The three of them were all smiles when they went down to breakfast. Gregory felt like he was on top of the world— he’d tag-teamed Yukiko with Jenn for a good while after dinner, but in the end, they both turned on him.
They found Dia already seated when they entered the main room. She was wearing a frown as she gazed out the window, but when she glanced their way, her frown faded and she gave them a nod.
“Morning to you all,” Dia greeted them.
“Dia, it’s good to see you,” Yukiko said, meaning every word.
Dia’s lips turned up at the corners. “Yang would never push too much, but it did take me hours to find a good time to take my leave.”
“Did you get enough sleep?” Gregory asked.
Dia shook her head. “No, but my aether helped refresh me. I will sleep well tonight.”
“Is that something we’ll be able to do?” Jenn asked.
“You’ll begin doing so this year. You’ve been splitting your games over multiple days, correct? The games at the academy are played start to finish, and some can stretch out for a few days. You’ll have a day or two after those long games to recover. You can only replace sleep with aether for a few days before it stops being effective. If you’re forced to those lengths, you’ll end up passed out as your body recovers from the strain.”
“Shouldn’t we practice doing that to get used to it?” Gregory asked.
“Practice doesn’t help,” Dia said. “The body path will keep your body fit and ready to go, but your mind might become a little foggy. Mind path will keep you sharp, but your reflexes will be dulled. The spirit path is the odd one, as usual— a follower of the spirit path can meditate to help offset the costs and catch snippets of sleep, allowing you to go a little longer than the others.”
“Oh,” Yukiko said, “that is interesting. We had no idea the games were played straight through or that we could burn aether that way. The history where Emperor Toja stayed awake during the night of the eurtik attack makes sense now.”
“Oh, right,” Gregory nodded.
“Your food,” Leroy Brown said, bringing over their breakfast. “Gratulations on your nuptials,” he said to Jenn before turning to Gregory. “No idea how you’ll manage two of them. Takes a strong man to have an equally strong wife, much less multiple of them.”
“Vera blessed me with them,” Gregory said. “I just hope I can be the man they think I am.”
The old man laughed and nodded. “We all hope that for our wives. Have a good day, magi.”
“Hmm, egg toast,” Dia smiled. “I enjoy this. The syrup is sweet, and an expensive condiment. Use it sparingly.”
“Yes, Dia,” Gregory and Jenn said.
“I wonder what this one is made from,” Yukiko said. “I’ve had it made from maple tree sap, and once, it was a nutty flavor.”
“With Brown, that’s a good question,” Dia said, picking up the small pitcher. Dipping her knife into it, she tasted it. One eyebrow raised as she poured a little over her egg toast. “It’s flavored with apples and cinnamon. I would ask him how he managed that, but he’d never tell me.”
Yukiko accepted the syrup from Dia, and did as Dia had, taste-testing it. “Hmm… it’s tasty.”
The syrup went around the table, each of them taking a small amount that they dribbled over their food, then spread onto the toast with their knives. Silence fell over the table as they all focused on eating.
Dia smiled, the first one finished. “Did you notice the aether-infusion in the syrup?”
“I was wondering where it was coming from,” Gregory said. “It was gentle, which makes sense, considering we all used the syrup so sparingly.”
“It would have been problematic if you had used more,” Dia smiled. “Are you ready to go train?”
“Yes, Dia,” they said, having all finished their meal.
~*~*~
They’d reached the park and were getting ready to start meditation when Jenn spoke up, “Dia, we met Grandmaster Baltur at the temple.”
Dia blinked. “He’s still here? I wonder why he wasn’t there when I stopped by… I’ll go back and see if he’s still there after training. Thank you for telling me.”
“We thought it odd that he hadn’t mentioned talking with you,” Jenn said.
“How is he?” Dia asked.
“Fading,” Yukiko said softly, “like Elder Lightshield.”
Dia exhaled slowly. “Yes. It is inevitable, and yet sad all the same.” Shaking her head, she took the first stance of the Peaceful Fist. “Let’s begin. You have work today.”
“Yes, Dia,” they said, already ready.
~*~*~
As meditation came to an end, Dia was smiling widely. She fished out her medallion, and the eighth circle was glowing a rich cyan. “This trip out of the academy has been a wonder.”
“Congratulations, Dia,” Gregory grinned. “You just reached the next rank?”
“I’ve been in the seventh rank for a long while,” Dia replied. “When I touched both paths the other day, I was hopeful that the next rank wouldn’t be far behind.”
“You’ll make it to master tier easily,” Yukiko said.
“Yes,” Dia agreed. “I worry about making it to the grandmaster tier, and I doubt I’ll ever see elder.”
“Elder is hard to reach,” Jenn said. “At least, it appears that way, from everything I’ve read.”
“It is,” Dia agreed. “Magus, master, and grandmaster are the most common ranks in the empire. Elders are rare, but there are a good number of them. The number of sages has only ever diminished over the years. They were never common, though back in the days of Lionel Lighthand, there were over a dozen sages. There are fewer than half that now, and there hasn’t been a new one for a few hundred years.”
“Lightshield is certain he won’t make it to sage,” Gregory said softly.
“He isn’t wrong,” Dia said sadly. “He’s only made it to the fifth rank of elder.” She shook her head. “You all have places to be. Go now. I’ll make sure dinner is ready when you finish your bath this evening.”
“Yes, Dia,” they said together before jogging off into town.
~*~*~
Gregory finished making another arrow and glanced over at Bryn. “Sir, I want to thank you for your tutelage. I feel confident that I’ll be able to avoid the worst an unscrupulous bowyer tries to foist off on me.”
“You’ve been a good pupil,” Bryn said. “If I had a year or two, I’m sure I could make you a journeyman bowyer in your own right.”
“I’m flattered, sir. It’s a craft I would do if I could. I’m a magi, though, and a peaceful life is not likely.”
“That is true,” Bryn nodded. “Even if there are no wars, magi often seem to find bad ends, between clan conflicts or them overstepping in the wrong places against the wrong people. I don’t think you’ll be in that last group. You’re far too honorable for that.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“It’s time for you to pack up for the day,” Bryn said, looking out the window of his shop. “Tomorrow is your last day. It’ll be more arrows.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you again for the gifts.”
“You’ve earned them through your effort,” Bryn said. “I doubt I’ll have another apprentice next year. If I do, they’ll have large shoes to fill.”
Gregory bowed his head again. “Thank you, sir.”
“Enough. Go on. I’m sure your wife is waiting for you.”
“Yes, sir,” Gregory grinned as he left the shop.
Bryn watched him go, then went to check on the arrows Gregory had made.
~*~*~
Gregory was almost at the inn’s door when a hand tapped his shoulder. He spun to find the person, but no one was there. Another tug on his sleeve had him turning back the other way. Again, no one was there.
A soft giggle came from the far side of the inn. “Is something bugging you, dear one?”
“Yuki…” Gregory exhaled. “I thought someone had snuck up on me.”
“Who said that someone didn’t?” Yukiko asked as she stepped around the corner and into his view.
“Because it was your shadow magic that was doing it,” Gregory chuckled. Feeling something tug his kimono again, he didn’t turn. “No, I’m not falling for that again.”
“You should have paid attention this time,” Jenn said from behind him before she swept his feet.
Gregory coughed and stared up at Jenn. “I need to work on my awareness, obviously.”
“Especially when two people are working in tandem against you,” Yukiko said.
“The necklace does work well,” Jenn grinned as she held her hand out to Gregory.
Taking her hand, he let her help him up. “I wonder if we can find a way to train our awareness?”
“We’ll have to check at the archive,” Yukiko said. “Did you both have a good day?”
“Until I lost my feet,” Gregory replied, but he had a smile on his lips. “All I did was make arrows today, and I’ll be doing the same tomorrow.”
“I finished up a sword with Kassidy,” Jenn said. “I’ll be just helping her tomorrow. I enjoyed it, but I’m sad that after tomorrow, I won’t be able to work the metal.”
“I have the leather case for your bow,” Yukiko told Gregory. “I should finish up a quiver for the arrows tomorrow.”
“Oh. Thank you, Yuki.”
“Of course, dear one.”
“Bath, dinner, and then study?” Gregory asked.
“Yes,” Jenn agreed.
“To start with,” Yukiko smiled slyly.
