“I don’t need the coin,” Jenn shrugged. “My clan provides that.”
Franco ground his teeth. “I’ll offer my powders, pills, and other aether aids for the next four weeks as an incentive, but you only get them if you win.”
“No,” Jenn said. “I have no need for those. I already have more than an adequate supply.”
“Then what would you require?” Franco snapped.
Jenn smiled at him. “You have to be the champion of any novice who asks you to fulfill that role. When they are challenged, you will fill in. You will not charge them anything for doing so, either, and will always fight to your utmost ability.”
Franco glared at her before he nodded. “Accepted, if you accept my conditions for the fight.”
“I accept. We’ll need an unbiased party to adjudicate.”
“I’ll arra—” Franco began.
“No,” Gregory said, catching a glimpse of the future in that moment. Franco would hire a person to adjudicate unfairly in his favor if he was allowed to. “I’ll arrange for one by asking the council to name who should fill that role.”
Franco’s eyes bulged. “You’d waste that reward?”
“The safety of my friend isn’t a waste. We’ll send your clan the information of where and when after an adjudicator has been arranged.”
Franco’s lip curled up in a sneer. “I’ll be getting to you after I get through the others.” Eyes shifting to Yukiko, Franco glared at her. “I haven’t forgotten your trick. When I face you again, you won’t be let off lightly.”
Yukiko gave him a smile. “I’ll be waiting. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have a class to attend, which you don’t seem to have.”
Franco laughed and started to walk off. “Class? Why bother? I don’t care where they stick me— I’ll finish my time and then join my clan in making money to make even magi masters weep with envy.”
The three friends didn’t stick around to watch him go, as they were already jogging for economics class.
Chapter Thirty-five
Gregory was glad that Dia was on the porch when they returned to the clan hall after class. “Dia, how do I contact the council?”
Dia almost managed to keep the surprise from her features. “What’s happened?”
“I was challenged by Franco Ichor to a fight with rules similar to the tournament,” Jenn said. “Gregory said he’d arrange for an adjudicator who was neutral to both sides. He suggested using one of his questions to the council to find out who would be best suited for it.”
“That might be a little underwhelming,” Dia said.
“Do you think so?” Gregory asked. “If we knew a truly neutral adjudicator, it’d be easier to handle challenges in the future.”
“Ah, so you plan to ask for someone who can continue to be neutral?”
“That was my thought.”
“Very well. I’ll make sure that the council is informed. Did you have one of the three specifically in mind?”
“I think I should leave Elder Cho for later,” Gregory said, thinking about the older woman who appeared to be the leader of the three council members. “I don’t know the other two well, though I know one of them stopped Skippy’s father from attacking me.”
“Grandmaster Pan,” Dia said.
“I think he’d be the one to ask for this. I don’t know anything about the third council member.”
“Grandmaster Yunlo. He is one of the very rare spatial magic users,” Dia said. “I’ll send word to Grandmaster Pan that you seek his counsel.”
“Thank you, Dia,” Gregory said.
“What was the wager on the challenge?” Dia asked.
“He wants to prove he’s better than each of the final eight competitors of the tournament,” Jenn said. “Franco will receive nothing if he wins, as he asked for the rules to the challenge. If I win, he has to act as a champion for any novice who asks him.”
Dia let out a soft laugh. “Interesting. That’ll make those who ask him to do so indebted to you. Grandmaster Pan will have the request by the time your magic training ends. Here comes Master Chen now.” Raising her voice slightly, she raised her hand, “Master Chen, a moment, please?”
“What can I do for you?”
“Novice Bean will be having a challenge on her hands in the next day or two against Novice Ichor. How do you think she’ll do?”
Chen’s brow furrowed. “Ichor from the Hardened Fist?”
“Indeed.”
“Ichor is strong, ruthless, and delights in hurting his opponents. He nearly crippled our novices when he fought them. If Bean can focus and use her aether in small bursts as needed, she can win. She needs to survive the first few minutes while he burns his aether without thought. That’s easier said than done, as he can bring force equal to a lower apprentice to bear. I’ll work her hard today with this goal in mind.”
“Thank you,” Dia said.
Jenn looked a little worried as she headed for the side of the yard where she trained. Inda came out of the hall and motioned Yukiko to the other side. Gregory watched them separate before he turned to follow Jenn.
“Have you noticed any improvement in your magic?” Dia asked before he could leave.
“Not enough to comment on,” Gregory said.
“Very well. I do hope things improve for you,” Dia said, rising to her feet.
Gregory bowed to her before going to where Chen was working with Jenn. He felt a little bad lying to Dia— he’d been seeing threads of aether a bit more often, but she didn’t know that was a part of his magic.
~*~*~
Magic training was over and Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn were making their way to the garden for their daily meditation in the way of the Peaceful Fist. Gregory had them make a quick stop to the study, finding Murium sitting by the window with a thick tome in her hands.
“Murium?” Gregory called out to her.
Startling, Murium nearly lurched out of her chair, her eyes wide. “Yes?”
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Gregory apologized. “We were wondering if the clan had books on Empire’s Gambit.”
“Yes. We have a few copies of the basic rules and at least one of every other book published on the game,” Murium said.
“Are the game board and pieces available, too?” Yukiko asked from behind Gregory.
“Yes. Do you want me to prepare the books and have the staff ready the game board in the war room?”
“Yes, please,” Gregory said. “Can we collect the basic books after dinner?”
“You want to start learning the game already?” Murium asked in surprise.
“We think it’ll be a good idea,” Jenn said.
“Okay. I’ll get things arranged for you.”
“Thank you,” the three of them said, bowing to her before leaving.
“Gregory,” Dia called to them as they left the study, “Grandmaster Pan will see you after dinner. He has graciously agreed to meet you here.”
“Thank you, Dia,” Gregory said, bowing to her.
“Going to meditate in the garden?” Dia asked.
“That’s our normal pattern,” Yukiko said.
“I think I will join you today, unless you object?”
“No. We’d be honored if our senior joins us,” Gregory said.
“Let us go, then,” Dia said, reaching them in the hall.
~*~*~
With dinner over, Gregory went to the porch to wait for Grandmaster Pan to show up. Yukiko and Jenn excused themselves, telling him they would get the books and meet him in the war room when he was finished.
The quiet of the night was punctuated by the few insect and bird sounds. A peacefulness settled on Gregory while he sat there. Time seemed to lose meaning and the minute sounds faded from Gregory’s perception.
There was a brief gust of wind, and suddenly, Grandmaster Pan was sitting beside Gregory. “It’s a pleasant night. You’ve called in your favor for guidance from me, Novice. What is it you seek?”
“Grandmaster, I’d like to know who in the walls of the academy can be trusted to always be impartial during a challenge. Specifically, a martial challenge, similar to the tournament.”
“There must be a story that goes with this question.”
Gregory explained the circumstances to Pan. “Which is what brought me to ask you for this favor,” he finished.
“Hmm. An interesting wager, one that Novice Ichor might come to regret. There are a few who can do as you ask. The archivists can always be counted to be impartial in any challenge that is based on knowledge. For martial challenges, though? Hmm... Master Damon is the first one that comes to mind. Any of the sergeants or higher ranked guards can, as well, but they might decline, as they don’t want to upset the losing side. For this particular instance, I will take on the role of adjudicator.”
Gregory sat in shocked silence for a moment before he turned to bow formally to Pan. “Thank you, sir.”
“This will absolve me of the reward, and I have to say I’m interested in what will happen during this challenge.” Rising to his feet, Grandmaster Pan gave Gregory a piercing look. “They say your magic is foresight. That’s not a type of magic that can be taught, from what I know of it.”
“My elder did inform me that I would need to figure it out on my own,” Gregory replied.
“Yes, that’s what he would do and say,” Pan snorted. “Tomorrow, after classes end, in the blue arena. I’ll make sure the Hardened Fist is informed.”
“Thank you, sir,” Gregory said, bowing formally again.
“I look forward to tomorrow evening,” Pan said before he vanished from where he had been with another gust of wind.
Gregory exhaled slowly before going back inside to find Jenn and Yukiko.
Entering the war room, Gregory whistled softly. When they’d taken the tour with Dia, everything had been covered in heavy cloth, but now, the cloth was gone. The middle of the room had a massive table that currently had tiles on it to reflect terrain. The walls were covered in shelving, and each shelf had dozens of figurines on them.
“That’s what we thought, too,” Yukiko laughed. “How did the meeting go?”
“Master Damon should be the best impartial judge for any martial challenge, and the archivists for the more cerebral ones. Grandmaster Pan said he would personally adjudicate Jenn’s challenge. It’s been set for tomorrow after classes in the blue arena.”
“The grandmaster is going to adjudicate?” Jenn asked, wondering if she had misheard.
“That’s what he said.”
“He seemed friendly, so he should be impartial,” Yukiko said. “We’ll have to let Dia know.”
“After this,” Gregory said, joining them at the table.
Jenn handed him a book. “We set the table up while we waited. Now that you’re here, we can start reading.”
“I think we should read for the first few days,” Yukiko said. “If we do it in here, we can examine the game pieces if we have questions about them.”
“That makes sense,” Gregory said. Opening the book, he set it on the edge of the table and began to read.
~*~*~
Gregory rubbed his eyes and followed the other two out of the room. “Complicated doesn’t even begin to describe that.”
“Novices, how did you like the war room?” Dia asked when she stepped into the hall.
“It’s staggering,” Jenn said. “If it’s alright, we’d like to use it for an hour after dinner every night.”
“That’s fine. Once you think you understand Empire’s Gambit, we can see about helping you play it a few times. I already spoke with Gin and he is more than willing to help.”
“Thank you,” Gregory said.
“What did the grandmaster have to say?”
“That he’ll personally oversee the challenge tomorrow after classes in the blue arena,” Gregory said. “He suggested Master Damon for future challenges.”
“Interesting,” Dia said. “Very well. We’ll be there as a clan to support you, Jenn. We’ll push back the bath and dinner until afterward, and I’ll let Gin know that we’ll have to curtail the training a little tomorrow to make sure we are there and ready.”
“Yes, Dia,” they said in echo.
“Go and rest; tomorrow will be a busy day. I should let Master Chen know that he’ll need to go easier on you tomorrow, as well. We don’t want your aether drained before the match even begins. How was training with him today?”
“Hard, but good,” Jenn replied. “He said I have good control of my aether and that I have a fairly good chance of winning.”
“Excellent. Good evening, Novices,” Dia said.
“Good evening, Dia,” they said.
Jenn was a little slower than Yukiko and Gregory, her mind chasing “what ifs” around in her head. She blinked in confusion when Gregory touched her shoulder. “Huh?”
“I asked if you’re okay, Jenn... You look like you’re miles away.”
Sighing, Jenn looked down. “I’ll be fine.”
“Worried?” Yukiko asked.
“Some. More concerned that this was a mistake. If I lose, it doesn’t cost the clan anything except a little loss of face, but I worry that it’ll prove me unworthy of standing beside you both.”
“A friend is always worthy to stand beside us,” Gregory said.
“Yes,” Yukiko agreed. “Don’t worry about what might be if you lose. I don’t believe you will. I have faith that you’ll show how strong you are, and that you should have been in the final four with us.”
Jenn’s lips twitched up. “Thank you... both of you. That helps. Good night.”
Yukiko stepped forward and gave Jenn a hug before she could get into her room. “Jenn, we’ll be there for you, like you would be for us.”
Jenn returned the hug. She looked past Yukiko to Gregory, who was smiling at them. “Okay. I’ll stop being silly.”
Yukiko whispered something to Jenn, kissing her cheek.
Gregory wondered what Yukiko had just whispered, as Jenn’s eyes closed and she hugged Yukiko tighter for a moment.
“Understood, Yuki. I’ll win tomorrow.”
“Good.”
Jenn stepped into her room and shut the door once they stopped embracing. Gregory gave Yukiko a questioning glance, and Yukiko gave him an innocent expression.
“What did you tell her?” Gregory asked.
“Words of encouragement,” Yukiko replied. She placed a hand on Gregory’s chest. “Step into my room for a moment?”
“As my heart wishes,” Gregory murmured.
When the door shut behind them, Yukiko was in his arms and her soft lips on his. After a few minutes, they separated. Neither wanted to, but they both knew they had to if they were going to keep their word to Yukiko’s father.
“Good night, dear one,” Yukiko said when Gregory touched the door.
“Good night, Yuki. Sleep well.”
“You, too, dearest.”
With one more look, they parted.
Chapter Thirty-six
The start of the day went by normally, but as it did, Gregory could see a bit of tension growing in Jenn. Chen didn’t push her aether at all during magic class, instead having her cycle her aether through her body. Gregory tried doing the same thing and he could feel it work, but much slower than it did for Jenn. He made a mental note to add that to their meditation routine.
When it was time for their hour of meditation, all three of them tried cycling their aether while working the Peaceful Fist exercises. Jenn had the easiest time of it— her aether channel was wider and spread through her body more thoroughly. Both Gregory and Yukiko managed it, but they felt some strain moving their aether.
Tired from the extra effort, they were glad they usually had their snack afterward. When that was finished, they met with Gin, Inda, and Indara for unarmed and armed combat training. Gin had Jenn observe only during unarmed training, and then work on weapon strikes with her selection of weapons.
“Stop,”
Gin commanded. “We’re done. It’s time to go.”
Once they had the weapons stowed, the six of them made their way to the front of the clan hall. Dia was waiting for them there, as were the staff members, including Murium.
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