“Apprentices, it’s good to see you today,” Rafiq greeted them. He placed two bags on the desk. “Yesterday was a good day for some, terrible for others.”
“It was, indeed,” Yukiko said, leaving the money where it was. “Could you take that and bet it again for us?”
“Perhaps. I’m not sure the odds will be good, though.”
“We have faith in them,” Jenn said. “Mine, too, if it’s okay?”
“If you hadn’t heard, there’s a major bet on them to sweep again today,” Gregory grinned. “Carlisle bet against Warlin. If the novices sweep, Warlin will win over a half million. Ours seems paltry in comparison, but we still support them.”
Rafiq blinked, then his lips curled into a smile. “Now that is a big bet, indeed. Very well. Not sure I can do it again tomorrow, though.”
“That’s fine. Take half of what is won today and place it on us to win the apprentice tournament, please,” Yukiko said, Jenn nodding along with her.
“Very well,” Rafiq nodded back, pulling the pouches off the desk. “Are your books still good for today, or did you require something new?”
“Our study material is fine right now, thank you,” Jenn said.
“Good studying to you all, then.”
They thanked him and went to their table. They’d just finished making their Magi Squares when Daciana came into view.
“Looking forward to your matches today?” Gregory asked Daciana as she neared the table.
“Yes,” Daciana said, her tone subdued.
Surprised, Gregory was about to question her when Nessa and Victoria approached. They weren’t smiling as they normally would either. Yukiko and Jenn both noticed their moods were different.
“Nerves?” Gregory asked once all three novices sat down.
“What if we fail?” Daciana asked. “When we got back to the dormitory, we stayed up to talk for a bit.”
“And I mistakenly asked what if we fail…” Nessa said quietly.
“We’ve all been stuck on it since,” Victoria said, “even Daciana.”
Gregory blinked. The fact that Daciana was stuck on the thought was surprising to him. “What are you all afraid of?” Gregory asked.
“Not being good enough,” Daciana said, her ears down and her tail curled under her.
“That we’ll be excluded from the clan,” Nessa added.
“That I’ll be the only one who isn’t allowed in,” Victoria said.
“You think losing a single fight will do that?” Jenn asked.
“Maybe not a single fight, but two might,” Nessa said.
“I lost to Gregory on the first day,” Yukiko said. “I still made it to the final eight because I won every other match.”
“I made it in with a single loss, too,” Jenn said.
“And even if you lose twice or more, it’ll be fine,” Gregory said. “As long as you give everything you have to win, it’ll be enough. Don’t think about losing— yeah, it might happen. I should have lost to Jenn and again to Jason in the semi-finals, but I didn’t because I never stopped trying. You might end up against someone who just wants it more than you do, no matter how much you want it. I did, which is why Jenn won the second tournament.”
The novices were staring at him, hoping to hear something to help them.
“I don’t think you’ll lose,” he said, looking each one in the eyes, “if you have the fire to prove yourselves that I’ve seen in you since you started working for it. Grab that dream you hold and focus on it— use it to help push you. The only way to truly fail is to quit. I don’t think my friends are the kind to give up, are they?”
The challenge in his words had all three women staring him down.
“I will never give up my goal,” Daciana growled, her lips pulled back in a snarl.
“I’ll outpace my fear and prove to you that I can catch my dream,” Nessa said, her tail flicking in agitation.
Victoria smiled softly, brushing her hair back behind her ear. “I feel like an idiot… like a child afraid of the dark that had to be shown the noise outside was just the tree scratching at the shutters. Thank you, Greg. I’ll be in the finals with them. We’ll win.”
“Damned right, we will,” Daciana said, nodding sharply.
“Friends can help pull you up, as well as push you to do more,” Nessa smiled. “Thanks for the hand up.”
“It’s just who he is,” Yukiko said fondly. “We’ll be right there in the stands beside your families, cheering for you. We know you’ll win today, tomorrow, and into the finals.”
“We believe in you, so believe in yourselves,” Jenn said. “We’ll be looking forward to standing with you on the sands to accept our rewards from the council.”
“Stupid…” Daciana huffed. “We have studying to do.”
“We do, indeed,” Yukiko agreed.
~*~*~
They had taken their seats, and a few other students and magi were still getting settled as the seventh bell rang. Gregory wondered if Carlisle would show up again or choose a different place to sit. He might want to stay away in case they win— he’d want to avoid the embarrassment. Then again, he’d want to be here if they lose so he can declare just how “smart” he is. Hmm… which is more likely? He was still pondering when Hao and the others arrived.
“Here all day again?” Hao asked Lightshield as he took his seat.
“Yes. It appears as if the council wants to keep the undefeated novices fighting in the central arena. It is a little different from some of the past tournaments, but it will give people a chance to cheer the novices on easier. That also means that keeping these seats is going to be tougher.”
“I can see that,” Hao said, nodding to the few people he recognized from the day before.
Daciana, Nessa, and Victoria came into view. Their previous fear was gone— they were smiling and joking with each other as they took their seats. Some surreptitious nods were exchanged by the novices and apprentices.
Daciana spoke to her father, loud enough for the others to hear her, “We’re all fighting in the late morning into the late afternoon. Some of our fights are back-to-back-to-back, so it’ll be busy for us.”
“Maybe this farce will end quickly, then,” Carlisle’s voice caught everyone’s attention nearby. He sneered at the novices. “Aether willing, we’ll see some blood today.”
Gregory looked away from Carlisle to the man who had followed him. He had cold eyes, scarred hands, was wearing armor, and carrying a sword. The man exuded an aura of uncaring violence. His cold eyes shifted to Gregory and stared into him.
“Carlisle,” Hao said amiably, “so good of you to join us again. Look, they even left your previous spot open for you, though I do have to say that your previous companion was more attractive.”
“Warlin, I look forward to you losing today’s bet. You’ll learn how foolish you were, and everyone here will see it.”
“Possibly,” Hao said, his smile still in place. “Then again, I’d bluster if I had the chance of losing all the vela you are. I notice that the majority of people nearby were here yesterday, too.”
“It appears that is the case,” Carlisle said after taking a look around.
“I’m sure you’ll enjoy some of the fights today,” Hao said. “I know I will.”
~*~*~
The morning fights went by with minor interest. The novices used very little aether, as the majority of them did not have the skill or aether to do a lot of magic. A few outliers caught a lot of attention, though— Franklin Buddiz turned out to be a prodigy earth magi, able to fling hardened balls of earth at his opponent. While he couldn’t throw many, he’d been able to use enough at key points throughout his matches to quickly dispatch his opponent. The other novice, Seymour Xandia, reminded Gregory of Franco Ichor. He was a physical enhancement magi who was brutal to his opponents.
The eleventh bell came a second before Daciana walked out of the tunnel and onto the arena floor. She walked with her head held high and her back straight, ignoring the cheers and boos from the stands.
The same magus from the day prior had Daciana and her opponent bow as normal. The brawny magi backed up with his hand raised, but before he could drop it, a spike of earth shot up out of the ground, aimed directly for Daciana’s gut.
Daciana’s eyes widened. She started to shift to the side on reflex, but it wasn’t going to be enough to get clear of the earthen spear. When the spike collided with and shattered on an aether-made barrier, it was her opponent’s turn to be shocked.
The adjudicator went from where he’d been, to in front of Daciana’s opponent in a blink. The crowd was going nuts, equal parts incensed and eager for more. Seconds passed as the magi talked with the novice, who had attacked before the match started.
“Novice Jilam forfeits the match and will withdraw from the tournament,” the adjudicator announced, stepping back from the novice, who dropped to their knees.
There were more boos than cheers coming from the crowd, but Daciana bowed as she should, then left the arena floor. Carlisle was one of the loudest jeering over the announcement.
As the crowd settled down, Carlisle spoke up, “Pathetic! If you win, it’ll be because the magus stopped her from fighting as she should have.”
Hao didn’t bother replying to Carlisle. Instead, he leaned forward to ask Gin, “Armsmaster, is that normal? Making the fighter forfeit and withdraw?”
“The rules of duels are sacrosanct,” Gin replied. “He was lucky that the adjudicator didn’t cripple or kill him for blatantly breaking those rules.”
“Not many novices can create an earthen spear, either, and definitely not before the second tournament,” Dia added. “That means the novice likely had an item. The attack was deliberately before the start of the match, as well, as it was intended to catch their opponent off-guard. Luckily for Daciana, she had something to create a barrier with. She’d have been skewered at worst or badly gashed at best.”
Daciana came out of the tunnel for the stands. She was wearing a thoughtful expression as she moved toward her friends. Nessa and Victoria began to talk to her, finding out if there was more to know. Daciana explained what she could as the next set of fighters bowed on the arena floor.
