The tavern was packed with villagers celebrating the fact that one of their own was going off to be a magi. Gregory was escorted in by Gunnar and Gunther and everyone inside turned and cheered for him. Gregory was surprised— almost all of them had looked down on his dream of being a magi, telling him that belief alone was not enough. Twenty years between someone being blessed by Aether had made the villagers a little jaded, but now they acted as if they knew he was right all along. A path was made for him to the bar, with his friends following him.
Raymond, the bartender, smiled at him when Gregory made it to the bar. “There’s the new magi. What will it be? An ale to start with, or are you going for something a bit more potent?”
Gregory had tried ale before when he and Gunnar had snuck some out of a small keg Gunther brought home. It left an unpleasant aftertaste in his mouth. “Maybe some mead?”
“Heh, going soft? That’s fine. They say magi and alcohol don’t mix well,” Raymond laughed as he pulled a mug and set it in front of him.
“I’ll have your shine,” Gunnar laughed. “Always wanted to try it, and the first drink is on the Emperor, after all.”
Raymond laughed back, “Now that’s the spirit!”
“For me as well, Raymond,” Gunther added.
“Father and son. Knew he’d take after you,” Raymond grinned. Setting up the drinks, he shouted over the crowd. “Attention! Oy, shut your gobs! Thank you. A toast to our first magi in twenty years! To Pettit!”
The crowd hoisted their drinks when Raymond did, and all eyes went to Gregory. “I’ll do the village proud,” Gregory said, raising his own mug. “Alturis!”
“Alturis,” the cry came back from everyone in the tavern.
Taking a big swallow of the mead, Gregory’s lips twisted. Too damned sweet, Gregory thought as he put the mug down. The crowd parted to reveal the Delarosa family, heading up to the bar.
Gregory’s eyes locked onto Amoria’s hazel eyes, her tears making his heart twist. Amoria did her best to smile, but she could not manage to keep her sadness out of it. The coldness in his gut began to spread as he watched her.
“Berry wine for all of us,” Tony told Raymond, ordering for his whole family.
While Raymond got their drinks together, Amoria came to a halt inches from Gregory. “I… Greg…” Her words failed her, and more tears fell.
Setting his cup down, Gregory pulled her into a hug. “Ria, I’m sorry, but I am a magi.”
Clutching him, she sobbed, “I know. I’m happy for you, really. I just… I always hoped you’d stay here with me.”
The coldness enveloped him entirely, except for his chest, which burned hotter. “I’m sorry, Ria. I’ll always be grateful for you being my friend.”
“A moment!” Gunther shouted, drowning out all the conversations in the bar. “Thank you. Since we are seeing our new magi off to serve the empire, it would be best if we revived the old tradition. Who will contribute to his journey?”
“I will,” Tony said, swiftly emptying his belt pouch onto the bar and separating out all the coins inside from the odds and ends. Stuffing the items back into his pouch, he left the vela on the counter. “Gregory, you will do our village proud. If you had not been a magi, I would have taken you in as an apprentice, but now, I will do my best to see you off with as much as I can.”
Others lined up to do the same, while some slipped out of the tavern. Gregory watched the people leaving and bit back his comments. The pile of nickel-silver coins grew as people added what they could contribute. Most of the coins were on the low end of the vela, but it was still more than Gregory had ever seen in one place. When the tavern door reopened, it caught Gregory by surprise as some of the villagers who had left came back in, adding more to the growing pile.
Taking a long drink from the mead, Gregory winced at the taste. Amoria held his hand, her tears finally stopping. Eloria watched the two of them, then leaned over to whisper to Gunnar.
The line of people eventually stopped, and Gunther spoke up again, “Now that is the spirit of Alturis. Gregory, come collect the gift we bestow upon you.”
Gregory cleared his throat, “Thank you. I know my dream of being a magi drove a lot of you up the wall, but this is humbling. I will never forget your support.” He scooped the coins into his pouch, which was now close to full.
The loudest cheer yet erupted from the crowd. People began to file back out of the inn, as the other events of the day were going to be starting soon. A few came over to give him personal well wishes.
“Did you want a refill?” Raymond asked them. “On me.”
“Pass,” Gregory said. “Turns out I don’t care for mead. Too sweet.”
“You probably also need to collect your things,” Raymond nodded.
“Have my things already,” Gregory said with a touch of bitterness.
Raymond eyed Gregory for a long moment and shook his head. “I’ll gift you something later tonight after I dig it out of the store room.”
“Want to see the other contests?” Gunnar asked, cutting in on the conversation.
“Not really,” Gregory admitted. “I don’t know what I want. I mean… this is what I’d always dreamed about, but now I’m feeling lost.”
“Gregory, can we talk for a moment?” Tony asked.
“You’re staying at my house tonight,” Gunther told Gregory. “Come by when you’re ready. Gunnar, girls, come on. Let them talk.”
“See you in a bit,” Gunnar said when Gunther’s hand grasped his shoulder.
“Soon,” Gregory replied, his stomach tightening further.
Eloria walked out hand in hand with Gunnar, while Amoria kept looking back. Her mother kept her from staying, but each step seemed harder for her to take.
Tony stepped over to the side of the room with Gregory behind him as the tavern rapidly cleared out because the contests were about to begin. Taking a seat at a table, Tony waited for Gregory to do the same before he spoke.
“Gregory, I never thought today would happen like it did. I didn’t really believe that you would become a magi. Do you know that Amoria was going to press you to court her after today?”
The tension in Gregory’s stomach worsened. “I didn’t, but I would have asked her myself if…”
Tony sighed, “Thank you. That would have been for the best, but now, it’s a moot point. I knew today would bring changes, but I never envisioned it happening like this. I have just one favor to ask; don’t take advantage of her today. I know you wouldn’t, but… Amoria is distraught. Sleeping with you will only make it harder for her in the future.”
Gregory blinked, surprised at the frankness. “I would never do anything to hurt her, sir. She has always been there for me. I owe her so much.”
“Good. They already convinced their mother to let them stay at Gunnar’s tonight, where I’m sure you’ll also be staying, so I’ll hold you to your word.” Getting up abruptly, Tony left him at the table.
With Tony gone, he sat there alone, lost in thought until someone sat down across from him. Blinking as his train of thought came to a halt, he was surprised to see Bishop sitting across from him.
“Proctor?”
“It looks like your dream has a chance of coming true,” Bishop said, though not unkindly. “Do you feel completed?”
“No,” Gregory replied. “I feel like I’m losing everything I know. This is just the first step of a very long path to be a magi.”
“Good,” Bishop nodded. “Your friend, Delarosa, do you think she’ll wait for you?”
Gregory frowned as he thought about it, “I wouldn’t ask her to. I don’t know what the academy will entail,” Gregory added slowly. “I always thought it was just a place where we’re taught how to control aether.”
“Partially,” Bishop admitted. “It is also the most miserable you’ll ever be. The instructors won’t care if you learn or not, the older students might pick on you, and your fellow novices will try to tear you down. Do you wish you had been a failure, after all?”
Gregory answered instantly and honestly, “No. This is my dream, Proctor.”
“Good. It’ll be a hard path, but those who want it enough can make it. The great thing about hard paths is that they forge the best magi… if they survive.” Bishop stood abruptly, “I look forward to what you do in the future, Novice.”
Gregory watched her walk away, the warmth of his aether slowly pushing back the uncertainty he had been feeling. Pushing himself to his feet, he headed for Gunnar’s. It might be early, but he would have to be ready to go even earlier.
Gregory was lost in thought as he walked, thinking about what life would have been like if he had been a null. He was a few houses away from Gunnar’s when a scream brought him to a dead stop. Head whipping toward the noise, Gregory saw a huge wolf stalking along the street. The massive wolf paused, turning its head to look at Gregory. Red eyes gleamed in the daylight as its lips drew back into a snarl.
“Bane wolf,” Gregory whispered in fear. The spark of aether in his chest burst into flame.
The moment aether filled Gregory, the wolf seemed to smile. A deep howl erupted from it as it stared at Gregory. The air vibrated around him and he tried to move, only to discover the air itself holding him in place. Eyes widening, Gregory felt a surge of fear as the bane wolf charged at him.
Shouts filled the air, but Gregory knew no one would be there in time to help him. Is this it? Do I get killed before I get to learn? The question filled his mind, and the anger that he had harbored for years burned in his veins. Gregory growled back at the wolf when he suddenly realized that he could move. He darted at the creature, his arms glowing with blue flame.
The two of them collided, and Gregory moved on instinct, shoving his left forearm into the beast’s gaping jaws. His right hand came crashing down on the bane wolf’s snout just as its teeth clamped down on his arm. Gregory’s scream of pain and the wolf’s yip mingled as the pair hurt each other. Falling backward when the bane wolf bowled him over, Gregory kept hammering at its snout, even as it savagely shook its head and tore deep gouges into his arm.
“Greg!” Amoria’s voice sent a surge of panic into Gregory.
“Stay back!” Gregory shouted, but the wolf had released his arm and bounded backward.
“Bane wolf!” Eloria screamed, and more people could be heard taking up the cry.
Gregory scrambled to his feet as the wolf spun and charged Amoria. Amoria stood frozen, fear written across her face as the bane wolf barreled toward her. Gregory knew he would never make it in time, but he rushed after the wolf, his heart in his throat as blood poured from his injured arm.
Gunnar appeared around the corner of a nearby building just in time to knock the wolf away, sending him and it tumbling. Gunnar’s cry of pain rang out, along with Eloria’s scream.
Gregory made it there a moment later. Wrapping his arms around the beast’s neck, he pulled backward. The wolf’s front feet left the ground as Gregory lifted it off his friend. “Gunnar, run!”
Gunnar scrambled back, his left hand bleeding profusely and two of his fingers missing. Amoria and Eloria were already there, pulling Gunnar away, their eyes wide as they stared at Gregory.
“Damned bane beasts,” a voice growled. “Turn it toward me, Novice.”
Gregory reacted to the commanding tone, yanking the few hundred pounds of savage beast completely off the ground and to the right. His eyes widened when he caught sight of a blue blur heading for his arms. The wind of something moving fast ruffled his hair and the weight of the beast vanished from his arms. The body of the bane wolf flopped to the ground, spraying blood, while the head of the beast tumbled away.
“Never thought a bane wolf would turn up here,” Bishop said as she snapped her sword, sending a line of blood to the ground. The blue flame coating the blade vanished when she sheathed it. “Are you injured?”
Gregory blinked as her words finally penetrated his head. “Yes, but so is Gunnar.”
“Let me see your arm,” Bishop said, advancing on him, ignoring the bloody ruin that lay at his feet.
Gregory looked down at his injured arm. Deep bloody valleys marked where the bane wolf’s teeth had bitten into his flesh. Pain suddenly flooded into his body, and he wobbled on his feet.
“Dismiss your aether,” Bishop commanded sharply.
The blue flames on his arms winked out and she grabbed his ruined arm. His nostrils flared as new pain flooded his mind and he almost fell, but managed to keep his footing. Bishop’s aether coated his arm an instant later, and the pain was snuffed out like a candle. Exhaling in relief, Gregory started to thank her, but his vision wavered and he felt himself falling.
“This is why novices shouldn’t be in combat,” Bishop’s terse voice echoed in his ears as he collapsed into unconsciousness.
