Gregory was seated at the dining room table along with Gin, Lightshield, and the male staff when the women joined them. He smiled— Yukiko was the first one through the doorway, with Jenn only a step behind her, and both were smiling at him. Daciana, Nessa, and Victoria followed them with Velma, Murium, Inda, Indara, and Bishop behind them. Gregory was surprised to see Clover and Ling come in after them, and Dia was the last one into the room.
“Welcome to Aether’s Guard, Apprentices and Novices,” Lightshield said. “I hope you did not mind the tradition of cleaning up before dinner.”
All five guests admitted they didn’t mind and had, in fact, enjoyed it.
“I am glad. We will be having dinner before we discuss more about the clan.” When they agreed to his suggestion, Lightshield motioned to Ravol. “We are ready, Ravol.”
Ravol brought the fully-laden cart to the table. He set the covered platters down first, then placed a handful of pitchers with different beverages on the table. “Tonight, we have a standard clan meal. The elder wanted you to see something commonplace and not a grand feast that might skew your ideas of the clan.”
With that said, he removed the lids to the food. “We have boar with a spiker fruit glaze, and bane boar in the same glaze. The bane boar is prepared for a low apprentice, so novices, you should temper it with some of the regular boar if you want more. To go with the boar, there is wild rice with pieces of spiker fruit mixed in and lightly-buttered charid with herbs.”
The scent of the meal made a couple of stomachs growl. Both Clover and Daciana suddenly looked mortified. Their blushes deepened when a few chuckles came from the others at the table.
“To drink, there is an aether-infused wine in the red pitcher, so those of apprentice rank five and up can have a little more of a boost with their food. The white pitcher has a wonderful juice to temper the aether infusion of the meal if you need the help. Lastly, the green pitcher has regular wine for those of us who are not magi.”
“Thank you, Ravol,” Lightshield said. “We do not stand on ceremony for the meals. Once they are served, we just help ourselves.” Putting action to words, Lightshield grabbed a big chunk of the bane boar for himself.
The other members of the clan all loaded their plates. The guests hesitated for a few seconds before they got their food, but they were soon trading serving platters and utensils to fill their plates with the others.
Clover was effusive in her praise to Ravol— she loved everything there was to have. Ling, like Gregory, had only taken a token serving of the charid. Nessa was the opposite, taking a large helping of the charid and letting Ravol know she loved it. Victoria asked Ravol about the herbs used in conjunction with the charid. She clearly understood cooking and explained that she used to help her mother at the inn.
The meal was a little louder than normal, but otherwise, everything felt normal to Gregory as he ate. Yukiko and Jenn bantered with the guests, clearly referencing an earlier conversation they’d had.
“I loved the bath. It was amazing,” Clover replied to a question from Jenn. “It’s even better than the ones in the training halls.”
“I think that it was the company,” Victoria said. “They aren’t different in layout in my opinion, but the company vastly improved them.”
“Hmm, you have a point,” Ling nodded. “Not needing to look over your shoulder made it much more relaxing.”
Daciana barked a short laugh. “Reminds me of when Lucy grabbed my tail while we were bathing and commented about my heritage.”
“You could have gotten in trouble for that,” Nessa hissed at her, glancing at Lightshield.
“Intolerance is an ugly thing,” Lightshield sighed. “Alas, it is commonplace.”
That dimmed the conversations around the table for a bit, and they finished their dinner during that lull. Ravol and the other staff members, besides Murium, gathered the dirty dishes. Murium excused herself, as did Inda and Indara, leaving the clan members and Gin at the table with their guests.
“Now that dinner has come to an end, we should speak on why you are here tonight,” Lightshield said. Seeing that he had their attention, he smiled. “Each of you has expressed interest in the clan, but there are two reasons we do not accept people readily.” He paused. “Do you know what those are?”
“The other clans might try coming after us to hurt your clan,” Nessa said first.
“That is one of them.”
“Belief in Aether,” Ling said softly. “We’ve studied the clan, Elder. The driving force behind Aether’s Guard is the idea that Aether will return. When that happens, the clan will be there to guard him from his enemies. To truly belong, you have to believe that Aether will return and be ready to stand beside him…” Ling licked her lips, causing a brief pause before she rushed on with, “No matter who stands against him.”
Lightshield smiled at her. “That is the second. Well done, both of you.”
Nessa and Ling bowed their heads to him.
“Now, what I need to ask each of you is a very serious question, and I want you to answer one at a time. Do you believe?” he asked with reverence.
“Yes,” Daciana said when he looked at her. “Aether will return, and I will be his fangs if needed. There is an old myth in my family that we once stood at Aether’s side, and that has passed down every generation since. It was the first reason I wanted to join the clan.”
“I see,” Lightshield said, a smile touching his lips briefly. “There are other reasons, but I will not pry into those.”
Daciana blushed and looked at the table. “Thank you, Elder.”
Nessa exhaled slowly when Lightshield looked her in the eyes. “Elder, I’m sure you know that those with eurtik blood are barely tolerated at best, and used or killed at worst, by most of the other clans. Aether’s Guard has always been different. I’ve looked long and hard into the clan, and I can find nowhere when people like me and my friends were treated similarly by this clan. I pray that Aether, when he returns, will take that ideal and make it shine out over the entire world.”
“That is my hope. One of them, at least,” Lightshield replied.
Victoria blinked when Lightshield looked at her, and her eyes went to Gregory briefly. “Elder, I’ve always wanted to see the world. I prayed to Aether for years, as being a magi was the easiest way to accomplish my goal. A little over a year ago, that changed. My only goal now is to be the best I can be, and I hope that Aether may cast his gaze my way in time. I will serve him faithfully and will always put his needs above my own.”
Gregory blinked at Victoria’s wording, and he felt his aether flare briefly.
“Yes, I can see it in your eyes,” Lightshield said softly. “That is devotion. When he returns, I am sure he will be very glad that you are there for him.”
Ling swallowed when Lightshield shifted his gaze to her. “Elder… I don’t know if I believe as deeply as the novices do. For that, I am sorry. What I do know is that six months ago, I had only one friend, Clover.” She put her hand on Clover’s for a second. “She was my only solace during the first year… now, I have more friends, friends who have helped guide us and helped us grow. We’ve grown faster since we’ve met our peers in the clan. At times, I almost felt like Aether himself had taken notice of us… I want to join the clan to repay him, and to stay with my friends.”
“Me, too,” Clover said before anyone else could speak. “I want to be here with my friends, too. I don’t know if it’s Aether, but I do know it’s Greg and Yuki and Jenn that have pushed us and encouraged us to do better. I want that. I want to be with them so much.” Her tone was pleading at the end.
Lightshield chuckled softly. “Honesty is always welcome here. Each of you spoke the truth, as you feel it to be, which leaves me with only one last question— why did I invite you all here together, instead of as separate groups? I could have asked just you two, or you three, here on different days. So why did I do this?”
The five guests all looked at each other, wondering if one of the others knew.
When no one spoke after a minute, Lightshield spoke again, “In the future, there was the chance for ill will. Each of you might have felt slighted that the others got in before you.” He held up a hand when Nessa and Ling started to speak. “I have foresight. There are very few people who have that magic. When I say there could have been ill will, I know of what I speak. This is why I had you all come tonight. You were able to speak to each other, interact, and hear why each wishes to join the clan. It is my hope that this will help thin that chance. While I will welcome you all into the clan, I will not do so until after the tournament concludes. Your reasons as to why are still valid, but this is one more reason to add to them.”
All five were excited and a little sad that they were having to wait.
“My hope is that you five, even though you are separated by a year, will grow together. That is but the first step of you growing close, and being ready to assist each other with your weaknesses, while sharing your strengths. Maybe I am a foolish old man, but it is good to have dreams. Dreams help us keep pushing on, even when it seems bleak. I know each of you harbors dreams of your own, but I believe that you will all find your dreams with us.”
All five wore wide smiles, and a few were blushing when he finished speaking.
“The day after the tournament, we will welcome all of you into the clan,” Lightshield smiled. “Before we bid you a good night, Dia will take you on a tour of the clan hall.”
“If you will follow me,” Dia said, standing up.
Everyone but Lightshield rose from the table. The guests all bowed formally to Lightshield and thanked him for inviting them, then went to follow Dia, who was waiting by the exit.
“Gregory, a moment, please?” Lightshield asked before he could leave the room.
“I’ll catch up,” Gregory told his wives, going back to the table. As he took a seat again, he realized that only he and Lightshield were still in the room. “Yes, Elder?”
“Do you still feel that all of them are suitable for the clan?” Lightshield asked.
Lips pursed, Gregory gave the question a minute of thought. “Yes, sir. All three novices are steadfast in their determination, and I think they will always be with the clan. Honestly, I was surprised at Ling’s reply to your question, but I believe her. Clover,” Gregory chuckled, “she meant it, too. I can’t see any of them turning on the clan, sir.”
“Do you feel it?” Lightshield asked.
Meeting Lightshield’s eyes, he wasn’t surprised at the sharp intellect he could see in them. Lightshield’s body might be fading, but his mind and spirit were still razor-sharp. The question seemed to reach into Gregory and pluck at his soul. For a moment, Gregory felt his resonance expand out— beyond two-feet, beyond a dozen yards. He felt it extend to the whole of the clan hall. Each person inside the walls resonated on his aether, and Gregory could feel each of them. Each tap on his resonance felt firm or true, as his mind wanted to interpret it now.
“Yes, sir,” Gregory said, his resonance snapping back down to being just over a foot away from him. “I do.”
“Very well. All of them will be joining the clan.” Lightshield rose slowly from the table. “Sleep well.”
Gregory sat there for another minute, thinking about what his resonance had done, but he didn’t have an answer.
