The bar was being tended by an older man with thinning white hair. “Apprentices, I will get the breakfast that was made for you. Give me one moment.”
“Thank you, sir,” Yukiko smiled. “We’ll be at the table by the window.”
“The game last night was frustrating,” Jenn said. “We didn’t play with the other nations with our instructors. The rules for them are different enough that I still don’t know what to expect.”
Gregory nodded. “Krogga has the zealots. That’s the only reason I was able to hold off your push just before bed.”
“Buldoun’s armies can equip at such a reduced cost that fielding the advanced armies is nearly trivial,” Yukiko mused. “Of course, getting a magi onto the field is incredibly difficult and gets more expensive the longer I keep them there.”
“Your troops still carved through the zealots,” Gregory reminded her. “They might be able to ignore magi, but troops with gear cut through them like a hot knife through butter.”
“I almost felt bad about that,” Yukiko grinned, “but then Jenn used the magi that survived you to take half of them off the board.”
The old man brought a tray of food to their table. “Your meal, magi. Are you playing Empire’s Gambit already? I thought that was reserved for your upcoming year.”
“We are, and it is,” Gregory responded. “We like to be ahead, if possible.”
“The forward-thinking ones do,” the old man chuckled as he served them. “The tea will help cut the aether of the food if you require it. That is what the note with it said.”
“Thank you, sir,” Yukiko beamed at him. “We’ll be keeping to this schedule as long as we are here.”
“I will make sure that Gordon knows. Enjoy your food.”
“Sir, what’s your name?” Jenn called out to him.
“I’m Leroy Brown, miss. My older brother is the chef. Enjoy your meal.”
Gregory frowned at his plate, not understanding what he was looking at. “Yuki, do you have any idea?”
“No,” Yukiko said, “though I think it’s egg-based. Jenn?”
“I have no idea,” Jenn said. “Dinner was really good, though, so I’m sure this will be, too.”
“I’m going to give it a try,” Gregory said. He picked up the pie-shaped food and bit into it. Chewing slowly, he smiled as he savored the moment.
When Yukiko and Jenn both saw him enjoying it, they sampled theirs.
“This is…” Gregory trailed off, unsure of how to properly phrase it. He set the food back on the plate and poured tea for them. “I wouldn’t think to use egg as a pie, nor the sweet squash as a filling for it. The creamy cheese flavor helps pull it together with the spices.”
“It is good,” Yukiko said as she set her slice down and exhaled slowly. “It’s also potent.”
“Very,” Gregory agreed, sipping the tea. “Oh, that helps temper the flare-up.”
Both Jenn and Yukiko sipped at their tea, sighing as their aether settled down. “We’ll have to eat this slowly,” Jenn said.
“Leroy,” Yukiko called out to him, “what is this dish called?”
“Crookneck frittata,” Leroy replied.
“It’s delicious,” Jenn added. “Please let Gordon know for us.”
“I will,” Leroy smiled.
~*~*~
Stepping outside once they’d finished their breakfast, the friends looked down the street, which had only occasional pockets of light. “We know which way the park is, so we can still get there, but I’m surprised at how unlit the town is,” Gregory said.
“I’m not. We’ve just gotten used to the academy,” Yukiko said.
“Most towns don’t use much lighting during dark hours,” Jenn said. “The cost alone, as Magus Han showed us, is prohibitive for the majority of towns, and even most cities.”
“Fair,” Gregory said. “Stretch, then jog to the park?”
“Yes,” Yukiko said, moving away from the door and window.
The town was nearly deserted as they jogged. They did hear the occasional muted voice, and once or twice caught sight of people staggering away down alleyways. The friends stayed together, and no one bothered them.
There were lights at the corners of the park, making it easy to find, but the light didn’t extend far from the lanterns. They stayed near the closest post, just inside the dim light it cast, though apart enough to do their exercises.
“No guards?” Gregory asked as they stretched out their upper bodies.
“Odd,” Yukiko said. “There should be some, at least. It’s possible that they’re just low-staffed and have a longer patrol route.”
“Could be,” Jenn said. “Ready?”
“Yes,” Yukiko smiled. “It feels good to be back on a schedule.”
“We need to practice our magic, too,” Gregory said. “Did Master Chen give you ways to practice, Jenn?”
“Yes. It’ll be less effective than sparring against another physical enhancement magi, but it’ll help.”
“Maybe we should practice magic first, then?” Yukiko suggested.
“We can do that,” Jenn said. “Greg, would you help me? Can you call out attacks and blocks for me to execute, with and without aether?”
“Sure.”
~*~*~
They were finishing their practice when Yukiko looked down the street. “Someone is coming this way,” she said.
“Oh?” Gregory asked, trying to see down the dark street.
“I’m doing something Inda wanted me to try,” Yukiko said before sighing. “I need to work on it more.”
“What is it?” Gregory asked, still looking down the street.
“Using the shadows to listen,” Yukiko said quietly. “The sound is muffled and indistinct right now, but Inda says it will get clearer with time. I heard someone coming this way at a jog.”
“How far away can you do that?” Jenn asked.
“At the moment, a few blocks, but that will grow with practice and more aether.”
Gregory made out a shape moving through the darkness. “There is someone.”
They waited to see who was coming toward them. The sky had started to shift to predawn gloom instead of the stygian darkness it had been.
“Apprentices, have you already finished your training?” Dia asked as she drew closer.
Gregory exhaled, not having realized he’d been holding his breath. The harder exhales that came from Yukiko and Jenn let him know he hadn’t been alone in doing so.
“We were just about to begin, Dia,” Gregory replied.
“Ah, did you start with magic?” Dia asked, drawing closer.
“We did. We thought it best to not startle people,” Yukiko said.
“Ah, a pity. I would have joined you, but I slept later than I had intended. Magus Yang wanted to talk far longer than I did.”
Jenn shuddered. “Thank you for freeing us from the conversation, Dia.”
Dia snorted mirthlessly. “Had I known how it would have gone, I might have chosen differently. But no, that’s a lie— it is my task to shelter you from such unpleasantness.”
“Will you join us for the Peaceful Fist, Dia?” Yukiko asked.
“Gladly. Maybe meditation will help ease my anger,” Dia said. “Besides, it will look better to the town if I am leading your training. I shall join you every morning going forward, barring… future unpleasantness.”
“We’re glad to have you, Dia,” Gregory said as he moved to take up the first stance.
“We are ready when you are, Dia,” Jenn said, her stance set.
~*~*~
As the exercise came to an end, Dia swallowed hard and wiped at her face. “After so long, Aether?”
“Dia?” Yukiko asked, looking concerned.
Dia looked elated as she dried her face again. “I’m fine, but thank you for asking. My cavern showed traces of channels expanding again. I haven’t seen that since my training years. Decades of nothing, and now, I see growth on the body path again.”
Gregory blinked and thought of Darkness. Is this you helping those close to me, Darkness? Dia is a trusted friend, and I approve, so thank you. He caught sight of Jenn’s questioning look and gave her a small shrug.
“I have practiced the Peaceful Fist since my adept year,” Dia said with a small laugh. “I watched as the embers stopped expanding the cavern channels that year. I have not seen them since then, until this morning.”
“Aether has blessed you,” Yukiko said. “Maybe even he thanks you for helping with Yang?”
Dia snorted, then began to laugh. It was a deep belly laugh, with tears that flowed from her eyes. “If I’d known that is what it would have taken, I would have talked well into the morning with him.”
The others laughed, as her humor was infectious.
“Ah, I must make sure to thank Aether properly later,” Dia said. “I’ll go to the temple while you work and present an offering to him. Maybe he’ll take pity on me and spare me having to repeat last night for it to continue.”
That got them laughing again, and Dia was grinning broadly as she watched them.
“But it is almost time for you to work, so off you go. I will make sure that dinner is a feast tonight, as I wish to celebrate. I will make sure we have a private room so that even Yang will not interfere with our dinner.”
“Thank you, Dia,” Jenn said, the others echoing her.
“And thank you, all three of you,” Dia said softly. “I have felt a change since you joined the clan. I know that Aether’s Guard will again take its place in the empire as one of the great clans. If I could have one wish, it would be to see it rise above the others and shine brightly so that all know the glory of Aether, as they should.” Shaking her head, she looked at the town starting to come alive around them, as the sun was just under the horizon. “Now go. Your instructors will be upset if you’re late.”
The three friends bowed formally to her in unison before they grabbed their bags and took off jogging.
Dia watched them go, her eyes shining.
