Over the next week, they finished the book on suppressing aether, then worked on both that and exuding aether. Gregory found it odd that any magi could exude their power, but that only spirit paths had the control to suppress it, leading to an evening of debate over why that might be.
With that book done, they shifted their attention to reading about the Resonant Mind during the carriage rides. That was slower going, and had been written by the original Han Merchant clan head. Yukiko mentioned that it was strange that two of the original great clan heads managed to combine paths— that conversation took an entire night, as well.
Mindie worked on her unarmed combat and was improving quickly. Rafiq encouraged her every day that she sparred with him. Egil pushed each of them hard during that time, and grinned every time he fought Gregory, even when no aether was used. Whenever Gregory used foresight, he won every match against Egil, and was getting faster at doing so.
Because some of the inns they stayed in didn’t have giant tubs, they didn’t always get to bathe together. For those places, Gregory would bathe with his wives in one room while the others used the second. When they did all get to bathe together, Gregory continued to alternate who he scrubbed down, giving their ears and tails attention when he did.
~*~*~
They’d stopped in a large town called Burton the previous evening. Yukiko told them that it was the last empire town before Buldoun, and had actually once been a part of Buldoun before the empire took it during a war. Over dinner, Lightshield informed all of them that they would be arriving at the venue the following afternoon. It was being held in Anders, a city just across the border.
They did their best during the trip the following morning to focus on the Resonant Mind, but they were all eager to arrive for the tournament. After a couple of hours, Gregory chuckled and put the book away.
“Okay, I think we’re all having trouble,” Gregory said.
“I’ve tried to stay focused,” Roshana admitted.
“Me, too, but I know I’ve failed,” Clover sighed.
“Even Greg’s been distracted,” Yukiko smiled.
“You, too, Yuki,” Jenn said, “but you’ve been to Buldoun before.”
Yukiko looked into the distance. “Yes… my distraction is different.”
“You think your former betrothed will be here?” Gregory asked.
“Part of his family will be, at least. This event will have brought the most influential traders to Anders. It’ll be easy to make trade deals with the empire while we’re here.”
“Former betrothed?” Mindie asked.
“Before my age day, I was betrothed to Dan Yulin, the heir to the Yulin merchant empire of Buldoun. That was broken when I became a magi, thankfully.”
“Because it let you marry Greg?” Clover asked.
“Mostly… also because he was more like Nick.”
“A self-important ass?” Ling asked.
Yukiko giggled. “Yes.”
“Will he cause trouble?” Mindie asked.
“Unlikely,” Yukiko replied. “The Yulin family broke off our betrothal because marrying a magi would mean that I would control the family after his death, and I would live for centuries.”
“I should thank them, then,” Gregory said, taking her hand.
Jenn placed her hand over his and Yukiko’s. “We should.”
Mindie licked her lips, then added her hand to theirs. “We should?”
All three of them looked at Mindie. She flushed, but didn’t remove her hand.
“Bold,” Yukiko said softly before placing her other hand atop Mindie’s.
Clover’s hand suddenly landed on Yukiko’s other hand as she leaned across Gregory. “In time, we’ll need to, too.”
A second later, Ling and Roshana’s hands were added to the pile, leaving Gregory pressed down between the seats, underneath three women leaning across the aisle.
All of them laughed and smiled broadly, as they were certain it was true.
They spent the rest of their travel time with Yukiko telling stories about some of the things she’d seen during her trips in Buldoun. It was only an hour into those when the carriage began to slow.
Looking out the window, Clover saw the city ahead of them. “Oh! The walls are tall.”
“Prepared for another war,” Ling said. “They’ll need an earth magi to stop ours from tearing them down easily.”
“They can field them, and one might live in the city, making it more important for them to defend it,” Yukiko said.
“I wonder if we’re going into the city?” Roshana asked, having looked out the other window. “I see a couple of structures outside the walls and a lot of very large tents.”
Yukiko shifted so she could see what Roshana had. “Hmm… those weren’t there a couple of years ago. I agree that that’s probably where we’ll be.”
“Why not inside the walls?” Mindie asked.
“There are a lot of magi in our group, more than enough to be a serious threat. Buldoun suggested this event, but they might still want to minimize the danger to the city at the same time.”
“A sage, an elder, a handful or more of magus-tiered magi, and over a dozen apprentices,” Gregory said. “If we were all in the city, we could easily take it.”
“It shows that Buldoun is confident enough to let us get close, but cautious enough to not let us all in at once,” Yukiko said.
“Like they wanted to show us that they aren’t afraid, but they actually are a little afraid?” Jenn asked.
“That’s what it looks like to me.”
“So we won’t be able to go into the city?” Clover asked.
“We don’t know,” Gregory said. “They might let in a few of us at a time, if we even have time to go inside. There’s no saying how busy this tournament will be.”
“That’s a good point,” Ling nodded. “But if we do get time?”
“It’d be good to see one of their cities,” Jenn said. “I’ve been curious how different it is.”
“If we go, we should try to go as a group,” Yukiko said. “Or at least go with me. They’ll try to take advantage of you. I have a good idea of prices, at the very least.”
“Agreed,” Gregory said, then shifted to look out the window with Yukiko. “Looks like we’ll be a mile or more from the city itself.”
“Hard for us to get close without being seen that way,” Yukiko said. “They might have said no advanced spatial magi.”
“Because the grandmaster at the academy could put himself, Laozi, and Lightshield right in the middle of the city if he was here,” Mindie said.
“Exactly. Without a magus or above-tier spatial magi, there can’t be a surprise attack inside the walls.”
“Maybe they kept us outside for our safety, too?” Jenn suggested.
“To stop anyone from targeting us easily?” Ling asked.
“Any real incident might be used as a reason for war,” Yukiko mused. “If one or more of us are killed, it would give the empire a solid reason to attack.”
“So not for us, but to give even less of a chance for an incident to happen,” Mindie said.
“That seems far more likely to me,” Yukiko said. “The average citizen of Buldoun won’t bow to magi like those in the empire will. Imagine Nick in such a place.”
“Stops us from causing a problem that would let Buldoun demand compensation,” Clover said.
“Which is what they would want,” Yukiko nodded.
“I’m sure we’ll hear about the rules once we get there,” Gregory said as he shifted back to sit between the seats.
“I would be shocked if there weren’t any,” Yukiko said, reclaiming her seat.
It didn’t take long for them to reach the site. When they finally came to a full stop, Gregory got out, helping the women down one by one. By the time he’d finished, Lightshield was waiting for them.
“Apprentices and Adept,” Lightshield smiled, “we are a mile from Anders. This is where we will be for the next few weeks. We will be heading to our encampment shortly, but carriages stop outside the overall area to make things easier when inside the venue.”
Gregory could see the other clans spread out around the area. There was a knee-high wooden fence, and it clearly delineated the boundary of the space.
“There are rules that need to be observed while we are here. We are technically inside Buldoun, so their laws will be enforced. Now, there is some leeway given since we were invited, but do your best to not break any, not that I expect any of you will.”
None of them spoke, so he continued, “The tournament is two parts, the first is fighting, which centers around teams of three. I am sure a few of you are wondering why some of the other groups were vastly reduced.” Lightshield looked at Yukiko when he said that. “The Empire’s Gambit tournament will have the potential to be much larger, but will also start with three people per team.”
Gregory caught sight of the Eternal Flame group entering the area, but focused on Lightshield.
“The tournaments do not start for three days,” Lightshield said. “That gives you tonight and the next two days to explore as you wish. The city is open to you, but not to anyone of magus or a more advanced tier. Your family is staying at the inn your father has used before, Yukiko. If you wish to find them, they will be there.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“I have to reiterate that you represent the clan, and also the empire,” Lightshield went on. “I know none of you will tarnish either, but I have been ordered to remind you. Now, are there any questions?”
“How will the tournaments be held, sir?” Gregory asked.
“Hmm… a good question. The fighting tournament will be a round-robin for the first round. You will fight each of the opposition once apiece, with a day off between the days of fighting. After that, your clan groups will be against each of their groups, with days off between those. Then, there will be a mass fight with the empire teams against the Buldoun teams all at once. Do you know why?”
“To show off each fighter’s skill, our clan cohesion, and then, the full strength of each side,” Ling answered first.
“Correct,” Lightshield smiled. “As for the Empire’s Gambit tournament, it will pit a wide swath of border as the battlefield, with Buldoun clashing with the empire. Most of you will be separated and have to deal with invading forces. In time, you might get to push back into their side. Who is placed where and what they face is still to be decided. That side of the tournament will take place after the fights, giving everyone the chance to take part.”
Gregory blinked, surprised he wasn’t being excluded. “I can play this time, sir?”
“There is a chance— it is slim, but there currently,” Lightshield said. “The downside to that tournament is that everyone will be sequestered during play to make sure no one cheats. We will be watching their players, and they will be watching ours. The main board will be viewable by anyone, like the main board was during your tournament finale.”
“Will we be safe being separated?” Clover asked.
“Yes. No tricks or sabotage will take place during the tournament. Any other questions?” When no one spoke up, he smiled. “Let us go see our quarters for the duration. Then, you are free to do as you wish.”
They were the last group to head into the small tent city that was the tournament venue, but Gregory felt excited. Glances at his friends showed the same levels of excitement in them as they followed Lightshield and Hemet inside.
