The last period in camp went by quickly. During the town patrols, Gregory’s men were attacked twice. Both times, they did well, overcoming a deficit in numbers between them and the attackers. One of those attacks left one of them severely injured, but Gregory had the supplies on hand to save him, getting him back on his feet in a few days instead of a few months.
Willof had nothing but praise for the unit’s marching. He’d even given them what he called “advanced formation maneuvers,” ones that required precision counter-drills where squads marched through each other at angles. The last one they were working on required them to exchange weapons as they marched, and they were slowly getting it down.
Gregory’s extra time was eaten up by mounted combat. Davis drilled him on that subject, even though it was different with the magi preferring the naginata to a sword. It did mean that Gregory had to use Willof’s horse, as the mare he’d been riding wasn’t up to the rigors of charging toward people or other horses. He was starting to press Davis during their sparring on horseback as the last few days drew to a close.
~*~*~
Gregory and Willof rode toward Gardenia; it was time to administer the age day ritual. Tomorrow, the entire unit would break down the camp and go back to Grakle. Gardenia would go back to not having a magi nearby until the next initiate took up residence outside the walls.
“Your impromptu meeting with Commander Tudyk worked out well,” Willof commented.
“I’ve apologized for not taking you with me,” Gregory said.
“Yes, and I’m not asking for more. I understand wanting it dealt with and just going. It just precluded me from being able to report on it outside of vague details. It was an elegant solution to keep the town guard as allies while still ensuring the culprits paid for what they did. One would never expect a fringer to be that nuanced.”
“I’m not the fringer I was when I was a novice,” Gregory murmured. “My wives helped shape me.”
“As you’ve helped them. I have no doubts that both of them would be a bit harsher if not for you.”
Gregory considered it. “Jenn would be more in line with the Iron Hand, very strict on command. Yuki would be angling for every advantage, more than she does now.”
“And Mindie? She didn’t fight at all during the academy, yet now, she spars with Egil.”
“She’s found a desire to protect those she cares for,” Gregory said softly. “I hope she never has to, as she isn’t a fighter at heart. If she ever has to take a life…” He trailed off with a head shake.
“Even the best prepared find that taking another’s life affects them in unexpected ways.”
“We’ll all find out eventually. No magi makes it through life without conflict.”
“Very true, Gregory. I hope you can all weather the trauma most find in battle.”
“Me, too.”
Bill came to attention as the pair rode closer to him. “Aether blessed morning to you, Magi.”
“To you, as well, Bill,” Gregory replied. “The main square is all set up?”
“Since yesterday, Magi. The festivities are in full swing.”
“Do you have a child that I’ll be seeing?”
“No, sir. Larry’s daughter is coming of age today, though.”
“She’s nervous as hell, sir,” Larry called down.
“They didn’t give you the day to be there for her?” Gregory asked.
“Wife’s the better choice for support,” Larry said.
“He’d cry like a babe if she was chosen,” Bill snickered.
“Oh, shut it, Bill!” Larry snapped.
“She’s your only child?” Gregory called up to Larry.
“Yes, sir. We’ve tried for years for another, but no luck.”
“No one knows who Aether will bless,” Gregory said. “Does she want to be a magi?”
“No offense, sir, but no. We’ve heard too many stories about those who died while in training.”
“None taken. Maybe your wish will be heard by Aether,” Gregory said with a slight smile.
“May that be true,” Larry murmured. “It’s still two hours until you need to be at the square, sir.”
“I have a merchant to see before I help the children become adults. Good day.”
“Good day, sir,” the guards replied, saluting as Gregory and Willof rode into town.
~*~*~
Willof eyed the streets while they tied up their horses. “I’m going to stay out here.”
“I’ll be quick,” Gregory said before he stepped into the carpenter’s shop.
The jingle of a bell had the granddaughter come out of the back. “Magi, the tables are ready.”
“Show me, please.”
“This way, Magi. Grandfather finished the last of them a few days ago. If you hadn’t given us the length of time you did, it would’ve been difficult to accomplish.”
“I wanted the best he could produce. I know time is necessary for that.”
The storeroom in the back of the shop held an eclectic grouping of items. There were things that were waiting for pick up, items that had never been picked up, and more that had failed to sell for months. The most common was the quickly-crafted tables and benches that Gregory had first purchased from the shop.
In the middle of the room were five long tables and three small ones, with accompanying benches and stools. The wood was stained and sealed to give them a longer life than the others in the room. Gregory’s fingers traced the Aether’s Guard emblem carved into the middle of each. He didn’t know carpentry, but he could tell that these tables had been made with all the skill the old man had.
“Perfect.” He started absorbing them into his ring. “Is your grandfather here for me to thank?”
The young woman went still before replying in a shaky whisper, “He is not, Magi.”
“Pity,” Gregory said, ignoring the obvious reason for her sudden fear. “Please pass along my thanks to him? Also, one of my clanmates will be camped outside the town in a few months. She’ll want tables, too. She won’t order tables this well-made, but she might want a half-step up from your normal. Just in case you wanted to plan for it.”
“I’ll let Grandfather know.”
Gregory caught her eyes with his. “Good day, miss. May Aether smile upon you.”
“He didn’t bless me two years past, but that was actually a blessing for my grandfather and me,” she replied.
“Maybe his blessing was to look past you, then,” Gregory said as he headed for the door.
Heart hammering in relief that the magi wasn’t pressing her, she trailed behind him. She’d never heard of a magi as considerate as Gregory. He’d paid for the tables at a rate above what her grandfather had charged in years, offering the price before either she or her grandfather could offer a cheaper rate. She’d seen magi ask for steep discounts before, but never one who paid an item’s actual worth.
She looked out the window as Gregory mounted up. The captain from before was with him, and the pair rode off. Blinking slowly, she took a seat. A small part of her wondered what it would’ve been like if she’d been blessed by Aether. She’d have been in the same class as the man who’d just been in the shop with her. Daydreams of what-ifs ran through her head as she sat there.
~*~*~
Gregory and Willof left their horses with the stables closest to the main square. The pair strode into the busy section of the town. The square was bedecked in colorful ribbons, and temporary stalls lined the edges of the space, taking up any spot that wasn’t filled with a doorway. Minstrels played around the central statue of the town. The stone-faced statue depicted Magus Gardenia, the namesake of the town.
The townsfolk made as much room as they could for the two, which wasn’t much, considering how crowded the square was. Gregory smiled, greeting those who greeted him as he took a long stroll around the booths. Willof paused once to pick up a long-stemmed pipe similar to the one Dia favored. Gregory’s lips had twitched at that, but he didn’t comment on it. He didn’t see anything that called out to him, but he completed his circuit before heading for the stage.
Gregory didn’t step onto the large wooden platform built next to the inn. The sun hadn’t quite reached midday, and he didn’t want to break the festivities until it was time. As he stood nearby, waiting, he saw the distiller, Paul Vattakavanich, speaking to a young man who looked a lot like him. Paul looked up to see Gregory and left the younger man behind to approach.
“Magi, how are you today?”
“Good. Today’s a day to celebrate children becoming adults and, if things go well, then new magi, too.”
“My son is set to step before you today, Magi…” Paul licked his lips. “There’s no chance of Aether listening to a father, is there?”
“If there was, I wouldn’t be a magi,” Gregory replied. “You don’t want him to be one?”
“He’s supposed to take over the business from me. It’d be difficult if he becomes a magi.”
“My wife, Yukiko, was in the same place. She was set to follow her father, Hao Warlin, as a merchant. Aether chose her to be a magi, not that I will complain. Because she was blessed, we found each other and married.”
Paul exhaled slowly. “I’ll just have to pray, then. Did the extra supplies work out as you’d hoped?”
“They were fine. Thank you for being able to fill my unexpected order so promptly.”
“Luckily, I had them on hand. It would’ve taken me a few days, otherwise.”
“It worked out for us both,” Gregory said, shaking Paul’s hand. “It’s about time. May Aether bless you the way you hope.”
“From your lips to his ears, Magi.”
Gregory glanced to where a line of young men and women were forming up. Hope, anxiety, and outright fear were etched on most faces, the emotions of all soon-to-be-adults when it was finally their age day. With a burst of aether, Gregory leapt onto the stage as the bells chiming the twelfth hour started.
The musicians stopped playing and the crowd moved to stand before the stage. Gregory looked out over the gathering, which dwarfed his humble village many times over. As the bells finished chiming, he stayed still. He looked over the nervous people waiting to be tested.
“People of Gardenia, today, we celebrate the age day for your children to become adults,” Gregory said, looking back at the crowd. “Three years ago, I was blessed by Aether, and now, it is my duty to pass his blessing on to those he deems worthy. No matter what, today is a day to celebrate your children becoming adults, or for the magi that rise up. May Aether shower his blessings upon your town either way.”
The crowd murmured, surprised at the unexpected words— most of the initiates who’d done the job just rushed through the blessings as quickly as possible.
Gregory beckoned the first person to join him. The young man walked with his head held high, an arrogant twist to his lips as he knelt before Gregory. Gregory lightly gripped the young man’s head with his right hand, and the man flinched slightly at the pressure.
“Child, today you come before me to become an adult. Rejoice as your age day has finally come. Today is also your chance to help strengthen the empire by becoming a magi. Let us see if the spark of Aether resides in you.”
“I’m ready, Magi.”
Gregory’s hand tightened slightly, as he knew the young man would spasm. Looking up, he spoke from the diaphragm, projecting his voice out stronger, “Aether, have you blessed this child with your grace?” When he finished speaking, he pushed his aether through his hand and into the young man. It burned slightly— not nearly as much as holding aether in his hand had, but the feeling was still there.
The young man under him screamed as if his very soul was being torn apart. His feet thumped the stage and tears fell from his eyes at the agony that embraced his very being. What felt like years of torment suddenly cut off and the hand holding him was gone, so he collapsed to the stage.
Gregory felt a void inside the young man. Nothing sparked, so after a couple of seconds, he withdrew his aether. Letting the young man go, much as Bishop had his friends, Gregory stood there, unmoving, as he waited for someone to assist the non-magi. “You are now an adult, but you are not a magi. May you find your place in the empire to grow strong.”
A richly-dressed man hurried up to help his son off the stage. Once the pair were back in the crowd, Gregory motioned the next person up to him.
~*~*~
It took a while to go through the line, but Gregory had just finished the last of the ritual. The parents had just escorted their daughter off the stage when Gregory spoke to the crowd, “None were blessed by Aether to be magi this year, but celebrate, as all of your children have become adults. I’ve seen the worst of this day… a frail young woman who couldn’t withstand the ritual of age day. It gladdens me to not have to see someone fall.”
The crowd stirred at his words. Some of the eldest in the crowd nodded somberly, clearly recalling such an event in the past.
“Citizens of Gardenia, I wish you a good year. My men and I thank you for hosting us as we trained to become the bulwark of the empire. May Aether bless your town to continue to prosper under the direction of Mayor Kestral.”
The mayor smiled broadly, raising a hand slightly to thank Gregory.
“Know that Commander Tudyk and his men are working hard every day to keep your town safe. It’s been an honor to work with them in learning how to patrol inside the walls of a settlement.”
Tudyk saluted Gregory from his spot off to the side, two of his sergeants beside him.
“I’ve talked long enough,” Gregory smiled. “Any who wish to raise a drink in the name of the emperor should step inside with me— I’ll buy a round.”
A loud cheer went up at that. Everyone was happy for a free drink.
