Dinner was lavish. It consisted of six courses, each one helping prepare them for the next. The drink that went with was a diluted wine that had their aether burning bright. Dessert was what stood out the most to Gregory— it was chilled purity plums, diced into small sections and mixed with frozen cream.
Conversation had been mostly nonexistent, since the food had come out almost as soon as they had finished the previous course. With dessert gone and the table cleared of everything but a mint tea, the elf who had greeted and served them, Bella, told them they could stay as late as they wanted to before leaving them alone.
“This was very different,” Jenn said. “An elder who appears to know the future…”
“I can do the same, although to a greatly reduced degree,” Gregory said, deciding to play into what people would know once Damon had informed people.
Jenn stared at him. “Did you use that to beat me?”
“No. I don’t have conscious control over it yet, though it saved me twice during the tournament.”
“Oh, the earth spike and Jason?”
“Yes. Master Damon is going to tell the academy and it’ll be out soon enough. Figured telling you up-front would be for the best.”
“Thank you for trusting me,” Jenn said, brushing some hair behind her ear.
“Lightshield can see further into the future, I think,” Yukiko said. “He knew there would be three eating. They also only served us meals for novices, who normally don’t eat up here, instead of two for novices and one for an elder.”
Gregory nodded. “I think you’re right… but he was also using wind magic. I thought people could only use a single type of magic?”
“There are stories of dual affinities, but they’re very rare and normally can’t do as much as a person with a single affinity,” Jenn said. “I’ve been reading about different magics over the last few days.”
“We should get going,” Yukiko said. “Jenn needs to get her stuff moved to the clan building and we need to find out where it is.”
“Good point,” Gregory agreed. “Let’s go.” He took one last sip of his tea before standing.
As they left the private room and walked through the main room of the second floor, all eyes turned to them. Muttered conversation about why three novices were unescorted sprang up, but when Bella bid them farewell, the muttering cut down.
When they descended to the ground floor, a warm voice called out to them, “Novices, are you ready?”
“Keeper, we are,” Gregory replied.
Dia shook her head. “I’m no longer a Keeper. I am Magus Dia, now that I am not in charge of the dormitory. You may all call me Dia. All of your things have been sent to the clan hall. I am here to show you the way.”
“Even my things, Kee… Dia?” Jenn asked.
“Yes.”
“But I didn’t even know I was—” Jenn began.
“Elder Lightshield said it would be so,” Dia cut her off. “If we had been wrong, it would have reflected badly on the clan. He appears to have been correct, however.”
“Yes, but that’s very unnerving,” Jenn said.
“Are you part of the clan, Dia?” Yukiko asked.
“Yes. I joined the other day when I was asked if I would care for you. It makes it easier for me to interact with the others if I’m an official member of a clan,” Dia said and smiled. “Now, if you will follow me?”
Trailing her, Gregory watched the path with a curious eye. Just before the last branch that would take them to the archive, Dia turned away and led them a different way. After another minute of walking and going past a large hedge, the clan hall came into view. It was a large building with ample grounds around it. The hedge they had passed surrounded the entirety of the area.
“This is the Aether’s Guard clan hall inside the walls of the academy,” Dia said as she led them toward the doors. “It will easily accommodate everyone this year and for years to come.”
Gregory was glad the building wasn’t gaudy like the others he’d seen. It was very understated and appeared to be more defensive than anything. The windows were thin and tall, looking more like enlarged arrow slits than actual windows. The doors were iron-banded thick wood. The entire building abutted the wall, and the roof of the building was the same height as the walls. Gregory wondered if there was a trap door that would lead onto the wall.
“Before I show you all the different rooms, we should start with the staff,” Dia said. “I think you know them.” Stopping on the porch, she pulled the bell-rope.
The doors opened to reveal five eurtiks that Gregory and Yukiko knew as friends. Ravol, Zenim, Steva, Velma, and Quilet all stood there in uniforms, smiling broadly. “Greetings, Novices,” the five said in unison.
Gregory and Yukiko smiled back at them, shocked that the cooks were there, but happy. Jenn’s brow furrowed as she tried to figure out why the cooks were there.
Dia chuckled, “They are most of the staff currently, but I’m sure we’ll be getting more before next year.”
“It’s good to see you all,” Yukiko said, moving forward to give Velma a hug. “We’ll miss your cooking, but it’s better to have you here.”
Zenim’s laugh was rough. “We’ll be cooking still. Most clans use the mess hall, as it’s free. Elder Lightshield assured us he’d rather we cook for the clan. Breakfast will be made to order, snacks will be ready at the start of the day, but dinner will be set to Dia’s specifications.”
Gregory shook hands with Steva. “Thank you again.”
“We still thank you both,” Steva grinned.
Yukiko looked back at Jenn, who seemed uncertain of what to do. “Jenn, these are our friends. Jenn is also our friend and joined the clan with us,” she told the staff.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Jenn said a little stiffly.
Dia placed a hand on her shoulder. “The clan doesn’t hold any prejudices and asks its members to do their best to dispel theirs.”
Jenn smiled. “Thank you, Dia.”
“Now that you’ve met with most of the staff,” Dia said, “we should continue the tour of the building. Follow me.”
The tour went fairly quickly, as Dia didn’t let them pause in any one area long. There was a garden for meditating; with a rock garden, a small pond with koi in it, and bonsai trees. The room with wooden sparring dummies made Jenn’s eyes light up. They paused for a little longer in the dining area and kitchen area so the staff could give a brief idea of what each person could order for food and snacks. Bedrooms ranged from half the size of what the novices had at the dormitory up to full suites. A room with a heavy covering on the large table and shelving was called the war room, but Dia didn’t elaborate on it further. The study was full of books with four tables and the last staff member.
Murium rose to her feet and looked mortified. Licking her lips, she brushed at her uniform and hurried to greet them after setting aside the book she had been reading. “I’m sorry, Dia. I never heard the bell.”
“Murium is the one who’ll be in charge of the study,” Dia said, ignoring her apology for the moment. “I’ve been told she’s highly skilled in knowing what and where everything is when it comes to knowledge.”
“She worked in the archive,” Gregory said. “She was always there with the book or scrolls we asked for.”
Murium lowered her head, clearly flustered. “Yet I’ve screwed this up already…” She chewed at her lip as she worried over what would happen.
Dia shook her head. “Murium, everyone makes mistakes. It’s not repeating them and learning to do better that matters. I trust you to never ignore the bell again.”
Murium looked up, hope in her eyes. “No, ma’am. Never.”
“Dia, not ma’am,” Dia said simply. “If you wish to study, Murium will assist you, Novices. The chief archivist herself vouched for her.”
Murium’s eyes bugged out, her lips trembling. “She did?”
“Yes. Now, if you will excuse us, I’m still conducting the tour,” Dia said, ushering them out of the study.
Dia showed them the baths last, making sure they understood which was the male side and which was the female side. “If you are ever caught in the wrong one, I’ll make sure you learn a very painful lesson, not that I expect any of you to make that error.”
“No, Dia,” Gregory said.
“Never, Dia,” Yukiko replied.
“No, ma’am,” Jenn said crisply.
“Dia or Magus, not ma’am,” Dia chided Jenn gently. “Now that you’ve seen everything, did you have any questions?”
“Which rooms are ours?” Yukiko asked.
“We would normally place you in the smallest rooms as novices. However, since we won’t have new novices until next year, it was decided to put you into the standard quarters. Follow me.”
She led them to their rooms and had them verify that all of their things had made it. Once they had, she bowed her head to them. “I wish you all a good night. The hall does not have a lights-out time, but we do ask you to respect your neighbors. I am on the top floor and there is a plaque with my name on the door, if you have to find me in the middle of the night. Any other questions?”
When the three said they didn’t, Dia took her leave. Left standing in the hall, they exchanged glances.
“We should be turning in soon, ourselves,” Yukiko said. “Normally, we do an hour of studying before bed.”
“Oh… Would it be okay if I joined you?” Jenn asked.
“I’d like that,” Yukiko replied. “We’ve been mostly focusing on economics to stay ahead of Magus Han.”
Jenn winced. “I could use help with that.”
Gregory chuckled. “I understand. Yukiko is a great teacher.”
“My room tonight?” Yukiko asked, opening the door. “We’ve been switching rooms for studying. Making it a three-room rotation is good, as well.”
Entering Yukiko’s room, Gregory took a longer look at the layout. It was similar to the rooms at the dormitory, but the walls here were solid wood, not the heavy paper and wooden slats of the dormitory. There was a closet for personal items, a short-legged table in the middle of the room, a mat and bedding near one wall, and a pitcher and basin on a shelf.
Taking his seat, Gregory pulled his bag around and took out his notes. “Do you have notes for economics, Jenn? We might want to see where you are, then work from there, so we’re all on the same page.”
Jenn winced. “Uh… I don’t have many notes.”
Yukiko patted her hand. “You will. We’ll begin with the basics and work back from there. Greg, you should start. It’ll let me see how much you remember.”
“A test? Okay then, I can do this,” Gregory grinned.
Jenn pulled out her paper, ink, and pen. As she got things ready, she wondered if she had done the right thing. Something about Gregory pulled at her. She felt like she needed to be beside him, to be there to help him. Glancing his way and seeing him smile at Yukiko, Jenn felt a twinge of jealousy, which she quickly squashed. “I’m ready,” she said.
“Okay,” Gregory said, giving her a smile, “let’s start at the beginning. Feel free to tell me if you already know a part so we can skip ahead a little.”
“I will,” Jenn said, returning his smile.
