“Do you think she’ll do okay?” Jenn asked as they walked down the path toward the clan hall.
“Yes,” Gregory said. “She was always there when Yoo-jin needed anything. She looks even more focused on this than she has on anything else before.”
“I agree with you, dear one,” Yukiko nodded. “I expect her to succeed, and even to impress my mother.”
“I just worry that if she does fail, it will break her,” Jenn said.
“And that is a worry,” Gregory nodded, “but I don’t think she’ll fail. If she does, though, we can pick her back up.”
“Father was sad we aren’t having dinner with them tonight,” Yukiko said, switching the topic to something different. “I feel like being here for dinner is a bit more important.”
“Looks like the freaks are out tonight,” Nick’s snide voice cut across their conversation.
“Yeah, six of them,” Gregory agreed when he looked back and saw Nick and five more Eternal Flame members with him. “I’m surprised at you, Nick. You’ve been much less aggressive this year. Did the academy censure your clan?”
Jason grabbed Nick’s arm when he took a step forward. “Stop. He’s baiting us into a conflict,” Jason hissed softly.
“I’d say yes,” Yukiko smiled.
“Quiet, beast!” Michelle snapped. “You’ll get yours in a few days.”
“If you make it to the finals, you mean,” Jenn snickered. “I doubt your clan wants you facing us before then, considering your track record.”
Parks smirked at them from behind the others. “But you’ve never faced all of us at once. Besides, there’s still time for accidents to happen.”
Gregory triggered his aether sight and saw the strands of aether spinning from Parks to right behind them. He glanced back and saw the wall that they’d run into, then reached back and leaned on it. “Yeah. Accidents. Right.”
Jason turned angrily on Parks. “Stop it now, idiot!”
“What’s this?” a calm voice asked, startling all of them. “A student leaning on air doesn’t happen often.” Everyone looked to the side where Magus Marcia Han was standing with her apprentices behind her. “Is there a problem here?”
“None,” Jason said quickly.
Gregory stopped leaning a second before the wall vanished. “The Eternal Flame just wanted to talk about the upcoming tournament. We indulged them, but we should be heading back to our clan.”
“Probably a wise decision. Cost analysis is something I taught in class, after all,” Marcia said. “Good day to you.” She walked on, and the Han apprentices followed her after glancing from one group to the other.
Gregory didn’t wait for her to leave— he turned and started away with Jenn and Yukiko falling in behind him. The hatred drilling into his back made him smile, but also wonder what Nick would have in place for the tournament.
“We hurt her first. That’ll show him,” Nick’s voice was soft, but Yukiko heard it.
Once they were away from them, Yukiko mentioned what she had overheard. “I’m sure they meant me,” she added.
“They did,” Gregory said. “I don’t think they realize Jenn is married to us.”
“Facing all six of them at once will be a problem… wait, there were more than six before,” Jenn said. “Nick, Jason, Michelle, Parks, Gina, Petak, Fureno, and… uh… hell, I forget the names of the other two.”
“Looks like Fureno, Zach, and Oscar all fell out of favor,” Gregory said, “or they might just not be fighting in the tournament. Not every member of a clan has to fight. That’s how some of the bigger clans run the tournament. They use their lesser members for the easy fights to keep their better members fresher. We saw it last year.”
“And injury can keep someone out for a match or three, too,” Yukiko nodded. “Maybe they were injured in training? We know that Nick doesn’t care if he hurts people.”
“True. I half-believe what I told them— their clan will try to put them as far away from us as they can until the finals,” Jenn said.
“Since Jason seems to be taking over as the leader, I agree. If it was Nick, he’d want us in the first round,” Gregory said.
“We hadn’t heard the academy had censured them, but it seemed to hit home,” Yukiko said. “No wonder this year has been quiet… though I am surprised that no other clan has tried to challenge us, together or separately.”
“Might be worried about their own members. We did take both tournaments,” Gregory said.
“True,” Yukiko agreed as they reached the clan hall.
“Apprentices, welcome back,” Dia said, blowing out a long line of smoke. “You’re back earlier than anticipated.”
“We wanted to be here for dinner,” Yukiko replied. “We’re having guests, aren’t we?”
“Indeed, we are,” Dia smiled. “You must have spoken to some of them. How did they take being invited?”
“Very excited,” Gregory replied. “They sent replies back, they said.”
“We received them, but a small note doesn’t convey emotions.”
“We’ll go get our baths now so we’re ready for dinner,” Jenn said.
“I’d ask you to wait,” Dia said. “Go ahead and study or meditate for the hour.”
“Very well,” Yukiko said. “We will see you in the bath?”
“Of course.”
“Resonance?” Gregory asked as they entered the clan hall.
“Yes. Meditation seems best,” Yukiko said. “I believe our bath is going to be full.”
“Yeah, I thought that, too,” Jenn agreed.
“Ah, you think Dia will bring the novices to bathe?”
“Yes. It makes sure that they understand part of how the clan operates, and it will help them feel like they’re a part of it already.”
“Oh, I hadn’t thought about that second part,” Jenn said, “but yeah, I see it now.”
“Being included in a clan activity that can be shrugged off as proper etiquette…” Gregory nodded. “I get it. Daciana will probably be beside herself,” he chuckled, imagining the excitable woman being asked to join them.
“She won’t be the only one,” Yukiko said. “All three of them will be. Daciana will just be the most vocal of them.”
“You’re right on that,” Jenn laughed.
~*~*~
Gregory sat in his aether cavern, doing a Magi Square with his aether flame, as he let the feeling of resonance strengthen around him. He knew it was almost time for them to stop and go bathe when something different happened. He felt a tingling sensation on the edge of his perception— he wasn’t sure how to describe it, maybe like a small tap of a finger on a desk?
Letting the flame go back to its natural state, he focused on the feeling. His mind gave him the impression of Yukiko to his left, where the sensation was coming from. A heartbeat later, he felt the same from his right where Jenn sat. With a smile, he knew that his resonance now stretched a little over a foot away from his body.
The soft knock on the door came just before Velma’s voice, “Apprentices, it is time for the bath.”
The cavern vanished, but the lingering sense of Yukiko and Jenn beside him stayed as he looked at the door. “We’ll be right down.”
“I can feel you…” Yukiko whispered happily, her eyes still closed.
“Me, too,” Jenn added. “A tingle on my senses.”
“Mine feels like a soft chord of music,” Yukiko said.
“A tap of a finger on a desk,” Gregory said. “I feel both of you.”
Both of his wives opened their eyes and gave him a smile.
“Maybe later, you can do that,” Yukiko smirked as she rose gracefully to her feet.
“Oh, I’d like that,” Jenn nodded, standing beside her, “but wouldn’t that be us feeling him?”
“Oh, but he’d feel us both feeling him,” Yukiko giggled.
“True.”
“And now, I’ll need a cold bath,” Gregory snorted.
“We’ll stop,” Jenn said.
“Yes… that would be awkward for him to explain,” Yukiko agreed.
“I believe you’ll both be in the bath longer than me, so I’ll see you at the table,” Gregory said, snagging both their arms and gently pulling them back to give them a quick kiss.
“That will likely be the case,” Yukiko said.
“I’m sure it will be,” Jenn said. “Let’s go. I want to see their faces when they come to bathe.”
Gregory watched them both go and smiled after them. I’m a very lucky man, even if I do feel like they enjoy teasing me at times.
When he entered the changing room, he found a handful of baskets already in use. He didn’t waste any time stripping down, but it did take him a moment longer, as he’d forgotten he was still wearing his bracer. He was almost done when Lightshield entered the room.
“How are you, Elder?” Gregory asked.
“I am fine. Thank you for asking. I was glad you did not come back via the postern. There was a crowd there for most of the day.”
“A crowd?”
“Yes, because of me. An elder having to do gate duty was enough to warrant a lot of attention. I did lose some reputation for the clan, but I am confident that by the end of the tournament, that loss will have been erased.”
“We will do our best, Elder.”
“I have no doubts,” Lightshield said. “If you will give me a moment to change, I could use an arm into the bathing room.”
“I will wait, sir.”
It took a little while, but soon enough, Gregory was helping Lightshield into the next room. Gin and the other staff, except for Ravol, were already in the tub.
“Where’s Ravol?” Gregory asked.
“Cooking,” Steva replied. “He was in here just before we were. I was handling prep while he bathed, and now, he’s getting it all cooked while we bathe.”
“Huh… I never thought about how that worked for the cooks,” Gregory said, helping Lightshield onto the stone bench for washing. “There you go, sir.”
“Thank you. It pains me to be this weak with the clan starting to grow again. My successor will have their work cut out for them, as our enemies will surely try to push us when I die.”
“I’m sure your successor will do you proud, sir.”
“Yes, you are right. I have full confidence in them, but it will not be pleasant in the least.”
“Did all the guests make it, Elder?” Gin asked.
“Yes, I greeted all of them. The dining room will be a lively place tonight.” A faint smile touched Lightshield’s lips. “A very lively place.”
“That’s good,” Gregory said.
“Oh, I agree,” Lightshield said.
“We need to get going and make sure everything else is in place,” Quilet said, pulling himself out of the water.
“Yeah,” Steva said.
“True enough…” Zenim sighed.
“See you at dinner,” Gregory called to the three departing men.
“Gregory,” Lightshield said once the door closed, “does it bother you? The lack of training for your magic?”
Gregory didn’t answer. Instead, he gave it some thought. “At times, sir, but you’ve told Dia before that foresight can’t be taught, as it’s intuitive. I couldn’t hold onto my moments of frustration with that being known.”
“But many others would,” Lightshield said. “They would feel that an attempt should be made, regardless.”
“Foolish, sir. If you could teach me at all, I know you would.”
“You are wiser than your years. In time, I would think you will grow to lead the newer generation of magi, and perhaps, even the clan.”
Gregory looked away from the elder. “That’s high praise, sir. I just do my best.”
“May that always be the case,” Lightshield said before he upended the bucket of water over his head to rinse the soap off.
Gregory quickly finished and helped Lightshield over to the bath.
“Tell me, Gin, how do you feel our clan will do in the tournament?” Lightshield asked after a minute of soaking.
“Well. They’ll easily be in the top three unless something goes completely wrong. They have a good chance of winning it all. The Eternal Flame, Han Merchant Exchange, and Swift Wind are my biggest concerns. Most clans won’t have outfitted their apprentices as well as ours, but those three will have, and I’m sure they have trained hard, too.”
“Hmm, yes, those were my thoughts, as well,” Lightshield said. “The Eternal Flame will not just be trying to win, though. They will be looking to dominate and, when they face our clan, they will even try to kill our apprentices.”
“Sir, we’ve worked hard,” Gregory said. “We know the danger we’ll be facing… not just from them, but from everyone we’ll face. If or when we face Nick and his friends, we will win. There is only one thing I worry about with any of them.”
“Do tell,” Lightshield prompted him when Gregory hesitated.
“The light that Nick can make with his armor that cripples Yuki’s magic… It would leave her exposed in a way that neither I nor Jenn would be.”
“That is a concern,” Lightshield nodded. “I will consider ways to overcome that. For tonight, set that fear aside. We need to show our potential clan members the positive side of the clan.”
“I will do my best, sir,” Gregory said, bowing to him.
