Gregory watched her walk away, the warmth of his aether slowly pushing back the uncertainty he had been feeling. Pushing himself to his feet, he headed for Gunnar’s. It might be early, but he would have to be ready to go even earlier.
Gregory was lost in thought as he walked, thinking about what life would have been like if he had been a null. He was a few houses away from Gunnar’s when a scream brought him to a dead stop. Head whipping toward the noise, Gregory saw a huge wolf stalking along the street. The massive wolf paused, turning its head to look at Gregory. Red eyes gleamed in the daylight as its lips drew back into a snarl.
“Bane wolf,” Gregory whispered in fear. The spark of aether in his chest burst into flame.
The moment aether filled Gregory, the wolf seemed to smile. A deep howl erupted from it as it stared at Gregory. The air vibrated around him and he tried to move, only to discover the air itself holding him in place. Eyes widening, Gregory felt a surge of fear as the bane wolf charged at him.
Shouts filled the air, but Gregory knew no one would be there in time to help him. Is this it? Do I get killed before I get to learn? The question filled his mind, and the anger that he had harbored for years burned in his veins. Gregory growled back at the wolf when he suddenly realized that he could move. He darted at the creature, his arms glowing with blue flame.
The two of them collided, and Gregory moved on instinct, shoving his left forearm into the beast’s gaping jaws. His right hand came crashing down on the bane wolf’s snout just as its teeth clamped down on his arm. Gregory’s scream of pain and the wolf’s yip mingled as the pair hurt each other. Falling backward when the bane wolf bowled him over, Gregory kept hammering at its snout, even as it savagely shook its head and tore deep gouges into his arm.
“Greg!” Amoria’s voice sent a surge of panic into Gregory.
“Stay back!” Gregory shouted, but the wolf had released his arm and bounded backward.
“Bane wolf!” Eloria screamed, and more people could be heard taking up the cry.
Gregory scrambled to his feet as the wolf spun and charged Amoria. Amoria stood frozen, fear written across her face as the bane wolf barreled toward her. Gregory knew he would never make it in time, but he rushed after the wolf, his heart in his throat as blood poured from his injured arm.
Gunnar appeared around the corner of a nearby building just in time to knock the wolf away, sending him and it tumbling. Gunnar’s cry of pain rang out, along with Eloria’s scream.
Gregory made it there a moment later. Wrapping his arms around the beast’s neck, he pulled backward. The wolf’s front feet left the ground as Gregory lifted it off his friend. “Gunnar, run!”
Gunnar scrambled back, his left hand bleeding profusely and two of his fingers missing. Amoria and Eloria were already there, pulling Gunnar away, their eyes wide as they stared at Gregory.
“Damned bane beasts,” a voice growled. “Turn it toward me, Novice.”
Gregory reacted to the commanding tone, yanking the few hundred pounds of savage beast completely off the ground and to the right. His eyes widened when he caught sight of a blue blur heading for his arms. The wind of something moving fast ruffled his hair and the weight of the beast vanished from his arms. The body of the bane wolf flopped to the ground, spraying blood, while the head of the beast tumbled away.
“Never thought a bane wolf would turn up here,” Bishop said as she snapped her sword, sending a line of blood to the ground. The blue flame coating the blade vanished when she sheathed it. “Are you injured?”
Gregory blinked as her words finally penetrated his head. “Yes, but so is Gunnar.”
“Let me see your arm,” Bishop said, advancing on him, ignoring the bloody ruin that lay at his feet.
Gregory looked down at his injured arm. Deep bloody valleys marked where the bane wolf’s teeth had bitten into his flesh. Pain suddenly flooded into his body, and he wobbled on his feet.
“Dismiss your aether,” Bishop commanded sharply.
The blue flames on his arms winked out and she grabbed his ruined arm. His nostrils flared as new pain flooded his mind and he almost fell, but managed to keep his footing. Bishop’s aether coated his arm an instant later, and the pain was snuffed out like a candle. Exhaling in relief, Gregory started to thank her, but his vision wavered and he felt himself falling.
“This is why novices shouldn’t be in combat,” Bishop’s terse voice echoed in his ears as he collapsed into unconsciousness.
Chapter Five
Gregory blinked as a room swam into focus around him. When it settled down after a moment, he wondered why he was standing just inside an opulent bedroom. “Why am I here?”
A soft, sultry voice answered him from across the room, where darkness converged, “So we can meet, dear one.”
“What? Who are you? Where am I?”
“We are inside of you. I am that which you always yearned for. I can be anything you want me to be… if you can tame me.”
Shivers ran down his arms, and the words brought a hundred different images to his mind.
“Oh, it will be some time before we get to those stages. I am more than willing to do any of them, or all of them… with you.”
Swallowing hard, Gregory stepped back and felt the door shut behind him. “Is this what Bishop meant about my dreams?”
“Yes and no,” the sultry voice in the dark whispered. “She expected you to see a burning flame. You would know it was your aether and accept it. That is how novices are supposed to begin.”
“Then why am I different?”
A throaty laugh filled the room, “Yes, you are smart to ask that. But I won’t tell you unless you can make me. Unlike the novice flame, I’m a bit more of a... handful.”
Gathering his courage, Gregory took a step toward the dark corner of the room. “Okay, if I have to.”
A delighted giggle came from the corner, “Oh, yes! If you want to control me, you’ll have to tame me first.”
The room shuddered and the voice in the darkness sighed, “Alas, it won’t be today, it seems. Grow in power if you want to see me again, dear one.”
“What—?” Greg asked, but the room began to crack and bright light surged forward.
~*~*~
“The tincture will heal him, sealing the wounds tonight, though the scars will stay with him for a long time,” Bishop’s voice said, jarring Gregory from the place he had been.
Sitting up, Gregory swayed in place, “I’m fine.”
Soft hands grasped him and helped him stay upright. “You scared us,” Amoria whispered.
“I didn’t mean to. I heard the scream, and then the bane wolf came into view.”
“You stopped it from coming after us,” Eloria said.
“I’m glad, but I don’t know why it came for me.”
“It was after you because your aether is fresh,” Bishop snorted. “They grow more powerful by eating hearts, and if that heart has been touched by Aether, they gain even more from it.”
“Are there others nearby?” Gunther asked.
“I will be going to check shortly,” Bishop replied. “We had no idea that any bane beasts had made it this far around the north edge. I will inform the academy so they can send some adepts to patrol this area.”
“What about my son’s fingers?” Gunther asked.
“The cost of having them regrown would be more than this village is worth. He’ll have to learn to adapt. He does deserve compensation, though. The bounty on a bane beast of wolf size is five thousand vela.”
The villagers nearby looked shocked, but she ignored them as she pulled out a handful of coins. Handing two to Gunther and two to Amoria, Bishop nodded. “There. The bounty is shared.”
“What, not Greg?” Amoria asked, puzzled. “He was the one who held it for you?”
“I have taken his portion to help defer the cost of the tincture,” Bishop replied.
“That’s fine,” Gregory said as he started to stand up. “I thank you, Proctor,
for your help. We wouldn’t have survived if not for your intervention.”
Bishop eyed him for a moment before speaking, “You should rest. You lost a good deal of blood before I could see to your wound.”
“We’ll get him home,” Gunther said, moving over to support him.
“We’ll come with you,” Amoria said, looking at her sister, who was fussing with Gunnar.
Tony grimaced but nodded to his daughters, “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“We still leave at sunrise,” Bishop told Gregory. “Make sure you are at the inn by then.” Looking to Raymond, who had come out of his tavern because of the commotion, Bishop pointed to the dead bane wolf. “Salt as much meat as you can and bake the heart for me. I’ll need it when I get back. Oh, and set aside its core.” She flipped him a coin. “For the drinks and the work.”
“Yes, Proctor,” Raymond bowed before he bent to pick up the wolf. With a grunt of exertion, he hefted it onto his shoulder and staggered back toward the tavern.
“The rest of you may return to the festivities. The village will be protected,” Bishop announced and began jogging toward the edge of the village.
“Come on, Gregory. Let’s get you home,” Gunther said, lending the young man a helping arm.
Yeva looked pale when they brought Gregory in. She flitted about, bringing wet cloths and hot tea to them when they were seated in the main room. Gunther escorted her away once she brought in food and a kettle of tea down for the new adults.
The four friends had been mostly silent when they went inside the house. With the two adults gone, they relaxed. Eloria grabbed Gunnar and kissed him hard, and Amoria did the same with Gregory, much to his surprise.
When she broke the kiss, she leaned against him, “I thought you were going to die.”
“I thought I might, too,” Gregory admitted. “If I hadn’t acted, though…”
“I would have died,” Gunnar grunted. “Thank you for saving me.”
“You saved Amoria,” Gregory replied and held her tighter.
“You would have done the same if our positions had been reversed,” Gunnar said. “I didn’t even make it flinch when I hit it. I know it yelped when you did. Odd, that.”
“I think it was the aether that hurt it, not me, which is what made it come for me instead of Ria and El.” Gregory took his arms away from Amoria, as he recalled what her father had asked of him. “Though the day didn’t go as everyone hoped.”
“But your day is still good,” Gunnar grunted, looking down at his three fingered hand. “Your dream was true.”
“If I get the chance,” Gregory said, “I’ll do what I can to fix that.” He glanced at Amoria from the corner of his eye, “I have to.”
Gunnar grunted, shaking his head. “Like I said, you’d have done it if our places were reversed.” Picking up his cup awkwardly with his left hand, Gunnar took a drink. “We have food and drink, so let us celebrate you.”
The small celebration lasted for about five hours, with the four friends reminiscing. Eloria was the first to fall asleep, leaning against Gunnar. Gregory handed over one of the blankets that Gunther had left behind so Gunnar could get her settled.
Amoria yawned while Gunnar got her sister settled, “We should all turn in.”
“Feels like one of our old sleepovers,” Gregory chuckled. “That was years ago.”
“Ten years ago,” Amoria smiled softly, “in this very room.”
“I’ll see you in the dawn hours,” Gregory said.
“You have a long journey ahead of you,” Amoria said.
“Come on, you two,” Gunnar chuckled as he pulled another blanket over himself. “If you keep talking, he’ll end up being late.”
Amoria and Gregory got themselves settled on the floor on opposite sides of Gunnar and Eloria. Snuffing out the lantern, Gregory lay in the dark. He kept replaying the bane wolf attack, and what had almost happened to Amoria. In time, his mind finally wound down and he was able to slip into sleep.
~*~*~
The soft, warm sensation of skin against his woke Gregory. “Huh?”
“Shh, you’ll wake them,” Amoria whispered as she began to plant kisses along his neck.
“Ria? What…? No, we shouldn’t,” Greg protested in a whisper, even though part of him was in full agreement with her.
“Greg, please,” Amoria pleaded. “You’ll never come back after tomorrow… no magi ever has. I know what it’ll cost me, but I want this. I’ve wanted it for years. I know it’ll be just for tonight, but it will help me because I’ll know that you really did love me as much as I did you.”
Her hands found his stiff flesh and his ability to make objections fled. “I don’t want to hurt you, Ria. I promised your father.”
“I’ll stop if you tell me to,” Amoria whispered and began to kiss his neck again, her hand stroking up and down his length. “Just tell me to stop and I will.”
Gregory shivered as she worked him, “Promise me, Ria… Promise me that you’ll try to find happiness after I’m gone.”
“I will do my best to be the woman you would want me to be, Greg. My word.”
“Oh, Aether,” Gregory moaned lightly as he gave in to her demands. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her softly, tentatively. He knew that what he was doing would make her life hard, but he was unable to resist her desires and his own.
When they finally stopped, laying there covered in sweat, the pair felt awkward and unsure of what to say or do. Stifled moans came from a dozen feet away, making them both glance to the pile of blankets where Gunnar and Eloria were. Sharing amused looks, the two stared into each other’s eyes before they came together again, more confident this time.
Chapter Six
“Greg, you have to get up,” Amoria said, shaking his shoulder.
Jerking upright, Gregory grabbed her and squeezed her to his chest. “Thank Aether you’re alright.”
“Greg?” Amoria asked in surprise.
“The wolf—”
“It never got close,” Gunnar said. “Nightmare?”
Letting go of Amoria as memory of last night flooded in, Gregory nodded, his face flushed in embarrassment. “Yes.”
“I have travel food ready for you,” Yeva said from the doorway. “You need to get moving. The sun isn’t far from rising.”
Pushing the blanket off, Gregory got to his feet with a wince. The bandage on his arm pulled at his skin. He unwrapped it, grimacing at the sight; wide, long, white scars marked his forearm.
“She was right about the scars,” Gunnar grunted. “Looks like neither of us will forget the bane wolf.” He held up the white nubs where his two fingers had been.
“Gunnar, take him to wash. Quickly,” Gunther told his son. “The women will be ready by the time you finish.”
“Come on,” Gunnar said, “I have a basin in my room.”
It did not take long to clean, and afterward Gregory got back into the same clothes that he had worn the day before. He only had a couple of sets, and would be traveling all day. Returning to the main room, Gregory picked up his bag.
“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Emery,” Gregory said, bowing to them. “I will always remember the kindness you showed me.”
“You are a good man,” Yeva said, giving him a big hug. “Do your best and stay safe.”
The goodbyes were quick, and soon, Gregory was out the door with food in hand. His breakfast was day old bread and cheese along with a thick slice of dried meat. Amoria held his hand as they walked to the square, Gunnar and Eloria following them.
“Do you ever wonder why no one sees the magi off in any of the stories?” Amoria asked as they walked toward the tavern.
“No,” Gregory replied. “I always thought it was to make parting easier for the families.”
“That is part of it,” Bishop added from behind them, making them all jump. “You are on time, good. I would have been displeased to be delayed.”
Gregory looked back, his eyebrows rising. “Proctor, did
you sleep?”
“No, I was busy,” Bishop replied with a grim look. She smirked, “Looks like I wasn’t the only one who had no sleep.”
The four flushed and looked away from her, earning a chuckle.
“There are no more bane beasts currently in the area. The academy will still be informed so they can send adepts. This way, an event like yesterday’s will never happen again. I’ll go get my things and we will be on our way.”
Aether's Blessing (Aether's Revival Book 1) Page 4