AR8 Ch1

Previously…

Gregory Pettit had survived his adept posting on the northern edge of the Velum Empire. His year there had seen him deal with politics and violence, all while he did his best to take a moral stand against the corruption he’d found.

With his men behind him, Gregory took a firm stance against the breaking of the slave laws. Even when it meant physically putting down the criminal slavers, he didn’t waver in his stance that the laws must be followed. When the rich and powerful backing the slavers took offense, he still didn’t step back.

His position put him into conflict with the two town magi, as well, but even that didn’t deter him. When both magi tried to pressure him, he used all of his training to resist and stand firm under their attempts. That bought him time and enough respect to not have to physically fight either magi, though it was a close thing several times.

The Chainer family wasn’t as easy to deal with. Even when Gregory killed the assassins they’d sent after him, they didn’t give up their attempts to remove him. Their refusal to follow the simplest of slave laws eventually led the family to hire dozens of rough men to ambush the entire magi guard unit.

It was this point that tested Gregory the most, as even with foresight, he couldn’t save all of his men. He even had to risk the safety of the non-combatants with his unit to keep the fatalities as low as possible. In the end, two of his men and one of the sergeants died in the mass melee, all while Greogry had to face a Buldoun physical enhancement mage during the scrum.

The sacrifice of Sergeant Howard Donald, who pulled a surrendering man out of that fight, was what gave Gregory the evidence needed to finally pull the Chainer family down. With the reluctant help of the town magi, the Chainer family was forced to hand over the heads of the House.

The fall of the Chainers gave Gregory access to their records, which further implicated the two town magi as being corrupt. His reports and letters would see both of them removed from their posts, with decent magi sent to take over their roles. It lost both of the previous clans face with the empire, giving them animosity toward Aether’s Guard.

Gregory and his unit survived the year-long post. When his replacement arrived to take over for him, Gregory marched for Krogga. His new posting was as assistant ambassador, but more importantly to him, his wives were waiting for him.

Jenn, Yukiko, and Mindie would be there. They weren’t alone, either, as Clover, Ling, and Roshana would also be there. Those three were eager for their dreams to come true— it would be in Krogga that they would wed Gregory, officially becoming his wives alongside the other three.

Krogga would have challenges for the family that they weren’t expecting. While they knew they would be called on to prove their strength to the warrior nation, it wouldn’t be all they would face. They had no idea who the head ambassador would be, as they’d never been told.

But that wasn’t the biggest question for the family. No; the biggest mystery for them would soon be revealed. Darkness had promised that reaching their magus tier would finally strip her namesake from her. They would finally be able to see and even briefly touch their mysterious wife, who would be laid bare before them.

Chapter One

Nearly two months of continuous marching was unpleasant, even for a dedicated unit like Gregory’s. The second week saw Gregory return the wagon to the army. They weren’t really using it, and it slowed them down, so after consulting with his officers, they left it behind. That improved their speed by nearly double. Since they were making better time, Gregory allowed them to have full days off in the cities that had dedicated barracks for his men.

Even with them marching quicker, summer faded into early fall. Luckily, they’d left the north behind, so it wasn’t snowing or sleeting on them. The weather was mostly pleasant, though they did encounter rain on and off. During the worst storms, Gregory had them double time to reach a town so they could wait it out indoors. With the precautions, none of his men came down sick while they traveled. He was glad for that, as it would mean picking a conveyance up for them if they were too sick to march.

Just short of the fall equinox, they were approaching the border with Krogga. Bloodrock was the last city in the empire, then only a few scattered towns and villages before they reached the border proper. Gregory let his men know the plan: they would spend a day resupplying and resting. He had to meet with the city magi to officially collect his documentation for the embassy post, as well. The city barracks didn’t have enough beds for his unit, so Gregory put his men up in a single inn instead.

~*~*~

The aether flames in his cavern danced happily as Gregory used them to fill in the Magi Squares puzzle that floated above them. The twenty-five by twenty-five grid used to tax him to complete, but they’d lost the difficulty they used to have. When he reconnected with his wives, they would have to find a new mind puzzle to help them continue to train the mind path.

“At least the Peaceful Fist still works for spirit and body training… in truth, the aether flame opponents and replays of previous fights probably count toward the spirit and mind paths, too.” He smiled as a streamer of aether flame left the fire to go down a channel. With half a thought, he used that flame to polish his channels even as he continued to work on the Magi Square.

He was days away from the border of Krogga, but still weeks from Krogga’s capital, Krogheim. It felt so close, and yet infinitely far away. He yearned to be there as soon as possible to see his wives again.

“My wives and my dear friends…” he murmured. “I wonder if Yuki had them do the tea ceremony without me or if they’re waiting for me? She should’ve made it there already. Everyone should have made it by now, except me.”

He placed the last number in the puzzle, and it burst into aether motes that zipped off down his channels. Getting up from where he’d been sitting, he stretched. It wasn’t that he needed to, but more because it had become a habit. Taking a slow walk around the aether cavern, he looked down the crystal-lined channels; polishing his channels had led to them forming a crystalline interior. According to the books Rafiq had given him, the crystal sheathing made it easier for his aether to move along them. The newest thing in his cavern was still a work in progress.

He came to a stop next to the wall slowly being formed by bursts of aether flame and smiled. He wasn’t quite a true magus yet, but his combined paths allowed the cavern to begin working on something that wouldn’t normally happen until a master-tier magi focused on the spirit path. He touched the grooves that were being worn in the wall— he was pretty sure this was why the spirit path was frowned upon in the empire, though the slow growth of the path was also a major factor in that. It wouldn’t be done for months, possibly years, but he was looking forward to his cavern finishing this change.

The sound of fourth bell pulled him from his meditation. Since he’d gotten dressed when he’d woken up an hour ago, he didn’t take long to leave his room. Stepping into the hall, he found Rafiq leaving his room. “Good morning.”

Rafiq gave Gregory a toothy smile; there was no other way a full-blooded crocodilian eurtik could smile. The former academy archivist gave Gregory a dip of his snout, his version of bowing his head. “Good morning, Greg. Did you sleep well?”

“Well enough for today. Thankfully, there were no troubles for the men. The city magi will be condescending, but I can deal with that. We’re only here until tomorrow morning. If we were going to stay here longer, it would be harder to accept.”

“Just another stone on the way to your hearts.”

“Exactly how I see it,” Gregory grinned.

Davis came out of his room. Being the lieutenant of Gregory’s guard unit, he was the top officer Gregory had under his command. The veteran was a steady presence who’d helped Gregory get accustomed to leading his men. His short hair left his mangled left ear visible whenever he didn’t have his helmet on, but it was his most prominent scar from his long years of being in military service. “Sir, good morning. I’ll make sure everything’s delivered by this evening so we can march. You’re grabbing the increased paychest today, as well, right?”

“After my meeting with the city magi.”

“One less thing for me to take care of, then,” Davis chuckled.

“Good morning, sir,” Basal said, coming out of the room that he shared with Rafiq and Hanz.

Gregory gave the partial-badger eurtik a smile. Basal’s heritage was obvious because of his black and white hair, his badger ears, and the black eyes he had. The young man was getting closer to his age day; Gregory might lose his squire to the Magi Academy, or even see him folded into the unit. The only snag was the fact that Basal and Dot were sweet on each other— it would set a bad precedent if one of his men dated one of the slaves. “To you, too, Basal. Hanz, good morning.”

The younger boy was part-snake eurtik and was Davis’ squire in the unit. Clasping his scaled hands together, Basal bowed to Gregory. “Thank you, sir. Good morning to everyone.”

“Since we’re all up, let’s go see if the inn staff are working on breakfast.”

Muffled sounds of people waking up came from the rooms they passed. Staying at an inn as opposed to the barracks they’d been using for over a year was different. The men were doubled up in each room to make sure they could all stay in the same inn. The only problem they’d had was cycling everyone through the small baths the inn had, but the sergeants had gotten it straightened out in quick order the night before.

“You all better be waking up!” Andrew French’s voice came from the floor below them.

Gregory led his small group down the stairs to the next floor. French was walking the hall, knocking on doors to verify the men were getting up. “Sergeant, any problems?”

“No, sir. Everyone has replied. The other sergeants should be coming down shortly.”

“You were fine with sharing a room last night?”

“Yes, sir. We made it work. Even doubled up, it was comfortable.”

“Very good, Sergeant.”

“Only us and the staff were triple-bunked, and with the cots, it was comfortable enough,” Rafiq said as they reached the taproom.

“As long as it was better than a tent,” Gregory said.

“Magi, your staff offered to help in the kitchen,” the proprietor said. “I hope it was okay to accept.”

“It’s fine if they offered,” Gregory told the innkeeper.

“My wife and daughter are mostly using them as prep to make sure they can get the food prepared and cooked.”

“That’s fine,” Gregory said, though he was sad that Barny wasn’t going to be the one cooking. “You’ll keep track of the men’s drinks?”

“Two per man. I made up some chits that they could have to help with that,” the innkeeper said. “That’s the best I can do.”

“I’ll make sure they know they cannot trade or bet them,” Davis told Gregory.

“Thank you, Davis. The men can go out, but no less than three as a group.”

“Yes, sir.”

The owner went into the kitchen, quickly coming back with a kettle and cups. “Some tea, Magi. I wish you the best of luck with your posting. The Kroggians are a tough people to deal with.”

“I’m sure it’ll work out,” Gregory said. “Thank you.” He took the filled cup, smelling mint. “If Barny and the sisters offer to help with the other meals for the day, it’s fine to let them.”

“Yes, Magi. Thank you. I’m not sure my usual customers will come in, but if they do, they’re normally a good crowd, so there shouldn’t be any trouble with your men.”

“I think it’ll be fine,” Gregory agreed, as he’d noticed that the inn’s customers had been mostly part-eurtiks. It had made sense when he saw the innkeeper’s wife and daughter, who shared a similar heritage.

The sound of people coming downstairs got the innkeeper to hurry and get more tea for the men. Gregory took a sip; today would be fine as long as he didn’t rise to the condescension he’d have directed his way later.

~*~*~

The city of Bloodrock had been originally named for the red stone of the region, though the reason had later changed to denote the amount of blood the empire and Krogga had spilled to take it from each other. Fifty years ago, Bloodrock had been part of Krogga, and one hundred and fifty years before that, it’d been part of the empire. The people who lived there were descendants from both sides, giving it a unique culture all of its own.

Gregory took in the different architecture that’d obviously been influenced by Krogga. It was a little jarring to see it mixed side by side with traditional empire buildings. The thing that he wished that wasn’t as traditional was the eurtik slave cleaning the streets of horse manure and debris. The man had his brand exposed just below his neck as he pushed his wheeled cart down the street.

Any other magi would’ve rode to the city magi’s house, but Gregory preferred to walk. He’d been riding for months, so a brisk stroll for a day was refreshing. With his haori and clan emblem, it was obvious that he was a magi. People gave him space; it didn’t matter if they were loyal to the empire or Krogga. No one wanted to upset a magi.

The city magi’s home was opulent. If it wasn’t the most lavish home in the city, it would be a close second, Gregory was sure. It was mostly made using the city’s iconic red stones from the local quarry, giving it a bright red coloration that made it look like solidified blood. The gate was manned by a guard wearing livery, associating him with the Iron Hand clan. Gregory gave his name, and the guard let him in, as he was expected.

The manor staff quickly had him sitting in a parlor with tea. Gregory sipped from his cup as he waited for the older magi to greet him. The fact that the city magi was Iron Hand, yet lived in this lavish home, was a little jarring to him. He’d always thought of the martial clan as one that would eschew displays of wealth.

When the door opened, Gregory set aside his cup. Standing, he bowed to the master-tier magi. The older magi gave him a small bow in return, welcoming him before taking his seat and waiting for the maid to pour him a cup. After taking his seat again, Gregory sat in silence with the older magi, politely sipping tea while he waited for the city magi to speak first.

Only when he’d emptied his cup did Master Oleg Leeson speak, “Magus Gregory Pettit of Aether’s Guard. I’m glad to see you know decorum. I’ve heard that you’re a fringer and wasn’t sure if you’d be versed in proper etiquette.”

“I might’ve been born on the fringe, sir, but I’m well-versed in etiquette. My wives have helped me greatly with knowing decorum,” Gregory tried to stay as pleasant as possible.

“Hmm… yes. Well, your background will work to your advantage. Kroggians are as dull, blunt, and stupid as most fringers.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, sir.”

The master motioned to the table, and a couple of scrolls appeared on it. “Your documentation for your posting. You’ll find the rabble of Krogga are crude and boorish; best of luck with a pleasant trip.”

Gregory collected the scrolls. One of them wasn’t sealed, so he opened it to read it. It was his orders to report to the embassy in Krogheim, also noting that the sealed scrolls were confirmation of his posting. One was to be used when he crossed into Krogga, as he was supposed to report to their first major city, Osla. There, an honor guard would deliver him and his squad to the capital. The second scroll was to be presented to the ambassador, and his posting would begin at that point. Closing the scroll, he let his ring absorb everything. “Thank you, sir.”

“Before you go,” Leeson smirked, “it’s rumored that your elder passed a little over a year ago, but I heard he died decades past. Is he really dead this time?”

That got Gregory’s eye to twitch, but he managed not to rise to the bait. “Elder Lightshield died protecting the favorite of the Archmage of Buldoun during our tournament with them. He died a hero against the assassins who came to strike down a young woman.”

“An elder died to a bunch of assassins?” Leeson snorted.

“He killed all but the last,” Gregory said. This time, his voice had tinged toward anger. “Your clan head spoke of him with reverence, sir.”

Leeson’s eyes narrowed. “You spoke with Elder Ironhand?”

“During the initiate tournament.”

Getting to his feet, Leeson gave Gregory a searching look. “I see… Well, you have your orders. I expect you to depart no later than two days from now.”

Gregory stood, as well, bowing as he should to the older magi. “We’ll be leaving in the morning, sir. May Aether watch over you and Bloodrock.”

Leeson waved him off as he left the room. Gregory waited a few moments, taking deep, calming breaths before he went to leave. The butler caught him in the hallway, escorting him out. Gregory was glad to be on the street again— he hadn’t meant to respond to the provocations, but when Leeson spoke down at Lightshield, Gregory couldn’t help but defend his departed elder.