They trained as normal on their day off. The other clans continued with the Peaceful Fist, even those who were going to spar. They were tired afterward, but not as exhausted as they’d been the other times.
During magic training, Gregory pushed his foresight and resonance. He tested what happened if his foe meditated while fighting Yukiko and Jenn. He didn’t feel any difference— the future was easy for him to navigate, as if they weren’t trying to stop him at all.
When they’d gone into the city, people grumbled and gave them a wide berth, but some cheered for them, saying they’d won money on their fights. They spent the time with their families, picking up their clothing and making sure it all fit. That night, they talked about the fight to come the following day over dinner.
Once they’d finished eating, they went to speak with Wolf House only to find the mages not in the other dining room. That had them wondering if the archmage had interfered, as the house chaperone had encouraged their friendship.
After finally making it back to their encampment for the night, they exchanged goodbyes. Yukiko and Jenn thanked Gregory when they went to bed— Mindie had been able to pull them aside to ask them her request. That led to Gregory being thanked over and over by both of his wives.
~*~*~
The day of the last fight began like normal— after their usual training, they had hours before the fight would actually take place. They opted to meditate to ease the nerves some of them had started to feel.
“Yuki?” Elsa asked when they’d stopped meditating. “I had a request.”
“Clover, please escort her with you to see the fight,” Yukiko asked before giving a wide-eyed Elsa a smile. “That was your request, wasn’t it?”
“How…?”
“We thought you’d ask and decided that we’d let you attend a single day,” Jenn smiled. “We were going to ask if you wanted to before we left.”
“You’ve done amazingly well, Elsa,” Gregory said softly. “Everything has been perfect. All of us know you’ll impress Yuki’s family.”
Elsa sniffled, wiping at her eyes. “Thank you…”
“Aww…” Clover said, getting to her feet to hug Elsa.
“There’s no party tonight,” Yukiko said. “It’s a good night for you to come to see the fight.”
“Uh…” Gregory said slowly, wondering if he should say it. “The night of the wedding, our friends will bring you back here. Okay?”
Elsa blinked, turning to Jenn and Yukiko. “But…”
“We won’t be coming back here after the wedding,” Yukiko told her.
Mindie flushed a deep red, not looking at anyone.
“There’s a reason for it, but don’t let it worry you,” Jenn told Elsa. “Roshana will make sure you’re safe.”
“All of us will,” Ling said. Her cheeks were a touch pink, as she’d understood what they’d meant.
“Okay,” Elsa whispered. “I’m sure it’s an adult thing, so I won’t pry.”
Mindie covered her burning face with her hands. Gregory felt bad for her, and shifted to put his arm around her.
As Mindie calmed down and Elsa went to get changed to join them as other than a maid, Gregory was summoned to Lightshield. Gregory followed Hemet with his heart in his throat, wondering if this was the last talk he’d have with the elder.
Thanking the elder, Gregory took the offered seat. Lightshield looked haggard— his hair was dull, his wrinkles and age spots were more pronounced, and his skin had a waxy sheen. Lightshield’s voice was even more worn than Gregory had heard it before. But even with that, Lightshield’s eyes were bright with intelligence. His body might be fading, but Gregory knew that his mind was still as sharp as ever.
“How can I help you, Elder?” Gregory asked.
“Sadly, you can do nothing for me, Gregory, nor is it time for that kind of talk. I called you here for a joyous reason, not a sad one.”
Gregory paused, trying to understand. “Joyous, sir?”
“I am sure you have all wondered how your friends are doing?”
“We do, sir,” Gregory said instantly.
“As of this hour, they have finished their fights for today and remain undefeated. The council has again decided to pit those who are undefeated against each other, meaning your three friends, along with Novice Ferentini, will face each other tomorrow. The day after that, the winners will face each other. They do not want another undefeated novice if they can stop it.”
Gregory thought about what he was being told. “I see…”
“The arenas have been enchanted as the overseer commanded, so they are in much less danger than novices of previous years.”
“What of the other novices, sir?”
“They have lost multiple times, but they fight hard every time,” Lightshield smiled. “Our apprentices who were left behind will have the aid of the Hardened Fist to attempt taking the apprentice tournament, as well.”
“Master Chen will be unhappy that we used them…” Gregory murmured.
“He has been placated,” Lightshield said. “I wished to have our clan once again take the top spot to drive home a point you started. Aether’s Guard has returned and has the best young magi the academy has seen for ages.”
“You don’t know who will win, sir?”
“It is hard to see the future that you are not present to witness or hear about. I know what I know as I made sure Dia sent me missives, with the aid of a spatial magi. There was a thought that knowing about your friends doing their best would drive you even more.”
“We’ll do our best to win today, Elder.”
“I know, Gregory… I know. Go ahead and tell your wives and friends the news. Hemet will be there to guide you in an hour.”
Gregory stood, bowing deeply to Lightshield. “Sir, there’s something—”
“It is still not time,” Lightshield cut him off with a hand gesture. “Not yet, but rest assured that I have seen many things.”
Gregory hesitated, then bowed even deeper. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. I will see you for the feast tonight. It will either be in victory or in solace.”
Gregory chuckled at the clear wink at the word “victory.” “We’ll do our best, sir.” With that, Gregory turned and left to go tell his friends what Lightshield had told him.
~*~*~
“That’s still shit…” Jenn muttered.
“It is, but after what we’ve done, they had to do something,” Yukiko sighed. “I’m actually surprised they waited this far into the tournament to make them face off.”
“If they even come close to a tie, it’ll be highly suspect, too,” Mindie added. “I doubt they’ll let any ties stand.”
“After the previous ties from tournaments past, I agree with you,” Ling nodded.
“The other clans must’ve pushed them even more after the last one,” Clover said. “Do you think the new apprentices can win with the Hardened Fist?”
“The three magi from their clan nearly joined us here,” Gregory said. “James and Gabrielle are both water mages, so I’m not sure what they can add to help.”
“If they push, they can give their allies clear paths while turning the rest of the arena into a swamp,” Roshana suggested. “They could just soak the others to make them miserable and uncomfortable, as well. Water magi aren’t good at direct combat. We’re more of a support magi.”
“Invaluable in any siege,” Clover said. “Clean water is always a problem.”
“That’s true,” Roshana smiled.
“That’s something we should discuss,” Ling said. “Who do we bring as the first three for the tournament? We were told it could be any of the six of us.”
“You, Clover, and Roshana,” Jenn said. “You should all have your chance to show off your talents, too.”
“We aren’t suited for battle, though,” Clover said. “All three of us are support magi. I’d say Yuki, Jenn, and Gregory.”
“Would they even let him play?” Ling asked.
“No idea,” Gregory said, “but I agree with Jenn. It’ll be a war, remember? You’ll have the chance to find allies. Who the others will bring is unknown to us, but I can bet Dave and Klein are the leads for their clan groups. Klein because he’ll be useful, and Dave because he’ll push for it.”
“Agreed,” Yukiko said. “You three should be in.”
“No,” Roshana said softly. “If Dave is going to be there, and possibly Farin, that’s two water magi already. I should sit out. Jenn or Yuki should take my place. For the good of the clan, and of the empire.”
The others were quiet for a moment. None of them disagreed with Yukiko often, but Roshana had made good points.
“I wanted you to have the chance to shine, to show the others that it doesn’t matter your heritage or where your family came from. I want them to see that you are their equal on the field,” Yukiko said softly. “You didn’t get to play in the first tournament, like Greg. Now’s your time.”
“We can win,” Clover said standing up. “They believe in us, so we should believe in ourselves, too.”
Ling’s smile was slanted, but she stood up. “We should, Clover. Very well.”
Roshana shook her head, then joined her friends. “The other clans will probably think we’ve gone mad to not field our best combat magi… at least until we show them what we can do.”
“Good,” Gregory grinned. “You can call us for aid. None of us will give up the chance to be called in. The other clans might call us in, too.”
“Oh… that would make sense,” Yukiko said, her mind racing. “Yes, I can see that. It’s a war, not clans fighting against one another.”
“I didn’t even think about that,” Jenn nodded. “The sage’s words make that seem obvious, though. What about the objectives he mentioned?”
“Towns or other key locations,” Clover said. “Both would be obvious objectives for a unit to take or hold against an aggressor.”
“Good point,” Mindie said. “Holding an area might be something, too.”
They spent nearly an hour going over potential objectives and who their allies might bring to the tournament. In time, Hemet came to get them. Instead of them walking with the Iron Hand to the arena, all of the clans walked as a group, which was good because the crowds were thick. That many magi got people to step aside, but it still wasn’t a quick trip. Jason and Parks were sullen, glaring at Gregory’s clan with clear hatred, with glances at Hayworth’s group.
When they got to the waiting area, the talking was nearly non-existent as everyone got their armor on. Some felt their nerves start to climb, as this was the last fight of the tournament.
Egil and Rafiq watched as they prepared. Egil was impassive, but Rafiq was making notes, clearly making sure he recorded everything he could.
