Stepping out of his room just as third bell began to chime, Gregory thought Yukiko looked radiant as she shut her door. “Good morning, Yuki,” he said softly.
A brilliant smile crossed her face and she blushed. “Yes… a good morning to you, too, dear one.”
Gregory leaned in and kissed her cheek. “We owe her.”
“I agree. I’m sure we’ll find a way to repay her kindness.” She met his eyes. “It’s hard not to hold you, but I feel a certain peace now.”
“Yes. We should wake Jenn,” he said, needing to change the subject to get his mind off their dream together.
“Go on ahead. I’ll bring her down.”
Gregory walked into the kitchen and saw Steva cooking breakfast. “Morning, Steva, and a happy new year to you.”
“To you, as well, Greg,” Steva said. “I’m almost done preparing the meal.”
“You have a minute or two. The other two are still on their way.”
“We’re here,” Yukiko said.
“I stepped out of my room just after you reached the stairs,” Jenn said. “I have economics with you.”
“We’ll be spending the majority of our days together,” Yukiko said. “It’ll be interesting. We’ll be getting to know a lot about each other.”
“I look forward to it.”
“Here you go,” Steva said, bringing breakfast to the table. “Did your medallions change? Dia said that they would, with the boosts you got yesterday.”
Gregory had forgotten all about that with the dream last night. Pulling his medallion out, he looked at it, shocked. Yukiko and Jenn pulled theirs out and matched his expression. Gregory and Yukiko’s medallion showed the ninth circle lit, while Jenn’s had the eighth lit.
Steva’s mouth was open as he looked from one to the next. “That isn’t normal…”
“Our novices are exceptional,” Dia said as she came into the room. “I had hoped to catch you all before you left to see how you progressed. I’ll let the elder know about your growth. He’ll be most pleased.”
“Steva said this wasn’t normal, Dia,” Gregory said.
“He is right and wrong,” Dia replied. “A single circle is normal during the solstice, if the novices are given appropriate help. Two circles aren’t unheard of, and in some clans, are normal for their favorites. Your rivals in the Eternal Flame likely grew just as much.”
“We’re almost to apprentice levels,” Jenn said with a hushed tone. “We’ll easily be there by the end of the year.”
“I believe you will be,” Dia smiled. “Now, don’t let me delay you more— your breakfast is cooling. Steva, come with me. I noticed something that requires your attention.”
“Yes, Keeper,” Steva said, following her from the room.
Yukiko watched them go with pursed lips. Once they were out of the room, she said, “Steva was right. She’s going to chastise him for telling us. I’ve seen Gin take guards away from my father’s presence for similar reasons.”
“But why would she lie?” Jenn asked as she picked up her soup.
“I don’t think she was lying,” Gregory said, “but I think Yuki’s right, too. Steva is going to get an earful for saying too much.”
“She exaggerated,” Yukiko nodded. “It wasn’t a lie, exactly.”
“That’s how it felt to me,” Gregory said. “She was telling the truth about the elder being pleased, though. Her eyes were happy when she said that.”
“You’re getting better at reading people,” Yukiko said proudly.
“I’ve had a good teacher,” Gregory grinned, picking up his soup. “Dia wasn’t wrong… our food is cooling, and we have studying to do.”
~*~*~
As they walked from the archive toward their economics class, the three chatted about the topics they’d been studying. Yukiko had switched to reading about magi tiers in the academy, Gregory started on the myths of Aether, and Jenn was entrenched in the wars of the past.
“The books conflict so much,” Jenn said. “How do you know what’s true?”
“You don’t,” Yukiko said. “The best you can do is form your own opinion on the matter. History is written by the winner, though, and that should always be kept in mind.”
Jenn nodded slowly. “Which allows them to gloss over the worst they might have done… Downplaying the atrocities that they committed while making their foes look worse.”
“Exactly.” Yukiko looked at Gregory. “What of you, dear one?”
“Aether’s myths are difficult. They’re so intertwined with the other gods that I can’t read just his stories to get a full picture. Even then, the contradictions are abundant. Krog and Aether were enemies, friends, brothers, or any combination of them. Mortum hated Aether and wished for his demise, or else loved Aether and cried when he passed.”
“Vera loved him,” Jenn said softly.
“She did. That’s the only thing that stands out through all of them,” Gregory agreed. “That love is what pitted Aether against Krog in the story I was just reading.”
“You sound like you’re enjoying them,” Yukiko said.
“I am, but I’m also frustrated at how disparate they are.”
Yukiko giggled. “Disparate? How quickly you have grown, dear one.”
Gregory frowned, then started to laugh. “Yes, I would’ve never used that word back home. What about your books, Yuki?”
“The majority of what I’ve read is just like Dia said— it’s during the apprentice tier that magi start to lag behind in rank, and that gap gets more pronounced throughout the following years. There have been people recorded as being ahead of the curve, and a majority of them have been in the great clans.”
“Who can expend the money to help boost their young clan members,” Gregory said.
“The elder is doing the same for us,” Jenn added. “He seems intent on helping us rise as far and as quickly as we can.”
“He does, doesn’t he?” Yukiko murmured, her brow furrowed in thought.
~*~*~
Taking a seat at a different table, Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn got their paper and ink situated. The click of Magus Marcia’s metal cane striking the stone outside announced her arrival.
“Good morning, Magus,” Jenn said, bowing her head to the older woman.
“It is,” Marcia replied. “I hope there will be no interruptions from you three?”
“No, Magus,” all three said.
“You have that down pat, at least,” Marcia said, taking her spot at the front of the room. “Did your solstice go well?”
“It did, Magus,” Yukiko answered for the group.
“What of you, Pettit? Did you enjoy the solstice? It must have been vastly different than what you were used to.”
“A number of things here are traditions I’d never heard of, Magus. The fireworks were the biggest surprise.”
“Yes, I can see how that would be. Did you know that at one time, there was thought to turn them into a weapon instead of decoration?”
“I did not.”
“Buldoun tried to turn them into such a hundred years ago, but the Eternal Flame turned that idea against them quickly. You see, the powder in them that makes them explode is set aflame to make it work.”
Gregory nodded slowly. “A fire magi could turn it from being only a threat to them to a disaster for the one trying to use it.”
“Exactly. That war ended quickly.”
The sound of voices getting closer made Marcia look to the door. “The others are about to show. I wonder how many will be late today?”
Gregory looked back as the other novices began to pour in, but Petak never appeared. Besides him, a handful of others were missing when the bell rang six and Marcia slammed the doors shut with a gust of wind.
“It seems that some of your fellow novices are dropping the class. That improves your chances of getting a relatively easy posting.”
The door cracked open and drew everyone’s attention. Marcia glared at the novice who slipped inside, trying to quietly take a seat at the back of the room.
“Novice, come here,” Marcia said coldly.
As the novice in question began to approach the front, the door opened again and three more novices entered the room.
“You three, to the front,” Marcia said with menace.
Once the four novices were lined up, she let a full minute slip by as she glared at each one in turn. The others in the room shifted— even they were growing uncomfortable with the mounting sense of doom.
“You will each leave this class for today. Tomorrow, before class begins, you’ll present me with at least a five-page essay about what I’ve taught so far. If your essay doesn’t impress me, you will be failed and barred from the class. Understood?”
“Yes, Magus,” the novices replied loudly.
“Leave. Now!”
The four scrambled to grab their things and fled the class in short order. No one else spoke as Marcia looked over the room.
“Tardiness upsets me, as I said at the beginning of the year. I was lenient to them because it’s the new year, but this was an abysmal way to start the year for them. Now, we were discussing the tariffs on Buldoun goods.”
~*~*~
With class over, Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn headed back to the clan hall. Dia was on the porch smoking when they arrived, and she motioned them to her.
“Yukiko, you’ll be practicing to the left of the clan hall,” Dia told her. “Jenn, you’re on the other side of the hall. We wish to keep Yukiko away from Master Chen, or they would be closer together. Gregory, you’re free to watch either class as you see fit. The elder believes that you can learn from both instructors, but thinks the decision of when and who should be yours.”
“I’ll spend half of the time with each,” Gregory said. “I think that’ll be for the best.”
“Very well. The instructors should be ready shortly,” Dia said. “After class, you have two hours to meditate or study as you wish. I’ll find you again when it’s time for your snack.”
“Thank you, Dia,” each said, bowing together.
“Enough of that,” Dia laughed. “Go on.”
As Yukiko and Jenn split apart, Gregory followed Yukiko toward the left side of the hall. “Yuki, I’m going to start with Jenn every day, then finish with you. I think today is especially important, since it’ll be the first lesson for her with Master Chen.”
Yukiko gave him a soft smile. “I understand, dear one. You’re right… it’s best if one of us is there for her.”
Gregory caught her hand and gave it a squeeze before turning back the other way. When he rounded the corner on the right side of the clan hall, he saw Jenn looking sad.
“Something wrong?” Gregory asked.
Head snapping up, Jenn stared at him for a moment. “No! No. Nothing. I thought you were going to watch Yuki first?”
“Second,” Gregory said. “This is the first lesson for you with Master Chen. It’ll be informative to see how he instructs, and I thought you might like a friendly face around.”
Jenn smiled at him. “I would… thank you.” Her eyes went past him and the smile faded. “Here he comes.”
Master Chen walked like a soldier, his stride precise and measured, almost marching. His face was impassive as he crossed the yard to them. His gaze landed on Gregory and he came to a stop a few feet from the two of them. “I thought I was instructing a single novice.”
“You are, sir,” Gregory said, bowing formally. “I’m merely here to watch. That’s my task from the elder.”
Chen’s lips thinned slightly. “I see, but I doubt it will do you much good. The knowledge that your magic is foresight is already being spread.”
“Master Damon did say it would be,” Gregory replied. “I still follow the orders of Elder Lightshield. If you want me to leave, I can let Magus Dia know.”
“No,” Chen said. “Just stay well back. Physical enhancement magic can be a little imprecise for novices. I’ve seen one throw themselves into walls before.”
“Yes, sir.” Gregory bowed once more before moving a few dozen feet away.
Chen turned his attention to Jenn. “Bean, you were slated to join our clan, but changed your mind… Normally, I’d rather cut off a finger than aid a novice who slighted us in such a manner. However, Elder Lightshield saved my life three times since I’ve become a magi, and those debts need to be repaid. I will instruct you as if you were part of the Iron Hand clan.”
“Yes, Master,” Jenn said, formally bowing to him. “Thank you, Master.”
“‘Sir’ is enough,” Chen told her. “Now, let’s see how well you can channel your aether first.”
