When they made it back to the academy, the two novices were breathing fast, but they were not as winded as they would have been last week. The apprentice on duty had the guards let them in while giving them an appraising look.
“Which clan first?” Gregory asked as they started walking down one of the paths.
“Smallest to biggest. Raises the stakes on each one in turn,” Yukiko replied. “That means the Saito Clan is first. We’ll talk for a few minutes and leave, but they won’t have anything to gift— they’re too small a clan. When we visit the Gelta Clan after them, we can mention we came from them.”
“Which makes them want to do something more than the previous clan to win your favor. I see.”
“You pick up on the nuances faster than a fringer should, Greg.”
“Thanks… I think?”
“It’s a compliment. Father won’t believe you’re a fringer when he meets you.”
“Meeting your father?” Gregory asked with surprise.
“He’ll want to know who’s been taking care of me while I’ve been here. That won’t be until the first tournament, though. I wonder if Mother will come? I hope so.”
Gregory stayed silent, wondering if it was alright for him to meet her parents. That’s what you do if you are courting someone from a different village… Stop being stupid, Greg, she is just doing what she needs to. Her father is going to be very curious about the guy she’s been hanging around with. Need to make sure to give a good impression so he knows that everything is okay.
“Here we are,” Yukiko said, approaching a small single story building.
Ringing the bell attached to the front post, they waited. A few minutes later, the door opened to reveal a middle-aged woman in a cyan kimono. There was an embroidered open palm clearly visible on her sleeve. “May I…? Oh, Novice Warlin, please come in.”
“Thank you,” Yukiko replied, bowing formally to her. “My friend, Gregory Pettit, is with me.”
“By all means, please come in,” the magus said, ushering them inside.
The magus escorted them to a meeting room, and tea was brought in as soon as they were seated. “We weren’t sure you would respond to our invitation, much less show up the day after,” the magus explained.
“I have a number of invitations to visit other clans,” Yukiko said kindly. “I’m seeing them in the order that I read them.”
“Of course,” the magus replied. “Saito Clan can’t really compete with the larger clans in terms of generosity, a point I’m sure you are well aware of. Unlike them, however, we do actually care about those in the clan, and we have a shadow magi that is more than willing to train you personally.”
“That is very generous. I doubt many ranked magus or above would take me under their wing.”
“In any of the big clans like the Eternal Flame or the Han Merchant Exchange, that is doubtlessly true. That is one of the reasons you should consider all your options before choosing.”
“A wise point,” Yukiko agreed, sipping her tea. “I understand we can’t officially join clans until after the tournament.”
“That is true, but our door is open if you would like to discuss joining us.”
“I will undoubtedly do so in the coming weeks, Magus…?”
“Oh, I forgot my manners. I’m Magus Anita Alon.”
“I do need to ask if your clan is actively feuding with any others. It would be bad for me to join a clan that is in the middle of a crisis.”
“Currently, we do not have any feuds,” Anita replied, but her eye twitched.
“That is good. Thank you for the tea, Magus. I must be going, I intend to also visit other clans today. If time allows, I will stop by in the coming weeks to speak further.”
“I will look forward to it,” Anita smiled.
Once they were outside the clan building and walking to the next, Yukiko sighed. “Lying about the feuds… she had been doing so well until then. All clans have a feud of one type or another going. No doubt they wish another shadow magi to help them gather more information to build themselves up.”
“Most of the meetings are going to be like that one?” Gregory asked.
“The first few, yes. Once we speak to the White Eagle Clan, things will become much more involved, since they and the larger clans will start trying to outright buy my allegiance.”
“I feel out of place coming with you.”
“No, you are necessary. How they treat or ignore you will speak volumes about what they are thinking.”
“Okay. If I’m being helpful to my partner, then I’ll continue.”
“Thank you, Greg. I’ll try not to draw it out too long, but it’s best to see what might be arrayed against us later.”
~*~*~
True to her words, the next two clan visits went much like Saito Clan’s meeting. Both of them promised more than just a shadow magus to teach her. Gregory could only marvel at how eager or desperate each clan seemed to be to get Yukiko.
When they reached the White Eagle Clan’s manor, Gregory stared at the black marble building. The only decoration was the white eagle emblem that adorned the front of the building, and the intricately carved door that was just under the eagle’s talons.
Yukiko rang the bell and the door was opened by an initiate. “How can we help you?” the initiate asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I’m Yukiko Warlin. I was asked to come,” she presented the scroll.
The initiate read the scroll with a frown. “Please wait here,” he said before shutting the door on them.
Gregory winced, “He’s going to pay for that, isn’t he?”
“If I act offended, as I properly should, then yes,” Yukiko replied. “Please don’t hold what happens here against me, Greg.”
“Going to play into it?”
Yukiko gave him a small smile before she erased it from her face and put an angry expression on. “Asking me to come, then keeping me waiting on the front step? I won’t stand for this. Come with me,” Yukiko said a little loudly as she spun on her heel to leave.
Gregory followed her without comment. A gust of wind nearly knocked them both over when they reached the path away from the building. Staggering, they managed to keep their footing and saw a man in a cobalt blue kimono standing in front of them.
“Apologies for the rude manner of getting in front of you and for the rudeness of our initiate. I’m Master Quinn Marzden, head of the White Eagle Clan here in the city. Please, Novices Warlin and Pettit, come inside and let us talk.”
Yukiko smoothed her kimono before replying. “Master, I appreciate the gesture, but today is not the day to make amends. I shall return next week to speak with you.”
Marzden’s lips twitched downward, “That would be less than desirable, as you are surely on your way to speak with the Han Merchant Exchange and possibly even the Iron Hand clans.”
“Indeed,” Yukiko bowed her head. “Both have expressed interest in meeting me, and are likely to show a bit more decorum when I show up at their door. I suggested next week, as right now, the foul taste in my mouth left by that initiate is strong. Next week, it will be mellower, and will allow for a more productive meeting.”
Marzden glanced at Gregory before putting his focus back on Yukiko. “I see. Your father has surely taught you how to be unmovable when needed. Very well. I shall look forward to next week.” With a slight dip of his head, Marzden stepped aside for them. “Until then, may your training be vigorous and true.”
“Good day,” Yukiko said, bowing formally.
“Good day, sir,” Gregory echoed, mirroring her bow.
As they left the area on their way to the Iron Hand manor, Gregory exhaled slowly. “Damn, Yuki, do you have ice for blood? I could feel his aether pressuring you.”
Yuki stopped walking and leaned against Gregory. “No. My knees would have been shaking if I hadn’t locked them. I hope there are no other masters to speak with. Talking to a magus is difficult enough.”
“You had me fooled,” Gregory said, supporting her for the moment. “Want to call off the last two?”
“No, because next week, we will have even more to deal with. I need to see this through and project confidence the entire time,” Yukiko whispered as she finally pushed herself away from him. “If you weren’t here to support me, I’m not sure I could.”
“I couldn’t at all,” Gregory replied. “Let’s get it done, then we can relax and study.”
Yukiko’s lips turned upward in a smile. “I’m sure it’ll be tea for me and cards for you, but we can study some, as well.”
“Good,” Gregory said. “I’d rather study, but seeing what Nick has to say will be interesting.”
“Indeed.”
When they arrived at the Iron Hand manor, Gregory had finally stopped being surprised at the sheer wealth involved in the structures. The Iron Hand manor looked to be more barracks than manor, but the stonework itself was still worth more than his birth village.
“Stop, you aren’t one of ours. Who are you, and what brings you to our door?” a balding, heavily muscled magus asked from beside the front door.
“I’m Yukiko Warlin, and this is Gregory Pettit. I was invited to come speak with the clan.” She held out the scroll she had received.
“Ah, the shadow magi,” the man said, eyeing the two of them. “You could both use some hard training to fill out. The commander will wish to speak with you. Follow me.”
The interior of the building was as spartan as the exterior. They passed two doors before their guide knocked on the third one. When a voice called for him to enter, the magus opened the door and motioned them inside.
“Novices Warlin and Pettit, sir.”
The heavily scarred man behind the desk looked up as they entered. Gregory’s eyebrows went up when he saw the network of scars beside the man’s eye, along with the deeper one that ran above and below it.
“I know we sent an invitation to Novice Warlin, but I don’t recall inviting you, Novice Pettit.”
“He is with me,” Yukiko replied as she took a seat. “I’m sure you’ve heard of him, even if you haven’t decided if you should approach him yet.”
The man wearing the cobalt kimono behind the desk nodded, “Accurate. Very astute to have figured that out before speaking with us. I’m Master Yong Chen, Commander of the Iron Hand in the city. I’m not one for wasting time, unlike most of my contemporaries— we’d like you to join us, Warlin. The Iron Hand is hard and unyielding, but we never leave one of our own to fend for themselves. We won’t give you false praise, try to buy you, or pressure you. What we will do is give you the best training we can. In return, you will fold into our clan as is fitting for one of your magic.”
“The Iron Hand is well known as the main fighting force of magi within the empire. You’ve been the spear point of every war for the last hundred years.”
“As we need to be. The other clans would let the empire crumble if it aided their petty disputes. Our founder knew that a solid, reliable clan would be needed for the emperor to keep the empire solid. We uphold that ideal to this day.”
“I’m not one to seek combat,” Yukiko said honestly. “I doubt I’d fit into the clan as well as you hope.”
“We were uncertain. Your performance during conditioning puts you in the top ten, but conditioning isn’t the same as combat. Magus Erichson spoke well of both of you, so we knew we had to act, let you know our interest before all the other clans closed in. Please keep the option of joining us open. We’ll be looking forward to the tournament.”
“I will do so,” Yukiko bowed in her seat. “I wish you a good evening, sir.”
“Good evening to you both. Pettit,” he called as they stood up, “we’ll be keeping our eyes on you, too. If your magic turns out to be combat related, we’ll be talking again.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Dismissed,” he said, turning back to his reports.
Walking out of the building, they gave the magus at the door a polite nod. Once they were down the path and heading toward their last stop, Yukiko shook her head. “I would still take them over the Eternal Flame, but not by much.”
“They seem very rigid,” Gregory added. “That explains why Magus Erichson is the way he is.”
“Yes. Last stop is the Han Merchant Exchange. This is the one that will be difficult for me. Father used to be part of their clan; not as a magi, but as a trader.”
“If you can face down two masters today, you can handle this, too, Yuki.”
“With that kind of confidence, I’ll have to,” Yukiko replied with a smile.
~*~*~
The Han Merchant Exchange was the second largest clan manor inside the academy walls, only slightly smaller than the Eternal Flame manor. The walls were golden marble, and the exterior fixtures were a shining silver that were already lit as the sun sank toward the horizon.
A couple of adepts were smoking from a hookah on the front porch. Seeing them coming, one of them set aside his pipe. “Novices Warlin and Pettit, we’ve been expecting you. Please, follow me. Magus Han is waiting.”
Yukiko bowed her head to the adept, “We follow.”
Gregory did his best to hide his discomfort at putting on silken slippers upon entering the manor. The wealth displayed inside the Han manor was more than the last two clans combined, and it was hard for him to ignore.
They were led through a series of hallways before they came to a halt next to a door. The adept knocked, then entered the room. “Novices Warlin and Pettit, Magus.”
“Send them in. Arrange for refreshments.”
“As you require,” the adept bowed deeply before he stepped back for them to enter. “Please be seated. Refreshments will be along shortly.”
Entering the room, they found Magus Marcia Han sitting behind a large dark oak desk. She gave them a pleasant smile, unlike her usual frown during class. “Novices, I figured we’d be having this conversation today. Sit, and let’s wait for refreshments before we begin with business.”
“As you wish, Magus,” Yukiko bowed in her seat.
“Thank you, Magus.”
It was only a few moments before there was a knock on the door, announcing the arrival of a servant with a loaded cart. “Mistress, the refreshments, as ordered.”
“Serve.”
“Would you prefer tea or something stronger?” the dark-haired servant asked them with a polite smile.
“Tea,” they said in unison.
“We have a variety of delicacies if you’d like some, as well.”
“No, thank you. The tea is enough,” Yukiko replied.
“I’m good, too, thank you.”
The servant served them, then bowed and stepped back to stand against the wall. Marcia sipped her tea, waiting for Yukiko to speak.
“Magus, I received a scroll asking me to come speak with you,” Yukiko said after a minute of enjoying her tea.
“Shadow magi are coveted by all the clans, as I’m sure you are well aware of by now. As one of the great clans, it behooves us to approach you early and make you aware that the option of joining us is available. I understand you had a half dozen scrolls delivered last night. Knowing your family, I expect you waited to speak with me until last.”
Yukiko took another drink before replying, “One should always look at the lowest offers first.”
“Yes. You can use it to strengthen your position in bargaining. We weren’t sure if novice Pettit would be with you or not, but I thought he would. The two of you seem… close.”
Yukiko’s back went stiff, “We are friends and have been helping each other study.”
“That would explain how a fringer is able to keep up with my lectures.” Marcia turned her gaze to Gregory, “Has it been difficult?”
“I’ve been learning a lot, Magus. Difficult paths are the best paths for growth.”
Marcia’s lips twitched and one eyebrow rose. “Goodness, I didn’t expect you to know and understand that truth yet. Many novices balk at how hard we push them to learn. Though I hear you have both left the history class.”
“We’ve learned more through the archive than from Adept Thomas’ lectures,” Gregory replied.
“Yes; sadly, many are leaving his class. Only those dedicated to certain posts are staying. I have been glad to see you both remain in my class, even if Novice Warlin does get bored easily.”
Yukiko gave a polite smile, “I find it interesting, Magus, but I’ve just heard and seen much of it firsthand. I take notes on the differences between what you teach and what I learned from my father.”
Han’s brow furrowed for a fraction of a second. “Indeed. Speaking of your father, he has done well since leaving the clan. Several people were surprised at how quickly and strong his enterprise has grown. I’ve looked into how and why he left our clan. Do you think he’ll attend the tournament?”
“I hope to see him there, Magus.”
“Good. I shall send him an invitation to tea during that time. Now for the real business: enticing you to join us.” Marcia looked at the servant, who pulled a six-inch square box from the lower shelf of her cart. “Take this with you. The contents are yours to use as you see fit. Just consider that things like this are commonplace for those who help the clan advance and grow.”
Yukiko accepted the box and placed it in her pouch, which it filled entirely. “I won’t be surprised to find that this easily outstrips the gifts the Eternal Flame gave me last week.”
“You do understand. Good.” Marcia looked back to Gregory, “Your magic is problematic, Novice. Master Damon still has yet to find any lead on what the ryuite means. If we had even a hint, we’d likely be lavishing you with similar gifts, depending on what your magic is.”
“I’d be honored, Magus. I hope the master will find out soon so I can seek guidance on how to use it.”
“The hands-on aether introduction classes should be starting after next week. I’m sure that many people will be interested in knowing what happens during those classes.”
“As will I, Magus,” Gregory said wryly.
“Sadly, I do need to finish preparing for tomorrow. Take your time to consider our offer, and if you have any questions, come by again.”
“Thank you, Magus,” Yukiko replied. She bowed formally.
“A good evening to you, Magus,” Gregory said as he bowed deeply to her.
“Show them out,” Marcia told the servant. “I’ll see you both in class.”
