Gregory sat with the box on his lap all the way to Stabled Hunger, conflicted at having asked for it and the cost in vela and trouble. Yukiko sat beside him, her hand resting on his, her face troubled as she watched him. Yoo-jin was holding Hao’s hand as the merchant did his best to keep a smile on his face, though his forehead was creased in discomfort.
Gregory carried the box in with them when they reached the tavern. It was lighter than he expected it to be, but seemed heavier due to the cost in acquiring it. The silk cloth cover had been included in the price, so at least it was not being shown off to everyone as they were led to the private dining area. Setting the box next to him on the table, Gregory tried to not pay it attention while their drinks were delivered.
“I’m curious what you intend to do with it now that you have it, Gregory,” Yoo-jin said.
“I don’t know,” Gregory sighed. “I could try to open it, but I don’t know how ancestor locks work.”
“Like blood locks, though for ancestor locks you must come from the mother’s line. Anyone who meets that criteria can open it. For a lock so old, the line might have died off, rendering it sealed for all time.”
“A sage might be able to force the lock,” Hao said tightly as he sipped his wine. “Not many sages in the empire. That’s likely why Shun was after it. A sage would find a box like this interesting, and they would likely grant the person who gave it to them a boon.”
Gregory was about to uncover the box when the staff brought their meal. Saved for the moment, Gregory did his best to focus on the food, but his eyes kept going to the silk-covered box.
Dinner ended with a wonderful berry tart and a pot of mint tea. Yukiko poured for everyone and, knowing they would not be interrupted again, Gregory removed the silk.
They all stared at the black jade, their eyes drawn to the engravings adorning the box. Every animal engraved on the box was life-like, and the ryuite chips caught the light in the room and reflected it back to make it look like they were blinking. Gregory traced the edges of the box, finding the nearly invisible line where the lid sealed along the top of the box. There was a slight indentation on the lid the size of a thumb print.
“Just nick a finger and press it to the lock?” Gregory asked, looking at Yukiko.
“Yes,” she replied slowly.
Pulling his belt knife, Gregory stabbed his thumb. A bead of blood welled from the small wound and he pressed his thumb to the indention. Everyone held their breath, but there was no sound of a lock opening and they sighed in disappointment.
“Guess we should—” Gregory began, pulling his hand away. As he did, the lid shifted with him, sliding open a little.
“It’s open,” Hao whispered, his eyes alight with eagerness.
Swallowing, Gregory gently placed his hand on the lid and pushed it open. Inside the box was a pair of long, black, leather gloves. He picked one up and frowned at it, then brought it closer to his face. He squinted, seeing faint lines of some shimmering thread laced through the material. Yukiko took the other glove and examined it, seeing the same faint lines.
“Enchanted?” Gregory mumbled.
“We can find out,” Yukiko said, slipping the glove on.
The glove shifted, contracting around her hand and arm, molding to her like a second skin. All of them were shocked when the color shifted, matching Yukiko’s skin tone exactly in a few seconds. A moment after that, it seemed to have vanished entirely, melding seamlessly with Yukiko’s skin.
“That is odd,” Hao said, frowning as he stared at Yukiko’s hand.
Gregory slid the other one onto his right hand and again, the glove appeared to vanish. “I wonder what they do? Besides being invisible while you wear them?” He flexed his hand and frowned. He could no longer feel the glove. He poked at his gloved hand with the other one and his frown deepened when he could not feel the glove with either hand.
Yukiko licked her lips, reaching for the place where the edge of the glove had been and tried to peel it off. She looked worried for a moment before the glove reappeared on her hand and she was able to take it off. “Okay, it isn’t cursed,” she sighed gratefully.
“We should have Hemet examine them,” Hao said. “It would be prudent to ask Inda to take them, though, so we aren’t connected to them. This is the kind of thing that should be kept a secret.”
“There’s nothing else in the box,” Gregory said as he closed the lid. “Do you wish to have it?”
“Yes. We’ll find a buyer for it,” Yoo-jin said. “We may even recover today’s expenses.”
“I’ll talk to Gin and see if we can use his apprentice for this,” Hao said.
“Father, there isn’t a need,” Yukiko said. “I chose Hemet because he is known for keeping his clients’ information secret. He has made his business based on that.”
“Hmm… I still want a layer of deniability,” Hao shook his head.
Gregory picked up the other glove and slipped it on, watching as it molded to him. “It’s—” A knock on the door interrupted him, and he hastily covered the box with the silk.
“Come,” Hao commanded.
A small woman in the livery of the dormitory, who had small, rounded bear ears, entered and bowed to them. Lin stood in the hall behind her. “Excuse me. Keeper Dia said I was to inform you about the final eight.”
“Yes, thank you. Please continue,” Yoo-jin said.
“The undefeated Novices Nick Shun, Jason Argon, Wallace Hayworth, and Gregory Pettit were selected. The other four spots are to be filled by Klein Armit, Yukiko Warlin, Franco Ichon, and Jenn Bean. The pairings will be announced tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” Yoo-jin smiled.
“Good evening,” the woman bowed and left, closing the door behind her.
“Hopefully we don’t fight each other in the first match again,” Yukiko said wryly.
“Agreed.”
“Lin,” Hao said loudly.
Lin entered the room, “Yes, sir.”
“Two tasks. Take the box and secure it. Send a message to Gin, asking him if we might engage Inda for a task that needs the utmost discretion.”
“Yes, sir,” Lin replied, bowing out of the room and closing the door.
“It is late, and I need to rest,” Hao said, his brow still heavily furrowed. “Clashing with a Grandmaster is as tiring as I remember.”
“The carriage will take you back,” Yoo-jin said. “Gregory, will you leave the gloves with us?”
“Yes,” Gregory said, taking them off and handing them to Yoo-jin.
“It seems your purchase might be worth well more than the cost. The box alone, if sold to the right person, should recoup most, if not all, of the initial vela.”
“I’m glad,” Gregory said as he rose to his feet, and bowed to them deeply. “Thank you for this, even though we don’t know what the gloves do yet.”
“Our daughter asked for it,” Hao said. His smile was genuine, but visibly strained. “I’m sorry, today seems to have taxed me more than I realized. I need to rest. We will see you again tomorrow.”
“Sleep well, Father,” Yukiko said as she stood and bowed to her parents. “Thank you, Mother. Please take care of him.”
“I always take care of my heart, just as you will,” Yoo-jin replied. “Go, get your rest. You have a big day again tomorrow.”
~*~*~
They approached the dormitory slowly, puzzled by the magi in cyan robes that were waiting near the entrance. One of Keeper Dia’s staff came around the side of the building before Gregory and Yukiko were seen and motioned them to follow.
“What’s going on?” Gregory asked as they followed her around the building, using a well-hidden footpath.
“The clans have sent representatives to officially invite the novices they are interested in. Keeper Dia had one of us waiting to show you the back way in.”
“Thank her for us,” Yukiko said.
“I will.”
They were led through a back hall and up an unfamiliar staircase to the third floor, then left them with a bow. “Goodnight, and good luck.”
“Thank you,” they replied together.
They had just reached Gregory’s room when voices could be heard coming up the stairs. Gregory pulled Yukiko into his room, wanting to avoid everyone. He closed his door gently, and the only light was the dim moonlight that filtered in through the single window.
The voices stopped approaching before they reached his room, then moved away. Gregory sighed in relief. “Maybe they’ll leave us be.”
“We can ignore them,” Yukiko said softly. “We made it to the final eight; we’ll get rewards from the academy depending on where we finish.”
“Doubt it’ll be as impressive as what your family is doing for us.”
“Maybe not, but without clan backing, we’ll need all the help we can get.”
“Alone against the world,” Gregory said, smiling at her. “I still like our chances.”
“Greg, why did you ask for the box?” Yukiko asked.
Gregory felt the weight of the question. “It’s hard to explain, but let’s sit down and I’ll do my best.”
Gregory spent the next hour telling Yukiko about the odd flashes of insight he sometimes had, and how they always led him down the right path or helped him in combat. He finished by telling her about how he had known what the box would look like before it was revealed.
“I knew what it was and that it was right to acquire it, but that’s all.”
Yukiko nodded slowly, “I see. You kept this from me for good reason. Is there anything else you are keeping from me?” Her voice held no hint of anger or hurt, but sounded more like she was asking what he wanted for dinner.
“Your aether, when you first connected to it that first night. What was it like for you?”
Yukiko’s brow furrowed for a moment, “A single blue flame in a dark space that gently licked out to touch my arm. It didn’t hurt, and I knew it was my aether.”
“My aether is different, at least when I truly connect with it,” Gregory said, deciding to tell her everything.
More time passed, and Yukiko listened intently. When he finished, Yukiko looked thoughtful. “I see. Maybe you are truly touched by Aether. That might account for the flashes of insight.”
“There’s one more thing. I have an idea that maybe my magic is connected to raw aether,” Gregory said. “I’ve been seeing lines of aether out of the corner of my eye since classes started. It was how I knew that Skippy was doing something I should dodge.”
Yukiko shook her head, “My heart is truly blessed. I’m humbled to be told all of this. I will keep it secret even from my parents. There is reason to worry, though. If you are this blessed, others will hate you and try to stop you from growing in power.”
“They won’t be able to, not with you beside me,” Gregory said, staring into her cyan eyes.
Yukiko’s serious face lit up with a bright smile. “Well, then, I shall have to keep you close all the time.”
“Please do,” Gregory murmured as he leaned in to kiss her.
Their lips were an inch apart when a sharp rap sounded at the door. Gregory sighed, giving Yukiko a brief peck, then rose to his feet to see who was there. Opening the door, he saw Nick standing there. “What can I do for you, Nick?”
“I wanted to congratulate you on making the final eight. You, too, Yukiko,” Nick said with a smile that felt off to Gregory. “Can I come in for a moment?”
Gregory stepped aside for him, shutting the door once he was in the room. “Something bothering you?”
“My grandfather told me that he had an altercation with your father,” he answered, speaking to Yukiko. “He said that you had been barred from joining the clan. However,” he said quickly holding up a hand to stop her from speaking, “I got him to reconsider. I don’t know what happened at the auction house, but I have rarely seen him that angry. I couldn’t get him to forego seeking repayment from your father, but he did agree to rescind his ban on you.”
“If your grandfather has some issue with my father, then he has an issue with me,” Yukiko said simply.
“I thought you might say that,” Nick sighed. “If you join the clan, I’m sure he’ll change his mind. I wanted you to consider it. It’s only a couple more days until the clans can welcome new members into their fold.”
Yukiko bowed her head and spoke truthfully, “I shall give it deep consideration.”
“Same goes for you, Greg. The offer is still there, along with those considerations I told you about, if you wish to join. I’m sure our archivists can help find your magic.”
Gregory nodded, “That would be nice. I doubt I’ll be able to survive more than a single fight in the finals without magic.”
Nick grinned, “Well, don’t worry. I’m sure we won’t meet in the first round.”
“Speaking of,” Yukiko said, rising to her feet with a yawn, “I need my sleep. Tomorrow comes early. Please excuse me,” she bowed her head to Gregory and Nick.
Gregory opened the door for her, “Sleep well, Yuki.”
“You as well, Greg.”
“I should be going, too,” Nick said once Yukiko left the room. Lowering his voice, he spoke in a whisper, “Even without her, you’ll be welcome in the clan. I have word from those above me on that. Making it to the finals without using any aether, and undefeated? That has been noticed by many people. Though if you bring her, well, just imagine what you could be doing tonight instead of sleeping.” With a wink, Nick left the room, leaving behind a small packet of powder.
Gregory’s smile had frozen in place and, as he shut the door, it fell from his face. “I’m going to gut you, Nick,” he growled, the words a bare whisper in the empty room.
Moving across the room, he began to undress. Thoughts of him and Yukiko in an intimate embrace filled his head, even as he tried to banish them. Exhaling deeply, he gave up on getting much sleep for the night as he slipped into his bedroll.
