Gregory woke up slowly. He’d been exhausted when he got back to the encampment; the place had been in an uproar. The guards who should’ve been watching them were found dead or unconscious. Stef had been looking into that, as well as how the attempted assassin got so close. Sasha pulled the mages away, making sure they were under tighter guard.
Egil met Gregory and asked him what had happened. Gregory recalled a mumbled explanation before he was led to a bedroll. The moment he’d laid down, he was asleep. His dreams were a tangled mess of what might’ve happened if he hadn’t reached for his foresight— he might never have known the assassin was there until it was too late.
Jerking awake, Gregory was breathing fast as the nightmare broke around him. He exhaled a shaky breath when he realized where he was and that the nightmare had been only that.
“Didn’t sleep well?” Rafiq asked from a table off to the side.
Gregory glanced his way before getting up, stretching. “No. What-could-have-beens plagued me all night.”
“It would likely have been terrible,” Rafiq said. “It’s been announced that the game will resume later than scheduled today.”
“Was Claudia okay after I left?” Gregory asked, joining Rafiq at the table.
“Eat,” Rafiq said. “Yes, she was fine, but she almost went running after you.”
Gregory took a helping of the food on the table. He vaguely recalled them being called potato cakes, and they had the Buldoun sausages to go with them.
“You caught the assassin?” Rafiq asked.
“And his helpers,” Gregory mumbled around a mouthful of food.
“Hmm… interesting. Did they attack last night because she was in the open, or did they plan to attack, regardless?” Rafiq murmured before dropping a sausage into his mouth and chewing.
“The sage and archmage will find out. They had two to question,” Gregory replied.
“You took them alive?”
“Answers were needed,” Gregory said.
Before more could be said, Aliminus and Laozi appeared in the room.
“Pettit, you are being removed from this encampment,” Aliminus said flatly. “You broke the rules about leaving here.”
Gregory blinked at the archmage for a second, not understanding.
“You will be given a new task,” Laozi said, giving the archmage a look. “I cannot argue with him over the fact that you did leave the encampment. You were not the only one, though. The other person was snagged just as they stepped past the line. As such, they also needed to be removed.”
Aliminus’ grimace spoke volumes of his disagreement, but he was obviously just as stymied by the rules they’d agreed on. “Yes, yes. Considering the events of last night, we came to an agreement. As much as it pains me to ask this, would you be willing to act as a protector to my protégé?”
“Claudia?” Gregory asked.
Aliminus’ eye twitched at Gregory’s casual use of Claudia’s given name. “Miss Firetongue, yes. You two will be given a place to reside, along with a box to watch the game in the arena. I do not know if your foresight can stay active the entire time, but she will be in your charge.”
“Why don’t you just remove her from the tournament area?” Gregory asked. “Wouldn’t that be easier?”
“Until we finish finding out who and why, I dare not let her go without a trusted guardian,” Aliminus said tightly. “I am here and can step in if needed. She will be given an item to summon me, but you will be her first line of defense so she can do so.”
Gregory looked at Laozi standing by impassively. “Sir, it wasn’t Nick, was it?”
Laozi shook his head. “He never had the time to set up something like this, Pettit. This is a Buldoun problem. If Shun was going to lash out, he would have lashed out against the one who got him removed from the tournament.”
“Yes, sir,” Gregory said before looking at Aliminus. “Sir, Claudia is a friend. I will do my very best to make sure she remains safe, just like I did last night when I shielded her.”
“I had questions about why the two of you were alone,” Aliminus said tightly.
“Sparring had just ended and she wanted to speak with me alone, sir. We never got the chance, though, because the assassin attacked the moment Egil was out of sight.”
“What was this sparring?” Aliminus asked intently.
Gregory took a few minutes to explain what last night had entailed. “It was a good night until the very end.”
“You deliberately did not kill the men when you caught up to them,” Laozi said. “Why?”
“Because someone would need to question them, sir. How did you both know to appear when you did?”
“We were speaking with Lightshield when he looked distant, then told us where to go and why,” Laozi explained. “A guard would have gotten us in an hour, which is how he knew.”
“Very well,” Aliminus snorted. “Gather your things. I will go retrieve Firetongue.”
The second after Aliminus vanished, Gregory turned to Laozi. “Did I do something wrong, sir?”
Laozi laughed. “No, not at all. He is just mad that she wanted to spend time with you and that you managed to keep her safe.”
Gregory’s brow furrowed. “He’s mad that she’s my friend?”
Laozi gave Gregory a long look, then nodded. “He has plans for her, and her being distracted worries him.”
“Oh… Is she going to be safe?”
Laozi chuckled at Gregory’s concern. “She will weather his plans. He is as old as I am, so she will not have to deal with him for long. I also believe she will be growing faster now. From what I have been told, she is pushing on two different, complicated paths, as her friends are.”
Gregory’s eyes shifted away from Laozi. “I see.”
“You have built strong friendships here. Be proud of them. I am sure that, in the fullness of time, they will mean more than most can guess. Do what you think is best, and everything will work out. I will explain things to your wives, as they will no doubt hear rumors.”
“Thank you, sir,” Gregory said, bowing from his seat.
“Finish eating. They will be back shortly.”
Gregory turned back to his food. I wonder what accommodations are being made? he mused as he tried to finish breakfast.
When Aliminus and Claudia appeared in the tent, Gregory was waiting with Laozi. Claudia saw him, and almost moved to embrace him, but stopped and bowed formally. “My deepest thanks for your intervention, Gregory.”
“I’ll always help a friend,” Gregory replied. “Yuki, Jenn, Mindie, and the others would’ve been upset if you’d been injured, too.”
“I am transporting you to your room. From there, you can make it to the box set aside for you without overt danger. I will make sure the one to bring you refreshments is vetted personally. You are not to leave the area for any reason.”
“Yes, sir,” Gregory replied, bowing.
“I understand, Archmage,” Claudia said, a hint of coldness to her tone. “Your bracelet is on my arm. Any hint of danger, and I will call for you as soon as I can.”
“Be sure that you do. My apprentice must do as they are told.”
“When it comes to magic, I will,” Claudia said firmly.
Aliminus’ brow furrowed, and he snapped his fingers.
Gregory jerked a little as he looked around. “One of the waiting rooms?”
“Yes, the Buldoun one,” Claudia said. “The curtain is new and firmly attached, but thin enough for us to be able to just see out of. Obviously so we can have privacy while we’re in here. Can’t see much over the terrain features they have set up, as it is.”
Gregory looked around to see two cots set up near them, and a divider on the far side of the room. He went to check around it and found a small tub and chamber pot. “Not a lot of room or privacy.”
Claudia was right behind him. “We can make it work, Greg, unless you’d rather not be near me?”
Gregory turned around, then took a half-step back, as Claudia had been nearly on top of him. “It’s fine. As you said, we can make it work. Not sure I can do as much as Aliminus hopes I can, but I’ll do my best to keep you safe.”
Claudia looked up at him, her eyes searching his face. Not seeing what she’d hoped, she stepped back with a sad smile on her lips. “I know you will, Greg.” She turned away from him, looking over the room they had. “I’ll have to ask about a table and chairs. How can we eat without those?”
“I’d ask for a chabudai and cushions, instead. We can store it under a bed when it’s not in use,” Gregory said, coming up behind her. “Without the other furniture added, there’s just enough room here for us to be able to do the Peaceful Fist.”
“You’ll practice with me?” Claudia asked.
“You’re interested, aren’t you? We can do that and the Resonant Mind, if you’d like?”
“You really think I could do both?”
Gregory suddenly hesitated, as he knew what that meant. She’d walk all three paths if she could do both. Her wanting to talk to him last night and the comments from the others over the tournament suddenly crystallized for him. A soft laugh touched his mind, and Gregory relaxed.
“Is that what you want?” Gregory asked.
Claudia’s breath caught when she heard the question. Licking her lips, she turned to look directly at him. Her eyes searched his face again and, this time, a shy smile crossed her face. “I would. It’s impulsive. At least, that’s what I keep being told, but I know it’s not. I felt something that very first time I saw you… well, you, Jenn, Yuki, and the rest. Deep inside me, a warmth grew, as if I’d found long-lost loved ones.”
Gregory could see the same hope in her that he’d seen in his other friends. “It’ll be years… maybe decades.”
Claudia sighed, “I know. Yuki told me what I need to do. It’s why I’m doing something that the archmage derides me for. ‘Following the Peaceful Fist and the Resonant Mind is foolish, Claudia. Give up one of them.’” She wasn’t even close to the archmage’s’ voice, but it was enough that Gregory understood that she was quoting him. “I won’t give up either of them. I have to walk both to do as your wives and future wives do. I am slightly upset that I’ll be made to wait so much longer than them, but that’s just my pride.” Laughing lightly, she stepped forward and touched his cheek gently. Her hand shook slightly, as if she was afraid he’d pull away from her. “But if that’s one of the tests I must pass, so be it. Do you believe in fate, Greg?”
Gregory stared into her eyes, touching her hand on his face. “No. I’ve seen the different paths of the future. I know that everything can be changed.” Seeing her expression fall, he reached out to touch her chin gently. “I also know that some moments are key points where things can change in many ways. Maybe those are fated points.”
Claudia’s thumb traced his cheek before she jerked backward. “Yes. Maybe. Sorry, Greg. We can do this, and I will be respectful to my friends, you, and… even to my former family.”
Gregory gave her a crooked smile. “Sounds a lot like the promise I made while courting Yuki.”
“Oh?”
“Well, the game hasn’t started yet, so we should have enough time. I doubt she’s told you the story of how we married?”
“No, she hasn’t.” Claudia went to her bed and took a seat. “Please?”
“It was shortly after I arrived at the academy that I met her,” Gregory started, taking a seat on his own bed.
