you. Baylyss will show you the way. Do what she tells you, but make sure to take some time for you, okay?”

“Yes,” Elsa replied, her face glowing with happiness.

“We have to run,” Gregory said. “Elsa, it’s good to see you again. Baylyss, thank you. We’ll see you next week.”

“We await your return,” Elsa said formally, curtsying to them as they left.

As the three of them jogged off down the street, Elsa watched them go. When they vanished from her view, she shut the door and turned to Baylyss. “I’ll take two hours a day to tend the garden, but besides that, I want to study and learn. Please.”

Baylyss watched her with an impassive face. “Very well. I’d been going slowly and easily, but since you are so earnest, I will increase your studying. I hope you’re ready.”

Elsa nodded her head. “I am.”

Baylyss walked away, a smile hidden behind her impassive features. They do seem to gather loyal friends, don’t they…?

Chapter Thirty-one

They greeted Rafiq when they made it to the archive. Gregory spoke up, preempting Rafiq’s question, “I finished the history of Krogga. I’d like to see the laws of the empire next.”

Rafiq leaned back slightly, his shock apparent. “The laws? Very well. That encompasses a number of books. Did you want to start with the current ones and work your way backward?”

“That would be for the best.”

“I’ll make sure something good is pulled for you.”

“I finished mine, as well,” Jenn said. “Can I move to the war history of Limaz?”

“Of course,” Rafiq smiled. “You’ve been burning through the war books.”

“I find them interesting and educational.”

“I’d like to study the subject of alchemy,” Yukiko said. “The history of how it started, the ingredients and what they can be used in, and anything else you think is worthwhile.”

“Your magic is shadow, though, not alchemy,” Rafiq said.

“Is that a problem?” Yukiko asked.

“Not at all. I just can’t think of the last time someone asked to learn about a subject that wasn’t tied to them. I’ll arrange for the books.”

“Thank you, Rafiq. You make learning here a wonderful experience,” Jenn said.

“It’s our wish to expand the horizons of all magi,” Rafiq replied.

“You have for us,” Yukiko said.

“He has, indeed,” Gregory agreed.

“Flattery, but I accept it. Your material will be brought out before you finish your Magi Squares.”

The three of them thanked him again before going to their table. They were just taking a seat when a quiet throat clearing got their attention.

“Excuse me, Pettit. A word, please,” Master Damon said from a few feet away.

“I have no secrets from my friends, Master. Please join us.”

Damon’s eyebrows climbed for a second before he did as requested, taking the last open spot at the table. “I wanted to see if you’d had any premonitions at all.”

“No, Master, I’m sorry. I’ve had no luck with seeing the future of late. I’ll document them for you when I do.”

Damon looked disappointed. “I see... A pity. Very well. You may leave the notes with the archive and I will retrieve them from here. They’ll want to copy them, anyway.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I wish you all a good day, then,” Damon said, rising gracefully to his feet and gliding away.

“Haven’t your small moments only been a few seconds into the future?” Jenn asked.

“Mostly,” Gregory said. “I had a vision of me and Yukiko together years from now, too.”

“Oh, so that’s why...” Jenn mumbled to herself.

“That was confirmed during the tea ceremony before our betrothal dinner,” Yukiko added. “I also had a vision of our lives together then.”

Jenn’s face went impassive. Her eyes unfocused as she was clearly recalling a memory. “They don’t always come true, though,” Jenn said softly.

“No, they don’t,” Yukiko said, “but I’ve read about the ceremonies. They’re the most probable future, and give a good indication of whether you’re on the right path or not.”

“I see...” Jenn said softly.

“Magi Squares,” Gregory said, gently nudging them. “We have to finish them before we study.”

“Yes, dear one,” Yukiko said.

“Right,” Jenn said, looking down at the blank page in front of her. “The grid, first.”

~*~*~

Taking a slightly longer route to economics class, the three friends didn’t encounter any problems. They were the first to arrive, so they took their seats and got ready for class.

“I asked Dia to let Hemet know we’d be coming by on our day off, and to inquire about another ring,” Yukiko said. “I forgot to mention it earlier.”

“I asked for her to let Stabled Hunger know we’d be there for lunch, too,” Gregory chuckled. “That completes the preparations.”

“Indeed,” Yukiko grinned back at him.

Jenn stayed quiet during the byplay. The wistful expression on her face was quickly replaced by a neutral one before they could see it. The sound of a cane on stone alerted them to Marcia arriving.

“Good morning, Magus,” the three said when she entered the room.

“Morning to you, as well,” Marcia replied as she went to the front of the room. “Bean, you’ve been improving rapidly. Have you been tutored?”

“My friends have been helping me, Magus,” Jenn replied. “While I’m not as versed in the subject as Yuki or Greg, I don’t feel as lost anymore.”

“Clan members should help each other, but that shouldn’t deter you against fighting them during the next tournament.”

“We will all fight to our utmost, Magus,” Jenn said.

“We know that next year, we’ll be fighting together, but this year is for us to shine separately,” Yukiko added.

“Very good. I dislike it when clans try to rig the novice tournament— it cheapens the accomplishment for the winners. I do wonder how far the second tournament will go, considering the death and brutality of the first.”

Other novices started to trickle in and Marcia stopped talking with them, turning to prepare her notes for the class. Just before the sixth bell began to chime, a single novice came running into class. The wet squelch of their shoes on the floor made everyone turn to look at them. Dripping water and shivering violently, the novice staggered over to an empty table and collapsed at it.

“Novice, what happened that you are freezing to death in my class?” Marcia asked without a trace of empathy as the sixth bell finished chiming.

“I was being stopped from making it to class,” the novice replied, his teeth chattering. “I had to jump into one of the streams to get here on time, since they me blocked on the bridge.”

“You’re not going to be able to absorb the knowledge of the class in that state and will be a distraction to the others,” Marcia said. “I require a two-thousand-word essay, by tomorrow, on the pros and cons of taxes.” Her eyes shifted to Gregory. “Pettit, take him to the infirmary. He’s likely starting the early stages of hypothermia.”

“Yes, Magus,” Gregory said, rising to his feet.

“Magus, I could do the job faster and easier,” Jenn said.

Marcia stared at Jenn for a few seconds. “Fine. Pettit, sit down. Bean, get moving.”

“I’ll be back as quickly as I can,” Jenn said, getting up and going over to the soaked novice. “Come on, I’ll carry you.”

“Now,” Marcia said a little loudly, “where we left off last was…”

~*~*~

“Any problems with the novice?” Gregory asked Jenn as they packed up their things when class ended.

“No. The healer on duty took him from me without asking questions.”

“I hope he recovers,” Yukiko said.

The other two agreed with her as they followed the other novices out the door.

“Pet-tit, how is that broken clan you joined?” a snide voice asked from a few feet away.

“Fureno… does licking another’s boots to get into a clan leave a bad taste in your mouth?” Gregory asked in return.

“I don’t lick his boots!” Fureno snarled. “I came here to challenge you to a duel of magic.”

“You don’t get to pick the type of duel,” Gregory said. “If you challenge me, I get to pick the weapons. Besides, I didn’t hear why you’re issuing a challenge.”

Fureno stepped forward. The other novices stopped, watching the scene unfold before them. “When I win, you will abdicate your position as champion.”

Gregory looked bemused. “You still never said why, but fine, I’ll humor you. What are you putting on the line?”

“I’ll put up a purse of vela equal to what you received in gifts from being the champion.”

“Money?” Gregory chuckled. “Don’t really need money right now. How about you don’t harass, pester, or challenge another novice this year, instead?”

Fureno’s brow furrowed. “Your title against me not hindering or challenging other novices?”

“The fight will be ten random sets of Magi Squares. The first one done with them wins. Tonight, at the archive, at nineteenth bell. One of the archivists can be the adjudicator.”

Fureno looked annoyed. “What? You’re saying it’s to be a fight of numbers? Are you too afraid to fight me in the arena?”

Gregory laughed. “Not at all. I just don’t see the need to get my clothes covered in your blood. Those are the terms for the challenge. Do you accept?”

Fureno looked at everyone watching, including Magus Marcia, who was standing in the doorway of the classroom. “Yes, I accept.”

“See you there,” Gregory said as he started walking away.

Yukiko and Jenn quickly joined him. Once they were away from the others, Yukiko snickered. “That was wonderful, dear one. No one knows you’ve been practicing on them.”

“We don’t know what path he’s on,” Jenn said cautiously. “It’s possible that Fureno could’ve been working on them, too.”

“That’s a possibility,” Gregory said. “This type of challenge won’t get me ‘accidentally’ injured, though.”

“Ah, that makes sense,” Jenn nodded.

“It’ll be fine. Greg is skilled with them. Even if Fureno has been working on them, Greg will win. The trick will be making it look closer than it is.”

“We should stop and warn Rafiq,” Gregory said. “It’s on the way home, at least.”

~*~*~

“Novices, I didn’t expect to see you again today,” Rafiq greeted them.

“We wouldn’t normally stop by on the way back to the clan house, but there’s been a challenge issued,” Gregory told him. “I suggested the archive adjudicate the challenge, which will be completing ten Magi Squares before the other person.”

“We don’t often get picked to adjudicate a challenge,” Rafiq replied. “I’ll let the chief archivist know. Did you need us to prepare the Magi Squares?”

“It would be for the best if you did. That way, no one can claim tampering,” Yukiko replied. “When Fureno loses, we’d like it to be without a doubt.”

“Very well. I’ll make sure that the chief knows and things are arranged. When is the challenge to be held?”

“Tonight, at nineteenth bell,” Gregory said.

“Hmm, very well. We’ll have everything prepared for the appointed time.”

“My thanks,” Gregory said, bowing formally to Rafiq. “We’ll return later.”

“Our thanks.” Yukiko and Jenn bowed before following Gregory out.

Running the last bit to get home, the three of them arrived to find Inda, Chen, and Dia all waiting for them. “Apologies,” Gregory said before anyone else could. “We’re late because I was issued a challenge.”

“Who issued it, and why?” Dia asked.

“Fureno, one of the Eternal Flame novices,” Gregory replied. “He wants me to renounce my champion title. When he loses, he’ll no longer pester, harass, or challenge another novice this year.”

“If you fight with the naginata, he doesn’t stand a chance,” Chen snorted.

“The challenge is Magi Squares, and whoever finishes ten of them first wins. The archive will be adjudicating.”

Inda chuckled. “He doesn’t know, does he?”

“Fureno has no idea that we do them every day,” Yukiko snickered.

Chen laughed. “You lured him into a slanted fight? Well done. I forgive the lateness, and I’ll have to be there to see this. What time is it?”

“Nineteenth bell,” Jenn said.

“We’ll also attend,” Dia said. “After all, I expect that the head of their clan inside the walls will be there, too. It’s been some time since I’ve seen Magus Elkit. I wonder how he’s fared since the elder knocked him senseless?”

“What’s this?” Chen asked.

“I’ll tell you later,” Dia smiled. “After the lesson?”

Chen nodded. “Yes, we’re already past time. Bean, get a move on.”

“Yes, Sensei,” Jenn said, rushing to the far side of the yard.

“You, too, Yukiko,” Inda said.

“Right away,” Yukiko said as she went to her place in the yard.

Gregory started to go toward where Jenn was when Dia tapped his shoulder. “Gregory, tell me the full story.”

“Yes, Dia.”

~*~*~

Heading back to the archive, Dia walked beside Gregory. “You will win, I trust?” Dia asked.

“I’ll win, but I’m torn between crushing him or winning by a single puzzle,” Gregory said.

“Thinking about using this challenge again?” Dia asked.

“If it’s possible,” Gregory nodded. “The less I have to physically overcome them, the less prepared they’ll be for the next tournament.”

“That’s a good stance. Win, but not at the cost of losing.”

“I will do as you say, Dia.”

The group walked the rest of the way in silence. When they entered the archive, Gregory’s pace slowed as he hadn’t expected such a large crowd. Magus Elkit was there with Fureno, Nick, Jason, Michelle, and Gina. Master Chen and Magus Erichson stood off to the side of that group, the novices from their clan with them. Another large cluster consisted of the majority of the other novices of the year, and Magus Han and her small group of novices were waiting just inside the door.

“There they are,” Sarinia said, coming forward from the rear of the novice cluster. “We can get this challenge underway. I dislike it when such a gathering is inside the halls and not studying.”

“As if you have any say,” Elkit snorted.

Sarinia’s eyes narrowed briefly before she bowed her head. “If the Eternal Flame clan is ready for the challenge, have your novice take a seat at the table behind you. Pettit, you join him across the table.”

“As you wish,” Gregory replied, bowing to her formally.

Fureno sneered at Gregory. “Bowing to slave animals? No wonder Aether’s Guard is all but forgotten.”

Gregory shook his head. Not replying as he headed for the table, he stopped when Nick shifted to get in his way. “Excuse me, you’re blocking my path,” Gregory said levelly.

“Get used to it,” Nick replied before stepping aside. “Once you lose, we’ll get your pet to lose and I’ll be back to my rightful place.”

Gregory’s jaw tightened when Nick called Yukiko a pet, but he didn’t respond, just moving on. When a foot lashed out to catch his ankle, Gregory staggered and went into a roll before coming up in a smooth motion.

“Novice,” Rafiq said from behind Jason, “violence is not tolerated inside these walls. Attack another person and you will be ejected, as the rules of the archive state.”

“You will not lay a hand on my clan, lizard,” Elkit sneered.

Sarinia was suddenly behind Elkit. “Magus, disrespect toward the staff is a violation of the archive. I give you this one warning to curtail yourself and your novices, or the Eternal Flame will be brought to the council.”

Elkit turned stiffly to Sarinia, staring down at her. “They would never hear your charge.”

Dia laughed. “Sarinia has been in charge of the archive for… well… for over twenty years. She was in charge of it when I was a novice, and when you were a novice. I daresay she would be heard by the council. Her mother held the post of Chief Archivist before she did, and her grandmother before that. It does pay to study some, Elkit.”

Elkit’s jaw tightened. “Let’s get this farce over with.”

“Simon,” Sarinia said, suddenly standing on the balcony overlooking the first floor. “My assistant Simon will be adjudicating this challenge. It’s to be ten pages of Magi Squares, and the first to complete them wins. If Novice Ebbs wins, Novice Pettit loses his title as champion of the first tournament, forfeiting it to the next in line. If Novice Pettit wins, Novice Ebbs is forbidden to harass, pester, or challenge any novice from this year’s class. Novices, do you agree to these terms?”

“I do,” Gregory said, keeping his face straight at Sarinia’s wording.

“I do,” Fureno said before anyone could speak up to stop him.

Elkit snapped his mouth shut, glaring at Fureno for his lack of understanding— Fureno had just agreed to never bother another member of the same novice class if he lost.

Simon stepped forward with two bundles of rolled paper in his hands. “I completed these just minutes ago. Both sets are identical, so the challenge is equal to both sides. No one, not even Chief Archivist Sarinia, has seen them. After the challenge is over, they may be inspected by the eldest member of each clan present to verify that they are identical. Are there any questions?”

“Why can’t we examine them first?” Elkit snapped the question out.

“To make sure no one can help the novices,” Simon said.

Elkit sneered. “As if my novice needs help to beat a fringer.”

Rafiq appeared, presenting two charcoal pencils to Fureno. “Pick your weapon.”

Fureno frowned at him and took one of the pencils. Rafiq handed the second one to Gregory, who had taken his seat in the meantime.

“Since there are no questions, I ask that the crowd steps back at least twenty paces from the table,” Simon said. “Rafiq, if you will place the divider between them?”

Rafiq came back with a paper barrier on a wooden frame and set it on the table. It blocked them from seeing the other person’s paper, but they could still see each other. “It’s done, Simon.”

“Good. Novices, are you ready to begin?” Simon asked.

“Yes,” Fureno said stiffly.

“I’m ready, Archivist,” Gregory said.

Simon stepped to the side of the table and placed a roll of paper in front of each of them. “Begin,” he said, stepping back.

Gregory unrolled the page and studied the Magi Squares he had. The first one was simple; he completed it within a minute. Glancing up, he met Fureno’s eyes as he slid the first Magi Square aside.

Brow furrowing, Gregory looked back down and got to work, focusing solely on the task before him. Minutes ticked by as he completed the second, third, and fourth Magi Squares, each only a touch more difficult than the previous one.

“Side by side,” he heard someone say from the crowd. “Good thing neither of them is mind path, or this would be lopsided and not close at all.”

Gregory blocked out the distraction, looking at the fifth Magi Squares and smiling for a moment. This one jumped in difficulty by a large margin. It took him nearly twice as long to finish it as the previous four combined.

Gregory was sweating when he looked at the tenth and final page. It was the most difficult Magi Squares he’d ever seen, and he wasn’t sure if there was enough information for it to be solved. Swallowing, he closed his eyes and felt himself sink into his trance of meditation.

The aether cavern surrounded him in that instant, the Magi Squares puzzle floating in the air in front of him. “Okay, there has to be an answer... let’s see if you can’t help me,” he said, looking at the fire burning away a few feet from him.

The flames flickered and climbed higher for a moment before the embers floated across the puzzle in the air. They settled in place in a couple of the squares, forming numbers. As each appeared, Gregory checked them before laughing.

“Thank you. That should give me what I need,” Gregory said as he began to fill the other squares with numbers in rapid succession.

Blinking as the cavern faded away, Gregory sat up straight, the puzzle in front of him completed. Simon was by his side, looking over the last page, and the crowd was silent.

Simon eventually stepped back. “Novice Pettit has solved all ten correctly.”

“Impossible!” Elkit barked, striding forward. “Fureno hasn’t even started to fill in his last page.”

“This one wasn’t possible to solve,” Fureno said, standing up from his seat. “Impossible to solve, in fact.”

“Are you saying one of my assistants was less than neutral?” Sarinia asked, appearing behind Fureno, the coldness in her tone making all the novices in the room step away from her.

“May I see both sets?” Master Chen said. “I can verify if they were both equal, if that works for both parties.”

“I will accept that,” Elkit sniffed.

“Agreed,” Dia said amiably.

Simon took the papers and handed them to Master Chen, who had Magus Han standing beside him and looking over his shoulder.

“I wish to verify them, as well,” Marcia said.

“Agreed. Two sets of eyes are better,” Chen said. “I’ll hold Fureno’s and you can hold Pettit’s.”

“That would work wonderfully,” Marcia said as the two Magi examined each page together. After a couple of minutes, Marcia laughed. “They are identical. Goodness, what a blow to the pride of the Eternal Flame.”

“Indeed. This was a fair challenge. The archive has never failed to be fair and equal in their tasks,” Chen said. “Your novice lost, Elkit. Accept it gracefully.”

Elkit’s face was red as he glared at Fureno. “Pathetic useless cur! Get out!”

Fureno was white, but he didn’t hesitate, bolting for the exit.

“We’re leaving,” Elkit hissed at the members of his clan. “Now.” He strode away, the others falling in behind him.

Han turned to Gregory. “Well done. How long did it take you to realize the answer to the last one?”

“It didn’t dawn on me until I was over halfway done with it,” Gregory admitted.

“It was well done,” Han replied. “Have a good evening. We’re leaving, clan. We’ll discuss why this is important after dinner. Now, come.”

The groups broke up and left in short order, leaving just Dia and the three novices alone in the archive with the archivists. Dia bowed to Sarinia. “Our thanks, Chief Archivist. I was worried you were going to attack Elkit and give him an excuse to say your staff was biased.”

Sarinia’s eyes sparkled with anger for a moment. “That would have been bad for the novices involved. I’ll make sure he pays for what he said at a later time— I’ll be speaking with the council next week. It might be time for them to remind the clans about civility.”

“From your lips to Aether’s ears,” Dia murmured. “We’ll not intrude on your time more than we already have. A good night, Chief Archivist Sarinia.”

“A good eve, Magus Dia.”

“Let’s go home and have dinner,” Dia smiled. “I’m sure the others will be eager to hear the news.”

“Dia, can I ask Archivist Simon a question before we go?” Gregory asked.

Simon stood a dozen feet away, his eyes going to Gregory when he heard his name. “How might I help you, Novice?”

“The last puzzle... why did you make it the exact same order as the first?”

Simon’s eyes gleamed. “Because people always try to deny repetition.”

“I was when I started it,” Gregory replied and nodded. “I’ll keep that lesson in mind. My thanks.” Gregory cupped his left hand over his right fist, bowing formally to him.

“A lesson taught is an honor for us,” Simon said, bowing back just as formally. “Good evening.”

Chapter Thirty-two

No one from the Eternal Flame showed up to harass them throughout the next week, though some of the other novices were still having problems. From the chatter they heard, a few of the other clans had started to clash. Yamato Shipping and the Han Merchant Exchange had a handful of challenges before their day off came.

Jenn was all smiles when they finished their meditation exercises in the park. “Three days in a row now. Comparing what you told me, Yuki, my aether channels are wider, but my aether fire is not as dense as yours yet.”

“You focused on body for the first six months,” Yukiko replied. “It’ll stabilize more before the year ends.”

“I agree,” Gregory added. “Now, it’s time to head down to Hemet’s.”

“And to see if Nick has set anything up to cause us trouble,” Yukiko said.

“Do you really think he put it together from just seeing us last week?” Jenn asked as they started walking for the main street.

“Considering how much he hates us, it’s entirely possible,” Yukiko replied.

“It’s possible, but as long as nothing happens today, we’ll dodge that mess starting next week,” Gregory said.

“It’ll be easier to get our meditation done at Gin’s, anyway,” Yukiko said. “I keep expecting someone to show up while we’re using the park. If it was any time other than this early in the morning, it would happen.”

Turning onto the main street, Gregory’s shoulder blades began to itch. Glancing back, he caught sight of Fureno, who ducked into an alley. “Fureno’s tailing us,” Gregory said. “It seems that Nick wanted to verify it, after all.”

“Should we run?” Yukiko asked.

“Turn down the next street, sprint for the next corner, and start taking the back roads down to the gate. If we take turns now and again, he’ll have almost no chance of keeping up,” Jenn suggested.

“Do it,” Gregory said. “Funny that this is the same street we turned on when Nick tried to run us over... They might stay focused on it for a while.”

“That would be amusing,” Yukiko snorted. “All together?”

“Yup,” Gregory said. “Go!”

The moment they turned the corner, they pushed their aether into their legs and feet. Jenn’s feet were encased in blue flames as she ran, easily out-distancing them. When she glanced back, she cut down how much aether she was using so they could catch her. They turned the corner and Gregory looked back, no longer seeing Fureno.

“Next street, take a left,” Gregory said. “Then a right after that one.”

“Got it,” Jenn said.

~*~*~

The three of them had a light sweat dotting their foreheads when they came up to the gate between the inner and lower rings of the city. The guards on duty gave them curious glances, looking back down the street in case trouble had followed them.

“Magi, is there a problem?” one of the guards asked when they slowed to pass through the gateway.

“No problems,” Gregory said. “Just getting some exercise in.”

“Very well. Please be careful— you might injure someone accidentally if you run.”

“We’ll be careful,” Yukiko said.

The guard nodded. “Have a good day.”

“You, as well,” Jenn said.

“It’s this way,” Yukiko said, taking the lead. “We should have lost Fureno.”

“I haven’t seen him,” Gregory said.

“Good. We can go back to enjoying our day off,” Yukiko smiled. “We need to stop by Alvis Alchemy, too, Greg. Jenn’s starting to run low on the alchemical gifts we gave her.”

“Are we going to be able to keep her supplied?” Gregory asked.

“That’s why I want to stop by. That, and we need them to increase the potency of what we’ve been getting.”

“You have a good point.”

“I have a couple of bonds, if needed,” Yukiko said. “I’ll write Father and tell him that the alchemy money might run out faster than he anticipated.”

“You really don’t need to do that,” Jenn said.

“I feel that we do,” Yukiko said. “If you intend to walk beside us, you need to be our equal.”

Jenn’s cheeks flushed a little. “The cost is prohibitive. Yuki, I truly do appreciate the sentiment, but—”

“Jenn,” Gregory said, putting a hand on her shoulder and cutting her off, “I’ve been down this road with her before. Once she makes up her mind about something, she can be as unmoving as a mountain. I think she gets it from her father. While he isn’t a magi, he still managed to back down Grandmaster Shun at an auction.”

Jenn stared at him briefly before looking at Yukiko, who was wearing a victorious smile. Exhaling, she nodded. “I’ll pay you back in some fashion.”

“You can even help pay for some of it, if you’d like,” Yukiko said. “We three are all the novices our clan will have this year. If we’re all equal or near equal, then even if we’re outnumbered by the other clans, we’ll be the hardest challenge they have next year.”

“Always thinking ahead,” Gregory grinned. “You’re also right. If we can keep going as we have been, we’ll easily outstrip most of the other clans’ novices and be a real challenge to the bigger clans. It’ll give us enough trouble this year and next.”

“I’m glad I spoke with you before the fight,” Jenn said, “and afterward. If I hadn’t, I would have joined the Iron Hand and we would be adversaries instead of allies.”

“I’d rather have you as an ally,” Yukiko said.

“Me, too,” Gregory nodded.

Jenn smiled. “I wasn’t very nice before our bout.”

“Really? You made some small talk with me.”

Jenn laughed lightly. “I remember thinking you were on the spirit path because you meditated before the fight. I would never have suspected you of what we’re doing now.”

“I doubt anyone would,” Yukiko laughed with her. “Besides, you went to check on him after the fight. Mother said you were concerned for him.”

Jenn didn’t look at Yukiko. “I did hit him pretty hard...”

“Very hard,” Gregory said. “I still remember that headache. Then again, I wasn’t nice during the fight, either. I really hated attacking your injured leg, but honestly, I didn’t have any other choice if I wanted a chance to win.”

Jenn shuddered at the memory. “Now I have a barrier of my own… because of you two. I would never have these items if I hadn’t followed you.” Snorting, Jenn shook her head. “And even as amazing as they are, they’re the least of what you two are doing to help me.”

Yukiko fell into step beside her and looped her arm through Jenn’s. “We’ll do more. There’ll be a price in time, but I don’t think it’ll be as bad as you fear, if you’ll trust me, as a friend.”

Jenn glanced at Yukiko before nodding. “I concede. I’ll trust you and won’t complain about the price when it comes.”

Gregory felt like he was missing a part of the conversation and was about to ask about it when he spotted Hemet’s shop. “We’re here. First shop of the day. I wonder if he has another one?”

“We’ll find out,” Yukiko said, letting go of Jenn’s arm. “I’m wondering how hard he’ll bargain if he does.”

Walking inside the shop, they were greeted by Hemet, who was sitting on a stool behind the counter. “Welcome back, Novice Warlin. I see your betrothed is with you, and a new friend.”

“It’s good to see you again,” Yukiko said, bowing her head to the old man. “We came to inquire about a single item.”

“Another ring, perhaps for your companion?” Hemet asked, his eyes gleaming with suppressed amusement.

“Did you gain foresight?” Yukiko asked.

“No. I heard about your victories at the tournament, though. You’ve surely made an enemy of the Eternal Flame. Since you have a new companion, it stands to reason you would like them to be as protected as you are.”

“Do you have another ring?” Yukiko asked.

“I’d have to check, but if I do, it will be expensive. Many people are looking for ways to protect themselves against the Eternal Flame.”

“I’m sure that for a loyal customer, you might find a way to show appreciation... maybe by discounting the rarity markup?”

Hemet laughed. “You’re a dangerous woman, Novice. Let me go check if I have one. Looking at you three, I don’t think you can even wear another enchanted item yet.” He paused when he looked at Gregory. “Though he might be able to since he doesn’t have an aether storage item like you two.”

“I’m fine with what I have for now, sir. If we hadn’t received generous gifts from our clan, that would likely have been different.”

“Yes, I see you have entirely new items. What did you do with the old ones?”

“Gave them to the clan so they may be passed onto next year’s novices.”

“Hmm, concerned about those that come after you?”

“They’ll likely also have to deal with the Eternal Flame. I don’t think the one in charge of them right now will forgive easily,” Gregory said.

“They do hold a grudge,” Hemet nodded sagely. “I’ll be back shortly.”

Hemet was true to his word, coming back after spending just a couple of minutes in the back. “I have bad news. I don’t have a ring to match yours.”

Yukiko’s eyebrow went up. “But…”

Hemet’s lips twitched and his eyes went to Gregory. “You will have a decidedly hard life, young man.” Looking back to Yukiko, he bowed his head a fraction. “I do have something better.”

“Better?”

“The second iteration of Flem’s ring. It’ll entirely stop flame from harming the wearer. Like yours, it requires bane cores to replenish the enchantment. No one has yet been able to meet my price for it.”

“What are you asking?” Yukiko asked.

“Seventy-five thousand vela.”

Yukiko laughed. “No wonder no one has met your price yet. Novices don’t normally have that much money available to them.”

Hemet placed the silver ring with a ruby on the counter. “Which is why it’s still here. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“Forty-five,” Yukiko offered.

Hemet sighed, “I do enjoy your business, young Warlin, but please, don’t insult me and my shop.”

“Apologies. I did reach further than good taste calls for,” Yukiko said. “Fifty-five.”

“Better. Sixty-eight.”

“Sixty?”

“Sixty-five, and not one vela less,” Hemet said.

“Yuki,” Jenn said, her eyes large at the price she heard. “That’s—”

“Sold, if you’ll take a bond,” Yukiko said, cutting Jenn off.

“I thought your father might leave you with another,” Hemet smiled. “I accept a bond for the price.”

“Greg, she shouldn’t!” Jenn exclaimed.

“I’ve conceded bargaining to her, Jenn. This is what she’s been doing all her life. I tried to object earlier in the year when the prices were a tenth of this.”

“Yes. It was difficult for him to accept,” Yukiko said. “I’m happy that he lets me do these things now without arguing.”

“Yuki...” Jenn sighed. “That’s too much.”

Yukiko pulled off her lesser ring and gave it to Jenn. “Then take this gift, as I no longer need it. I’ll take the new ring. That way, the debt isn’t yours in any way.”

Jenn stared at her before she accepted the ring. “I accept.”

“And that’s how she gets you to start,” Gregory said, chuckling. “She makes it seem reasonable and smaller than you thought, and then, before you know it, she’s showering you with gifts that you would’ve never considered before.”

Yukiko snorted as she finished signing the bond. “I’m not that bad and you know it.”

Hemet took the bond, checked it, and passed the ring to Yukiko. “A pleasure doing business with you again.”

“Thank you,” Yukiko said, picking up the ring and turning to Gregory. “Dear one, please come here.”

Gregory started to laugh and took off his older ring. “I’ll not fight against the tide.”

“Good,” Yukiko smiled as she exchanged rings with him. “Now, let’s go to Alvis Alchemy and see about the other part of our shopping trip?”

Jenn exhaled, wondering how she’d been outmaneuvered so easily.

Gregory patted her shoulder. “I understand. Honestly, though, Yuki is only trying to help.”

“I know,” Jenn said softly. “That makes it hard to fight it.”

“Are you both ready?” Yukiko asked from next to the door.

They followed her out silently, Jenn wondering if she could argue against the expense at the next shop, and Gregory curious as to just how much Yukiko was willing to spend today.

~*~*~

Entering Alvis Alchemy, Yukiko gave the woman behind the counter a bright smile. “Good day to you. I do hope you remember me?”

“Novice Warlin? Yes. What may we do for you? Have things not been reaching you?”

“No, they’ve been reaching us fine. I have two items of business to touch upon today. First, I need to add Novice Jenn Bean to the order so she also receives the same items that Greg and I do.”

The woman looked uncertain. “I’m not certain our deal with your father can account for that.”

“May I speak with the alchemist, then?” Yukiko asked. “I’m positive my father left someone in the city who can resolve these conflicts, but he didn’t tell me who. I’m sure it’s in the contract, though.”

“One moment,” the woman said, slipping into the back.

“Yuki, if it’s a problem, we don’t have to do this,” Jenn said.

“If you fall too far behind, it’ll be bad for all of us,” Yukiko replied softly. “Or are you giving up?” Her question sounded like a challenge.

Jenn stiffened for a moment before giving a curt nod. “I’m not giving up.”

“Good. I have hopes for you. If you balk now, you’ll never reach the point you yearn for.”

Gregory was about to interject when the door behind the counter opened and the alchemist entered the room. Shutting his mouth, Gregory stayed silent as Yukiko tried to get the problem resolved.

“Novice Warlin. We can accommodate you, but I will need Armsmaster Watashi to approve of it. He’s the one in charge of the funds for the contract,” Aldor Alvis, the proprietor of the shop, said.

“Ah. If I had known, I would’ve brought a letter,” Yukiko sighed. “I’ll see about having one delivered before a week passes. Since you’re here, we can deal with the second part of our business.” She pulled her medallion out from under her kimono. “We need higher grade items.”

Aldor’s eyes widened slightly. “I would agree with that. Did you gain two ranks during the solstice?”

“We did,” Yukiko replied. “Greg and I are at the ninth rank, and Jenn is at the eighth. We’d like her to catch us, too. Of course, your discretion is being counted upon.”

“We do not talk of what our customers need, nor why,” Aldor said stiffly.

“I meant no offense,” Yukiko apologized. “The people who want to see us fail are going to extraordinary lengths.”

“Ah, yes, the academy is a dangerous place. The first two years are fraught with peril,” Aldor nodded, accepting her apology. “Once I have an approval from the armsmaster, I will make sure that the packages to the academy include enough for all of you.”

“Thank you very much,” Yukiko smiled. “I hope you have a good day, sir.”

“You, as well,” Aldor said.

Stepping out of the shop, Jenn sighed. “I have no idea what that even costs, now.”

“It’s better that way,” Gregory said in sympathy. “There’s an early lunch waiting for us at Stabled Hunger. It’s going to be good.”

Since it was before lunchtime when they got to Stabled Hunger, the place was mostly empty. Ramon greeted them with a surprised look. “We weren’t expecting you for another hour.”

“We finished faster than we anticipated,” Gregory said. “If we can have some tea before the food? We’ll be studying until it’s ready, so there’s no rush.”

“I can do that. Nessa, guests!” Ramon shouted.

Nessa came out of the kitchen. “Father?”

“They’re early. Take them to the dining room, then bring them a pot of tea.”

“Yes, Father. If you will follow me?” Nessa asked.

When they were seated, Jenn smiled. “I see why you like this place. I doubt anyone here would give you problems.”

“I didn’t know about this place until my parents came to town,” Yukiko said. “Father’s always found places that would be accepting of me.”

“That’s not always easy,” Jenn said softly.

“No, it’s not. There were many places that we didn’t stay past an hour,” Yukiko agreed.

Gregory covered one of her hands with his for a moment. “Ignorance and idiocy. We’ll show them better.”

“My heart is ever optimistic,” Yukiko smiled at him.

When the knock came on the door, Yukiko removed her hand from Gregory’s. “Thank you, Nessa. We’ll be working on Magi Squares, so will you let us know a few minutes before the food arrives, please? That way, we can put our things away.”

“Yes,” Nessa said. “The tea is an orange today. I hope that’s okay.”

“It’s fine, Nessa. Thank you,” Gregory said. “Do you know what lunch will be?”

“Mother is making bane boar, buttered noodles, and steamed vegetables. There are also some desserts for afterward, if you’d like.”

“I look forward to it,” Yukiko smiled.

Chapter Thirty-three

That week, the Yamato clan and Han clans became more entrenched in hindering each other; the two novices who joined the Hardened Fist came to almost daily challenges against the Iron Hand; two were removed from Marcia Han’s economics class after being late two days in a row; and one of the clanless was found dead, drowned in a pond.

~*~*~

Leaving the archive, Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn were discussing what they’d been reading. “The reasons behind the limit of enchantments a magi can wear are varied,” Yukiko said. “No two agree on more than a single point, but they all agree that it’s obvious when you’ve gone too far— your aether gets smothered. Removing the extra items will bring your aether back, but it may take days for it to return to normal.”

“I’ve been fine,” Gregory said.

“We all have, but I wouldn’t try another enchantment until we break into the apprentice tier,” Yukiko said.

“I’m happy I reached the ninth rank,” Jenn grinned. “I know you’ll both be reaching the tenth soon, but I finally caught you, however briefly.”

“The alchemy items have been helping?” Gregory asked.

“Yes. Thank you again, Yuki.”

“No thanks are needed,” Yukiko smiled happily. “How have your law books been, Greg?”

“Slow,” Gregory sighed. “The further back I go in history, the more archaic the laws become. There are some laws that are still valid, but they’re never used.”

“Are you going to change topics?” Jenn asked.

“I don’t think so. If we end up in a place where we have to enforce the laws, it’d be good to know them. We have no idea what our adept year will be like.”

“That’s a good point,” Yukiko said. “What about your reading, Jenn?”

“I finished the wars, at least, but this current book is taking me some time. The rules and regulations to the troops that initiates and adepts are responsible for are complex.”

“Oh, I’ll read that after you’re done,” Gregory said. “Yuki, you should, too.”

“I’ll read it after Jenn finishes,” Yukiko replied. “I’m almost done with the enchanting book. That and alchemy have been so different to learn about. It’s refreshing.”

“That’s something to consider. We might want to break up the heavy learning with something that really interests us,” Gregory said. “After the laws and the book about the troops we’ll be responsible for, I think I’ll find something different.”

Arriving at the postern gate, they waited for the group of novices who arrived before them to get approved to leave. Gregory noticed the familiar face in the guards and gave the man a small bow. The sergeant gave him a nod of his head in return.

With the Han Merchant Exchange novices leaving, the initiate on duty turned to them. “Clan and names?”

“Aether’s Guard. Warlin, Pettit, and Bean,” Gregory said.

The initiate looked them over for a long moment. “You know the rules. Sergeant, let them out.”

“Men,” the sergeant said to the two guards next to the door.

“Sir, we didn’t catch your name,” Yukiko said to the sergeant.

“I never offered it, Novice,” the sergeant replied. “I’m Sergeant Willof. Enjoy your day off.”

“Thank you,” Yukiko smiled. “We hope you have a pleasant day, as well.”

They left the academy behind and got to the main street in time to see the group of Han novices climb into rickshaws and head into the city. Gregory shook his head, thinking about all the times they’d taken rickshaws during their days off before Jenn had joined them.

“Off to Gin’s for training,” Yukiko said.

“Jog the entire way?” Jenn asked.

“We don’t want to get there too early,” Gregory said. “We can walk and let our muscles warm up.”

~*~*~

Elsa opened the door, her smile wide. “Welcome back. The garden is prepared for you.”

“Thank you, Elsa,” Yukiko smiled. “How has your studying been?”

“She’s done very well with arithmetic and good with reading and writing, but she’s slipping on history,” Baylyss said. “I don’t believe she enjoys it.”

Elsa looked down, her face flushed. “It’s boring, but I’m trying.”

“Maybe you need an incentive?” Jenn offered. “My father used to let me spend an hour in the forge every week, helping him, if I learned as well as I could. If I didn’t do my best, I was banned from it.”

Elsa looked at Jenn with wide eyes. “Could I train with you if I do better?”

Baylyss looked thoughtful and gave Yukiko a questioning look.

“If Baylyss says you did exceptionally well, you can join us for our meditation,” Yukiko said. “If you don’t apply yourself fully, then you’ll not be allowed to serve us when we’re here. Every reward has a corresponding risk.”

Elsa had looked eager, but her face dimmed when she heard the rest of what Yukiko said. “What if I do my best, but don’t do exceptional?”

“Then nothing changes from our current day off.”

Elsa chewed her lip for a moment before she nodded. “I accept.”

“Very well,” Baylyss said. “We’ll measure your week from the moment they leave today until the moment they come back the next. The bar will be high, Elsa. I do hope you do your best.”

“I will,” Elsa said confidently. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, clearly centering herself. When she opened them, she gave the three novices a smile. “If you will follow me to the garden? Once you’re settled, I’ll make sure that water is brought in case you need some while you meditate.”

“We’re ready,” Yukiko said.

~*~*~

Jenn was deep into a game of Shogi with the instructor, both of them focused on the game. Gregory shook his head in frustration— he wasn’t seeing the end game for either of them yet. Looking at the other side of the table, he watched Yukiko place her next stone, capturing a group of black stones.

“They’re both quite good at their respective games,” Vexlin said. “Yukiko is more reserved in her tactics. She’ll rarely take an uneven trade, opting to pull back to get better ground. If she ever has men under her command, they’ll know she values them. Jenn, though… she only sees victory and is very adept at using her pieces to arrange that. Her men will know that she will always strive for a victory, but that it might cost their lives. Two completely different command styles.”

“We grow stronger through our differences,” Gregory murmured, not wanting to break the concentration from the players.

“You’re between them. Cautious, but aggressive when you see an opening. I’ve seen you learn over the last few weeks. You don’t get caught in traps as often anymore. If the three of you are ever in the same battle, I would pity your opponents.”

“That’s kind of you to say, but I still have a ways to go to match them.”

“Next week is our last week to be here,” Vexlin said. “Did you have any requests for a finale?”

“I hadn’t considered it. Do you have any suggestions?”

“There’s a game that you might find interesting. It requires an even number of players, because we play in teams. After we play it, you might want to keep us around for a few more weeks.”

“What’s the game?”

“It’s one you would be taught next year,” Vexlin grinned. “Empire’s Gambit.”

“I don’t know it,” Gregory said.

Vexlin frowned before suddenly snickering. “I forget that you said you came from the fringe when you arranged for us. It’s easy to forget most times— you don’t speak like a fringer, or act like one. Even then, you would only have heard of it if you’d been around the army or were raised in a magi family.”

“I’d like to learn, especially if it’ll be taught to us next year. Being ahead of the others would serve us well.”

“I doubt you’ll be ahead of some of your contemporaries, but early study might get you to be just behind them. I’ll arrange for the game to be here and ready next week. If you do wish to continue our instruction on that game, we will be here.”

“Very well.”

“You win,” Lon said as he finished adding his points. “Well played.”

“Thank you. Our teachers have been the reason we have done so well,” Yukiko smiled.

“I concede,” Cal said. “That was a difficult game.”

“Thank you for playing against me,” Jenn said. “That move about halfway through the game.” She started to reset the board to the placement she had a question about. “I’d like you to explain it to me.”

“Ah, yes. I’d hoped that would throw you off your game. It failed. What I did—”

The door to the room opened and Baylyss entered. “It’s time.”

“Just a moment, please? I want him to explain this,” Jenn said.

“I can explain next week,” Cal said. “Being late to the academy is bad from what I’ve heard.”

“We’ve avoided it so far,” Gregory said. “We’ll also be doing Empire’s Gambit next week.”

Both Lon and Cal looked happy, and Vexlin chuckled. “It’ll likely be more than just next week. We’ll see you then. Come on, Cal, we have to make sure all the pieces are in order.”

Cal got to his feet. “Next week, I’ll explain the move before we start.”

“It’s for the best,” Jenn said. “I look forward to it.”

~*~*~

“Welcome back,” Sergeant Willof greeted them as the gate closed behind them.

“Thank you, Sergeant,” Yukiko smiled. “I hope your day was quiet.”

“Day off on gate duty is always busy,” Willof replied. “I hope your day was good.”

“It was entertaining and informative,” Yukiko said.

Saying their goodbyes, they went away from the gate and toward the clan hall. Jenn frowned, waiting for them to get a bit farther before she spoke.

“Petak was near the administration building, watching us come in,” Jenn said softly.

“Likely the Eternal Flame plotting their next move,” Gregory said. “We’ll need to keep our eyes open, especially on our day off. Fureno tried to tail us, and Petak was waiting to see when we came back.”

Yukiko nodded. “That’s wise, but that doesn’t preclude something happening this week, either.”

“Stay alert and ready all the time,” Jenn snorted. “Maybe they’re just trying to make us paranoid?”

“Could be, but Nick is more a ‘rub your nose in it’ kind of guy,” Gregory said. “They might be going a little slower right now, but I fully expect something before the next tournament.”

“It’ll be more than one thing,” Yukiko said. “He doesn’t lose graciously.”

“Not at all,” Gregory snickered.

“Today was good,” Jenn said. “I really enjoyed the match against Cal. I wonder what Empire’s Gambit is going to be like.”

“I wonder, too,” Gregory said. “Any idea, Yuki?”

“I’ve heard Gin and Lin talking about it when I was younger. I don’t recall any details, though.”

“Well, a surprise it is, then, unless one of us wants to read up on it this week?”

“I can do that. I’m almost finished with the enchantment book,” Yukiko told Gregory. “When Jenn finishes with hers, I can switch with her.”

“I should finish the day after tomorrow,” Jenn said.

“After you finish it, Jenn, I’ll take it. I can get back to the troop book after that.”

“Okay,” Jenn said. “We’re working on economics again tonight after dinner?”

“You’re almost caught up with us,” Yukiko grinned. “By the end of this week, we’ll be able to focus on something other than economics for our last hour study session.”

“That’ll be different,” Gregory chuckled. “It’s been economics before bed for half a year.”

“Yes, it’ll be interesting to pick a new topic,” Yukiko nodded. “We should start thinking about what topics we’d like to cover next.”

“Something to ponder,” Gregory said as the clan hall came into view, “but that’ll be tomorrow.”

Chapter Thirty-four

Gregory smiled when he opened his eyes and saw the silk canopy hanging over him. “Darkness, how are you?”

“I’m good, dear one,” Darkness replied. “Already to the tenth rank of the novice tier, hm? Goodness, how your enemies will hate you.”

“I think they already do,” Gregory said, rolling to his side to look at the dark corner of the room. “Thank you for the time with Yuki.”

“You’re both welcome. It was difficult to not sit here and watch, but I figured you’d want privacy for the first time, at least.”

“That would’ve made it awkward. I appreciate you giving us the time alone. It made for a very memorable solstice.”

“Yuki and I are working out how she can repay me,” Darkness said with a hint of laughter.

Gregory shifted in the bed, his libido more than eager to offer up suggestions. “Really?”

“Oh, I do like some of those ideas, dear one. You still need to be able to handle me for those to come true, though. It won’t happen while you are still a novice.”

“Wait… you’re talking to Yuki? How is that possible? I thought you were my aether?”

“The fire in your cavern is your aether,” Darkness said. “I’m something much greater, but because you are who you are, I can speak with you. I can speak with Yuki because she is your heart. The more you love someone, the easier it is for me to contact them, and that’s the only reason it was possible for me to bring you together as I did. Currently, I’m talking to both of you.”

Gregory’s lips pursed in thought as he considered what she had said. “That’s separate from those around me being able to open up multiple paths, right?”

“Those who trust in you and want to be beside you can walk the same paths as you. The moment they betray that trust, things go badly for them. No one who betrays my heart deserves to keep the gifts he bestows on them.”

Gregory exhaled in relief, as he’d been worried that allowing Jenn to join them might become a problem for them later. “You can do that?”

“Because of you, yes. You being safe, protected, and loved are what I wish for. I help those beside you connect to the paths, and I can just as easily sever them if they prove false. Yuki and I have only your best interests in mind.”

“Thank you?”

Laughter came from the darkness. “Oh, you are welcome, dear one. I doubt you’ll ever hold anything against us… unless we ask for it.”

Gregory’s body responded to the intent behind her slightly delayed addition. “I will, when asked,” he agreed, then changed the subject. “I’ve been seeing glimpses of aether more often.”

“Yes. That should be the first part of your magic that you recover. It will be a long time before you get back to what you are fully capable of, though your mother’s magic might be the first magic you can use with intent.”

“Foresight?”

“Yes. It’s very taxing, but you can bring insight about the future to you. I would suggest waiting until you’ve reached the apprentice tier before you try.”

“You haven’t led me wrong yet, Darkness. I’ll do as you suggest.”

“Have you been gleaning any insight from watching Yuki and Jenn’s training?”

“Not much... I get the odd feeling that I know it all, but just can’t remember it.”

“It will come back to you in time, dear one. Alas, our time is growing short again.”

“Darkness, are you okay with this?” Gregory asked.

“With Yuki getting all of your love? There’s a small part of me that’s envious of her. It hurts occasionally when you two share a look, hold hands, or sneak a kiss. I don’t resent her, though. I could have done as I told her; whispered to you in your dreams to sour your feelings for her. However, that would have been wrong of me. I am here because of my love for you. Making you reject the love of another to try keeping you to myself would be anathema to who I am.”

“Thank you,” Gregory said. “I can’t imagine life without Yuki beside me.”

“I know,” Darkness said. “Being loved by you is something that only the very special will know. Sleep well, dear one. I will see you when you reach your next rank.”

“But—” Gregory started before the darkness rushed from the corner of the room and swallowed him.

~*~*~

“Can’t believe you’re both tenth rank already,” Jenn was saying as they walked together. “I thought I’d been making ground up on you.”

“You’ll still likely match us again before we become apprentice-tiered,” Yukiko said.

“I hope so.”

“Good morning, Novices,” Rafiq greeted them when they stepped into the archive. “What can I do for you today?”

“I’d like a book on Empire’s Gambit,” Yukiko said.

Rafiq was silent for a moment. “I see... Interesting. You want the introduction, correct?”

“There’s more than an introduction?” Yukiko asked.

“Oh yes. It’s a technical and tactical war game. There are dozens of books that break apart conditions, maneuvers, and more. Novices don’t ask for them normally, but you can read them.”

“The introduction, please,” Yukiko said.

“I’m fine with what I have,” Jenn smiled.

“I’m still working my way through the law book,” Gregory said.

“You’re getting into the archaic parts of it now,” Rafiq said. “It can be difficult to understand some of the phrasing.”

“Yes, but I am still making headway.”

“Before the Second Eurtik War?” Rafiq asked.

“Between the first and second, currently.”

“Most have given up by that point. You are tenacious.”

“Learning is invigorating,” Gregory said.

“Very well. I’ll have the books brought to you. I hope your studying is productive.”

~*~*~

Leaving the archive, Yukiko explained the first part of what she had read, “It’s going to be complex. It makes that clear at the start. It also isn’t designed to be fair, nor balanced, as war isn’t either of those. It uses miniatures, depicting units, on a terrain map. Each type of unit has different statistics at the start of each game, but those stats change depending on a large number of factors.”

“This sounds like it’ll definitely take longer than a week to learn,” Gregory chuckled. “He’s a sly one, roping me into this.”

“Yes, but it’ll give us a leg up next year... or as he said, at least not a severe handicap,” Jenn said.

“What kinds of factors?”

“Weather, supplies, commander, loyalty, morale, opposing forces, and other things like that,” Yukiko said. “I had no idea there was something this complex to learn about. It tries to simulate field conditions for units in battle.”

Jenn’s smile grew wide. “I like the sound of this game.”

“I think we found our next nightly study session,” Gregory said.

“That’s a good idea,” Yukiko agreed. “We should see if the clan hall has the same books on the subject.”

“Finally, a fun subject to study with you both,” Jenn said.

“We’ll likely need to mock up the board and units, as well,” Gregory said. “That way, we have references for what we’re learning.”

“The clan hall might have them,” Yukiko suggested. “If this is something magi learn here, it stands to reason they would have the materials.”

“We can ask Dia after class,” Jenn said.

“Bean, I challenge you!” a gruff voice called out, interrupting their conversation.

All three of them came to a stop and looked toward the man who had spoken.

“Franco Ichor,” Jenn said levelly. “Why would I accept such a thing from you? Aren’t you still beating on the Iron Hand novices?”

“I need a challenge and I’ve heard that Master Chen of the Iron Hand is teaching you. What better way to be challenged than to beat the personal student of a master?”

“You’ve still given me no reason to accept,” Jenn shrugged. “Excuse us, we’re on our way to class.” She started to move forward when Franco rushed to block her way.

“Afraid, are you? You have reason to be. I’ve already reached the seventh rank,” Franco said proudly, pulling his medallion out. “The clan values me highly and is invested in my ascension in the academy. I’m fighting my way through the finalists of the tournament. You’re the next one for me to fight.”

“Still no reason to fight,” Jenn said flatly. “Give me an incentive or go away.”

Franco laughed darkly. “You would’ve done better in the Hardened Fist with that attitude. Fine. If there’s one thing my clan knows, it’s how enticing the right incentive can be. The challenge must be martial combat between you and me. Aether must be allowed, as well, just as it was in the tournament. If you accept those conditions, I’ll offer you a tidy sum of vela.”

“I don’t need the coin,” Jenn shrugged. “My clan provides that.”

Franco ground his teeth. “I’ll offer my powders, pills, and other aether aids for the next four weeks as an incentive, but you only get them if you win.”

“No,” Jenn said. “I have no need for those. I already have more than an adequate supply.”

“Then what would you require?” Franco snapped.

Jenn smiled at him. “You have to be the champion of any novice who asks you to fulfill that role. When they are challenged, you will fill in. You will not charge them anything for doing so, either, and will always fight to your utmost ability.”

Franco glared at her before he nodded. “Accepted, if you accept my conditions for the fight.”

“I accept. We’ll need an unbiased party to adjudicate.”

“I’ll arra—” Franco began.

“No,” Gregory said, catching a glimpse of the future in that moment. Franco would hire a person to adjudicate unfairly in his favor if he was allowed to. “I’ll arrange for one by asking the council to name who should fill that role.”

Franco’s eyes bulged. “You’d waste that reward?”

“The safety of my friend isn’t a waste. We’ll send your clan the information of where and when after an adjudicator has been arranged.”

Franco’s lip curled up in a sneer. “I’ll be getting to you after I get through the others.” Eyes shifting to Yukiko, Franco glared at her. “I haven’t forgotten your trick. When I face you again, you won’t be let off lightly.”

Yukiko gave him a smile. “I’ll be waiting. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have a class to attend, which you don’t seem to have.”

Franco laughed and started to walk off. “Class? Why bother? I don’t care where they stick me— I’ll finish my time and then join my clan in making money to make even magi masters weep with envy.”

The three friends didn’t stick around to watch him go, as they were already jogging for economics class.

Chapter Thirty-five

Gregory was glad that Dia was on the porch when they returned to the clan hall after class. “Dia, how do I contact the council?”

Dia almost managed to keep the surprise from her features. “What’s happened?”

“I was challenged by Franco Ichor to a fight with rules similar to the tournament,” Jenn said. “Gregory said he’d arrange for an adjudicator who was neutral to both sides. He suggested using one of his questions to the council to find out who would be best suited for it.”

“That might be a little underwhelming,” Dia said.

“Do you think so?” Gregory asked. “If we knew a truly neutral adjudicator, it’d be easier to handle challenges in the future.”

“Ah, so you plan to ask for someone who can continue to be neutral?”

“That was my thought.”

“Very well. I’ll make sure that the council is informed. Did you have one of the three specifically in mind?”

“I think I should leave Elder Cho for later,” Gregory said, thinking about the older woman who appeared to be the leader of the three council members. “I don’t know the other two well, though I know one of them stopped Skippy’s father from attacking me.”

“Grandmaster Pan,” Dia said.

“I think he’d be the one to ask for this. I don’t know anything about the third council member.”

“Grandmaster Yunlo. He is one of the very rare spatial magic users,” Dia said. “I’ll send word to Grandmaster Pan that you seek his counsel.”

“Thank you, Dia,” Gregory said.

“What was the wager on the challenge?” Dia asked.

“He wants to prove he’s better than each of the final eight competitors of the tournament,” Jenn said. “Franco will receive nothing if he wins, as he asked for the rules to the challenge. If I win, he has to act as a champion for any novice who asks him.”

Dia let out a soft laugh. “Interesting. That’ll make those who ask him to do so indebted to you. Grandmaster Pan will have the request by the time your magic training ends. Here comes Master Chen now.” Raising her voice slightly, she raised her hand, “Master Chen, a moment, please?”

“What can I do for you?”

“Novice Bean will be having a challenge on her hands in the next day or two against Novice Ichor. How do you think she’ll do?”

Chen’s brow furrowed. “Ichor from the Hardened Fist?”

“Indeed.”

“Ichor is strong, ruthless, and delights in hurting his opponents. He nearly crippled our novices when he fought them. If Bean can focus and use her aether in small bursts as needed, she can win. She needs to survive the first few minutes while he burns his aether without thought. That’s easier said than done, as he can bring force equal to a lower apprentice to bear. I’ll work her hard today with this goal in mind.”

“Thank you,” Dia said.

Jenn looked a little worried as she headed for the side of the yard where she trained. Inda came out of the hall and motioned Yukiko to the other side. Gregory watched them separate before he turned to follow Jenn.

“Have you noticed any improvement in your magic?” Dia asked before he could leave.

“Not enough to comment on,” Gregory said.

“Very well. I do hope things improve for you,” Dia said, rising to her feet.

Gregory bowed to her before going to where Chen was working with Jenn. He felt a little bad lying to Dia— he’d been seeing threads of aether a bit more often, but she didn’t know that was a part of his magic.

~*~*~

Magic training was over and Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn were making their way to the garden for their daily meditation in the way of the Peaceful Fist. Gregory had them make a quick stop to the study, finding Murium sitting by the window with a thick tome in her hands.

“Murium?” Gregory called out to her.

Startling, Murium nearly lurched out of her chair, her eyes wide. “Yes?”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Gregory apologized. “We were wondering if the clan had books on Empire’s Gambit.”

“Yes. We have a few copies of the basic rules and at least one of every other book published on the game,” Murium said.

“Are the game board and pieces available, too?” Yukiko asked from behind Gregory.

“Yes. Do you want me to prepare the books and have the staff ready the game board in the war room?”

“Yes, please,” Gregory said. “Can we collect the basic books after dinner?”

“You want to start learning the game already?” Murium asked in surprise.

“We think it’ll be a good idea,” Jenn said.

“Okay. I’ll get things arranged for you.”

“Thank you,” the three of them said, bowing to her before leaving.

“Gregory,” Dia called to them as they left the study, “Grandmaster Pan will see you after dinner. He has graciously agreed to meet you here.”

“Thank you, Dia,” Gregory said, bowing to her.

“Going to meditate in the garden?” Dia asked.

“That’s our normal pattern,” Yukiko said.

“I think I will join you today, unless you object?”

“No. We’d be honored if our senior joins us,” Gregory said.

“Let us go, then,” Dia said, reaching them in the hall.

~*~*~

With dinner over, Gregory went to the porch to wait for Grandmaster Pan to show up. Yukiko and Jenn excused themselves, telling him they would get the books and meet him in the war room when he was finished.

The quiet of the night was punctuated by the few insect and bird sounds. A peacefulness settled on Gregory while he sat there. Time seemed to lose meaning and the minute sounds faded from Gregory’s perception.

There was a brief gust of wind, and suddenly, Grandmaster Pan was sitting beside Gregory. “It’s a pleasant night. You’ve called in your favor for guidance from me, Novice. What is it you seek?”

“Grandmaster, I’d like to know who in the walls of the academy can be trusted to always be impartial during a challenge. Specifically, a martial challenge, similar to the tournament.”

“There must be a story that goes with this question.”

Gregory explained the circumstances to Pan. “Which is what brought me to ask you for this favor,” he finished.

“Hmm. An interesting wager, one that Novice Ichor might come to regret. There are a few who can do as you ask. The archivists can always be counted to be impartial in any challenge that is based on knowledge. For martial challenges, though? Hmm... Master Damon is the first one that comes to mind. Any of the sergeants or higher ranked guards can, as well, but they might decline, as they don’t want to upset the losing side. For this particular instance, I will take on the role of adjudicator.”

Gregory sat in shocked silence for a moment before he turned to bow formally to Pan. “Thank you, sir.”

“This will absolve me of the reward, and I have to say I’m interested in what will happen during this challenge.” Rising to his feet, Grandmaster Pan gave Gregory a piercing look. “They say your magic is foresight. That’s not a type of magic that can be taught, from what I know of it.”

“My elder did inform me that I would need to figure it out on my own,” Gregory replied.

“Yes, that’s what he would do and say,” Pan snorted. “Tomorrow, after classes end, in the blue arena. I’ll make sure the Hardened Fist is informed.”

“Thank you, sir,” Gregory said, bowing formally again.

“I look forward to tomorrow evening,” Pan said before he vanished from where he had been with another gust of wind.

Gregory exhaled slowly before going back inside to find Jenn and Yukiko.

Entering the war room, Gregory whistled softly. When they’d taken the tour with Dia, everything had been covered in heavy cloth, but now, the cloth was gone. The middle of the room had a massive table that currently had tiles on it to reflect terrain. The walls were covered in shelving, and each shelf had dozens of figurines on them.

“That’s what we thought, too,” Yukiko laughed. “How did the meeting go?”

“Master Damon should be the best impartial judge for any martial challenge, and the archivists for the more cerebral ones. Grandmaster Pan said he would personally adjudicate Jenn’s challenge. It’s been set for tomorrow after classes in the blue arena.”

“The grandmaster is going to adjudicate?” Jenn asked, wondering if she had misheard.

“That’s what he said.”

“He seemed friendly, so he should be impartial,” Yukiko said. “We’ll have to let Dia know.”

“After this,” Gregory said, joining them at the table.

Jenn handed him a book. “We set the table up while we waited. Now that you’re here, we can start reading.”

“I think we should read for the first few days,” Yukiko said. “If we do it in here, we can examine the game pieces if we have questions about them.”

“That makes sense,” Gregory said. Opening the book, he set it on the edge of the table and began to read.

~*~*~

Gregory rubbed his eyes and followed the other two out of the room. “Complicated doesn’t even begin to describe that.”

“Novices, how did you like the war room?” Dia asked when she stepped into the hall.

“It’s staggering,” Jenn said. “If it’s alright, we’d like to use it for an hour after dinner every night.”

“That’s fine. Once you think you understand Empire’s Gambit, we can see about helping you play it a few times. I already spoke with Gin and he is more than willing to help.”

“Thank you,” Gregory said.

“What did the grandmaster have to say?”

“That he’ll personally oversee the challenge tomorrow after classes in the blue arena,” Gregory said. “He suggested Master Damon for future challenges.”

“Interesting,” Dia said. “Very well. We’ll be there as a clan to support you, Jenn. We’ll push back the bath and dinner until afterward, and I’ll let Gin know that we’ll have to curtail the training a little tomorrow to make sure we are there and ready.”

“Yes, Dia,” they said in echo.

“Go and rest; tomorrow will be a busy day. I should let Master Chen know that he’ll need to go easier on you tomorrow, as well. We don’t want your aether drained before the match even begins. How was training with him today?”

“Hard, but good,” Jenn replied. “He said I have good control of my aether and that I have a fairly good chance of winning.”

“Excellent. Good evening, Novices,” Dia said.

“Good evening, Dia,” they said.

Jenn was a little slower than Yukiko and Gregory, her mind chasing “what ifs” around in her head. She blinked in confusion when Gregory touched her shoulder. “Huh?”

“I asked if you’re okay, Jenn... You look like you’re miles away.”

Sighing, Jenn looked down. “I’ll be fine.”

“Worried?” Yukiko asked.

“Some. More concerned that this was a mistake. If I lose, it doesn’t cost the clan anything except a little loss of face, but I worry that it’ll prove me unworthy of standing beside you both.”

“A friend is always worthy to stand beside us,” Gregory said.

“Yes,” Yukiko agreed. “Don’t worry about what might be if you lose. I don’t believe you will. I have faith that you’ll show how strong you are, and that you should have been in the final four with us.”

Jenn’s lips twitched up. “Thank you... both of you. That helps. Good night.”

Yukiko stepped forward and gave Jenn a hug before she could get into her room. “Jenn, we’ll be there for you, like you would be for us.”

Jenn returned the hug. She looked past Yukiko to Gregory, who was smiling at them. “Okay. I’ll stop being silly.”

Yukiko whispered something to Jenn, kissing her cheek.

Gregory wondered what Yukiko had just whispered, as Jenn’s eyes closed and she hugged Yukiko tighter for a moment.

“Understood, Yuki. I’ll win tomorrow.”

“Good.”

Jenn stepped into her room and shut the door once they stopped embracing. Gregory gave Yukiko a questioning glance, and Yukiko gave him an innocent expression.

“What did you tell her?” Gregory asked.

“Words of encouragement,” Yukiko replied. She placed a hand on Gregory’s chest. “Step into my room for a moment?”

“As my heart wishes,” Gregory murmured.

When the door shut behind them, Yukiko was in his arms and her soft lips on his. After a few minutes, they separated. Neither wanted to, but they both knew they had to if they were going to keep their word to Yukiko’s father.

“Good night, dear one,” Yukiko said when Gregory touched the door.

“Good night, Yuki. Sleep well.”

“You, too, dearest.”

With one more look, they parted.

Chapter Thirty-six

The start of the day went by normally, but as it did, Gregory could see a bit of tension growing in Jenn. Chen didn’t push her aether at all during magic class, instead having her cycle her aether through her body. Gregory tried doing the same thing and he could feel it work, but much slower than it did for Jenn. He made a mental note to add that to their meditation routine.

When it was time for their hour of meditation, all three of them tried cycling their aether while working the Peaceful Fist exercises. Jenn had the easiest time of it— her aether channel was wider and spread through her body more thoroughly. Both Gregory and Yukiko managed it, but they felt some strain moving their aether.

Tired from the extra effort, they were glad they usually had their snack afterward. When that was finished, they met with Gin, Inda, and Indara for unarmed and armed combat training. Gin had Jenn observe only during unarmed training, and then work on weapon strikes with her selection of weapons.

“Stop,” Gin commanded. “We’re done. It’s time to go.”

Once they had the weapons stowed, the six of them made their way to the front of the clan hall. Dia was waiting for them there, as were the staff members, including Murium.

“We came to wish you good luck,” Murium said.

“Not that you need luck,” Steva said.

“We’ll have a victory meal waiting for you,” Velma said.

“With your favorite dessert,” Quilet added.

Jenn smiled. “I’ll look forward to it. Thank you, all of you.”

“We are off,” Dia said.

The group left, the staff members waving them goodbye. As they walked, Dia fell into step with Jenn.

“You seem tense,” Dia said.

“What if I fail?” Jenn asked.

“Then you will undoubtedly need a healer.”

“That isn’t what I meant.”

“The clan will have a small loss of face, but with you three, it won’t be much of a loss for long. Don’t worry about how it’ll affect us. If you do your best, it won’t come to that.”

Jenn took a deep, slow breath. “Thank you, Dia.”

“No thanks are needed. We will be there to console you or celebrate with you.”

~*~*~

They paused to see Jenn off when they reached the stairs of the waiting area under the blue arena.

“He’ll be aggressive and strong, which means you need to be elusive,” Gin said. “I look forward to seeing you go all out.”

“He favors his right,” Inda said, giving Jenn a nod.

“He moves badly to the left,” Indara added.

“How do you know that?” Jenn asked them.

“We went and watched his sparring earlier today,” Inda smiled.

“You’ll do fine,” Dia said. “We’ll be waiting for you.”

“Jenn, you’ll be fine,” Gregory said. “Just do what Chen told you to do. Bleed his aether, then win.”

Yukiko embraced Jenn. “We have faith in you.” Lowering her voice, she whispered to Jenn, before stepping back and saying in her normal voice, “Go win.”

Jenn swallowed as she looked at them. Placing her right fist into her left palm and cupping her hand, she bowed to them. “For Aether’s Guard.”

“For Aether’s Guard,” Dia replied, bowing back formally.

The others copied Dia, having been caught off guard.

Heading for the stands, Gregory and Yukiko ended up at the back of the group. “Everything okay with you and Jenn, Yuki?”

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

“You’ve been whispering to her on and off, so I wasn’t sure.”

“We’re fine, Greg,” Yuki smiled. “It’s nice to hear that you’re concerned about us getting along.”

“Okay.” Gregory lowered his voice as he broached the next topic, “What are you and Darkness planning to thank her for the dream?”

Yukiko’s cheeks heated slightly. “You want me to ruin the surprise, dear one?”

Gregory thought about it before shaking his head. “I withdraw the question, just as long as you’re okay with it.”

“I am.”

The stands for the arena were filled with more people than Gregory had anticipated. It looked like most of the novices were present, as well as representatives from most of the clans.

“How did they all find out?” Gregory asked rhetorically.

“I informed them of the challenge,” Magus Paul said from nearby. “When Master Chen told me, it seemed prudent to let the class know that they might have help with the challenges they’re facing.”

A small gust of wind ruffled Gregory’s kimono. “And I informed the clans,” Pan said, having arrived behind Gregory. “A challenge between two of the final eight is a worthwhile event.”

“Grandmaster,” Gregory bowed to the older man.

“It’s almost time,” Pan said. “I do wonder how this will play out. Can you see it?”

Gregory pursed his lips as he tried to focus on the outcome of the fight. His aether began to stir, but settled back in place. “I cannot.”

“A pity. Keep trying to push your magic, Novice.”

“Yes, Grandmaster.”

A displacement of air was the only warning Gregory got that Pan had left. Shaking his head, he joined the rest of his clan at the seats that had been set aside for them.

“What did the grandmaster want?” Dia asked.

“To know if I could see the outcome. I can’t.”

“We’ll all know that answer soon enough,” Dia said.

Grandmaster Pan came walking out onto the sands of the arena floor. Going at a sedate pace to the center of the arena, he stood there patiently. He didn’t have to wait long before Jenn and Franco came out of the two tunnels on either side.

“Magi, today, we have an unusual challenge,” Pan said, his voice carrying to the entirety of the arena. “Novice Franco Ichor has challenged Novice Jenn Bean. Novice Ichor asked that the conditions for this challenge be that the same rules are in place as the first tournament, and waived any other reward for winning. Novice Bean placed a single condition on Ichor: if she wins, he takes the mantle of champion for any novice if he is asked. Novices, do you wish to set aside this challenge?”

Both Jenn and Franco shook their heads, staring at each other.

“So be it. Bow to the audience.” Pan walked them through the bowing, and stepped back a dozen paces before telling them to fight.

As soon as the fight started, Franco’s legs were coated in aether as he rushed Jenn. She dodged to the side, her legs coated in aether for a single second only. Franco spun, rushing back at her, but a touch slower than the first time. Jenn waited for a moment before her legs were again engulfed in blue flame, but just long enough for her to dash to the side.

“Too afraid to stand and fight?” Franco laughed.

“Not at all. I’m just not a bull that only knows how to charge.”

Franco let the aether on his legs vanish. “Fine. I’ll go a little slower so you can keep up.”

Jenn just stood there, waiting for him. When he finally got close enough, she darted the two steps forward, cutting the distance drastically. Her arms were coated in aether, as were Franco’s as he tried to pummel her. Jenn blocked his attacks before slamming her forearms into his chest and pushing off, creating distance again.

Franco grunted. He was upset he hadn’t landed a clean strike, but neither had Jenn. “Dance, dance, dance! I should’ve figured that’s all you were good for. Well, maybe not the only thing.” His snicker gave a clear idea of what he was referring to.

Jenn stood still, set in a defensive posture without a hint of aether on her. Gregory smiled from the stands. He could see the aether strings that wrapped her body, dim and just waiting to come forth.

Franco came forward at the same pace as last time for the first few feet, but between his third and fourth step, his legs were covered in aether again and he sprang forward. Jenn knew she wasn’t going to be able to dodge in time and, calling forth her aether, she shifted enough to deflect the first couple of punches that came her way. When Franco’s aether-covered leg shot up, Jenn grimaced and managed to get her aether to her torso just before his leg connected.

The crowd let out a surprised sound when Jenn was flung back like a ragdoll. Yukiko took a deep breath, her hand finding Gregory’s arm and squeezing. Gregory didn’t comment, as he’d seen the strings brighten right before the kick landed.

“She’s okay,” Gregory murmured.

True to his word, Jenn came back up to her feet just before Franco was on top of her. Rolling to the left, she felt Franco’s leg graze her again and used that bit of momentum to buy her some distance again.

The fight became a near blur as Franco pushed his aether to make him faster, Jenn using hers to keep pace with him. Minutes ticked by as the two clashed over and over. Grandmaster Pan barely moved as he watched the fight, but he could see the momentum shifting as the fight went on.

When the fight came to a lull, the crowd was surprised. Franco looked nearly unblemished, but he no longer had aether covering his limbs. Jenn was sporting bruises and a little blood from where she hadn’t managed to deflect some of the hits enough to rob them of their power.

“It’s almost over,” Franco laughed. “I’ll finish you with this next pass.”

Jenn stayed quiet. She held her defensive stance and extended her left hand a little more, beckoning him.

Franco’s eyes narrowed. “You think you can win? You haven’t even touched me yet.”

Jenn’s lips curled up at the edges, and she beckoned him again.

Snarling, Franco’s whole body became coated in aether. There was a blue blur where Franco had been as he rushed Jenn. Jenn’s body was engulfed in aether when he reached her.

The crowd was on edge as the two clashed again, the excitement ratcheting up. When the aether died away, the two fighters were separated by a dozen feet. Jenn was clearly in pain, breathing shallowly as she looked at Franco. He looked pissed off as a trickle of blood came from his lip.

“I broke at least two ribs,” Franco laughed. “Next time, I’ll break one of your legs, then maybe your arms.”

Jenn stood upright and took a deep breath. “I doubt it. I feel fine as it is.”

Franco growled and clenched his fists tightly. “I’ll keep breaking you until you can’t heal.”

“No, the fight will be over before you can manage it.”

“We’ll see about that!” Franco spat. Summoning his aether, he felt a moment of worry. His flames were dimmer than they had been and he could feel his power waning.

Jenn smiled as she let her aether coat her body, the flames just as bright as they had been at the start of the fight. “Now, how many of your bones do I break?”

Franco felt a sudden panic, realizing that he’d burned his aether when he didn’t need to, and Jenn used it for brief moments only to stop him from crushing her. His eyes narrowed as he steeled himself to go down fighting.

They clashed again, and when they separated, Franco’s aether was spluttering. A dark circle ringed his right eye, his nose was dripping blood, and both of his lips were split. Jenn grimaced, favoring her left leg.

“You didn’t break it,” she said. “Running out of energy?”

Franco spat some blood to the side. “You didn’t break any of mine, or even crack them.”

“I needed to see what you had left in you. Now, I’ll finish this challenge.”

Jenn let her aether blaze and rushed Franco. Franco summoned what he had left and braced to meet her. Less than a minute later, Jenn dropped Franco to the ground and stepped back.

“The challenge is over,” Pan said. “The winner is Bean. Healer, come and check them.”

Mindie, the fox-eurtik healer, came rushing forward from the tunnel under the arena. She checked Franco first, as he was the one on the ground. After a few moments, she stood up. “He’s alive, but will need to be seen by the healers. He has a few slight breaks. Before I work on him further and have him taken to the senior healers, I’ll check her.”

“Thank you,” Jenn said, grunting and making a pained face as she balanced most of her weight on a single leg.

Mindie knelt in front of Jenn and lightly touched her leg. “Cracked twice, but not completely through... Give me a moment.”

Jenn breathed in sharply as she felt her leg bone shift. She let out a sigh of relief when the pain faded. “Thank you.”

“You have a number of other minor problems, but a few days of sleep should take care of them,” Mindie said as she rose to her feet. Lowering her voice, she leaned in a little, “He deserved worse, considering what he did in the tournament.”

“I did what I could,” Jenn replied. “My aether isn’t burning bright right now.”

“But it’s still better than his,” Mindie smiled. “Have a good night.”

“Well fought, Bean,” Pan said. “I look forward to what you manage during the second tournament.”

“Thank you, Grandmaster,” Jenn said, bowing to him.

“Your clan is waiting for you. Go enjoy your victory.”

Chapter Thirty-seven

The next week came and went as quickly as some of the others. Jenn was thanked several times by some of the other novices, who were looking forward to having someone else fight for them. The new novices for next year’s class had started to trickle into the academy— they wore novice white, but with red armbands so everyone would know at a glance they were not with the last class.

Leaving the archive, the trio was engaged in conversation about the books they were reading. The Empire’s Gambit book had been given up, since they were all reading it and learning the game together at the clan hall.

“I’m almost done with the rules and regulations for troops, Greg,” Yukiko told him.

“I’ll be glad to set the law books down,” Gregory said. “I’ve stuck with it because I want to see the first laws of the empire, but some of them are hard to parse.”

“The tea ceremonies are interesting,” Jenn said. “I had no idea that a single clan controlled everything about them.”

“Yes, it was interesting in a few ways,” Yukiko nodded. “I’m going to start reading about import and export items for each country next. I think I know them, but it never hurts to make sure.”

“I was thinking about looking into my grandfather’s history,” Jenn said. “I’ve never delved into dwarven lore before.”

“I did with the eurtik,” Yukiko said. “Some of it was quite surprising.”

“Excuse me... can I speak with you, honored novices?”

All three of them stopped, surprised by the young woman behind them. Her eurtik blood was strong; enlarged canines, wolf ears, bright yellow eyes, and a slowly wagging tail told them of her heritage.

“How might we help you?” Yukiko asked, noticing the red armband on her white kimono.

“You are Warlin and Pettit, right?”

“I am Yukiko, he is Gregory, and she is Jenn, but yes, we’re the ones you think we are.”

Tailing wagging faster, she smiled widely. “Oh, I was hoping I could speak with you. I’m sorry, where are my manners? I am Daciana Lyall. You’ve spoken with my father, Gufta, at Stabled Hunger before.”

“Yes. How is your father?” Yukiko asked.

“Father is good. He was beside himself when I tested as a magi.”

“I remember him. He said that you’d be joining Aether’s Guard when you can,” Gregory said. “You don’t need to do th—”

“I will!” Daciana said forcefully, cutting Gregory off. “I’ve heard that those of eurtik blood are accepted in your clan. Not merely allowed, but welcomed as equals.”

“That’s true,” Yukiko said. “I would caution you to not tell others what clan you hope to join. We’ve made some powerful enemies, and I don’t think they’d worry about squashing you before you’ve even had a chance to learn.”

Daciana nodded. “I will heed your words, Yukiko. I wanted to know what’s required to join Aether’s Guard.”

“I’m not sure,” Yukiko said.

“Dia never said anything,” Gregory added.

“Nothing that we can think of, but being strong in your chosen magic is a powerful first step. What magic did you test with at the Blade?” Jenn asked.

“Earth. The master said it appeared to be strong.”

“Then you shouldn’t have any problems.” Jenn smiled. “It’s going to be several months before you can officially join the clan. You might have better offers by then, or change your mind. If you don’t, though, I’m sure that you’d be welcomed.”

Daciana shook her head. “No other clan could offer me enough to change my mind. I have my sights set already, and I do not waver once I have my goal in sight.”

“One needs to have strong conviction to make it,” Yukiko smiled. “Hold to your goal, but be prepared for a bitter road. We do have somewhere to be, so if you’ll excuse us?”

“I didn’t mean to delay you,” Daciana said, bowing formally to them. “Thank you for your time. Will I be able to converse with you again?”

“Probably,” Yukiko said. “We’d need to check what’s allowed for magi of different years.”

“I understand,” Daciana said. “Have a good day.”

They said goodbye to Daciana and continued toward the postern gate.

“That was odd,” Gregory said.

“Not as odd as you might think,” Yukiko said. “She isn’t wrong about eurtiks and other clans. Some of the newer and smaller clans aren’t as prejudiced. If her magic is strong, then some of them will be very interested in her. Her father likely made a strong impression on her, though.”

“He did seem very excited about the idea,” Gregory said slowly. “She might change her mind by the end of the first tournament, but we should still let Dia know about her.”

“Dia can look into it more, but right now, I’m looking forward to actually playing Empire’s Gambit today,” Jenn said, changing the topic.

“Yes,” Gregory nodded. “I need to stop by the courier’s office, too.”

“You still haven’t said why,” Yukiko smiled.

Gregory grinned. “Surprises.”

Jenn shook her head. “I don’t think we’re going to get more out of him.”

“You’re probably right,” Yukiko said. “We can split after we leave. You can take a rickshaw to the office and we’ll go to Gin’s.”

“I’ll see you there,” Gregory said.

~*~*~

When he arrived at Gin’s home, Gregory thanked Baylyss for letting him in. “Are they in the garden?”

“With Elsa,” Baylyss replied. “She was nearly fanatical wanting to learn this week.”

“Rewards are great motivators,” Gregory chuckled. “We’ll see how she feels after a week or two.”

“Yes. Achieving for the short term is easier than staying motivated over an extended period.”

Entering the inner courtyard garden, Gregory watched Jenn and Yukiko moving through the slow, controlled movements in unison. He saw Elsa staring at the two women, doing her best to copy them.

“The first time or two, concentrating on the motions is good, but you’ll eventually reach the point where you can meditate while doing it,” Gregory told her. “Do you think you understand the basics?”

Elsa’s balance wavered, and she had to take an extra step to not fall over. “Not yet, but I will.”

“I won’t meditate today,” Gregory said, moving closer to her. “I’ll walk you through the first kata until you have it memorized. Ready?”

Elsa took the stance that the Peaceful Fist started with. “Yes, sir!”

“Okay. First, we go to the back foot, and extend the left hand,” Gregory explained softly, putting motion to his words.

~*~*~

“Your guests have arrived,” Baylyss announced.

“Good, we were just finishing,” Gregory said. “Good work, Elsa. You have the first two katas down flawlessly.”

Elsa beamed. “Thank you, sir!”

“Sensei might be a better title when he’s teaching you,” Yukiko said, her own meditation ending about a minute prior.

“Thank you, Sensei,” Elsa said, bowing formally to him.

“Your training time is done for today,” Baylyss said kindly. “We must make the tea for them now.”

“Yes,” Elsa said as she walked toward Baylyss with hurried steps. “Baylyss, can I practice every day?”

“Only if you finish all your other work and your learning tasks are completed.”

“Yes,” Elsa said happily as she stepped around Baylyss. “I’ll go start the tea.”

When she left, Baylyss turned to the three novices. “As I was telling Gregory earlier, she is fanatical with her learning because of this being her reward, but I worry how long it will last.”

“Time will tell,” Yukiko said, “but I don’t think she’ll lapse.”

“No. She’s as motivated as I was to spend time in the forge,” Jenn said. “She’ll only fail if people discourage her. Since that isn’t likely to happen, I don’t think she’ll fail.”

“Very well. Let me escort you to your guests,” Baylyss said. “They brought quite a few things with them today.”

“It’s for Empire’s Gambit,” Gregory said.

“Oh, that’s a complicated one. Dia talked about it some when we were younger.”

“It is complicated,” Gregory agreed. “We started reading about it last week. Today, we’ll be getting hands-on experience.”

“From what I recall, don’t get discouraged the first few times you attempt it,” Baylyss said. “It can be quite rough if your opponents are skilled and you’re not.”

“We’ll keep that in mind,” Yukiko said.

“Ah, there they are,” Lon said when the group entered the room. “We’re still setting it up, but come on over and get a look.”

They looked at the tables the instructors had pushed together so they could arrange the game board. Several unit figures stood on each side of the game board. The playing area depicted grasslands with some light woods near the center.

“We’re going with the easiest tileset to start with,” Lon said. “Plains doesn’t have any negative modifiers, though the woods will hinder cavalry movement. We’ll discuss the basics first.”

“We’ve been reading about the game,” Gregory said. “We understand the very basic premise, but not how it all ties together.”

“Okay,” Lon grinned. “We’ll be splitting into teams; us against you. Each of us will have a unit to control, but you have to appoint one of you to be the general in charge of finances.”

“Yuki,” Jenn said without hesitation.

“Agreed,” Gregory nodded.

Yukiko nodded. “Very well.”

“We’ll be playing an even match. We’ll all control a light foot unit, with a magus in command. We’ll match your selection on magus type.”

“Physical,” Jenn said.

“Fire,” Yukiko said.

“Earth,” Gregory added.

“Very well. Pick your side of the board,” Lon said.

“Your markers,” Vexlin said, handing them each a banner for their unit. “It represents the magus in charge of your units.”

“We start with the same supplies and vela,” Cal said. “I’m the leader for our side. That’s important because it means my unit has the pay chest, just like Yukiko’s does.”

“In order to win, all three opposing units need to have fallen, surrendered, or have fled.”

“Understood,” Yukiko said.

“Here are the starting stats for your units,” Vexlin said, handing over plaques with the pertinent information, “and your list of supplies and vela.”

“We start by placing our units on the board within two hexagons of the edge,” Lon said. “Good luck. If you have questions, ask as we go.”

Gregory nodded as he set his unit on the map. “We will. The easiest way to learn is to ask.”

~*~*~

Baylyss was showing them to the door hours later. “You appeared to be having fun, but I’m not certain.”

“It was frustrating,” Jenn said, “but fun at the same time. I never thought learning was this fun until I joined with Greg and Yuki.”

“Fun and frustrating is accurate,” Yukiko said. “The minutiae of the game is where an experienced player can dominate. I look forward to next week.”

“Thank you, Baylyss. This is only possible because of you doing everything you do,” Gregory said. “We’ll be meeting with them for the next few months, which is far longer than my original proposition.”

“It’s fine,” Baylyss said. “I was asked to make things as easy as possible for you.”

“Where’s Elsa?” Gregory asked, noticing she was missing.

“She passed out an hour ago,” Baylyss chuckled. “I’m letting her nap until you go. This is the first time she’s run out of steam before bed.”

“The Peaceful Fist is surprisingly taxing if you aren’t used to it,” Jenn said. “She’ll be able to handle it soon, though.”

“I’m sure she will. Good evening to you all. We’ll be looking forward to your return next week.”

Saying goodbye to Baylyss, the friends started the jog back to the academy.

Chapter Thirty-eight

There had been no new challenges thrown at them over the last four weeks, but the other novices used Franco as a champion in every challenge they could, keeping him from issuing any challenges himself. The Eternal Flame stopped all challenges without any seeming reason, and the Swift Wind clan lost a novice in a challenge against the Han clan. The healer had not been fast enough to save him during the brutal fight.

Gregory devoured law books about Krogga and Buldoun after spending a few days reading on horse care. Yukiko had dived through the rich lore on Aether, and Jenn struggled with the laws of the empire after finishing dwarven lore.

Daciana had taken to arriving at the archive to study a little after they did every day. Besides wishing them each a good day, she didn’t speak much with them, but Gregory knew she was watching them while she read.

~*~*~

Taking their seats in the archive, the group was excited. It was Jenn’s birthday, and they had plans.

“Remember, we’re having lunch at Stabled Hunger,” Yukiko said. “Elsa will be joining us, too.”

“She was very excited when we asked her last week,” Jenn smiled. “Reminds me of my youngest sister... so excitable and innocent.”

“Dedicated, too,” Gregory said. “Hasn’t wavered on her learning at all, according to Baylyss. She managed to get through all of the Peaceful Fist last week.”

“We’ll be starting a new game of Empire’s Gambit against the instructors soon,” Yukiko added. Three games over four weeks and we haven’t come close to winning. Every time we get close, they have a new trick and the citations about why it’s a legal move.”

“It’s frustrating...” Jenn grumbled as she pulled out paper to start Magi Squares.

“And fun, because it’s difficult,” Yukiko said. “I’ve been enjoying it, even when we lose.”

“At the moment, it’s just learning, but we’ll need to know the game for next year and beyond. If we do end up commanding people in the field, we’ll be glad we have some knowledge ahead of time.”

“I understand that,” Jenn said. “I’d just like to win, even once.”

“We will before the end,” Yukiko said. “With the three of us helping pay for it, we can easily keep them employed until the end of the first year. I feel better that Greg isn’t paying for it alone, anyway.”

“Not like I’m spending the stipend on much else,” Gregory said.

“We need to look into getting clothing again,” Yukiko smirked, “but that’s after lunch. I have the day all planned, and I let the instructors know they have today off last week.”

“So that’s what that was,” Gregory nodded. “I saw you whispering to Lon just before they left. I’d been wondering.”

“I’ve arranged things,” Yukiko said. “Now, let’s focus on our task.”

“Good morning,” Daciana said softly as she moved to the nearby table.

“Morning, Daciana,” Gregory said. “How’s your studying going?”

“Slowly,” Daciana replied with a pained smile, “but I’ll continue to push forward.”

“That’s the only way,” Jenn said. “Just make sure you’re learning. Reading without comprehension isn’t learning.”

“I understand,” Daciana said. “Please, don’t let me disturb you.” She paused as she took her seat. “Might I ask a question? I’ve seen some novices starting to form groups... Is this approved? I made a friend, but we’re not sure if we can study together.”

“It’s fine,” Yukiko said. “If you have questions like that, the archivists here or the keeper for your dormitory can answer them for you.”

“I see. Sorry. Thank you.”

“We’re happy to help,” Gregory said, “but instead of waiting to ask us, there are others who can guide you, too.”

“I’ll bring her with me starting tomorrow. I’m sorry for interrupting you again. Thank you.”

~*~*~

Leaving the archive, the group briefly discussed the books they were currently reading. “I believe the eurtik history has to be more entertaining than your books,” Jenn said.

“Law books are dense,” Yukiko sighed. “Buldoun is heavily focused on commerce laws.”

“Yes, it took me longer to get through that than the empire’s laws,” Gregory agreed. “Limaz laws are different, though. They hold to equal laws, with no separation on station or power. Kill a person there and it doesn’t matter if you are a pauper or the most powerful magi— both are treated the same.”

“I can see the good and bad in that,” Jenn said.

“It’s decidedly different,” Gregory said.

“On a different subject,” Yukiko said, looking over her shoulder, “Daciana has been respectful, but do either of you feel like we’re being placed on pedestals?”

“She’s trying to mimic us,” Jenn said. “Not sure it’s being raised up so much as just being used as role models.”

“She’s going to have a hard time if she tries to copy us,” Gregory said. “I don’t think she can train like we do, and it might hurt her if she ends up on a path unsuited to her.”

“The rules of the academy don’t say anything about offering advice to lower magi,” Yukiko said. “We can still try to help her and her friend, whoever that turns out to be. We should warn her about people like Nick, too.”

“That we should definitely do,” Gregory agreed.

“She’s earth magic,” Jenn said. “Her magic wouldn’t be greatly hindered by one path over another. At least, not as far as I know. We don’t even know what she’s studying.”

“We can ask tomorrow,” Yukiko said. “For now, let’s focus on your birthday.”

“Yes,” Jenn grinned. “I should tell you both something, too.” Seeing she had their attention, she slipped her medallion out of her kimono. “I reached the tenth rank.”

“That’s another reason to celebrate,” Yukiko laughed. “We need to stop by Alvis Alchemy today to let them know to upgrade the ingredients again. Since you just rose in power, Greg and I shouldn’t be too far away.”

“We’ll all be into apprentice ranks by the time the next tournament comes. I wonder who will be close to us?” Gregory mused.

“Nick,” Yukiko muttered. “He’s undoubtedly pushing himself and Jason up. Maybe Michelle and Gina, too, depending on how much they are willing to do for him.”

“Rather cut my own throat...” Jenn shuddered.

“I’d rather you didn’t,” Gregory said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Yuki and I would be sad if you did.”

Jenn’s lips quirked upward. “I can’t have that.”

“Good,” Yukiko said. “Besides, we’d never let that happen to you.”

~*~*~

The next couple of hours at Gin’s home passed by with meditation and exercise. The group split up to have a quick rinse off so they were fresh for the rest of the day. Elsa was all but vibrating with excitement when they finished bathing and said goodbye to Baylyss.

“We’ll bring her back before sunset,” Yukiko said.

“That’d be best, since you all need to be back at the academy by then,” Baylyss replied with a hint of a smile.

“We’ll bring her back with plenty of time,” Gregory assured her.

“I’d like to make sure of that,” Baylyss said, “which is why I arranged for something.” They were puzzled until Baylyss opened the door, revealing the carriage waiting for them. “The driver has been informed that he’s to bring Elsa back here if you need to separate.”

“But…” Elsa said before she shook her head. “That’s the right thing to do. I am a guest for their birthday lunch.”

“Thank you,” Yukiko said to Baylyss. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Of course. Consider it my gift to you,” Baylyss said to Jenn.

“I accept it. Thank you.”

“Let’s get going or we’ll be late,” Gregory said as he headed for the carriage. “We’re in your hands, sir.”

“I’ll getcha there safe,” the driver said.

The trip to Stabled Hunger was peaceful in the carriage. Yukiko and Jenn passed the time quizzing Elsa on different subjects. Gregory just sat with Elsa beside him, congratulating her on each correct answer and explaining the ones she got wrong.

The driver dropped them at the front door, telling them he’d be in the back while he waited for them. Leading the others into the building, Gregory went to greet Ramon, but before he could, he was interrupted.

“Novice, did my daughter find you?” Gufta asked.

“Daciana has spoken with us a few times,” Gregory replied to the father.

“She’s joined your clan?”

“No. She can’t join a clan until after the first novice tournament is over.”

“Ah, I didn’t know that,” Gufta sighed. “She’s okay, right?”

“She’s been studying hard,” Yukiko said, joining the conversation. “We see her most mornings at the archive.”

“Really?” Gufta was clearly surprised. “She hated studying.”

Gregory left Yukiko to speak with Gufta, making his way to the bar. “Ramon, we—”

“Is my daughter okay?” Ramon asked suddenly, staring at Gregory.

“Why wouldn’t she be?” Gregory asked, confused by the question.

“She’s at the academy,” Ramon exhaled. “We didn’t expect her to be gifted.” He rubbed at his face. “I’ve heard stories of the academy... how some novices die, and…” Trailing off, Ramon took a deep breath.

“We had no idea she was there,” Gregory said. “I’m sorry.”

“It should be fine,” Ramon said tiredly. “Just a father worried for his only child. I got a letter from her a week ago saying she had made friends with Gufta’s kid, Daciana. I just wasn’t sure what she’s experiencing right now or how dangerous it is.”

Gregory thought over his words for a minute. “She’s likely fine. The turmoil for novices doesn’t really start until classes do, and even then, they don’t get bad until the tournament ends. Some of what you heard might be true, though. Novices do die. A handful have since the start of classes for my year. If she joins a good clan, it isn’t as likely that something bad will happen to her.”

Ramon looked relieved and even more worried at the same time. “Can she join your clan? Gufta was saying that Daciana’s going to. You know her— she’s a good girl and she can be an asset.”

Gregory held up his hands. “Calm yourself, Ramon. She can’t join a clan until the first novice tournament is over. She has a friend and that makes it very slim that anything untoward will happen to her before then. If she speaks with the clan representative in the academy, she’ll be considered.”

“But you can speak for her, right?” Ramon asked intently.

Gregory held in his sigh, giving the father a level look. “If she asks for it— for herself— yes. Daciana appears to be focused on joining the clan, but I’m not sure if that’s her own desire or her father’s. Every novice has to find their own way forward.”

Ramon swallowed and looked away. “I’m sorry, Magi. I just worry for her.”

Gregory reached out and grabbed Ramon’s shoulder firmly. “I understand. If she asks, I’ll do what little I can for her, but being close to us also means that our enemies will look at her, too.”

“They’ll already hate her,” Ramon said, his voice hitching. “Those bigoted bastards...”

“That’s true, unfortunately,” Gregory said softly. “Other clans aren’t like that, though. I can’t promise anything, but she’s been kind to us here. I’ll return that kindness to her.”

“We will,” Yukiko said, coming to his side. “I sent Jenn and Elsa to the room. I overheard most of the conversation. My apologies, but my heritage is much like hers. If she needs aid, we’ll do what we can.”

Ramon swallowed and wiped at the single tear that escaped. “Thank you. Both of you. I’ll let her mother know that Nessa will have friends and allies to watch for her. We’ve been so worried.”

“My parents were just as worried,” Yukiko said softly. “Having a friend in your class makes it easier, and as I heard, she has one. Trust in your daughter. You instilled in her your values and spirit; she’ll do fine with those to help guide her.”

Ramon’s lips finally turned up into a smile. “Her mother did that. And yes, she’s a spirited one, but that’s one of our worries. I’ll let Vana know that you’re ready for the meal.”

“Thank you,” Gregory said, letting go of Ramon’s shoulder.

“No. Thank you, and your friend, as well.”

~*~*~

Their lunch was excellent— Vana went all out for them, stopping in to check on them multiple times and thanking them each time she did. Gregory made a silent promise to himself to do what he could to help Nessa, seeing how much her mother and father worried about her. What he was concerned about at the moment, however, was Elsa. She’d been quiet the entire meal, only talking when addressed, and was not as outgoing as she normally was.

When they finished eating, they went off to Lagrand’s next. As the carriage rolled down the road, Gregory broached the subject. “Elsa, are you okay?”

Elsa shrugged her shoulders, staying silent.

“It’s parents, isn’t it?” Gregory asked gently.

Elsa swallowed hard and wiped at her cheek, but not before Gregory saw the tear. “Don’t have any now.”

“You had them, though. I lost my mother when I was close to your age.”

Yukiko and Jenn watched them with concern, neither sure what to say.

“How?” Elsa asked, sniffling.

“No one’s certain,” Gregory said slowly. “I was the one who found her in the woods. There was blood everywhere…”

Elsa swallowed and more tears trickled from her eyes. “Momma…”

“It still twinges when I think about her,” Gregory said. “My father… changed when it happened. He wasn’t nice anymore.”

Elsa hiccupped a small sob. “Papa...”

“I understand. It’s hard,” Gregory said, putting his arm over her shoulder and gently hugging her to his side. “I’m here, and I will hear you.”

Elsa began to cry, deep hard sobs. Turning, she grabbed his clothing, burying her face into his side. Gregory remembered the pain of losing his mother and stroked her hair gently as she cried. Blinking back his own tears, he looked to the women across from them and motioned with his head. Both reached out, gently rubbing Elsa’s back and murmuring soft soothing words to her.

“Papa…” Elsa hiccupped the word, muffled against Gregory’s side. “Papa argued with a magi. The magi struck him once, and Papa went flying.”

“He died?” Gregory asked softly.

“Momma… she said… so. Told me it was my fault.”

Gregory felt his blood go cold. “She said that?”

“Yes,” Elsa sobbed harder. “Told me to leave… apologized to the magi…”

Yukiko shook her head in anger and disgust. Jenn’s face showed revulsion at what she was hearing. Gregory held Elsa as she cried and tried to not react.

“I tried… I tried to go back…”

Gregory could feel Elsa shaking against him as she cried.

“She told me… no daughter… I was trash…”

The coldness in his veins became fire as he visualized what Elsa said.

“Ran… slept in bushes… found flowers… sell to eat… met others… sell flowers so we all eat…”

“Where are the others?” Yukiko asked softly.

“Hiding.”

“You use your money to help them?” Jenn asked.

“Yes. They have no parents, either.” Elsa was slowly calming down.

“Have you told Baylyss?” Gregory asked.

“No,” Elsa shook her head, keeping her face to his kimono. “She might kick me out, even if she’s like them...”

“Like them?” Yukiko asked, but already knew.

“Eurtik. They’re all eurtik, except me. Their families kicked them out, not wanting…” Elsa swallowed hard. “Animals.”

“Will you take us to see them?” Gregory asked.

“They won’t like me if I do.”

“Okay,” Gregory said softly. “How do you get them your help?”

“I ran an errand for Baylyss on the second day. I told them to come at night. I leave things for them outside.”

“Can we help, too?” Jenn asked.

Elsa pulled back from Gregory a little, glancing at Jenn with worry. “Why?”

“Because we care,” Yukiko said. “For you, and your friends, just as we would for each other.”

“When family turns its back, you only have friends and the new family you make for yourself,” Gregory said with a tight throat. “I know.”

Elsa looked up at him. Her eyes were bloodshot and she had a line of snot dripping from her nose. “You…” She trailed off as tears formed again. “Thank… you…!”

The carriage slowed, and the driver called out that they had reached the tailor’s a moment before it came to a full stop.

Gregory cleared his throat so he could yell back, “Once more around the block, sir. Please.”

“Uh, very well,” the driver said, clearly uncertain.

Chapter Thirty-nine

When they made it back to Lagrand Clothiers, Gregory led the others into the shop.

“Welcome back,” Sophia Lagrand greeted them with a smile. “Oh, you brought more people. I appreciate the increased business. What can I do for you?”

Yukiko stepped forward. “My friends and I would like to purchase a couple of outfits. I will need more for Elsa, and then a dozen clothing sets near her size.”

Elsa’s eyes nearly bugged out, but she didn’t try to speak against Yukiko.

“For her to grow into?” Sophia asked.

“No, for friends of hers. Male and female. Elsa will be able to give you approximate sizes, but err to the larger size so they can grow into them.”

Sophia looked confused, but nodded. “Very well.” She selected two bells, giving each a ring separately. “Just let my staff know what you’re looking for.” A minute later, the same man who’d helped Gregory before came out of the back, followed by a woman. “See to our guests.”

“If you will follow me, sir,” the man said, motioning to the door he’d come from.

“Did you wish to be together for this?” the woman asked Yukiko, Jenn, and Elsa.

“Please,” Yukiko said. “We’d like to talk while we get fitted.”

“Of course. Please follow me.”

“See you in a bit,” Gregory said.

~*~*~

Gregory was having a cup of tea in the front when they came out of the back. Standing up, he gave Elsa a smile and bowed to her. “Young lady, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Elsa giggled and gave him a curtsy in the new dress she was wearing. “Thank you, sir.”

“I told you he would like it,” Yukiko smiled. “Let me settle the bill and we can go to the next stop.”

Yukiko quickly paid for the clothing, and the four of them were climbing back into the carriage in no time.

“Thank you,” Elsa said when they started moving. “I don’t know how they’ll respond to this generosity, but I want to thank you for them.”

“They’ll probably be suspicious,” Yukiko said, “which is the right reaction. When most people want to give you gifts, you should be suspicious as to why. Don’t get upset if they are, okay?”

Elsa nodded. “Okay.”

“Alvis is next,” Gregory said. “Elsa, the rest of the day is going to be boring. Do you want to go back to Gin’s?”

“No,” Elsa said. “I want to stay and learn.”

“There won’t be a lot of learning,” Yukiko smiled, “but you can stay with us for a bit.”

Entering the alchemy shop, the scent of herbs brought a smile to Elsa’s face. “It smells good in here.”

The receptionist gave Elsa a grin. “I agree. Not many enjoy being surrounded by the scents for long, though.”

“I would.”

“Novice Warlin,” the receptionist greeted Yukiko, “how might we help you today?”

“We’re about to break into the apprentice rank, and I was wondering if there are extra supplements we should be taking. Jenn also reached the tenth rank today, so I was hoping to find out if there was a way to accelerate her in the short term. Safely, that is.”

“Any form of pushing aether too fast is dangerous,” the receptionist replied. “As it is, your supplements are only about half of what we could do. Alvis doesn’t ever want to be to blame if someone goes too far.”

“Can we increase Jenn’s a little bit, then? We’d like her to catch us.”

“I’ll speak with Alvis, but he’ll likely be fine with a small increase. As for you and him, we’ll prepare the supplements for the apprentice rank, though we’ll need to be told when you make that jump. We’ll include a purifier with that shipment, too, because a shift in rank normally comes with a detoxifying of the body.”

“That’ll be fine, then,” Yukiko said.

“Your clan must be very proud of you,” the receptionist said. “You’ll be two or three ranks into the apprentice tier when the next tournament starts.”

“That’s what we hope for.”

“Is there anything else we can help you with today?”

“That’s all we came for originally,” Yukiko said. “Can we get an extra boost for Jenn before we leave?”

“Let me go speak with Alvis. I’ll be right back.”

Gregory had stayed out of the conversation, as he knew better than to interject into it, so he watched Elsa instead. Elsa knew she wasn’t needed for the discussion, so she’d been looking over the different plants.

“You really like it in here?” Gregory asked softly when the receptionist left.

“Yes. The scents are soothing.”

“We could ask Baylyss to find an alchemist that could use some help,” Yukiko said.

“No!” Elsa said quickly. “I’m fine with her, and serving all of you.”

“Then we won’t ask,” Gregory said to calm Elsa down.

“It was just an idea, since you like it here,” Jenn said.

Elsa was clearly having negative thoughts, so Gregory went to a knee next to her. “We’re happy with you taking care of us, Elsa. We just want you to be as happy as possible. That’s all we meant.”

“You’re not trying to get rid of me?” Elsa asked. Her lip was trembling and she was not meeting his eyes.

“No. We’d never try to get rid of you.”

Sniffling, Elsa nodded. “Okay.”

“If you want to take a day off work and see about working with an alchemist, let us know. We might not be able to make it happen, but we can find out.”

“Okay,” Elsa sniffled again, glancing at him and seeing his concern. “Sorry.”

“No need for sorry,” Gregory said, patting her back gently. “Come on, now. Cheer up or they might think we’re not nice.”

Elsa nodded sharply. “Okay!”

The receptionist came out of the back. “This is for you, Novice.” The receptionist held out a single flat white disk to Jenn. “It’ll take a few minutes to dissolve completely, and you need to hold it under your tongue.”

Jenn thanked her and placed it under her tongue. Her lips curled down in distaste, but she didn’t speak or spit it out.

“The flavor is something he’s still working on,” the receptionist apologized. “It will give you a boost, though.”

“Thank you,” Yukiko said. “What’s your name, miss?”

“Rhea,” the receptionist replied.

“Thank you for all your hard work, Rhea,” Yukiko said. “We’ll send word when we break through to apprentice.”

“We’ll begin the preparations and hope that it’s soon.”

“Have a good day.”

“You, as well, Novice.”

Leaving the shop, Gregory helped the women into the carriage, but before he could climb in himself, someone called out to him.

“Excuse me, Novice. Have you seen the urchin around?”

Gregory turned to find the guard who had twice accosted him about Elsa approaching. “Is there a problem?”

“Not a problem, but a mystery. It appears that the urchin girl who sold flowers has been missing. She was last seen with you.”

Gregory froze in place as visions of the future flashed by him. Shaking his head when the visions faded, he met the guard’s gaze. “She’s employed as a housemaid.”

Brow wrinkling, the guard’s lips pursed. “A housemaid? And how do you know that?”

“Because she works at Armsmaster Gin Watashi’s home. He is our sensei.”

The guard took a step back. “Ah, I see. Very well.”

Gregory frowned as the guard started to leave. “Sir, what’s your name?”

The guard slowed before turning back to Gregory. “Thompson. Why?”

“I just wanted to commend you on your worry for the girl, Thompson,” Gregory said. “Elsa, step out here for a moment, please?”

Else looked out of the carriage before she stepped out. “Yes, Greg?”

“Thompson here said he was worried about your well-being.”

Looking at the guard, Elsa’s lips thinned. “He doesn’t care about me. What he cares about is that I no longer have to give him a cut.”

The guard paled before flushing. “Are you implying I took bribes?”

“I’m sure she isn’t,” Yukiko said, poking her head out the open carriage door. “To accuse a guard without proof would be stupid, and I can say without reservation that Elsa isn’t that.”

“No, I didn’t mean to imply that,” Elsa said, taking the way out Yukiko had given her.

Thompson sneered, then turned on his heel and stormed off.

Gregory exhaled. “Well, that’s over with for now, at least.”

Elsa exhaled, her hands shaking. “I’m sorry... I didn’t think, and—”

“It was true,” Yukiko said softly. “Come on, we’re going home now.”

Gregory helped Elsa into the carriage before telling the driver to take them back to Gin’s.

~*~*~

Baylyss greeted them at the door. “Welcome back. How was the celebration? Ah, I see Elsa has a new dress.”

“Her old one and more will show up later today,” Yukiko said.

“Elsa, want to show me your favorite flowers?” Jenn asked.

“Yes,” Elsa said, taking Jenn’s hand and leading her away.

Once Elsa was out of earshot, Yukiko exhaled. “Baylyss, we need to talk about her.”

Baylyss’ lips thinned and she led them to the front sitting room. “What did she do?”

“It’s more what happened to her,” Yukiko said.

Yukiko explained what they’d learned, and what they wanted to do to help the other children Elsa knew. Gregory added in some points to the story, and the bit with Guard Thompson.

“I see. I knew about her leaving things out, and I’d seen some of the ones who came to collect. It’s been odds and ends, nothing that was a problem. If you’re going to help, though, I’ll make sure that better things can be given. The clothing might be a problem if we just leave it out for them… I’ll wait for it to show up, and then Elsa and I can take it to them.”

“Very well. Now that you know, I don’t feel bad about it,” Yukiko said. “We can’t help everyone, but we can help those of someone we care for.”

“Yes. I do know people who could offer small jobs, too. Trustworthy people, but that will have to wait until they trust me a bit more. If I try to do too much too soon, it could drive them away.”

“Understood,” Gregory said, rising to his feet. “We should get going.”

A knock on the door came just before Elsa opened it and led Jenn inside. “Sorry I dragged her off,” Elsa said.

“It’s fine,” Gregory said. “We’re done talking, and were just about to come find you.”

“Back to the academy already?” Elsa asked.

“We have other things to do, and there’s a birthday meal waiting for us,” Yukiko said. “We had a good day, Elsa.” Turning to Baylyss, Yukiko pulled out a handful of vela. “For the kids.”

“Oh, yes,” Jenn said, going over and adding more.

Gregory gave her some, too. “There, that should really help. I hope you have a good day, Elsa.”

Elsa’s eyes were bright and she bowed to them at the waist. “Thank you so much.”

They each gave her a hug as they said their goodbyes. Baylyss and Elsa saw them out, and the driver took them back to the academy.

~*~*~

“Did you notice?” Jenn asked as they walked away from the postern gate.

“Petak? I saw him,” Gregory said.

“He was surprised to see us,” Yukiko said. “We did come back earlier than normal.”

“It means that they’re still keeping tabs on the gate,” Jenn said. “Might not just be us they’re looking for.”

“I would doubt it’s just us,” Yukiko said. “That’ll be a problem in the future, I’m sure.”

“We can vary our return times,” Gregory said. “Yes, it’ll mean cutting our days shorter now and again, but it would keep them uncertain.”

“Agreed,” Yukiko nodded.

“They’ve been unusually quiet as of late,” Jenn said.

“Must be plotting something substantial,” Gregory muttered.

“Against us or someone else,” Yukiko sighed. “Worry about it tomorrow. We’re almost home, and there’s a birthday feast for tonight.”

Jenn smiled. “I wonder what they made?”

Chapter Forty

Waking in the giant bed, Gregory chuckled. “Hello, Darkness. I take it this means I’m an apprentice in power now?”

“Hello, dear one. You and Yukiko have both reached the next tier.”

Sitting up, he found the darkness in the corner lessened from what it had been. “Are you okay?”

“I’m more than okay. I’m very happy. You grow more powerful, and that’s why my darkness isn’t as deep anymore.”

“If I keep growing, I’ll be able to see you?”

“I’ll be laid bare before you.”

Gregory laughed. “You do love using double meanings.”

“It’s fun,” Darkness replied. “Besides, they’re both true.”

“You could lay yourself bare before me now, though, couldn’t you?”

“I could, but that isn’t how it’ll happen. Before we get too sidetracked, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“I’m all ears.”

“Now that you’ve touched your next tier, you have the chance to actively see the lines of aether that people spin. You may now also try to catch hints of the immediate future, or even try to peel back the layers of fate and see what might come from a decision. Each of those comes at correspondingly higher aether costs.”

“That’s good. Being able to see aether being used has kept me alive a few times. Having the ability to do that at will would make it better.”

“Yes. The second tournament is coming fast— you need to work with your magic to be better used to it.”

“I will.”

“Good. Now, with that out of the way…” Darkness trailed off as Yukiko appeared in bed beside Gregory.

“I had been wondering,” Yukiko said. “I’ll repay you now, Darkness.”

“Yes, please.”

“Huh?” Gregory asked, but he didn’t get anything else out before Yukiko kissed him.

Gregory forgot everything but Yukiko in his arms. The kiss led them into other, more carnal activities, all while the darkness in the corner watched them in silence.

~*~*~

Gregory exhaled slowly when he woke in his room. I love and hate that, he sighed to himself. Shaking his head in frustration, Gregory rose and cleaned up before dressing in his novice kimono. While he dressed, he noticed the medallion only had a single ring filled, but with sunflower-yellow energy instead of the white it had been.

“A bit ugly,” Gregory chuckled. “Better get used to it. That’s next year’s kimono color, too.”

The soft knock on the door came as he was crossing the room to it. Yukiko and Jenn gave him smiles when he opened it.

“Good morning, dear one,” Yukiko smiled with a knowing twinkle in her eyes.

“Morning, Greg,” Jenn said. “Did you become an apprentice, too?”

Gregory blinked. “Too? You?”

Jenn laughed, stifling it after a second. “No. Yuki showed me her medallion.”

“Oh. That makes more sense,” Gregory coughed, embarrassed. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. That does mean we need to send word to Alvis Alchemy for you both.”

“Yes... I wonder what will change,” Yukiko said. “That’s getting ahead of ourselves, though. We need to start the day with food. Nessa and Daciana will be at the archive today and we promised we’d show them Magi Squares.”

“Yeah. I’m glad they’re friends,” Gregory said. “They’d have a rougher time without each other.”

“And friends can help push you to do more,” Yukiko smiled.

“Yes, they can,” Jenn chuckled. “Encouragement is the key.”

“Let’s get going, then,” Gregory said.

~*~*~

They were in the middle of eating when Dia joined them. “Morning, Novices.”

“Morning, Dia,” Gregory said, as he was the only one not in the middle of a bite. “Dia, can you send someone to Alvis Alchemy for us?”

“I can. What is it you need?”

“Just to let them know that we became apprentice-tiered,” Gregory said, pulling his medallion out.

“Goodness, so soon?” Dia asked. “Our novices are surely the best in the academy. I’ll make sure they’re notified.”

“Thank you, Dia.”

“You plan to keep your normal schedule today?” Dia asked.

“Yes, though we’ll be spending some of our study time helping a pair of friends,” Yukiko said.

“That’s good. That would be Daciana and Nessa, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Admirable. They’ve both asked to speak with me, but I’m constrained by the rules. I notified each that until their year starts, we can’t discuss anything at all.”

“Is it okay if we talk to them?” Gregory asked.

“As long as you’re not trying to actively recruit them, it’s fine,” Dia said.

“Okay.”

“What’re you helping them with?” Dia asked.

“Both expressed interest in Magi Squares,” Yukiko said.

“That might prejudice their path,” Dia said. “Have you warned them?”

“We did,” Yukiko sighed. “They’ve seen us doing them and wished to try.”

“Hmm. The Peaceful Fist and Magi Squares?” Dia asked.

“Yes, Dia,” Gregory said.

“How unusual. Very well. I’ll make sure your message is sent. You’ve spoken to both of the not-yet novices. Do you believe they would fit in with the clan?”

“Both are part eurtik,” Yukiko said. “They won’t find a clan more willing to help them excel without constraints. Both are respectful and eager to learn.”

“I see,” Dia nodded. “Enjoy the rest of your meal. I have things to take care of. Quilet, have my breakfast sent to my office, please.”

“Yes, Dia.”

~*~*~

Simon welcomed them to the archive, letting them know the other two were already seated. Thanking him, the friends made their way to the table.

“Morning,” Nessa and Daciana said together.

“Got here earlier than normal,” Gregory said.

“We were both eager to learn,” Daciana replied.

“We are,” Nessa agreed.

“I want to make sure that you understand doing this could prejudice your path to mind,” Gregory said.

“We understand,” Daciana said.

“Very well. Yukiko will help Nessa, and Jenn will help you, Daciana. I’ll be making the squares for both of you. The first one will be easier and give you an idea of how to complete one without it being mind-numbing. The ones after that will get progressively harder.”

“Understood,” Daciana said, her tail wagging behind her.

“Alright,” Gregory said. “Let’s begin.”

~*~*~

Both Nessa and Daciana were quick studies, and needed very little help. It gave the others a chance to read, just not as much as they would have normally. Saying their goodbyes, Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn headed out.

“Novice, a moment?” Simon asked Jenn. “You asked before about a book on Buldoun’s magi. I can have that for you when you’re ready.”

“Really?” Jenn asked. “I thought it couldn’t be done. It’s been so long since I asked.”

“Sometimes, things just take a while to get approved,” Simon said. “Also, Pettit, there’s going to be a book for you, too. It’s about foresight.”

Gregory smiled. “Thank you, Simon, and the chief archivist, too. It might help me understand my magic more.”

“That was all I needed to say. Don’t let me detain you further.”

As they made their way for the gate, Yukiko realized she had never asked Gregory what else Darkness might have talked to him about. She glanced at Jenn and frowned, knowing she couldn’t ask with her around.

“Do you think it’ll help you?” Jenn was asking Gregory.

“It couldn’t hurt. Now that I have an apprentice’s energy, maybe I can start trying to use it. I’d been cautioned about trying before that.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize it took that much aether.”

“I don’t know, personally,” Gregory said, “though I’ll be finding out soon.”

“Maybe you can see what our instructors are going to do and we can win a match,” Jenn joked.

“That isn’t a bad idea, Jenn. It’d be a short test, but definitely something worth considering.”

They left the academy and, as they headed for Gin’s, Yukiko whispered to Jenn. Nodding, Jenn picked up her pace and pulled away from them. Before Gregory could ask what was happening, Yukiko touched his arm.

“I asked her to give us a minute,” Yukiko told him. “I realized I never asked what you and Darkness talked about before I joined you.”

Gregory’s cheeks heated as he recalled exactly why she had forgotten. “Uh... I’ll be able to see strands of aether easier now to start. Beyond that, I should be able to purposely gain a few seconds of foresight. She also said that I’d be able to see hints of what a decision may bring in the future, but that one would be the most draining.”

“You’ll be able to do this with purpose now?” Yukiko asked.

“Yeah, instead of it happening when it wants, though that might still happen if Darkness has anything to say about it.”

“She only wants what’s best for you, as do I.”

“I know, Yuki.”

“Did you mind?” Yukiko asked in an even softer tone. “That she didn’t leave?”

Gregory’s face grew hot again, matched by Yukiko’s. “Honestly, I forgot she was there. I was entranced by you.”

Yukiko gave him a smile, her cheeks flushed flame red. “She did say that would likely happen. It helps me repay her for letting us have those moments.”

“I can’t complain, then,” Gregory said. “I need to repay her, too.”

“You did,” Yukiko told him, “by not objecting, and maybe letting her continue to do so in the future. I’ve agreed that she can have a dream alone with you, as well, but she laughed and said that would be some time yet.”

Gregory chuckled. “She’s told me I have to make her. I’m sorely lacking in the power to do that, and likely will be for years.”

“I understand. I wanted you to know that I’ve approved of it, if it’s something you want.”

“Dear one...” Gregory murmured, touching her wrist lightly. “Does it hurt you?”

“Not with her. She’s part of you, and us. I’ll never disapprove of you and her, just as she doesn’t of you and me. Besides, you’re Aether,” Yukiko whispered. “It would be wrong of me to hold you entirely to myself.”

“What do you mean, Yuki?”

Yukiko shook her head. “Nothing to bother with for now, dear one. Come on, we have a game to play.”

Chapter Forty-one

Their routine changed a little over the next month. They did Magi Squares with Nessa and Daciana every morning, then read through several books, including the laws of the other nations, how Buldoun treated their magi, and the book on foresight that Gregory had asked for.

Economics class became more complex, but they were able to keep up with the majority of what Marcia taught them and dissected the rest to make sense of it. Combat training was focused more on weapons, but they still had unarmed training to keep their skills honed.

Yukiko learned from Inda how to form shadows into more complex shapes, allowing her to have greater control over them. She was just starting to learn how to shadow jump without the use of the ring.

Jenn’s training with Master Chen was brutal, as the best way to teach physical enhancement was to show the student. She quickly mastered how to absorb an attack with her aether instead of her body— the more powerful the attack, the more aether was required to absorb it. Her ability to use aether in short bursts also improved quickly under his tutelage.

Gregory found he could do as Darkness had told him, seeing the aether threads weaving magic. He’d dabbled with the few seconds of foresight, as well, but used it sparingly and only during combat, as that was when it was best. The one time he’d tried to see further into the future, his head swam and he nearly passed out.

The time they spent learning Empire’s Gambit with Lon, Vexlin, and Cal was both educational and fun for them. They never came close to winning a single match, but they rarely lost twice in the same way.

~*~*~

When Gregory finished dressing and opened the door to his room, he had to take a quick step back as a hand flew at his face. “What the…?”

Jenn jerked her hand back. “Greg! I didn’t mean to—”

Snorting, Gregory shook his head. “Just bad timing. It’s fine. Morning to you.”

“It’s a good morning!” Jenn said excitedly. She pulled her medallion out, showing him that the first circle was lit up a sunflower-yellow. “I’m an apprentice now.”

“That’s very good,” Yukiko said, having left her room unnoticed by them. “We’ll have to send word to Alvis to make sure you get the same things we are.”

“Yeah,” Gregory nodded. “Need to keep her moving closer to our rank. Maybe ask if they can’t boost her a little more, too?”

“I intended to,” Yukiko smiled. “I’ve had a letter prepared and waiting for the last week. I’ll have whoever is on duty in the kitchen give it to Dia.”

~*~*~

Simon greeted them as they entered the archive. “Good morning, Novices. Did you require different books?”

“We’re good with the ones we’re currently reading,” Yukiko said.

“Very well. If you require anything, we’re here to help.”

Making their way to the tables in the back, they were surprised that Nessa and Daciana weren’t there, as the two women normally beat them to the archive. They took their seats and pulled out paper, preparing Magi Squares for the day.

By the time they finished preparations, the other two magi still hadn’t shown. Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn exchanged puzzled glances, wondering what might have happened.

“Maybe we should go check on them?” Yukiko asked.

“They might’ve just slept in,” Jenn suggested, but it was obvious she didn’t believe it.

“We should do our work, and if they haven’t appeared by the time we finish, we can go check,” Gregory said. “They might have just woken a little late, is all, and could still be eating breakfast.”

The other two agreed and went to work on their puzzles. Gregory hesitated a moment longer before joining them. All three of them worried for their younger friends.

Just as Yukiko was finishing her squares, Daciana and Nessa came toward them. “Sorry for the delay,” Daciana said, her lips twisted into an almost smile.

Nessa was beside Daciana, clearly waiting to help her friend, who was injured.

“What happened?” Gregory asked.

“A challenge,” Daciana said, taking a seat gingerly.

“She won, but she didn’t want to see the healer,” Nessa said.

“Who challenged you?” Jenn asked.

“I called for the challenge,” Daciana replied. “His name is Peter. He’s a loudmouthed braggart.”

“He was being unkind to me,” Nessa said. “Daciana challenged him for me.”

“You’re not used to fighting, yet,” Daciana said. “I did what was best for both of us.”

“Did you win?” Jenn asked.

“Yes. He has to leave us alone now,” Daciana winced.

“What’s injured?” Yukiko asked.

“My ribs, mostly.”

“I’ll take you to the healer,” Yukiko said, rising to her feet. “Jenn, come with me? Greg, will you help Nessa study until we get back?”

“I will. Nessa?”

“But… I should go. She fought for me.”

Daciana shook her head. “I fought for both of us, Nes. Stay and learn— you’re better at it than I am. You can help me with it later.”

“Okay...” Nessa said softly.

The other three left, leaving Nessa and Gregory alone. Gregory waited for them to be out of sight before he coughed to get Nessa’s attention. “They’ll be fine, Nessa. I have your Magi Squares ready for you. Sit and try to focus on it.”

“Yes, sir,” Nessa said, taking the seat Yukiko had been in a moment before.

“Greg, remember?” Gregory asked lightly.

“Sorry, Greg. I’m just worried about Daciana. She argued with me about the healers… it’s expensive for us to use them, since we’re not officially novices yet.”

“And she challenged Peter for you,” Gregory added.

“Yes. I haven’t had any training in fighting and have never been in a real fight before. Daciana had been in a lot of fights growing up... Even though she isn’t trained, she still knows what to do better than I do.”

“You can ask her to teach you.”

“I did. She said she doesn’t know how to teach.”

“Oh.”

Nessa went quiet as she started to work on her squares. Gregory watched her, thinking about the difficulties the younger novices faced.

~*~*~

“We’re back, Greg,” Yukiko said.

Both Gregory and Nessa looked up from their books.

“Everything okay?” Gregory asked.

“No,” Daciana said. “I owe her, and she’s refusing to let me pay her back.”

Gregory chuckled. “Get used to that, especially if you’re going to be around us. Yuki has a way of winning fights that revolve around vela.”

Yukiko shook her head. “I told her she should focus on herself for now. It was a gift for a friend.”

“Best to accept gifts from a friend,” Jenn said.

“Our normal study time is almost up,” Gregory said.

“Yes, but it was spent well,” Yukiko said. “Daciana, Nessa, we’ll see you tomorrow. Remember what I told you.”

“I will,” Daciana said. “Thank you again. I’ll accept the gift... as a friend.”

Yukiko’s smile grew wide. “Thank you.”

Saying their goodbyes, they left the other two to study.

Once they were outside the archive, Yukiko spoke up, “As much as I hate Nick and his friends, they might have done me a great service.”

“By stopping others from causing trouble?” Gregory asked.

“Yes. I spoke with the healer, Mindie. She, like myself, is part eurtik. Apparently, people of mixed parentage are bullied a lot. Hers was diminished because most don’t want to alienate a healer, but she was still bullied far more than we were.”

“I even had a good number of challenges before the tournament because of my heritage,” Jenn said.

“I was thinking...” Yukiko said. “I’m going to ask Gin if he’ll allow Indara to help train them a little. That way, they’ll have an advantage over those that want to hurt them.”

“But Indara is part of the clan,” Gregory said. “She can’t train them.”

“No, she’s registered as Gin’s mistress, not part of the clan,” Yukiko said. “She can train them without breaking the rules of the academy.”

“That’ll irritate some people,” Jenn added. “We should speak with Dia about it.”

“Agreed,” Gregory said. “We can let them decide. I agree with the concept, though. Nessa needs a lot of help when it comes to fighting. She isn’t a pacifist, but she isn’t aggressive, either.”

“We’ll talk to them tonight,” Yukiko said. “For now, we have other things to do.”

“Elsa will be waiting on us,” Jenn smiled.

“Hasn’t failed her lessons yet,” Gregory chuckled. “Motivated girl.”

~*~*~

Their time at Gin’s was over with quicker than anyone realized. Elsa was excited all day, as her child friends had accepted their help. Gregory was surprised to see a half dozen children doing various jobs around the home, but his chest felt warm and he wore a smile every time he saw one of them.

The group was discussing the happy news about the kids as they walked back to the clan hall. Splitting up for their baths, Gregory made it to the dinner table before the women.

Dia and Gin greeted him, and Gregory decided to broach the subject they’d thought of before; “Yuki, Jenn, and I had a question for the two of you and Indara. Our friends, who are going to be novices next year, are already being challenged by their contemporaries. One has never fought before, and the other has, but hasn’t had any training. We wanted to know if you’d be able to help them learn? Would it even be allowable by academy laws?”

Indara looked to Gin. “I’m fine with helping those who wish to follow.”

Gin nodded. “Indara is willing to do so. I will ask that she be compensated, however.”

“I’ll give her half of my stipend,” Gregory said.

“As will we,” Yukiko said, coming into the room.

“Yes,” Jenn agreed.

“Dia?” Gregory asked.

Dia looked from one of them to the next, looking pensive. “It doesn’t break the laws of the academy, but it’s in a gray area... I’ll allow it, but make sure they understand that the training can stop at any moment if a problem occurs.”

“Thank you,” they all said, bowing to Dia, Gin, and Indara.

“I will train them for two hours every morning after sixth bell. It’ll need to be at one of the training areas.”

“The first time, I’ll go with you so you know what would be the best to use,” Gin said. “After that, you’ll be able to get there without being seen.”

“Thank you,” Indara smiled at him.

“How did the challenge go?” Dia asked.

“Daciana won, but she had a broken rib and didn’t have the money to pay for the healer. The man she ended up challenging, Peter, had a broken nose, two black eyes, and a severely sprained wrist.”

“She challenged him?” Gin asked.

“She did,” Jenn said. “Peter had backed Nessa against a tree and was verbally abusing her. Knowing that Nessa couldn’t fight, Daciana did so on her behalf.”

“Protecting her friend. What did the challenge entail?”

“He isn’t allowed to speak to or approach them for a full year,” Yukiko said. “She’s lucky she won. Peter said if that was their condition, his was going to be that Daciana became his servant until the year began for them.”

Gin grunted. “Foolish. Indara, make sure she learns better. If she had lost, it would’ve been worse for both of them.”

“Yes,” Indara nodded. “He would have abused her and still gone after her friend.”

Gregory’s eye twitched. “I dislike this man and I haven’t even met him.”

“Dinner is ready,” Velma said.

Chapter Forty-two

Gregory smiled at the darkness in the corner. “Darkness, it’s good to be here again.”

“It’s good to see you, dear one. I look forward to when I don’t have to wait for you to gain another rank. That’s in the future, though.”

“I’d been wondering about that.”

“It would make it difficult if that was the only time we could see each other. You’ve been doing well with seeing threads of aether and with the small glimpses of the future.”

“Thank you. I can tell that the threads all have specific patterns to how they weave for certain magics. At least, Yuki’s and Inda’s do. It doesn’t work with Jenn unless she’s projecting aether to cover her body.”

“In time, you’ll be able to see and do more. You’re still a child in your magic, dear one. You’ve barely begun to stand on your own legs. Give it time, and you will be running before you know it.”

“Like Nessa and Daciana?” Gregory chuckled. “Didn’t expect Indara to praise their work ethic.”

“They’re motivated to excel,” Darkness giggled. “If you have a goal, it makes it easier to push oneself.”

“Joining the clan means that much to them?”

“Yes, though Daciana has a goal beyond that, with a solid plan to make it a reality. Nessa has been contemplating more, but hasn’t fully committed to her thoughts yet.”

“Didn’t know she had a goal,” Gregory said.

“Your goal comes closer, too,” Darkness said with a touch of wistfulness.

“After the coming tournament.”

“Yuki and you shall marry.”

“Does it bother you?”

“Just that I won’t have the same moment,” Darkness replied. “The odds of me ever acquiring a body are slim. The right conditions would need to be met. Even if those did come to be, it would limit me in other ways.”

“Is that something you want?”

“Yes, but also, no. As I am, I can do so much more to help you than if I were corporeal. If I was, though... I could hold you, kiss you, and love you, just as much as Yuki.”

“I see. What conditions have to be met?”

Darkness laughed lightly. “Oh, dear one. That’s sweet, but first, you’d need to rival the sages at the very least. When you reach that point, I might tell you more.”

“I should ask Rafiq at the archive.”

“No,” Darkness said sternly. “That would endanger you. Stick with the law books, myths, and other things, but do not mention me. Please, dear one, for all of our futures.”

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” Gregory apologized, rolling to the far side of the bed to be closer to Darkness’ corner of the room. “I won’t mention you to anyone but Yuki.”

“Or those that Yuki and I approve of,” Darkness said. “There will come a time when your circle of confidants will grow. We’ll do our best to make sure that those who stand with you are worthy of being there.”

“Looking out for me, are you?”

“Yes, dear one. Both of us want only the best for you. There will be times you disagree with us, but only because you don’t want to hurt us. Try to remember that if we have agreed, you can’t hurt us by accepting our wishes, but you can by rejecting them.”

“I will do my best, Darkness.”

“Thank you, dear one.”

“Thank you, dear one,” Yukiko added from behind him. Her arm wrapped over his torso as she kissed the back of his neck. “We don’t have much time... Darkness told me how much it saps her to bring me into your dreams at the moment. When we grow more powerful, we can supplement her, but right now, she bears the cost alone.”

“Darkness...” Gregory sighed.

“I want you to be happy. It’s a small price to pay for that,” Darkness replied. “You won’t need me for that much longer, anyway.”

“But we won’t be doing that this time,” Yukiko said, softly kissing Gregory’s neck again. “And soon, it won’t be a dream anymore, though I do think we might share one now and again so Darkness can be with us.”

“I would like that,” Darkness said. “Now, to sleep with both of you. Enjoy your day off.”

“Good night, Darkness,” Yukiko said, vanishing as swiftly as she had come.

“Darkness,” Gregory said, “I just need to know one thing.”

Darkness began to giggle. “Try it and see.”

Gregory launched himself from the bed into the inkiness where Darkness was. It felt like a cold vise suddenly gripped him, stopping him from moving an inch. Darkness’ laughter echoed around him as his consciousness fled.

~*~*~

Sitting down for breakfast, the friends were chatting in between bites when Dia joined them. “Good morning, Novices.”

“Morning, Dia,” Gregory was the first to respond. “How are you today?”

“I’m fine. Everything is moving smoothly. The tournament is coming quickly.”

“It is,” Yukiko smiled. “We’re looking forward to it.”

Dia’s lips twitched upward. “I’m sure you and Gregory are, but not because of the tournament itself.”

“It’ll be good to see how we’ve progressed compared to the others,” Yukiko replied. “But yes, the main reason is because of what happens once the tournament ends.”

“I’ve been surprised by the lack of challenges and other harassment,” Jenn said after a moment. “I had heard how common it is after the first tournament, and yet we’ve seen very little of either.”

“Mostly because you’ve reduced their chances to harass you,” Dia said. “You only take the first class. Otherwise, you are in the archive or clan hall. On your day off, you seclude yourself in Gin’s home. It doesn’t give them many opportunities. When I was a novice, it wasn’t uncommon for the mess hall to be the place where most of those challenges took place. Since you eat here, that’s been denied to them.”

“I was wondering about that, Dia. Even the teachers seem to eat there. Is having a kitchen and staff so rare inside the academy?”

Dia nodded. “It is. Only a handful of the buildings have the facilities for it. Even those with the facilities prefer not to spend the money to have supplies brought in, nor desire to hire a dedicated staff to cook. When you met with the clans, how many of them had anything besides tea and simple pastries?”

“I hadn’t thought about it,” Yukiko said slowly. “Now that you mention it… maybe two?”

“Exactly. The great clans send their members to the mess hall. It’s just easier for them.”

“Then why did the elder go to this length?” Gregory asked. “I’m not complaining— Steva and the others are amazing cooks, and we’re lucky to have them.”

“No need to butter me up,” Steva laughed.

“Because of the harassment,” Dia replied. “He knew what you would face if you went to the mess hall. Did you not encounter a problem even when you were accompanied by him?”

“I never thought about it,” Gregory said. “We were getting a little harassment before, though. It just stopped abruptly.”

“Right after you and Jenn made a mockery of being challenged. No doubt they’re waiting for the tournament to strike. Weapons and aether— that’s going to be a dangerous combination for most of your class to contend with.”

“Especially with Nick and his friends,” Yukiko added.

“The Eternal Flame always has at least one member in the top eight. Just as they are in contention during the second and third-year tournaments.”

“I don’t look forward to it, even with a naginata in hand,” Gregory said.

“It’ll be difficult,” Dia agreed. “Just do your best. It’s all we ask.”

“We will,” Jenn said. “I plan on winning.”

Yukiko caught the sly glance Jenn shot her, and a knowing grin crossed her face before she put a normal smile back on her face. “We all want to win.”

“How often does the first champion repeat?” Gregory asked.

“Very rarely,” Dia replied. “They’re normally targeted by the rest of the class, sometimes even their own clan members, to be removed from contention early.”

“The first few days must be the hardest,” Jenn said. “Three bouts with weapons and aether?”

“No,” Dia said, correcting her. “The second tournament is a single fight a day. The first nine days are to find the eight novices that will move on to the finals. Those eight fight over the next two days, and then the final two are given a day to recover before meeting for the final match.”

“That means the fights will be even tougher,” Yukiko said. “With only a single fight a day, there’s nothing to stop everyone from going all out.”

“Correct. Once the tournament ends, your novice year ends,” Dia said. “You will have a month-long clan training period before your apprentice year begins.”

“I didn’t know that,” Jenn said.

“I’m sure that Elder Lightshield will have things arranged for the clan,” Dia smiled. “I must get to my other tasks. I hope you all have a wonderful day off. Don’t forget that Gin will be visiting his house today.”

“We haven’t,” Gregory assured her. “Are you going to stop by, Dia?”

Dia smiled enigmatically. “I can’t say. Good day.”

The three novices exchanged glances when she left. “She’s going to be there,” Yukiko said.

“Definitely,” Jenn nodded.

“It’s unanimous,” Gregory said. “Come on, we don’t want to be late to the archive.”

~*~*~

They were on their way to the meeting room to play Empire’s Gambit against their instructors when the front door opened. Gin gave them a nod as he removed his shoes and put slippers on. Inda and Indara followed him inside and copied him.

“Where is Baylyss?” Gin asked.

“I’m here, sir,” Baylyss replied, coming out of the side room. “I would have greeted you, but I didn’t know when you would be appearing.”

“I understand. I’d like to meet your helpers, especially Elsa.”

“Yes, sir. Please follow me,” Baylyss said, heading toward the back of the house.

“We’ll be joining you once we’re done,” Gin said. “If you can refrain from playing Empire’s Gambit today, we’d like to join in with some Go, Shogi, or another pastime.”

“Of course, Sensei,” Yukiko said, bowing to him. “We’ll arrange that while you meet everyone.”

Gin nodded, not having paused following Baylyss.

“Good thing we’re between games,” Jenn said as they entered the room. “It’ll be easier to clear the table.”

“Clear the table?” Lon asked.

“Gin is here today,” Gregory said. “He’d like to join in a few games, but not Gambit, as it takes so much time.”

“Can’t deny the master of the house,” Vexlin said. “We’ll get it cleared. You might need to ask Baylyss where the games are, though. We didn’t bring the boards with us.”

“We can start with some cards,” Gregory said. “Baylyss is busy, as are the kids.”

“Understood,” Cal said, rubbing his head. “Well, first things first.”

They had the table cleared by the time Gin entered the room. Baylyss and Elsa followed him with the Go and Shogi boards in hand.

“Lon, Vexlin, Cal, this is Armsmaster Gin Watashi,” Yukiko said, introducing them.

“It’s an honor, sir,” Lon said, bowing at the waist. “Thank you for allowing us into your home.”

“An honor,” Vexlin and Cal echoed.

“I’ve heard good things about you from Yukiko. Let us sit, talk, and play,” Gin said as he came forward.

Cal’s eyes drifted to Inda, who had followed Gin into the room, his tufted squirrel ears twitching. Inda looked his way and gave him a slight nod of her head before moving to stand against the wall.

Gin saw the look from Cal. “Inda is my closest companion. She’s been with me since shortly after I left the service of the Warlin household,” he said as he took his seat.

“She isn’t joining us?” Cal asked.

“No,” Inda said. “My duty is to keep him safe.”

Lon sat back, having just taken his own seat. “You keep an armsmaster safe?”

“It is my task.”

Vexlin exhaled. “Okay, no forced shuffles at this game.”

Gin laughed. “I’ve seen a number of cheats in my long years, Vexlin. You may attempt to cheat, and as long as it’s not against me, I won’t call you out on it. They need to learn, after all.”

Vexlin chuckled. “Far be it from me to argue with an armsmaster.”

~*~*~

The games stretched out over the next few hours, and Cal kept glancing at Inda. When a break came for refreshments, he approached her cautiously.

“Excuse me… Inda… I—”

“I’m not interested,” Inda said not unkindly. “I already have someone I’ve given my heart to.”

Cal’s ears twitched wildly, his face giving away his embarrassment. “Ah… Of course. Sorry.”

“There is no need to apologize,” Inda told him. “Your attraction was obvious. I know a few women who might respond well to an advance from you, but I am taken.”

“Oh. Uh... You do?”

Inda’s impassive face cracked for a moment, the smile real, before it vanished. “Leave your name and where I can have them meet you. I’ll make inquiries, but I can promise nothing.”

“N-no, that’s fine!” Cal stumbled over his words, clearly flustered but eager. “Thank you!”

Inda nodded her head, her eyes never having left Gin’s back. “Of course. Please enjoy the rest of your time in my master’s home.”

“Of course,” Cal said a smile on his face.

The door opening gave way to Elsa, Baylyss, and Indara. They had trays of snacks and a couple of different drinks with them. Cal blinked, his eyes darting from Inda to Indara and back.

“No. She’s my twin, and she is also taken,” Inda said, catching sight of his reaction from the corner of her eye.

“Oh... of course,” Cal said, going back to the table.

~*~*~

When the time came to leave, Gin thanked each of the instructors for their hard work and gave them each a small bag before showing them out.

After saying their farewells to Baylyss, Elsa, and the other children, they got in the carriage Gin had waiting for them. Gin sat between Inda and Indara, while Gregory ended up between Yukiko and Jenn.

“They’re good instructors,” Gin said. “How long are they going to instruct you?”

“Until the tournament,” Yukiko said.

“Do you know what the clan has planned?” Gregory asked Gin.

“I do not,” Gin replied. “Dia seems uncertain, herself. I don’t think the elder told her anything beyond that he would arrange something.”

“Makes it hard for people to interfere if the plans aren’t known,” Inda said.

“That’s true,” Gin chuckled. “The fewer people that know, the less chance that your enemies can find out.”

“You think they’ll do something after the tournament?” Gregory asked.

“Through second year, at the very least. Third year, you’ll be sent out into the nearby towns to train with your soldiers. That makes it harder for them to cause harm themselves, but I have no doubt that they will find a way to make your life interesting if you upset them more.”

“Not even touching on your adept posting,” Inda added.

“Indeed,” Gin nodded. “Your willingness to push and study ahead of your year will help you, but it also makes you a larger target. It’s good that you three are in this together. Each of you has strengths the others do not, and that will help cover for the weaknesses you each have. But even those weaknesses are being slowly eroded, aren’t they?”

“We’re doing our best, Sensei,” Yukiko replied.

“And far exceeding in most ways,” Gin smiled. “I’m looking forward to this tournament and this next year.”

Chapter Forty-three

Over the next month, no one challenged them or gave them grief, although, through the last few days, they heard stories of more aggressive behavior from the other novices. Daciana had a second challenge that she won easily— she overpowered her opponent, who conceded before he could be hurt too much. Nessa accepted a challenge, as well, but opted to do Magi Squares at the archive instead of combat, much to her opponent’s frustration.

Yukiko had gotten a firm grasp on shadow leaping, and started giving her shadows definitive shapes, focused mainly on hands to grab things. Inda was impressed at how quickly Yukiko was learning.

Jenn’s tutelage under Master Chen continued to be brutal, but effective. She was a bruised mass at the end of each session, but her ring and some healing tea from Dia got her sorted quickly every day. Jenn was confident in her ability to block and absorb the damage inflicted by another physical enhancement magi, and was making headway toward using brief bursts of aether to infuse an attack instead of using more than needed.

Gregory was able to see aether threads easier. Watching Inda and Yukiko, he could see how the threads had to weave to make specific magics happen, and learned how to tell which woman cast the spell, as their threads had different consistencies.

~*~*~

Rolling his neck as he walked toward the door, Gregory thought about how there were only two weeks until the tournament, and four weeks from a day he’d been growing anxious for. Her parents will be here in two weeks, the day before the tournament starts. Two weeks from that... we’ll be exchanging vows. A thrum of energy rushed through him as he imagined Yukiko in her wedding dress.

The knock on his door pulled him from his thoughts. Opening it, he had his arms suddenly filled with Yukiko as she kissed him and shut the door behind her with her foot. Gregory groaned and pushed her back into the closed door, returning the kiss with equal passion.

The kiss had started to grow heavy when there was another knock. “Greg? Yuki?”

Yukiko unclasped her legs from around Gregory and he steadied her as she stood. “We’ll be right out, Jenn,” Yukiko said a bit breathlessly.

“If you’re dressed, can I come in for a moment?”

The two of them smoothed their kimonos and stepped back from the door. “Come on in, Jenn,” Gregory said.

Jenn cracked the door open, peeking inside before opening it more. “I’m sorry for interrupting, but someone did ask me to make sure she stayed true to what you wanted.”

Yukiko exhaled a shuddering breath. “I did... Thank you. It’s been getting worse over the last month.”

“You asked her to stop us?” Gregory asked, his eyebrows up as high as they could go.

“I did.”

“It wasn’t the only thing I wanted to share with you,” Jenn said, pulling her medallion out. “Rank two.”

“That’s good,” Yukiko smiled broadly, stepping forward and taking Jenn’s hand. “And thank you again. I wouldn’t have stopped myself. We should give him a minute to calm himself, as well.”

Jenn’s gaze darted to Gregory’s waist, then quickly away. “Yes, that would be good. We’ll see you downstairs, Greg.”

“Thanks,” Gregory coughed.

When they left the room, Gregory leaned his head against the door and breathed slow and deep. That was close... You wouldn’t have been the only one who wouldn’t stop, Yuki. To fail so close to the end would be tragic.

~*~*~

“Next week is our last day with the instructors,” Yukiko told Gregory when he joined them in the dining room.

“Yeah, and your parents said they’ll be here the day before the tournament starts.”

“Yes. We’ll be having lunch with them at Stabled Hunger. Jenn, you’re coming, too.”

“I am? But, Yuki—”

“No buts. My mother asked to meet you, and it’s a good time for it.”

“Okay... I don’t want to intrude, though.”

“If she wants you there, there’s no intrusion,” Gregory said. “They want to meet the people who are close to their daughter. At least you won’t be as closely scrutinized as I was,” he chuckled.

Yukiko smiled softly. “That seems so long ago, the day we finally accepted each other.”

“And yet it’s only been a little more than five months...”

“And in less than a month, you will be wed,” Dia said, coming into the room.

“Good morning, Dia,” they each greeted her.

“Good morning to you all. I’ve been tasked to ask if you’ve read on any crafts over this year?”

“I read up on smithing,” Jenn said.

“Leatherworking,” Yukiko added.

“I just started in on bowyering,” Gregory said.

“Very well. Enjoy your breakfast. I’m to inform you that dinner the night before the tournament is being held here, and that Elder Lightshield will be attending. This might conflict with your parents’ wishes, but the elder has made this mandatory.”

“I’ll make sure they’re informed,” Yukiko replied. “Are there any other events that will be mandatory to attend?”

“None that I have been advised of,” Dia said.

“We’ll be here for dinner,” Yukiko said. “You’ll attend the wedding feast, won’t you, Dia?”

Dia smiled widely. “Gladly. Now that I’m not working for the academy, I can do as I wish in that regard. I was sad to miss the betrothal. From everything I heard, it was a lovely party.”

“We missed having you there. Can you inquire with the people who attended the betrothal? I’ll need to know if they can make it to the wedding feast.”

“I will do so. I have things to attend to before the elder arrives back at the academy. Enjoy your day, Novices.”

“You, as well, Dia,” Gregory said.

“Dia,” Yukiko called out to stop her, “can you have someone run a message to Alvis for us? Jenn has filled her second rank.”

Dia’s smile widened. “Of course. It makes me proud that you all are growing so strong so fast.”

“Thank you,” Jenn said.

~*~*~

The game with Cal, Lon, and Vexlin was a close one. They would finish it the following week, making the timing perfect.

“That was a tricky move,” Cal told Yukiko. “I hadn’t expected you to have invested in a squad of archers, nor to have had stationed them where you did.”

“Bloody butchered the conscripts we had trying to flank them...” Vexlin sighed. “Puts us in a bit of a hole.”

“Not that we’ll still be there next week,” Lon chuckled.

“We’re expecting you to have some surprises for us,” Jenn said.

“That we’ll have,” Lon replied.

“We’ll have some of our own,” Gregory said. “Thank you again for your time and effort over these months. We greatly appreciate your instruction.”

“You paid for the best we could do,” Lon shrugged. “We give you what you paid for. Your clan has your troops training already, I hope?”

“Why?” Yukiko asked.

“If not, you’ll basically have conscripts, not troops or soldiers. Think about the disparity between each.”

“I see your point,” Yukiko replied. “I’m sure that things will have been arranged correctly for us.”

“Didn’t mean to pry,” Lon apologized. “We’ll see you for the last time next week. May Aether watch over you during the coming tournament and beyond.”

“Thank you,” Gregory said, shaking hands with him. “May the Traveler watch over you, as well.”

“Let’s go, boys. Time for some drinks, and to devise our plan to beat them and keep our undefeated record going.”

“Works for me,” Vexlin laughed.

“I’ll catch up,” Cal said. “I have to stop on the way back.”

Vexlin chuckled. “She’s already got you caught, eh?”

Cal shook his head. “No, we’re having a proper courtship.”

“We’ll have a mug waiting,” Lon said, nudging Vexlin. “Come on.”

Cal lingered behind. Once the other two were out of the room, he turned to Yukiko. “Will you thank Inda for me? It’s been only a couple of weeks, but I feel like this will be the right time.”

Yukiko gave him a broad smile. “Love is a special thing. It makes the heart soar.”

Cal bowed his head. “And the knees tremble.”

Gregory patted Cal’s shoulder. “If she feels the same, then you’ll have a happy life.”

“I hope that’s the case,” Cal said. “I just wanted to make sure my thanks were given. Because next week is the last time we’ll see each other, I had to speak now.”

“We understand,” Yukiko replied. “I hope you have a good day, and that your courtship is as magical as your heart wishes.”

“Thank you. All of you.” Cal bowed formally to them. “I won’t be leaving town like my friends. If I can help more, please contact me.”

“We will,” Gregory said. “Let me walk you out.”

~*~*~

The three friends were chatting about strategies for next week as they walked back to the academy. None of them expected the group of rough-looking men to come out of an alley just ahead of them.

“Oy! Hand over your vela,” one of the muggers said. “No one has to get hurt if you do as you’re told.”

“We are magi,” Jenn said. “Attacking us is a crime. Run along and we won’t bother the guard.”

Gregory felt the hairs on his neck stand up. Glancing behind him, he saw another cluster of men heading their way. “More coming.”

The leader clicked his tongue in disappointment. “Well, guess we’ll do it the hard way. Go ahead, boys— rough them up as hard as you’d like, just don’t kill them. They’re only novices, so no need to be afraid of them.”

Yukiko looked over her shoulder at the group coming up behind them. “I’ll delay them,” she said, turning to face the new muggers.

“I can take most of the ones up front,” Jenn said.

“I’ll help,” Gregory said.

The eight muggers who’d been in the front rushed them. The six men behind started to, but their own shadows reached out, grabbing their legs and holding them in place.

“Fucking wench is a shadow magi!” one of the men cursed.

Gregory knew Yukiko could hold the men behind them for a little while, so he gave his focus to the group coming right at him. Jenn went farther to his left, putting some distance between them. The men split apart, four going for each novice.

Gregory forced foresight, the first few seconds of the fight playing out in his mind. Using that knowledge, he avoided the first strike, taking the man’s arm and flinging him into the men going for Jenn. Jumping an attempt to sweep his feet, he landed and lashed out, his kick breaking the sweeper’s jaw. The third attacker was almost on top of him when Gregory let out a flurry of blows. The man wheezed and dropped a foot from Gregory. The fourth mugger changed his mind when the first man went flying, so he wasn’t where Gregory expected him to be.

Jenn broke the first attacker’s knee and spun in place, her foot lashing up to catch the second man’s jaw. The third was suddenly buried by an ally who smacked into him from behind, allowing Jenn to focus on the last man. Snarling, the mugger managed to land a single blow to Jenn’s face. Instead of her crying out like he’d expected, his hand crunched, and he was the one who screamed out, his broken knuckles already swelling.

The fourth man attacking Gregory was surprised when Gregory lashed out and missed him completely, but he took full advantage of it. Grabbing Gregory’s arm and pulling it roughly behind the young man, he gave his arm a jerk. “Now, tell them to stop fighting.”

Gregory grit his teeth at the flare of pain. He saw Jenn kicking the two downed men next to her and Yukiko looking back at him in worry. “No,” he managed.

“Fine. We’ll break your arm first, to show we mean business,” he laughed.

Gregory pushed aether into his elbow and jerked to get free. Both he and his captor were surprised when his arm was suddenly free, and that he’d sent the man staggering back into the side of the building.

“What? Impossible!” the man hissed.

Gregory tugged the medallion he wore out of his kimono, showing off the two sunflower-yellow circles that were glowing brightly. “Who said we were novices?”

“Fuck this!” the attacker spat. “Run, boys! Job’s off!”

The downed men groaned and tried to get to their feet, and the six men Yukiko was restraining exchanged panicked looks.

“Yukiko, can you keep them until the guard gets here?” Gregory asked.

“I believe so,” she replied as the first whistle sounded.

“Fuck! Come on, we didn’t do anything!” one of the men tangled in shadows whined. “Come on, you can let us go! We won’t bother you again!”

“Not a chance,” Jenn said, moving over to kick one of the men Gregory had dropped. “You’ll answer for the attempted mugging so you can’t do it to another novice.”

The six men struggled harder, but were unable to get free of their shadows before the guard came running up; first, two men, then six, then a dozen. Seeing the guards, they stopped struggling to get free and immediately began to plead their innocence.

A man with a captain’s insignia came to them, taking in the medallions they had all pulled out of their clothing. “Magi, I am Captain Fola. What transpired here?”

They gave him a quick rundown of the attack.

“Hmm. Are you novices or apprentices?”

“Novices with Aether’s Guard,” Yukiko said.

The captain’s eyebrows rose. “Novices? Interesting.” His brow furrowed for a second. “Did you reach the final eight?”

“All of us did,” Jenn said. “She was second place, he was first.”

“That isn’t surprising, considering your aether levels. It also explains this debacle,” Fola said, motioning behind him. “Did any of them use weapons?”

“No,” Gregory said.

“Did any of them lay a hand on you?” Fola asked.

“The one who got away tried to break my elbow,” Gregory said.

“The one with the broken hand hit my chin,” Jenn added.

“Physical enhancement?” Fola asked.

“Yes.”

“You three will be in the contenders next month,” Fola said. “We’ll take it from here. You’d better hurry, though.” He motioned to the setting sun.

“Thank you,” Gregory said.

Turning as one, the three of them took off running for the academy.

Jenn reached the gate ahead of them, having matched their pace until the last few hundred yards. She hammered on the postern gate. “Let us in, please! Three novices returning before sunset!”

She could hear an argument from behind the gate, but couldn’t make out any words. Looking back, she caught sight of Gregory and Yukiko springing forward the last few steps to her side. The gate remained closed as the last bit of sunset faded away.

“That’s an order!” The three words were barked in a commanding tone.

“I said to wait!” another voice barked before they heard the sound of the gate being opened. “I’ll report all of you!”

“For doing our jobs?” the commanding voice laughed. “Go ahead. It was my decision to follow the regulations.”

Sergeant Willof glared at the apprentice on gate duty. The apprentice looked at the three novices and turned away, the emblem of the Eternal Flame clear on his robe.

“Novices, inside! Right now!” Willof barked.

All three hurried inside before the gate was secured. One of the men on the gate looked up for a long second before he cleared his throat. “The sun has now set, sir.”

Willof nodded before turning to the group. “You cut that as close as possible. Go back to your clan hall.”

“Thank you, sir. We were delayed helping the guard in the city,” Gregory said.

“Oh?”

“An attack by muggers. We captured them and held them until the guard showed up,” Jenn said.

The guards inside the wall looked over when they heard that.

“Interesting. Who was in charge of the guards?” Willof asked.

“Captain Fola,” Gregory said.

Willof frowned. “I see. Move along to your clan hall, and think about leaving to come back sooner than you did tonight.”

“We will,” Yukiko said. “Good night to you and your men, sir.”

Chapter Forty-four

Another week came and went for them. Dia had advised them she would have a carriage pick them up from Gin’s to avoid any more complications before the tournament. After breakfast, they went to the archive to study.

Simon greeted them. “Novices, it’s good to see you. Your friends are already here. Do you require new books?”

“I think we’re all still good,” Gregory said. Both Yukiko and Jenn agreed with him. “Thank you for asking, Simon.”

“You’re welcome. May your study time be enlightening to you all.”

Nessa saw them first and gave them a smile. “Good morning.”

“Morning, Nessa, Daciana,” Gregory smiled back. “How are you?”

“We’re good,” Daciana replied. “No challenges this week, though Indara did mention she would have to stop our tutoring after this week.”

“Because the clan will be busy,” Yukiko nodded. “Besides, at this point, you have a better foundation than Gregory did starting out. Just train with what she has taught you, and I’m sure you’ll be ready for your novice year.”

“We are,” Daciana said. “We’ll be the best novices in our class.”

Nessa gave Daciana a crooked smile. “She’s always like this. She never lacks confidence.”

Daciana grinned. “I will lack in nothing.”

“Except humility,” Nessa countered.

“I’m sure she’ll have some of that given to her during the first year,” Gregory chuckled. “You don’t have to be the best at everything. Your friends and clan can help you with what you’re weak at. Jenn is a better fighter than me, and Yuki is by far smarter, and better at bargaining. Actually, I’m not sure I’m better than them at any one thing.”

Jenn smirked. “He finally realized it.”

Yukiko giggled. “Be nice, Jenn. He’s better in one very important way: Gregory has conviction that would be hard-pressed for us both to beat combined.”

“He can be remarkably strong-willed about some things,” Jenn admitted.

“Like what?” Daciana asked.

“Let’s get on with the Magi Squares,” Gregory said, not wanting to keep the topic going.

Yukiko and Jenn shared a look, knowing smiles in place, before they gave Daciana an apologetic shrug. Daciana grumbled softly under her breath, upset that she wasn’t being included. Nessa patted Daciana’s hand and gave her a small head shake.

~*~*~

The trip to Gin’s was as quiet as it normally was in the early morning. The city was just waking up as Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn walked down the road.

“Daciana really wants to be part of the group,” Jenn said. “Almost aggressively so.”

“I think it’s part of her nature,” Yukiko said. “Just like Nessa is a bit more reserved.”

“We aren’t excluding her, though,” Gregory frowned. “We’ve been welcoming and have helped as much as we can.”

“We’ve been helpful,” Yukiko agreed, “yet she dislikes the distance that lies between them and us. Being a year behind us makes it unlikely to ever change.”

“It’ll change when they join the clan,” Jenn said. “Then, they’ll be allowed to practice with us.”

“Is that what she wants, or is it what her father wants for her?” Gregory asked.

“It might have been her father’s suggestion before she met us,” Yukiko said, “but it’s fully her idea now.”

“You don’t think she’d—?” Jenn started.

“No,” Yukiko cut her off. “She knows that much, at least.”

“But she might—”

“Yes. We’ll have to talk with her privately,” Yukiko replied after cutting Jenn off again.

“What?” Gregory asked, confused by the quick and abbreviated conversation.

Yukiko gave Jenn a look before giving Gregory a smile. “Daciana... has her sights set on a goal that will be difficult for her to achieve. If Jenn and I speak with her, she might be better able to temper her expectations.”

“Uh... Okay.”

“What about Nessa?” Jenn asked.

“I’m not sure. She hasn’t seemed as intent,” Yukiko shrugged. “Best to talk with them both.”

Gregory frowned as they kept walking. He knew the conversation was there for him to grasp, but he felt like he was missing a key component of it.

“Do you think there’ll be other novices who try joining the clan?” Jenn asked, shifting the topic slightly.

“Once we win the second tournament, I’m sure some of our clanless novices and some of Daciana’s class will be very interested. I wonder who Dia will pursue, accept, or turn away,” Yukiko said. “She has to decline the weaker clanless that are out there. They would endanger the clan and be the targets for our enemies to hurt.”

“Which I dislike, but understand,” Gregory said.

“I know, dear one,” Yukiko said, touching his arm.

“Do you think they could follow more than one path, like we are?” Jenn asked. “That might help them grow faster.”

“Even we shouldn’t be able to,” Yukiko said softly, moving to be next to Jenn. “Do you trust me?”

Jenn glanced at Yukiko in confusion. “I’ve trusted you.”

“Then trust me when I say there’s a very important reason that Gregory, you, and I can do what we do. It wouldn’t work for just anyone. I’m not even sure it will for Nessa and Daciana, and they’re the next most likely ones it could work for.”

“Just us three?” Jenn asked with a curious expression.

“Even her parents, who she shares everything with, don’t know,” Gregory said softly.

“And we’ll tell you before next year begins,” Yukiko added.

Jenn opened her mouth, but then closed it, nodding once. “After your marriage, you mean?”

“Yes.”

Jenn took a deep breath. “You will…?”

“I haven’t asked yet, but yes. I am willing, if you’ve accepted the restrictions,” Yukiko said.

Jenn nodded. “I accept. It’s the best I’ll be offered.”

Lips pursing, Gregory knew he was again missing something he should see. “We’ll tell you after the wedding,” he said, trying to join the conversation.

Yukiko and Jenn shared a knowing smile before Jenn looked at Gregory. “I’ll wait.”

“Do you think we’ll win today?” Yukiko asked abruptly.

“With you leading us, and Gregory using his foresight?” Jenn smiled. “Today is the day we win.”

~*~*~

Meditating on the Peaceful Fist in the garden with the children had them smiling as they headed for the game with their instructors. “How are you today, gentlemen?” Gregory asked when they entered the room.

“Good,” Lon grinned. “We have a plan of attack, and we’ll be sweeping our games played.”

“Easy now, Lon,” Vexlin laughed. “They might have come up with something. We did get caught by their archers, after all.”

“We win today,” Jenn said.

Cal touched his furry ear. “I think we’ll have a good game.”

“Agreed,” Yukiko smiled.

“Either way, we’re ready to get it started,” Gregory said.

“We left off with the upkeep from the empire,” Cal said.

“Yes,” Yukiko nodded.

Everyone took their places at the table, and Cal flipped the upkeep marker. “Upkeep underway.”

“We’d like to intercede,” Jenn said. Picking up the cards in front of her, she pulled the one she wanted and laid it face-up on the table. “It appears that bandits found an easy mark: your supplies.”

Lon chuckled. “It’s too bad that another bunch went for your pay chest,” he turned over a card of his own. “Seems we were both holding onto those.”

Yukiko looked down at her counters, quickly doing the math for the pay to the men they had under them. “That will sting, but it won’t break us.”

“No. You did well managing your war chest,” Vexlin nodded, “but this will put a damper on your ability to field more specialized units.”

“Your men might need to forage, though,” Gregory said.

“Yes. That’ll hit the morale of our troops,” Cal smiled. “We were, of course, keeping their morale near peak. A happy soldier is more willing to suffer the occasional hardship.”

“We’ll move onto the resource dispersal stage, then, if no one else has any surprise to spring?”

Gregory smiled. “Might as well add on.” He drew a card from his deck. “Good thing your morale was so high.” He flipped over his card. “Looks like one of your officers has been negligent.”

Cal blinked. “Well, that puts a kink in our plans.”

“Now we can move forward,” Gregory smiled.

The three instructors exchanged a look. “We need a moment,” Cal said, motioning the other two to the door.

“Take your time,” Gregory smiled.

When they left, Yukiko turned to Gregory. “Already?”

“They didn’t have an answer to it,” Gregory said. “They’ll pull back, and solidify their camps. It gives us a chance to take the mine that we’d been thinking about. They won’t be able to stop it.”

“Is it cheating?” Jenn asked softly. “I don’t want to stop, but is Gregory using foresight cheating?”

“No. I’d use it when we’re out in the field if we end up in a similar position.”

“We do what we have to, if that’s here or elsewhere,” Yukiko said.

Jenn nodded. “I understand.”

The door opened up a minute later and the instructors came back in. Cal and the other two looked serious, more serious than they’d ever been.

“If there’s nothing else, we can move onto the next stage,” Cal said, giving Gregory a hard look.

“Nothing else from me, at least this time,” Gregory smiled.

The gameplay went on, and as Gregory said, the instructors pulled their camps back and consolidated, letting them take the mine. That helped even out the loss of payroll and let Yukiko put other pieces into play.

~*~*~

The game started to tilt back into the favor of the more seasoned side as it went on. Just as the next round of combat was about to be resolved, Gregory used foresight again— he had a trick in his hand, but he wanted to know if they could counter it. The round of combat filled his head as he stared at the board and a smile grew on his face.

“Before we start with the math,” Gregory smiled, “I think it’s time for an unfortunate event.”

Vexlin glanced at the board, wondering what could possibly be played to hamper the overwhelming force that was arrayed before the novices. He was answered a minute later when Gregory turned over the card he’d been waiting to play.

“You had them forage for food not that long ago,” Gregory smiled. “Dysentery is bad by itself, but right now, it will really hamper your men. We’ll put it on the pikemen.”

Cal’s face scrunched up. “That’ll break them when the horse comes in. Lon? Vexlin?” Both men looked over their cards and shook their heads grimly. “Krog’s balls...” Cal sighed. “It’s like you’re Aether-blessed right now.”

“A bit,” Gregory admitted.

“Dammit,” Lon said, showing Cal a card. “I don’t want to.”

“Do it. We need to regroup after that,” Cal sighed.

Lon tossed his card onto the board. “Tactical retreat. We’re pulling back… again.”

Jenn’s eyes lit up. “Oh, good.” She quickly tossed a card onto the board. “Run them down.”

Vexlin’s eye twitched. “It’s like they stacked the deck! That’s my job...”

“I have nothing,” Cal said grimly.

“No,” Lon sighed.

“I would’ve played it,” Vexlin gritted.

“Now we can take stock of what the battle did,” Yukiko smiled.

~*~*~

As the game came to an end, Cal shook his head. “Aether was blessing you left and right today. We surrender.”

“How did you do it?” Vexlin asked.

“Sometimes, things just work,” Jenn smiled.

Lon shook his head. “No, you had too many answers when we moved, or we had none to your plays. It was like you knew when the optimal time to move was.”

Gregory chuckled. “Aether-blessed.”

“Well, we congratulate you on not being swept,” Cal said. “Time to clean it up and pack it away.”

“And time for some food,” Baylyss said as she opened the door, leading Elsa inside.

“Won’t say no to that,” Lon grinned. “Last meal we’ll have from you. Is it only high sun?”

“It’s past two now,” Baylyss said. “You were all engrossed in your match, so I waited.”

“Put it away after?” Vexlin asked, staring at the food Elsa was carrying.

Cal laughed. “Fine.”

~*~*~

The carriage arrived almost two hours earlier than they’d normally leave. They’d done another round of Peaceful Fist meditation in the garden with the kids, most of whom were exhausted by the end of it.

Baylyss showed them to the door. “She’ll be sad that you won’t be here next week.”

“We’ll be here for the morning, but we won’t be staying past meditation,” Yukiko corrected her. “We’ll be missing for the majority of the twelve days after that, at least. When the tournament ends, we don’t know what the clan has planned.”

“I’ll make sure that Elsa and the others get their work done first, but if it’s okay, I will allow them to practice without you.”

“That’s fine, Baylyss,” Gregory said. “Once we know more, we’ll let you know.”

“Thank you. I’ll be wishing for your victory at the tournament, but more importantly, for your safety.”

“Thank you, Baylyss,” Jenn said. “Are you going to bring the kids to see the fights?”

“No, that would be too much for them. I will be informed about your matches, though. Dia has promised me that much, so I can tell the children.”

“Until we return, may Aether watch over all of you,” Yukiko said, her eyes darting briefly to Gregory.

Baylyss bowed formally to her. “May Aether protect you, and Vera bless your wedding.”

“Please, will you bring the kids to that?” Yukiko asked. “My parents have already been informed to expect you and them. They’ll arrange to have some help for you so that you may enjoy yourself, as well.”

“Very well,” Baylyss conceded to Yukiko’s wishes.

Leaving the home behind, the three friends boarded the carriage. Jenn sat across from Yukiko and Gregory. “Next week is the last week before the tournament,” she said. “Time has flown by, but it feels like it was ages ago since the start of the year.”

“Yes,” Yukiko agreed, taking Gregory’s hand in hers. “So much has changed.”

Gregory chuckled. “Everything has changed, all of it for the better.”

“I never expected to have friends like you both,” Jenn said. “I fully expected to be alone and using my fighting ability to be acknowledged. If not for the fight with Greg in the first tournament, it would’ve been that way.”

“That did seem to change things,” Yukiko nodded.

“He was respectful,” Jenn said, looking out the window. “No bragging, no gloating... just honesty, confidence, and the conviction that he’d be able to win.”

“I should’ve lost,” Gregory said honestly. “If any one thing had gone differently, you would have easily won.”

Jenn snorted. “I don’t know if that’s true, but if we fought now, with the same rules as then, I would win.”

“Very likely,” Gregory said.

“But this tournament includes weapons,” Jenn continued. “If it was just weapons, you would win, and it wouldn’t be in doubt. With aether involved, some of us will still have a good chance of winning, Yukiko included.”

“The problem with her magic is that if she solidifies the shadows, they can be attacked and weakened enough to slip free,” Gregory said. “With us having left aether class, that weakness might not be well known, but I’m sure the more well-off clans will have informed their students.”

“Nick’s, for certain,” Yukiko said, “but a suddenly misplaced step in combat can help me. I don’t have to hold them, only break their balance.”

“She’s right about that,” Jenn agreed.

“I’ve also been practicing a lot with shuriken over the last month. That might help me, too,” Yukiko added.

“I don’t have your accuracy, but I can sink them into wood pretty well,” Jenn said. “If I hit with them, the opponent will be at a severe disadvantage.”

“I’ll have to close the distance and use the naginata,” Gregory said. “It’ll make my life difficult. Even foresight doesn’t give me a clear path to victory. It merely lets me avoid imminent defeat.”

“That’s…” Jenn trailed off. “Another group of thugs?”

“What?” Yukiko and Gregory asked, moving over to look out the window.

“The last side street… a group of ten men is standing around like they’re waiting for someone,” Jenn said. “Makes me wonder if another ambush was ready for us.”

“They didn’t expect the carriage,” Gregory murmured. “Dia saved us a complication.”

“We’ll have to thank her when we return to the clan hall,” Yukiko said. “I’ll let Lin know that we’re being targeted so the men are prepared for it.”

“That would be for the best,” Gregory agreed.

Chapter Forty-five

The last week of their novice year went by with only minor bumps. Magus Marcia had a test for them on the last day, recapping the majority of what she’d taught them over the year. Gregory was pleasantly surprised at how much of it he remembered, only struggling with a couple of answers. Yukiko finished before him, not having any troubles, and though Jenn finished after him, she still was done before most of the class. She’d only struggled on the earliest material, not able to recall it as easily.

Some of the other novices were busy; the challenges were being thrown around with a fervor. None of them ended up challenging Gregory, Yukiko, or Jenn, but there were a number of serious and critical injuries because the majority of fights involved training weapons.

Gregory mused about everything that had happened over the last week while he got dressed in his best clothing. Yukiko’s parents had sent word to them that they wanted to have lunch at Stabled Hunger. Yukiko again reminded Jenn that she was coming with them, since her parents would want to meet her.

I wonder how protective they’ll be this time? Gregory wondered to himself.

Stepping out of his room, he knocked on Yukiko’s door. “Yuki?”

“We’ll be right down, Greg. Jenn and I are coordinating.”

“Okay...” Gregory replied a little hesitantly. Coordinating what? Oh, maybe they’re dressing similarly, like Ria and El…? Been a while since I thought about them. I should send them another letter. Distracted, thinking of his old friends, Gregory went down to the dining room.

“Good morning, Novice.”

Gregory’s head jerked up, yanked from his thoughts. “Elder! Welcome back, sir.”

“You looked to be deep in thought. Did I interrupt?” Lightshield asked.

“No, sir. I was just thinking about sending my old friends another letter, but I’ll wait until after the tournament so I can tell them about it.”

“Ah. Keeping ties with your past can be good,” Lightshield said sadly. “It can also be painful.”

Gregory took his seat across from the elder. “I’m aware, sir. I feel the need to let them know what’s happening to me, though.”

“If it comes from your soul, then it will only lead you to the right choices,” Lightshield replied.

Gregory sat still for a minute, wondering if the elder knew. Before he could reach a decision on that, Yukiko and Jenn entered the room.

“Novices, it’s good to see you both. In similar outfits, even,” Lightshield smiled. “Interesting. I’m sure it’ll work out better than you both think.”

Both women slowed their pace, exchanging a glance before bowing. “Thank you, Elder,” Yukiko said.

“Since you’re all here, I would like to inform you of the various things that are going to be mandatory to attend during the tournament, as well as the post-tournament training time.”

Velma paused in the kitchen. She had breakfast ready, but she didn’t want to interrupt the elder.

“It’s fine. Bring them their food. They can eat while I talk,” Lightshield said, not even glancing her way.

Velma’s eyes went wide for a moment, but she began to serve them. Once she was done, she stepped out of the room to let them talk.

“As I was saying, you’re required to attend dinner tonight,” Lightshield said. “That and the victory feast on the last day of the tournament are the only requirements I have set during this period. As you have family in the city, I would encourage you to spend it with them.”

“Thank you, sir,” Yukiko smiled.

“You, as well, Bean,” Lightshield said.

Jenn froze with her spoon half-raised to her mouth. “My family?”

“Your mother and father are in the city. They’re staying at Stabled Hunger, as Warlin’s parents are.”

Jenn appeared lost, not expecting what she was being told.

Gregory felt his heart clench for a moment as he thought of his father.

“The month after the tournament is different,” Lightshield went on. “You have two days afterward to get your things arranged. From then until two days before the start of the next year of your classes, we will be leaving the city.”

“Where are we going, sir?” Gregory asked.

“One of the nearby towns,” Lightshield replied. “You’ll be apprenticed to a craft for that time period. It’s a working vacation. When the work is done for the day, the rest of the time will be yours. Dia will be there to oversee you. Any questions?”

“Which crafts?” Jenn asked.

“Weaponsmithing, leatherworking with a specialization on armor, and lastly, a master bowyer. I decided to let you all choose which you’d prefer, but you will absorb all you can from those crafters. Most magi ignore the mundane crafts, but the knowledge can aid you later in life.”

“Yes, sir,” they murmured.

“That’s all for now,” Lightshield said, getting to his feet. A grimace crossed his face as he stood. A simple wooden cane helped him as he walked slowly from the room.

Gregory watched the elder go and felt a small spike of sadness. “He’s dying.”

“He’s an elder,” Jenn said. “They live very long lives.”

“Greg’s right,” Yukiko said. “He didn’t need a cane when he was here last.”

“He had mentioned that he’d have to pass the clan onto another,” Gregory murmured. “I wonder if that’ll be Dia?”

“Time will tell,” Yukiko said.

~*~*~

“Novices, it’s good to see you,” Simon greeted them.

“Thank you, Simon. Could I switch my current book to another on bowyering?” Gregory asked.

“And leatherworking for me, please?” Yukiko chimed in.

“Smithing, if it’s not too much to ask,” Jenn finished.

“You’ve read books on those topics already,” Simon said.

“We need more knowledge on those topics,” Gregory said.

“Ah. Your elder is reviving the old tradition of the clan, I take it?”

“Old tradition?” Yukiko asked.

“It was traditional for those going from their novice to apprentice years to be trained in a craft during their month off,” Simon said.

“The book I read about the clan didn’t mention that,” Gregory said.

“No. That one stayed within the normal aspects. It was written by the current elder’s father, before he split off to make the Iron Hand.”

“We need to look more at the clan archive,” Gregory said.

“It does seem prudent to do so,” Yukiko nodded.

“I’ll bring some books that will likely be useful to you in the coming month,” Simon said. “I also want to wish you well in the tournament. Many eyes will be on you three since you all finished in the top eight.”

“We’ll be doing our best,” Gregory said.

“No one doubts you’d do less,” Simon said. “Your friends are already seated.”

“Thank you,” the three of them said in echo, bowing to Simon.

“There they are,” Daciana said. “We weren’t certain you’d be here.”

“We’ll be here every morning, if possible,” Yukiko said. “We try not to miss our training.”

“Good,” Daciana nodded. “We’ll be here, too.”

“If that’s okay?” Nessa added.

“It’s fine,” Gregory said. “Friends should help each other, even if we’re restrained in how much we can help.”

“We understand,” Nessa said, beating Daciana to the comment. “You’ve already done more than we deserve.”

“If you’re as serious about joining the clan as you appear to be, then it’s the least we can do. We’re being targeted by the great clans. Following us will put targets on you, as well.”

“We can handle it,” Daciana said. “We’ve already gained a rank in the time we’ve known you.”

“That growth slows,” Jenn said. “What rank are you right now?”

“Three,” Daciana said, pulling her medallion out.

“Two,” Nessa added, showing her medallion, too. “What of you three?”

They each pulled their medallions out far enough for them to be seen before putting them away.

“Already?” Daciana asked with wide eyes. “Will we be the same?”

“Everyone is different in how fast they grow,” Yukiko said. “Which path you follow makes a difference in that, as well.”

“I’ve been curious about that,” Nessa said. “From the little we’ve overheard from the others waiting to be novices, they all do specific types of training. A few do Magi Squares, the majority focus on physical training, and a couple meditate. We’ve been doing all three... how will that affect us? I asked the dormitory keeper, but she just smiled and shook her head. Another person overheard my question and called me foolish, as only the exceptionally rare can train two paths, and no one can train all three.”

“The training you’re doing is to keep you balanced until you find the path you want to follow,” Gregory said.

“But you three do the same, right? Have you still not chosen?” Daciana asked, staring at Gregory.

“We’ll answer that when you join the clan,” Yukiko said. “We can’t answer right now. Giving answers to a possible adversary is foolish.”

Nessa blinked, hurt appearing on her features.

Daciana nodded sagely. “Yes, that’s smart. We’ll wait until then.”

“We should get started on the lessons,” Jenn said. “We have places we have to be.”

“Okay...” Nessa said softly.

~*~*~

Elsa opened the door for them, her smile wide. “Welcome to the Watashi residence.”

“Good morning to you, Elsa,” Yukiko said. “This will be our last day here until the next cycle at the academy begins.”

Elsa’s smile dimmed, but she nodded. “Because your fights can be at any time. I know.”

“You’re going to keep up what you’re doing, right?” Gregory asked.

Elsa nodded emphatically. “We all will.”

“If you all do a good job, we’ll see about setting up something special,” Jenn said.

Elsa’s eyes lit up. “Promise?”

“We’ll see,” Yukiko said. “If Baylyss says that you didn’t…”

“No! We’ll do our best!”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Baylyss said from behind Elsa. “Now go join the others in the garden. They’ll be along momentarily.”

“Yes,” Elsa bowed to them, then Baylyss, before she walked sedately from the room.

Baylyss watched her go with a kind smile. “She acts older than her years sometimes. Last night, one of the others woke with night terrors, and Elsa soothed them before I could get to the room.”

“She’ll do great things,” Yukiko said. “We’ll do our best to bring something back for all of them. You’ll need to leave word at the clan hall if they deserve it or not.”

“I can handle that,” Baylyss said. “They’ve all been eager for today, though sad. I know you have plans for today, so go on. I set out gi for you to wear while training, and I’ll have the baths ready for you so you can clean up before leaving.”

“Thank you,” Jenn said. “That’s very thoughtful.”

“I do try,” Baylyss said before she started to lead them down the hall.

Chapter Forty-six

Gregory took a slow, deep breath, feeling the butterflies in his gut. Glancing up, he saw that Jenn looked as nervous as he was. “It’ll be okay,” he said.

Jenn jerked slightly, blinking rapidly for a moment. “Yes! Yes, of course.”

“Do you think they won’t approve?” Yukiko asked her.

“I don’t know,” Jenn replied. “Mother was in tears when the proctor took me away, and Father has never been a fan of the magi... They’ve never written to me.”

“Did you write to them?” Gregory asked.

Jenn was silent for a few seconds, then shook her head. “No. I should have, though.”

“Parents will always love their children,” Yukiko said.

Gregory’s eyelid twitched as he recalled some of the beatings his father gave him. Those memories faded, replaced by the one he had of his father begging Bishop to leave Gregory behind, not wanting to lose him.

“Dear one?” Yukiko asked with concern.

Gregory blinked and felt a tear tracking down his cheek. He quickly scrubbed it away. “Sorry. Talk of parents…”

Yukiko took his hands in hers. “I’m here. Jenn’s here. If you need to speak and let the pain go, we’ll help.”

“Maybe later,” Gregory said. “Just before seeing your parents isn’t the time.”

“If that’s what you want,” Yukiko said softly.

“She’s right, Greg. We’re here to support each other,” Jenn added.

Gregory gave her a strained smile. “Thank you. Right now, let’s focus on happiness?”

“Father will be happy, and Mother will be surprised,” Yukiko said.

Gregory’s lips twitched briefly upward. “Maybe a different topic?”

“Father will likely ask about it,” Yukiko said. “Be prepared.”

“He wouldn’t. Not with Jenn’s parents there,” Gregory said.

“No. He’d wait, but the question will come.”

“Do you think they’ll do what they did last time?” Gregory asked.

“Dinner every night?” Yukiko asked, deliberately misunderstanding.

“That’s fine. You know what I’m referring to, Yuki.”

“Yes. They’ll probably do exactly what they did last time,” Yukiko replied.

“And we can’t let him go unsupervised.”

“No,” Yukiko replied. “Mother could, but not Father.”

“What are you talking about?” Jenn asked.

“The auction house,” Yukiko smiled.

Jenn stared at Yukiko. “Wait... You’re being serious?”

“Yes,” Gregory replied. “It was the hardest part to come to grips with during the last tournament.”

“And you’ll be with us,” Yukiko said as the carriage slowed.

Jenn was about to object, but the carriage stopped before she could. Hintle, one of Warlin’s guards, opened the carriage door for them and helped them out, then led them into the taproom of Stabled Hunger.

The room was packed with Warlin’s guards. The only non-guard present was Mumisa, Murium’s mother, who was speaking with Lin about the book that she had on the table. All eyes went to them when they entered the room.

Yukiko gave them a bright smile. “Afternoon. I hope you are all well.”

“We are,” Lin said, before quietly excusing himself from his discussion with Mumisa. “Your parents, and hers, are waiting for you.”

“Surprised you aren’t with them,” Yukiko said.

“I’ve had time to vet them,” Lin said.

“Is that so?” Yukiko smiled.

“If you’ll follow me?” Lin asked.

“We know the way,” Yukiko said gently. “There’s no need to come with us.”

“And have Hao hand me my head? I’ll decline.”

“Very well,” Yukiko said.

Lin led them down the hall to the private dining room. He paused a second after knocking before opening the door. “Your daughters are here, along with Pettit.”

Yukiko was the first one into the room, her smile bright. “It’s good to see you both.”

Hao and Yoo-jin rose to their feet when she entered, smiling widely as they greeted her in return. Two other people stood when Jenn entered the room.

“Mother… Father...” Jenn greeted them with a slight waver to her voice. “It’s good to see you both.”

“Our darling!” Jenn’s mother sniffled as she rushed around the table to hug her.

Her father stayed where he was, looking taciturn. “It’s good to see you.” His voice was firm, and didn’t betray any emotion.

Jenn didn’t try to stop her mother, letting the larger woman hug her. “Mother, please... there are others present.”

“Oh, they love their little girl as much as we love ours.”

Yoo-jin nodded. “It’s true. We do.”

Lin took up a position beside the door after he closed it behind them.

“So, these are your friends?” Jenn’s father asked bluntly.

Jenn slipped free of her mother, giving her father a searching look. “They are. Yukiko Warlin, Gregory Pettit, these are my parents, Umbrose and Adolphus Bean.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Gregory said, bowing formally to them.

“Your daughter has been a bright spot for us,” Yukiko said.

“I’m sure you’ve been the same for her,” Umbrose replied. “She never had many friends.”

“Mother!” Jenn exclaimed pleadingly.

“Don’t feel bad,” Yoo-jin said. “Yu had trouble with that, as well.”

Yukiko nodded. “Until Greg and you, Jenn, I never had real friends. I speak the truth when I say you’ve been a bright spot for me.”

“If you’re done with the maudlin moment,” Adolphus said bluntly, “actions are the only thing that counts. Words are useless if not backed by action.”

“Yes,” Hao said. “That’s very true. Something that some people take years to learn. Shall we go back to our conversation?”

“I was surprised to hear you had come,” Jenn said, taking her seat.

“Normally, I would have to pull him away from the forge, as you know, Jenn,” Umbrose said. “This time, though, he was the one who planned everything.”

Jenn sat up straighter. “Father?”

Adolphus looked away from her. “It’s been nearly a year, and we haven’t heard anything.”

Jenn sat there for a few seconds. “I’m sorry, Father, Mother. I wasn’t sure you wanted to—”

“You blasted fool!” Adolphus cut her off. “We know the magi are vicious even to their novices. We’ve been worried sick.”

“Easy, Husband,” Umbrose said, placing her hand on his thick forearm.

“I… I…” Jenn stammered, not having expected an outburst from her normally stoic father.

“It seems I’m not the only father who has been worried sick for his child,” Hao said. “It must have been difficult, wanting to come for the first tournament, but being unable to.”

“It was difficult,” Adolphus said stiffly.

“We were surprised when you stopped by our shop,” Umbrose said.

“It was something my daughter asked us for,” Yoo-jin said, “that we inquire if you’d like to come. We were gratified that you did indeed want to do so.”

Jenn swallowed and turned to Yukiko. “You asked them?”

“I asked that they check. I know you had been wanting to see them, but didn’t know how to ask,” Yukiko said gently. “If I overstepped—”

Jenn shook her head, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “No. This… this is... Thank you.”

Gregory looked away, his own emotional turmoil spiking again.

“You’d been saying that your daughter was marrying,” Adolphus said, breaking the moment. “This is the man?”

“Gregory Pettit,” Hao nodded. “Once the tournament is over, he’ll be marrying our Yu.”

Adolphus stared at Gregory for a long moment. “You’ve been helping my daughter?”

“Yes, sir. To be fair, she’s been helping us, as well.”

“Oh? What’s she been teaching you?” Adolphus asked.

“Fighting, mostly,” Gregory said. “She was in the final eight during the last tournament. She’s one of the best fighters in our year.”

“Yoo-jin was telling us about the first tournament during the trip here,” Umbrose said, cutting in. “You were the one who knocked her out.”

“Tough fight,” Gregory said with a small wince. “One more second and she would have beat me. I only won because she exhausted her aether.”

“You won because you were better prepared,” Jenn said.

A knock on the door made them all pause. Lin answered it before stepping aside, allowing Vana inside with a cart. She greeted them and told them about the meal as she served them, then withdrew the moment she was done.

“Shall we pause with the conversation until we’re all finished eating?” Hao asked once Vana left. “I promise you the meal will be worth your full attention.”

“Agreed,” Adolphus said.

~*~*~

The atmosphere in the room mellowed with everyone feeling full. Gregory told them about the tournament fight with Jenn, with her interrupting him to provide her own insight.

“She gave you a full run,” Adolphus said with a glint of pride in his eyes.

“I had to be taken care of by the healers,” Gregory said. “It was the second most difficult fight I had.”

“I was sure I’d hate her for how much she hurt him,” Yukiko said. “After speaking with her, though, I knew I could never.”

“I thought I’d crossed a line when I talked to you after the tournament. You proved me wrong,” Jenn replied.

“When you stopped me and Greg?” Yukiko laughed lightly. “That was a moment where things might have gone differently. Then, we ended up in the same weapons class, and the chances for our friendship grew.”

“And Gregory invited me to dinner with Elder Lightshield,” Jenn said. “That was when this really started.”

“Yes,” Yukiko agreed.

“Tell us of the clan, please?” Adolphus asked. “I don’t think I’ve heard of it before.”

“Aether’s Guard was one of the original great clans,” Gregory said. “They’ve faded almost entirely away, but might be making a comeback now.”

“Why did you choose them and not a different clan?”

“Because they don’t care who our ancestors are,” Jenn answered him.

Adolphus’ eyes widened a little. “Jenn, that shouldn’t be talked ab—!”

“It should,” Jenn said firmly. “Yuki and Greg don’t care. I’ve already told them.”

Adolphus shot a look at the other two novices.

“I have eurtik blood from my mother’s line,” Yukiko said. “Owl, to be precise. We aren’t sure how far back it goes, but it’s further back than my grandmother.”

“It was before my grandmother,” Yoo-jin said. “We have no idea why it became so visible with her. She had a hard time because of it.”

“Like our Jenn...” Umbrose nodded. “It’s not as obvious for Adolphus. He could just be a little short for a human, and his thickness is written off because of him being a smith, but his father is a dwarf. Jenn got his lack of height but my slight build, making it obvious she was different.”

Adolphus was clearly uncomfortable. “Maybe we shouldn’t have this conversation…?”

“If that’s what you want,” Hao said. “Honestly, it doesn’t matter to us. We’ve dealt with the same bigotry that you likely have. Maybe being able to talk to another who had similar experiences would be beneficial, but it’s your choice.”

“Father,” Yukiko said, “Jenn is to be treated equally to Greg and myself.”

Hao nodded. “If that’s what you want, but it’ll cut back on what we can do to help you.”

“We don’t need items,” Gregory said. “The clan provided during the solstice.”

“They did?” Hao asked.

Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn explained the solstice festivities and what they had gained from it. They laughed a few times while they explained how they had to cooperate to get some of the items.

“I see. Well, that does free up a part of the budget, even with the increased cost from Alvis Alchemy. We’ll do the best we can, Yu.”

“Thank you, Father,” Yukiko smiled.

“Speaking of costs,” Yoo-jin said, “we’ve received some aid from the clan to arrange for your troops. Jento has been recruiting them over the last five months. That number was expanded to include enough for Jenn, as well. Elder Lightshield advised us when he gave us the funding. Jento will have the basics and more drilled into them by the time you need them.”

“Troops... because they’ll be posted along the borders?” Adolphus asked. “Have they already decided that?”

“No, Father,” Jenn said. “That’s for our fourth year. During the third year, we’re going to be trained with the troops to manage them. They are then sent with us during our adept year to whatever post we are assigned. Depending on what the empire and clan needs after that, we might be with them for years.”

“I thought the empire provided them?” Umbrose asked. “The magi we had to make weapons for always made it seem like that was the case.”

“We never looked into it until we learned about it,” Yoo-jin said. “The troops will be under contract for five years, unless you release them sooner.”

“The officers for each of you are from our guard,” Hao said. “We wanted to make sure you had quality people for those positions.”

“Thank you for doing this for Jenn,” Adolphus said slowly. “Why did you? You didn’t know us at that point.”

“Yu asked us to,” Hao said. “When the elder gave us money to manage it more easily, we dumped all of it into the project. Jento has all the men in light armor, with weapons, and will be training them for field combat, as well as urban policing.”

Adolphus looked impressed. “That sounds costly. I know what weapons for a group of that size would run. Before the armor and training, it isn’t cheap.”

“It hasn’t been, but they will have some of the best troops,” Yoo-jin said.

“Where are they being trained?” Yukiko asked.

“We converted the third warehouse into a barracks for them,” Hao said. “Once Jento has them in order, they’ll be assisting the city guard to get a feel for how to work in a city.”

“I hadn’t even thought about that,” Gregory said. “Thank you for all of this.”

“Yu has said you are her heart,” Yoo-jin said. “We can’t have her upset because her heart became broken.”

“When do we get to see the clan and the academy grounds?” Adolphus asked.

“Tomorrow is when the academy lets visitors inside. We’ll be having dinner and visiting a few places after their matches have finished.”

“Speaking of...” Yukiko sighed. “We have dinner at the clan hall tonight. It and the feast after the tournament are mandated by the clan.”

“The night after that is when there’s another event,” Hao said with a smile. “Everything has been arranged. We just need to know how many are attending.”

“Dia will have the answer for you,” Yukiko said.

“I’ll confer with her tomorrow,” Yoo-jin said. “I have a couple of questions I wanted to ask her.”

“I have some questions that you can answer for me, Mother,” Yukiko said. “Sometime later this week, when the men aren’t present?”

Hao chuckled. “We’ll make one of the nights a split night. The guys and girls will be separated and, that way, questions can be asked without worry.”

“Thank you, Father,” Yukiko smiled.

“We should get going,” Gregory said. “We don’t want to be late tonight, especially with the curfew still being in effect.”

“That’s a good point,” Yukiko nodded.

“But we barely got to see each other,” Umbrose said.

“There will be two weeks of time to catch up,” Jenn said gently. “I’d like to hear more about home tomorrow.”

“Yes,” Umbrose said, getting to her feet. “I need a hug before you go.”

“Mother...” Jenn said, half-protesting even as she stood up and opened her arms to hug her mother back.

“Since others are doing it,” Yoo-jin smiled.

“Yes, Mother,” Yukiko agreed.

Chapter Forty-seven

Getting back to the clan hall two hours before sundown, the friends opted to get some meditation in. When they finished, they were surprised to find Dia and Elder Lightshield finishing the routine with them.

“Elder, Dia,” Gregory greeted them.

“It’s gratifying to see my grandfather’s words being used by the youngest generation of magi,” Lightshield said. “The end of the first year comes closer. Have you found enjoyment in your journey?”

“Yes, Elder,” Yukiko smiled. “I have my friends beside me.”

“It’s improved since we joined the clan,” Jenn said.

“It’s been something I will always remember,” Gregory said.

“Good. Everyone is always rushing to grow in power, especially while in the academy. They miss out on things, disregarding the fun that can be had if they just take a moment to do more for themselves.”

“We’ve had fun,” Gregory said.

“Even though your days off were filled with learning?” Lightshield asked.

“It was fun for us,” Yukiko said. “We were learning games and how to play them. If you can do more than one thing at a time, why not do so?”

“As long as you had fun and weren’t stressing yourselves. Now, it’s time for a bath.” Lightshield had started to walk away when his left leg nearly failed to hold him up. With a limp, he regained his balance and thrust out a hand. The cane by the door shot through the air, slapping into his open palm. “Forgot I need this now.”

“We should get our baths, too,” Yukiko said.

“Yes,” Jenn agreed.

Gregory followed Elder Lightshield into the male bathing area. Going into the changing room, they could hear muffled voices in the bathing room proper.

“It does my soul good to know that holding onto this building for so long was worth it,” Lightshield said.

“You thought about getting rid of it?” Gregory asked.

“About twelve years ago. We weren’t using it anymore, and I could have easily sold it to another clan, but I had faith that it would be used again before my time came.”

“You have many years left, sir.”

“Kind of you to say, Novice, but untrue. I already know my end. I’ve seen it.”

“Doesn’t that mean you can change it?”

“I could try, but honestly, my time is coming to an end, regardless. Magi of the higher tiers generally find their ends come with little notice... a year, maybe two, if we don’t die from clashing with another clan or country. My cane is proof that my decline is here, which is why I’ve already made sure my successor is named. All of the forms have been submitted to the appropriate people.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, sir,” Gregory said.

Lightshield smiled. “I’m not. I achieved what my grandfather would have wanted of me.”

“I always admired the stories of Lionel Lighthand that my mother told me,” Gregory said as he finished stripping. “His defense of Ellut always made me smile.”

Lightshield nodded slowly. “The story left out many things. He did what was right, but it cost him more than most will ever know.” Taking a slow step, Lightshield grimaced. “I don’t wish to get this cane wet.”

“Then let me help you, sir,” Gregory said, moving over to offer his shoulder to the elder.

“The young help the old, and the old help the young... If only that were true all the time,” Lightshield said.

“I was meaning to ask why your family name is different from your grandfather’s,” Gregory said as he opened the door to the bathing room.

“It’s not exciting,” Lightshield said. “Maybe I’ll tell you later.”

“Good evening, Elder,” Gin said from the tub. “Novice.”

“Armsmaster. Has my clan been taking care of everything for you?”

“And then some,” Gin replied. “I do hope the additional costs have been okay.”

“Helping orphaned children is something I’ve always tried to do. The cost is nothing compared to a child’s smile. How have the rest of you been?”

“Fine, sir,” Steva said awkwardly. “We’ll leave right aw—”

“Nonsense,” Lightshield said. “Our clan has always been one of tolerance. If you disparage someone because of their heritage or position in life, how can you ever expect to move smoothly through life yourself? You might be a staff member of the clan, but you are still part of the clan. Your contracts with Dia should have made that abundantly clear.”

“We were very surprised with how generous they were, sir,” Zenim said.

“Very generous,” Ravol nodded.

“My wife didn’t believe it, but now she praises the clan every night,” Quilet added.

“Have her praise Aether. It’s through him that the clan exists,” Lightshield said. “Don’t let us interrupt your previous conversation. It was regarding a joyous event coming up, was it not? A wedding between two of our own.”

“We were just excited to be able to attend the entire wedding, sir,” Ravol said.

“Even if it means being a little sleepy the next day,” Steva added. “Oh, my son made it to Alturis, Greg. It’s been a bit awkward for him, but your friends have embraced him, and that’s helped with the rest of the town accepting him. My other son is thinking of heading out that way.”

“I’m glad to hear it’s working for him.”

“It has,” Steva beamed. “He’s working at the mine.”

“Ah, the frontier. It’s free of some of the prejudice of the core,” Lightshield said. “I believe that if Aether does return to us, it’ll be from the outskirts. It’s why I tasked Bishop with proctoring there.”

Gregory stiffened a little at Lightshield’s words before helping the old man onto the washing bench. “Foresight?”

“No. Faith,” Lightshield said. “I have faith that Aether will return.”

“I wonder how that would change things?” Quilet said.

“The emperor would have a problem,” Ravol snorted.

Steva slapped his hand over Ravol’s mouth. “He didn’t mean it like that.”

Lightshield chuckled. “Those words uttered by someone could cause us many problems. Luckily, no one heard them.”

Gin shifted uncomfortably. “Such talk is best never uttered. Some shadows have ears.”

“The armsmaster is right,” Lightshield agreed. “Please be more careful with your phrasing in the future?”

“Yes, sir,” Ravol swallowed hard. “Apologies.”

“To err is to prove you live, for only the living make mistakes,” Lightshield said.

“We need to get going. Things to finish for dinner,” Zenim said.

“Yeah, busy, busy,” Steva said, nudging Ravol toward the door.

“Thank you for having us, sir,” Quilet said, bowing to Lightshield before following the others.

Gin cleared his throat once they had left. “Dangerous talk. I hope that your words sink in for them.”

“I believe they have,” Lightshield said. “How have our novices been doing, Armsmaster?”

“Well, Elder, they have a firm grounding of unarmed combat, which I keep honing. Weapons have been proceeding along, as well. I believe that this tournament will surprise their opponents. If it was just weapons, I fully believe our novices would be the top three finishers.”

“Alas, magic will play a part,” Lightshield said. “With magic, how do you think they will do?”

“They’ll be in the final eight unless they face each other before then. If they have to face the other final eight members, or some of those that could have been there, it’ll get interesting. I give them at least a fifty-percent chance to make it to the final eight, but the match-ups will determine how likely it really is.”

“I’ve made sure a reliable healer is on standby when our magi are in the arenas,” Lightshield said, “to prevent any problems that a less skilled or caring healer might cause.”

“I hope it doesn’t come to that, sir. We had some close calls with the first tournament as it was.”

“I am aware. I’ve done all I could in that regard. I do not doubt other hands are moving pieces into position to topple our novices.”

“Grandmaster Shun?” Gregory asked.

“One of them, but not the only one,” Lightshield said. “Even those that smile to your face can be holding the knife that goes into your back. Something that every magi learns in time, and normally, with loss.”

“We’re doing our best to make sure we trust only those we can be sure of, sir,” Gregory said.

“And so far, you have chosen correctly every time,” Lightshield replied. “If you had taken the path with the Eternal Flame… things would have been very bad.”

“I wouldn’t have joined them, not with Yuki.”

“Ah, but there were a couple of times when things could have gone differently, weren’t there? Maybe your magic helped you a little?”

“Yes, sir,” Gregory said, seeing no reason to not admit to it.

“Foresight,” Gin said, lounging in the giant tub. “I have to think it’s an asset, but isn’t it also a burden?”

“Without a doubt,” Lightshield said, a tinge of sadness filling his voice. “Sometimes, the choice to act or not can paralyze you. Second-guessing your choices afterward can lead one to madness, as well. Something for you to keep in mind, Novice.”

“Yes, sir.”

“How is my son?” Gin asked, changing the topic.

“Lin is doing well. Jento is the one putting together the troops for us.”

“Jento will do well in that position,” Gin said. “He’s always had a good eye for people.”

“The officers are members from the Warlin’s Guard, too,” Gregory added.

“Good. A strong officer core will keep the troops in order.”

“Yes,” Lightshield agreed. “Remember to listen to your officers.”

“Yes, sir.”

“That’s part of next year’s learning,” Lightshield said.

“I will augment what the academy teaches them,” Gin said. “Useful things, not the stuff they shove into the heads of young magi.”

“That would be best,” Lightshield agreed. “Now, it’s time for a soak.” Slowly getting to his feet, he wobbled for a second.

Gregory was beside him almost immediately, helping the elder over to the tub.

“I wonder how your relationship is,” Lightshield said as he took his time sliding into the water. “Not many relationships between magi work out. The draw of power always seems to pull them apart if the jealousy when one stops growing as fast as the other doesn’t rip them apart first.”

“We won’t have that problem,” Gregory said. “We’re committed to each other, fully.”

Lightshield closed his eyes and leaned against the side of the tub. “Yes, I do believe you are, even with the unexpected surprises coming your way.”

Gregory felt as if a piece of his soul was plucked like a lute string. A shiver ran from head to toe, and back again. “Foresight?”

“Yes.”

Gregory debated asking, but shook his head. Everything would work out with Yukiko beside him. He firmly believed that everything would be fine.

Gin grunted and got out of the bath. “Been soaking long enough. I’ll see you both for the meal.”

“We won’t be long,” Lightshield said. “Another handful of minutes, at most.”

~*~*~

When everyone finished eating, Lightshield cleared his throat. “I do hope you all enjoyed that as much as it appeared. I don’t want to take up too much time, as our novices do have to get sleep for tomorrow. I just wanted to thank you all for helping reinvigorate the clan. The future lies with all of you, and I know that you will do the name of the clan proud. For Aether’s Guard!”

“For Aether’s Guard!” the others cheered, raising up their glasses to answer the toast.

Gregory shifted in his seat. “Honored elder, I apologize if this is presumptuous, but I feel like I should say something.”

“Go ahead.”

“We’d been planning on being clanless before we met you. We thought it would be the right choice. Having seen the difficulties the other novices have had, I now know that would’ve been a mistake. Aether’s Guard has been nothing but supportive of all of us. You’ve called in favors to make it the very best it could be for us, and we are all extremely grateful. We’ll do our very best to take the top three spots in the tournament and show the other clans that, not only is Aether’s Guard not gone, it’s going back to where it had once been or higher.”

Lightshield smiled. “I don’t care what those outside of the clan think of us. We never have, which might explain why we are diminished. Every other clan calls us foolish for our ways and actions, but that’s because they lack a greater purpose. We don’t lack one— we have always had one. We are Aether’s Guard, and we will be here to stand beside Aether when he returns.”

“For Aether!” Dia said when Lightshield finished.

“For Aether!” every other voice raised up with the toast.

“Now, go,” Lightshield said. “Rest, relax, and sleep. Tomorrow comes soon enough, and you will have a full day. The next twelve days will test you in ways you expect and ways you don’t. We will be ready to celebrate your victories, or to lament your losses. That’s what family does.”

The three novices rose to their feet, bowing formally to Lightshield. They left the room, heading for their bedrooms.

Reaching the right floor, they paused, all of them clearly not ready for bed.

“A little bit of Empire’s Gambit talk before bed?” Jenn asked.

“That sounds wonderful to me,” Yukiko smiled.

“I’m not tired, either,” Gregory chuckled. “Besides, why break routine now?”

“Why, indeed?” Jenn smiled.

Chapter Forty-eight

Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn were excited as they went down to get breakfast. “They’ll be posting the match-ups at the eighth bell,” Gregory said. “That means we can get our studying in and then go over to one of the training halls to run through the Peaceful Fist.”

“Barring injury, we should be able to do that every day,” Yukiko said. “While the others sleep in or lay about, we’ll keep pushing to improve ourselves.”

“Did you two go up in rank?” Jenn asked.

“Not yet,” Gregory said. “It should be soon, though.”

“That means I have a chance to catch up to you,” Jenn smiled. “The last time, you both ranked up two weeks after I did. How much longer do you think it’ll be?”

“It’ll be before the end of the week... maybe,” Yukiko said uncertainly.

“Good morning,” Velma greeted them when they entered the dining room. “I’ll have breakfast finished in a minute.”

“Thank you, Velma,” Gregory said.

“We’ve asked a friend to place bets for us if the odds are good, but we don’t expect anything like last time,” Velma said. “Since you all placed in the final eight last time, the odds won’t be as high.”

“That always happens,” Yukiko said. “It’s a single fight a day this time. We’ll be able to be at our best for each. That, of course, works the inverse as well— our opponents will be just as ready.”

“That’s correct,” Dia said when she entered the room.

“Breakfast is ready,” Velma said. “Did you want yours now, too, Dia?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“We need to be at our best when we face Nick, Jason, and the others,” Yukiko said.

“Don’t underestimate the other novices, including the clanless,” Dia said. “Some clan will promise them a place in theirs if they can remove another threat to them.”

“We’ll make sure to not let our guards down,” Jenn said.

“Depending on the arenas and timing, we’ll be attempting to make it to your matches. At least one of us will be there to see the fight. Do your best, but not at the cost of your life.”

“Understood,” Gregory said. “Thank you, Velma,” he added when she put his breakfast on the table for him.

“Enjoy,” Dia said. “Velma, have mine brought to the office.”

“I’ll bring it as soon as it’s done.”

~*~*~

“Good morning, Novices,” Rafiq greeted them when they entered the archive.

“Good morning, Rafiq,” they each replied.

“Your friends are already waiting for you. I never thought a set of novices would be earlier than you,” Rafiq chuckled. “However, considering they’re your friends, it makes sense.”

“They’re motivated to learn as much as they can,” Yukiko said.

“Very studious, much like you. Are you eager for today?”

“Not exactly eager, but there is anticipation,” Gregory said. “That’s because the tournament will end, and we have an event afterward that we’re looking forward to.”

“The pending nuptials,” Rafiq nodded. “Yes, something better to be excited for.”

“Yes,” Yukiko agreed.

“I’ll wish the best for you over the next twelve days,” Rafiq said. “I believe you will be making it to the final eight again.”

“We’ll do our best,” Jenn said.

“Of that, I have no doubt. Do you need other materials to read today?”

None of them did, so they wished Rafiq well and moved farther inside to find their friends. Nessa and Daciana were already focused on a set of Magi Squares. As they drew closer, the pair looked up from their work.

“We’ll be there to watch you,” Daciana said. “Nessa and I will go to as many of your fights as we can.”

“What if we fight at the same time?” Yukiko asked.

“We’ll split up and compare stories,” Daciana said.

“What if all three of us are fighting at once?” Jenn asked.

Nessa shook her head. “We’ll see two of the fights, but we’re hoping it doesn’t come to that. Besides, that’s just the first nine days. The last three days won’t be a problem, as that’s reserved for the final eight and the apprentice fights.”

“The matches are going to be posted at the green training hall every day at the eighth bell. The first fight is at the ninth bell, giving everyone a chance to get to the arena they want to see.”

“We’ll likely be in the main arena more often than not,” Yukiko said.

“True, as will Nick,” Gregory added. “He’ll want the spotlight.”

“And his grandfather will provide it, if possible,” Yukiko agreed.

“Hayworth might end up there repeatedly, too,” Jenn said.

“I thought that he was going to be the one who gave us a problem when the year began,” Gregory snorted. “He’s unpleasant, but he’s not as bad as Nick.”

“He’s just an elitist,” Jenn said.

“How do you think you will do?” Daciana asked.

“Depends on who they put us against,” Yukiko said. “We’ll be doing our best, but until we know who we’re fighting, it’s hard to say.”

“Come on now, back to work,” Gregory said. “Nothing changes just because there’s a tournament.”

“You kept the same schedule during the first tournament?” Nessa asked.

“Yes,” Yukiko replied. “Having a routine will keep you focused.”

“Just the morning routine, right?” Daciana asked.

“Yes, the routine up until the matches are posted,” Gregory said. “Now, let’s get back to work.”

~*~*~

Gregory felt energized when they finished meditating. His aether was practically humming in his chest. “I’m ready to go.”

“I am, too,” Yukiko grinned. “Odds on them making us fight each other first?”

“They wouldn’t do that again,” Jenn said.

“I’m not positive about that,” Gregory said. “Maybe they’ll have one of us up against you, instead?”

“I won’t lose this time,” Jenn said with confidence.

“Let’s go find out who we’ll be facing,” Gregory said. “You both do have at least a core with you to recharge your rings, right?”

“Yes,” they said, one after the other.

“If our matches are far enough apart and against the Eternal Flame, we can trade rings,” Gregory said. “Just remember to recharge it afterward.”

“We’ll need to get more cores if we do that,” Yukiko said. “Something to mention to Father tonight.”

“You make it seem so natural for that kind of money to be spent,” Jenn said.

“It isn’t, but Father dotes on me, and I dote on those I care for in turn.”

Jenn’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she headed for the door. “Let’s get going.”

Gregory smiled as he followed Jenn, but paused beside Yukiko. “She’s still getting used to having friends.”

Yukiko glanced at Gregory before taking his hand in hers. “Twelve more days…”

Raising her hand to his lips, he kissed her knuckles. “Soon, dear one.”

Yukiko took a deep breath. “Not soon enough, but we’ve held out this long.”

“Are you two coming?” Jenn called back to them.

“Yeah,” Gregory called back as he let go of Yukiko’s hand.

Stepping out of the training hall, they found the majority of their novice class waiting near the board. Nick glared at Yukiko and Gregory, the rest of his minions doing the same. Hayworth stood off to the side with the four members of his clan, watching them with an interested gaze.

The three of them stepped away from the building and joined the waiting crowd. They didn’t wait long, as the eighth bell rang just a few minutes later. As the last toll sounded, Magus Paul Erichson came out of the building.

“Novices, this marks the end of your novice year. Do your clans proud by giving this tournament your all. The tournament will be twelve days long, and the first nine days will give us the final eight competitors who will move on. Just as before, any tied records will be decided by if they fought each other, or the strength of their opponents if they didn’t.” The novices chattered excitedly amongst themselves. “Enough talk. It’s time to show you who you’ll be fighting today.”

Moving to the board, he placed the announcement, then quickly left so the novices could rush in to see. Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn stayed well to the side, letting the herd of bodies move away from them.

“Pet-tit, I hope to see you in the coming days,” Nick said as his group moved toward the board. “You’ll get to see what a real clan can do for those who are in high regard.” He lifted his medallion out of his shirt and showed them the first ring, lit up a sunflower-yellow.

“Did your grandfather make that happen?” Gregory asked.

“At least I know who my grandfather is,” Nick sneered.

“Nick, ignore him,” Jason said. “He’ll get crushed this time. His magic is foresight, and rumor says he doesn’t even have control over it. He won’t be able to withstand any of our clan.”

“True,” Nick laughed.

Gregory shook his head, watching the Eternal Flame group push past a few of the others to get to the board. Once they had their match-ups, they left. The three friends waited for the area to clear out more before they went to find their names.

“At least we don’t fight each other yet,” Gregory said, “though it feels like someone wants to give us a hard road.”

“All of us fight in the main arena...” Jenn said. “They want it to be a lesson, too.”

“Gina at ninth bell,” Yukiko snorted. “That’ll set a tone for our clans.”

Gregory took off the improved ring and offered it to her. “You’re first. Trade back after the fight?”

“Yes,” Yukiko said, trading rings with him.

“Tenth bell against Franco,” Jenn said. “I wonder how much he’s improved since the duel?”

“He’ll be eager to prove his loss was a fluke,” Gregory said. “Be prepared for everything he can do.”

“I will.”

“Eleventh bell against Petak?” Yukiko said. “Greg, they really do want to test to see what you can do.”

“I know. I’m sure they’ll have him loaded with items, too,” Gregory said. “Let’s get moving— Yukiko is the first fight in the center arena. Your parents are likely waiting for you there already.”

“Yes. Let’s go apprise them of the situation. On the positive side, we’ll be done early today.”

“Your father will love that,” Gregory chuckled as they walked to the arena.

Chapter Forty-nine

Gregory was sitting between Yoo-jin and Gin when the ninth bell rang. Gina and Yukiko bowed as instructed by Magus Paul. Gregory’s heart began to beat faster when Paul stepped back and brought his arm down sharply.

The moment his arm started to descend, Gina flung a ball of fire from her hand, but it passed harmlessly through the space Yukiko had been standing in just a few heartbeats prior. Gina didn’t stop with the fireball— she spun behind her, lashing out with the practice wakizashi she wielded, only to have the wooden blade pass through empty space.

Gregory grinned. He spotted Yukiko, who had gone behind Magus Paul, stepping out from around him and flinging the shuriken she had chosen as her weapon. Gina started to turn back around only to find her legs stuck firmly in place. The shuriken connected with the back of her neck, making Gina cry out and hunch down.

Paul shouted, raising his hand. Raising a metal disk to his mouth, he spoke so the entire arena could hear him, “Winner: Novice Warlin. The attack would have severed Novice Asmit’s spine.” Pulling the disk back down, he spoke to Yukiko and Gina.

Yukiko bowed to Gina, who was glaring at her and refusing to bow. Yukiko didn’t acknowledge Gina as she bowed to Paul, and then finally, the box that housed the academy council.

“Shadow magic? The magic of the coward and assassin,” a man sitting in front of them snorted. “She won’t get away with such magic next year.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Hao said. “Depending on who she has beside her, she could be the key to her clan’s victory.”

The man snorted. “Clan? I didn’t recognize the symbol of her clan. No doubt they beggared themselves to entice her away from the real powers. Poor fool probably doesn’t even realize it.”

“I believe she has two fellow novices in her clan who are both slated to fight in this arena before the break for food. Would you care to place a wager on them sweeping their opponents?” Hao asked in a jovial tone.

The man turned in his seat to look at Hao. “I would like to make such a bet. Say... a thousand vela?”

“But at what odds?” Hao chuckled. “I need to have two more novices win, and you only need one to lose.”

“Hmm, not so sure after all, are you?” the man snickered. “I’m generous, so I’ll give you three to one. Your thousand against my three.”

“Acceptable,” Hao replied. “Armsmaster, did you hear the bet?”

“I did,” Gin said. “I’ll make sure that it’s honored, on my blade.”

The man turned to speak to Gin, only to blink. “That emblem... it’s the same as the novice who just won.”

“Aether’s Guard,” Gin said. “I’m their weapons instructor.”

“Hmm, I would call the bet into question if you weren’t an armsmaster. What’s your name?”

“Gin Watashi, formerly an armsmaster for the Han Merchant Exchange.”

The man’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, I beg your pardon. I didn’t mean for it to sound like I doubted you.”

“It’s fine,” Gin said. “May I introduce the two remaining novices from my clan? Jenn Bean, one of the final eight from the previous tournament.” Gin pointed to Jenn, who was sitting beside her parents. “She’s the best trained physical enhancement magi from this year.”

The man gave Jenn and her parent’s a hard look, his lip pulling up at the corner in distaste. “Ah... I see.”

“And Gregory Pettit, the winner of the previous tournament,” Gin said flatly, staring the man down. “One of the most talented students I’ve ever taught.”

“The previous champion, and a finalist... It seems my words might have been too hasty.”

“We shall see,” Hao smiled.

“As to the clan, Aether’s Guard has been around since the empire was founded,” Gin said bluntly. “It’s as old as the Eternal Flame or the Han Merchant Exchange.”

The man squinted. “I thought they had disbanded and been forgotten.”

“They were diminished, but are rising again,” Gin replied, “and will continue to do so next year and beyond.”

“Why is the next match not starting yet?” the woman beside the man asked.

“They are slated to be every half bell,” Yoo-jin said. “I doubt they expected my daughter to dispatch her opponent with such ease.”

“Your daughter?” the man said.

“Indeed,” Hao chuckled. “I am Hao Warlin, head of Warlin Mercantile. And you are?”

“I see I stepped right into this trap,” the man sighed. “I am Velus Pratt. I apologize for speaking ill of your daughter.”

“I didn’t take offense; she and her friends will prove me right.”

“We’ll see,” Velus said, turning away from them.

Yukiko joined them a few minutes later, a satisfied smirk on her lips. “We can exchange rings. I didn’t need it, after all.”

Gregory traded rings with Yukiko, settling it down onto his finger. “You made short work of that. That trick might not work a second time.”

“I doubt it will, but they still have to guess where I am and what angle I’m attacking from,” Yukiko said, taking the empty spot between her parents.

“It was well done,” Inda said. “She reacted to the obvious line of attack. However, if you’d been even a little slower on the binds, she might have been able to turn and defeat your attack.”

“I will bind quicker in the future,” Yukiko said.

“I’ve never seen shadow magic at work before. It was interesting,” Umbrose said. “To think you can move from place to place like that.”

“I can only move short distances at the moment,” Yukiko said. “The aether cost increases the further you wish to go.”

“And the shadows wrapping around her legs?” Adolphus asked.

“More aether can form the shadows better, which makes for a tighter bind,” Yukiko replied. “I’m thankful it’s only a single fight a day.”

“Yuki is hard to pin down, because of her magic,” Jenn said. “That attack wouldn’t work against someone with my magic, though. We can harden our skin with aether, meaning a shuriken is unlikely to penetrate, unless the opponent used physical enhancement magic to put aether into the throw. It would increase its ability to cause damage.”

“What about your opponent? What magic does he use?” Adolphus asked.

“Franco uses the same magic as I do,” Jenn replied.

“But she’s more advanced in its application,” Gin added. “You’ll see control over her magic when she fights.”

“She beat him in a duel months ago,” Gregory added. “He was not prepared for her. I’m willing to bet he’s focused hard to improve.”

“He has,” Inda said. “He’ll be the toughest fight our clan has today. Jenn can win, but it will be much harder. Franco has taken to using an odachi, which will give Jenn problems with her wakizashi.”

“Master Chen taught me how to fight against weapons with greater reach,” Jenn said. “It’ll be tougher, but I’ll still win.”

~*~*~

Jenn won her match, but the fight was long, hard, and brutal before she finally knocked Franco out. The healer rushed out to check on both of them. Franco was loaded onto a stretcher and carted off the field, but Jenn was treated on the field after she bowed to Paul and the council.

“Is she going to be okay?” Umbrose asked nervously.

“Mindie, the healer, will take care of her,” Yukiko assured her. “She’ll be fine when she comes back to us.”

“The next fight is Nick against Clement,” Gregory said. “This will give us a chance to see what Nick might have learned since the last tournament.”

Adolphus shifted in his seat. “This is the man who’s been giving all of you trouble?”

“Nick Shun, grandson of Grandmaster Shun, the head of the Eternal Flame inside the city,” Hao said. “The Shun family has controlled the Eternal Flame since its inception. They are powerful, and use that power to further an agenda against those with mixed blood.”

Adolphus’ expression was grim. “Ah, I see. No wonder he dislikes our children.”

“One or more of us will end up fighting him before the tournament ends,” Gregory said, “which is why seeing this fight is important. There goes Jenn, she’ll be up shortly.”

“Paul is walking back out to the middle,” Yukiko said. “The next fight’s about to start.”

Jenn made it back up to them just before Nick and Clement reached Paul. “Good, I made it.”

“How are you?” Umbrose asked, looking over Jenn to make sure she was okay.

“Sore, but nothing’s broken,” Jenn told her mother. “Not anymore, at least. I had two fractured ribs, but Mindie got them to mend.”

“What about him?” Adolphus asked.

“A broken rib, a fractured tibia, and internal hemorrhaging,” Jenn replied. “She got him stabilized for the trip to the healers.”

“Hemorr… what?” Adolphus asked.

“Bleeding,” Jenn simplified. “He was bleeding inside.”

Jenn stopped talking when she saw Nick and Clement bow to each other.

The moment Paul dropped his arm to start the bout, Nick threw fire at Clement. The fireball was pushed out and away from Clement with a strong gust of wind. The second attempt was deflected just as easily as the first.

Clement said something to Nick, who shook his head in reply. Clement laughed and pulled the slender wooden sword up to his shoulder.

Nick just smiled and threw another ball of fire. Clement batted it away before backpedaling, as Nick was rushing toward him. A spray of sand went flying into Nick’s face, but he turned his head away in time to avoid being blinded.

“If he had more training, he could be using the wind as a physical weapon,” Dia said. “It appears that he’s only focused on using it to defend against ranged attacks.”

“The fight is already over,” Gin nodded.

Clement stopped giving ground, realizing he wouldn’t be able to get away. The two novices clashed, the clack of wooden weapons echoing in the air. Nick stumbled back a step, thrown off-balance when Clement used a hard gust to push at him. Clement lunged forward, thinking he’d gotten the upper hand. Nick smirked as a blast of fire exploded out of him, engulfing Clement from head to toe.

Nick laughed and backed away from the other novice, who was coated in fire and flailing at himself. Paul was shouting for the healers as he tackled Clement to the ground, trying to smother the flames.

Clement’s screams cut off and Paul pushed himself off the charred remains, his own skin blistered and bleeding. Mindie and Klim rushed to Paul’s side, trying to help the magus.

Paul let them tend to him for a few moments before he got to his feet. “The winner is Novice Shun. There will be a change of adjudicator for the rest of today.”

Nick was already bowing to the council and walking away before Paul finished speaking. Klim guided Paul toward the exit, supporting him as they walked.

“That’s going to be a problem,” Gregory said.

“A curtain of flame...” Dia murmured. “That’s advanced apprentice-level magic. I’m surprised to see it used in this tournament.”

“He wasn’t steady on his feet as he walked away,” Gin said. “It must have taxed him heavily.”

“That’s something,” Gregory said, “but the flames looked like they resisted being put out.”

“It’s something the Shun family is known for,” Dia said. “It makes them more formidable.”

“Greg, be careful with Petak,” Yukiko said. “We have no idea what they might have prepared for you.”

“I’ll be as careful as I can be,” Gregory said.

~*~*~

Gregory took a deep breath when he left the tunnel and stepped onto the arena sands. Walking at a measured pace, he met Petak’s eyes as the two of them approached Master Chen. He could feel Yukiko’s eyes on his back as he came to a stop.

“Novices, the rules are the same as the last tournament,” Chen said. “You may stop the fight by forfeiting at any time. The fight will continue unless you are rendered unconscious, quit, or if I call an end because your opponent is unable to defend themselves. Do you understand?”

“Of course,” Petak smirked. “Don’t worry— this won’t take long.”

“I understand, sir,” Gregory said.

“Bow to the council,” Chen said.

Gregory bowed, his left hand cupping his right, held at chest height. Petak gave a shallow, mocking bow in return. Chen’s lips thinned as he watched Petak.

“Bow to me,” Chen ordered.

This time, both bows were equal.

“Bow to your opponent,” Chen said.

As the two of them turned to bow to each other, Chen stepped back from them, raising his right hand. Bringing it down sharply, he commanded them to fight.

Gregory faked right before rushing to the left. Two steps later, he pivoted and went hard right. A ball of fire went through the spot Gregory would have been standing if he hadn’t changed direction.

“Damn you! I’m not done yet!” Petak cursed.

Gregory grunted as he felt his aether pouring into his foresight. The next couple of seconds of time filled Gregory’s mind, and he plotted his course.

Petak backpedaled as Gregory kept coming toward him in a random zigzag pattern. Petak started to panic and tossed more balls of fire, but missed with each one. “No! Dammit! Just burn, already!”

Gregory spun in place as two balls zipped past on either side of him. When he stopped the spin, he was ten feet away from Petak, who looked alarmed.

“All done? Good,” Gregory said.

Petak spat at Gregory before charging at him, both of his wakizashi poised to strike. Gregory stood his ground, falling into the first stance of the naginata.

The moment Petak got into striking distance, he tried to attack. Gregory easily deflected the first strike up and out wide, but let the blade of his naginata go out, as well. Petak laughed and lunged with the second blade, thinking Gregory had made a mistake. He got a rude surprise when the butt of the naginata slapped into the second weapon, pushing it out the other way and leaving Petak’s chest exposed.

Petak’s eyes went wide just before Gregory lifted his leg and kicked hard. Petak let out an ugly exhale as he stumbled back, trying to catch his breath. Gregory let the motion flow, the naginata spinning back around as his foot came down, his balance perfect. The blade of his naginata slammed into the side of Petak’s neck.

“Stop!” Chen shouted. “Healers!”

Mindie was hurrying to Petak, who had dropped both practice swords and fallen limply to the ground. She touched the fallen novice and exhaled in relief. “He’ll be fine with some help, though his neck will be sore for hours, at least. His spine was badly stressed, but not broken.”

“I pulled the strike,” Gregory said.

Chen lifted the metal disk to his mouth. “Winner is Novice Pettit.”

Gregory bowed to Petak, who was glaring at him, then to Chen, before finishing with a bow to the council’s box. As he walked away, he felt Chen and Mindie watching him go.

Chapter Fifty

Everyone was waiting for him when he came out of the rooms below the arena. “Well done, Greg,” Hao chuckled. “This is for you. The other two got theirs already.”

Gregory took the vela offered. “From the bet?”

“Of course. You three did the real work,” Hao laughed. “With the fights over for all of you, we can head into the city after seeing the clan hall.”

“You fought well,” Dia said. “Did your magic help?”

“It was taxing,” Gregory said, though it had not tired him as much as he thought it would have, “but yes, it was enough to help me avoid the fire.”

“Foresight,” Adolphus murmured. “That’s magic from legend.”

“You wanted to kick him that badly?” Gin asked.

“I could’ve struck him in the throat before he got to me,” Gregory admitted. “If I had, he would’ve dropped dead right there. I didn’t want to kill him.”

Gin grunted. “If you hesitate like that—”

“I won’t,” Gregory said, cutting him off. “If it was my life or his, he would’ve had his head removed. This was a match during a tournament, not a fight to the death, and I’m not Nick.”

“He was trying to remove you from the tournament and possibly kill you,” Gin said flatly. “It’s not wrong to meet force with equal force.”

“Dear one...” Yukiko said softly, touching his arm for a moment, “Gin is right. Those fires would have burned you badly if they didn’t kill you. None of us would view you poorly for returning the favor to him.”

“Not at all,” Jenn said.

“I just don’t want to be like them.”

“You never will be,” Yukiko said.

“Let’s go,” Hao said. “I’m looking forward to seeing the clan hall.”

“Are all the fights going to be like that?” Adolphus asked as they exited the arena.

“No. They put us up against people who had a chance at beating us today,” Jenn said. “There aren’t that many of them left.”

“Nick, Jason, Michelle, and maybe another six in their clan,” Yukiko said. “They’ll bring the dangerous fire... There are maybe another ten who are dangerous, but in other ways.”

“The fact we ended up against three of them means the matches are being swayed,” Gregory said.

“That’s how much sway some of the clans have,” Dia said. “I know Elder Lightshield used some of his own influence. He opted to have competent healers on hand and for you all to be in the same arena.”

“Mindie and Klim,” Gregory said. “Both have been equal and fair with us.”

“Is it possible for us to stop by the archive, as well?” Yoo-jin asked.

“Yes. No one but magi are allowed to view the texts stored inside of it, though, so it’ll be just a tour of the lowest level,” Dia explained.

Adolphus was surprised to see the koi fish in the streams and ponds, never having seen anything like it before. Jenn had to explain that they only lived in places of highly concentrated aether, and they were illegal to own if you weren’t a magi. The explanation took most of their trip to the archive.

“Magus, Novices, and guests, welcome to the academy archive,” Rafiq greeted them. “I take it you’ve come for a tour?”

“Yes, please,” Yoo-jin replied.

“Your daughter is one of the most studious novices we’ve ever had in the academy,” Rafiq said as he motioned to someone. “You should be proud of her thirst for knowledge. All three of them are equal in that regard.” Another archivist came to stand near them, and Rafiq motioned to him. “Simon will show you around the bottom floor. The upper floors are off-limits to those not higher than novice tier.”

“Mother, Father, this is Rafiq, the archivist we see most often,” Yukiko said. “When he isn’t the one on the door in the morning, it’s usually Simon. They’ve made it easier for us by always having the next book on hand for us.”

“You have our thanks,” Hao said. “Both of you. Is there any way we can repay your efforts?”

“We are not allowed to accept gifts of any kind,” Rafiq said. “If you’d like to leave a note for the chief archivist, I’ll make sure she gets it.”

“If that’s all we can do, then we will,” Hao said, “but after the tour. Simon, we are in your capable hands.”

“Follow me, please,” Simon said, leading them along the left wall.

The tour of the archive, and the subsequent note-writing, took nearly an hour. Yoo-jin had many questions about how things were sorted and catalogued. Simon was eager to explain it to her in detail. Umbrose and Adolphus were shocked to see so many books, given how expensive it was to produce even a single scroll, much less a bound book. After giving Rafiq the letters from Hao and Adolphus, the group said their goodbyes and made their way to the clan hall.

The tour of the hall took up another couple of hours, as Velma and the others were happy to make some food for them. Umbrose and Velma had a lengthy discussion about what kinds of sauces worked best with what kind of meats, much to the entertainment of the others.

When the time finally came for them to leave, Dia reminded them that they shouldn’t stay out too late, as they would need their sleep for tomorrow. Hao promised to have the carriage bring them back near sunset or a little after.

~*~*~

Gregory chuckled when he saw Adolphus, Umbrose, and Jenn’s faces once they realized where Hao had the carriage take them.

“Did I look like that?” he whispered to Yukiko.

“Yes.”

“Warlin, we can’t,” Adolphus said. “There’s nothing in there that we can even begin to cons—!”

“My daughter said I was to treat Jenn equal to her and Greg,” Hao cut him off. “There is nothing you have to do or pay for. We ask for nothing in return.”

“Yuki?” Jenn asked, clearly uncomfortable.

“This is part of the tournament for us,” Yukiko told her. “We don’t buy much, if anything, but we’re here just in case something special comes along. Greg was just as unsure and uncomfortable during the last tournament.”

“Maybe it’s best if we wait back at Stabled Hunger…?” Umbrose asked.

“That might be for the best,” Yoo-jin said. “We don’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Hao, why don’t you go with them? I will stay with our children and see if there is anything for them.”

Hao chuckled. “I see... You want to stop me from spending too much.”

“Again,” Yoo-jin smiled. “You know I’ll be responsible with our money.”

“Are you sure you’d rather go back?” Hao asked the other couple. “If you’re uncomfortable, we can return, retire, and wait for them.”

“I’m not dressed for it,” Umbrose said, smoothing her plain dress. “Please?”

Adolphus realized his rough work clothing might not give a good impression, either. “Take us back, please. Jenn, you behave yourself.”

“She’ll be fine,” Yoo-jin smiled, replying before Jenn could. “We’ll likely return empty-handed, as it is. We’ll see you as soon as the auction for today is over.”

Once the others were gone, Yoo-jin led them inside the auction house.

The same receptionist from the first time greeted them. “Welcome back. Did you want a box again?”

“If the same box is available, we’d prefer that,” Yoo-jin smiled.

“Of course. Please, follow me.”

“Do I need to post the fee first?” Yoo-jin asked.

“You are honored visitors. We trust that you will settle at the end of the night,” the receptionist replied. “Would you care for any refreshments?”

“Some tea only. We’ll be having dinner afterward.”

“Of course.”

Seated in the box with their tea, they found that the auction house was still filling up with people. Gregory looked across the way to see Grandmaster Shun take his seat in his box.

“Shun is here,” Gregory murmured.

“Let’s hope we don’t bid against him tonight,” Yoo-jin said. “I don’t have the fortitude that Hao does in those moments.”

“Mother, he’s going to marry me. Maybe we can tell him?” Yukiko suggested.

“After the marriage,” Yoo-jin said. “That’s what was agreed upon.”

A knock on the door got their attention. Lin opened it to reveal Elder Lightshield.

“Do pardon my intrusion,” Lightshield smiled. “I was wondering if I might not share your box for the auction? I forget it’s wise to arrange these things ahead of time. When I inquired about a box, they informed me the last one had just been claimed.”

Yoo-jin rose to her feet. “Elder, it would be an honor to have you beside us.”

“Thank you,” Lightshield said, his cane muted against the thick rug. “I do have my own paddle with which to bid. Let me know if you are going to bid on an item, and I will stay out of the way.”

“The same for us, please,” Yoo-jin said. She motioned him to the chair to her right side. “We’ll be attending every night of the auction. Should we arrange for you to join us?”

“That would be wonderful,” Lightshield said. “I’d rather not sit on the floor, not with some of my enemies above me.” His eyes went to Shun, who was glaring at them. Lightshield gave a small wave of his hand. “It might not go well.”

“I can only imagine,” Yoo-jin said, “though I’m sure half of that hatred is directed at my family.”

“After you outbid him on something that he stated he wanted, and then your daughter beat his grandson? That is entirely likely. I doubt anything for the first few nights will be worth the attention, but one never knows when something will pique the interest.”

“I think we’ll have an idea when something of note shows up,” Yoo-jin smiled.

“Perhaps,” Lightshield replied.

~*~*~

The auction had nothing that Yoo-jin bid on. Lightshield made a few bids, but let others take it after a few small increases. Jenn had been shocked at the amount some of the items went for, but by the end of it, she seemed to have relaxed.

Dinner with their parents went by without hangups. Umbrose and Adolphus had asked about the auction, so Jenn explained it over dinner. By the time they finished eating, both of her parents appeared a little more at ease with the idea.

“I was worried you’d want everything,” Adolphus admitted to Jenn. “We do our best, always have, but even the lower items there would strain the family.”

“We’ve seen a few things that would do the same to us,” Hao said. “It’s hard when you want the best for your daughter. We understand.”

Umbrose nodded. “Yes, you do. It’s been so nice meeting another couple who have had a lot of the same experiences.”

“We agree,” Yoo-jin smiled. “Tomorrow night, I’ve arranged for a girl’s night. I believe my husband has arranged for him, Adolphus, and Gregory to be taken care of, as well. Some things just need a small audience to be said.”

Hao snorted. “In other words, they want to talk about us and spare our egos.”

Yoo-jin laughed. “I know your ego can handle anything I might say. This is so the girls can speak freely, and we can offer advice. Besides, you wanted to have a party for Greg before the wedding.”

Hao chuckled. “A tradition of Buldoun. I’ve been looking forward to it, I’ll admit.”

“Father,” Yukiko said politely, but with a hint of warning, “you’re not going to do anything to him, are you?”

“No. No! It will be a small celebration, is all,” Hao was quick to say. “I don’t plan for anything bad to happen.”

“Lin,” Yukiko asked, “you’re going, right?”

“As is my father,” Lin said.

“I’ll hold you responsible for what happens.”

Lin’s face went wooden. “Yes, miss.”

“Good,” Yukiko smiled. “I think it’s getting late; we should get back.”

“Yes,” Jenn agreed. “It’s been a busy day, and it isn’t going to be less so over the next week.”

Gregory felt a trickle of worry about what tomorrow night would bring, but he smiled, too. “Back to study, then sleep?”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Yukiko said.

Chapter Fifty-one

Meeting with the others at the clan hall, Hao was still chortling over the vela he’d made off the people around him. “Even with the exceedingly bad odds I got, I still turned a nice profit.”

“Father?” Yukiko asked with a raised brow.

“Five seconds,” Hao laughed. “Five. The time for him to close the distance, disarm, and then beat his opponent. The people in the stands beside me were shocked speechless. It took me longer to get my coin than it did for Greg to win.”

“He’s gifted with the naginata,” Gin nodded. “Yukiko did very well, too.”

Yukiko smiled. “It wasn’t five seconds, but it was good. I felt bad for him... he could barely conjure a gust of wind. I ended it as mercifully as I could.”

“She didn’t even use her magic,” Yoo-jin added. “If she had, she might have tied Greg’s time, or beaten it.”

“I had Geoff, the weak enchanter,” Jenn said. “I didn’t use my magic, either. If I had, he’d have broken bones. He thanked me once it was over.”

“Not many wouldn’t have hurt him intentionally,” Dia said. “I’m worried that word about your kindness will get around. Others might try to exploit it.”

“We’ll be wary, just like we were today,” Jenn said.

“I was worried he had something up his sleeve,” Yukiko said. “Thankfully, I was wrong. I did have my magic in hand and ready to use, just in case.”

“I did, too,” Jenn added.

“I used mine,” Gregory admitted. “That’s why it was over with so quickly.”

Gin snorted. “You’re going to be a nightmare for anyone devoted to physical combat if you can keep your foresight up long enough.”

“He gives me fits when we spar,” Jenn nodded. “I think he’ll drain faster than a physical enhancement magi, though.”

“That’s my worry,” Gregory admitted. “I’ll have to use every trick I can if I go up against you or one of the others.”

“I will win,” Jenn said seriously.

“I hope we don’t see until the final eight,” Gregory replied.

“I can accept that,” Jenn smiled.

“With the fights over, it’s time to separate this party,” Yoo-jin said. “We’ll be missing the auction house tonight, but I don’t think it’ll be a loss.”

“Elder Lightshield informed me that he would be there,” Dia said. “I hope you all have a good night.”

“Thank you, Dia,” Yoo-jin said. “Would you like to accompany us?”

Dia paused in her departure, looking to Yukiko, then Jenn. “Novices?”

“I’d be happy to have you along,” Yukiko said.

Jenn hesitated, but added her approval after Yukiko. “Please.”

“Very well,” Dia said, turning back to them. “We can use the clan carriage for ourselves and make things easier.”

“That leaves us with the family carriage,” Hao said. “With Lin and Gin, we’ll at least equal the other party. Lin, did you arrange for the guards?”

“Yes, sir. The best four female guards are with the carriage. They can shift to the clan carriage easily enough.”

“Always making sure we’re safe,” Yoo-jin said. “Do not wait up for us. We might be late.”

Hao laughed. “I was going to say the same, dear one.”

As the women moved away, Gregory cleared his throat. “Hao, what’s the tradition of this party you wanted to have?”

“A bachelor party. To those about to marry in Buldoun, it’s customary for the groom to have a party before the wedding. It’s said to help remove any doubts the groom might have about the marriage.”

“I should’ve read up on their customs instead of their laws,” Gregory said.

“It’ll be fine. Now, let’s go have a good time,” Hao said.

Gin shook his head as he followed the others. “Hao, you do know that if you do this, Yoo-jin and Yukiko will be less than amused.”

“You would be correct, if I did what they do,” Hao said. “I, however, do not wish my daughter to kill me, nor my wife to help her. There won’t be a wild, uninhibited party like they do there.”

“Thank Aether for that,” Lin exhaled. “I’ve been worried about it since you mentioned the idea. I don’t get paid enough to try stopping them.”

Gregory exchanged a look with Adolphus, who looked equally worried, before addressing Hao. “Father, what do you have planned?”

Hao stumbled at the word father. “Well done, Greg. What I have planned is nothing bad. We’ll be having a relaxing time before dinner. After dinner, we’ll visit a local gambling hall to have some fun. That’s all.”

~*~*~

When they arrived at their first stop, Gregory was surprised. “Felina’s?”

“What’s this place?” Adolphus asked.

“An oiran house,” Gin said bluntly. “This is going to be skirting some lines for the women.”

“Calm down, Gin,” Hao said. “The services arranged are all perfectly fine. It’s a simple heated bath and massage, followed by a meal. I didn’t pay for anyone to wander off with the ladies.”

Gregory thought about what Yukiko would say when she found out. As long as I don’t touch, I don’t think she’ll be upset. I didn’t choose this place, after all. Hao might get into some trouble, though...

Hao led them into the building. The rose-marble floor and the walls, paneled in a rich golden wood, spoke of luxury. The two golden lanterns affixed to the wall behind the counter easily illuminated the entry room.

“How may I help you?” the woman behind the counter asked. The makeup she wore emphasized her deep blue eyes, and she was wearing an elaborately decorated kimono.

“Warlin,” Hao said. “We are here.”

The woman gave him a gleaming smile. “Of course, sir. If you will give me a moment?” She pulled on a golden cord behind her.

Gregory glanced at the doors that would lead into the massive lounge area, but they didn’t open. It was the single door set on the other side of the room that did.

Five women with different body types came out the door. The one with the most elaborate kimono stepped a single pace forward from the rest.

“Master Warlin, I am Charise, and I will be the one to handle all of your requests. If you will allow me and my friends to take you to the bathing chamber, everything you asked for is ready.”

“Charise, we will follow. It would be good if each of you chose a woman to care for you specifically,” he added to the group.

Gin took the one who closely resembled Inda, without the ears. Adolphus sucked at his teeth for a moment, but took the tallest of the five. There was a gleam in his eye when she walked to his side, putting his head below her chest. Lin glanced at Gregory before selecting the redhead, leaving Gregory with the youngest-looking of the five, someone who might be his age.

“That makes things easier,” Charise smiled. “Ladies, Master Warlin has an open account with us. If they have any requests, the cost will be covered.”

The other four women smiled broadly as they gently took the arm of the man who selected them. Charise took Hao’s arm and led the procession through the single door they had come from.

The room they were taken to was a massive bathing room. There were marble benches and golden fixtures, and in the middle of the room, a giant tub that could easily hold a couple dozen people. The water in the tub was steaming, showing off the warmth it offered.

“If you will strip down and take a seat, we will be happy to scrub you before the bath,” Charise said. “There is wine and tea along the back wall, and we will be happy to serve you as you see fit.”

Hao was the first one to start removing clothing, followed by Gin, Lin, Adolphus, and finally, Gregory. Each of the women also stripped down and stood by a bench, waiting for the men to take their seats. Gregory kept his eyes mostly off his chosen bather, but he didn’t avert his gaze entirely.

Is it just professional women who shave themselves in such a manner? Gregory idly wondered as he took his seat. Does it make things feel better? The feeling of soft hands rubbing soap into his back pulled him from his thoughts.

The cleaning part of the bath was over with quickly, much to Gregory’s relief. Taking his seat in the tub, the young woman sat behind him on the edge of it, massaging his shoulders. Hao was the next one into the tub, a knowing smile on his lips.

“Greg, I’ve been meaning to ask... It feels like you’ve been keeping a secret from Yoo-jin and me.”

Gregory’s muscles tightened up at the question, his mind racing along the lines of Darkness.

“You could just ask,” Gin said.

“I could,” Hao agreed. “I seem to have hit something, but I’ll take pity on you and ask: have you broken your word to me?”

The relief on Gregory’s face was obvious to everyone looking at him. “No, sir. We haven’t broken our promise to you.”

Hao’s lips pursed, as he knew there was something Gregory was holding back.

“Don’t,” Gin said softly. “You have secrets you don’t share, either.”

“That’s true,” Hao sighed.

“We all have secrets,” Lin said, getting into the tub.

“Just as long as Yu is still pure for the wedding,” Hao said. “I was concerned.”

“It’s been difficult at times,” Gregory admitted, relaxing under the skillful hands of his masseuse. “We’ve been lucky to have Jenn beside us. She’s been helping keep us honest.”

“She’s been stopping you?” Adolphus asked, the last to join them in the tub.

“It makes it awkward to be caught kissing, much less anything else,” Gregory admitted. “A time or two, she was the reason we were able to stop.”

“I feel like I’m indebted to you now, Adolphus,” Hao chuckled.

“No. I already can’t repay you for everything.”

“We’ll call it even, then,” Hao said.

The conversation during the bath turned to small talk, mainly focused on the tournament and what the clan had planned for them. After an hour of soaking, Hao finally called the bath to an end.

“Time for food. It’s a little early for dinner, but that shouldn’t be a problem.”

“If you will all dress and follow me,” Charise said, “the meal should be laid out and waiting for you.”

It took them a bit to get things together, but they were soon walking down the hall again. It wasn’t far to the next room, though only Charise accompanied them. The other four wished them a good day, giving a few disappointed glances that no one had asked for extras.

The dining room was nothing like Gregory expected— the table sat low to the ground, with pillows surrounding it. There was a variety of food and drink laid out, but none of that is what caused Gregory pause. What was unexpected were the four women— eurtiks— who stood in the corners of the room, wearing layers of sheer silk. The last one to enter, Gregory took his seat and wondered what the women were there for.

Charise gave them a smile as she addressed the table. “Your meal is in the Limaz high-feast style. Enjoy.” She bowed before leaving them in the room.

The moment the door closed, the four women with sharply-pointed, black, canine ears stepped away from the corners, and soft music began to fill the room. They started to do a slow dance around them, moving and swaying their hips and torso.

“It’s been ages since I’ve seen this,” Gin chuckled. “Almost twenty years, in fact.”

“The last time I made a deal near the Limaz border,” Hao chuckled. “I remember your fondness for the dance.”

“Uh...” Gregory said as the woman began to circle the table while dancing. “The dance?”

“It’s actually something associated with the Traveler, but has a big appreciation in Limaz,” Hao said. “Don’t focus on them. They’re here to make the meal festive. You can watch and enjoy, but don’t neglect the food. If someone ignores it, the dancers feel bad.”

Gregory looked up at the dancer who was across from him. She gave him a smile as her body swayed, matching the rhythm of the music. The way her body moved was exotic and sensual.

Gregory was unsure of the food, but Gin helped explain it to him. Gregory found he enjoyed the gyro the most; the spiced lamb, pocket bread, and yogurt-cucumber sauce made him smile broadly.

His smile slipped some when he realized that the dancers had been slowly shedding silks. The dancer across from him winked as she pulled a silk from her waist, letting it flutter to the ground while she kept dancing. The removal of that layer gave a hint of what she wasn’t wearing.

Hao chuckled when he saw Gregory’s face. “Yes, the dance does have some peculiarities.”

Gin laughed. “If you stare too hard, you’ll embarrass the poor girl.”

Gregory pulled his eyes off the dancer and put them back on his food, his cheeks burning.

“Many Limaz merchants talk business in places where the dancers are working,” Hao said. “They find that most are too distracted to get the best deal, allowing them to reap a greater profit.”

“Limaz is centered around Mortum,” Gregory said. “So why is a dance associated with the Traveler so popular there?”

“Because Mortum is so entwined with them, they know to find happiness, life, and pleasure everywhere they can,” Gin said. “It was in Limaz that I met Inda and Indara.”

The image of Inda and her twin sister dancing like the women in the room came to the forefront of Gregory’s mind, and his cheeks burned hotter.

“Not like that,” Gin chuckled, his words a bit thick. “They were fighters. Champions of the arena there, in fact. That was an interesting year.”

“Gin, you might have had enough,” Hao commented. “I think you forgot how potent ouzo can be.”

Gin looked at his glass with suspicion. “Yes, I believe you’re right.”

The dancers were left with only a single sheer silk garment on their waists and across their chests by the time the meal came to an end. Hao thanked them, placing a bag on the table as he stood up.

“Ladies, you are beautiful, wondrous, and delightful. Thank you for entertaining us,” Hao said as everyone got to their feet. “The bag is yours, as the meal has already been paid for.”

The door opened, revealing Charise. “I take it your meal was what you wished?”

“And more,” Hao smiled. “If you will lead us out, I’ll sign the bond.”

“Of course, sir,” Charise said.

~*~*~

Stepping out of the carriage, Gregory took in the front of the building. Nine fluted marble columns held up the large overhang. There was a dark golden sign hanging proudly over the double doors, naming this the Traveler’s Distraction.

“Because the Traveler was known for loving a game of chance,” Hao said. “He’s always been the one god I’ve offered prayers to without fail.”

“A traveling merchant doing so is natural,” Gregory said.

“There’s a lounge inside. If you run out of vela, just wait there for the rest of us,” Hao told the group as they made their way for the doors. “Gin, are you sobering?”

“I stopped with the ouzo when it hit me,” Gin said. “I might be a little impaired, but not enough for it to matter.”

“Didn’t you say that before you started the one tavern brawl in—?” Lin started.

Gin cut him off, “That was years ago.”

“Yeah, but it was ouzo then, too,” Lin snickered. “You and that liquor don’t have a good relationship.”

“I don’t have much vela to be gambling with,” Adolphus said. “I’ll be in the lounge early.”

“Let’s go inside first,” Hao said with a hint of a smile.

The sounds of laughter and conversation were muted when they entered. The front room had a caged-in area with two people behind the bars. Beside that was a door, with two guards watching the group. The other side of the room held a large sitting area with padded chairs, divans, and other places to rest. A small bar took up the far wall, and two women in risqué outfits circulated the room, delivering drinks.

The interior of the gambling hall was richly decorated with marble flooring. There were rugs spread in the lounge area to help break up the cold marble. The lighting in the room was from silver lanterns and chandeliers.

Adolphus shook his head. “It might be best if I just went back to the Stabled Hunger.”

Hao clapped him on the shoulder, gently steering Adolphus to the cage. “It’ll be fine. Trust me.”

“Hao, you’ve been a good host, but this—”

“This is all part of the party,” Hao cut him off. Turning to the man behind the bars, Hao pulled out a bond, signed it, sealed it, and slid it to him. “Split five ways, please.”

The man looked the bond over before nodding. “Yes, sir, Mister Warlin.”

“Wait, how much—?” Adolphus began to ask.

“It’s pointless to ask,” Gin sighed. “He’s already signed the bond. He’ll get upset if we don’t at least humor him some.”

“Here you are, sir. We hope you have a good time.” The man pushed five small trays with colored wooden disks toward him.

Hao handed a tray to each of them. “Yours to spend as you want, but I do hope you’ll gamble it and have a good time.”

Adolphus looked at the chips on the tray and his eyes began to widen. “Hao, this is…”

Gregory chuckled and patted Adolphus’ shoulder. “Yeah, their family is a bit generous with their friends. Come with me, Adolphus. We can hit the low-end stuff.”

The two of them were the first ones through the door and into the next room. Tables of chance took up the majority of the first floor. There was a bar on the back wall where even more women in provocative clothing were going back and forth, delivering drinks to tables. Two large staircases dominated the side walls with well-dressed, heavily-muscled men standing at their bases.

“The tables here range from twenty vela to a hundred,” Hao said from behind them. “Second floor from a hundred to a thousand, and the third is a thousand and up.”

“We’ll be down here,” Gregory said.

Adolphus nodded. “Yes, we’ll be here.”

“Very well. Enjoy your time,” Hao smiled. “Gin, third floor?”

“Second to start, I think,” Gin replied. “Should get a feel for the place, first.”

“Gin’s right,” Lin added.

“Fine, the second floor, then,” Hao conceded.

Gregory watched the other three move off before turning to Adolphus. “You don’t play many cards, do you?”

He shook his head. “Dice only, if I gamble.”

“Let’s go find a game,” Gregory said.

~*~*~

Hours passed by as they gambled. Gregory used his foresight occasionally to know if he should stay in a game or get out. After a while, he and Adolphus went to the second floor and had good luck there until Hao, Lin, and Gin found them. They chatted before taking their leave of the gambling hall. Gin and Hao had both gone broke, while Lin had kept his money pretty near even. Adolphus had gotten up a few thousand vela, betting whenever Gregory bet big. Gregory had doubled his starting stake, leaving him with a small fortune by his own view of things.

When he tried to give Hao back the starting stake, Hao adamantly refused it, doing the same when Adolphus tried to, as well. Lin just pocketed the vela and shook his head. With the night over, the carriage took Gregory and Gin back to the academy.

Walking across the moonlit grounds, Gregory felt a sense of peace.

“Tell me, Greg,” Gin asked, “do you have a secret that you fear telling others?”

“Yes,” Gregory replied.

“Have you told Yu?”

“Yes.”

Gin fell silent for a moment. “It must be one that could cause you both great harm.”

“It is,” Gregory said softly.

“She hasn’t mentioned it to Inda, me, or her parents... You’ll be doing your best to keep her safe, won’t you?”

“Everything I can. She’s my heart.”

Gin nodded. “Very well. Hao was asking if I knew what secret you’ve been keeping. I’ll tell him to leave it be for now.”

“Do you know his secret?” Gregory asked.

“I have an idea about it, but I’ve never been flatly told. It’s a family secret, Hao tells me, so I’ll likely never know.”

The two fell silent as they continued walking slowly toward the clan hall.

Chapter Fifty-two

Their next few fights were against mostly unremarkable opponents. Jenn was the one who had the hardest time— though she was the most physically imposing of the three, she felt that, compared to Gregory being able to see into the future and Yukiko being able to come from any shadow, she was the weakest of them.

With just two more days before the final eight, the three friends felt a growing tension. Gregory was concerned for another reason, as well: neither had asked about what the men had done when they separated for Gregory’s bachelor party.

When meditation ended, he glanced at Yukiko and Jenn. “Today and tomorrow left,” he said.

“Makes me wonder who they’re going to pit against us,” Jenn said.

“None of us faced Nick, Jason, or Michelle yet,” Yukiko added, “though Hayworth defeated Michelle.”

“Nick, Jason, and Hayworth are the only other ones left undefeated, like us,” Jenn said.

“They might end up pairing us off so they can find a way to stuff others into the final eight,” Gregory said.

“That does seem like a likely outcome,” Yukiko agreed.

Gregory hard-shifted the topic. “Are the two of you okay? You’ve been a little off ever since the parties.”

Yukiko and Jenn exchanged a look before Yukiko sighed. “We’re fine, dear one. We’ve just been thinking ahead. There is something that we need to discuss with you, but we’ve decided it’ll wait until after the wedding.”

“It’s best that way,” Jenn added.

Gregory eyed both of them, and nodded. “Okay... I was just concerned that maybe something had happened to hurt your friendship.”

“No,” they said together.

When Gregory’s eyebrow went up at that, Yukiko coughed. “Things aren’t what they were, but it isn’t bad. Will you give us until after the wedding before we talk about it?”

“I’d give you anything, Yuki. I was just worried for you both.”

“You’re a good man, dear one,” Yukiko said softly.

“Yes,” Jenn agreed.

“Let’s go rinse off and see who we’re fighting,” Gregory said, feeling a little embarrassed.

As they went to leave, Yukiko slowed her pace. “I’ll catch up to you in a moment, Jenn.”

Jenn paused at the door, looking back at them. “If you’re not there in a couple of minutes, I’ll bring some cold water back here.” A hint of a smile touched her lips when she said it.

“Better make it two buckets,” Yukiko giggled.

“Deal,” Jenn said as she left, shutting the door behind her.

The moment the door snicked shut, Yukiko was in Gregory’s arms. Her soft lips met his with equal passion. After a minute of kissing, Yukiko pulled away from him.

“That wasn’t the real reason I wanted to stay behind,” Yukiko admitted. “I just need to know, dear one... If I asked you for something, would you give it to me?”

Gregory’s face went red at her phrasing. “Uh, Yuki…”

Yukiko giggled. “No, not that! We’ll have that soon.” Her smile slipped and her face became serious. “There’s something that I will ask you for, and I—”

“Anything,” Gregory said just as seriously. “Yuki, you’re my heart. If my heart wants something and I can give it to her, I will.”

Yukiko’s eyes glittered. “I love you so much that it hurts, dear one... What I’ll ask for might hurt us both a little, but I believe it’s the right thing to do.”

Gregory took her back into his arms. “Yuki, I know that you want everything for me, like I do for you. I trust you to do what’s best for us.”

A single tear escaped as she began to kiss him again. Gregory held her tightly, returning the kiss, but holding back so it was a sweet, lingering kiss, instead of an impassioned one.

The two of them drew apart when the door opened again. Jenn was standing there with a bucket in each hand and a smile on her face.

“I’m com—” Yukiko started to say.

“I’m just doing as you asked, Yuki,” Jenn cut her off, setting one down to get a good grip on the other bucket. “I take it you wanted to be doused to make sure you cooled off?”

“Wait!” Gregory sputtered, moving a little away from Yukiko. “We don’t have extra clothes on us!”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have taken so long,” Jenn said simply as she pulled back her arm.

Yukiko vanished from the room, leaving Gregory as the only one in front of Jenn.

“Oh, for Aether’s sake...” Gregory grumbled.

Jenn’s arm went forward and Gregory winced away, turning sideways. When nothing happened, he cracked an eye open and looked to the door. Both Jenn and Yukiko were repressing their laughter, and when he saw them, they began to laugh in earnest.

“What just happened?” Gregory asked.

“I knew you two didn’t have clothes, so the threat would be enough,” Jenn laughed. “It’d look bad for the clan if you showed up to the arena dripping wet.”

“I figured it out when I got behind her,” Yukiko giggled.

Shaking his head, Gregory started toward the door. “I see... Maybe I should pay you back.”

Jenn turned and bolted. Yukiko followed her, laughter trailing down the hall as they went. Gregory chuckled, picking up the empty bucket that had been left behind and making his way toward the showers.

~*~*~

The sky was overcast, and a warm wind blew as the three friends stood to the side, waiting for Magus Paul to post the match-ups for the day. The other novices were split into groups based on their clans. Some of the smaller clans joined together to be a little safer while the clanless kind of huddled together.

“Surprised no one’s been challenged,” Yukiko said softly. “All of us are here. It’s an easy time to issue one.”

“They wouldn’t want to until after they see the match-ups. Don’t want to have two fights that close together,” Jenn replied.

Paul came striding toward the novices with a roll of papers in his hand, his eyes moving from group to group. Coming to a stop in front of the board, he turned to face them. “Novice Dimitry Drog was found an hour ago, his neck snapped. That means one of you won’t have a match today, which makes his death suspicious.”

Novices started eyeing each other, but Hayworth spoke up, “I thought the list of who fights who isn’t known until you get them from the council?”

“That’s how it’s supposed to work,” Paul said, staring at Hayworth. “Interesting that it was your opponent who ended up dead, isn’t it?”

Hayworth stood there blinking for a long moment, then sighed. “Because I’m stupid enough to just kill an easy opponent instead of just beating him? Many things I might be, but stupid is not among them.”

“You’re plenty arrogant enough to think you could get away with it,” Nick said.

“Or another clan could have done it to harm the image of my clan,” Hayworth said, turning to Nick. “Another clan that’s currently being embarrassed by a fringer, for instance?”

Nick’s face went still. “Did you just insinuate my clan had something to do with it?”

“Enough!” Paul snapped. “The Woven Blade clan has asked the council to investigate, and they have agreed. This death has set things into motion that the culprit couldn’t have expected. So, if you know anything, you might wish to speak with the council before it’s too late. Novice Hayworth, you are to come with me.”

“Yes, sir,” Hayworth said stiffly.

Paul attached the papers to the board and motioned Hayworth to start walking ahead of him. Hayworth looked affronted, but did as he was bade.

Nick chuckled as they passed him. “Enjoy the talk, Hayseed.”

“Novice Shun,” Paul said, coming to a stop inches from Nick, “taunt another novice in my care, and your clan will have other troubles.”

Nick drew himself up to his full height and gave Paul a cold look. “Many clans try to intimidate or harass the Eternal Flame, Magus. Few can do more than briefly annoy us.”

Paul gave Nick a wintry smile. “You have been warned.”

“Nick, we should get moving,” Jason said. “If you fight first, it could be a problem.”

Nick snorted and walked away from Paul and Hayworth. The rest of the Eternal Flame moved with him like baby ducklings following their mother. Once they had checked the board and left, the smaller clans moved to check their match-ups, followed by the clanless. As they drifted away, Gregory and the others moved up to find theirs.

Checking the match-ups, Gregory shook his head. “Figures.”

“You get Nick, and Jason fights Jenn,” Yukiko said. “I fight Matilda? And all as the second fights of the day in three separate arenas...”

“Matilda’s in the Woven Blade with Dimitry,” Jenn said, “and she had been in my classes. Her magic is ice, and while she’s weak with it, it’s still dangerous. Be careful, Yuki.”

“We didn’t have ice in our class. What can it do?” Yukiko asked.

“Making the ground slick, dropping your response time… I’m not sure what else,” Jenn replied.

“Hmm,” Yukiko said. “I’ll be careful. We need to go. Greg, you’re in the main arena. I’m in green, and Jenn’s in blue.”

“Don’t hold anything back,” Gregory said. “If we beat them, we might not fight them again.”

“We will, but you need to, as well,” Jenn said seriously.

“Take my core,” Yukiko said, shoving it to Gregory. “I won’t need to recharge my ring, but you will.”

Gregory took it and met her eyes. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

“No, I will be waiting for you, dear one.”

“I’ll be waiting for both of you,” Jenn said, taking off at a jog.

The couple exchanged a look and ran off after her.

Chapter Fifty-three

Gregory took a deep breath as he left the tunnel and walked onto the sands of the arena. Nick was staring at him with a smirk as they approached Magus Paul, who was waiting for them in the middle.

“Pet-tit,” Nick called out mockingly as he got closer, “I’ve been looking forward to this. I thought it wouldn’t be until the final eight, but keeping you out will be even better.”

Gregory didn’t reply— he just came to a stop where he should and waited for Paul to have them bow. Paul gave Nick a stern look, but didn’t rebuke him for speaking.

“Novices, the rules are known to you both. Bow to the council.”

Gregory did as he was told, his face impassive, but Nick wore a knowing smirk.

“Bow to me.”

They turned and bowed to Paul.

“Bow to each other.”

As soon as he was out of the bow, Gregory shifted into a defensive stance with his naginata. Nick shook his head, not touching the sword on his hip. Paul backed away from them with his hand in the air, about to start the fight.

Gregory pushed his aether into foresight, and the future opened up to him. Frowning at what he saw, Gregory was worried about his ability to deal with the onslaught he was about to face.

“Fight!” Paul cried out.

The moment that word left Paul’s mouth, Gregory shifted to the right by a couple of steps. The heat of the fireball that went through the spot he’d just been standing on made Gregory’s skin dry out.

There was no time to lose as Gregory darted left, another blast of fire going just behind him. Going into a dive, the third ball of fire went over him, making Gregory blink to get his eyes wet again.

Nick was shouting at him as Gregory dodged blast after blast, always a couple seconds ahead of the fire. The toll on his aether was growing, and Gregory knew he’d have to chance things without foresight.

Letting go of his magic, Gregory rushed at Nick, who was sweating and panting. A dozen feet away, a solid wall of fire rushed out of Nick, engulfing Gregory. The ring on his hand discharged, smothering the flames the instant they touched him and leaving a Gregory-sized hole in the wall.

Nick’s mouth fell open. Disbelief was written large on his features when he saw Gregory still closing the distance. He managed to get his sword out in time to block Gregory’s first attack.

“Impossible!” Nick growled, breathing heavily.

“Just well prepared,” Gregory said, letting go of the naginata with one hand long enough to snatch the bane core from a fold in his obi. When his ring touched the core, the stone fractured and dispersed into dust.

“No!” Nick shouted as another burst of flame flew out from him in all directions.

Again, a Gregory-sized hole appeared in the expanding fire wall, and Gregory brought the naginata around in a complex attack. Nick looked panicked as he blocked the first part, but he missed the second part of the attack. The butt end of the naginata collided with his gut.

Nick doubled over, gagging, as he tried to catch his breath. Spinning the weapon back around, Gregory slammed it into the middle of Nick’s spine.

“Stop!” Paul shouted. “Healer!”

Gregory stepped back, blinking rapidly to moisten his eyes again. His knees buckled under him, dropping him to the arena floor. Head swimming, Gregory looked at Paul, who was checking on Nick.

Mindie was there a second later, her hands pressing lightly to Nick’s back. “It’s... broken,” she said in shock. “I can stabilize him enough to get him to the healers, but they have a lot of work to do.”

“Do what you have to,” Paul said, turning his gaze to Gregory. “You won, Pettit.”

“Yes, sir,” Gregory said slowly. “I think… I think I pushed too hard.”

Mindie reached over to touch his shoulder. “Aether depletion. Drink this.” She shoved a small vial at him.

Taking it, he drank the contents without question. The thick, choking flavor of raw ginger hit his mouth like a wild boar. Coughing, Gregory dropped the empty vial, his chest feeling like it was on fire. Tears spilled down his face and he gasped as he tried to get a full breath.

“He’ll be fine,” Mindie explained as a couple of other people came out with a stretcher to get Nick off the arena floor.

“Very well,” Paul said as she stood up. “Pettit?”

Gregory got to his feet slowly. He no longer felt drained, but his whole body felt abnormally warm. He managed to bow to Nick as the men took him away before he turned to Paul, bowing again, and finally finished with a bow toward the council’s box.

Legs feeling unstable, he made his way out of the arena. Coming out of the preparation area, Gregory saw Hao and Dia waiting for him. He gave them a wane smile. “That was... difficult.”

“Are you okay?” Hao asked with concern.

“He pushed his aether too far,” Dia said, eyeing him closely. “The healer gave you a short-term fix, but you’ll need to have a high-aether meal tonight.”

“I’ll make sure he does,” Hao said.

“We should start heading to the clan hall,” Dia said. “That’s where we agreed to meet the others. Lean on me if needed.” She directed her last few words to Gregory.

Gregory took the offer, as his legs still felt like overcooked noodles. “Thank you, Dia.”

Yukiko was waiting when Gregory got there. Hurrying to his side, she took his arm from Dia, giving the older woman a worried look. “What happened?”

“He pushed himself too far,” Dia said, letting Yukiko take him without issue, “but he bested Shun. Broke his spine, in fact.”

Yukiko’s eyes widened. “He’s dead?”

“Alas, no,” Hao sighed. “He’ll survive, from what we heard.”

Yukiko went grim. “He’ll want blood now.”

“Yeah,” Gregory said. “You won?”

“Easily,” Yukiko said. “She was down inside the first minute.”

“I’ll go get him a snack to help stabilize him a little better,” Dia said.

“How did it happen?” Yukiko asked, looking at her father.

“The others are coming this way. We can explain it to everyone at once,” Hao said.

Yukiko looked down the path and saw Jenn, her parents, and Gin coming toward them. Jenn had a bandage on her left hand and was walking gingerly.

“She won, but it cost her,” Gin said. “He offered to fight her with just physical enhancement magic, and she agreed.” He gave Jenn a disapproving look, but continued, “She had him, but then he blasted her with fire. It drove her back, even with it mostly snuffing out. He almost took her down then, but she managed to get the upper hand. When he tried to use fire again, she went low, broke his ankle, and then slammed her weapon into his gut.”

“How about you two?” Jenn asked.

“I finished mine easily,” Yukiko said. “Father was just about to tell us what happened with Greg.”

Hao gave them the recap of the fight, and both Yukiko and Jenn were a little pale by the end of it. “That new ring you told me about was the reason he won,” Hao finished. “That, and his ability to see into the future. It’s so odd to watch. He’s always at least a second ahead of what’s happening.”

“We’ll have to take it easy for the rest of the day,” Yoo-jin said. “Two of our number are injured, if healing.”

“This jerky is for him, and this vial is for her,” Dia said, joining them again. “Tomorrow will be interesting. All of you are still undefeated, along with Novice Hayworth. It wouldn’t be surprising if you four fight each other. It’ll be the only way they can get some of the Eternal Flame into the final eight.”

“Maybe I’ll get to fight Greg before the final eight,” Jenn said.

“Or I will,” Yukiko said. “Though, I’d prefer it to be neither of us.”

“Well, we’re done early again and have a few hours before the auction house opens,” Hao said. “Should we relax here for a while?”

“You’re welcome to stay until you wish to go,” Dia said.

~*~*~

The auction seemed like it was going to be a bust, as it had every other night, until the last few items were coming up for bid. Lightshield blinked, sitting up a little straighter when the next covered item was brought onto the stage.

“Oh, please excuse me for a moment,” he said to Yoo-jin, interrupting the conversation they’d been having.

Everyone stopped talking, interested in what had gotten Lightshield’s attention.

The auctioneer cleared his throat. “Our next item is a book. It appears to be a journal from Lionel Lighthand, written during the First Eurtik War. We will be opening the bids at fifty thousand.”

“Five hundred thousand,” Lightshield said in his normal tone, but his voice carried through the whole hall with ease.

All eyes went to him with surprise. Grandmaster Shun stood up in his box and spoke, pulling everyone’s attention to him, “Elder, it’s well known that he was your grandfather, but that high of a bid makes me think it has something embarrassing to your family.”

Lightshield just smiled at Shun.

“I bid one million vela,” Shun said, staring at Lightshield.

“I believe it’s back to me, then,” Lightshield said, still smiling. “I’ll double yours: two million.”

The audience broke into excited murmurs. The rumors about what the journal might contain started growing wild.

Shun’s lips puckered as if a lemon was wedged firmly in his mouth.

“I have two million,” the auctioneer said after a few seconds. “Do I hear two and a half?”

“Two and a half,” Shun snapped.

Lightshield’s smile grew wider. “Well, if you desire to read his words that much, far be it from me to stop you. I concede the bid.”

The auctioneer tried to get someone else to bid, but no one did. As the seconds ticked by, Shun grew angrier. When the auctioneer finalized the sale, everyone looked at Shun and saw him red in the face.

“I see,” Shun spat. “Very well.”

Lightshield just shrugged and turned back to Yoo-jin. “Some people are easy to manipulate if they let their emotions control them.”

“Elder, did you not want the journal?” Gregory asked.

“No. I was the one who gave it to the auction, after all,” he replied with a sly smile.

All three of the novices did their best to not laugh, but their humor was obvious. Lightshield shrugged and looked across the hall to where Shun was glaring at them all.

“Alas, it seems he isn’t as dumb as some would like one to think. This might cause some trouble, but it was worth it.”

“Are you sure?” Yoo-jin asked. “That family and clan already have a grudge.”

“Well, all that delightful money he just paid is about to be spent,” Lightshield said.

“Our last item for the evening is an odd pair of boots. Our best enchanter couldn’t understand them. There is no telling what they do, as they haven’t reacted to any of the people who tried to test them for us.”

Gregory jerked forward in his seat when he caught sight of them. Black, supple, leather boots sat on the pedestal. “Yoo-jin—!” Gregory started to say.

“I’ll be bidding on them,” Lightshield said, cutting Gregory off.

Yoo-jin looked from Gregory to Lightshield. “Elder, the man my daughter loves is asking me to bid on them for him.”

“I know,” Lightshield said, “but I’ll be winning the bid and making them the prize for a novice who finishes in the top three of the tournament.”

Gregory settled back in his chair. “Mother, it’s alright.”

Yoo-jin’s lips twitched into a smile for a second at Gregory calling her mother. “Very well. It’s yours to win, Elder.”

“I have two hundred thousand from the Swift Wind clan,” the auctioneer said.

“Two hundred fifty thousand,” Magus Marcia said from her box.

Elder Lightshield rose to his feet, and everyone turned to look at him. “I apologize to the other clans and individuals who are bidding on the item. One million vela.”

The auction house went silent as Lightshield yet again jumped the price to heights they hadn’t thought it would get to. The person representing the Swift Wind clan shook his head and set his paddle down. Magus Marcia’s lips pursed as she studied Lightshield.

“Does anyone wish to contest the elder?” the auctioneer asked. “The next bid we are looking for is one and a quarter million.”

Marcia sat forward, ignoring the auctioneer. “Elder, have you encountered such an item before?”

“I have never seen or held one,” Lightshield replied. “It’s novel, and as such, interests me.”

Eyes growing lidded, Marcia smiled. “I do hate to interfere with an elder’s plans, but if you’re interested in them, my grandfather would be, too.”

Lightshield just stood there impassively, his cane helping keep him stable.

“Auctioneer,” Marcia said slowly, “I bid one and three quarters.”

An excited murmur filled the room, and everyone looked back to Lightshield.

“That’s problematic,” Lightshield sighed, looking defeated. “I haven’t spoken with him in many years, and this might make it so we never talk again.”

“Then I’ll accept them and let him know you backed away from the bid to preserve your friendship,” Marica said.

“Alas, it isn’t to be,” Lightshield said. “Two and a quarter million.”

A small smirk appeared on Marcia’s face for a moment before a resigned expression filled it. “That is regrettable, Elder. I can’t bid higher.”

“Please convey my regrets to your grandfather,” Lightshield said. “I’ll do my best to see him again and apologize personally.”

“Anyone else? We’re looking for three million,” The auctioneer said.

When no one else spoke up, the auctioneer finalized the sale.

Lightshield sighed as he turned to the others in the box with him. “I do apologize for taking them away from you, but you’ll have a chance to get them back. If you all will excuse me, I need to go pay for my item.”

Gregory watched Lightshield go, wondering how far into the future the old man could see.

Chapter Fifty-four

Exiting the training building, Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn moved to the side to wait for the matches posting. Some of the other novices waiting there gave them appraising looks, though a few gave them discreet smiles.

Hayworth and some of his friends moved toward them. Once they were close, Hayworth grinned. “Fringer, couldn’t you hit him a little harder? If you had, he’d be dead,” he said, jerking his head toward Nick and the Eternal Flame group.

“I was just happy to end the fight,” Gregory said.

“Yes, curious that,” Hayworth said. “How did you manage to become immune to his flame?”

Gregory could see the hunger in Hayworth’s eyes and shrugged. “There are ways. They’re very expensive, but they exist.”

“The other part of the fight was your foresight?” Hayworth asked.

“I just kept moving, but I knew I’d have to attack him eventually. Thankfully, my gamble paid off for me.”

“I might have misjudged you,” Hayworth said. “I’ve never seen or heard of a fringer who could rise above their impoverished beginnings.”

“Greg is only going to keep rising,” Yukiko said.

“You might be right,” Hayworth admitted. “Jenga said you bested him with remarkable grace, too. I missed that, though I did see your acceptance of his apology. You didn’t gloat at all. Considering your former friends,” he said, glancing at Nick’s group again, “I thought you would.”

“They were never our friends,” Gregory replied. “They were acting and tried using me to get to Yuki. It failed.”

“Yes, yes it did. If you grow tired of your small clan, Swift Wind would be more than happy to embrace you.”

Gregory chuckled. “Thank you for the offer, Hayworth, but I doubt anything could take me from Aether’s Guard. It feels like home.”

“Considering how small your clan is, it would,” Hayworth said. “I’ll see you in the next few days. It’ll be interesting to see which of us will prevail.”

Gregory’s gaze went to Nick’s group, and his eyebrows shot up. Jason was restraining Nick and furiously whispering to him. Yukiko saw where he was looking and the argument going on, her lips thinning.

Before anything else could happen, Magus Paul came striding toward the novices. “Novices, today is the last day of the tournament for most of you. The majority of you are not exceptionally good or bad, although several of you are in dire need of more combat training. A few of you are even on the other side of that curve. When today’s fights end, the final eight will be chosen. For those of you still in the running, I wish you well.”

The worst fighters of the class looked about ready to die of embarrassment, while the others looked relieved that it was all but over.

Paul posted the matches and went striding off. Nick’s group pushed to the board to see who got to fight each other today. They let out an eruption of laughter before walking away, smirking at Gregory and his group.

“That can’t be good,” Hayworth said. “Best of luck to you three.”

Hayworth joined the others to see who they were going to be paired with. He looked over at Gregory and shook his head as he and his small group left. The last ones to check the board, Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn found out why Nick’s group had been laughing.

“Dia did say this might happen,” Yukiko said.

“Yes, she did, but I wanted to fight him,” Jenn sighed.

“Unfortunately, you two have to fight each other, instead,” Gregory said. “I have Hayworth. And today, we’re both in the main arena… the last two bouts of the day.”

“Might as well go let our parents know,” Yukiko said.

~*~*~

The crowd was loud as Gregory crossed the open arena to where Magus Paul stood. Hayworth was advancing toward him from the opposite direction.

Gregory had been in the tunnel during Yukiko and Jenn’s fight. Jenn moved quickly, making it hard for Yukiko to try shadow binding her. Since their fights were later in the day, there were plenty of shadows for her to move to. The fight had taken the majority of the half-hour— Yukiko kept herself as far from Jenn as possible while trying to take her down with the shurikens.

Jenn chased Yukiko down, only taking glancing hits from the shurikens. Just as she got to Yukiko, she stumbled. The shadows had been prepared and waiting for her, but that wasn’t enough to stop Jenn from lashing out with her wakizashi. Yukiko let out a yelp of pain as she went down, flinging the last throwing star she had.

Paul stopped the duel and spoke with both of them. Mindie and Klim examined each of them, adding their opinions, as well. The outcome was a tie: both lost or won, depending on how it was viewed. If it had been to the death, with real weapons, Jenn would have carved through Yukiko’s femoral artery, but Jenn’s jugular would have taken a hit from Yukiko’s shuriken.

That announcement caused a stir in the stands, as it left bet outcomes up in the air. When the two women walked off the arena floor, they went side by side to where Gregory had been watching. He was glad they were in high spirits, neither upset about the outcome. They both gave him words of encouragement for his fight.

Taking a deep breath, Gregory gave Hayworth a nod and got one in return. Paul was pleasantly surprised that they didn’t taunt each other like so many of the novices had.

“Novices, you know the rules. Bow to the council.”

They followed his directions, and each of them took a defensive stance when he began to step away from them. Once he ordered them to fight, Gregory was the one charging forward.

Hayworth smiled over the lip of his shield, his sword coming up from its defensive posture into an attack pose. Gregory’s eyes widened and he jerked left when he saw what was about to happen. Hayworth’s wooden practice sword vanished and reappeared a foot away from where Gregory had been, extending as Hayworth completed the lunge.

“Damned foresight,” Hayworth sighed. “I’d been keeping that move secret.”

Gregory shook his head. “That was different... Now that I know about it, it won’t work.”

“A pity,” Hayworth said. “I’ll just have to do it the hard way.”

Gregory was surprised when Hayworth charged him, but he didn’t give ground. Their exchange was fast and furious— Hayworth controlled the thin wooden blade with precision and poise, giving quick, sharp jabs and deft slashes that had Gregory defending for the first part of their clash.

The scales tipped hard toward Gregory as his foresight and his skill with the naginata combined. A perfectly executed block caught Hayworth’s next attack, forcing the blade wide and disrupting his balance.

Taking that opportunity, Gregory went on the offensive, his naginata weaving a complex attack pattern. Gregory was frustrated by the shield, as it kept Hayworth in the fight longer than he expected. That reprieve was short-lived when Gregory angled the naginata past the shield, bringing the blade back against Hayworth’s weapon arm.

“Stop!” Paul commanded, striding in. “Your arm would have been lost,” he told Hayworth, who grimaced at the contact from the weapon.

Hayworth lowered his shield and sword, a frustrated look on his face. “I acknowledge the hit, Magus.”

Gregory bowed to Hayworth. “You’re very good.”

“I could say the same to you,” Hayworth said, bowing back. “A pity you chose that clan. No one had any idea what they missed with you, but it’s starting to become apparent.”

Both of them turned to bow to Paul, then the boxes, before heading for their respective tunnels. Gregory thought about Hayworth’s magic and how he would have lost if he hadn’t had foresight. Space magic... how deadly can that be once he becomes a magus?

~*~*~

They skipped the auction house that night, heading straight to Stabled Hunger instead. The conversation on the ride over was lively as the three of them excitedly talked about reaching the final eight, even though it hadn’t been said yet if Yukiko and Jenn would both be included. The place was packed when they walked in. Everyone went quiet and looked at the group expectantly.

“I know what you’re all wondering,” Hao said. “We won’t know until later. Unfortunately, two of them had to fight each other, so we might not see all three in the final eight.”

A round of complaints went through the throng, as some people disparaged the academy council for making the novices fight each other.

“Their fight was a draw, so however the council figures that into their standings, we won’t know until later,” Hao went on after a small pause. “We do know that Gregory remains undefeated, the only one to not lose or draw any of his nine fights.”

Applause, whistles, and foot stomps echoed throughout the room. Gregory gave them an embarrassed smile and tried to downplay their celebration. Yukiko and Jenn were laughing and applauding along with the others.

“Once we know, it’ll be known to you, as well,” Hao said once things calmed down a little. “We have dinner waiting for us, so please pardon us.”

A path opened for them and they went through the main room. Gregory exhaled once they were in the private dining room.

“I will never get used to that,” Gregory sighed.

“Just imagine what it’ll be like if you win the tournament,” Jenn said. “Novices don’t repeat often.”

“Surprised no one has tried to attack me outright, yet,” Gregory admitted. “Though it looked like Nick was considering it earlier.”

“I heard some of what they were saying,” Yukiko said. “He isn’t far from getting to that point.”

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation, and it opened a moment later to reveal Vana. “Excuse me, I have your meal and drinks,” she said, pushing the cart into the room. “It’s bane boar for the novices, and plain boar for the others, both with spiker fruit sauce.”

Yukiko giggled softly, seeing Gregory start to grin. “Your favorite,” she whispered.

“Second favorite,” Gregory whispered back, giving her a knowing smirk.

Yukiko’s cheeks heated and she looked at the table, but her hand gave his thigh a brief squeeze.

Jenn caught part of the byplay, being seated on Yukiko’s other side, and a small wistful frown briefly touched her lips before it vanished.

~*~*~

They were just finishing the dessert when there was another knock on the door. Lin entered a second later. “Excuse me, I’ve been informed who the finalists are.”

“Do tell,” Hao said eagerly.

“Jason Argon, Klein Armit, Jenn Bean, Wallace Hayworth, Jamie Parks, Nick Shun, Yukiko Warlin, and of course, Gregory Pettit,” Lin rattled them off, a smile growing as he did. “All three of you are in the finals.”

“Maybe I’ll get that rematch, after all,” Jenn said, looking past Yukiko at Gregory.

“We’ll see,” Gregory chuckled. “Can we wait until the final four, at least?”

“We’ll see,” Jenn replied with a grin.

“They’ll likely pair us against people we haven’t already fought,” Yukiko said, “meaning Gregory could face either of us, Klein, Jamie, or Jason in the first round.”

Gregory winced when he thought of his last fight with Jason. “If I end up against Jason or Jamie, they’ll likely be trying to take me out over winning... the same is true for you two. Nick will pressure them to go for that instead of winning themselves.”

Adolphus and Umbrose looked worried when they glanced at Jenn, but she gave them a confident smile. “Don’t worry. We have tricks of our own to help us.”

“I’ll procure more cores,” Hao said. “That way, you can each take the better ring into the arena with you.”

“Agreed,” Gregory said. “We’ll stack our best for each person fighting. No doubt they’ll be doing the same.”

“Sadly, we won’t know who will fight who until tomorrow,” Lin said. “As it is, it’s getting late. You three might want to return to the academy soon.”

“You’re right,” Gregory said. “We need to be at our best tomorrow.”

Chapter Fifty-five

Nessa and Daciana were waiting for them in the archive. “All three of you made it! That’s amazing,” Daciana said with a wide grin. “Our clan is amazing.”

The three friends exchanged an amused glance at her phrasing.

“It’s not our clan yet, Daciana,” Nessa reminded her.

“It will be,” Daciana said confidently. “We’ve been doing good, right?” she asked directly to Gregory.

“You’ve been doing well with the Magi Squares. I think you’ve done well with Indara, too. How do you feel like you’ve done?”

“Great!” Daciana beamed.

“Good, but we can improve,” Nessa said.

“We’re doing better than just good,” Daciana said, turning to Nessa.

“You can still improve,” Jenn said bluntly. “Even we are still improving.”

Daciana looked down. “Yeah, I know... But we have to be good enough to join you.”

“If you keep pushing, you’ll be doing the right thing,” Yukiko said. “Just keep on like you have and you should be fine. We’ll probably have more than just you two wanting to join, and Dia won’t let everyone in.”

“We’ll be allowed to join,” Daciana said firmly.

Nessa took a deep breath, wondering how her friend could always be so certain about things. “When do you find out who you’re fighting?” Nessa asked, trying to change the topic.

“The same time the fights are always posted,” Jenn said. “All the final eight fights will be in the center arena. You might want to go early if you want a seat.”

“Is that where you’re going after this?” Daciana asked.

“No, we have more training to do,” Yukiko said.

“Can we—?” Daciana started to ask.

“No, Daciana,” Nessa said, taking her friend’s hand. “We can’t just follow them around.”

Daciana frowned, but nodded. “I guess...”

“It’s best if you keep your own routine for now,” Yukiko said.

“Why?” Daciana asked.

“We’ll be away from the academy after the tournament,” Gregory told them. “We won’t be back until the start of your novice year. Just do what you’ve been doing and you’ll be ahead of most of your class.”

“Is that usual?” Nessa asked.

“From the end of the tournament until the start of the next academy year, the clans have time to train their members as they see fit. Elder Lightshield wants us to leave the city,” Jenn said. “It’ll be the same for you in a year, if you’re part of the clan.”

“Should we focus on learning something for that?” Daciana asked.

Gregory chuckled. “We have no idea if it’ll be the same for you or not. Study hard subjects to expand your mind, but balance that with lighter topics you have an interest in. I learned about fletching and bowyering, Yuki learned about leatherworking, and Jenn did smithing.”

“Non-aether crafts?” Nessa said. “I know a lot about cooking, already. Oh, maybe the academy has new recipes?”

“I’m not good at crafting things,” Daciana said, for once not confident about something. “Too many things upset my nose.”

“Oh?” Yukiko asked. “Is it sensitive?”

“Not like my father’s, but yes. I do my best not to react to most things... it draws more attention to my blood.”

“It doesn’t bother us,” Gregory said. “Do we cause you problems?”

“Make me hungry at times,” Daciana admitted. “Your food smells good, and it lingers on you. Smells vaguely like what we eat at the mess hall, but better.”

“Well, the cooks for the clan are the ones who worked in the mess hall earlier this year,” Jenn said. “They make even better food now, though, since the clan gets them better ingredients.”

“Oh, now I’m getting hungry again...” Daciana sighed.

“We should get started on Magi Squares,” Gregory said. “Maybe that will help distract you.”

~*~*~

They flowed through their meditation routine, the motions smooth and easy. Gregory felt the fluidity of the Peaceful Fist moving through him as he watched his aether flame. Embers left, traveling down the channels. For a brief moment, Gregory thought he saw a feminine face in the fire, and his ability to stay focused faltered. Blinking as he lost the cavern, he frowned, but continued moving through the motions.

“Time for a quick rinse before we find out what the council has in store for us,” Gregory said.

“Are you okay, Greg? You seem distracted,” Yukiko said.

“Thought I saw a face in my aether flame,” Gregory admitted without thinking.

“A face?” Jenn asked. “Is that like seeing a bane wolf in the clouds?”

“Uh, yes, in a way,” Gregory said, feeling a little guilty for evading her question.

Jenn laughed. “I never thought to look at the flames like that before. That might give me something else to do when we meditate.”

“Let’s get going,” Yukiko said.

“Yes. I’m looking forward to fighting Greg,” Jenn said.

“You’re dead set on fighting me,” Gregory laughed.

“I want my rematch,” Jenn said as she headed for the door.

“If I don’t fight him first,” Yukiko said.

“Oh, now that would be a fun fight to watch,” Jenn said. “Him knowing where you are, but you always shifting places? I wouldn’t know who to root for.”

Gregory followed them. He wondered if he’d be okay telling Jenn about Darkness, or about who he’d been in a previous life.

~*~*~

Two dozen people stood outside the training hall. Nick and Jason had their clan members with them, Hayworth and two members of his clan were together, and Klein Armit had Adept Dunn standing beside him.

“Novices, it’s been some time,” Dunn greeted them. “I’ve seen your fights; it’s been impressive, especially your foresight, Pettit.”

“Adept, you honor us,” Gregory replied.

“No, I speak only the truth,” Dunn said. “I’ll be interested to see how you do if you fight Armit here.”

Klein, wearing the Shining Light emblem, gave him a nod.

“I find the council having chosen three people from two clans to be odd, though,” Dunn said in his flat, monotone voice. “We were told it was based on the strength of the opponents beaten and how easily they were handled. Your clan makes sense; undefeated, and your friends with seven wins and a tie. Clearly, you’re the top three. The rest all have only a single loss, half of which were to your clan.”

“It’ll be a tough final eight,” Yukiko said. “You use spatial magic, do you not, Klein?”

“I’m the other novice with that magic in this year’s class, beside Hayworth,” Klein said, his voice a little detached. “It’s apparently almost unheard of to have two users of spatial magic in a single year. I was lucky to have the Shining Light take an interest in me.”

“You think Shun and Argon are the most dangerous of their clan?” Dunn asked. “Parks is the one you should worry about. All of you should.”

“He uses force magic,” Klein said. “He’s the only one with it in our class. Did you see any of his fights?”

The three friends thought about it, but shook their heads.

“It’s almost like he was being kept from you,” Dunn said. “Good luck.”

Magus Paul Erichson made his way toward the group, cutting off further conversation. “Finalists, and others, I have your brackets. I will not be your adjudicator for these matches. Grandmaster Yunlo will be handling it, instead, as I have been accused by some of being biased.” When he finished speaking, he looked at the Eternal Flame novices for a long moment before continuing, “Baseless accusations, but the council has decided that it’s best to remove that implication.”

“Baseless?” Nick asked with a smirk. “Of course.”

Paul’s eyelid twitched, but he looked away from him. “Best of luck on your matches.” Posting the brackets, he stepped aside but stayed next to the board, clearly intent on making sure there were no incidents.

When the entire Eternal Flame group started to move forward, Paul took a single step toward them. “Finalists to the board only. The rest of you can wait back there.”

Nick snorted. “Whatever you say, honored Magus.”

Nick, Jason, and Jamie went to the board while the others stayed back. Nick laughed, turning to Yukiko. “Fried chicken is on the menu.”

Gregory’s jaw clenched for a moment before he chuckled. “Going to lose again, are you, Nick? Losing to her twice... that’ll hurt your standing in the clan, won’t it?”

“No,” Nick sneered. “I’ll win, then I’ll be seeing Jason in the following round.”

The three Eternal Flame members walked away, leaving the board free for the other five finalists to approach. Gregory saw Yukiko lined up with Nick and Jason against Jenn, both on the far side of the bracket from him. His fight was against Klein, leaving Hayworth to fight Jamie Parks.

“Wonder how the force will work against my magic...” Hayworth murmured. Shaking his head, he looked at Gregory and Klein. “Either of you would be a good fight. I’ll look forward to it.”

Klein nodded absently. “It’ll be interesting.”

“It’s stacked against us,” Yukiko said.

“Making me wait for my rematch...” Jenn sighed.

“Novices,” Paul said as the trio started to leave, “I wish you good luck.”

“Thank you, Magus,” they each said, bowing to him before heading away.

Walking slowly to the arena, Gregory pulled off his ring and handed it to Yukiko. “Make sure to give this to Jenn after the fight. I’m glad your father got us the half-dozen cores he could. It’s too bad they’ve been in short supply in the city.”

“We’ll need them,” Yukiko said. “It figures that they would want Nick to fight me first for the final eight, since we were the last fight to actually happen during the first tournament.”

“I fight right after you,” Jenn said. “Means I’ll need to be ready to rush out to you if things go badly.”

“Yes... they might have to take me right to the healers, and that could prevent you from getting the ring,” Yukiko said.

Gregory thought about trying to push his foresight to see what would happen, but he hadn’t been able to reliably see that far into the future, and it used the majority of his aether to even attempt it.

“No, dear one,” Yukiko said, touching his arm. “Don’t. You’ll need everything you have for your fight.”

“You’re right,” Gregory sighed. “I just worry.”

Yukiko took his hand for a moment. “It won’t be like the first time. I will win, and without being burned.”

“Okay.”

“Then I’ll have to beat her to get my rematch,” Jenn said. “Yuki, are you sure you can win against Nick?”

“Yes. I just need to go where he won’t expect me.”

“A side wall,” Gregory said.

“Yes. He’ll expect me behind him or the adjudicator. I’ve always gone to those two spots.”

“Is it likely he’ll expect you to change it for him?” Jenn asked.

“Nick?” Yukiko snorted. “He’s too self-absorbed for that.”

“Jason might, though, and he’s the one who can make Nick listen,” Gregory warned her. “Just be careful.”

“I will be.”

“Jason wants his revenge for losing the first time,” Jenn said slowly. “He’ll be harder this time, and they’ll likely have given him something different than the fire he used on me last time.”

“They specialize in fire,” Yukiko said. “It’ll probably be just a different type of fire. Go fast, and strike hard. You’ll be able to stop the first one cold, and if you keep two cores in your off-hand with the ring, you can recharge instantly.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Jenn smiled.

“That just leaves me with the enigma that is Klein,” Gregory said. “Does he seem as detached as Dunn?”

“Yes,” Yukiko nodded. “Not as flat yet, but definitely like he’s distracted.”

“At least I know the trick for space magic,” Gregory said. “Shouldn’t be too hard a fight.”

Chapter Fifty-six

Meeting up with the family at the arena, Gregory wasn’t surprised when one of the ushers directed them to the reserved boxes. The private boxes only held six people each, so they split the group into two different boxes. Gin and Dia went with Jenn and her parents, and Lin stayed with Hao and his family.

Refreshments were served while they waited. The final eight fights for the novices were held as the last four fights of the day, and the rest of the day was mostly the apprentice’s tournament. There were also some demonstrations of various magics by the initiates and adepts stationed at the academy.

The fight between the Swift Wind and Eternal Flame apprentices was eye-opening for Gregory. The Swift Wind clan was clearly more focused on coordinated actions, as three of their members defended against the Eternal Flame’s fire while two cast attack magic back.

The whole day seemed to drift away as they watched the fights, demonstrations, and waited for the finals to begin. Gregory paid attention to the apprentices who exhibited magics he hadn’t seen before, but resisted trying to see the aether strings— he had a suspicion that he’d need all of his aether later.

When it came time for Yukiko to get ready for her fight, everyone wished her luck, and Gregory gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek.

“Be careful,” he told her.

“I will be.”

With Yukiko gone, Gregory felt his anxiety growing.

“Are you looking forward to the wedding, Greg?” Yoo-jin asked as the last apprentice fight of the day started.

Pulled from his anxiety, he had to switch mental gears, and ended up saying more than he intended to, “Yes. It’s been the one thing that’s kept both of us from doing what Hao asked us not to do. If it’d been any further away, I’m not sure we could’ve held out.”

Yoo-jin laughed. “I was surprised when she told me how firm you’d been on that point. We’re thankful that you’ve been honorable enough to hold to that.”

“I didn’t mean to say that much...” Gregory coughed.

“It’s fine. We’ve arranged for the wedding, as well as the bride’s gift. Everything should be in place by the last day of the tournament.”

“We hope that the gift is something you want,” Hao said. “We were unsure of how you would view it after we spoke with Yu.”

“I’m sure I’ll love whatever it is,” Gregory said. “I’ve been hoping her gift will be here soon. I ordered it months ago.”

“Oh? What did you order her?” Yoo-jin asked.

“A book,” Gregory said.

“A book?” Hao asked curiously. “What book?”

“‘Advanced Strategies for Empire’s Gambit.’ She got a look at our instructor’s copy and wanted one.”

“A practical gift?” Hao chuckled. “She loves practical things over trinkets. I think you’ll be surprised by how much she loves it.”

“Did the scrivener here in the city not have a copy?” Yoo-jin asked, puzzled over why he had to order it.

“I don’t know,” Gregory admitted. “I promised a scrivener back in Tolkin that, if I had need of more books, I’d remember him. I sent him the vela and book I wanted delivered to me.”

“It hasn’t made it yet?” Yoo-jin asked.

“No, which makes me worry that it might not be here in time. I might have to visit the scrivener in town to get a copy, after all.”

“Yes, time is growing short,” Hao nodded.

“If it’s not here by tomorrow, I’ll ask one of the staff at the clan hall to run the errand for me.”

“The fight’s almost over,” Yoo-jin said.

That pulled their attention back to the end of the apprentice match. The fighting between the Iron Hand and the Hardened Fist was winding down. The last two apprentices were clashing in the middle of the arena, and the others had been seen by healers and taken off the field.

“Two physical enhancement apprentices,” Hao said as the two men fought. “Almost out of aether, too, it looks like.”

“Yeah,” Gregory agreed as the blue flames on their weapons flickered and started to go out.

The apprentice from the Iron Hand managed to execute a disarm before driving his blade through his opponent’s gut. Leaving the weapon in, he grabbed the Hardened Fist member and eased him to the ground.

The adjudicator called the match, and the healers were already sprinting forward. Gregory was glad to see that Mindie and Klim were there, along with the older healers that had been on hand for the first part of the day.

“She’ll be out next,” Gregory said as he watched the victorious apprentice deftly remove his blade when he was bade to do so.

When the injured man was taken away and the victor had bowed to the boxes, the adjudicator left the field, too. An instant later, Grandmaster Yunlo was standing in the middle of the arena floor, wearing his midnight blue kimono. A stir went through the arena when Yunlo was recognized.

Yunlo let the crowd chatter for a bit before raising a metal disk in front of him. “Magi, ladies, and gentlemen, we’ve come to the final eight for the novices. Our first match is a repeat from the final four during the last tournament.”

As he lowered the disk, both Yukiko and Nick left their tunnels, walking toward the middle of the arena. Gregory’s eyes widened when he saw Nick— he was wearing armor that covered his vitals. Nick smirked at Yukiko and started talking the moment they could hear each other. Yukiko ignored him and kept walking forward, but she was clearly unhappy about the armor. Nick kept talking, even when they came to a stop in front of Yunlo.

Yunlo let him go for a moment before making a chopping motion with his hand. Nick cut off whatever he was saying. Yunlo said something, and Yukiko and Nick bowed to the council box formally. Yunlo had them bow to him next, then to each other. Yukiko bowed formally, as she was supposed to, though Nick gave the bare minimum he could get away with. Yunlo frowned, but didn’t rebuke Nick.

Gregory felt his spine tingle. His anxiety was back and growing as Yunlo raised his hand, not moving back at all. The instant that hand came down, Yunlo was no longer where he had been, now twenty feet back from that spot.

Nick’s hand shot forward at the same instant, a ball of fire zipping toward Yukiko, who vanished as a shadow swallowed her. Nick’s left hand was already pointed to Yunlo, and another ball of fire left it a half-second later. Yunlo vanished from where he was, reappearing on the other side of the arena. Nick didn’t stop there— a wave of fire erupted out from behind him as he spun to face that way.

Gregory’s eyes were darting around the arena, looking for Yukiko without using his ability to see aether. Nick stopped casting fire everywhere and turned around to look for Yukiko. He jerked back the other way, thinking she was coming up behind him, but she wasn’t there.

Gregory saw the shadows at the furthest point from Nick become a touch thicker than the others. Lips pursing, Gregory worried about that, and his worry was founded when Nick saw the same thing and threw another fireball at that spot. The flame dispelled the darkness briefly before it splashed against the wall. The people in the stands right next to the fire all winced and jerked away.

Nick spun back the other way, his sword swishing through the air as he again thought Yukiko might be there. Stopping in place, Nick was clearly upset that he hadn’t been able to find her yet.

That was the moment Yukiko had been waiting for. The shadows around Nick had been shifting slowly, not drawing attention to their movements. All at once, the shadows grabbed Nick’s legs tightly, stopping him from turning.

Yukiko appeared behind Nick, her wakizashi in her hand. Nick laughed as a bright light flashed into existence, banishing the shadows holding his legs and allowing him to spin on a nearly-blinded Yukiko. Yukiko staggered back, her blade coming up vertically on reflex. That saved Yukiko from the first strike, but the armor was still glowing, stopping her from getting away easily.

Eyes watering, Yukiko did her best to defend herself from Nick’s onslaught. Nick was laughing the entire time. He wasn’t going for an attack that would stop the fight, instead going for painful hits.

Gregory’s hands clenched as he watched Nick toy with Yukiko. Inadvertently, his ability to see aether triggered and he could see the aether powering the armor dimming.

Nick lashed out with his foot, catching Yukiko in the gut and throwing her backward. Rolling as she sucked in breath, Yukiko was getting back to her feet when a fireball hit her. The flames washed over her, leaving her untouched.

Nick was shouting at her, but the words didn’t reach the boxes. Another ball of fire hit Yukiko as the light on the armor dimmed, and the flames again failed to touch her. Nick seemed to lose his mind— he rushed forward only to bounce off nothing, staggering back as blood gushed from his nose.

Yukiko staggered fully to her feet just as the armor stopped glowing, letting shadows exist again. Nick wiped the blood away, his face a mask of rage, not noticing the shadows growing around his feet.

Nick spat some blood at Yukiko and took a step toward her, or rather, tried to. His foot didn’t move. Eyes widening, he looked down to see the shadows encasing his legs. Head jerking back up, Yukiko was no longer in front of him, instead appearing out of the shadows behind him.

Fire erupted all around Nick and Yukiko let out a brief scream. Nick tried to jerk around to see if she was down, but he didn’t manage it before she brought her leg up firmly between his.

Gregory’s heart had stopped when Yukiko screamed, but he exhaled heavily when he realized it was just a scream of surprise and not pain. He winced when Yukiko’s foot connected with the fleshy bits between Nick’s legs.

Nick collapsed, his hands grabbing his damaged pride. Yukiko planted a knee into his side as her short wooden blade hit him under the chin repeatedly. Yunlo was behind Yukiko at that moment, taking hold of her shoulder.

Yukiko jerked her wooden blade around, about to strike, but stopped when she realized who it was. The healers were already sprinting forward before Yunlo declared Yukiko the winner. Yukiko stepped back to give the healers room as she bowed to Nick, Yunlo, and finally, the boxes. She wobbled a little, but walked off under her own power.

“That was closer than I had hoped to see again...” Hao exhaled deeply. “My heart was racing the entire time.”

“Yes,” Yoo-jin agreed.

~*~*~

Gregory was waiting for Yukiko when she came up out of the waiting room. “You did good, Yuki.”

Yukiko gave him a tired smile. “Thank you, dear one. I used a lot of my aether. Moving shadows at a distance takes more.”

“Go slow. I’ll be waiting for my match. Your parents are waiting for you.”

Yukiko looked at the empty halls before stepping up to him and kissing his cheek. “Be careful, dear one.”

“I will.”

Chapter Fifty-seven

Gregory found Jenn stretching, reminding him of how he’d seen her during the first tournament. “Limbering up?”

“And centering myself,” Jenn replied as she executed a standing split. “They should be calling for me in a minute or two.”

“You have the ring charged up?”

“Yes, and I have three cores. I’ll keep one in my left hand and replace it instantly from my obi if needed.”

“It’d be good if you win, but don’t be reckless about it. They’ve figured out that we have a way around the fire, so they might have given him a trick like Nick’s armor for you.”

“I’ll do my best, Greg,” Jenn said, lowering her leg. “Are you going to be watching from the tunnel?”

“Yes.”

“I have to win... I have to be able to stand beside you and Yukiko.”

“You already are,” Gregory said. “The three of us are going to be beside each other for years.”

Jenn whipped around to face him. “Really? You’ve agreed?”

Brow furrowing, Gregory frowned. “Agreed to what?”

Jenn’s excited, happy expression fell, and she turned away from him. “Nothing...”

“Jenn, I—” Gregory started.

“Novice Bean, it’s time,” Mindie said from the stairs to the arena floor.

Jenn went right past Greg, not saying anything, her face emotionless. Gregory knew he missed something important and walked behind her, wondering what he could do to bring her smile back.

Almost to the exit, he reached out and touched her shoulder gently. “Jenn, I don’t know what I did, but please give me a chance to make up for it? You need to focus right now, but know I’ll be here for you no matter what.”

Jenn nodded once. “I know. It makes it hurt even more, Greg. I’ll win, don’t worry. I have to show you that I can be here, too.” She patted his hand once, making him remove it.

Mindie paused at the exit, watching the two of them. She gave Jenn an encouraging smile as the smaller woman walked past her. “Good luck.”

Jenn nodded to her before stepping out of the tunnel and walking across the arena floor.

Gregory stood a few feet behind Mindie, watching his friend walk away. I’m sorry I distracted you, Jenn. I hope I’ll not be the reason for your loss.

Mindie glanced at Gregory and shifted back to stand beside him. “I thought you were with the other one?”

“Huh?”

“The other novice, Warlin.”

“We’re betrothed. Our wedding is after the tournament.”

Mindie’s brow furrowed and she looked at Jenn, who was bowing to the boxes. “Oh... I thought you two were having a lover’s quarrel just then.”

Gregory’s eyes went wide. “No. No! Jenn’s our friend and clanmate. That’s all.”

Mindie glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “Oh, I see.”

“Thank you for helping Yuki after her fight, by the way.”

“It’s my job,” Mindie said softly. “I dislike the Eternal Flame, though, this year especially... they seem even more aggressive than normal. Shun is the worst of them.”

“He’s not a good person,” Gregory agreed. “Jason isn’t any better, either. He’s more calculating than Nick.”

“Yes. He’s terrifying in that way.”

Gregory didn’t reply because the fight had started. Both Jenn and Jason rushed toward each other— they had infused their bodies with aether to move faster. The sound of their wooden blades meeting folded into each attack, so the sound neither began nor ended, but just hung in the air. The sounds abruptly stopped when a spike of earth shot out of the ground.

Jenn staggered back, her hip bleeding. She’d been just a little too slow dodging the attack from behind. Hissing in pain, she stared at Jason, who was smirking at her. “No fire? Won’t your boyfriend be mad that you aren’t using fire?”

“Anything it takes to knock you pests from the tournament is what we were told,” Jason smiled. “Ready for the rest of my surprises?”

Jenn took a limping step backward. “Are you ready for mine?”

“I know all of yours already,” Jason laughed as two more spikes of earth shot out of the ground on either side of Jenn.

Jenn conjured a barrier for a second to shatter the one to the left and spun, hacking at the one on the right with her sword, breaking it apart. She couldn’t stop, as Jason leapt at the same moment, his sword coming down in a vicious overhand strike.

Jenn brought her blade back around to catch and deflect his attack, but that knocked her off balance. Jason smirked as he kicked out and caught Jenn in the leg, his foot coated in blue flame. Jenn screamed when the kick hit and she went sprawling onto her back.

Gregory had to resist the urge to rush out and help his friend. Mindie was leaning forward, clearly ready to run out when needed.

Jason shifted his grip on the sword as he darted forward, intending to pin the small woman to the ground. His sword came down, but was knocked aside by an aether-created barrier. Jenn kicked out, catching Jason in the ankle and making him hop back. He wobbled, his injured ankle not liking the sudden shift.

“Fucking little bitch! Just stay down and I won’t hurt you more than necessary,” Jason growled.

Jenn got to her feet, favoring her injured leg, which didn’t want to hold her weight. “I’ll win.”

Jason snorted. “I gave you a chance.”

A dozen spikes of earth erupted under Jenn, all of them angled to impale her. Jenn flexed her undamaged leg, blue fire encasing it as she executed a backward flip. The spikes all crashed together in the spot she’d just been standing in.

“Stop!” Yunlo shouted, suddenly next to the earth spikes. “Novice, that would have killed your opponent! You used it deliberately to do so.”

“I disagree,” Jason said. “I was clearly testing her injured leg. She escaped without injury, after all.”

Yunlo grunted. “A weak theory, but I’ll let it stand for now. Fight!” He was gone in the same instant he told them to resume.

Jason frowned, as he didn’t see Jenn anywhere. Eyes darting, he tried to find her, spinning in a slow circle to see if she had slipped behind him.

The crack of breaking bone echoed in the air as Jason fell to the ground, grabbing his left knee. Jenn appeared beside him, her wooden blade broken. With a cry, she drove it down at Jason.

“Stop!” Yunlo shouted suddenly from beside Jenn, but was too late to stop her from slamming the jagged wood into its target. Yunlo grabbed her and the pair of them were next to the exit. Letting her go, Yunlo hadn’t even needed to call for a healer because both Mindie and Klim were rushing to Jason. Raising the disk to his mouth, he announced, “Novice Bean is the winner.”

Jenn bowed to Jason, who was being treated by the healers, before she limped in a circle to face Yunlo, bowing again. Another slow limping turn got her to face the boxes, where she bowed for the last time.

“You meant to make me stop the fight?” Yunlo asked her.

“After your warning, I couldn’t kill him and not be in trouble for doing so,” Jenn said evenly. “As it is, I creased his neck.”

“I noticed,” Yunlo said. “You’re dangerous for one so small.”

“My father said I was tiny, but fierce,” Jenn replied.

“He’s right,” Gregory said from the tunnel. “You’re also a damned good friend.”

Jenn turned to Gregory and started limping his way, her leg getting firmer with each step. “Well, the cloak won’t be usable again for this tournament. Guess I have to hope you make it to the finals so I can have my rematch.”

“Yeah. Walk you back to the waiting area?”

“Thank you.”

“You did well. I was worried about the earth spikes. When that first one caught you…” he trailed off, looking grim.

“I let it graze me to draw him into using it again. He should’ve known better. When we push our aether for faster reaction times, everything seems to slow down,” Jenn explained as they walked down the tunnel. “I had enough warning to get away. My baiting him with the first one worked.”

Gregory looked at her hip and chuckled. “It healed up?”

“It wasn’t bad to start with, but yes. It’s why my leg is taking so long now.”

“Mindie or Klim will come along to check on you,” Gregory said.

“I didn’t even need to use this,” Jenn said, handing him the fire protection ring. “I hope you don’t need it, either.”

“We’ll see in a bit.”

~*~*~

Gregory took a calming breath as he followed Mindie down the hall. Okay, Greg, focus. Have to beat Klein first... He has to have something up his sleeve. He’s too calm.

“Good luck,” Mindie said as she stopped by the exit.

“Thank you,” Gregory said, stepping past her and out into the open.

The roar of the crowd washed over him. He held the naginata against his shoulder as he walked across the sands. Klein was coming from the other side of the arena, carrying a pair of thin blades in his hands. The real difference was in armor— Gregory wasn’t wearing any, but Klein had on even more armor than Nick had.

Gregory’s pace slowed as he took in what Klein had on. He was wearing an open face helmet that had a wide flare at the bottom to help deflect downward blows. Pauldrons with the Shining Light emblem protected his shoulders and upper arms. The chest piece was made of horizontal plates attached to the underlying chain, and had been decorated with the same symbol. Bracers and gauntlets covered his forearms and hands. His legs were protected by the thick leather skirt attached to the chest guard and metal greaves that went over the top of Klein’s boots.

Klein stared at Gregory with a detached expression as they came to a stop before Yunlo. “I wish you luck, Pettit.”

“You, as well,” Gregory replied.

“Novices, you know the rules. Turn and bow to the boxes.”

They bowed to Yunlo and each other next. Gregory set himself into a defensive stance and waited for the command to fight. As Yunlo’s arm started to descend, Gregory reached for foresight.

“Fight!” Yunlo shouted as he reappeared a dozen yards from them.

Gregory froze in place, his foresight a jumbled blur of dozens of visions. Unsure of what was happening, he barely got his naginata up in time to deflect Klein’s first strike.

“What in Aether’s name!?” Gregory winced as he was forced on the defensive, his foresight continuing to plague him with conflicting visions.

“Foresight is useless when your opponent is unsure of what they’re going to do before they do it,” Klein said.

A moment of clarity appeared, and Gregory shifted to the right. He immediately had to parry away another attack, making it seem like Klein knew he was going to move the way he had. The reason for his sudden movement came into existence when the tip of the second training blade appeared in the air, piercing the spot Gregory had just been in.

“Interesting,” Klein said in his detached voice. “The magic is clear enough for you to see? Must be the intent needed for it to manifest.”

Gregory was having trouble he never expected to have. My magic is actively working against me... A sudden backpedal got him clear of another attack from midair. Mostly working against me, he corrected himself. If I drop foresight to be able to fight more easily, I’d have no warning about the spatial attacks.

“The choice you must make is to have no warning about my magic, or be distracted by what might be,” Klein said as he kept pressing the attack.

Dodging to the left, Gregory brought a shield into being to stop a hit to his back. Using that brief opening, he struck, the naginata sliding up and under Klein’s arm. However, just before it could hit Klein, another shield appeared and deflected the attack. The spatial attack that should have hit him appeared to Gregory’s right. Klein had used both blades that time, giving Gregory the opportunity to gain some breathing room.

“You’re right,” Gregory admitted as he backed away and the chaos of the immediate future faded. “That’s a problem I hadn’t known about. How do you not know what you’re going to do?”

“Meditation,” Klein replied. “Most mock the spirit path, but it has a few uses that the others will never know.”

Gregory bowed his head and set himself into a defensive stance. “I see. It’s likely you will outlast me for aether, so it leaves me with little choice.”

“That was my assessment, as well,” Klein said. “It was a good match.”

Gregory thought about what Klein had said and turned on his ability to see aether strings instead. With a deep breath, Gregory advanced toward him.

Klein looked puzzled, but didn’t hesitate to meet him. After a couple of seconds, Klein’s brow furrowed— he was being driven back hard, barely able to stop Gregory from landing blows. Thinking Gregory had stopped with his foresight, Klein was quick to use his left blade to strike at Gregory’s back. Klein never expected Gregory to sidestep and strike the sword’s tip with the butt of his naginata, jarring the whole weapon.

That shock pulled him from his meditation. “How?” Klein asked, the surprise clear in his voice.

“You failed to account for all variables,” Gregory said and went back on the offensive.

The next few strikes glanced off Klein’s armor, but it was clear to everyone that Gregory had finally found his footing. Klein knew that he had to find a way to turn the tables, but no longer centered, he had a hard time coming up with a good plan.

With a shout, Klein pushed into Gregory’s next attack, summoning a large spatial tear. Seeing the threads going out, Gregory pushed off from Klein’s block and went into an airborne backflip, landing inches behind where he had appeared. Not about to look the gift-horse in the mouth, Gregory caught Klein’s right elbow sharply with the naginata as he turned. With a grunt of pain, Klein’s sword fell from that hand.

Down to just one sword and knowing he’d been bested, Klein knew what he had to do. “Adjudicator… I yield.”

Gregory twisted the shaft of the naginata sideways, suddenly stopping his attack. His blade just missed the other novice.

Yunlo raised the disk to his mouth and spoke to the arena, “Novice Armit has forfeited the match.”

Klein took an unsteady step backward, having used the rest of his aether to move his entire body spatially. “I don’t know how you managed it, Pettit, but you win.” Bowing to Gregory, Klein started to pitch forward.

Gregory stopped his bow short and grabbed Klein, helping him stay upright until Mindie and Klim reached them. “Easy, let them help you.”

“I must bow,” Klein said. “It’s the right thing to do.”

“Take this,” Klim said, shoving a vial at him. “Bowing can wait.”

“No, it cannot,” Klein said, but he downed the vial before handing it back.

Gregory moved to stand beside Klein. “Together?”

Klein gave him a questioning glance, but seeing only honesty, he nodded. “Please.”

Klein and Gregory bowed to Yunlo, then to the boxes, with Gregory acting as a support post for Klein. When they finished bowing, Klim escorted Klein from the arena, checking his arm as they went. Gregory went back to the other tunnel with Mindie beside him.

“You’re going to be in the final four again,” Mindie said, “yet you help a defeated opponent from losing even more face?”

“There’s no reason not to,” Gregory told her. “Our clans aren’t fighting, and he’s a decent person.”

Mindie nodded slowly. “You don’t feel it necessary to crush your foes.”

“It would be different if we were at odds, but this was just a match during the tournament,” Gregory replied. “Even though it seems like some people want to do that all the time, I don’t want to.”

“I wish you luck tomorrow,” Mindie said as she stopped at the tunnel.

“Thank you. I hope the last fight’s not taxing on you.”

Making it down to the waiting area, Gregory found Hayworth. “Good luck.”

“I just came back down. I was watching the fight,” Hayworth said. “I had no idea that he was able to do that. It’s very costly in aether to move your entire body.”

“Well, if I see you in the next round, I know you won’t attempt it.”

“Did you play with him early to make him think his meditation angle was enough to mess with your foresight?”

Gregory shrugged. “See you tomorrow, Hayworth.”

“Aether willing,” Hayworth chuckled.

Gregory kept walking, making his way for the exit to rejoin his soon-to-be family.

~*~*~

When he got back up to the box, he was greeted with broad smiles and even a kiss on the cheek from Yukiko. “Thank you.”

“What was the problem? You were struggling at the start,” Yukiko asked.

“If you’re in a meditative state and letting the battle flow, it makes it hard for foresight to predict your actions,” Gregory told her. “That’s what he was doing to me. He’s a spirit path follower, and hinted that the spirit path could do even more. We should look in the clan archive to see what we can find.”

“Agreed,” Yukiko said, catching his failure to elaborate on how he won and glancing at her parents.

Gregory caught her look and gave her a small nod. “Do you think you’ll be able to beat Jenn this time?”

“It was a tie last time, but I doubt they’ll let a tie stand in the finals.”

“It would be a very messy thing,” Hao said. “I wouldn’t put it past them to just eliminate both, and have the other fight be the final.”

“That’s highly likely. They would suspect us of trying to make that the outcome even if we didn’t.”

“They’re walking out,” Yoo-jin said, bringing their attention to the arena floor.

Hayworth walked with confidence as he approached Yunlo and Parks. Neither novice spoke to the other while they bowed. Gregory was puzzled at Parks’ weapon, as mauls were not widely chosen.

He was surprised at how aggressively Parks attacked. He rushed forward with no regard to his own safety the moment the fight started. Hayworth looked serious as he moved to the side, his shield up the entire time. The clash of the two novices was loud, the sound of wood on wood echoing as the maul slammed into Hayworth’s shield with a lot of momentum.

Hayworth was pushed back by the attack, but even as he gave ground, he thrust his sword out, the tip vanishing and coming in from Parks’ side. A barrier of aether sprang up, stopping the attack from landing. Parks hadn’t slowed his next attack. The maul, still moving from the first deflection, came back around horizontally.

Hayworth’s grimace was pronounced as he blocked the attack, but his shield wasn’t staying up as it should. His counter-attack was again deflected away by a brief burst of aether that shielded Parks.

Five seconds passed with the two exchanging blows. With each attack, it was obvious that Hayworth was losing control of his shield arm, but Parks’ barriers didn’t appear to be diminishing in the least.

The end came suddenly. When Hayworth tried to block another vicious blow, he couldn’t get his shield up all the way, the attack yanking his arm down sharply. What happened next was shocking to those watching— as Hayworth was pulled out of position, a flat shield of aether slammed into his back, forcing him to drop to his knees. That barrier didn’t vanish, though, and Hayworth tried to get his nearly broken arm back up to stop the maul as it came up and around to brain him.

“I yield!” Hayworth shouted.

Parks had a vicious smile on his lips and didn’t even try to stop his maul. Just before it could make contact with Hayworth, he was suddenly gone and on his knees, a dozen feet away, next to Yunlo.

“Parks is the victor,” Yunlo announced through the metal disk to the arena. Lowering the disk, Yunlo said something to Parks, who didn’t reply as he bowed before walking off.

“Greg,” Yukiko said softly, “he’ll try to kill you, like he tried to do to Hayworth.”

“Yes... I’ll have to be ready for his shielding magic, too,” Gregory said, understanding that Parks was going to be a problem.

“We should go. Dinner will be late, as it is,” Yoo-jin said. “Did you want to stop at the auction house?”

“I think the only item of worth was already purchased,” Gregory said.

“Possibly,” Yoo-jin conceded. “I’ll have to ask your elder if he knows what they might have left for sale.”

Gregory rose to his feet, not replying. He was already thinking about the best ways to beat Parks.

Chapter Fifty-eight

Nessa and Daciana questioned their friends when they got to the back of the archive. “What’re you two going to do?” Daciana asked. “Having to fight each other? That has to be tough for you.”

“We’ll fight like we always would,” Yukiko said. “That’s the best we can do.”

“It gives us a chance to go full out,” Jenn said. “During sparring, we have to hold back some. Our last fight against each other was the first time we got the chance to fight with all of our skills.”

“A challenging fight,” Yukiko smiled. “Now, though, I’ll have an easier time.”

Jenn chuckled as she got her papers together for Magi Squares. “No, Yuki. This time, I will win. I know how to defeat your various tricks.”

“I hope you don’t feel bad when I trounce you,” Yukiko replied.

“Between the two of you, Jenn’s probably better equipped to fight Parks, if I lose,” Gregory said. “She’ll have the strength to deal with the maul, and should be able to outlast his aether shields.”

“But she wouldn’t be able to get away from the force wall he used on Hayworth,” Yukiko countered.

“You don’t believe you’ll lose, do you, Greg?” Nessa asked.

“It’ll be a tough fight,” Gregory said. “I think I can wear him down, but I’ll have to wait and see. My foresight won’t be able to go as long as his aether shields will, so I’ll have to pick the right time and place for using my magic.”

“How does it work?” Nessa asked, leaning forward and giving away her eagerness to learn.

Gregory averted his eyes. When she leaned over the desk toward him, her kimono gaped open, giving him a glimpse of her cleavage. “It depends on how much aether I push into it. I can catch sight of a couple of seconds into the future using a moderate amount. I can keep it up for a little while, but it quickly becomes a drain.”

“He’s seen further into the future before,” Yukiko said. “They come without him knowing, though.”

“True. The first one I had was on my age day.”

Daciana turned around in her seat to face him. “What was it?”

“Two of my best friends marrying and having three kids,” Gregory said softly, thinking back.

“Did they?” Daciana asked.

“They’re having their first, or have had already. I didn’t ask when it was due,” Gregory said, coming out of the moment. “Anyway, we have Magi Squares to do. Let’s get to it.”

“Will you tell us more about foresight later?” Nessa asked, looking a little disappointed.

“If you join the clan,” Yukiko said before Gregory could speak up. “Incentives help keep one eager and focused.”

Daciana turned back to her table. “Let’s get working.”

Yukiko’s lips twitched up, but she smoothed her expression before anyone saw. “A good idea.”

~*~*~

Their time in the archive and meditating came and went, but as they headed for the front door of the training hall, Gregory felt a chill crawl up his spine. Pulling up foresight for a moment, he saw the next few seconds and reacted to what was coming.

Twisting to the side, he shoved both women to the side and used his armband to summon a brief shield. The small projectiles hit the floor, stopped by the barrier, and the people at the far end of the hall were already running off.

“What?” Yukiko asked, turning around.

“Don’t chase!” Gregory yelled, grabbing Jenn’s arm when she took a step forward. “Feels like a trap.” Glancing down, he saw the smallest crossbow bolts he’d ever seen. “What are these?” He didn’t touch them, noticing that the tips were shiny.

“Bolts?” Yukiko asked, unsure.

“What do we do?” Jenn asked when Gregory let her arm go.

“We need to tell someone, but I don’t think leaving them here is the right answer, either.”

“I’ll go,” Yukiko said.

“Jenn, you should go with her,” Gregory said. “My armband can be used a bit more, so I should be safe.”

Both women exchanged a glance before they took off running. They returned quickly with Paul following them. Paul looked grim when he saw the bolts on the floor.

“What happened?” Paul asked.

Gregory explained, finishing with, “We didn’t want to touch them.”

“It’s good you didn’t... they have poison on them. They come from an assassin’s weapon. I’ll have to bring this to the council— a blatant attempt to assassinate a novice has to be addressed.”

“Thank you,” the three of them said.

“You should head out,” Paul told them. “I doubt they’ll have a second attempt prepared already. Good luck with your fights today.”

Following his direction, Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn made their way for the exit.

~*~*~

The day seemed to stretch once they were at the arena. The fights were interesting, but all of them were waiting for the evening, when their fights would take place. They had mentioned briefly to Hao and Yoo-jin about the attack, but didn’t give them all the details, not wanting to worry them.

There was a knock on the door of their box, and Lin answered it. After a moment, he stepped over to Yukiko. “Your fight is going to be after this one,” Lin told her.

“Good luck, Yuki,” Gregory said, giving her a smile.

“It’ll be a tough fight, but I’ll be the one to face you.”

“Oh? That confident?”

“If not me, then it’ll be Jenn. Either of us will push you to win. I’ll be giving my all to be the one there. Jenn will just have to get her rematch later.”

“I’m sure she’ll do her very best to not have to wait.”

“Yes, she will.”

Yukiko started to rise when Gregory leaned over to kiss her cheek. “For luck, dear one.”

Yukiko gave him a bright smile before bending to kiss his forehead. “For you, as well.”

~*~*~

The last apprentice fight was winding down and Gregory fidgeted in his seat. If I beat Parks, I’ll have to face one of them, which I’m not looking forward to… but one of them will have to fight a friend twice. That’s even worse.

As soon as the fight ended, the healers rushed out to help the magi still on the field. Hao and Yoo-jin shifted, clearly as eager to see the next fight as Gregory was.

“Do you think she’ll win?” Yoo-jin asked.

“It’ll be a close fight like last time,” Gregory replied. “Honestly, either of them could win. Jenn seemed very determined earlier, and something about it made me think it’s more than just wanting a rematch, as well.”

The apprentices were off the arena floor, and Yunlo suddenly appeared in the middle of the sands. The grandmaster looked at the crowd for a long few moments before raising the disk to his mouth.

“Magi, ladies, and gentlemen, we now end with the final four from the novice class. Novices, come forth. It’s time.”

Jenn and Yukiko walked onto the arena from opposite sides. Gregory watched them both, seeing the determination they had.

Jenn had a shield strapped to her back, the top lip covering the back of her neck. Yukiko’s lips twitched when she saw the twist to what she had expected. Yukiko’s surprise was that she had a wakizashi on her hip, instead of the shurikens she had been carrying for the other fights. The two of them exchanged knowing smiles and came to a stop in front of Yunlo.

“She changed her tactics?” Yoo-jin asked.

“Shurikens won’t kill a physical enhancement magi if they see it coming,” Gregory replied. “She made the right call, especially since Jenn brought the shield.”

“She’ll have to tangle Jenn with shadows if she hopes to finish it,” Hao said.

“Yes. Jenn knows that and will be doing her best to not let herself get caught.”

Yunlo raised his hand, and everyone in the stands leaned forward in anticipation of the fight starting. The moment Yunlo vanished, the two women moved. Jenn blurred forward, intent on getting to Yukiko before she could shadow step away. The sound of wood hitting wood echoed— Yukiko had managed to block her strike, making Jenn stagger forward a step. Jenn kept moving, but stopped enhancing her legs, her eyes darting around trying to find Yukiko. She blurred again a second later, going for a patch of shadow.

Gregory saw the shadows change and smiled; he knew Yukiko was stealthily shadow-stepping again. Hao and Yoo-jin were leaning forward in their seats, clearly trying to follow Jenn’s fast-moving form.

Jenn slowed when she reached the spot and found it empty. The crowd gave away the moment when Yukiko started to come up behind Jenn— the increased noise got Jenn to spin around. Yukiko grimaced and blocked the first strike, but had to use her enchanted armguard to form a barrier to give her time to get away.

Jenn hissed as she started moving again. She was saying something, but the crowd was too loud for it to reach the boxes. Moving steadily and not using her aether, Jenn was clearly trying to segment the arena to find Yukiko.

Their game of cat and mouse continued. Yukiko only moved when she had to, and Jenn used as little aether as she could. The audience was starting to get restless before Yukiko finally stepped out of a patch of shadow on the other side of the arena. She looked tired and went farther from the shadow, talking as she did.

Jenn spun to face her. She tilted her head to the side, trying to hear Yukiko over the crowd as she walked toward her at a fast, but unenhanced, pace. Jenn replied as they approached the middle of the arena. When they got closer, Jenn blurred forward, and Yukiko stood her ground.

The clack of their swords meeting made the crowd cheer loudly. That moment distracted a lot of people from seeing Yukiko shift slightly, guiding Jenn a couple of steps past her. Jenn’s attack sent Yukiko’s sword flying and nearly broke her arm, but Jenn fell to her knees, the shadow Yukiko had been casting grabbing hold of her.

With her right arm mending, Yukiko didn’t hesitate as she launched herself onto Jenn’s back, tightening her left arm around Jenn’s neck as she held on for dear life. Jenn thrashed against the shadows, her hands being pulled in and keeping her down. When Yukiko landed on her, Jenn infused her neck with aether to stop the crushing suffocation from starting.

The crowd was going wild as the two women fought. Gregory was shocked at how the fight had gone— he’d never imagined the two of them grappling each other, much less in the position they were in. He shoved aside his hormone-induced thoughts and focused to see the aether strings.

The shadows were a pool of aether, fighting to keep Jenn in place, while Jenn had infused her neck with a collar of aether, trying to give herself time to get free from the morass. Bits of aether sparked in the shadows as Jenn tried to power her way out, but any time extra power was used, the shadows tightened further.

“Who’s winning?” Hao asked breathlessly.

“Tied,” Gregory said as he released his view of the aether. “Jenn’s struggling to free herself, but she has her neck protected with aether, which is stopping Yuki from actually taking her out.”

“They’re both determined to be the one to face you,” Yoo-jin said from her seat.

“Can you see the outcome?” Hao asked, his eyes glued to the fight.

“It would cost me the aether I’ll need for my own fight,” Gregory said.

Hao exhaled, nodding abruptly. “Can’t have that.”

The cheering in the stands started to dim as they realized that the two women were deadlocked. Yunlo moved a little closer, hoping to get a better view of the two fighters in case one slipped up and he needed to intervene. A couple of boos started to drift up from the audience, and Gregory gritted his teeth at the idiots who had no idea how hard both Yukiko and Jenn were trying.

Yukiko suddenly got her injured arm into the fight— her healing ring had done its work. Jenn’s head snapped to the side as Yukiko began to slam her palm into her temple. Jenn gritted her teeth and expended more aether to stop the blows from hurting her. The crowd began to tentatively cheer again, but when Yukiko had shown more life, those tentative cheers exploded.

The crowd went wild when Jenn was suddenly coated in aether and flexed hard. Yukiko tried to hold on, but failed as she was thrown off Jenn’s back, landing hard a dozen feet away. Jenn stood up and stomped away from the grasping shadows, which shredded with every step she took.

The aether covering her vanished the moment Jenn was free. As she was going toward Yukiko, Jenn realized she no longer had her sword, as it had been left behind in the shadows. That realization became especially poignant when Yukiko kipped to her feet with Jenn’s practice blade in hand.

The two women exchanged a few words before Jenn nodded and took a defensive stance. Extending her left hand, she beckoned Yukiko to her. Yukiko dipped the blade fractionally in a salute before rushing at Jenn.

The next couple of seconds seared themselves into Gregory’s memory as he watched. Yukiko’s attack was hard and fast. Jenn just put her hand in the way, taking hold of the wooden sword and stopping it dead, before she flexed her fingers and shattered it. Yukiko’s eyes widened as she tried to backpedal, but Jenn was there, her hands delivering a powerful combination attack to Yukiko’s ribs. The two grabbed each other a moment later, and they slipped to the ground.

Yunlo walked to them, clearly intent on calling the bout, when Jenn moved to her hands and knees. Slowly and shakily, she pushed herself upright before bowing to Yukiko, who lay on the ground, barely moving.

Yunlo called for the healers as Jenn continued to bow to him, then the boxes. Instead of leaving, Jenn sat down abruptly next to Yukiko and gently lifted her friend’s head into her lap. Mindie and Klim were there seconds later, with Klim examining Jenn while Mindie checked on Yukiko.

“She’s a stubborn one,” Yoo-jin said with a hint of laughter. “Good. She’ll do well in her role.”

Hao sighed as he took his seat. “It was too much to hope that you two would repeat again.”

“I’ll do my best to make our family proud,” Gregory said. “I need to make my way down now.”

“Good luck,” Hao said.

“Greg,” Yoo-jin called to him, “focus on the fight. You need to stop them from having someone in the finals. They’ll be fine.”

Gregory gave her a smile. “I know they will be. Mindie and Klim are very talented healers.”

Chapter Fifty-nine

“Greg, I’ll be waiting for you,” Jenn said as she and Yukiko made it back to the waiting area.

“Really went all-out, didn’t you?” Gregory asked, seeing both of them unsteady on their feet.

“They’re both on the edges of aether fatigue,” Mindie said. “Warlin’s ribs are healing, but she shouldn’t have any vigorous activity for at least a day, and Bean’s fine. She had a mild concussion, but it’s been taken care of.”

“Thank you,” Gregory told Mindie. “We’ve been very glad to have a pair of such skilled healers on hand.”

Mindie’s lips thinned for a moment. “Of course.”

“He means it,” Yukiko said softly, breathing slowly. “Greg doesn’t falsely flatter like others.”

“She’s right about him,” Jenn added.

“Both of you are so sure about him,” Mindie said.

“I’ll be marrying him after the tournament,” Yukiko said. “I wouldn’t do so if I wasn’t sure.”

“He’s always been honest and forthright with me,” Jenn added. “He’s the greatest friend, besides Yuki, that I could have hoped for.”

“We’ll be waiting for you, dear one,” Yukiko said, touching his face briefly. “Win it for us.”

Staring into her cyan eyes, he felt like he was falling into them. A cough snapped him out of the moment, and he turned his head to find Jenn standing there. “Sorry.”

“I want my rematch. I didn’t push myself to the brink just to have you lose before we get to fight,” Jenn said, but there was trepidation in her gaze.

“My heart told me to win,” Gregory told Jenn, “so I can do nothing but win, and I wouldn’t want to deprive you of your long sought-after rematch.”

Jenn’s lips turned upward at the corners. “Good.”

“We’ll head up together,” Yukiko told him. “Clear your mind, and fight to your fullest.”

Gregory watched them go until they vanished from his sight. Exhaling slowly, he turned to find Mindie leaning near the stairs to the arena, watching him. “Sorry, is it time?”

“Thankfully, not yet,” she said. “You have a moment to collect yourself.”

Gregory gave her a thankful smile as he closed his eyes and sought to calm his mind. “I’ve been wondering... why are you not wearing an orange kimono?”

“Since I have been all but removed from my year in the academy, it was deemed that wearing the healer kimono better suited me.”

“I see. Thank you. I hope you find a good posting next year.”

“I do, as well. I’ve applied to stay here, but I won’t know until after the tournament.”

“I hope Aether blesses you,” Gregory said on reflex. He blinked, realizing what he had just said.

“Thank you. I do, too. I just want to heal people... it’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“Since you were a child?” Gregory asked as he slipped back into meditation.

“Two years before my age day, my mother became ill,” Mindie said, her voice thick. “She would have survived if the healer in town had come, but he didn’t.”

“I’m sorry,” Gregory said. “My mother passed before my age day, too. The loss of one’s mother is always hard.” Gregory coughed, as his throat felt tight by the time he finished speaking.

“Yes,” Mindie said, seeing in him the same pain of loss that she felt. She looked around, then moved a few steps closer and lowered her voice, “I hope you win.”

Gregory recalled their previous conversation about the Eternal Flame. “I hope it doesn’t hurt as much as it did last time.”

“Yes, it would be nice if we didn’t have to piece you together again,” Mindie giggled. “It should be about time.”

“Let’s see what I can do,” Gregory said as he started up the stairs.

~*~*~

Walking out onto the sands of the arena floor, Gregory had the naginata resting on his shoulder. Parks came the other way with an evil smile on his face and his maul balanced on his shoulder.

“Pet-tit, I’ve been told I’ll reap many rewards for taking you down here,” Parks said when they got close enough.

“And how much face will you and your clan lose when I win?” Gregory asked with a grin.

“Novices, save the chatter for the fight,” Yunlo said sternly. “You know the rules. Bow to the council.”

Gregory shifted into an attack stance when Yunlo raised his hand. Parks grinned as he adjusted his position.

“Fight!” Yunlo snapped as soon as his hand came down.

Gregory didn’t use foresight; he knew he’d run out of aether much too fast for it to be useful against someone who could conjure shields to stop his strikes. His plan was more simple: he would use his mastery of the naginata for the fight, using his aether sight to spot where the shields would form.

Both young men shot forward. Gregory’s first strike was pushed away by Parks’ maul, which pivoted off the block and came back at him. Gregory spun the naginata through a complex pattern and had it back around to knock the maul aside.

Parks grimaced— he knew that this fight was going to be harder than his others. His raw strength, along with his ability to use aether to summon barriers had let him easily defeat every other opponent. Gregory had perfect control of his weapon, using his reach to slide the heavy attacks aside and not be overwhelmed by them.

Gregory’s face was creased in concentration as he fought. Parks knew the way to use his weapon was to keep it moving, and he did. I have to find a way to negate his momentum and strike. Before he could, Gregory saw the aether strings going behind him and snorted. Giving up his reach, he lunged inside the range of both weapons, surprising Parks. The aether wall that had been forming dropped, and a shell of aether sprang up around Parks. Gregory didn’t strike when he saw the barrier covering the other man, instead pushing past it before spinning around and lashing out with sharp thrusts.

Parks backpedaled, letting his shell protect him as he got his feet back under him. His confusion was clear when he regained his balance. “You can’t use foresight forever!” Parks snapped.

Gregory grinned as he stepped back and fished his medallion out of his kimono, showing him the two glowing, sunflower-yellow rings that were lit up. “I think I can do more than you think.”

Parks’ eyes widened slightly at the sight of Gregory’s status, but he sneered. “Nick is rank one, only one rank dow…” Parks trailed off, his eyes going wider as he watched the medallion change.

Gregory saw Parks’ reaction and looked down; the third ring was filling in as he watched. “Sorry, what were you saying?” Gregory laughed.

Yunlo’s eyebrows twitched when he saw the ring energize in the middle of the fight. Glancing toward the council box, he saw an animated discussion taking place amongst those watching.

Parks rushed Gregory, intent on crushing him. Gregory changed his stance, wearing a smile on his face as he deflected the onslaught of attacks using nothing more than just his skill with the naginata. Parks was in a near frenzy— that frenzy grew as he tried time and again to use small shields of aether to trip Gregory up, only to have him sidestep, leap over, and avoid each one. He constantly had to use shields to block Gregory’s attacks that made it past the maul, making him realize he was bleeding his aether faster than he wanted to.

Gregory kept a smile on his face as he went with the flow of combat. Having used only his aether sight the entire fight, he’d been able to keep up with Parks, but it was starting to diminish under the constant use. When Parks wrapped himself in a shell of aether, Gregory wasn’t sure what he had planned, but he didn’t expect what Parks did.

Dropping his maul, Parks slammed into Gregory, making him drop the naginata to defend himself. They both hit the ground and, with the two of them unarmed, they rolled around, exchanging elbows, knees, and fists.

When they finally separated, Gregory was sporting a black eye and a split lip, and Parks had a broken nose. Getting back to their feet, they both settled into unarmed fighting stances.

“I’m going to break you!” Parks spat, a glob of blood landing near Gregory’s foot.

“Haven’t yet,” Gregory replied as he extended a left hand and beckoned him. “Come on.”

Parks gritted his teeth and rushed Gregory. Gregory let go of aether sight, pulling up his foresight for a couple of seconds. With the knowledge of the future in his mind, Gregory followed the pattern he’d seen until he changed direction.

Parks howled in pain and staggered back, his broken and bleeding nose gushing again after Gregory headbutted him. Clutching at his now flattened nose, Parks was in no place to defend against Gregory’s follow up attack.

Gregory caught Parks in a clinch, snaking his arms around Parks’ neck. “Tap out,” Gregory said as he clamped his arms tight.

Parks tried to throw Gregory over his back, but Gregory dropped his weight and further stressed Parks’ neck. Gasping as he tried to get airflow back, Parks reached out with his aether, attempting to form a shield between his skin and Gregory’s arm in desperation.

A sharp pain flared in Gregory’s left arm. He shouted, pushing off the other man, right before Yunlo was suddenly beside them. “Healers!”

Gregory looked down to see his bicep gashed almost to the bone, blood welling from the deep wound. Hissing in pain, he looked at Parks and saw Yunlo pressing his kimono to his neck.

Mindie was at Gregory’s side a moment later, checking his arm. She began to wrap a bandage around the wound. “Apply pressure,” she said when she finished.

Klim was kneeling beside Parks, her face grim as she touched his forehead and chest. “It’s like a knife went through his neck...” she was telling Yunlo.

Mindie dropped to her knees beside Yunlo and poured her aether into helping Klim. “Same with Pettit’s arm.”

Yunlo rose, no longer needed since the healers there. He moved to Gregory with an unreadable expression. “A knife?”

“No, sir. I don’t know what happened,” Gregory replied, feeling a little faint as his healing ring and aether tried to stabilize him. “I had his neck with my arm, then felt a sharp pain and let him go.”

Yunlo exhaled, sadness crossing his features for a moment. “He tried to insert a shield between you two... Fool. That’s advanced, and takes years of practice.” Pulling out the disk, he announced Gregory the winner.

Gregory bowed to Parks, wondering if the other novice would survive, before bowing to Yunlo, and finally, the council’s box. Walking slowly, Gregory saw the bandage was already stained red and figured he should see the healers soon.

He’d barely made it to the hallway outside the waiting area before Dia was suddenly in front of him. “Drink,” she said firmly, handing him a flask.

Gregory took the offered flask and drank it without question. The pain in his arm faded, and he felt a little less woozy. “Thank you, Dia.”

“Greg?” Yukiko, Jenn, and the rest were heading his way.

“My arm was gashed badly,” he said. “I should go see the healers.”

“What happened?” Hao asked.

“Parks tried to put a barrier between my arm and his neck,” Gregory replied. “It sliced us both.”

“Will he survive?” Adolphus asked.

“Mindie and Klim were working on him,” Gregory said. “I think he’ll survive.”

“Unwrap the bandage,” Dia said. “I’ll salve your arm.”

“You brought those items with you?” Yoo-jin asked.

“Elder Lightshield gave them to me when I was leaving this morning,” Dia replied.

“He has impressive foresight,” Gregory muttered.

“He sees many things,” Dia agreed. “I’ll be quick about it, then you can go on with your evening.”

Chapter Sixty

Gregory looked at the cloth-wrapped book on the table in his room and smiled. I’m glad it made it last night. I thought for sure I was going to have to ask Steva if he could run an errand... A long wait, but after today—

There was a knock on the door, and Gregory went to open it, leaving his thought unfinished. He smiled when he saw Yukiko waiting for him. “Good morning, Yuki.”

“Good morning, Greg. Might I come in?”

Gregory almost stepped aside when he remembered the book on the table. It was covered, but he worried that Yukiko might figure out what it was. “Uh…”

Seeing his hesitance, she stepped back. “We can go to my room, instead?”

“That’d be good,” Gregory said, leaving his room.

Yukiko’s eyes twinkled as she took his hand and stepped to her door. “You must have something special inside your room.” Gregory’s eyes shot open and Yukiko giggled softly. “Sorry, dear one. You’re easy to read at times.”

Gregory started to panic that she knew what his gift was. “Yuki, if it’s—!”

“Greg? Are you okay?” Yukiko asked, concerned after seeing his face.

Gregory was still trying to find the words when she helped him into her room and shut the door. The moment it closed, she was in his arms, and he started to relax. “It’s the gift. If it’s not what you wanted—”

“Gift?” Yukiko murmured, trying to understand. “Greg, what’re you so worried about? How can I dislike any gift from you?”

Looking into her eyes and seeing only love, concern, and honesty, Gregory felt like an idiot. “Oh… I’m sorry. Now I feel kind of stupid for worrying.”

“No, dear one. I worry about my gift to you, too,” Yukiko said softly. “It’s because we love each other so deeply that we feel this way. Mother said it was the same for her, when I asked.”

A pang of loss made his heart clench at her words.

Feeling him tense, Yukiko kissed his cheek. “My gift will be early... I hope that’s okay. It should be here after we train.”

Gregory was able to push the emotional turmoil aside. “I’ll love it.”

“I hope so, but like you, I worry, dear one.”

Gregory lowered his lips to hers and gave her a soft kiss, filled with his love. Yukiko returned it, softly, gently, not wanting anything more than to share the moment with him.

They broke after some time, and Yukiko’s cheeks were flushed. “Tomorrow… just need to wait…”

Gregory rested his forehead against hers. “I know.”

“Greg... win with everything you have in you. Push as hard as you can to win against Jenn.”

“I will. I would even if it was you, Yuki. We grow best when we can push with everything we have. We’ve both said we want Jenn beside us on this journey, so we need to push her as hard as we do each other.”

Yukiko’s eyes held hope, and she started to speak when there was a knock on her door. Snapping her jaw shut, she took a deep breath and stepped out of his arms. She cleared her throat and opened the door a second later. “Jenn, are you ready?”

Jenn’s gaze flickered from one to the other and back. “If you need another minute, I can go dow—”

“No, it’s fine. We were just about to go, too,” Yukiko said, cutting her off gently.

“Are you two okay?” Jenn asked.

“Nervous,” Gregory said.

Jenn grinned. “You should be. I plan to win today.”

Yukiko giggled. “Would you care to wager on that, Jenn?”

Jenn became serious and met Yukiko’s eyes. “My wish, if I win.”

Yukiko bowed her head. “I’ll do my best. If you lose, though?”

Turning away, Jenn was lost in thought as she tried to find a good balance.

“Yuki, is this re—?” Gregory started to ask.

Yukiko placed a hand on his, cutting his sentence off. She didn’t say anything, just watching and waiting for Jenn.

Jenn turned back, looking downcast. “There’s nothing of equal balance... Even my leaving the clan and never speaking to you both again wouldn’t balance it.”

“I would never ask for that,” Yukiko said softly. “I have no intention of losing my best friend over a bet.”

Jenn swallowed, her eyes shimmering. “Yuki…”

“If you lose, you’ll have to wait a whole year before you can ask again, and you’ll not argue if another gets ahead of you.”

Jenn’s nostrils flared and her eyes stopped shimmering with unshed tears. Instead, they started to spark with aether. “I won’t lose!” Her words were soft, but forceful, as she stared at Yukiko.

“Good. You need to hold to that determination if you ever want your wish to come true. We grow best by pushing each other. Gregory will do his best to make you lose, and you need to do the same. No hesitation, no holding back.”

Jenn’s nod was sharp and crisp. “Understood.”

“Uh, Jenn? Yuki? You’re both scaring me a little.”

Both women turned toward him, and Gregory felt his foresight trigger. A throaty laugh filled his head and the vision didn’t solidify for him. His confusion must have shown on his face, because Yukiko and Jenn were looking at him with concern when he was able to see clearly again.

“Greg?” they asked together. Once again, the vision started to appear before slamming shut as Darkness laughed.

He held up a hand as he got his bearings. “Darkness stopped me from seeing something.”

“Darkness?” Jenn asked.

Yukiko exhaled softly. “Remember when I said there are things that have to wait for later, Jenn? This is one of them.”

Gregory couldn’t believe he slipped up that badly. “Yeah... That would take some explaining.”

Jenn wasn’t sure who she should be trying to press for answers. “A secret?”

“One worth more than I can even estimate,” Yukiko said.

Jenn inhaled sharply. “Yuki…”

“Yes. I mean it, Jenn. Can you wait until after the wedding? Please?”

Jenn looked at Gregory, who looked abashed. “Greg, is it okay for me to know?”

“We haven’t even told her parents,” Gregory muttered, “it’s that important. If Yuki says you should know…”

“After the wedding, if things go the way I think they will,” Yukiko said. “It does mean Jenn needs to win, though.”

“I will win,” Jenn said softly, but with the full force of her will.

“Earn it,” Yukiko said in challenge. “I will never accept less.”

Gregory was totally off balance. They appeared to have gone back to the earlier conversation, and he didn’t see how they were connected. “Uh—”

“Breakfast will be ready shortly,” Dia said, coming down the stairs. “If you three are going to keep your routine, you really should be going.”

They all turned to look at Dia, who paused on the landing.

“Hallways are not the best places for conversations,” Dia admonished them lightly. “Now, shall we?”

“Yes, Dia,” they said.

~*~*~

Breakfast was quieter than normal, as they didn’t banter like they usually would.

Velma was watching them all with a bit of concern, worried for them. As they rose to leave, she spoke up, “Good luck. I can’t cheer for one of you over the other, but I hope you don’t have bad feelings when it’s finished.”

All of them turned to her, touched by her concern for their friendship. Gregory was the one who replied first, “Velma, it’ll be fine. We knew that this was going to happen, and that I would be facing one of them. We won’t have hard feelings when the match ends.”

“He’s right,” Jenn said. “Even if he beats me again, I’ll know that I gave it everything I had, and he was just better than me. It’ll push me to strive for more. If I win, Greg will be the one striving even harder.”

“Okay. I was worried,” Velma said, bowing her head to them as she rubbed at one of her ears. “None of us can think of the clan without you three now.”

“None of us are leaving the clan,” Yukiko said. “We might grow closer, but we won’t grow apart.”

Velma’s relief would’ve been comical if not for her obvious worry before. “Thank you. We’ll be cheering for you both.”

~*~*~

“Novices, good morning. Today might see a repeat of a champion for the novice year. It doesn’t happen often at all,” Rafiq greeted them.

“It’ll be a tough fight,” Gregory said. “I’ll be doing my best.”

“As will I,” Jenn added.

“Your books are waiting for you,” Rafiq said, “along with your friends. They came in even earlier than normal. I think they couldn’t sleep.”

Yukiko giggled. “Yes, they’ve been even more excited than we have. Well, for the tournament, at least.”

Rafiq’s laughter boomed for a second before he cut it off and coughed. “I’m sorry for that, Chief.”

Sarinia snorted from above them. “Yes, I would think so. Luckily, there’s no one else here for you to disrupt with such rudeness.” Turning her gaze to the novices, she nodded. “I wish you and Bean a good fight, and for you and Warlin to have a happy and long marriage.”

“Thank you,” they said, bowing to her.

“I’ll be watching your fight with interest. That’s the most I can do for either of the events I mentioned. I was touched to hear you would have liked Rafiq or the others to attend your betrothal dinner. Not many even think about us for moments like that, but there are rules that must be followed. We did hear about it, though, and it sounded wonderful.”

“Thank you, Chief Archivist,” Yukiko bowed with a large smile.

“Your friends are waiting, so go. Learn, grow, and thrive.”

They did as she bade them, going off to see their waiting friends.

~*~*~

“You lost, Yuki. What happened?” Daciana asked without preamble as they approached.

“Jenn beat me,” Yukiko said. “I thought my plan would be enough, but she proved me wrong.”

“Almost had me. If I hadn’t emptied out my storage earring, I wouldn’t have had enough aether to win,” Jenn said.

“I had to empty mine to keep you in place for as long as I did,” Yukiko replied, recalling a conversation they’d had the night before.

“How did you break free? It looked like she had you,” Nessa asked.

“I surged aether through my entire body and forced my way free,” Jenn said. “Thankfully, my body path helped the channels be strong enough to endure it, or I would have torn ligaments and tendons.”

“We’re working on the body path,” Daciana said.

“But neither of you is a physical enhancement magi like I am,” Jenn cautioned her. “If you tried it, it wouldn’t work the same. Working toward your strengths is best.”

“But you should also find ways to shore up your weaknesses,” Yukiko added. “I’m not physically imposing, but in an even fight, I’ve trained to hold my own.”

“And she does,” Gregory chuckled. “Can beat me or Jenn equally, if it’s a fair fight.”

“My strength is going to be speed,” Nessa said. “Wind magi can all move swiftly.”

“You can also deflect attacks,” Yukiko said. “Did you see the fights where that happened?”

“Yes,” Nessa nodded. “I’ll have to gain more aether to be able to do that reliably.”

“Earth,” Daciana grumbled. “Dirt clods and earth spikes.”

“That’s what seems to be most prevalent for those magi, but that doesn’t mean it’s all they can do,” Gregory said.

“I’ve asked about books on my magic, but they only gave me the most basic ones,” Daciana complained.

“Did you ask for books about well-known or powerful earth magi?” Yukiko asked.

“No... why?” Daciana responded.

“One of them might tell about different ways they used their magic.”

Daciana’s jaw dropped a little, and everyone could see the wheels turning in her head.

Gregory chuckled. “Let’s get started. We have to learn if we want to grow and thrive.”

Everyone pulled out papers and started in on Magi Squares. None of them noticed the eyes watching them from the shadows, or the toothy smile that accompanied them.

Chapter Sixty-one

“Those two are coming along fast,” Jenn said. “Nessa’s a little ahead of Daciana on the mind path.”

“It’s the other way for body,” Yukiko countered. “They balance each other nicely in that regard.”

“Do we need to stop and check the match-ups?” Gregory asked as they were leaving the training hall.

“Shouldn’t need to,” Jenn said. “We know who is fighting who.”

When they stepped out of the building, they had to stop, as Laozi was sweeping the area right in front of the door. “Excuse me, Novices. I don’t mean to delay you,” he said as he kept sweeping the area.

“It’s not a problem,” Gregory said. “We’re waiting for Magus Erichson to post the schedule.”

“Ah, even though your final fight is already set?”

“It’s always best to verify that things are as you believe,” Yukiko replied. “I’ve only ever seen you sweeping. Are there others?”

“Just those that the council punishes,” Laozi grinned.

“How long have you been sweeping?” Jenn asked.

“Today, since an hour before the sun rose above the horizon.”

“I meant more along the lines of how many days?” Jenn clarified.

“Ah… that will take a moment,” Laozi said, stopping and leaning on the broom as he thought. “A little over forty-thousand.”

Yukiko’s jaw dropped. “You’ve been sweeping that long?”

“It just seemed to happen,” Laozi chuckled. “I’m not complaining. It’s a fulfilling life for me. You see, the thing people miss is that I’ve always done something. I can look back and see that I’ve changed things, even if someone comes through with mud on their boots and leaves a trail behind them as soon as I finish. I don’t despair, as it again gives me something to accomplish.”

Gregory snorted. “You don’t get upset?”

“Only when people don’t pay attention. Pointedly ignoring a sign is a reason for the flat of my hand.”

“If you tell us, we’ll listen,” Yukiko replied.

“I figured you would,” Laozi smiled. “Ah, here comes the one you were waiting for. I need to start inside. Pardon me.”

Laozi slipped past them and into the building. They looked past him to see Magus Paul coming their way, along with two sets of guards, marching in step.

Paul gave them a nod. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be here to see the posting or not. It’s as you expect. Your fight is second to last today. Pettit, your guards are on the right. They’ll be with you until after the tournament. Bean, yours are on the left.”

“Like last time,” Gregory said.

“Except this time, you’re fighting in the last fight and will be inside the academy walls all day,” Paul said. “You’ve done more to aggravate the Eternal Flame. The guards hopefully won’t be needed, but they’re here, just in case.”

“Thank you, Magus.”

“Men, you have your charges,” Paul said as he posted the paper.

“We’ll be walking together,” Gregory said, “until we get to the arena and the boxes.”

“Understood,” one of the men said.

~*~*~

Gregory thanked the guards when they reached the box. “I’ll be here until just before the fight. Thank you for making a path for us.”

“It’s our duty,” the guard said.

Gregory shut the door and turned to say hi to Hao and Yoo-jin, but stopped. Words failed him when he saw his father standing there, staring at him.

“Gregory. It’s good to see you.”

A torrent of conflicting emotions clashed inside of him.

Yukiko looked a little panicked. She was standing off to the side, but between the two of them. Hao and Yoo-jin— who had been smiling— were slowly losing their smiles.

“I’m sorry. I was surprised when I was asked to come. I wasn’t sure it was a good idea.”

Taking a deep breath, Gregory clamped down on his turmoil. “I had no idea that you’d be here, or that you’d even want to be.”

“That’s my fault. I know that after your mother died, I wasn’t the father I should have been. Nothing can change the past, but maybe I can make amends and build a better future… If you’ll let me try?” Carmichael asked.

Gregory looked at Yukiko, who was near tears, and suddenly knew what her wedding gift to him was. “Yuki. This is your gift to me?”

“Yes,” she said softly, unsure if she had erred.

“I love you, dear one,” Gregory said, then turned back to his father. “The rift that’s come between us since Mother passed would’ve made her sad. Part of me wants to rebuke you, but that wouldn’t be what she wanted from us.” Taking a deep breath, Gregory stepped forward and extended his hand to his father. “I am willing to try.”

Carmichael swallowed hard, but didn’t take the offered hand. Instead, he stepped in, grabbing his son and hugging him hard. “I’m so sorry, boy,” Carmichael managed to strangle out, trying to hold in the tears that threatened to spill.

Gregory had to infuse his body with aether in order to resist the hard hug and back pats from his father. “So am I,” Gregory replied, patting his father’s back in return.

Yukiko let out a hiccupping sob. “I was so worried that I’d made a grave mistake.”

Gregory broke the hug with his father and took Yukiko gently into his arms. “No, Yuki... you did something I hadn’t even thought was possible. Thank you.” Kissing her cheek, he held her for a long moment.

“Carmichael, will you tell us about Gregory’s mother?” Yoo-Jin asked, guiding the big man to a seat. “It’s obvious that she had a big part of his heart, and we’d like to hear about her.”

“It’s the least I could do for the people who paid my debt in full,” Carmichael said, sitting. “Would it be too much to ask about your daughter in return? I want to know more about the woman my son’s going to marry tomorrow.”

~*~*~

Gregory felt a bounce to his step as he walked toward the arena floor. He hadn’t known how much he had wanted his father’s support until today. A wellspring of happiness made him feel like he was flying. What about you, Mother? Would you smile on us now? We’re going to make amends, and tomorrow, I’ll wed my heart. I’m sure you felt that way for Father, and he felt the same for you, as his heart seemed to vanish when you died.

Exiting the tunnel with Mindie trailing him, Gregory was smiling broadly when he met Jenn’s gaze. She’d stopped by their box during the day and met Carmichael. Gregory chuckled when he thought of her bumbled attempt to introduce herself.

Jenn was serious— she wanted to win, but as she crossed the arena and locked eyes with Gregory, a smile touched her lips, too. His happiness that his father was there had made her heart swell for him.

Grandmaster Yunlo gave both of them a pointed look. “Are you here to fight, or are you going to make a mockery of the tournament?” The words were harsh, but it did as he wanted and wiped the smiles from their faces.

“I fight to win,” Jenn said firmly.

“I fight to win,” Gregory added a second later. “Clan member, friend... it only matters that we give everything we can.”

Jenn nodded.

“We’ll see. You know the rules. Bow to the council.”

They turned and bowed to the council’s box before bowing to Yunlo, and then finally, each other. Jenn took an aggressive stance as she stared at Gregory. Gregory fell into a defensive posture, meeting her challenging gaze. Both of them tensed as Yunlo raised his hand, ready for anything.

“Fight!” Yunlo commanded, suddenly thirty feet from them.

Gregory brought up foresight, quickly shutting it off as he deflected her first three strikes. She was balanced and meditating lightly when the fight began, negating his foresight. Gregory grimaced as he deflected her strikes with difficulty. The enhanced strength from her magic made her hit harder than anyone he’d faced during this tournament. Pushing off the last attack, Gregory leapt back and swept the naginata in a hard horizontal strike to keep her back.

“You know how to negate me,” he said.

“It isn’t as easy as I had thought it would be,” Jenn said, her voice slightly detached. Adjusting her footing, she got ready to come for him again. “I have the advantage in this fight.”

“You do, indeed,” Gregory said. His ability to see aether didn’t work on her since her aether use was internal, so he knew he’d have to count on his skill with the naginata to keep him in the fight.

Jenn knew she’d have to use her aether sparingly to keep going as long as she could. A brief wish for her earring to be charged or her armbands to be of use flitted through the void of her meditation. It shook her concentration, but did not break it.

The two clashed over and over, Gregory using every ounce of skill to keep Jenn at bay. With her magic helping her, she was faster, stronger, and more agile than he was. She was pushing and felt as though she was close to winning when something she didn’t expect happened: he stopped one of her follow-up kicks dead.

Gregory grunted when his left arm blocked her high kick, but the force was negligible compared to everything else she had thrown at him. Gloves, Gregory thought. Need to find a way to use them more, but with her holding that sword, it’s nearly impossible.

Jenn sprang back, as her momentum had come to a stop. Meditation broken from the shock, she asked the only thing she could: “How?”

“Later. We have to fight until one of us wins,” Gregory said as he moved into an attack stance and charged her.

Jenn was forced onto her back foot as she dodged, barely managing to deflect his onslaught. Twice, he skimmed her arm, but both were negated by her magic. I need to get back to balance! she cried internally. Steeling herself, she prepared to fight dirty.

“It’s good that your father made it,” she said as she twisted past one of his strikes.

Gregory grunted, much like he did when a blow landed. The flow of combat had shattered for him as surely as her meditation had earlier.

“Seeing you talking with him was good,” Jenn continued as she took a deep breath, trying to center her own mind.

“Damn it,” Gregory hissed when he realized what she was doing. Rushing at her again, he failed to account for her shift in tactics.

Jenn smiled as he came at her, the world again back in balance. Just as he closed in, she threw her sword at his face, making him bring the naginata up to deflect it. When he did, she attacked not him, but his weapon. The sound of breaking wood was loud to them as the naginata split into multiple pieces.

Gregory let go of the shards and was just able to get his arms down to defend against her flurry. Each blow hit lightly as the gloves sapped the aether from them, but she attacked with such ferocity he couldn’t even begin to counter.

“I will win! I must win!” Jenn howled as she infused herself with aether and tackled him.

Gregory had been determined to win the fight, but his determination was a candle before the hurricane. Even when his gloves stopped her fists, Jenn’s knees crashed into his sides and her head slammed into his.

Gregory was lost. His head was aching and his mind reeling, right before a memory came to him: Gin dropping his practice blade to attack Gregory barehanded. He’d forgotten that important lesson in this critical moment, and now, he paid for it.

“Stop!” Yunlo shouted as he appeared behind Jenn and plucked her from Gregory’s unresisting form.

Jenn snarled and spun on Yunlo, but blinked when she found herself across the arena from them. “Oh…”

Mindie and Klim were already rushing to Gregory, who was trying to sit up.

“Greg…” Jenn whispered, unsure if she should go to him or not.

Yunlo was suddenly in front of Jenn. “Are you done, Novice?”

“I apologize, Grandmaster,” Jenn said, bowing deeply to him.

“Yes. I’ll accept that, as it appears you were just lost in the moment. Bow to the council and your opponent, then leave the field.”

Jenn bowed to the council and to Gregory. Standing back upright, she met Yunlo’s eyes. “Sir, might I check on my friend?”

Yunlo looked back to see Gregory being helped to his feet. “Yes.”

Jenn walked toward Mindie and Gregory slowly, unsure if he’d forgive her for what she had done at the end.

Gregory gave her a pained smile. “You won, Jenn. Mindie says I need to go easy for the rest of tonight. My ribs are badly banged up. They fixed my nose and jaw, though, so I can eat normally.”

“You didn’t hold back,” Mindie said a little reproachfully.

“I… couldn’t,” Jenn said softly. “Greg, I… I’m so sorry.”

Gregory snorted and winced in pain. “No need to apologize, Jenn. We both agreed to do everything we could to win. I failed twice. I should have kept foresight up once you stopped blocking me, and I never should have forgotten an important lesson... that my weapon might be as much a target as I am. If anything, I should be thanking you for helping me relearn that. It might save my life later. You won our rematch, fair and square.”

His easy acceptance of his loss made Jenn’s heart ache and feel light at the same time. “I cheated. I used your family against you.”

“No, you used everything you could.” He eased his arm away from Mindie. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Mindie asked.

“Yeah. Jenn has me,” Gregory said as he draped his arm on Jenn’s shoulder. “Don’t you?”

“Yes. Always,” Jenn whispered as she helped him along.

“Pushing each other to do better,” Gregory said, missing her meaning. “Let’s go hear what Yuki has to say about it.”

Mindie paused in the hall as the other two kept walking. She watched them curiously before she started to follow them, wearing a thoughtful expression on her face.

Chapter Sixty-two

Gregory and Jenn took a little longer to get out of the waiting area, as the apprentice group from the Han clan wanted to talk with them. When they finally left, Yukiko and the others were waiting for them, along with the two squads of guards.

“Sorry. Some apprentices wanted to talk for a minute,” Gregory said.

Yukiko stepped forward and gave Jenn a brief hug. “I’ll honor our bet, Jenn.”

“I’m not sure I earned it,” Jenn admitted.

“My ribs say otherwise,” Gregory said.

“You forgot a lesson,” Gin said gravely. “We’ll work on that.”

“Yes, Sensei,” Gregory said, cupping his hand, but not bowing more than an inch.

“Save the bow until you heal,” Gin said.

“Oh, good. You’re all together,” Dia said, coming toward them. “Elder Lightshield wants you all to attend the feast. If you’re willing, that is?”

“Feast?” Adolphus asked.

“The clan is holding a feast for the novices who fought so hard. The elder will be distributing gifts to them, as well.”

Carmichael looked a little out of place. “I don’t have the best clothing for a feast.”

Dia gave him a kind smile. “We understand, sir. You don’t have to attend if you don’t feel comfortable, but we do ask you to consider it.”

“You should come,” Gregory told his father, “and meet those who are watching over me.”

“My son wants it, so I will,” Carmichael said.

“Good. Did anyone want to back out?” Dia asked. When no one spoke up, she smiled. “Excellent. We’ll go right after the awards are presented.”

~*~*~

The groups went back up to the boxes to see the fight between the Han apprentices and the Swift Wind apprentices. The fight was heavily weighted toward the Swift Wind just in numbers, but the Han clan held a distinct advantage in their teamwork.

The crowd was raucous as the fight went on, cheering and yelling through the whole thing. It was close, but the Swift Wind clan came out on top, with Jenga the last one standing out of all of the combatants. His physical magic had helped him wield the odachi he used with brutal efficiency.

“He’d be a tough one to beat,” Yukiko said. “I’m glad you fought him without magic. Though now that you can use yours, it might not matter.”

A knock on the box door revealed a single guard. “Excuse me, Novice Warlin? Everyone eliminated before today gets announced and gifted before the champion and runner-up, so if you could come with me?”

“Of course,” Yukiko said, rising to her feet.

The guard turned her eyes to Gregory. “Novice Pettit, your escort will take you down shortly.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Gregory replied.

The healers got the wounded up and moving in short order, and staff came out to arrange for the award ceremony. A handful of minutes passed before everything was ready.

All three council members suddenly appeared on the arena floor, giving the crowd a moment to adjust to their presence. Before anyone was escorted out, the guards outside the box knocked on the door and told Gregory it was time.

Gregory was a little confused that Jenn wasn’t being taken down at the same time, but figured she’d be following before too long. Reaching the waiting area, he was surprised to see the Han clan waiting there.

“Looks like neither of us repeated,” Gregory greeted them.

“That man is a monster,” the head of the Han apprentices sighed. “No one should be able to use an odachi like that. You lost, as well, to another physical enhancement magi.”

“Jenn. She’s a good fighter.”

“We were surprised. We thought for sure that with your foresight, it’d be easy for you. I guess the rumor about how to beat your magic is true.”

“Rumor?”

“Yes. If someone follows the spirit path, they can meditate and stop your magic from working. None of us had her pegged as the spirit path type, though, not with her magic.”

“Ah, I didn’t know that was being spread around,” Gregory said, not answering the implied question.

“Get ready,” a guard said stiffly from the stairway to the hall.

“After you,” Gregory told the apprentices. “You are my seniors, after all.”

Lining up, they followed the guards when they were told to. Exiting onto the arena floor, they were taken to where the others were standing and the council of the academy was waiting for them.

The elder of the council praised the Han clan and Gregory in turn, speaking of the aether-improvement items they’d be receiving for their efforts. When the elder stopped, the group stepped aside to join the others, and Gregory went to stand beside Yukiko, ignoring the hate-filled eyes boring into his back.

After a few moments, Jenn and the Swift Wind group were led out, much like Gregory and Yukiko had been after the first tournament. The crowd was the noisiest that Gregory could remember them being as the final participants reached the council.

When the noise dimmed, the elder spoke, “Novice Bean, your tenacity and grit helped you reach a point that few physical enhancement magi reach during their novice year. You are the crowned champion of the final novice tournament. We find it interesting that your clan managed to take the champion spot in both tournaments, and we look forward to what the three of you do next year. For being the champion, you will be given the very best alchemical aids that we can give one of your class.”

“Honored council,” Jenn said, once the crowd quieted down enough, “I wanted to prove myself to my clan and to my friends. It’s only with their help that I was able to reach this point. We’ll be striving to make our clan and the academy proud in the next year of training.”

The crowd again drowned out all attempts at regular communication, and Jenn moved to stand beside Gregory and Yukiko.

The elder spoke with the Swift Wind clan, praising them for their victory.

Jenga cleared his throat when it came time for the Swift Wind group to speak. “Honored council, we thank you for fostering a place of learning. Truly, though, we would not have been here if not for a single moment from the last tournament. My group went without my leadership because I made an error. A novice had to remind me that hubris leads to grave mistakes.” Jenga looked to Gregory. “Because of that, my clan and I pushed harder to reach this stage. We wish only to uphold the ideals of our clan and the empire.”

The elder paused while the crowd went wild once more. Once they calmed, she announced, “People of the empire and fellow magi, these are your champions. Celebrate their success, and know it is magi like this, striving for greatness, that will keep the empire safe and strong.” She stepped back from the groups, mirrored by the grandmasters. “Let the celebration begin and not end until tomorrow night!”

Once she was finished speaking, Grandmaster Yunlo removed the three of them from the arena floor.

The guards who had escorted the last group out spoke loudly, barely being heard over the crowd, “Follow us.”

~*~*~

Back at the clan hall, they were taken directly into the dining room. The table was covered in food and drinks. All members of the staff were standing by, greeting them as they entered. The seating arrangements put the parents on one side of the table, with their children across from them. Inda, Indara, and the staff all took seats, leaving just the one at the head of the table open.

Elder Lightshield entered the room, his cane making soft sounds on the floor. “Sorry for my slight delay,” he apologized. “I’m still getting used to being slower than I used to be. Everyone, please stay seated,” he said when he saw people starting to rise.

Easing himself into his seat, Lightshield set his cane aside. “This is a feast to celebrate our three novices all finishing in the top four. After the food, the clan will bestow gifts on them. Today, the name of the clan is again on the rise, while those opposing us are heading the other way just as sharply.”

Picking up the glass in front of him, Lightshield raised it. “To Bean, Pettit, and Warlin: your bright futures will surely guide the way for the clan, and perhaps even the empire. Together, you, and those that follow you, will show everyone how magi should comport themselves.”

The others cheered to the toast, and the feast began. The table held both aether-rich food and not, so everyone could enjoy themselves, and the drinks ranged from tea to very potent alcohol. Everyone was eating and drinking to their heart’s content.

Hao waited for everyone to be nearly done before he cleared his throat. “Elder, I do hope you don’t mind, but tomorrow is a momentous day.”

“Go ahead,” Lightshield said.

“Tomorrow, my daughter and her fiancé will marry,” Hao said. “You’ve all been invited to the marriage feast.”

Cheers went up from the table, and many kind words were said to the couple.

~*~*~

All eyes turned to Lightshield when the table was cleared of the feast remnants. “Ah yes, it’s time to bestow gifts. I will start with a gift to Yukiko Warlin. You fought well and hard, and I firmly believe that if you had faced Novice Parks, you would have taken third place. For you, there is this obi, made of the purest Leizu silk and enchanted with a pocket of storing. It also changes appearance based on what the wearer wishes it to look like, so it can always be worn.”

Yukiko accepted the gift, bowing to the elder. “I will treasure this. Thank you, Elder.”

“Next, for Gregory Pettit. I have an item you wanted.” Lightshield held out the boots from the auction house. “I do hope you have better luck figuring out their use than the grandmaster enchanter I had looking at them.”

Gregory took the boots with care. “I thank you, Elder.”

A number of puzzled looks were exchanged at the unremarkable boots and why Gregory seemed so happy with them.

“And last, but far from least— as she is the champion— Jenn Bean,” Elder Lightshield smiled. “This ring is said to have belonged to a woman held as a close associate of Aether. Now, that’s the legend my grandfather heard, so there’s no saying if it’s true or not. The ring is heavily enchanted. It will act as storage for you, but it can also store aether, much like your earrings, letting you use more aether as you fight and making you even more formidable.”

“Thank you, Elder,” Jenn said, accepting the ring and slipping it onto her finger.

“That ends the feast for tonight,” Lightshield said. “I look forward to the feast tomorrow.”

Everyone rose to their feet, and the party soon broke apart. Their parents headed out for the night and the novices retired to their rooms.

~*~*~

Going up the stairs after seeing their families off, all three novices felt weary. As they said good night, Gregory remembered the gift in his room.

“Yuki, since you gave me my present early, I’d like to do the same. It’s in my room.”

Jenn and Yukiko both raised their eyebrows, staring at him.

“Wait... no! That’s not—!” Gregory spluttered, realizing what it had sounded like.

Both women began to giggle at his panicked expression.

Yukiko was the one who was able to speak first, “Dear one, we know. Jenn’s allowed to see your gift, right?”

“Yes,” Gregory said, opening his door. “Come on in.”

Yukiko and Jenn moved to the table, taking seats and waiting for Gregory. Gregory sat across from them, wearing a hopeful but worried look on his face. “It’s not a gift like what you got me, Yuki... I was at a loss for a long time as to what you might want. I hope you like it,” Gregory said as he slid the cloth-wrapped item to her.

Yukiko accepted it and began untying the ribbon that held it closed. “It feels like a practical gift. I do prefer the practical over the ornamental. Did you ask my father about that?”

“No. He told me that after I had ordered this for you.”

“You did well, dear one. Even without asking, you knew that about me.”

With the ribbon undone, Yukiko began unfolding the cloth. When the book was revealed, Yukiko’s smile grew. “Very practical. This can help us immensely next year.”

“‘Commander Stratagems’,” Jenn read the cover, “‘Advanced Strategies for Empire’s Gambit’?”

“Yes,” Gregory said. “Since she’s been taking the role of the unit commander, it was something I felt she’d like.”

“You were right,” Yukiko said, leaning over the table and kissing him for a brief moment. “Foresight?” she asked.

“No,” Gregory said. “I tried, but I couldn’t get it to work. I went with what I thought you would prefer. I was happy when your father told me you like practical gifts.”

“I don’t recall you visiting a scrivener,” Jenn said.

“I slipped Steva a note, asking him to send for this book. It actually comes from the first real town near my home. The scrivener there once told me that if I needed more books, to remember him, so I felt it was only right to request this from him.”

“That explains what Quilet whispered to you the other night,” Yukiko nodded. “I’d wondered. He was smart to be vague about it.”

“I should get to bed,” Jenn said, starting to stand.

Yukiko rose with her. “I should go, too. If I’m left in here alone with him, I might fail... so close to the goal.”

“That’d be bad,” Gregory said. “Jenn, next time, I’ll win again.”

Jenn beamed at him. “Maybe, but my victory gives me hope. Good night to you both.” She quickly left the room.

Gregory was puzzled about her quick exit and her leaving the door open.

“She left it open so I wouldn’t be tempted to do things,” Yukiko sighed. “She’ll be good for us.”

“Huh?” Gregory said, turning back to Yukiko.

“After the wedding,” Yukiko said softly, touching his chest. “Please wait a little longer, dear one?”

“Yuki, why? You know I’d never tell you no when it’s something you want.”

“Because it’s something I want, but also something I don’t. It’s complicated and difficult. Just trust me, please? I’ll tell you, and you’ll be the one to decide.”

Gregory pulled her into his arms, the worry in her eyes making him want to comfort her. “I’ll wait. Tomorrow is our day. Marriage, feast, and then…” Taking a deep breath, he tried not to follow that train of thought.

“Yes. I’m nervous, too.”

The sound of footsteps got them to separate, both of them slightly flushed. When they looked at the door, they found Inda watching them.

“Inda?” Yukiko asked.

“I was asked to check in with you,” Inda said with a slight smile. “Do you need anything before you sleep?”

“No,” Yukiko said, stepping past Gregory and heading for the door. “We were just saying good night.”

“Yuki? Your gift?” Gregory asked, picking up the book.

“Oh, yes.” Yukiko took the book and gave him a strained smile. “Tomorrow…”

“Tomorrow,” Gregory replied.

Inda gave him a small sympathetic shrug as she shut the door.

Taking a deep breath, Gregory got ready for bed, his gaze settling on his clothing for tomorrow. When he climbed into his bedroll, Gregory’s mind ran off in a million directions and sleep seemed to be so far away.

A single thought made him frown, and his brain slowed down. Darkness never talked to me the other night after we ranked up... and why did it happen so much later than we had anticipated?

As if thinking her name was a charm, Gregory yawned, sleepiness hitting him like a runaway carriage. Eyes growing heavy, he tried to hold to the thought, but couldn’t.

Chapter Sixty-three

“Darkness, I was just thinking about you,” Gregory said, rolling over in the giant bed to face the shadow shrouded corner.

“I’m aware, dear one. I was waiting to speak with you. I didn’t want to disrupt your pattern for the tournament.”

“The increase in rank happening when it did… Was that you?”

A light laugh came from the corner. “Yes, but not by much. You would have achieved it a couple of days sooner had I not interfered.”

“Why did you?”

“To deepen the impact of the moment,” Darkness replied. “You were busy, so you didn’t see the commotion it caused among the people watching.”

“You can do that?”

“I can hold back some of your growth for a bit, just as I am stabilizing your rate of growth. You wanted Jenn to be equal to you and Yuki. I’m doing my best to help you achieve that.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“I want to help as much as I can, dear one.”

“That isn’t the full reason we’re talking now, is it?” Gregory asked.

“No. Tomorrow you join with Yuki, and that makes me happy. You won’t need me for the dreams anymore. That’ll make me a little sad, but it also means I’ll be able to start storing more energy.”

“Thank you for doing that for us,” Gregory said. “I doubt we’d have made it six months without your help.”

“No. Yuki would not have waited as patiently as she has.”

“I think you’re right.”

“I know I am, dear one.”

Gregory fell silent for a moment. “Did you know my father was going to be here?”

“Yes. I spoke with Yuki about it. Are you not happy?”

“I am happy. I just don’t know what to say to him.”

“You don’t have to say anything. Do not doubt his love for you. He’s always loved you. Even when he was acting badly, he was afraid that he would be left alone.”

“It’s hard to believe,” Gregory sighed. “All those years of pain…”

“How devastated would you be if Yuki died?” Darkness asked gently.

Inhaling sharply, Gregory’s mind refused to even think about that possibility.

“Exactly.”

“I find it hard to hold anything against him now,” Gregory said after a long moment of silence.

“It’s always hard when the one you love leaves you,” Darkness agreed, her voice full of pain and loss.

“Darkness?”

“Sorry, dear one... just remembering. It’s almost time for me to go.”

“I’ll miss you.”

“I know. It makes me happy to know that you look forward to these moments as much as I do. Soon, you’ll have Yuki to keep you company. That will distract you from thoughts of me, and I won’t blame you for that. She would distract me, too, if our places were reversed.”

“Wait. Does that mean—?” Gregory started to ask, but the world around him trembled.

“Sorry, dear one. It’s time,” Darkness murmured. “Dream of me tonight.”

~*~*~

Gregory woke with a groan. After speaking with Darkness, his dreams had been filled with a woman of shadow, using and pleasing him at her leisure.

Dressing in his wedding attire, Gregory felt butterflies flutter in his stomach. His kimono was black silk with a blue flame pattern on it. The emblem of the clan was embroidered on the back, as was traditional for a magi’s wedding clothes.

Dressed for the day, Gregory looked at the boots he’d received the night before. He had yet to put them on, but he wondered about them. The gloves vanished or appeared when worn. His uncertainty about the boots would have made him skip them, but now, he had another thought. Taking off his normal footwear, he slipped the black leather boots on.

The sensation of the leather forming to his feet was a little unnerving, but they didn’t take long to do so. Looking down, he was puzzled. The footwear looked just as it had, but to Gregory, it felt as if the boots had shaped to his feet like a glove, becoming a second skin.

They look a little odd for the clothing, but not horri… Gregory’s thought trailed off as the boots changed their appearance. A second later, they looked to be identical to the ones he normally wore. Okay… so they’re like the obi Yukiko got? The footwear shifted again and became formal footwear, fit for a wedding or other major occasion.

The knock on his door jarred Gregory from his thoughts. Opening it, he found Dia standing there. “Dia? How can I help you?”

“The other two have left. I came to let you know that you may come have breakfast without worry.”

Gregory bowed to her. “Thank you, Dia.”

“The carriage will take you to Gin’s home once you’re ready to go. I have to finish some things before the rest of us can make it to the feast. Excuse me.”

Heading downstairs, Gregory forgot all about the boots, and the butterflies in his stomach continued to grow. “Good morning, Steva,” Gregory greeted the rat eurtik.

“Good morning to you, as well. Is your stomach a churning mess?” Steva asked.

“How’d you know?”

“I remember my own wedding day,” Steva chuckled. “Nervous and wondering if everything would go correctly or not. That settled down when I got to the difficulties set by her family.”

“That’s part of what makes me nervous,” Gregory admitted. “I have no doubt that Gin and Lin will have something planned... The greater the difficulties overcome, the more prosperous your marriage is supposed to be.”

“That’s what they say,” Steva agreed, bringing breakfast to Gregory. “We’ll all be at the feast. We know that no matter what they set before you, you’ll win.”

“Thank you for the confidence.”

Steva bowed to Gregory before he left the young man to eat in silence.

~*~*~

Yukiko sat still as Vana, Nessa’s mother, wove cyan cords of the softest cotton into Yukiko’s short hair.

“I still remember my wedding,” Vana sighed in happy remembrance. “This day you will have with you for the rest of your life.”

“Yes. Today is the day my heart joins with me,” Yukiko said happily.

“You’re lucky to have found him.”

“Yes... I thank Aether every night,” Yukiko said, with a hint of mirth.

Vana stopped when there was a knock on the door. She went to check on it, and looked back at Yukiko. “Do you mind if your friends come in?”

“They can enter,” Yukiko replied.

Jenn, Nessa, and Daciana entered the room, all of them smiling as they took seats near Yukiko. Jenn’s kimono was the only one besides Yukiko’s made of silk, but all three of their outfits were light blue and white, making Yukiko’s striking red kimono stand out beautifully.

“Your family is not going easy,” Jenn said. “I overheard Gin and Lin talking.”

“It’ll be fine. My heart won’t be stopped.”

~*~*~

Gregory paced the large room at Gin’s house, his nerves growing.

“Peace, son. I was similar once,” Carmichael said. “You both obviously love each other deeply.”

“You didn’t have the difficulties before the wedding,” Gregory said. “You two just pledged to each other.”

Carmichael looked into the distance, clearly losing himself in a memory for a moment. “Yes, but I was still a nervous wreck until it was done.”

Gregory stopped pacing. “Okay.”

“Would you like more tea?” Elsa asked from the doorway.

Gregory gave Elsa a smile. “I’m fine, Elsa. Thank you.”

Elsa smiled back, her hands gently tugging at the waist of her light blue dress. “Okay. I’ll be waiting to let you know when they arrive.”

Carmichael watched Elsa go. “I was told you saved her from the street.”

“Saved is a bit too much. Elsa was surviving without our help. We just gave her a place to call home.”

“Her and her friends,” Baylyss said, stepping into the room. “How excited they all are today. They’ve been sad that they missed their training the last two weeks, but have been very excited about the wedding.”

“We’ve missed seeing them,” Gregory said.

“Everything is in place for your return tonight,” Baylyss said. “The place will be empty until tomorrow morning, when the children and I return to make breakfast.”

Gregory cheeks heated at what she was implying. “Thank you, Baylyss.”

Baylyss’ ear twitched. “I believe they’re coming.”

Elsa came rushing back into the room. “They’re coming down the street now.”

“Very well,” Gregory said, exhaling deeply. “Let me go meet my heart.”

~*~*~

Gregory heard the musicians when he stepped outside. The music was upbeat, festive, and full of energy. The instruments blended together beautifully as a whole, but also stood out when needed.

The first vehicle was an open wagon with the musicians in the back. The music reduced in volume, but kept playing as the carriage following them came to a slow halt. Behind them, another open carriage came to a stop. Jenn, Daciana, Nessa, Dia, Inda, and Indara sat in it, watching him. More open carriages pulled up behind that one, and Gregory gave them all a bow of his head.

One of the carriages caught Gregory’s attention when the door opened and Gin stepped out of it. Dressed in armor, Gin walked toward him, looking serious. “Gregory Pettit, you seek to become the husband of Yukiko Warlin?”

“I do seek to unite with my heart,” Gregory replied.

“There are challenges that must be faced for it to be allowed.”

“I will best any challenge that stands between us.”

“Prove your devotion,” Gin said as he held out a hand, and the guard on the back of the carriage pulled down a naginata.

Gregory caught the weapon, and was glad to see it had a practice blade on it. Looking back to Gin, Gregory worried as Egil and Lin, also dressed in armor, climbed out and stood beside Gin. “Three-on-one?”

“This is your only challenge, but we had to make it equal to the woman who waits for you,” Gin said simply as he drew his sword, the blade catching the sunlight.

Gregory’s heart sped up when Lin and Egil both drew their swords. Setting his feet, he was glad the front of the home was open and that he had space to move. Baylyss and the kids stepped back with Carmichael, giving them as much room as possible.

The musicians shifted from the happy music they had been playing to a more ominous tune. A second after that, the three men rushed at Gregory.

Foresight came to Gregory in a heartbeat and, sliding on balanced feet, he met the rush with one of his own. He angled to isolate Lin first, as he was the weakest of the three. Gregory was focused on Lin, so the ruckus from the bridal train barely touched his awareness.

Egil and Gin did their best to stop Gregory from singling Lin out, but they were a few steps behind him. Gregory didn’t hold back— he knew he was well behind in the fight to start with.

Gregory knew everything he needed, and Lin hissed in pain, going down on one knee and holding his right wrist. Gregory tapped the butt of the naginata into Lin’s forehead to let the man know he’d be dead if Gregory wanted to kill him. Lin dropped to the ground, acting the dead man he should have been, though he held his injured wrist.

The next half-minute was the most chaotic, fluid fight Gregory had ever experienced as Gin and Egil pushed him. With his innate skill with the naginata and foresight, Gregory was able to keep up with the two armsmasters, but could not find an opening.

Neither of the older men said anything. They had to work to push Gregory, though Egil silently lamented he hadn’t brought a naginata himself. Baylyss rushed forward when the fight distanced itself from Lin. Helping him up, she got him out of the way before the fight moved back toward where he’d been.

The fight seemed like it would end with Gregory losing the moment he ran out of enough aether to keep his foresight going. Taking a chance, Gregory faked a stumble to the side when his foot came near Lin’s dropped sword.

Egil snorted. Going to take advantage of the misstep, he had to bring his sword up and sideways to deflect the metal flying at his face. That deflection moved his blade out of the way for Gregory, who had snapped the sword off the ground with the butt of the naginata.

Capitalizing on the distraction, Gregory chained three attacks together, pushing Egil’s sword farther out of alignment. Committing to his strategy, Gregory thrust forward. Egil was just a touch slow to stop the wooden blade from hitting his neck. Gagging and clutching his neck, Egil dropped his sword and fumbled for a vial attached to his obi.

Gin grunted as he sidestepped around his injured friend. “Well done, but you can’t keep going for much longer.”

Gregory just grinned as he stepped into Gin’s attack, dropping the naginata as he did so. The surprise on Gin’s face was matched by the horror on everyone else’s faces when they saw the naginata hit the ground. Gin tried to stop himself, only to have his aborted attack slam into a barrier from Gregory’s enchanted armband, forcing Gin’s sword even farther out of position. Gregory slammed his open palm into Gin’s chin before grabbing the old man by the top of his armor and pitching him over his hip.

Gin wheezed when he hit the ground, his fingers loosening on his sword for a fraction of a second. That was all Gregory needed to yank it away and lay the blade against Gin’s neck.

“I yield,” Gin grunted. “You have proven your worth.”

Gregory nodded as he set the sword to the side and stood up. Lifting his head, he went to the carriage and opened the door, where he found Yukiko beaming at him. “Dear one, I’ve bested your family’s challenge. Do you still desire to join me?”

“Forever,” Yukiko whispered.

Gregory’s face lit up in a smile and he climbed into the carriage, shutting the door behind him.

Chapter Sixty-four

After shutting the door, Yukiko smiled at him. “Dear one,” Gregory whispered, taking the seat beside her.

“I was worried when I heard what they’d planned,” Yukiko said.

“They didn’t plan to kill me,” Gregory said. “Gin pulled that last strike, and I thought they were a little out of step. They definitely made me earn it.”

“Yes.”

“You look lovely,” Gregory said, staring into her cyan eyes.

Yukiko smiled as she stared back. “As do you, dear one. I don’t recognize the shoes, though.”

“The boots. They change,” Gregory said, focusing on them for a moment so they looked like his regular boots before going back.

“Oh, like my new obi.”

The carriage lurched slightly as it got underway, the musicians again playing a happy tune.

“Did you notice the others get upset?” Yukiko asked.

“What do you mean?” Gregory asked in return.

“Jenn, Daciana, and Nessa were unhappy that you had to face three all at once. They started to object, but Inda and Indara stopped them.”

“I heard something, but I had to focus.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Where are your parents? I expected them to be in here with you.”

“At the hall, waiting for us, along with the rest of the guests. In an hour, we’ll be wed.”

Gregory’s smile matched hers as he took her hand and held it lovingly.

~*~*~

When they made it to the wedding hall, small fireworks were set off, announcing the arrival of the procession. Gregory escorted Yukiko inside, the last ones to enter the marble building. Everyone was watching as the doors closed behind them. Friends, family, and others that had shown them kindness watched from either side of the aisle that the two walked down.

Side by side, hand-in-hand, the couple approached the far side of the room where an altar was waiting for them. To the left stood Yukiko’s parents and Jenn, while Carmichael was on the right.

The couple separated to walk around the altar, before coming back together and facing each other. Four matching sets of small cups were the only items on it. Together in perfect unison, Yukiko and Gregory picked up their first cups, decorated with the design of Aether’s flame. Each took a sip from the cup they held, before exchanging it with each other and finishing the drink.

“The first binding is to the gods. It was in aether they met, so Aether is the one they thank for bringing them together,” Hao announced.

Setting down the empty cups, they picked up the second set and repeated the process. The second cup had the image of an old couple smiling at each other.

“The second binding is to appease the spirits of their ancestors who came before them. It is only because of these forebears that they are here to love each other.”

Gregory and Yukiko continued to see only each other as they moved to the third cup. A child looking up at a man and woman decorated the third cup. After they drank, they set the cup back down.

“The third binding: a thank you to their parents who helped raise them and allowed this moment to come. May their marriage be as full of love as their parents’ marriages have been.”

The fourth cup held a single heart, and as the couple finished drinking the last one, both felt a surge of joy deep inside them.

“The last binding to each other, for they have pledged their hearts to one another,” Hao said, his voice a little thick as he finished speaking.

Setting their cups down, the newlyweds turned to face the cheering crowd. After a few moments, the gathering quieted and Gregory cleared his throat. “We thank you for coming to our wedding. We’ve been waiting for this day for six months, and while that might feel like no time to some, it’s felt like an eternity to us.”

A ripple of laughter and knowing grins went through a portion of those attending.

“Now, we can hold our heads high and thank you for coming to this event. We’re honored to call you friends and family.” Gregory finished by bowing his head to the crowd.

“My dearest one has said much of what I wished to convey,” Yukiko said. “We know that this is only the start of our joined path, and that many obstacles will be encountered as we walk it. Those will be overcome, because we will aid each other at every hardship. And we know that in those moments when we both struggle, our friends will be there to help us.” Her smile was wide as she bowed her head and the gathering cheered.

“Now that the binding is over, let the feast begin,” Hao said, clapping his hands.

Everyone moved to the sides of the room, where tables loaded with food sat waiting for them.

~*~*~

The feast was lavish, with no expense having been spared. The musicians played soft music during the feast itself, loud enough to cover the conversations of others, but quiet enough to not impede people from speaking to those near them.

As people reached their fill, Hao stood up, and the musicians stopped their song. When he had the attention of the entire room, Hao spoke, “Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Pettits and Warlins, we thank you for coming to this joyous event. In a little while, the old tradition of the dances shall begin. The bags will be set on the newlyweds’ table, so please form orderly lines near them and wait for your turn patiently.”

An undercurrent of excitement filled the room as Gregory and Yukiko rose to their feet. Hand-in-hand, they moved to the middle of the room. Gregory was nervous, as his dancing was not great, but he’d had a bit of practice with Amoria over the years.

Taking Yukiko’s hand in his, he rested his hand on her hip, and she rested hers on his shoulder. Staring into each other’s eyes, they moved as one when the music began. Both of them glided across the floor as smoothly as if they were on ice.

Gregory let foresight go as the music ended, giving Yukiko a slanted smile. Yukiko leaned against his chest briefly. “You didn’t need to do that, dear one, but thank you.”

“I wanted to make it as perfect as possible,” Gregory murmured as they separated.

The lines near their table were long, as the majority of the guests had formed up to dance with them. The first two were traditional— Carmichael approached Yukiko, and Yoo-jin went to Gregory.

“Mother,” Gregory smiled, “will you honor me with a dance?”

Yoo-jin laughed lightly. “It is I who is honored, son. No need to use your aether, though. I can make sure we’re still smooth.”

Gregory gave a small shrug as he offered his hands to her. “I’ll do as you say.”

~*~*~

The dancing went on for over an hour, so both Gregory and Yukiko were tired when they finished. When the last person had had their dance with them, Hao got the musicians to stop the music.

“It’s time for the new couple to head to their room for the evening. Normally, this is when we’d pray to Vera to bless their union. As they are both novice magi, that’s being omitted from this wedding. Instead, we’d ask for you to offer a prayer to Aether: that he bless their time in service to the empire, so that they might start their family when their obligations end.”

Everyone bowed their heads and murmured a prayer. As they did, the couple walked toward the door. The carriage was outside, waiting for them when they exited. Getting in, Yukiko and Gregory sat side by side.

“It’s finally here...” Yukiko said softly as the carriage began to roll.

“Yes,” Gregory agreed, his hands starting to grow damp.

Seeing his nervousness, Yukiko felt hers die. Taking his hand, she leaned against him. “It was hard waiting for today. A number of times, I almost tossed aside my father’s wishes.”

“It was difficult,” Gregory agreed, his nervousness fading when he felt her against him. “I considered sneaking into your room every night for the past few months.”

“I considered the same over many nights,” Yukiko replied.

“Tonight, we don’t have to dream, nor restrain ourselves. Tonight is our night.”

“Yes,” Yukiko whispered as she leaned in and kissed him.

Gregory kissed her back with equal love.

Reaching the house, they were both flushed and breathing a little fast. They’d had to fight their desires to go further during the carriage ride back to Gin’s. Helping Yukiko out of the carriage, Gregory gave the guard a nod as he led his wife to the door of the home.

The house was quiet when they entered, and the pair were quick to strip off their footwear. Hand-in-hand, the newlyweds walked through the empty halls. Pushing open the bridal-room door, Yukiko entered, followed by Gregory.

With butterflies turning cartwheels in his stomach, Gregory swallowed hard when Yukiko turned to face him.

Yukiko looked nervous as she touched her obi. “We’ve done this twice in our dreams, so why does it feel like I’ve never been bare for you before?”

“I don’t know... I’m just as nervous, Yuki.”

“Would you mind if I started, dear one?”

“Whatever you wish.” Gregory swallowed the lump in his throat as Yukiko began to unwrap her obi.

Smiling at him, Yukiko stepped back as she started to undress. Dropping the obi, she patted the bed. “Please strip and come lay down for me? Tonight won’t last as long as we’d both like, but we’ll be awake and together far longer than we usually are.”

Taking a deep breath, Gregory felt his nerves calm. Reaching for his own obi, Gregory crossed the room toward the bed. Thank you for the dreams before, Darkness. It will make this night better.

Author’s Note

Please consider leaving a review for the book, feedback is imperative for an indie author. If you don’t want to review it then think about leaving a comment or even just a quick message. Remember, positive feedback is always welcome.

If you want to keep up on the latest updates, or the one stop shop for all the links, my website is the best place for that. Remember to subscribe to the mailing list to know when I publish a new book, and you get an exclusive short when you sign up.

http://schinhofenbooks.com/

Other places you can keep up to date on me and my works:

https://www.patreon.com/DJSchinhofen
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Fan group on Facebook for Daniel Schinhofen
https://schinhofenbooks.blogspot.com/

If you LOVE LitRPG, then check out these pages full of awesome LITRPG goodness. You can interact with authors like me and many more. Find banter, good times and a lot of like minded people.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGsociety/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/haremlit/

A big thank you to my editors, Samantha Bishop, and Sarinia Phelps. Also props to Geno Ferrarini, and Sean Hickinbotham for being my Alpha Readers. I’d be remiss if I didn’t include my beta readers, in no particular order: Zee ~*~ Ian McAdams ~*~ Scott Brown ~*~ Dame ~*~ A.J. Bishop ~*~ Kevin Kollman ~*~ Jay Taylor ~*~ Justin Johanson ~*~ Kenneth Darlin ~*~ Christina Norton ~*~ Sawyer Aubrey ~*~ Aoife Grimm ~*~ Shane Bird ~*~ Tanner Lovelace ~*~ Tim? ~*~ Version93.

The cover for Aether’s Guard is brought to you by Anthony Bishop, a very talented artist. You can find him at https://grimmhelm.artstation.com/

A big thanks to my Patreon supporters who have gone above and beyond in their support:

Gavin Lawrenson ~*~ Daniel Jones ~*~ Pamela J Smith ~*~ Rey T Nufable ~*~ Robert McCoard ~*~ Randall Kemper ~*~ Gregory Sanders ~*~ Jesus De Guzman ~*~ Richard Papst ~*~ Braekin ~*~ Matthew Zarember ~*~ Cole Depuy ~*~ CosmicOrange ~*~ Ian Weatherly ~*~ Jessie Redd ~*~ Max Madlaw ~*~ Terry Carter ~*~ Gslice 100 ~*~ David Simmons ~*~ Tom Richards ~*~ Dane Smith ~*~ Aryan Eimermacher ~*~ Stephen Caperton ~*~ Riley Dunn ~*~ Josh Sullivan ~*~ Chris Brown ~*~ Joshua Towns ~*~ Kurt Borek ~*~ Forrest Hansen ~*~ Joshua Stusek ~*~ Brian Sutton ~*~ Michael Moneymaker ~*~ Jamie Winford ~*~ Brandon Pio ~*~ Southern Celt ~*~ Don Jinkins ~*~ Sawyer Williams ~*~ Calidia ~*~ Dragonkain ~*~ Magnus Gammal ~*~ Nathan Goforth ~*~ Kenneth Freeman ~*~ Jose Caudillo ~*~ Robert Shofner ~*~ David Taylor-Fuller ~*~ Tishane McFarlane ~*~ Spencer Jefferson ~*~ Lui Adecer ~*~ Jamie Winford ~*~ Kurt Bodenstedt ~*~ Forrest Hansen ~*~ J. Patrick Walker ~*~ Kenneth Darlin ~*~ Pheonixblue ~*~ Tristitan ~*~ Joshua Towns ~*~ Chris Cannon ~*~ Brett Hudson ~*~ Ryan A Larkey ~*~ Tyller James ~*~ Matthew Malkin ~*~ John Curtis ~*~ Terry Carter ~*~ Tetsu-nii ~*~ Jacob Lawlor ~*~ Kyle Gravelle ~*~ Kevin McKinney ~*~ Damien Osborne ~*~ Ryan Luttinger ~*~ Xiao ~*~ Matthew ~*~ Travis Btmb ~*~Dedalus Inventor ~*~ Stephan Caperton ~*~ Adam ~*~ Angelina Ward ~*~ Clinton Wertzbaugher ~*~ Don Jinkins ~*~ Michael Erwin ~*~ Matthew Meyers ~*~ Chanh Pham ~*~ BobsNemesis ~*~ Winston Smith ~*~ Timithy Klesick ~*~ Kurt Borek ~*~ Kevin Clark ~*~ Nathrielos ~*~ Michael Shearer ~*~ IntheRaccon ~*~ Michael Hyde Jr. ~*~ Craig Mather ~*~ Chioke Nelson ~*~ Malcom White ~*~ Eli Page ~*~ Paul Mallon ~*~ Christopher B. ~*~ Michael Mooney ~*~ Chace Corso ~*~ Ryan Williamson ~*~ Brad Shultz ~*~ Chris Guerrero ~*~ Dwayne Bullock ~*~ Susan Lofböm ~*~ Zachariah Miller ~*~ Matthew Kelly ~*~ Michael Jackson ~*~ Wesley ~*~ Joshua McCane ~*~ Eric Hutchinson ~*~ Brandon Haag ~*~ Tara C Mulkey ~*~ Jeff Kollada ~*~ Alexander Rodriguez ~*~ Jason Broderick ~*~ Jessie Redd ~*~ Eric Hontz ~*~ Khamla Khongloth ~*~ James Domec ~*~ T3iain ~*~ Alarinnise ~*~ Matthias Meilahn ~*~ Matthew Parikka ~*~ Arthur Cuelho ~*~ No0neSpecial ~*~ Christopher Cales ~*~ Stephan Juba ~*~ Kori Prins ~*~ Alan McLoughlin ~*~ Emil Thoren ~*~ Mike Durie ~*~ Jason Davis ~*~ Charles Demarest ~*~ Dwinald Lint III ~*~ Matthew Paulin ~*~ Mike Brown ~*~ Brian Biggers ~*~ Rafnar Caldon ~*~ Robert Howden ~*~ Ronald C Abitz ~*~ Sean Fitzpatrick ~*~ Christopher Edstrom ~*~ XLuckylife ~*~ Patrick Glass ~*~ Tim Nielsen ~*~ Jeremy Patrick ~*~ Jeff Morris ~*~ Monik ~*~ Dameon Cornish ~*~ Samantha K. ~*~ Abraham Madsen ~*~ Top Cat 269 ~*~ Robert Buchanan ~*~ Kevin Harris ~*~ Caleb Bear ~*~ Joel Wilkinson ~*~ Jason Bryant ~*~ Masta Matna ~*~ Cody Carter ~*~ Eric Jaschen ~*~ David Hoerner ~*~ Robert Jacobs ~*~ Brian O. ~*~ David Florish ~*~ Jeff Ford ~*~ Gregory Lamberta ~*~ DeseriDan ~*~ Kevin Kollman ~*~ Tristan ~*~ Stefan Holze ~*~ Aaron Blue ~*~ J.G. Patton ~*~ Ryan Frank ~*~ Cody Givan ~*~ MrNyxt ~*~ Jewbear ~*~ Daniel Block ~*~ Carl Aston ~*~ SpartanGER ~*~ William Merrick ~*~ Adam Billingham ~*~ Logan Cochrane ~*~ Travis Hilliard ~*~ Jon Bryant ~*~ Edward P Warmouth ~*~ Cheyene Adams ~*~ Robert Owen ~*~ Jose Ibarra ~*~ subVersion ~*~ Tom Richards ~*~ Robert Knight ~*~ Robert Michael Barfield ~*~ Jerrod ~*~ Korbin Wilson ~*~ Tanner Lovelace ~*~ Andy Overcash ~*~ Justin “Johnist” Johanson ~*~ Otis Coley ~*~ Terry Wood-Davies ~*~ LordStabbers ~*~ Curtis Allan Sayles ~*~ John Cothrin ~*~ Robert Whittaker ~*~ James parker ~*~ Derek Morgan ~*~ Kenneth Steinagel ~*~ Theodore Ursa ~*~ Blake Cawthon ~*~ Kor Vang ~*~ Chad Arrington ~*~ Cory Miller ~*~ Ben Foard ~*~ Tanner Robinson ~*~ B Liz ~*~ Frardowin ~*~ Greg Nicholas ~*~ Jenson Cockburn ~*~ Ken Giles ~*~ Joshua Morris ~*~ Ryan Zyro ~*~ EthanK ~*~ James Murphy ~*~ Eivets ~*~ Andre Durkalec ~*~ Mockingbird ~*~ Chase G Harstad ~*~ Aristo ~*~ Benjamin J Russell ~*~ Daniel Glasson ~*~ Barry Dirickson ~*~ Charles Arnold ~*~ Robse ~*~ Jeremy Cox ~*~ Derek Raines ~*~ Allderin ~*~ Tyler Clifton ~*~ Heath Tate ~*~ Zachary Nahrstadt ~*~ Xy172 ~*~ TheRou ~*~ Jjstone ~*~ RedPheonix ~*~ Caleb Cassiday ~*~ Deme ~*~ MadManLoose ~*~ Charles Henggeler ~*~ David Morrissey ~*~ Frankie Gouge ~*~ Gregory Johnson ~*~ Yo dude ~*~ PhantomCarnival ~*~ Matthew Richardson ~*~ Jenn Bean.

Other Books written by Daniel Schinhofen:

Last Horizon: (Completed.)

Last Horizon Omnibus

Binding Words:

Morrigan's Bidding

Life Bonds

Hearthglen

Forged Bonds

Flame of War

Alpha World: (Completed.)

Gamer for Life

Forming the Company

Alpha Company

Playing for Keeps

Fractured Spirit

The Path to Peace

Darkhand

Gamer For Love

Apocalypse Gates Author’s Cut:

Rapture

Valley of Death

Gearing Up

Elven Accord

Downtime and Death

Can of Worms

Aether’s Revival:

Aether's Blessing

Luck’s Voice:

Suited for Luck

NPC’s Lives:

Tales from the Dead Man Inn

Resurrection Quest:

Greenways Goblins

I would like to point you all toward some fellow authors whose works I enjoy:

William Arand: Author of the complex interconnected series in the genre which all starts with Otherlife Dreams.

https://www.amazon.com/William-D.-Arand/e/B01AY7PSG4

Blaise Corvin: Author of Delvers LLC, which is an amazing GameLit series.

https://www.amazon.com/Blaise-Corvin/e/B01LYK8VG5

Scottie Futch: Is a prolific author who can be found on Royal Road and Amazon. Scottie combines parody with zany humor that keeps me laughing.

https://www.amazon.com/Scottie-Futch/e/B00NCSEN28

Michael Scott-Earle: He’s back, but not on Amazon. You can find all of his books through his own website, and through his Kickstarters and Indiegogos.

https://www.michaelscottearle.com/

Eden Redd: She might be mentioned last but she is definitely not least, and she is very worth the read, more so if you like some adult content. Her Lewd Saga series combines erotica and LITRPG.

https://www.amazon.com/Eden-Redd/e/B00I8X8BCK

To find more LitRPG Books, please check out the Amazon store: https://www.amazon.com/litrpg

You can also find out more about LITRPG stories at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGGroup/

Table of Contents

- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Chapter Nine
- Chapter Ten
- Chapter Eleven
- Chapter Twelve
- Chapter Thirteen
- Chapter Fourteen
- Chapter Fifteen
- Chapter Sixteen
- Chapter Seventeen
- Chapter Eighteen
- Chapter Nineteen
- Chapter Twenty
- Chapter Twenty-one
- Chapter Twenty-two
- Chapter Twenty-three
- Chapter Twenty-four
- Chapter Twenty-five
- Chapter Twenty-six
- Chapter Twenty-seven
- Chapter Twenty-eight
- Chapter Twenty-nine
- Chapter Thirty
- Chapter Thirty-one
- Chapter Thirty-two
- Chapter Thirty-three
- Chapter Thirty-four
- Chapter Thirty-five
- Chapter Thirty-six
- Chapter Thirty-seven
- Chapter Thirty-eight
- Chapter Thirty-nine
- Chapter Forty
- Chapter Forty-one
- Chapter Forty-two
- Chapter Forty-three
- Chapter Forty-four
- Chapter Forty-five
- Chapter Forty-six
- Chapter Forty-seven
- Chapter Forty-eight
- Chapter Forty-nine
- Chapter Fifty
- Chapter Fifty-one
- Chapter Fifty-two
- Chapter Fifty-three
- Chapter Fifty-four
- Chapter Fifty-five
- Chapter Fifty-six
- Chapter Fifty-seven
- Chapter Fifty-eight
- Chapter Fifty-nine
- Chapter Sixty
- Chapter Sixty-one
- Chapter Sixty-two
- Chapter Sixty-three
- Chapter Sixty-four