Gregory sat in the garden, letting his aether exude out from him as he resonated in peace with his wives. Yukiko and Jenn flanked him, both also extending their aether as they meditated. In his aether cavern, though, he reviewed the last fight of the day again.
We could have done that during the other fights, but then we wouldn’t have had the armor enchantments left to use. That last fight was almost flawless. Jenn’s arm was hit, but it didn’t break through her armor. She moved on reflex to declare it out herself. Gregory let his thoughts echo in the cave, thinking over what they might have done differently.
As he worked through it in his mind, his aether grew, and he looked at it in confusion. After a moment, the aether spat out a globule of fire to Gregory’s side. Blinking, he shifted away for a heartbeat, then went back to it, as the fire was shifting its shape. After a few more seconds, the fire resolved into a miniature arena. Nine figures stood inside the boundaries while others dotted the stands. As Gregory watched, the figures on the sands of the arena bowed to the crowd, and he inhaled slowly.
“You can show me the fight like this?” he asked, looking at the aether flame.
The fire danced for a second, then settled back down.
“Thank you,” Gregory said sincerely before bowing to the flame.
He turned his attention back to the small model of the arena and watched the fight. It began with the first match and went through until the end of their last one. Jenn and Yukiko had told him what had happened during the fights, so the model showed him exactly that. It wasn’t perfect, as the magic being used was all blue flame, but he already knew what was what, so it was easy enough to follow along with it.
“We could’ve done things differently and won more often,” Gregory said as the fight came to an end.
The aether that made the arena was dim, and when the last fight ended, it became small sparks that flew off to his channels. Gregory was glad that it hadn’t just become smoke, but he wouldn’t complain if it had, considering what he’d just seen.
“Thank you,” Gregory said, bowing from his seat to the flame again. “I need to tell the others.”
Gregory closed his eyes and let his meditation fade. Bishop had brought them back to the clan hall, then sent them to the garden to meditate, telling them that she would come to get them when it was time. Blinking as his trance faded, he saw Yukiko to his right and Jenn to his left, both also coming out of their meditation.
“I just had—!”
“The aether just—!”
Both Yukiko and Jenn started together, then stopped at the same time.
“It formed an arena of flame,” Gregory said when they paused.
“Yes!” they said together with excitement.
“It has to be more of the mind and spirit paths combining,” Yukiko went on.
“I agree, and it helped me see all the fights. I assume it created your fighting based on what you told us,” Jenn added.
“Same with your fights for me,” Gregory nodded. “This is amazing, though… if the aether can show us the fights again, we can use it in the coming tournament, if we see the other matches.”
“Rewatch them, then work on countering them with our own tactics,” Jenn nodded.
“We can start simulations with the mind path of how the others fight,” Yukiko added.
“Yes,” Gregory grinned.
“Apprentices,” Bishop called from the archway. “Are you ready for your baths?”
“Yes, Bishop,” they called back to her, standing up and stretching.
“Didn’t think we were meditating that long,” Gregory said.
“It has been two hours.”
All three were surprised, as that meant they had meditated and seen over six hours of fighting. They exchanged glances, then started walking, not ready to discuss it in front of Bishop.
~*~*~
Gregory finished stripping just as the inner bathing room door opened. The staff funneled out, saying goodbye to the people still in the bath.
“Good evening,” Gregory greeted them, feeling a touch of melancholy as he did so.
They all looked at Gregory upon hearing his tone, then bowed to him. It was Zenim that spoke first, “Greg, we will miss having you here. You and Yuki were the ones who started us on this path.”
“We’ll always be grateful,” Quilet said.
“Very grateful,” Steva added.
“We’ll never be able to repay the debt we feel we owe,” Ravol said. “Moreso because we have family here now.”
“My wife is excited to be here,” Quilet smiled.
“I’m glad,” Gregory said, blinking back some tears. “You’ll have more people even with us gone, I bet.”
“Bishop is already thinking so,” Ravol nodded. “We need to get going. Dinner is going to be big.”
“A welcoming and goodbye feast,” Gregory said thickly. “Who is on breakfast tomorrow?”
“Velma,” Steva answered. “We all wanted to, so we had to settle it with a quick game of sword, blanket, boulder. She won.”
Gregory swallowed hard, then stepped over to shake each of their hands. “Thank you. You’ve made my two years here happy.”
Steva wiped at his eyes, even as he tried to joke. “I thought your wives did that.”
That got the others to slap Steva on the back, and Gregory laughed. “They always will. But you four— five, with Velma— made the first few days something to look forward to, and have kept doing so ever since then.”
Now, the staff all looked ready to spill tears, and a few sniffles escaped them. They clasped hands with him one more time as they started to grab their clothing. Gregory scrubbed his face free of tears, took a deep breath, and entered the bath.
He paused before closing the door. The tub held Lightshield, Hemet, Gin, Samuel, and William. What was unexpected were the four younger magi currently washing up, one of which was the apprentice, James Tocks.
“James,” Gregory greeted him. “Welcome to the clan.”
James washed the soap out of his hair, then gave Gregory a nod. “I’m glad I was accepted. I was worried when I heard there was a condition to be allowed in. Believing Aether will come back, though? That was easy.”
“Yes,” the novice with the large orange teeth said.
“I’m still grateful,” the novice next to him said. He gave Gregory a nod, allowing his squared-pupil, yellow eyes to be seen.
“Didn’t think I would be allowed in with my weak magic, but I’m very happy,” the last of the newcomers said.
“Work hard and believe,” Gregory said as he went to get a bucket of water to rinse off. “Your classmates will help guide you. If you doubt what they say or do, just consider that their dedication to what they do and their belief in Aether has led them to the levels of growth they currently have.”
“Yes, sir,” the novices said, bowing their heads to him.
“Greg,” Gregory said softly. “I’m just a boy from the fringe, not a sir.”
“Not yet, but you will be,” Gin said as he stood up. “Gregory, you will be someone that gets addressed with honorifics, especially with your men. Familiarity is fine, but you also need to be their leader.”
“Yes, sir,” Gregory said.
“I’ll see you at dinner,” Gin said as he picked up a towel and dried off.
“Yes, I do need to get moving earlier,” Lightshield sighed.
“I should, too,” Hemet nodded.
“We have been in here a while,” Samuel agreed.
“Well, then, we’ll let the younger magi have the bath,” William nodded.
Lightshield was helped with drying off and led out. Gregory didn’t look, but he knew it had to hurt the elder to be unable to do even that for himself anymore.
When the door closed behind the older magi, James leaned forward a little to look at Gregory. “Is he okay?”
“He’s dying,” Gregory said softly. “He thinks he has maybe a couple of years left.”
The novices looked worried, but didn’t speak up. James asked, “What’s that going to mean for the clan?”
“He’s already set up his successor,” Gregory replied. “I don’t know who it is yet, but possibly Bishop.”
“Will the clan be okay? The Eternal Flame might gut us if there’s no elder to blunt them.”
Gregory hesitated, not wanting James to think he was being dismissive. After nearly a minute, he finally answered, “I have faith.” The words were soft, but projected all the faith Gregory had that the clan would be fine.
Two of the novices nodded a second later, agreeing with him. James also looked relieved, but the third novice, the one with the large orange teeth, fidgeted.
Gregory started scrubbing up. “It will be fine. We’re Aether’s Guard. If the clan was going to vanish before his return, it would have done so by now.”
The last novice calmed, giving a slow nod. “I can see that.”
“Time for the bath,” James said as he rinsed off. “How long do we have to soak, Greg?”
“A bit, but Dia will chide us if we take too long,” Gregory replied.
“Glad the baths are segregated,” the novice with yellow eyes said. “I saw the others heading into the female side. We’d be outnumbered… by a lot.”
“You’ll have better odds than he did,” James laughed as he slid into the tub. “Only male training magi in the clan.”
“It’s been different,” Gregory said as he finished scrubbing up. “My advice? Listen to the women and do not, under any circumstances, upset them. If you upset one of them, they will all be mad. They’re basically family to each other.”
The novices nodded, but James looked thoughtful.
~*~*~
Gregory was glad they hadn’t taken overly long in the bath. The dining room was already fuller than he was used to seeing it. Three tables were set for people to use, and he nodded to new faces he hadn’t seen before. The newer staff all beamed at him, returning the nod.
Gregory took the seat he’d used since joining the clan, but noted how things had shifted. Gin, Inda, and Indara were at the third table, speaking with a couple of the newer staff members. Hemet and Leah were at the second table, and had called out to the new male students, inviting them to sit with them.
Lightshield gave Gregory a smile. “How was the bath?”
“Different,” Gregory replied. “Not used to so many people that we have to go in stages.”
“How did you find our new members?”
“Happy, but,” he hesitated, “they’re worried for the clan.”
“As they should be,” Lightshield replied. “I have made all the arrangements I can though. The clan will have a strong leader, and the academy will have the strongest leader I could get.”
“Sir,” Gregory asked softly, “can I help?”
“Look around you. You already have, Gregory. All of these people are here because you agreed to my offer.”
Before Gregory could try to argue, the rest of the clan came into the room. Dia led them in with a broad smile on her lips. Yukiko and Jenn were right behind her, followed by his friends. Behind them, Roshana and Mindie were smiling just as broadly. A step behind them were Gabrielle Mavic, the apprentice who was in the Han clan tactics subgroup, and Frederica Ferentini, the novice who had lost to Nessa.
Gregory wasn’t surprised at Mavic, who’d expressed interest and played against Roshana for the chance to join his subgroup. The surprise was Frederica, the physical enhancement novice that Nessa had come close to crippling by forcing air into her lungs.
Dia directed everyone to open seats, leaving the normal group at the main table, but with Roshana and Mindie joining them. Dia led Mavic over to where Leah was sitting while Bishop— who’d been the last into the room— ushered Frederica to sit next to Gin.
With everyone seated, the cooks brought the food to the tables. The display of food was what they normally had for an important dinner— the basics of every meal were there, but a few more side dishes accompanied the meal.
Lightshield spoke up as the cooks finished serving and took their seats, “Tonight is a welcome and a farewell. Five of our apprentices will be leaving tomorrow. They have a tournament with Buldoun and will be traveling for weeks to reach the site. Say your farewells to them and wish them well in their fights. This is also a welcoming for new members into the clan. Eight new students have joined us, though some of you will also be leaving shortly. I have done all I can to prepare for the new apprentices and our new adept. As for our novices, we will support you in the upcoming tournament. I will be traveling with our other group to Buldoun, but Magus Bishop and Magus Dia will be here to help guide your growth.”
Lightshield had to pause and take a drink. His voice was not as strong as it had been a year before. That pause caused a few glances and murmurs.
“I won’t bore you more with this delicious food before us,” Lightshield went on after setting his glass down. “To our new members, I will be speaking with you after we eat, so please stay here. To our older members,” he looked at the group at the table with him, “enjoy this last night. You will see each other again, Aether willing, but farewells can be emotional.” He looked back at the room in general. “Let us eat and give thanks to the cooks who gave us this wonderful food.”
The meal was filled with muted conversations and the sounds of people enjoying themselves. The cooks thanked whoever complimented the food, proud of what they’d done. The new clan members were a little unsure, but as the meal went on, they felt the friendliness around them, and that eased them into enjoying things more.
Gregory talked with his friends, glad that Roshana and Mindie were being roped into the conversation like old friends. Roshana wasn’t a shock, considering they’d bathed with her, but the way his wives and friends engaged Mindie made him smile. Mindie caught him looking and blushed lightly, but gave him a smile back.
