Aether's Blessing (Aether's Revival Book 1)

by Daniel Schinhofen

  “Greg, come on over. Looking for a snack, are you?”

  “Yeah. A pleasure to meet you sir,” Gregory said, bowing to the older man, “I’m Gregory Pettit, a novice at the academy.”

  “I’m aware of who you are,” the old man replied, his tone cool and firm. “Has my grandson been helpful?”

  Seeing Nick straighten a little, Gregory smiled. “Nick has been very helpful, sir. He’s been showing me how generous the Eternal Flame can be to those who join it.”

  “Yet he still hasn’t caught the specific individual I have tasked him to recruit.”

  Nick’s smile was wooden, “Yukiko is considering, Grandfather. I’m sure she will join us after the tournament. Greg is likely to, as well. Isn’t that right, Greg?”

  “The Eternal Flame has been the most helpful clan I’ve been approached by,” Gregory said carefully, though truthfully. “I wouldn’t have expected a clan as venerable or powerful as this to take an interest in me.”

  “That wasn’t a flat acceptance of the clan,” the old man frowned.

  “I can’t see the future, sir. I would hate to say yes, only to find that something else forces circumstances in a different direction. The Han clan has spoken to me, and I feel as if the other three great clans will also before the tournament ends.”

  “You think any of them can do more for you?”

  “I can’t say, sir. I find it hard to believe considering everything, but it isn’t impossible. It’s why I’ve been so hesitant to accept Nick’s generosity.”

  “Surprisingly well spoken for a fringer,” the old man said as he rose to his feet. “I shall leave you with my grandson.”

  “Have a good day, sir, and thank you,” Gregory bowed deeply to him.

  Once the old man left, Nick exhaled deeply. “I didn’t expect him to be here today.”

  “I should have waited another few minutes to come looking for food,” Gregory added, taking a deep breath after the unexpected encounter.

  “Could have been worse,” Jason shrugged. “Take a seat, and one of the servants will bring you something. Nick, we should go check on the others.”

  Nick glanced at Gregory before nodding, “Yeah. Have a good meal, Greg. Glad to hear you’re thinking about joining us.” Pausing, he leaned on the table and lowered his voice, “If you can get Yukiko to join us, you’d find the clan to be very appreciative. Something to keep in mind.”

  Gregory sat there for a long moment, until one of the eurtiks brought food and drink to him. Do they really want me, or are they just using me to try to get Yukiko? That thought would not leave his head as he ate.

  ~*~*~

  Gregory spent the rest of his time inside the manor in the garden meditating. He had trouble focusing, so he did not find the cavern of aether, but he did manage to eventually calm his mind.

  When they left the manor to return to the academy, Gregory volunteered to ride with the driver. The driver was taciturn, only replying to questions with one-word answers and not starting any conversation.

  When they got back to the academy, the others all headed for the dormitory since they had eaten at the manor. Gregory wished them a good night, and saw that Yukiko was waiting for him.

  “You’re sparring with me tomorrow, right, Greg?” Jason asked in front of Yukiko.

  “I’ll spar with you during class tomorrow,” Gregory agreed.

  Yukiko’s lips turned down briefly before going back to neutral. When they were alone and walking toward the mess hall, she spoke up, “Greg? Did something happen?”

  “A lot of insinuations,” Gregory sighed. “I’ll explain in my room later,” he added, looking around idly.

  Seeing him look around, Yukiko nodded slowly, “Okay.”

  “How was your day?” Gregory asked.

  “We spent time at a tea house,” Yukiko said. “After that, we went to a training dojo where the teacher drilled us for two hours. Finally, we went to a bathhouse. We got back just ahead of you.”

  “I got more sparring in, too,” Gregory said. “One of the magi of the Eternal Flame taught me some things. I need to practice them to drill them into memory. This is yours for tomorrow,” Gregory added, handing back the ring of the mind.

  “Thank you,” Yukiko said, slipping it onto her finger. “Have you noticed it helping at all?”

  “Maybe? The days I’ve worn it, economics feels slightly easier to grasp. Not sure if it's working or if it’s just in my mind, though.”

  “We’ll find out over the next few weeks,” Yukiko said.

  ~*~*~

  Dinner was good, filling for both body and aether. They did not linger over their food since they wanted to get some studying in, though they did not rush either.

  Once they were back in his room in the dormitory, Gregory sighed. “I’m not sure Nick is actually a friend, after all.”

  “Will you tell me what happened?”

  Gregory recounted the events of his day, including the conversation where Nick admitted to being the front to find novices to join the Eternal Flame clan. “Not sure if he’s a friend, if he just wants me to join the clan, or if it’s all just a ploy to get me to convince you to.” Next he told Yukiko about meeting Nick’s grandfather.

  Yukiko sat there for a long moment in silence, clearly thinking about what she had heard. “Do you want to join them? That’s still something that needs to be answered.”

  “I don’t know,” Gregory admitted. “They are powerful, but… the way they disregard the eurtik bothers me. Maybe it wouldn’t bother me so much if I had been born closer to the center of the empire, but it does. Many of the clans seem to hold similar views, though, if less aggressively.”

  “There’s something else, isn’t there?” Yukiko asked, watching him.

  “How do you know?” Gregory sighed.

  “Body language. Father was teaching me to follow in his footsteps. I might not have had many friends, but when it comes to knowing that someone is holding back, I can see it.” Gregory did not reply, but his grimace proved she was right. “You don’t have to tell me, Greg. If you want to though, I’ll listen.”

  “It’s said that preexisting agreements become null and void when one joins the Eternal Flame. Is that true?” Gregory asked slowly, looking up from the table to meet her gaze.

  “They are a powerful clan, one of the five great clans. They have the power and wealth to pressure people into relinquishing prior agreements. I wouldn’t say it’s entirely guaranteed, though.”

  Gregory nodded with a deep sigh. “That makes more sense.”

  “Why?”

  Gregory looked away from her, “It’s not important right now. We should do our studying before it gets too late.”

  His attempt to switch the subject was obvious and Yukiko wanted to press him, but she gave him a soft smile. “Of course. I’m teaching you how to manipulate a market.”

  Chapter Thirty-five

  The second month of training passed, and Gregory and Yukiko kept to their routine, with a few slight differences. During physical conditioning, they fought someone other than each other every other day. Yukiko held her own against everyone but Nick, who beat her soundly, but not as badly as she had been beating Gregory. Gregory steadily improved during class, occasionally able to manage a score or two against Yukiko when they fought.

  More clans contacted Yukiko, including the other three great clans; Eternal Blossoms, Yamato Shipping, and Swift Wind. Each of those invitations were accompanied by presents, but nothing as lavish as the Eternal Flame or Han Merchant Exchange had given her. She divided the gifts between herself and Gregory.

  Gregory found himself picking up economics a little easier by the end of the second month. Yukiko praised him and pressed him to learn even more difficult topics. During aether introduction, Gregory glimpsed the lines of aether from time to time, but only obliquely and never for long. His magic remained a mystery, to the growing frustration of Adept John.

  Settling in for the night after another satis
fying, if grueling week, Gregory wondered what Yukiko had planned for tomorrow. Nick had asked them to have dinner with his group, but she had declined, explaining that she had already made other arrangements, and that they could not this coming day off. Closing his eyes, he snuggled into the blanket a little more, ready to see what tomorrow would bring.

  ~*~*~

  Blinking, Gregory looked around. He was in an opulent room, not in his bedroom or anywhere else he had ever seen. The floor was black marble shot through with gold. The walls were covered with rich silk tapestries, showing various eurtik and humans using aether side by side. The far side of the large room was shrouded in darkness.

  “Welcome home,” the silken honeyed voice that had only spoken to him a few times flowed out of the darkness. “You are growing, and growing fast. Tomorrow, when your medallion has another ring glowing, people will begin to take notice.”

  Gregory looked down at his chest and saw his medallion glowing with five circles lit. The clothing he was wearing was not the white of a novice, but the indigo robes of the divine tier. He was also bulkier than he was in real life; not overly-muscled like Gunnar, but still far more than he currently was. “Why am I wearing the kimono of the emperor?”

  “It suits you, or it will,” the sultry voice replied. “I look forward to you reaching that stage. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Your magic has been leaking at the edges, and I’ve noticed that the archivists haven’t figured it out yet.”

  “You know what it is, and can help me?”

  “After the first tournament, as I’ve said before.”

  “Why not now?” Gregory asked.

  “Because you aren’t ready yet. Everyone here needs to accept you as you are, not for what you can be. You’ve seen how they circle around Yukiko— they won’t just circle you. They will press any way they can find once it becomes known what your magic can do.”

  “Why? What is it that would make them take such measures?”

  “After the tournament we will talk about it, but for now, you need to sleep. Yukiko went through some trouble to arrange tomorrow.”

  “What? How would you know?”

  Sultry laughter echoed all around him as the darkness rushed forward, swallowing him whole. Gregory tried to fight off the drowsiness that assailed him, but his limbs grew heavy and his eyelids drooped.

  “I’ll beat you nex—” he muttered as he tried to fight it off, but his words slurred as sleep overcame him.

  ~*~*~

  Third bell chimed, waking Gregory abruptly. Jolting upright, he rolled out of bed and got dressed by habit. They were still following their morning schedule of breakfast and study, so once he had everything ready, he opened his door, coming face to face with Yukiko.

  “Morning, Yuki.”

  “Morning, Greg. Are you ready for today?”

  “I don’t know, because you haven’t told me what we’re doing,” Gregory replied with a wry grin.

  A soft giggle escaped her, “You’ll have to wait and see. First, we’re having breakfast and studying.”

  “Let’s get to it,” Gregory said, heading for the stairs.

  As they exited the dormitory, Dia greeted them. “Morning, Novices. Did my staff handle your requests?”

  Yukiko bowed to Dia formally, “They did that and more. They and you have my thanks, Keeper.”

  Dia smiled gently, “You’re welcome. I’m interested to know how it is received. You won’t mind if I ask later, will you?”

  “No, you may ask.”

  “I hope your day is full of excitement and learning.”

  “Thank you, Keeper,” Yukiko said, echoed by Gregory.

  As they walked toward the mess hall, Gregory chuckled, “I was wondering how you set things up without me knowing about it ahead of time. I hadn’t thought about asking the staff at the dormitory.”

  “I hope you’ll like it. I know it’s early by a week, but I wanted to do something for your birthday.”

  Gregory’s steps faltered, “How did—?”

  “Dia. I asked her if she could find out for me.” She looked away from him, “I hope it was okay. I just wanted—”

  Gregory put his hand on her shoulder gently, and she stopped speaking. “Yuki. It’s okay. I just hope you didn’t get carried away. When is your birthday? I’ll have to figure out a way to pay you back.”

  “A week after the tournament,” Yukiko replied softly. Looking up, she found him waiting to meet her gaze.

  “Good thing I have time, then,” Gregory smiled. “I’m going to need it to figure something out, I’m sure.” Letting go of her, he motioned with his chin toward the mess hall. “First, some food.”

  “Yes,” Yukiko said happily.

  The eurtiks greeted the pair with smiles, “They never fail to show,” the rat eurtik, Steva, chuckled. “Novices, your meal and snacks.”

  “Thank you,” Yukiko smiled, pulling her medallion out.

  “Fifth circle? You are advancing quickly,” Velma smiled as her hand hovered over the amulet for a moment.

  “I have a good partner,” Yukiko replied.

  “I’d say so,” Velma said when she handed Gregory his meal and passed her hand over his medallion the same way. “Both of you have reached the fifth circle. Impressive, especially since he’d been third circle and you fourth at the start of the year.”

  “A partner who pushes you to learn helps,” Gregory smiled. “Have a good day.”

  “You, as well,” the four cooks replied together.

  Taking their seats, they dug into their meals. Silence settled over them as each concentrated on eating and fueling their aether. Gregory finished a little ahead of Yukiko and looked puzzled.

  “We finished faster because we have grown in power. Our aether can adjust to the food more quickly,” Yukiko told him.

  “Ah, right. That makes sense… Hm, I wonder if I’ll see the cavern today? The channels have been growing steadily, if slowly, and the fire seems to be growing in size ever so slightly, as well.”

  “I was going to ask,” Yukiko replied as they handed their empty dishes off. “Have a good day,” she told the otter eurtik, Quilet.

  “You both, as well,” Quilet replied, bowing to them.

  “Archive?” Gregory asked as they left the mess.

  “Until seventh bell, then we need to go back to the dorm to grab some things before we go into the city.”

  “Mysterious, but okay,” Gregory chuckled.

  Entering the archive, they were greeted by the female panther eurtik that had talked to them over a month ago. “Morning to you both,” she greeted them with a smile. “How goes your studying?”

  “Slowly. We’ve been looking over how each of the paths start,” Gregory replied. “It seems there have been a number of people who started on two paths, only to have one of them fade away.”

  “Indeed, that has been the case over the last few hundred years.”

  “Rafiq mentioned that scrolls written by those who did attain two paths are not available to novices,” Yukiko said softly. “Are they available to apprentices?”

  “If scrolls like that exist, they would likely only be available to adepts and above. If there are even any here in the archive. I feel many scrolls of that sort would be in private collectors’ hands.”

  “We have scrolls waiting for us today, though we’d like to continue to look into more of these types.”

  “I will make sure that it is taken care of. Have you finished with economics?”

  “My partner is teaching me that subject,” Gregory said.

  “Very well. Have a pleasant time,” the eurtik smiled.

  “You, too,” Yukiko replied as they headed for their table.

  ~*~*~

  Seventh bell had them both stretching as they got to their feet. “They aren’t getting any less tedious, but this one at least talks about how the fire and cavern grew in size as they advanced down the mind path. They lost the ability to see the cavern shortly after that, though,” Y
ukiko sighed.

  “I’m still seeing the cavern, but I don’t think it’s grown any.”

  “I’ll be checking next time I see it.”

  “So,” Gregory said with a sardonic smile, “any hint on what we’ll be doing, and what I need to get from the dormitory?”

  Yukiko’s face lit up and she shook her head with a soft giggle. “Not yet. As for what we need to pick up, it should be ready for us when we get there.”