Stretching as he woke, Gregory felt like he could take on the world. The spot beside him was empty, and he sighed. Jess had told him multiple times that it was a one-time thing, but Gregory wished it could have been more. His time with Amoria had been wonderful; full of love, if a bit awkward, while his night with Jess had been one of lust and experimentation. He knew he would always be grateful to the both of them for showing him two very different sides to sex.
As he got out of bed, he saw that his clothing was just inside the door, folded and clean, and his boots were the cleanest he had ever seen them. He packed everything away and caught the faint scent of vanilla still lingering on his skin, making him think of Jess again. Shaking his head, he got dressed and left the room.
The common room was mostly empty, with just two old men sitting by the large window playing a game of Go. Gregory glanced at the board as he went past, but the game seemed to be evenly matched.
A maid bustled over almost as soon as he sat down. “Breakfast?”
“Please, and some tea, too?”
“We have mint, black, and orange,” the maid offered. “Which would you like?”
“Mint, please.”
The food was not as rich as dinner had been, but it still made his stomach and aether feel pleasantly full. He finished off the tea with a sigh. “I can’t believe I’m going to eat even half as well at the academy.”
Once he was finished eating, Gregory set off to the scrivener. The walk was uneventful, though Gregory could not help glancing at anyone who seemed interested in him. The door to the scrivener’s was closed, but Gregory could see a man working through the large front window. Entering the shop, Gregory called out, “Excuse me, sir.”
“I’ll be with you in a moment,” the balding man called back. “Feel free to look, but do not touch any of the books.”
“Yes, sir.”
The titles of many of the books made no sense to him, and he saw more than one that appeared to be in some other language. There were a few tomes in cases, behind glass. Gregory looked at the titles, wondering. The Dryad’s Kiss, Darkness Comes, and Temptation’s Enticement all had a certain tone to them, but Gregory could not believe stories of that kind would be written down.
“There we are,” the scrivener sighed as he slipped away from his work bench. Moving the costly glasses from his nose, the man frowned at Gregory. “Have you come to the wrong shop?”
“No, sir. I am interested in a book or two,” Gregory said. “Proctor Bishop suggested this shop to me.”
“Must still be serving on the fringes,” the scrivener muttered, then asked, “What books are you interested in?”
“Anything that will help me at the academy. As you stated, I’m from the fringes. I know that I could use help to catch up to the others.”
Lips tight, the scrivener grumbled, “I can’t do charity.”
“I can pay some,” Gregory said.
“Each book normally costs five hundred vela or more,” the scrivener said bluntly. “Books are for the learned.”
“I can afford at least one,” Gregory said, pulling the lavender-scented five hundred vela coin from his bag. Gregory tried not to think of Amoria as he held out the coin that she had given him.
Seeing the vela, the scrivener frowned. “Bishop isn’t one for charity, either. Where did you get the coin?”
“A bounty payment,” Gregory bristled slightly. This was the second merchant who had implied indirectly that it might be stolen.
“Bounty for what?”
“A bane wolf. It wounded me and my friend, Gunnar Emery. We got part of the bounty because we were fighting it when Proctor Bishop showed up and dispatched it.”
Seeing the scrivener’s disbelief, Gregory rolled his sleeve up to show him the scars. When he saw the damage to Gregory’s arm, the scrivener’s lips pursed. “How many died?”
“None, but Gunnar was almost killed. I was able to pull the beast from him before the worst happened.”
“Hmm. Novices who fight bane beasts and seek to gain knowledge before they arrive at the academy? I feel like this year’s class will be interesting. I have a scroll and a book that you would find useful. The book is an in-depth history of the empire, and the scroll trains one in the beginning steps of the spirit path. Following its teachings will stop you from delving into body or mind paths. Which would you like?”
Gregory took a moment to consider before replying, “The history book, please, sir.”
“A wise choice,” the scrivener smiled.
Moving off to one of the bookshelves, he pulled down the book and a scroll, handing them both to Gregory. The book was called Empire’s Founding. The scroll was blank on the outside as far as Gregory could see.
“I only have the vela for one,” Gregory said.
“True,” the scrivener said, taking the coin from him. “Consider it an investment for the future. Remember my shop if you need more in the future; Babel’s Books.”
“Thank you, Babel. I will.”
“Keep them away from flame and liquids,” Babel said sternly. “A ruined book is a travesty.”
Gregory bowed to the scrivener, tucking the scroll into his pouch and the book under his arm. The scrivener smiled before dismissing him and going back to his work.
“Never thought I’d own a book,” Gregory said, talking to himself when he was back on the street. The thick tome was heavier than he would have expected, but he could carry it without difficulty. “Or buy one… and from a scrivener, no less.”
Gregory went back to the inn, intensely curious about what he could learn from the book and scroll.
~*~*~
The book turned out to be a dry recounting of the empire’s founding. Gregory read through the first part, going back to reread a few paragraphs to understand them better.
War leader Toja didn’t trust the eurtiks; their visage, which melded beast and human, seemed wrong to him. When the eurtiks sent an emissary to the king, war leader Toja had a dozen magi and a thousand men on hand, while the eurtiks sent a meager thirty. No one was prepared for the chaos that came.
The feast was the last bright point of the Kingdom of Welton. While everyone slept that night, the thirty eurtiks crept from their rooms for their real mission. Toja had remained awake, burning his aether, so the first shadow that tried to slip past him never made it— his flame blade cut it down. That roused the eurtiks and their true, savage nature was shown when they became wreathed in red flames.
Toja did everything he could, but his magi were ineffective against the eurtiks. The eurtiks had agility and strength far beyond normal men. Toja was hard pressed to save even himself. When the long night ended, the eurtiks were dead, but the entire royal family was, as well. Standing with the thirty survivors of his men, Toja declared a blood feud with the eurtiks. He gathered the wealthy and powerful from the city, forcing them to bend knee to him. With their backing, he declared himself the new king and started to build an army for the First Eurtik War.
Gregory paused as he finished the section of the book. Toja, the Divine Emperor… he’s been alive for all these generations. Magi can live far longer than normal, but here, he wasn’t at the divine tier yet.
Gregory wondered what that would mean for him. If he survived the academy, he would far outlive his friends. Maybe that’s why magi never come back… it would be hard to see friends and family dying while you still lived in your prime.
“Hard at work studying?” Bishop asked, making Gregory jerk in startlement. He had not heard her approach. She chuckled at his surprise. “You’ll have days of reading ahead of you. Hopefully, you can understand what you read. That will be critical.”
“I’m doing my best, Proctor,” Gregory replied. “The wording is… odd.”
“The language is archaic and advanced,” Bishop corrected him. “I’m reminded that your education is minimal. What book did you get?” Gregory told her the title and Bishop nodded, “That’s a good start. We’ll be leaving in three hours.”
“He also gave me a scroll, Proctor,” Gregory said, pulling the scroll from his pouch.
Taking it, Bishop opened it and read some of what was inside. “Tsk, he should know better. This is a scroll that will prejudice your path if you follow its teachings.”
“What if I don’t do what it says, but just read it to understand more, Proctor?”
Bishop paused, “A good question, Novice. If you can stop yourself from following the instructions, you would learn what the first steps of the spirit path entail. What you do with it is up to you.”
“Thank you, Proctor.”
When Bishop moved away, Gregory sighed. Focusing his attention back on the book, he continued to read, slowly and with difficulty, but with determination.
~*~*~
“It is time,” Bishop said, startling him again.
Rubbing at his tired eyes, Gregory grunted, “Yes, Proctor.”
Bishop chuckled, “You have ten minutes. The carriage is outside.”
When he got outside, Gregory could not help but stare at the carriage. The whole thing was painted sky blue with silver trim, and the emblem of the empire was affixed to the door. He gave his bag to the driver to be tied with the other luggage atop the vehicle, but held on to his book. The interior had padded seats and curtains that were currently tied back to let the light in. Taking a seat next to the window, he placed the book beside him, content to rest his eyes for a moment.
“Already here? Good,” Bishop said. “Driver, we are here. You may go.” Hopping into the carriage, she shut the door. “You may read or nap. The next stop will be at Fentic, which will be just before sunset. Did you enjoy your stay?”
“The room and food were amazing,” Gregory replied.
“And the bath?” Bishop asked with a twisted smile.
Gregory coughed and looked out the window. “Educational.”
Laughing lightly, Bishop nodded, “I’m sure it was.”
“I was wondering, Proctor, what became of the muggers?”
“The thugs who attacked you were taken before the city magistrate,” she told him. “They are paying for their crimes now. Two of them, anyway. The other died from his wounds.”
The carriage lurched as the driver cracked the whip and got the four horses moving. Gregory looked out the window, unsure of how he felt about what had become of the men who attacked him. His aether pulsed, and a happy feeling welled up inside of his chest.
“That kind of thing happens in the empire. You’ve been removed from it out on the fringe, but that and worse are common. Do you know what punishment the men who attacked you are likely to get?” Bishop asked as she settled back into the seat.
“No, Proctor.”
“Servitude,” Bishop replied simply. “They will be required to serve the empire for a set length of time. If they fail in their duty or commit another crime during that period, their lives are forfeit or they will become slaves. Have you gotten to that part of the history yet?”
“No, Proctor,” Gregory admitted.
“You will. I’m going to rest for a bit. I didn’t get much sleep last night,” Bishop said, and leaned her head against the doorframe. “Don’t worry about keeping it down; you won’t bother me.” A moment later, a soft and almost delicate snore came from Bishop.
Watching her for a moment, Gregory wondered what he should do. After a few minutes of watching the city go by, he picked the book back up and started reading again.
