Another week came and went for them. Dia had advised them she would have a carriage pick them up from Gin’s to avoid any more complications before the tournament. After breakfast, they went to the archive to study.
Simon greeted them. “Novices, it’s good to see you. Your friends are already here. Do you require new books?”
“I think we’re all still good,” Gregory said. Both Yukiko and Jenn agreed with him. “Thank you for asking, Simon.”
“You’re welcome. May your study time be enlightening to you all.”
Nessa saw them first and gave them a smile. “Good morning.”
“Morning, Nessa, Daciana,” Gregory smiled back. “How are you?”
“We’re good,” Daciana replied. “No challenges this week, though Indara did mention she would have to stop our tutoring after this week.”
“Because the clan will be busy,” Yukiko nodded. “Besides, at this point, you have a better foundation than Gregory did starting out. Just train with what she has taught you, and I’m sure you’ll be ready for your novice year.”
“We are,” Daciana said. “We’ll be the best novices in our class.”
Nessa gave Daciana a crooked smile. “She’s always like this. She never lacks confidence.”
Daciana grinned. “I will lack in nothing.”
“Except humility,” Nessa countered.
“I’m sure she’ll have some of that given to her during the first year,” Gregory chuckled. “You don’t have to be the best at everything. Your friends and clan can help you with what you’re weak at. Jenn is a better fighter than me, and Yuki is by far smarter, and better at bargaining. Actually, I’m not sure I’m better than them at any one thing.”
Jenn smirked. “He finally realized it.”
Yukiko giggled. “Be nice, Jenn. He’s better in one very important way: Gregory has conviction that would be hard-pressed for us both to beat combined.”
“He can be remarkably strong-willed about some things,” Jenn admitted.
“Like what?” Daciana asked.
“Let’s get on with the Magi Squares,” Gregory said, not wanting to keep the topic going.
Yukiko and Jenn shared a look, knowing smiles in place, before they gave Daciana an apologetic shrug. Daciana grumbled softly under her breath, upset that she wasn’t being included. Nessa patted Daciana’s hand and gave her a small head shake.
~*~*~
The trip to Gin’s was as quiet as it normally was in the early morning. The city was just waking up as Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn walked down the road.
“Daciana really wants to be part of the group,” Jenn said. “Almost aggressively so.”
“I think it’s part of her nature,” Yukiko said. “Just like Nessa is a bit more reserved.”
“We aren’t excluding her, though,” Gregory frowned. “We’ve been welcoming and have helped as much as we can.”
“We’ve been helpful,” Yukiko agreed, “yet she dislikes the distance that lies between them and us. Being a year behind us makes it unlikely to ever change.”
“It’ll change when they join the clan,” Jenn said. “Then, they’ll be allowed to practice with us.”
“Is that what she wants, or is it what her father wants for her?” Gregory asked.
“It might have been her father’s suggestion before she met us,” Yukiko said, “but it’s fully her idea now.”
“You don’t think she’d—?” Jenn started.
“No,” Yukiko cut her off. “She knows that much, at least.”
“But she might—”
“Yes. We’ll have to talk with her privately,” Yukiko replied after cutting Jenn off again.
“What?” Gregory asked, confused by the quick and abbreviated conversation.
Yukiko gave Jenn a look before giving Gregory a smile. “Daciana… has her sights set on a goal that will be difficult for her to achieve. If Jenn and I speak with her, she might be better able to temper her expectations.”
“Uh… Okay.”
“What about Nessa?” Jenn asked.
“I’m not sure. She hasn’t seemed as intent,” Yukiko shrugged. “Best to talk with them both.”
Gregory frowned as they kept walking. He knew the conversation was there for him to grasp, but he felt like he was missing a key component of it.
“Do you think there’ll be other novices who try joining the clan?” Jenn asked, shifting the topic slightly.
“Once we win the second tournament, I’m sure some of our clanless novices and some of Daciana’s class will be very interested. I wonder who Dia will pursue, accept, or turn away,” Yukiko said. “She has to decline the weaker clanless that are out there. They would endanger the clan and be the targets for our enemies to hurt.”
“Which I dislike, but understand,” Gregory said.
“I know, dear one,” Yukiko said, touching his arm.
“Do you think they could follow more than one path, like we are?” Jenn asked. “That might help them grow faster.”
“Even we shouldn’t be able to,” Yukiko said softly, moving to be next to Jenn. “Do you trust me?”
Jenn glanced at Yukiko in confusion. “I’ve trusted you.”
“Then trust me when I say there’s a very important reason that Gregory, you, and I can do what we do. It wouldn’t work for just anyone. I’m not even sure it will for Nessa and Daciana, and they’re the next most likely ones it could work for.”
“Just us three?” Jenn asked with a curious expression.
“Even her parents, who she shares everything with, don’t know,” Gregory said softly.
“And we’ll tell you before next year begins,” Yukiko added.
Jenn opened her mouth, but then closed it, nodding once. “After your marriage, you mean?”
“Yes.”
Jenn took a deep breath. “You will…?”
“I haven’t asked yet, but yes. I am willing, if you’ve accepted the restrictions,” Yukiko said.
Jenn nodded. “I accept. It’s the best I’ll be offered.”
Lips pursing, Gregory knew he was again missing something he should see. “We’ll tell you after the wedding,” he said, trying to join the conversation.
Yukiko and Jenn shared a knowing smile before Jenn looked at Gregory. “I’ll wait.”
“Do you think we’ll win today?” Yukiko asked abruptly.
“With you leading us, and Gregory using his foresight?” Jenn smiled. “Today is the day we win.”
~*~*~
Meditating on the Peaceful Fist in the garden with the children had them smiling as they headed for the game with their instructors. “How are you today, gentlemen?” Gregory asked when they entered the room.
“Good,” Lon grinned. “We have a plan of attack, and we’ll be sweeping our games played.”
“Easy now, Lon,” Vexlin laughed. “They might have come up with something. We did get caught by their archers, after all.”
“We win today,” Jenn said.
Cal touched his furry ear. “I think we’ll have a good game.”
“Agreed,” Yukiko smiled.
“Either way, we’re ready to get it started,” Gregory said.
“We left off with the upkeep from the empire,” Cal said.
“Yes,” Yukiko nodded.
Everyone took their places at the table, and Cal flipped the upkeep marker. “Upkeep underway.”
“We’d like to intercede,” Jenn said. Picking up the cards in front of her, she pulled the one she wanted and laid it face-up on the table. “It appears that bandits found an easy mark: your supplies.”
Lon chuckled. “It’s too bad that another bunch went for your pay chest,” he turned over a card of his own. “Seems we were both holding onto those.”
Yukiko looked down at her counters, quickly doing the math for the pay to the men they had under them. “That will sting, but it won’t break us.”
“No. You did well managing your war chest,” Vexlin nodded, “but this will put a damper on your ability to field more specialized units.”
“Your men might need to forage, though,” Gregory said.
“Yes. That’ll hit the morale of our troops,” Cal smiled. “We were, of course, keeping their morale near peak. A happy soldier is more willing to suffer the occasional hardship.”
“We’ll move onto the resource dispersal stage, then, if no one else has any surprise to spring?”
Gregory smiled. “Might as well add on.” He drew a card from his deck. “Good thing your morale was so high.” He flipped over his card. “Looks like one of your officers has been negligent.”
Cal blinked. “Well, that puts a kink in our plans.”
“Now we can move forward,” Gregory smiled.
The three instructors exchanged a look. “We need a moment,” Cal said, motioning the other two to the door.
“Take your time,” Gregory smiled.
When they left, Yukiko turned to Gregory. “Already?”
“They didn’t have an answer to it,” Gregory said. “They’ll pull back, and solidify their camps. It gives us a chance to take the mine that we’d been thinking about. They won’t be able to stop it.”
“Is it cheating?” Jenn asked softly. “I don’t want to stop, but is Gregory using foresight cheating?”
“No. I’d use it when we’re out in the field if we end up in a similar position.”
“We do what we have to, if that’s here or elsewhere,” Yukiko said.
Jenn nodded. “I understand.”
The door opened up a minute later and the instructors came back in. Cal and the other two looked serious, more serious than they’d ever been.
“If there’s nothing else, we can move onto the next stage,” Cal said, giving Gregory a hard look.
“Nothing else from me, at least this time,” Gregory smiled.
The gameplay went on, and as Gregory said, the instructors pulled their camps back and consolidated, letting them take the mine. That helped even out the loss of payroll and let Yukiko put other pieces into play.
~*~*~
The game started to tilt back into the favor of the more seasoned side as it went on. Just as the next round of combat was about to be resolved, Gregory used foresight again— he had a trick in his hand, but he wanted to know if they could counter it. The round of combat filled his head as he stared at the board and a smile grew on his face.
“Before we start with the math,” Gregory smiled, “I think it’s time for an unfortunate event.”
Vexlin glanced at the board, wondering what could possibly be played to hamper the overwhelming force that was arrayed before the novices. He was answered a minute later when Gregory turned over the card he’d been waiting to play.
“You had them forage for food not that long ago,” Gregory smiled. “Dysentery is bad by itself, but right now, it will really hamper your men. We’ll put it on the pikemen.”
Cal’s face scrunched up. “That’ll break them when the horse comes in. Lon? Vexlin?” Both men looked over their cards and shook their heads grimly. “Krog’s balls…” Cal sighed. “It’s like you’re Aether-blessed right now.”
“A bit,” Gregory admitted.
“Dammit,” Lon said, showing Cal a card. “I don’t want to.”
“Do it. We need to regroup after that,” Cal sighed.
Lon tossed his card onto the board. “Tactical retreat. We’re pulling back… again.”
Jenn’s eyes lit up. “Oh, good.” She quickly tossed a card onto the board. “Run them down.”
Vexlin’s eye twitched. “It’s like they stacked the deck! That’s my job…”
“I have nothing,” Cal said grimly.
“No,” Lon sighed.
“I would’ve played it,” Vexlin gritted.
“Now we can take stock of what the battle did,” Yukiko smiled.
~*~*~
As the game came to an end, Cal shook his head. “Aether was blessing you left and right today. We surrender.”
“How did you do it?” Vexlin asked.
“Sometimes, things just work,” Jenn smiled.
Lon shook his head. “No, you had too many answers when we moved, or we had none to your plays. It was like you knew when the optimal time to move was.”
Gregory chuckled. “Aether-blessed.”
“Well, we congratulate you on not being swept,” Cal said. “Time to clean it up and pack it away.”
“And time for some food,” Baylyss said as she opened the door, leading Elsa inside.
“Won’t say no to that,” Lon grinned. “Last meal we’ll have from you. Is it only high sun?”
“It’s past fourteenth bell now,” Baylyss said. “You were all engrossed in your match, so I waited.”
“Put it away after?” Vexlin asked, staring at the food Elsa was carrying.
Cal laughed. “Fine.”
~*~*~
The carriage arrived almost two hours earlier than they’d normally leave. They’d done another round of Peaceful Fist meditation in the garden with the kids, most of whom were exhausted by the end of it.
Baylyss showed them to the door. “She’ll be sad that you won’t be here next week.”
“We’ll be here for the morning, but we won’t be staying past meditation,” Yukiko corrected her. “We’ll be missing for the majority of the twelve days after that, at least. When the tournament ends, we don’t know what the clan has planned.”
“I’ll make sure that Elsa and the others get their work done first, but if it’s okay, I will allow them to practice without you.”
“That’s fine, Baylyss,” Gregory said. “Once we know more, we’ll let you know.”
“Thank you. I’ll be wishing for your victory at the tournament, but more importantly, for your safety.”
“Thank you, Baylyss,” Jenn said. “Are you going to bring the kids to see the fights?”
“No, that would be too much for them. I will be informed about your matches, though. Dia has promised me that much, so I can tell the children.”
“Until we return, may Aether watch over all of you,” Yukiko said, her eyes darting briefly to Gregory.
Baylyss bowed formally to her. “May Aether protect you, and Vera bless your wedding.”
“Please, will you bring the kids to that?” Yukiko asked. “My parents have already been informed to expect you and them. They’ll arrange to have some help for you so that you may enjoy yourself, as well.”
“Very well,” Baylyss conceded to Yukiko’s wishes.
Leaving the home behind, the three friends boarded the carriage. Jenn sat across from Yukiko and Gregory. “Next week is the last week before the tournament,” she said. “Time has flown by, but it feels like it was ages ago since the start of the year.”
“Yes,” Yukiko agreed, taking Gregory’s hand in hers. “So much has changed.”
Gregory chuckled. “Everything has changed, all of it for the better.”
“I never expected to have friends like you both,” Jenn said. “I fully expected to be alone and using my fighting ability to be acknowledged. If not for the fight with Greg in the first tournament, it would’ve been that way.”
“That did seem to change things,” Yukiko nodded.
“He was respectful,” Jenn said, looking out the window. “No bragging, no gloating… just honesty, confidence, and the conviction that he’d be able to win.”
“I should’ve lost,” Gregory said honestly. “If any one thing had gone differently, you would have easily won.”
Jenn snorted. “I don’t know if that’s true, but if we fought now, with the same rules as then, I would win.”
“Very likely,” Gregory said.
“But this tournament includes weapons,” Jenn continued. “If it was just weapons, you would win, and it wouldn’t be in doubt. With aether involved, some of us will still have a good chance of winning, Yukiko included.”
“The problem with her magic is that if she solidifies the shadows, they can be attacked and weakened enough to slip free,” Gregory said. “With us having left aether class, that weakness might not be well known, but I’m sure the more well-off clans will have informed their students.”
“Nick’s, for certain,” Yukiko said, “but a suddenly misplaced step in combat can help me. I don’t have to hold them, only break their balance.”
“She’s right about that,” Jenn agreed.
“I’ve also been practicing a lot with shuriken over the last month. That might help me, too,” Yukiko added.
“I don’t have your accuracy, but I can sink them into wood pretty well,” Jenn said. “If I hit with them, the opponent will be at a severe disadvantage.”
“I’ll have to close the distance and use the naginata,” Gregory said. “It’ll make my life difficult. Even foresight doesn’t give me a clear path to victory. It merely lets me avoid imminent defeat.”
“That’s…” Jenn trailed off. “Another group of thugs?”
“What?” Yukiko and Gregory asked, moving over to look out the window.
“The last side street… a group of ten men is standing around like they’re waiting for someone,” Jenn said. “Makes me wonder if another ambush was ready for us.”
“They didn’t expect the carriage,” Gregory murmured. “Dia saved us a complication.”
“We’ll have to thank her when we return to the clan hall,” Yukiko said. “I’ll let Lin know that we’re being targeted so the men are prepared for it.”
“That would be for the best,” Gregory agreed.
