Darkness and fire chased Gregory down city streets. Death came for those closest to him; his mother lay in an alley, torn apart, and his father was next to her, his neck broken. On he ran to see Bishop turned into a charred husk, her sword melted in her hand. Dia was next, with her chest cracked open and her insides missing. Then came his potential wives, each killed worse than the last. He stumbled to a halt outside a grand palace. Impaled— still alive— on ryuite spikes were Jenn, Yukiko, and Mindie.
“No!” Gregory shouted, but his voice wasn’t his own; it was a monstrous roar of rage.
He flinched back at the sound of his voice, then wobbled, as his body felt wrong. He wasn’t standing in front of his wives anymore. Instead, he was towering over them and the ruined city around him, a colossus among ants.
~*~*~
With a strangled gasp, Gregory jerked upright. His breathing was fast and uneven, and he was covered in a thick sheen of sweat. Panting as he looked around, he noticed that he was in a building that wasn’t the arena. Flashes of last night came back to him, and he groaned as he got out of bed, all of his muscles aching.
He’d barely made it to sitting upright on the edge of the bed when the door opened. Gregory blinked slowly at Hemet, who gave him a sad nod. “Lightshield?”
“Gone, Gregory,” Hemet replied with deep pain in his eyes. “He chose his time and place.”
“Why?” Gregory asked. He tried to stand only to flop onto his back.
“You need to rest longer,” Hemet sighed as he went to help Gregory shift. “As to why… it’s because it was the best he could do.”
Gregory let Hemet help move him around. “What did it gain the clan?”
“That’s the right question,” Hemet said as he went to the chair near the bed. “Your wives won last night, and your friends are safe.”
Gregory’s worry for them came back, and he had to take a few deep breaths. “Oh… thank Aether.”
“Yes. Thank Aether, indeed,” Hemet smiled sadly. “I’ve spoken with them, and they all know you’re safe and about the elder’s death. They should finish their game today, possibly tomorrow. Then, there will be a feast for both sides to have one last night together… well, minus those who’ve already left.”
“He asked you to help, knowing that he would die?” Gregory asked after a moment.
“Lightshield was a great man, much like his great-grandfather. His line died with him, but other offshoots of the Lighthand’s line still live on. I know you were told of at least one of them.”
Gregory nodded slowly, thinking of Laozi. “Yes, he told me. As long as the Lighthand line lives, there is hope that the old belief will be seen.”
“Exactly, and that hope will keep the clan strong. Another of their lineage came to light not that long ago. A bastard child of Lighthand’s son, who had non-magi children. That eventually led to a woman who guarded the empire for a score of years.”
Gregory inhaled slowly. “Bishop?”
“Indeed. It took a while to track down the paperwork to prove it, but she is indeed a descendant of Lighthand. She will take over as clan leader now that Lightshield has passed. That would normally worry me, as she is only a magus, but Lightshield made sure favors were in place to help her until the clan rises high enough for people to seek our help.”
“Why not you?”
“The clan has always been passed down along the Lighthand line. I would feel wrong stepping into that spot. Besides, Bishop will do fine.”
“Yes, sir.”
“How did your time with Firetongue go?”
Gregory felt wary for a moment, but his resonance reassured him. “Fine, sir. We bonded as friends. We, uh… had some bets out. Not sure how that’ll work, now. Her guards placed them for us.”
“That would explain the captain asking if I could deliver this to you,” Hemet said. He was suddenly holding a collection of small sacks. “Goodness, that is weighty.”
Gregory reached out, letting his ring absorb them. “Thank you, sir. Did he say how Claudia was going to get hers?”
“He was accompanied by a maid. The young woman looked determined. Her questions as to your health were very… pointed. She relaxed when I explained that you were recovering, and that Miss Firetongue would be at the college in the near future.”
“Griselda is a good person. She’ll do well as Claudia’s maid.”
“If you say it, I’ll believe it. Now, I’ll be bringing your wife back with me in a few minutes. I want her to look you over. Your core nearly ruptured last night.”
Gregory remembered the heat he’d felt and the ache he felt now— it reminded him of what he’d felt with Brown’s meal. “Is it okay?”
“We’re sure it is, but Mindie will be able to tell better than I can. Considering your medallion, though, we have concerns.”
Gregory looked down at his chest. His medallion was showing four glowing orange rings. “I should be third rank…”
“Yes. It seems you grew a rank last night.”
Gregory frowned as he tried to recall how that would’ve happened. A memory of aether helping twist the ring to do what he wanted it to came back to him— that was when he felt abnormally hot.
“Did something happen?” Hemet asked, having been watching him.
“My aether surged when I used an item to bring Claudia out of the arena.”
“Yes… you came from the shadows. That ring was enchanted to allow only shadow magi to use it,” Hemet said. “Curious how you managed it… the enchantment was warped into something new. I had to strip your gloves off to get to your hands, as it was.”
Gregory looked down at his left hand, noticing that the shadow ring was gone. “Where did you put them, sir?”
“Your gloves and ring are on the headboard, and your boots are under the bed. Two pieces of armor or clothing that carry ryuite thread woven into them… I’m sure they have a purpose,” Hemet’s eyes sparkled as he shrugged. “I’ll go get Mindie. Stay in bed this time.”
“Yes, sir.”
Gregory wasn’t sure how long Hemet was gone before the door was thrown open and Mindie sprinted across the room to him. “Greg! Let me check you,” she said worriedly.
Inhaling sharply as her aether touched him, he felt hot and cold waves wash through his entire body. A few moments later, it was gone. “How is it?”
“You’re fine,” Mindie exhaled in relief. “Hemet said your core or channels might have cracked.”
“I grew a rank suddenly when getting Claudia to safety,” Gregory whispered, touching her face. “I’m okay. I’m just sore.”
“What happened? We heard that assassins using shadow magic tried to attack you both, and that Lightshield died saving you.”
Gregory edged over on the bed, patting it. “Cuddle while I talk?”
Mindie was quick to join him, holding him as he shared with her what he knew.
~*~*~
Gregory murmured as he rolled over, but his arm didn’t find Mindie. “Hmm…?”
“Dear one, I am sorry,” Darkness said from behind him. “I hurt you.”
Blinking, Gregory rolled over to look at the corner of shadow. “You were the one who helped me use the ring to take her away. You saved us.”
“And hurt you doing it,” Darkness sniffled.
“I’m fine. Mindie said so. I don’t remember falling asleep, though.”
“After you talked with Mindie, you nodded off. Are you sure that you are okay?”
“I think so, dear one. You can boost me an entire rank?”
“I could do more, but as you felt, it… is dangerous.”
A crisp, clear memory hit Gregory, but it wasn’t technically his. A rougher voice spoke to a stunningly beautiful woman while a scarred hand held a medallion between them. “I can boost you with my amulet, dear heart. It carries risks, though, even with me doing it. It’s easier to let you wear it while gently drawing out the aether. It’ll take longer, but it’ll be much safer.”
The memory stopped like someone had cut it. “Nooooo…! Please, dear one… no!”
Gregory blinked. “The medallion… it can do that? That’s what you didn’t want me to know earlier?”
“Yes… it will make you stand out too much. Please, leave it be until you are a magus!” Darkness nearly begged.
“It would endanger me if it became known that I was skipping ranks and tiers too quickly.”
“It is why I have been siphoning off your excess aether and storing it for you. For you, your wives, your friends, and your clan. I am doing my best for you.”
“That wasn’t you in the image,” Gregory said, and he knew he was right.
“No. That was a past wife. I am not surprised it was her that you saw.”
“Claudia or Mindie?”
“Mindie,” Darkness murmured. “She was quite the vixen in her day. Had you in bed as often as she could get you there. She nearly rivaled… well, that would be telling.”
“I’ll wait until I’m a magus, my heart,” Gregory said. “What of the dagger?”
“It belonged to your shadow magi wife, just as you have given it to Yuki. It removed difficult problems time and again. All those who thought they could shield themselves from your blade found out they could not just before their end came.”
“It can bypass any aether?”
“Except yours, dear one. Your enchanter wife was a genius, much as she is today, even if she is not an enchanter this time.”
“Yuki,” Gregory said.
Darkness giggled. “Maybe.”
“I think she was, but it doesn’t matter who she was. It only matters who she is now.”
“That is very sweet, dear one. That just makes me love you even more.”
“Is that possible?” Gregory asked teasingly.
“No, which makes me love you even more.”
Gregory laughed with her for a moment, but reality came rushing back to him. “Lightshield…”
“He died the way he wished to, dear one. His death set things into motion that will aid you and the clan in the future. It behooves Buldoun to thank the empire. One of the most powerful magi gave his life to save a mage favored by the archmage.”
“Claudia… is she one of my past wives?”
“Yes, she was. Yuki and Jenn approve of her, as do I, but her time is not yet, no matter how much she wanted to climb into your bed at night. Only Yuki’s promise that she would be allowed in later stopped her from trying.”
“Will you give us dreams while we’re apart?” Gregory asked, thinking of Yukiko, Jenn, and Mindie.
“Yes. During your growth, I will. I am going to let you see your future wives after they achieve resonance so they can tell you and your wives.”
“Helping them accept what they want?”
“Also so you can tell them in a safe way who you truly are, my heart. Lightshield warned you about speaking it aloud.”
“Am I already being watched?”
“Flashes now, but in the future, more and more will turn their gazes to you. Best to ingrain this now.”
Gregory exhaled slowly. “Okay. Thank you, my dearest shadow.”
A happy giggle came from the corner. “Go ahead. I will catch you again, my heart.”
Gregory pushed off the bed, lunging into the shadows for her. He knew he wouldn’t make it, but he wanted to try. His desire to be strong enough to reach her burned brightly, and Darkness laughed happily that he wanted her as much as she did him.
The shadows swallowed him, wrapping around his limbs and sapping his aether, then pushing him into sleep. As he faded from her grasp, she let her shadows vanish so she could see him clearer. “Not yet, my dear Aether… but one day, you will reach me, and I will welcome you with open arms and a thousand kisses.”
