The goodbye with Yukiko was still painful, but not as bad this time. They knew that when they saw one another again, they wouldn’t have to separate again until after the tournament. Gregory was proud of his men— they were there just like last time, seeing the other unit off with respect.
Mindie and Gregory spent the week together, doing as they had before. They spent most of their time together, with small trips into the city. Both of them were thinking about what the next visit would be like when the four of them could be together again.
Sparring with Egil again had Gregory pushing the armsmaster with the su yari only to eventually lose. The fight with the guandao was better, but Gregory still hadn’t gotten good enough with it to challenge the armsmaster without his aether. Egil asked for a second match with the guandao, but with Gregory using foresight. Gregory won that fight, but even then, it took him some time to do so. When it was time for their matches with the naginata, Gregory won. The fight was a masterclass of two experts, but it was clear that Gregory had the advantage the entire time. Their last sparring period was with wakizashi. Egil dismantled Gregory, though not as quickly as the first time they’d sparred using them.
~*~*~
Gregory let out a shuddering sigh as his muscles unclenched. Hands resting on Mindie’s hips, he gazed up at her. “Good morning to us both.”
Leaning down, she kissed him gently. “Indeed, my heart. I like it when you watch me. This position is the one I enjoy most for that.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, dear one,” Gregory murmured, returning her kiss. “We need to get ready for breakfast.”
“Yes. Jenn will be here today, too.”
“I hope she likes the bracelet.”
Mindie climbed off him, then the bed. “I’m sure she will. I need to use the basin. Can you get my clothing laid out, please?”
Gregory had turned to watch her, but at her request, got out of bed, instead. Part of him was still bemused over how he had not just one beautiful lover, but three, with more waiting to join them. All of his wives were so different from the woman he’d grown up thinking he might marry. Lost in thought as he laid out Mindie’s clothes, he started to get dressed for the day.
“What are you thinking about, dear one?” Mindie asked when she came over to get her clothing on.
“How different all the women I love are,” Gregory replied. “From each other, but also from my childhood crush.”
“Comparing us?”
“Thinking how lucky I am to have you. But yes, I was honestly comparing all of you, as well.”
“I could tell,” Mindie snickered.
Gregory blushed lightly, aware of his stiff problem. “All of you have that effect on me.”
“And normally, we love it, but breakfast will be soon, and even I can’t help that quickly.”
The chime of the hour punctuated her point.
“It’ll settle,” Gregory chuckled. “Staying in while we wait? If she’s like me, she’ll be here in a couple of hours.”
“I’m sure she’ll be just as eager,” Mindie giggled. “Help me with my obi?”
“Of course, my heart.”
~*~*~
Breakfast was over, and the pair hurried back to their room. Flopsy had presented them with letters that had arrived after they’d retired the previous night, and both of them wanted to know what their friends had to say.
Gregory started with Nessa’s, as he was sure it had news of the latest tournament. Mindie opened Ling’s letter so they could trade once they’d finished.
Mindie,
I hope this letter finds you well, and that you’ll share it with the others. I’m sure their training is pushing them to grow. If you can give us any hints before we end up there, we’d greatly appreciate it.
We’ve heard from Clover and Ling about the dreams. All three of us hope our days will come soon, since we’re doing our best to advance our own resonance. They’ve told us about their resonances, as you surely already know. I have to say that Ling’s desire was sweet… we all have gathered for a couple of nights just to cuddle the way she’d asked.
The clan has grown larger. The moment the tournament was over, the clan took a dozen people to the tea ceremony. Six of them left a couple of days later; clearly their paths were not with us. The remaining six have been steadfast. Two are human, and the other four are like us, which again shows how our clan is different.
I’m sure you’re hoping to hear about the tournaments, so I’ll get to that now. The top novice joined our clan: Ezekiel Elephta. His family name gives away his bloodline, as it isn’t that far removed. He’s large (bigger than any other in the clan) and uses physical enhancement magic to take that already large advantage and amplify it. For all his size and power, he’s a gentle soul, and quite shy. His attempts at wooing Frederica have been adorable. She’s shown interest, but has held the line that, if he’s serious, he can wait until after their magus postings. I believe he’ll wait. His eyes light up when he sees her, as I know ours did with Greg.
As for our tournament, we won. It wasn’t terrible with the three of us and Frederica. We had the flexibility and power to best everyone. There were moments we worried… the other clans, if they knew they couldn’t win, tried to seriously injure one or more of us to tip the scales away from our victory. We all took injuries, and we missed you a great deal in those moments, Mindie. The other healers don’t have your compassion, and some only did the bare minimum to help us.
The last two fights (against the Iron Hand and Swift Wind) were the hardest, but also the nicest. Both fought civilly; the Iron Hand matched us in numbers, but Daciana and I combined our aether to make a massive sandstorm that made them forfeit. Swift Wind had a couple more, but they were crafters with crossbows. I kept them in check with my wind while the others dealt with the magi threats. Daciana was the last one standing. She’d bunkered, forcing the crafters (they were the last ones on the enemy team) to advance on her. She shafted both of them, but just enough to prove that it could’ve been fatal.
Frederica deserves credit for that win, too. She powered through fire twice to take their biggest threat out for us. It took her a couple of days to recover, and we doted on her in thanks. Bishop was thrilled with our victories, even praising us for them. It’s hard to get praise from her, but you know you really earned it when she does.
We missed all of you during the tournament. Knowing you’d all have been cheering for us helped us push through the tough spots. We’re committed to winning the Empire’s Gambit tournament, and then the second fighting tournament, too. We have to show that we’re dedicated to standing beside all of you.
All of us will be looking forward to your letters. We felt it would be easier if I wrote for the three of us, and Ling wrote for the three of them. It’ll be years before we get to see you, hug you, and stand beside you, but the wait only sharpens our drive to be worthy of doing so. We will ask that you collect a kiss for each of us that we can collect from you when we go train with our troops. If no one objects, that is.
Your friends,
Nessa Jimae
Daciana Lyall
Victoria Wilson
The signatures at the bottom had little hearts after the names, and Gregory smiled fondly at them. “We miss you, too…” he murmured.
Mindie sniffled, handing him the letter from Ling. “Here, dear one.”
Gregory traded letters with her, then hugged her to his side. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. Just news. You’ll see.”
A bit of dread built in Gregory, but he began to read the next letter.
Mindie,
The year goes by slowly. If not for a dream of you all not long ago, I’d worry that I was being forgotten. Clover calls me silly, saying that you’d never forget us. I know she’s right, but fears are not rational.
Roshana is hopeful for her dream to come after hearing of Clover’s and mine. Clover stays out at the orphanage most of the time, so that’s been different for us. Roshana and I have been sharing a room, growing closer as friends and lovers. Clover joins us at times, which helps me get what I want, as well. We’ve even had a couple of nights where our younger friends join us. Those nights always have me smiling the next day.
I won’t rehash the tournament, as Nessa has said she’ll cover that in her letter, though I will add that we almost had heart attacks a few times. The healing enchantment on the arenas makes it less likely for someone to die, but not impossible. Two apprentices and a single novice died, all of them from accidental timing or purposeful attacks— the academy will have to look into them.
We’ve spoken with the overseer, using our questions with him. They were dedicated to the clan, not for us. We had to ask how to ease the pressure from other clans over the orphanage. Why they felt the need to drive a wedge, hoping to split the clan’s backing from the orphanage, is beyond me, but they tried. Our asking for advice got him to step in himself. He flatly told them that if they disliked what the clan is doing by offering children hope, they could make their own orphanages. Of course, none of them did so, and they stopped pushing.
The other question was how to get better healers for the next tournament. We pointed out the discrepancies between the head healer helping our clan against his helping other clans. His eyes glittered with amusement and he promised to handle it going forward. Just before I started this letter, we heard that the head healer is being sent to help in another city. The two directly under him were sent out, as well. It left the academy down three healers, but older healers who owed him favors came to take the positions. All in all, I’d say that our gamble on having questions for later worked out in our favor.
The orphanage is fine, and the children grow so quickly. We visit at least once a week, sometimes more often. Clover is a big sister to them all… they even call her ‘big sis,’ which makes her beam in happiness. Enzo has stepped into the role of butler with determination, and he is excelling at it. His art continues to improve, too. He was brought up to the tournament to see it in person. The drawings of our friends in action are with their parents, but I have copies for all of you, too.
As for the bad news, we looked into Elsa’s past. It took more digging and talking with the city guards than I had thought it would, but we found an edge of the puzzle. Elsa’s father… wasn’t her father, nor was the woman she’d called her mother really her mother. The man who grew flowers was a half-elf, which Elsa obviously isn’t. He married the woman she called her mother when he bought the home they lived in. That house has since been bought by another, in case you’re wondering.
His body was found in the garden; his neck was snapped from where he’d collided with the wall. The mother was in the home, and while it looked like a suicide, the report shows that there were suspicious circumstances. The bodies were taken away before Elsa returned. She used the garden for her flowers for years— the neighbors recall repeatedly catching glimpses of a child sneaking around the place near dark.
Those same neighbors remember the man arriving with a baby, which helped prove the mother wasn’t really her mother. We’re at a loss as to what we can do from here, but we’re still digging into it, like who the magi was and where her adopted father came from. We’re unsure if we should say anything to Elsa, but for now, we aren’t.
We’ll look forward to your letter. Hopefully, it’s better than ours.
Hopefully yours soon,
Ling Lao
Clover Clougdah
Roshana Arnab
Gregory wiped at his face. The news of Elsa’s parents hit him in the gut. The questions around Elsa hadn’t been cleared up; if anything, they’d grown larger, but in a vastly different direction.
“What do we do?” Mindie asked gently.
“Nothing. We don’t have good news for her, so we’ll wait until we see her to tell her anything. I want to be there for her when she hears that what she thought isn’t the full truth.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll get started on a letter for Nessa and the others about what next year means for them. If you want to write one back to Ling, we can go over them after we finish. By then, Jenn might be here.”
Mindie hugged him tightly. “We’ll be the family she needs.”
“Yes, we will.”
