Gregory woke at the third bell— it would give him an hour to meditate and continue polishing his aether channels. He’d held to that routine during their march north. They’d marched farther than normal every day, as the summer meant longer days. His men didn’t complain, just continued to move day after day.
They’d paused twice to restock their supplies, and Gregory had mandated a full day off in the cities to give the men a break, too. Small issues popped up with people wanting to take advantage of them, but none of his men let them devolve into fights. They walked away from all the incidents, even when it cost them money. Gregory made sure they were repaid every time they did. That bolstered morale, proving that it was better for everyone to just walk away.
It took a solid six weeks of marching to reach Coldwood. The last two weeks had been on rough roads that slowed their travel time. They’d made it into the town in the evening, with just enough time to reach the barracks before sunset. Gregory sent Basal to inform the town magus that he’d arrived and that he would present himself tomorrow.
Shaking his head, Gregory finished getting his clothing on. Once he’d sat down at the table in his room, he meditated, his aether cavern appearing to him in seconds. Smiling at the flame, he began to walk around the cavern. His channels were widening bit by bit, and he’d noticed they’d also begun to form a crystal matrix inside them.
“The unit we’re replacing should arrive today,” Gregory mused. “I’m meeting the town magus to officially take over the patrols, and I’ll have dinner with the adept… technically, with me replacing him, he’ll be a magus.”
His mind drifted back to his wives and what they were likely doing.
“Yuki should be reaching Alturis, or she might be there already. I know Dad will help her settle in, and Gunnar will too. I really hope El and Ria are accepting of her. They might be stiff, to begin with, but Yuki can work on that.” He smiled as he thought of his lovely, white-blonde-haired, shadow magi wife being in his home village.
That thought was replaced by Jenn on the border with Krogga. She was far from what Kroggians thought of as powerful with her short frame and slight stature. If they challenged her, though, she’d quickly show them her strength, both in body and will. He worried for her, but had faith that she’d be fine. “Just mind your own advice, Jenn: be safe. No dying or being horribly scarred.”
Mindie had the easiest year. She’d be back in Grakle, helping their younger friends go through troop training. His smile came back to him as he wondered which of them would end up at his old campground. “She’ll help them with any hurts they have, preparing them for what will best help them grow. Daciana will need to be tempered, Nessa will need to be forward, and Victoria… well… she’ll be fine, as she blends the other two together.”
As he continued to examine the cavern walls, he thought about his other three friends, the three who’d join them in Krogga next year. Ling, Clover, and Roshana would be as eager for the coming year as he and his wives were. When they met again, they’d have a tea ceremony, then marry. They’d all confronted their resonances and shared them with him. His love of them was a small flame waiting to be fed to grow, much as his aether flame had been.
“All so different, yet similar…” Gregory murmured. “Three sets with so many similarities between the groups. Each has an emotional one, a thinker, and one who balances the other two. Yukiko’s the thinker, as are Nessa and Ling. Jenn is emotionally driven like Daciana and Clover. Then, we have Mindie to balance like Victoria and Roshana do.”
That made him slow down for a moment. “What about Claudia…? She’s in Buldoun, learning from the archmage. She’s the outlier; there are no others that match with her. If there were, which would she be out of the trio? …She’d be the balancer. That leaves one who thrives on emotion, and a thinker…”
He was still pondering that question when the fourth bell chimed. Lapsing out of meditation, he stood up and stretched. Fourth bell meant waking up for breakfast. He wasn’t sure how that would work in the barracks here, but it was time to find out.
Stepping into the hall, he stopped to give Rafiq, Basal, Hanz, and Davis nods, as they were leaving their rooms, too. “Good morning to you all. Is your room crowded, Basal, Hanz?”
“No, sir. We’ve made it work,” Basal said.
“It’s fine, sir,” Hanz added.
“It is fine, Gregory,” Rafiq said. “I’m glad to share a room with them. They both remind me of my little boy.”
The two young men shifted awkwardly, but didn’t say anything.
“The room was fine, sir,” Davis said. “The barracks are set for a full unit. There are two floors of them, meaning they planned for two units to be here at the same time. The servant’s quarters on the ground floor are… not great. Dot, Polka, and Barny said it’d be fine, but that they would be happier in the tent when we go.”
“Two days here, and then we head out,” Gregory said, leading the way to the stairs. “I’m just happy they have the attached baths. I’ll enjoy those every time we get to town.”
“All of us will, sir,” Davis chuckled. “A few of the men lingered last night. I’ll ask them to put off baths tonight, since the other unit should be in. They’ll need it more than our freshly-cleaned men.”
“Good point. It’s for the best, that way. The sergeant’s quarters are on the same floor as the men?”
“Yes, sir. It’s a smaller barracks on the floor. Luckily, we get along with our men. Sergeants who didn’t would find that arrangement… problematic.”
“And then they’d set a bad example.”
“Indeed.”
As they passed the landing between floors, Gregory heard his men getting up for the day. He glanced in as he passed— they were all mostly vertical and getting dressed. The barracks looked much like he expected they all did. There were rows of cots with lockers at the foot of each. The sergeant’s quarters were right next to the stairs, and the door was cracked open, likely so they could keep an ear on the men while they got dressed, too.
The next floor was the empty barracks where the outgoing guard unit would relax when they got in. It seemed bigger with no one taking up space, but Gregory knew that was just perception.
Reaching the ground floor, Gregory nodded. It was a mess hall mostly filled with tables, but there was still open space so it wouldn’t be terribly crowded if all the tables were packed. The scent of breakfast came from the open kitchen at the back of the room. Barny, Dot, and Polka were in there, getting things ready.
“How’s the kitchen, Barny?” Gregory asked when he got closer.
“Decent. It’s not great, but still good. The equipment was clean; we’re not sure if the previous cook did it or if the barracks have a caretaker. The pantry’s stocked with an assortment of common seasonings, but the larder’s a bit spare. We had supplies to help fill that out for breakfast.”
“Davis will be resupplying today when I see the magus. If you need something outside of the normal stock, let him know after breakfast.”
“I will, sir.”
“How’s the room?”
“Cramped with three of us,” Polka said. “We’ll make it work, as it’s only two days. When we can take up the other staff room, it’ll be better.”
“You could have last night, but from today until we leave, it’ll be in use by the other unit’s staff. If they don’t have any, then feel free to use it.”
“Yes, sir,” Dot grinned.
Gregory felt bad for what he was about to say, but he’d overheard enough snippets on the way in last night to know it was a good idea. “If any of you need to go out, make sure to wear your livery. Even then, you might get accosted. Defuse it quickly by showing your mark. If that doesn’t do it, flee. Get back to me, and I’ll deal with whoever bothered you. I doubt it’ll be a problem since you’re wearing a clan emblem, but it’s best to be prepared.”
That killed their smiles. “We understand, sir,” Polka said.
“We’ll get away if needed, sir,” Dot added.
“I can’t run like them, but I’ll make sure it’s known who holds my rune, sir,” Barny said.
Gregory’s small flinch got the trio to smile again. Knowing he hated it, along with how well he treated them, made them happy. They’d known how bad things could be; their old owner had shown them that. Life, since Gregory had rescued them, had been the best they could ever hope for.
“We know, sir,” Dot said. “If we have to be held, it’s best that it’s with your family. The others with your wives agreed with us.”
“We talked about it before the tournament ended,” Polka chimed in. “We’ll try not to mention it again, but we thought you should know.”
Gregory exhaled. “I hate it, but I understand. I can’t stop it… not yet, at least.”
“Breakfast will be ready soon, sir,” Barny said, “if you want to take a seat.”
“Got it.” Gregory gave the cheetah eurtik twins and the pig eurtik cook a smile. “I’m sure it’ll be delicious.”
“Not as good as I’ve made before, but still better than plain frumenty,” Barny chuckled.
“Anything is better than that.” Polka made a fake gagging noise.
“Ground, wet bark tastes as appealing as plain frumenty,” her sister added.
Laughing, Gregory went over to a table. His men were coming downstairs even before the fifth bell rang. Today would be different in many ways, but Gregory had looked into the future last night. While there weren’t going to be any major incidents, there would be some friction with the unit coming in. Instead of sitting, Gregory stood, waiting for all of his men to come down. Fifth bell chimed as the last of them hurried to take a seat.
Gregory cleared his throat. “Men, before we break our fast, I have something to say: thank you for your effort over the last six weeks. I know that marching for such a duration was unpleasant. We’ll be here for two days, then leave on the third. Tonight, the other unit will come in from their patrol. They’ll be tired, bloody, and eager to hand off their duty to us. A few will be resentful of your happiness or, in some cases, of your gear.”
That caught the attention of the entire unit.
“I will ask that at least one sergeant stays in the barracks all the time,” Gregory went on. “It will deter some… potential problems.”
“Theft, sir?” Sergeant Adam Bunson asked bluntly, his tusks not interfering with his speech.
“It is a possibility. Not all men are as honorable as ours.”
Pride was visible in the eyes of his men at his confidence in them.
“Beyond that, we’ll not use the baths tonight. They need them and will fight for them if they have to. It’d be best to just stay back and let them settle in. Half of them are wounded— they are missing eight men from the unit, with casualties sustained over the year.”
That sobered all of them up. It was a hard reminder that they would have the deadliest patrol in the empire.
“We will not be missing a single man at the end of our year,” Gregory said firmly. “This is not a given, but I believe it to be true because you aren’t the rabble they are. We’ll be sharp, attentive, and ready to act when needed.”
Backs straightened as they all sat up, nods coming from a few of them.
“Enjoy today and tomorrow as much as you can, because the moment we leave this town for our first patrol until next year at this same time, we’ll be in danger. The wilds aren’t the only place where injuries and harm can happen. The people who live here and in Icelake are the roughest, coarsest men and women you’ll find. They live here to escape the more lawful sections of the empire. Remember: walking away is for the best.”
“Yes, sir,” the two words echoed from every man in the room.
Gregory smiled. “I’ll do my best for all of us. I know all of you will too. Barny, I’m sorry for the delay. We’re ready.”
“Thank you, sir,” Barny said, then rang the cook’s bell. “Breakfast is served.”
