Walking slowly, Gregory chewed on his jerky. Will this really stop once we have a clan? I doubt it will if we join Aether’s Guard… they’re seen as all but dead. Elder Lightshield seemed to believe that the clan still has sway, though, so I can hope…
Entering the infirmary, he found the same partial-fox eurtik he’d seen before. “Excuse me, miss, I was sent by Magus Erichson.”
Mindie looked up from the scroll she’d been reading. “Oh, another one of you?”
“Impromptu duel,” Gregory admitted. “It’s the muscle in my arm.”
Coming around the desk she’d been sitting behind, she pushed open the door beside her desk. “This way, please.”
“Thank you,” Gregory said as he followed her. “You were the one who helped save Yuki’s eye, right?”
Mindie frowned for a second before she smiled. “Oh, the novice from the tournament? Yes, I assisted the healers.”
“Thank you. She’s back to being able to see normally again.”
“Oh, good. How about you?”
“Besides my current trouble, I’ve been fine.”
“Your class seems to be more violent than previous ones,” Mindie said as she took him to a room. “Have a seat on the table, please.”
Gregory did as she said and popped another piece of jerky into his mouth. Mindie washed her hands in a basin while he got situated. When she was done, she pushed the sleeve of his kimono up and gently prodded the muscle of his biceps.
“Oh, yes, this is torn. I can heal it, though, so don’t worry. It wasn’t as bad as the other one. His ankle and knee both had damage.”
“He wouldn’t submit,” Gregory mumbled.
“The Eternal Flame rarely does,” Mindie said. “You might feel a chill or some heat. Just bear with it.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Mindie sighed. “I’m just a junior healer. Miss is fine for me.”
“Okay, miss. Junior healer? Does th—” Gregory started to ask before he snapped his jaw shut, cutting off the sentence.
Alternating waves of heat and cold rippled over his biceps, uncomfortable pressure following each one. Gritting his teeth, Gregory stared straight ahead, trying to ignore the sensations.
Mindie stared fixedly at his arm, a small smile on her lips as she worked. After a couple of minutes, she released him. “There you go. Good as new.”
The sensations had cut off just before she spoke, and Gregory sighed in relief. “Thank you. That was different than any other healing I remember having done to me.”
“Because you were unconscious for the other times,” Mindie said. “You took a lot of damage during the tournament.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“You did finish in first place, though, so maybe it was worth it.”
“There were some pluses to it.”
“Even though it nearly cost your life, and the life of the young lady whose eye was nearly lost?”
“Yukiko Warlin. She’s my betrothed,” Gregory said. “And it wasn’t worth that. But considering how upset it made the Eternal Flame…”
Mindie giggled before abruptly stifling it and looking mortified. “I didn’t—”
“It’s fine. They aren’t any friends of ours. In fact, that’s why the other novice and I were injured. They don’t take losing well.”
“I’m not supposed to disparage any clan,” Mindie said softly. “I could get into trouble if—”
“I never heard a thing,” Gregory gently cut her off. “Does that mean the healers are neutral, like the archive?”
“We’re supposed to be,” Mindie said, but her tone said that it wasn’t so cut and dry.
“But some of the others don’t hold to that as tightly as they should?”
“I… never said that.”
“No, it was just me idly talking to myself,” Gregory smiled. “Thank you for your help, Mindie. I’d been trying to ask earlier; what does ‘junior’ healer mean?”
“I’m technically an initiate,” Mindie said. “I never had a clan. I refused to join them. Because of that, I declined to participate in the tournaments and, instead of troop training, I was sent here to heal. I’ll likely be here for my adept year, and then posted somewhere else as a healer.”
“Huh…” Gregory said, at a loss. “I never knew that not joining a clan could work like that.”
“Only for healers. We’re needed in many places. Since there’s normally only a couple of us a year at best, they bend the rules for us.”
“Ah. Means I really do need to join a clan after all, then.”
“Which has to be hard with you not knowing your magic,” Mindie said.
“It’s been a mixed blessing,” Gregory replied. “I haven’t been hounded like Yuki. Her shadow magic makes her sought after by the clans.”
“Shadows are rare,” Mindie nodded. “Oh, what am I doing? You need to get back to class.”
“I should,” Gregory agreed. “Thank you again, Mindie. I hope you have a good day.”
“I hope yours is quieter, and less painful.”
“Me, too.”
~*~*~
Gregory made it back to class in time for sparring. Yukiko was happy to have him back so she wouldn’t have to face someone else. The two of them went back and forth, mostly working on their forms rather than real sparring. The adept watching them gave them tips instead of chiding them for not going all out.
When sparring ended, everyone dispersed to their weapons classes. Gregory walked onto the sands of the arena with a su yari in his hand. The class started with them having to flow from kata to kata— it only took five tries before the novices could do it without error.
“Good,” Klim said. “Now that we’ve managed that, we can move on. I need one of you to help me demonstrate.” She looked directly at Gregory. “Pettit, come up here.”
Gregory knew it would probably be him that got chosen, so he didn’t hesitate when she called on him. Moving to the front of the class, he turned to face the other novices.
“Do you all know why I chose him?” Klim asked.
“Because he is the only one who hasn’t made a mistake during the katas.”
“Correct. Why is that?”
“Because he’s had training before.”
“He has, indeed,” Klim said. “Armsmaster Gin Watashi, formerly with the Han Merchant Exchange, has been teaching Pettit, which is why he’ll make an admirable puppet for me to teach you all. Everyone, pay attention. This will show you why those katas are important.” She turned to Gregory and nodded. “First stance.”
Gregory did everything he was directed to do, not once flinching when she stopped her attacks just short of him. If he hadn’t been trained by Gin, he would have panicked the first time she did it.
When class came to an end, Klim had an appreciative look in her eyes. “That’s it. Tomorrow, you’ll be working on the correct attacks and defenses for each. Class dismissed.”
Gregory exhaled, happy to be relieved from being the training dummy. His relief was short-lived when Klim turned back to face him. “Is something wrong, Adept?”
“No, I just wanted to thank you. You will make this much easier. I would also request you to spar with me in earnest at least once with each weapon.”
Gregory frowned. “Adept, I’m not sure I would be a challenge to you.”
“It’s fine to refuse, but I think you’re holding back.”
Gregory exhaled. “Should we find out? Su yari right now?”
Klim’s lips twitched. “Excellent.”
The adept who’d been teaching on the other side of the arena came their way. “Hey, Klim, you done?”
“Come adjudicate this match,” Klim said.
“What?”
“We’re sparring, but I want a pair of eyes to watch us,” Klim said. “It’s just weapons.”
“Okay. Novice, you agreed to this?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Okay, bow to each other,” the adept said. Once they had, he stepped back. “Fight.”
The fight didn’t last long— Klim was by far more skilled with the su yari than Gregory, though both adepts were impressed that he lasted as long as he did. Klim held a hand out to him and Gregory let her help him back to his feet.
“A novice shouldn’t last even a tenth as long as that, Pettit,” Klim told him. “I look forward to the other weapons.”
“Hopefully, I’ll improve by then,” Gregory said, touching the bruise he felt on his shoulder.
“Did I break something?”
“Bruised. It’ll heal,” Gregory said.
“Very well. Thank you.”
“Greg?” Yukiko called from one of the tunnels.
“Sorry, Yuki. Adept Klim asked me to spar with her.”
Yukiko’s eyes turned to Klim, obviously sizing up the adept. “Are you ready now?”
“Yeah, she just finished trouncing me,” Gregory said, heading toward her. “Let’s get going.”
“Thank you again, Pettit. I’m sorry for delaying him, Warlin. Don’t be harsh on him. I did request his assistance.”
Yukiko met Klim’s eyes. “I would never be harsh with him, Adept. I only ask that I be informed ahead of time before you spar with him so that I may watch and learn.”
Klim smiled. “Agreed. I will inform him the day before, next time.”
“Thank you,” Yukiko said, bowing her head. “If you will excuse us, Adept?”
“By all means. I’m hungry, too,” Klim laughed.
As they left, Yukiko glanced at Gregory. “Isn’t sparring with her dangerous?”
“No. She seems like a good person. She just wants a challenge.”
“I’ll trust your opinion on it,” Yukiko said. “Meditation, bath, and food, right?”
“And a kiss before the bath,” Gregory said softly.
“If that’s what my heart wishes,” Yukiko smiled.
~*~*~
Meditation brought forth a memory instead of Gregory’s usual aether cavern.
The square was busy; it always was when the ceremony happened. Gregory, Gunnar, Eloria, and Amoria were perched on a wagon, looking at the stage as those who were to become adults began lining up.
“Do you think it’ll be one of them?” Amoria asked.
“Doubt it,” Eloria said. “Look at Scottie.”
“How did he dye his hair blue?” Gunnar laughed.
“I overheard his mother saying he found a patch of berries and mashed them into his hair,” Eloria giggled.
Gregory was only half-listening to them, as he had caught sight of his mother. Frowning, he wondered why she was speaking to the proctor. He knew he’d declared that he was going to be a magi to her the other day, but she wouldn’t tell the proctor, would she?
“Greg?” Amoria asked, taking his hand. “What’s wrong?”
“Huh? Oh, nothing.” Shaking his head, he gave her a grin. “I was thinking of those berries near my house.”
“Going to try making yourself a redhead?” Gunnar laughed.
The memory ended and he was back in his cavern. Gregory was moving through the slow-motion martial arts forms they used when meditating. “Why that memory?” Gregory questioned the aether flame.
The flame just burned away. Gregory did note the sparks and pops of different colors, as well as the way the fire seemed to surge and ebb. “Am I feeding you too much, aether?”
The fire did not respond or change as he kept moving through the motions. Shaking his head, he focused on the movement of the forms and let his mind work on the memory.
~*~*~
“That was odd,” Yukiko said when they finished their hour of meditation.
“Oh?”
“I had a memory of Father and Mother talking about me crying… It was because I was being bullied about my heritage. I remember the moment perfectly, and how it was Mother who convinced Father to take me with him. I always thought it was Father who had convinced her.”
“Did he object?” Gregory asked.
“No, he was just surprised that she suggested it. It meant she wouldn’t get to see me as much, and Father knew it would hurt her. It also explains why, when we did make it home, she was always with me.”
“She loves you and did the best thing she could for you, even if it hurt her.”
“Yes…” Yukiko said softly. “I’ll make sure to let her know how thankful I am.”
“That’d be good.”
“What about you?”
“A small snippet, and odd,” Gregory said. “The year before my mother died, I made my declaration of being a magi. When Bishop came to the village that year, my mother had a discussion with her. I was across the square from them, so I have no idea what was said, but the memory of seeing them talk is there.”
Yukiko’s brow furrowed as she gave it some thought. “Do you think she told Bishop?”
“I don’t know. When we see Bishop again, we can ask her.”
“Do you think she’ll admit anything?”
“I don’t know, but asking shouldn’t hurt anything.”
“Okay.”
Gregory pulled Yukiko into an embrace. “Before we leave this room, though…” He smiled as he slowly inched his lips toward hers.
“As my heart wishes,” Yukiko murmured.
