“Yoo-jin was telling us about the first tournament during the trip here,” Umbrose said, cutting in. “You were the one who knocked her out.”
“Tough fight,” Gregory said with a small wince. “One more second and she would have beat me. I only won because she exhausted her aether.”
“You won because you were better prepared,” Jenn said.
A knock on the door made them all pause. Lin answered it before stepping aside, allowing Vana inside with a cart. She greeted them and told them about the meal as she served them, then withdrew the moment she was done.
“Shall we pause with the conversation until we’re all finished eating?” Hao asked once Vana left. “I promise you the meal will be worth your full attention.”
“Agreed,” Adolphus said.
~*~*~
The atmosphere in the room mellowed with everyone feeling full. Gregory told them about the tournament fight with Jenn, with her interrupting him to provide her own insight.
“She gave you a full run,” Adolphus said with a glint of pride in his eyes.
“I had to be taken care of by the healers,” Gregory said. “It was the second most difficult fight I had.”
“I was sure I’d hate her for how much she hurt him,” Yukiko said. “After speaking with her, though, I knew I could never.”
“I thought I’d crossed a line when I talked to you after the tournament. You proved me wrong,” Jenn replied.
“When you stopped me and Greg?” Yukiko laughed lightly. “That was a moment where things might have gone differently. Then, we ended up in the same weapons class, and the chances for our friendship grew.”
“And Gregory invited me to dinner with Elder Lightshield,” Jenn said. “That was when this really started.”
“Yes,” Yukiko agreed.
“Tell us of the clan, please?” Adolphus asked. “I don’t think I’ve heard of it before.”
“Aether’s Guard was one of the original great clans,” Gregory said. “They’ve faded almost entirely away, but might be making a comeback now.”
“Why did you choose them and not a different clan?”
“Because they don’t care who our ancestors are,” Jenn answered him.
Adolphus’ eyes widened a little. “Jenn, that shouldn’t be talked ab—!”
“It should,” Jenn said firmly. “Yuki and Greg don’t care. I’ve already told them.”
Adolphus shot a look at the other two novices.
“I have eurtik blood from my mother’s line,” Yukiko said. “Owl, to be precise. We aren’t sure how far back it goes, but it’s further back than my grandmother.”
“It was before my grandmother,” Yoo-jin said. “We have no idea why it became so visible with her. She had a hard time because of it.”
“Like our Jenn...” Umbrose nodded. “It’s not as obvious for Adolphus. He could just be a little short for a human, and his thickness is written off because of him being a smith, but his father is a dwarf. Jenn got his lack of height but my slight build, making it obvious she was different.”
Adolphus was clearly uncomfortable. “Maybe we shouldn’t have this conversation…?”
“If that’s what you want,” Hao said. “Honestly, it doesn’t matter to us. We’ve dealt with the same bigotry that you likely have. Maybe being able to talk to another who had similar experiences would be beneficial, but it’s your choice.”
“Father,” Yukiko said, “Jenn is to be treated equally to Greg and myself.”
Hao nodded. “If that’s what you want, but it’ll cut back on what we can do to help you.”
“We don’t need items,” Gregory said. “The clan provided during the solstice.”
“They did?” Hao asked.
Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn explained the solstice festivities and what they had gained from it. They laughed a few times while they explained how they had to cooperate to get some of the items.
“I see. Well, that does free up a part of the budget, even with the increased cost from Alvis Alchemy. We’ll do the best we can, Yu.”
“Thank you, Father,” Yukiko smiled.
“Speaking of costs,” Yoo-jin said, “we’ve received some aid from the clan to arrange for your troops. Jento has been recruiting them over the last five months. That number was expanded to include enough for Jenn, as well. Elder Lightshield advised us when he gave us the funding. Jento will have the basics and more drilled into them by the time you need them.”
“Troops... because they’ll be posted along the borders?” Adolphus asked. “Have they already decided that?”
“No, Father,” Jenn said. “That’s for our fourth year. During the third year, we’re going to be trained with the troops to manage them. They are then sent with us during our adept year to whatever post we are assigned. Depending on what the empire and clan needs after that, we might be with them for years.”
“I thought the empire provided them?” Umbrose asked. “The magi we had to make weapons for always made it seem like that was the case.”
“We never looked into it until we learned about it,” Yoo-jin said. “The troops will be under contract for five years, unless you release them sooner.”
“The officers for each of you are from our guard,” Hao said. “We wanted to make sure you had quality people for those positions.”
“Thank you for doing this for Jenn,” Adolphus said slowly. “Why did you? You didn’t know us at that point.”
“Yu asked us to,” Hao said. “When the elder gave us money to manage it more easily, we dumped all of it into the project. Jento has all the men in light armor, with weapons, and will be training them for field combat, as well as urban policing.”
Adolphus looked impressed. “That sounds costly. I know what weapons for a group of that size would run. Before the armor and training, it isn’t cheap.”
“It hasn’t been, but they will have some of the best troops,” Yoo-jin said.
“Where are they being trained?” Yukiko asked.
“We converted the third warehouse into a barracks for them,” Hao said. “Once Jento has them in order, they’ll be assisting the city guard to get a feel for how to work in a city.”
“I hadn’t even thought about that,” Gregory said. “Thank you for all of this.”
“Yu has said you are her heart,” Yoo-jin said. “We can’t have her upset because her heart became broken.”
“When do we get to see the clan and the academy grounds?” Adolphus asked.
“Tomorrow is when the academy lets visitors inside. We’ll be having dinner and visiting a few places after their matches have finished.”
“Speaking of...” Yukiko sighed. “We have dinner at the clan hall tonight. It and the feast after the tournament are mandated by the clan.”
“The night after that is when there’s another event,” Hao said with a smile. “Everything has been arranged. We just need to know how many are attending.”
“Dia will have the answer for you,” Yukiko said.
“I’ll confer with her tomorrow,” Yoo-jin said. “I have a couple of questions I wanted to ask her.”
“I have some questions that you can answer for me, Mother,” Yukiko said. “Sometime later this week, when the men aren’t present?”
Hao chuckled. “We’ll make one of the nights a split night. The guys and girls will be separated and, that way, questions can be asked without worry.”
“Thank you, Father,” Yukiko smiled.
“We should get going,” Gregory said. “We don’t want to be late tonight, especially with the curfew still being in effect.”
“That’s a good point,” Yukiko nodded.
“But we barely got to see each other,” Umbrose said.
“There will be two weeks of time to catch up,” Jenn said gently. “I’d like to hear more about home tomorrow.”
“Yes,” Umbrose said, getting to her feet. “I need a hug before you go.”
“Mother...” Jenn said, half-protesting even as
she stood up and opened her arms to hug her mother back.
“Since others are doing it,” Yoo-jin smiled.
“Yes, Mother,” Yukiko agreed.
Chapter Forty-seven
Getting back to the clan hall two hours before sundown, the friends opted to get some meditation in. When they finished, they were surprised to find Dia and Elder Lightshield finishing the routine with them.
“Elder, Dia,” Gregory greeted them.
“It’s gratifying to see my grandfather’s words being used by the youngest generation of magi,” Lightshield said. “The end of the first year comes closer. Have you found enjoyment in your journey?”
“Yes, Elder,” Yukiko smiled. “I have my friends beside me.”
“It’s improved since we joined the clan,” Jenn said.
“It’s been something I will always remember,” Gregory said.
“Good. Everyone is always rushing to grow in power, especially while in the academy. They miss out on things, disregarding the fun that can be had if they just take a moment to do more for themselves.”
“We’ve had fun,” Gregory said.
“Even though your days off were filled with learning?” Lightshield asked.
“It was fun for us,” Yukiko said. “We were learning games and how to play them. If you can do more than one thing at a time, why not do so?”
“As long as you had fun and weren’t stressing yourselves. Now, it’s time for a bath.” Lightshield had started to walk away when his left leg nearly failed to hold him up. With a limp, he regained his balance and thrust out a hand. The cane by the door shot through the air, slapping into his open palm. “Forgot I need this now.”
“We should get our baths, too,” Yukiko said.
“Yes,” Jenn agreed.
Gregory followed Elder Lightshield into the male bathing area. Going into the changing room, they could hear muffled voices in the bathing room proper.
“It does my soul good to know that holding onto this building for so long was worth it,” Lightshield said.
“You thought about getting rid of it?” Gregory asked.
“About twelve years ago. We weren’t using it anymore, and I could have easily sold it to another clan, but I had faith that it would be used again before my time came.”
“You have many years left, sir.”
“Kind of you to say, Novice, but untrue. I already know my end. I’ve seen it.”
“Doesn’t that mean you can change it?”
“I could try, but honestly, my time is coming to an end, regardless. Magi of the higher tiers generally find their ends come with little notice... a year, maybe two, if we don’t die from clashing with another clan or country. My cane is proof that my decline is here, which is why I’ve already made sure my successor is named. All of the forms have been submitted to the appropriate people.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, sir,” Gregory said.
Lightshield smiled. “I’m not. I achieved what my grandfather would have wanted of me.”
“I always admired the stories of Lionel Lighthand that my mother told me,” Gregory said as he finished stripping. “His defense of Ellut always made me smile.”
Lightshield nodded slowly. “The story left out many things. He did what was right, but it cost him more than most will ever know.” Taking a slow step, Lightshield grimaced. “I don’t wish to get this cane wet.”
“Then let me help you, sir,” Gregory said, moving over to offer his shoulder to the elder.
“The young help the old, and the old help the young... If only that were true all the time,” Lightshield said.
“I was meaning to ask why your family name is different from your grandfather’s,” Gregory said as he opened the door to the bathing room.
“It’s not exciting,” Lightshield said. “Maybe I’ll tell you later.”
“Good evening, Elder,” Gin said from the tub. “Novice.”
“Armsmaster. Has my clan been taking care of everything for you?”
“And then some,” Gin replied. “I do hope the additional costs have been okay.”
“Helping orphaned children is something I’ve always tried to do. The cost is nothing compared to a child’s smile. How have the rest of you been?”
“Fine, sir,” Steva said awkwardly. “We’ll leave right aw—”
“Nonsense,” Lightshield said. “Our clan has always been one of tolerance. If you disparage someone because of their heritage or position in life, how can you ever expect to move smoothly through life yourself? You might be a staff member of the clan, but you are still part of the clan. Your contracts with Dia should have made that abundantly clear.”
“We were very surprised with how generous they were, sir,” Zenim said.
“Very generous,” Ravol nodded.
“My wife didn’t believe it, but now she praises the clan every night,” Quilet added.
“Have her praise Aether. It’s through him that the clan exists,” Lightshield said. “Don’t let us interrupt your previous conversation. It was regarding a joyous event coming up, was it not? A wedding between two of our own.”
“We were just excited to be able to attend the entire wedding, sir,” Ravol said.
“Even if it means being a little sleepy the next day,” Steva added. “Oh, my son made it to Alturis, Greg. It’s been a bit awkward for him, but your friends have embraced him, and that’s helped with the rest of the town accepting him. My other son is thinking of heading out that way.”
“I’m glad to hear it’s working for him.”
“It has,” Steva beamed. “He’s working at the mine.”
“Ah, the frontier. It’s free of some of the prejudice of the core,” Lightshield said. “I believe that if Aether does return to us, it’ll be from the outskirts. It’s why I tasked Bishop with proctoring there.”
Gregory stiffened a little at Lightshield’s words before helping the old man onto the washing bench. “Foresight?”
“No. Faith,” Lightshield said. “I have faith that Aether will return.”
“I wonder how that would change things?” Quilet said.
“The emperor would have a problem,” Ravol snorted.
Steva slapped his hand over Ravol’s mouth. “He didn’t mean it like that.”
Lightshield chuckled. “Those words uttered by someone could cause us many problems. Luckily, no one heard them.”
Gin shifted uncomfortably. “Such talk is best never uttered. Some shadows have ears.”
“The armsmaster is right,” Lightshield agreed. “Please be more careful with your phrasing in the future?”
“Yes, sir,” Ravol swallowed hard. “Apologies.”
“To err is to prove you live, for only the living make mistakes,” Lightshield said.
“We need to get going. Things to finish for dinner,” Zenim said.
“Yeah, busy, busy,” Steva said, nudging Ravol toward the door.
“Thank you for having us, sir,” Quilet said, bowing to Lightshield before following the others.
Gin cleared his throat once they had left. “Dangerous talk. I hope that your words sink in for them.”
“I believe they have,” Lightshield said. “How have our novices been doing, Armsmaster?”
“Well, Elder, they have a firm grounding of unarmed combat, which I keep honing. Weapons have been proceeding along, as well. I believe that this tournament will surprise their opponents. If it was just weapons, I fully believe our novices would be the top three finishers.”
“Alas, magic will play a part,” Lightshield said. “With magic, how do you think they will do?”
“They’ll be in the final eight unless they face each other before then. If they have to face the other final eight members, or some of those that could have been there, it’ll get interesting. I give them at least a fifty-percent chance to make it to the final eight, but the match-ups will determine how likely it really is.”
“I’ve made sure a reliable healer is on standby
when our magi are in the arenas,” Lightshield said, “to prevent any problems that a less skilled or caring healer might cause.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that, sir. We had some close calls with the first tournament as it was.”
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