Gregory took his seat in the study, waving the maid off with a polite decline of the offered tea. Closing his eyes, he let resonance flow out of him. This meeting wouldn’t be as tense as the one he’d had with Justina— while the futures had still not been great, Gregory knew how to maneuver his way through this meeting to the end he wanted.
It was a half-hour later when Artok finally entered the room. Gregory didn’t retract his resonance; it wasn’t focused to pressure the magus, merely filling the room passively. When he didn’t react, Gregory knew the magi wasn’t on the spirit path. Artok’s hollowness grated at Gregory’s senses, telling him the man couldn’t be trusted. Even the maid felt more stable than the magus.
“Pettit, glad you made it,” Artok said brusquely. “You’ve created a major stir in my town.”
“I didn’t know that enforcing the laws was going to cause so much trouble, Magus.”
Artok’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, about that. Explain what happened.”
Gregory produced a scroll, placing it on the table between them. “My report for you, Magus. It details the incident with Flint Pelton and his men.”
Artok waved the maid over. “Pour for us.”
Bowing, she brought the cart over, making them both tea while Artok read the report. Gregory remained impassive, but kept his eyes on Artok. He could see the small flashes of anger the magi was mostly hiding. Having poured them tea, the maid retreated back to her spot near the door.
Setting the scroll down, Artok picked up his waiting cup. “Leave us.”
Bowing low, she slipped from the room.
“Now, Pettit, explain the truth.”
“The report is the truth, sir,” Gregory stated firmly. “I wouldn’t change one just to make myself look better. They need to contain the facts so they can be studied later.”
Artok sat back with his cup, watching Gregory intently. “Pelton’s men attacked your men because you asked for their paperwork?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Is this what caused the incident in Icelake? You asked to see their paperwork, too?”
“The laws are quite clear on the matter, sir. All they needed was to produce the paperwork required. They did not. The men in Icelake were smart enough to not attack me, but Pelton and his men…” Gregory shrugged. “We cannot abide people attacking magi, sir. It’d undermine the empire.”
“No… no, we can’t…” Artok murmured. “It says you freed the eurtik?”
“They were captured illegally, sir, and I do not carry the paperwork to capture slaves myself. I’d be a hypocrite to bring them in as slaves at that point.”
Sipping his tea, Artok let the silence stretch out in the room. Gregory sampled his own drink while he waited. It wasn’t uncomfortable to him, as his aether was all around him.
“Certain people in both towns will be unhappy with your actions, Pettit. Wealthy people with the backing of powerful people and clans.”
“I figure there’ll be a few who are, Magus. That isn’t going to stop me from upholding the laws. If we backed down just because we upset someone, the entire empire would fall.”
Artok set his cup down. “Pettit, level with me. Your stunt at the Golden Collar: was that deliberate? Or are you really here to tear the Chainer family apart?”
“No, sir. I was sent to patrol the border,” Gregory said. “All I’ve done since arriving is follow the rules. I had no idea there were so many people flagrantly breaking them.”
Artok’s eyes narrowed. “Oh? Did Pelton tell you about any deals he had in place?”
Gregory’s head tilted slightly. “Deals? No. He tried to get me to brand the eurtiks, as stated in the report, but nothing about any deals.”
“I see… You don’t feel the need to arrest me for not checking their paperwork?” Artok asked. Gregory felt aether starting to build around Artok.
“No, sir. It’s possible you were unaware of the laws. I know I was unusual in the academy for studying them as much as I did. I thought we’d have this talk and I could explain them to you. This way, you know before anything happens.”
Artok stared at the seemingly earnest young magi with suspicion before he sat back. “I see… Well, I will certainly look into the slave laws you’ve cited in your report. The Chainer family and the rest in town are going to be hearing about the attack, and their displeasure will be brought to me. I’ll do my best to smooth things over, but it’ll take from me to do it.”
“I understand, Magus. If this balances any debt that might’ve been between us, I’d be grateful.”
“I’ll also have to withdraw my invitation for the solstice. It would send the wrong message right now.”
“Understood, Magus; Magus Smitton did the same thing. I’m sad that it’s come to this, but I understand.”
“Very well. Are you heading out tomorrow?”
“No, sir. We’ll be leaving as soon as I get back to the barracks. We’re already behind, but we might get back on schedule before the end of the week.”
“Go. I’ll handle things here. Oh, and Pettit?” he asked when Gregory stood and bowed. “Try not to cause any other problems.”
“I’ll do my best, Magus. I’ll only do my duty to the empire.”
Artok stood slowly. “Yes… that would be for the best. Sometimes, though, the empire is best helped by a magi who isn’t as keen, Adept.”
Gregory bowed again, then left.
~*~*~
The camp was set in quick order that evening, the unit having double-time marched on and off so they could reach the campground at their normal time. Barny prepared a hot soup with plenty of vegetables and meat to help the men stay warm in the light dusting of snow.
When Gregory finished eating, he got up, going to stand in the middle of the tables. “Men, continue eating. I’m just going to express my gratitude to you.”
The few who were done sat up straighter while the rest continued to eat, though they did slow down while they finished. Davis went to join Gregory in the middle, lending silent support to the magi.
“The last couple of days have truly turned the rest of this year into what we warned you about. The powerful, wealthy, and even the town magi will start to pressure us. Before the end of the year, you’ll be harassed, provoked, and possibly even assaulted.”
The last few men finished their food, so everyone was focused solely on Gregory speaking.
“I’ll do my best to warn everyone of potential trouble, like we’ve discussed before. As a unit, we might see a mass attack on us before the year ends. I’m not worried about that, as you’ve proven that you can more than handle yourselves. There were only two injuries in that fight with Pelton’s men, both of them from desperation that had the attackers killed in swift order. I still have a supply of healing potions, salves, and ointments, so we can weather anything that happens.”
The sisters waited to bring cleaning water to the tables, not wanting to interrupt Gregory.
“Just uphold the honor of the unit, and we’ll get through this year. We’ll be pushed and they’ll try to break us, but we won’t be broken. We’ve been forged as a unit; brothers-in-arms, bonded in battle. You have my faith and my thanks.”
When Gregory finished, Donald stood up. “Sir, will they move against just you?”
“I’ll likely face an assassin or two, yes. I’m sure at least one of them will be a magi. I won’t fall to an assassin— they work off surprise. It’s pretty hard to surprise me.”
The unit laughed at his statement. They knew how much he did to keep his eye on the future. Any unknowing assassin was doomed to failure.
“When this year ends and we get to Krogga,” Gregory went on, “I’ll make sure your extra duty is paid. My wives will be grateful to all of you, and I’m sure their units will be happy to make sure you get some extra time off.”
“We don’t need extra time off, sir,” Glasson said, standing up from his table. “Our job is your life. The days off are nice, but it’d look bad to the other units if we got special treatment.”
“To a degree, you’d be right,” Davis jumped in, “but one of them is patrolling a mostly peaceful area right now. The other is on the Kroggian border, but still won’t see the kind of trouble we do. It isn’t special treatment at that point; it’s clear maintenance. All soldiers need time to decompress after combat. We’ll just be getting more of it while the others help us.”
“Davis is right,” Gregory said. “It won’t be weeks off by any stretch, but you’ll get a little extra here or there. You’ll have seen more combat by then than probably any other unit assigned this year. We are the Velum Empire’s blade. Every unit is, and there’s nothing wrong about making sure a weapon is cared for after combat.”
The men nodded.
“This was to thank you for standing with me,” Gregory said, dragging the conversation back on topic. “Thank you. We hold the line by clinging to the laws, but in doing so, we’re doing the right thing. You’ll always have my thanks. Even after you leave the unit, you’ll always have my thanks.” He bowed toward each table.
The sergeants stood up, saluting. The moment they did, the entire unit followed suit. The only ones who didn’t were Barny, Dot, Polka, and Rafiq, though all four bowed to him.
Gregory’s chest felt warm as he saluted them back. “Dismissed.”
Dot and Polka rushed forward with cleaning water at that.
Gregory retired to his tent— he was drained by the events from the last few days. When his tent flap opened, he looked up to find Rafiq there. Rafiq went to sit with Gregory at the table.
“Did I do the right thing…?” Gregory asked softly.
“You’ve done the morally right thing, Gregory. Only you can judge if that is right or not. Pelton admitted to killing innocent women to prove a point to those he captured, to say nothing of his attack on an innocent village. If you want to talk, I will listen.”
Gregory exhaled slowly when he saw the lack of a notebook. “Thank you… I think that would help.”
“It’s an honor to assist a friend.”
Gregory smiled slightly, then took a deep breath to unburden himself.
