Gregory was still thinking about his talk with Bishop when he made it to the clan archive. Jenn and Yukiko were seated at a table, looking over a book, and Murium was sitting in the far corner of the room with a book on her lap.
Going over to his wives, Gregory spoke softly, “What did you find?”
“This is a book on the symbol of the temple,” Yukiko replied. “It’s been linked to a few ancient temples scattered around the known world. The myth says that Aether himself built them from the bedrock of the earth. They appear to be unchanged, even by earth magi of the elder tier.”
“The author of this book links the different images to the three paths,” Jenn said. “The brain, of course, denotes the mind while the flexing arm stands for the body path. The author is debating on whether or not the lotus flower represents the spirit path. The flower is unlike any other in the world, showing a strange amount of petals, but with the definition of the other two, the author hypothesizes that the flower should exist, as well.”
“But it is the spirit path, right?” Gregory asked.
“Yes,” Yukiko nodded. “Remember how it’s always the spirit path that people seem to be able to combine with another? Note that the flower is in the middle of the image, between the other two.”
Gregory considered the idea for a few moments. “You think it was placed deliberately there to show that it can combine with either of them?”
“I don’t know, but I feel like it is,” Yukiko replied.
“The author suggests that this image is why the empire believes in the three paths,” Jenn said.
“I can see where that theory would come from,” Gregory said slowly, “but if that’s known, why does the academy push us toward one path or another? Why not have all the novices try to walk spirit and another path?”
“Because those in power don’t like threats to themselves,” Yukiko answered him.
Gregory thought about what he’d seen so far since leaving Alturis and nodded. “Yeah… if people like Nick are the norm for the ‘powerful,’ I can see how that would be.”
“Very few magi have managed to combine paths, as it is,” Jenn added. “Why waste even a second of training on what is likely a futile gesture when you can push them to excel on a single path?”
“There is that, as well,” Yukiko agreed.
“Yet here we are, walking…” Jenn trailed off, glancing at Murium, who was still reading. “Doing what we are.”
“Yes, but we know why we can,” Yukiko said. “Yet another thing to talk to Darkness about.”
“Next time we grow, I hope to be able to ask her about that, and about Dia walking both paths,” Gregory said, before he added a little belatedly, “and about my gloves and boots, too.”
“Yes, that’s something else that’s important,” Yukiko nodded.
“They blunt a physical enhancement magi’s attacks,” Jenn said. “I’d been wondering how you’d done that until you told me about the gloves.”
“They stopped Nick’s fire from burning my hands, too,” Gregory added with another glance toward Murium, who was clearly absorbed in her book. “It might have to do with the ryuite in them. Is this all she had for us?”
“We only asked her for this to start with,” Yukiko said. “I want to draw the image from the medallion before I ask about it.”
“That makes sense,” Gregory admitted. “I’m going to ask if she has anything on ryuite.”
They both nodded and went back to their book as Gregory went over to Murium.
“Murium?”
The archivist looked up at him, blinking slowly. “Yes?”
“Are there any books on ryuite in the collection?”
Murium stared at him for a long moment before setting her book aside. “Yes, there is something. Give me a moment, please.”
Gregory stepped aside and waited. Murium moved slowly as she walked to the middle of the room and closed her eyes. She spun in a lazy circle, mumbling under her breath as she did. Without warning, her eyes snapped open and she moved to the bookshelf. She stood on her toes and reached up, bringing down a thick book. Nodding, a smile grew as she walked it over to Gregory.
“Ryuite is on page one-hundred and thirty-three. This is the extent of the archive’s knowledge on ryuite.”
Gregory took the book from her with a smile. “Thank you, Murium.”
She bowed her head and went back to her seat.
Gregory went back to where the other two were and sat down. “I’ll let you know what I find.”
“We’ll do the same,” Yukiko said.
~*~*~
Gregory sat, looking into the distance, as he thought about what the book had on ryuite. It’s a gem, but also a metal, which makes no sense at all… it would explain the threads in the glove, and boots, and the gem in the naginata, though. This book has nothing to hint at why the gloves can help me deflect a fully enhanced blow...
“Greg?” Yukiko asked.
“Huh?”
“Were you able to learn anything?”
“Not a lot, honestly. It has two pages about what they know on ryuite which, besides describing it with a lot of extra words, isn’t much. Ryuite is a gem, which we’ve seen in the naginata and medallion, but it’s also a metal that can be thinned down and used as fine thread, like we see in my gloves and boots. As a metal, it glimmers with a multitude of colors, much like the gem does when it’s illuminated.”
“Maybe the archive will have something more?” Yukiko sighed. “This one didn’t have much more to go on, either. It’s a lot of debate and conjecture, and several different theories of the emblem are discussed. Nothing about the first known appearance of it or anything useful.”
“I feel like I hit a rock head-on,” Jenn sighed, rubbing her forehead.
“Yeah, it was difficult to take,” Gregory said. “Should we go bathe early?”
“That… is not as exciting as it sounds anymore,” Yukiko started excitedly, but her happiness dropped after the first word.
“Segregated,” Jenn agreed with Yukiko. “We got used to the other just in time to leave it behind.”
“I’m glad and sad at the same time,” Gregory said as he stood up. “At least I won’t have any surprise bathers here.”
Yukiko giggled as she got to her feet. “As if you minded that much, dear one.”
“Didn’t mind them being there,” Gregory admitted. “The surprise was the part that I didn’t care for.”
“Well, maybe next time, we’ll warn you,” Jenn snickered.
“Are you done?” Murium called to them.
“Yes, Murium. Thank you,” Gregory said. “Did you want us to put them—?”
“No, it’s my job,” Murium cut him off before her cheeks reddened. “I mean… no thank you.”
“No apology needed,” Gregory said, bowing his head to her. “See you at dinner.”
“Yes,” Murium said softly, looking away from the three of them.
“She’s so soft-spoken and shy,” Jenn said as they walked down the hall.
“Yes, but that’s just who she is,” Yukiko said.
“Pettit, do you have a moment?” Bishop asked from near the front door.
“What do you need, Bishop?” Gregory inquired.
“I’d like to spar with you,” Bishop said. “It’s an hour before dinner, so there’s time unless you have something else to do.”
Gregory shook his head. “We were just going to bathe early. A match or two should be fine.”
“Would you spar with me?” Jenn asked Bishop.
“Hmm… yes. A single match before I fight him,” Bishop agreed. “I have the weapons outside already.”
The three of them followed Bishop out the door. Dia was sitting on the porch, smoking, and Gin sat beside her, sipping from a glass of wine.
“I’m looking forward to seeing this,” Gin said.
“Did you need both blades?” Inda asked from off the porch.
“Yes. I’m fighting Jenn first, as you thought,” Bishop replied. “Jenn, we’ll be using aether. I’ll temper my output down to your levels and only do what I could as an apprentice. That way, it’s a fair fight.”
“Thank you, Magus,” Jenn said as she went over and took the training wakizashi from Inda. “I look forward to learning from you.”
Bishop chuckled as she took the practice katana from Indara. “You say that now, but we’ll see how you feel in a few minutes.”
“I have a potion or two if things go badly,” Dia said, blowing a fast-moving smoke ring.
Gregory and Yukiko stood on the other half of the porch, watching as Jenn and Bishop moved to the wide-open area between the hedge and porch. Jenn and Bishop stretched a little before facing each other.
Inda stepped in between them. “Face the audience and bow,” she told them. She walked them through the bowing before stepping back and commanding them to fight.
Bishop shot forward, her sword blurring as she attacked. The clack-clack of the wooden training weapons echoed throughout the yard as Jenn deflected attack after attack, her brow creased in concentration.
“Good, good. You can do the bare minimum, at least. Now, let’s see if you can do more,” Bishop said blandly.
Jenn was focused only on the fight, but not only was she badly outclassed in skill, Bishop had a weapon with a longer reach than she did. With a growl of frustration, Jenn took a graze from the magus’ katana to get inside its reach. She didn’t go with the expected attack with her sword— instead, she kicked Bishop, her leg coated in blue flames when she did.
Bishop brought her own leg up, covered in aether from foot to thigh, and took the blow on the shin as she stepped in and shoulder-checked Jenn, staggering the smaller woman back.
“Good. The unexpected attack was the right call,” Bishop smiled. “Most would have been worried about deflecting an attack from your shorter blade in that moment. You have speed— use it. You aren’t going to overpower nor outlast me, which means you have to find a different way.”
Jenn leapt back, clearing over a dozen feet. She was breathing hard as she stared at Bishop. “How do I use my aether to go faster?”
“The process is the same as what you’ve been doing,” Bishop said. “It requires you to will it to happen. You don’t want more power— you want more speed, or a combination of both.”
Jenn nodded slowly. “Okay.”
Bishop smiled. “Now, try it again.”
Legs blazing blue, Jenn pushed off and was suddenly on Bishop. The clacking sound of their weapons was growing faster as they clashed. Bishop kicked out, and Jenn sprang back again.
“Good. Against others, they would have been hard-pressed to keep up with your speed. However, you had no power in those swings. You need to balance your will to do both equally, or split it as you wish. We’ll be working on that, but that is good enough for today.”
Jenn shifted into a defensive posture. “I’m not done yet.”
“You might not be, but I wish to fight him, and you’re in my way,” Bishop said simply before she was beside Jenn in a blink.
Jenn brought her sword down to deflect the strike from Bishop’s katana, but that was a feint. Bishop’s foot lashed out and Jenn went flying. Rolling, Jenn came back to her feet only to find Bishop on top of her already. Jenn did the best she could, but Bishop had her outclassed in every way and she knew it. She didn’t quit, though— she kept trying to find a way to win, right up until Bishop slammed the practice katana into her back.
“Stop,” Inda said quickly.
Coming to a sudden stop, Bishop knelt to check her. “Did I break anything?”
“No,” Jenn winced, “but it’s bruised.”
“Good. I made sure I used just enough aether to make you feel it.” Standing up, she helped Jenn to her feet. “You have a solid base. Training you will be enjoyable. Your control over how much aether you use is remarkable. I doubt anyone else in your class has the same control over theirs.”
“Thank you, Magus. I did my best to learn from Master Chen.”
“Half of learning is applying yourself, which you obviously did,” Bishop said. “I will thank him for making my task easier when I speak with him next. Also, you may call me Bishop. There is no need to use titles.”
“As you wish, Bishop. While you will be my instructor and are my senior in the clan, I also hope to be friends with you, much like Dia is with us.”
Bishop hesitated before she nodded. “Very well, Jenn.” She looked over her shoulder. “Now, Pettit, let’s see what you can do.”
Gregory stepped off the porch, collecting his practice naginata. “Thank you, Indara.”
“You are welcome. Make the master proud,” Indara said softly.
“The same rules apply, Pettit,” Bishop said, going back to where she’d started the previous fight. “I want to see what made you so formidable.”
“As you wish, Bishop,” Gregory said, moving to stand opposite her.
“Bow to the audience,” Inda began.
The moment Inda told them to fight, Bishop blurred forward, her blade slicing the air with a whistle. Gregory wasn’t there— he was already to the left of her katana and starting an attack of his own.
Bishop’s eyebrows went up, but she managed to abort her attack and pull her blade back to deflect Gregory’s. “Interesting.”
Gregory didn’t speak, letting the flow of combat find him. They clashed time and again, the naginata almost always in motion. Bishop had superior speed and strength, but she came to quickly realize that Gregory had perfect control over his weapon and knew how to use it.
Leaping back, she deflected a parting thrust from him. “Is that all foresight?” Bishop asked.
“No,” Gin chuckled. “Most of that is innate talent with the weapon. Did no one tell you he fought Egil Magi-killer to a standstill with a naginata?”
Bishop’s lips pursed. “Egil? Hmm… what weapon did Egil use?”
“The naginata,” Gin laughed.
Bishop’s face became a mask. “Did he, indeed? Well then, shall we see what Pettit can really do?”
Gregory hesitated when Bishop came in, as his foresight was uncertain about what would happen next. Pushing it away, he went with just raw ability against her. The next few seconds, Gregory was on his back foot, barely able to keep up with Bishop’s enhanced speed and strength.
“Sad,” Bishop said. “You’re still impressive with that weapon, but without your ability to see forward, you aren’t nearly as tough.”
Gregory grimaced and gritted his teeth when she grazed his arm. How can it be so easy to stop foresight? He lamented in his own head as the practice katana just missed his shin.
Time slowed to a crawl as Gregory shifted to block the next attack, but his mind raced ahead to what the next few likely scenarios would be. Foresight came back to him. It was still hazy, but with less fog, and there were two distinct options visible in it.
What felt like a soft kiss on his cheek told him that Darkness was helping him before her voice touched his ear, “Push more aether into it, dear one.”
Gregory did what she told him, dumping two, then three times the aether into his foresight. The fog vanished and the future opened up to him. With a feral grin, Gregory growled as time sped back up.
Bishop frowned when Gregory suddenly grinned like a hungry wolf and a growl left his lips. She had a brief second of wondering what he was going to do before she found herself suddenly being pushed back, hard.
Katana moving as fast as she could, she was barely able to stop Gregory from hitting her. Her eyes widened slightly when she realized that he’d overcome her ability to hold a meditative state. That realization shattered her meditation, and Gregory felt the draw on his aether slacken.
Bishop infused her skin to be armor and let him connect with her raised arm. The wooden naginata snapped over it and she slammed her katana into his chest, pulling back as much as she could at the last moment.
“Stop!” Inda shouted, rushing to Gregory.
Bishop stepped back and frowned. “Krog’s bollocks… I broke three of them.”
Inda pushed Gregory’s kimono off his shoulders, baring his chest to everyone. She had a container in hand and was swiftly rubbing a salve into his skin where a bruise was just starting to color. Gregory inhaled sharply as her light touch sent fire shooting through his body. Indara was beside her sister a heartbeat later, pushing a potion into his mouth. Gregory swallowed, and the pain started to fade.
“Greg?” Yukiko asked with an edge of worry.
“He’ll be fine,” Inda said from where she worked. “The salve is already working, and the potion will speed it up.”
“It shouldn’t have been needed,” Bishop said, angry with herself. “I went too far. I hit him like I would Harrison… I’m supposed to be better than that.”
“Like Egil, you lost yourself to a challenge,” Gin said, having gotten to his feet. “Like Egil, you hit him harder than you should have and injured him. But tell me— what do you think now?”
Bishop looked back to Gregory. “You broke the meditation I had.”
“Used most of my aether,” he panted. “Draining to do, but yes.”
“No single apprentice will come close to him now,” Bishop said simply, “if he’s given time to reach them. Yukiko and Jenn will need to be trained hard to give him the time needed to do what he can.”
“I will be training them as a unit,” Gin said. “I’ve even enlisted some aid in that regard. They will push themselves to learn. They all want to be the best.”
Inda and Indara helped Gregory get his kimono roughly back in place, and then to his feet. Gregory exhaled slowly, but deeply, the pain fading with each breath. Yukiko and Jenn were right there, ready to help support him if needed.
“Pettit, I’m sorry for my mistake,” Bishop said, bowing her head to him.
“No lasting harm done,” Gregory replied. “Thank you. That push was what I needed to see what I had to do to defeat the block. Just, maybe next time, not three ribs? And call me Greg, please? Like Jenn, I’d like to be a friend and maybe less of a practice dummy.”
Bishop gave him a twisted smile before bowing her head again. “Very well, Greg.” She looked toward Yukiko. “Shall I call you Yukiko?”
“Yuki,” Yukiko said. “I’m not sure how I feel about you right now, but he believes in you, so I will, as well.”
Bishop blinked and chuckled. “Honest. I’ll do my best to show you who I am. This clan is my life and, as you three are the future of this clan, you three are my life. I might have to hurt you all a little, but I will only do what I have to, to make you stronger and ready for the others.”
“Acceptable,” Yukiko replied, bowing her head. “May I spar with you now?”
Bishop raised an eyebrow, then laughed. “After what I just did?”
“Even more so. My wife and husband have tested themselves against you. I want to do the same to see if I am still equal to them.”
Bishop’s face grew serious. “Very well, Yuki. I’ll fight you, but be warned— I have fought and killed shadow magi before.”
“Understood,” Yukiko said as she went over to where the practice wakizashi had been left. As she picked up the blade, she looked back at Bishop. “You won’t use more aether than an apprentice, right?”
Bishop snorted. “I won’t make that mistake again. Not today, at least.”
“Thank you,” Yukiko said. She paused next to Gregory to kiss his cheek. “Baths after this?”
“Yes,” Gregory agreed.
