Gregory made sure his letter went out before they’d marched back to Coldwood. The trip was unpleasant; the snow never let up, though it thankfully wasn’t a blizzard. The guards on the gate were very wary of Gregory, answering his question about slavers, but none had come in.
When they’d made it to the barracks, Gregory informed his men of their week off. He only asked them all to be present for breakfast and dinner so they could know if there was going to be any trouble for that day. He then went a step further and paid them out of his own money again so they’d have cash for enjoying the week.
He’d handed over ingredients to Barny for the solstice, too. Barny grinned, saying he’d make a feast. That was still a few days off, so Gregory slipped into his routine for the first few days. He grabbed desserts from Golden Crusts, but then paid for an extra special one to be made and delivered on the solstice.
Nothing special or problematic happened in the few days leading up to the solstice. There were minor complaints from a few of the men about some rumors that had started up. Someone had taken to saying that Gregory was the reason the solstice slave market would be thin on offerings. That had caused some arguments, but they never let it devolve into a fight.
Gregory rotated through his different types of training. The Peaceful Fist with his men after breakfast was a constant, as was Magi Squares at night. His meditations swapped between resonance, aether flame opponents to fight in his cavern, and watching reenactments of past fights put on by his aether. He did all of this while continuing to polish his channels; the act no longer caused tingling, but he knew it was still working.
~*~*~
“Happy Solstice, sir,” Hanz greeted him when Gregory came out of the room.
“Happy Solstice, Hanz. You, too, Basal,” he included the second squire as he came out of the bedroom. “Today will have some good food all day.”
“Dot told me some of what Barny was going to make,” Basal grinned. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“As are all the men,” Davis said, leaving his room. “Have you planned for anything special, sir?”
“Just dessert for later today, other than the food Barny’s making. I’ll be busy after the Peaceful Fist with the magi tradition of stretching my aether with alchemical compounds. Rafiq, you will be joining me, right?”
“I am honored to do so, Greg,” Rafiq smiled as he shut his door behind him.
“Let’s get going.”
Davis fell into step with Gregory, going downstairs. “The men were thrilled to be paid a little early. They’re all aware that you advanced the cash from your own personal funds.”
“Any of them go broke already?” Gregory chuckled.
“One or two might’ve been overenthusiastic,” Davis snickered. “You probably noticed them the last couple of days.”
“The ones who were hungover during the Peaceful Fist? That makes sense. I’m just glad there haven’t been any big problems. Today ends quietly, or at least without any reported issues.”
“The sergeants have stepped in a time or two,” Davis said as they passed Glasson, watching the men getting up. “Nothing that needed to be reported, though.”
“If the sergeants can handle it, then it’s fine,” Gregory said. “Lighthand always said to trust your officers and sergeants to handle things, and I do.”
“We appreciate it. I’ve been in units where it’s gone to both extremes. You’ve balanced things nicely, but then again, you have extra help keeping us all safe.”
“That’s true.”
The tables in the mess were festooned with small decorations. Dot and Polka were getting small kegs placed out for each squad. The twins grinned as they worked, obviously in high spirits. Gregory went toward the kitchen while the others took seats at one of the tables.
“Happy Solstice, sir,” Barny grinned happily. “I have the first course all ready to go. Lunch is being prepared now so we can have it ready on time. When it’s served, I’ll be starting dinner.”
“You do a lot for us,” Gregory said. “Would you like to take tomorrow off?”
“No, thank you. I love cooking,” Barny said. “If you feel the need to do something for me, please give Polka a little more vela? She was going to go shopping tomorrow to pick some things up for us.”
Gregory looked over to where the sisters were working. “How have you two been doing?”
“Wonderfully, sir. We’re very happy with each other.”
“Good.”
“Sir,” Barny said slowly, “about Thera… do you think she made it home?”
“I do. She made it seem like her family was well-known. That could help her make it back. I’m not concerned for Thera, but the villagers we saved… them I worry about. I hope they took my advice to heart and went farther north.”
“I think they would have. They’d just been raided and almost enslaved. That would jolt anyone into wanting to make sure it didn’t happen again.”
Some of the men started trickling down into the mess hall.
“I look forward to the meal.”
“And I look forward to everyone enjoying it,” Barny grinned.
~*~*~
Breakfast was different styles of food all centered around adzuki beans and kabocha squash. Barny had done his best to turn the two foods into a feast of variety. The men loved every offering, but also the half-cut wine that Gregory had set out with the meal.
When they’d finished, Gregory told everyone that the Peaceful Fist was suspended for the day. A few of the men looked upset at that, but perked right up when Gregory explained the reason why. Everyone but Dot, Polka, and Barny trooped into the yard.
The next few hours were filled with the men dueling Gregory with various weapons. He never used foresight, nor the naginata. Everyone who fought got a vela bonus, and those who bested him got extra. Gregory didn’t lose often, but when he used the wakizashi against their naginatas, he had a very rough time with it. About halfway through, the men realized that he was easier to beat with that instead of the guandao, so everyone asked for him to use the shorter blade.
The last man lost just as Barny stepped out to call everyone in for lunch. Gregory was grinning, having noticed the men betting or having matches of their own while he’d fought. Spirits were high as they went in to warm up and have more food.
The hotpot lunch and half-cut wine were cheered for enthusiastically. Pork, chicken, and beef accounted for the proteins, but the sides were robust, with the majority being made from daikon and lotus root. Debates about the best pairing of meat and side were the main topic of conversation.
When the meal ended, Gregory stood up. “Happy Solstice to all of you. Some of you are away from family this year and for the next few. We’re proud to step in and fill that role for you.” A few of the men clapped others on the back. “This year’s deployment hasn’t been easy, and will inevitably get worse; we’ll weather it together as a unit. Today is a day to let the past go and embrace the coming year. By the next solstice, we’ll be in Krogga. Maybe that’ll be from the frying pan into the fire, but we’ll find out together. Before I go off to stuff myself with additives and try to grow in power, I had one more gift for all of you before dinner. Please, come over by squad.”
Each sergeant led their men over in an orderly fashion to be handed even more vela while Gregory wished them all a pleasant new year. The men all thanked him, including the sergeants, who also got money. Finished with the men, Gregory then called up Davis, the boys, and finally, the staff, giving them their bonuses.
“From my family to all of you, thank you. My wives would praise all of you for keeping me safe. I thank you for that as well.” Saluting them, he smiled. The entire room came to attention to return the salute, minus the staff who bowed to him. “Make sure to be here for dinner. Dismissed.”
Gregory stepped away from the table, motioning Rafiq to follow him. The pair ended up in the bathroom where a bathtub was already filled with yuzu.
“Easiest to use this room from start to finish,” Gregory said as he stripped off his clothing, leaving just his underclothes on. “I have the additives to take while we do the Peaceful Fist.”
Rafiq joined him in stripping down to the barest layer of cloth, just enough to not be naked. “I’d grow best while meditating.”
“I’ll ask you to hand me the additives as I go through the forms, then.”
“Gladly, Gregory.”
~*~*~
It was a couple of hours later, with Gregory feeling bloated, when the pair finally washed themselves and stepped into the tub. His aether began to release the impurities it’d absorbed over the year, turning the yuzu near him black.
“I appreciate the extra you shared with me,” Rafiq said as he relaxed in the hot water. “Sarinia sent me with what she could, and the extra pushed me to the brink.”
“Lightshield had extra for me and my wives in the ring he gave me. It took us a few minutes to understand the uneven distribution. He’d thought ahead for you as well as us.”
“He was a good man.”
“I was curious; do you know why he was banned from the archive?”
Rafiq snorted. “He destroyed a book, then had to fend off Sarinia, the previous chief.”
“What book?”
Rafiq went quiet for a moment. “I shouldn’t say.”
Gregory was about to plead his case, wanting to know, but instead stopped himself. “Very well. Maybe the chief will tell me later.”
“She might. Sarinia trusts you a great deal. The next time you go back to the archive, she’ll likely tell you things most students don’t know.”
“She wanted me to be a magus first?”
“To survive and see who you are when faced with hard choices.”
Gregory thought about everything he’d done since becoming an adept. “I see…”
“You’ve taken bold stances, Gregory. You could’ve ignored what was going on around you, just going through the motions to get through the year as easily as possible. Instead, you’ve taken a stand against things while using the laws of the empire to let you do so. Even knowing this will bring pain and suffering to you and your men, you did it anyway.”
“If I do nothing, then I’m no better than those I speak against. I want to see my wives again, but I don’t know if I could be proud of ignoring the pain that I could’ve helped mitigate, even for a little while.”
“Which is why Sarinia will see you for the man she always thought you were. It became obvious over your novice year, and increasingly so throughout your apprentice year who you were. All of us in the archive were glad to help expand your mind.”
Gregory was silent for a few minutes before he cleared his throat. “Rafiq, do you think they’ve gone farther north to stay safer?”
“I do. If not, though, you can do nothing. You’ve already done more than any person would ever hope for. Thera would’ve sprinted north. She told me that her goal was to tell her family about you and the faint hope you sparked in her heart.”
Gregory’s eyes widened, and Rafiq’s grin grew until he started laughing.
“What?” Gregory asked.
“Her hope is that, one day, you can help show others that there doesn’t need to be anger between magi and eurtik,” Rafiq chuckled. “I believe your mind went elsewhere with my statement.”
Gregory leaned back, closing his eyes. “Yeah… I’ve had too many tell me their hope is to be part of my family.”
“All your friends,” Rafiq nodded sagely. “Thera isn’t in that number. She finds humans… unappealing. Or, as she told me, ‘they do not have enough fur.’ It is fair; we all have different standards of beauty.”
Gregory exhaled. “Thank Vera.”
Rafiq laughed as he watched the yuzu fruit around them slowly absorb their impurities.
~*~*~
Dinner had been warmly accepted as the snow fell outside— soba noodles in dashi broth with scallions and fish cakes went well with the undiluted wine Gregory had for each squad, making the meal a true celebration. As dinner was ending, Dot answered a knock on the barracks.
The cakes Gregory had gotten for everyone were roundly cheered. The bakers, Erik and his wife, thanked everyone for the kind words as they set them out on the tables. Barny was given a special cake, along with the quiet message that Gregory wanted him to know he was truly appreciated. He sniffled back his tears, but thanked the couple before bowing to Gregory.
