“Greg, you have to get up,” Amoria said, shaking his shoulder.
Jerking upright, Gregory grabbed her and squeezed her to his chest. “Thank Aether you’re alright.”
“Greg?” Amoria asked in surprise.
“The wolf—”
“It never got close,” Gunnar said. “Nightmare?”
Letting go of Amoria as memory of last night flooded in, Gregory nodded, his face flushed in embarrassment. “Yes.”
“I have travel food ready for you,” Yeva said from the doorway. “You need to get moving. The sun isn’t far from rising.”
Pushing the blanket off, Gregory got to his feet with a wince. The bandage on his arm pulled at his skin. He unwrapped it, grimacing at the sight; wide, long, white scars marked his forearm.
“She was right about the scars,” Gunnar grunted. “Looks like neither of us will forget the bane wolf.” He held up the white nubs where his two fingers had been.
“Gunnar, take him to wash. Quickly,” Gunther told his son. “The women will be ready by the time you finish.”
“Come on,” Gunnar said, “I have a basin in my room.”
It did not take long to get clean, and afterward Gregory got back into the same clothes that he had worn the day before. He only had a couple of sets, and would be traveling all day. Returning to the main room, Gregory picked up his bag.
“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Emery,” Gregory said, bowing to them. “I will always remember the kindness you showed me.”
“You are a good man,” Yeva said, giving him a big hug. “Do your best and stay safe.”
The goodbyes were quick, and soon, Gregory was out the door with food in hand. His breakfast was day old bread and cheese along with a thick slice of dried meat. Amoria held his hand as they walked to the square, Gunnar and Eloria following them.
“Do you ever wonder why no one sees the magi off in any of the stories?” Amoria asked as they walked toward the tavern.
“No,” Gregory replied. “I always thought it was to make parting easier for the families.”
“That is part of it,” Bishop added from behind them, making them all jump. “You are on time, good. I would have been displeased to be delayed.”
Gregory looked back, his eyebrows rising. “Proctor, did you sleep?”
“No, I was busy,” Bishop replied with a grim look. She smirked, “Looks like I wasn’t the only one who had no sleep.”
The four flushed and looked away from her, earning a chuckle.
“There are no more bane beasts currently in the area. The academy will still be informed so they can send adepts. This way, an event like yesterday’s will never happen again. I’ll go get my things and we will be on our way.”
Passing them, Bishop moved as if she was having a pleasant walk, but her speed would have been hard to match at a run for Gregory. As they watched her go, Gregory wondered how long it would take for him to be able to duplicate that feat.
The group reached the inn just as Bishop left the building. She had a bag over her left shoulder and a fist sized object in her right hand. Her clothing was still dirty and covered in blood, and her face had small smears of both. Seeing them, she smiled and took a large bite of what she was holding.
“Good! Let’s be going. We have many miles to cover, and novices always move slowly.”
Gregory looked back at his friends. “Gunnar—”
“I’ll look after her for you.”
“We will,” Eloria said.
“Ria…” Gregory said, touching her cheek gently.
“Go, be the magi you were always meant to be,” Amoria said, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “You’ll always be in my heart, but I will do as I promised.”
He kissed Amoria hard, the kiss slowly becoming softer, before he stepped back from her. “Goodbye, Ria.”
“Novice, time to go,” Bishop said firmly, but not unkindly. “Start walking.”
Choked up, Gregory turned away from his old life and started down the road toward the next village. The feeling of finality made him cold, even with the aether inside him keeping him warm.
Bishop left him to his thoughts, letting the pace be slow to start with.
Falling into step with her after a while, Gregory’s eyes grew large when he realized what she was eating. “Is that the heart, Proctor?”
“Yes,” Bishop chuckled. “It always shocks people when you do this. I tempered my impulse to eat it raw. You gain more aether that way, but non-magi tend to react badly if they see it.”
“Would I gain aether if I did?”
She gave him a bloody smile as she tore another chunk free. “Yes, but it would be a greater risk for you, Novice. Your body is not tempered yet, and the aether of the bane wolf would run rampant through your system. You will address me as proctor or ma’am anytime you wish to speak with me. Understood?”
“Yes, Proctor.”
“Good. Now save your breath. We’ll be moving as fast as you are able.” Bishop’s easy pace grew faster until Gregory had to jog to keep up.
~*~*~
Gregory did his best, but he was never the best at physical exertion, having his mother’s slight build. When he flagged for the third time, Bishop sighed.
“You’ll have to do better,” Bishop said, pulling some salted meat from her bag and passing it to him. “Chew and suck, do not swallow. It will dissolve with time.”
Gregory took the meat with a puzzled expression and stuck it in his mouth. The flavor of the bane wolf was unpleasant, leaving a sharp and tangy taste on the tongue. He chewed slowly, hoping he would grow accustomed to it.
“Now run,” Bishop said, prodding him sharply. “Run until I say stop.”
Gregory started to jog, but Bishop did not let him stay at a jog. She kept prodding to make him run. Grimacing, Gregory stretched out his legs and began to run, wondering how long she would make him do this. Bishop stayed right behind him, a smirk on her lips as she finished the bane wolf heart.
Miles flew by, and Gregory came to realize he should not be able to keep the pace he was setting. He laughed when he realized he was moving faster than he ever had in his life, the joy of it making him grin.
It was almost an hour later when his legs suddenly stopped responding and he went head first into the dirt. Rolling to a stop, Gregory winced as he sucked in air, covered in sweat.
Bishop laughed when she came to a stop beside him, “Didn’t realize the meat had vanished. Get up. We’ll walk for a bit now.”
Gregory grunted. His right knee felt stiff as he got back to his feet, but the sensation quickly subsided. He drank from his canteen as he walked, suddenly aware of being thirstier than he could ever recall. He checked to see if he was injured, but did not see any gashes.
“You need to keep better track of everything you are doing,” Bishop told him. “You fell because the meat was used up and you didn’t slow.”
“The jerky did that…? Proctor?” Gregory asked, adding the title belatedly.
“Bane beasts have many benefits for the people who can touch aether,” Bishop replied. “The drawback for you is that you can’t ingest much of it without negative feedback. The jerky especially, because it wasn’t prepared correctly. Out here on the fringes, that is to be expected.”
“Proctor, how do I grow stronger?”
Chuckling, Bishop shook her head. “That is what the first year is about; learning, growing, and choosing.”
“Will there be a time when I can ingest more of the wolf, or a better prepared version of it, Proctor?”
“The food at the academy is made to help you grow. You will learn to accept the aether it gives and store it for use when you wish instead of using it for instant energy to run.”
“My aether mentioned needing to choose a path. Do you know what it meant, Proctor?”
“Choosing the way your aether grows. During the novice year, you’ll have to pick between body, mind, or spirit.”
“You said that hard paths make the best magi, Proctor. Which path is the hardest?”
“The hardest path is annoying those who are there to help you,” Bishop replied. “Speaking of which, it’s time to move fast again. You’ll find out what academy encouragement is when you start to flag.”
Gregory took off running, not wanting to find out before he had to. Bishop watched him run and nodded as she kept pace easily.
Asking about paths and which are harder than others? Maybe you’ll be worth watching, even more than I had thought. Speaking to your aether though? Hmm… Bishop focused on Gregory, thinking.
~*~*~
Gregory coughed as he pushed himself back to his feet again. Sweat was pouring down his face. She’s a demon! She smiles every time she pushes me harder. Even the breathing techniques mother taught me can’t help me keep up with Bishop’s demands…
“Come on, Novice. Your friend wouldn’t have had as many issues as you are,” Bishop said, chiding him for the tenth time as the sun began to descend toward the western horizon.
Gregory groaned. If I slow again, she might not just prod me. That last strike was bruising.
Bishop was beside him in an instant, her voice barely audible as she gracefully glided alongside him, “Worried about the next hit, Novice? Do you think it’ll be easier than this at the academy? What I’m doing is mild compared to what is coming for you. You’ll grow or break, but either way, you will serve the empire.”
He winced, but did not reply. Instead, he kept putting one foot in front of the other. Is she right? Or is this just her goading me to keep me moving? Gregory waffled back and forth on the question as they rounded the curve in the road.
“There is Linom,” Bishop sighed. “Walk and recover,” she told Gregory. “I’ll see you when you get there. I need to arrange our stay, but don’t dawdle.”
“Yes, Proctor.”
Bishop nodded, her legs stretching as she began to run. Gregory watched her go in awe as chunks of dirt flew up behind her.
“Wonder if I’ll be able to do that one day?” Gregory muttered.
He did not stop moving, but was grateful to finally have a chance to breathe and not get slapped for it. Thoughts of what the academy was going to be like filled his head as he closed in on the village ahead of him.
