Magi's Path (Aether's Revival Book 3) Daniel Schinhofen (books to read in a lifetime .txt) 📖

put everything on the cavalry? I was going to have my pikemen in another turn.”

“Two for me,” Clover said.

“Figured you’d be building to stop us,” Gregory smiled. “Now, my light cavalry can do a decent amount of damage to the fleeing footmen…”

~*~*~

It took some time to total everything up and figure out the loss for Jenn and Clover. Farin turned to Yukiko and asked her about how pigeon-carried messages would work.

Once they had totaled everything and Paul officially declared the winners, he cleared his throat. “That was a good job, but I have news. You’re off for the next week. The week after that, everyone is off before the tournament starts so clans can do any last-minute training they want with you.”

“That means we won’t be here for three weeks?” Farin asked.

“That is correct. We won’t reconvene until after the tournament. Your tournament starts on the fourth day, after the final eight have been chosen. When I checked, there were only twenty groups registered with the academy to fight. For you three,” he looked at Ling, Clover, and Farin, “you have the option of joining a clan before it starts, or you can offer your services to a clan without joining it.”

“Mercenaries?” Gregory asked.

“Yes. The Hardened Fist clan, for instance, isn’t fielding a group. Their apprentices are going to be with the groups that bid for them.”

“That’s allowed?” Jenn asked.

“Yes,” Paul said with distaste. “It’s been allowed for decades now, which is a pity. I’d love for them to face our apprentices as units.”

“Sir,” Farin spoke up, “is your clan willing to accept others?”

Paul stared at him for a second. “I will ask for you, Farin. Did you just want to fight beside us?”

“Would you accept me into the clan?” Farin asked hopefully.

“You are improving,” Paul said. “I’ll approach Master Chen and ask him. If not, I do hope you find a worthy clan. You will be a solid magi if you’re allowed to grow.”

“Thank you, sir,” Farin said, bowing formally.

“Will it be the same as last year, sir? Multiple fights on the first day, whittling down to four on the second, and then having the semifinals and finals on the last day?” Ling asked.

“As it has always been,” Paul said. “I keep hoping that they’ll give the apprentices a full tournament of their own. Maybe one day, they will... Any questions before you are dismissed until the tournament ends?”

When no one spoke up, Paul nodded. “You are dismissed.”

As they gathered their things, Paul went over to Gregory. “I had a question given to me— would you be willing to spar with Magus Klim again?”

“I think I would need the approval of my clan, sir.”

“As it should be, but are you willing?”

Gregory paused for a moment. “Magus Klim has always been fair with me, as have you, and your entire clan, sir. I would be honored. I will speak with my clan and find out if they are okay with it.”

“If they’re willing, please have them send word to her at our clan hall.”

“I will, sir.”

“Good. May your training pave the way for a good tournament for you.”

“Thank you, sir,” the three of them said, bowing to him.

Paul turned on his heel and headed for the door. When he reached it, he paused and looked back at Farin. “Farin, fall in. We’ll go find out right now.”

“Yes, sir,” Farin said, moving quickly to get behind Paul.

Clover smiled as they left. “Good. He deserves a clan.”

“So do we,” Ling said softly. “Maybe we should see if any clan will take us for the tournament, at least. If we can prove ourselves useful there, maybe they’ll accept us fully.”

Clover frowned and looked down. “But then…” She trailed off.

“Then we might not be in the same clan,” Ling finished for her, touching her shoulder. “Yes. It’ll be hard to push without you there to encourage me, Clover, but we need to do all we can to grow.”

“Yeah, but… I don’t wanna,” Clover pouted. “I’d rather stay learning with you until the year ends.”

“We could always inquire with our clan,” Yukiko offered.

Both women looked surprised. Their eyes were wide as they turned toward Yukiko, clearly not having been expecting what she’d said.

“It doesn’t mean it will happen, but we can ask,” Jenn smiled. “Friends who push each other to learn and grow should stay together as long as they can.”

Clover practically leapt the length of the room as she scrambled to hug Jenn. “Thank you!”

Ling was more dignified, but she bowed much lower than equals should to each other. “We are honored you’d ask for us. We are nowhere near you in terms of power or training, but we’ll give everything we can.”

“Just one question, and it’s an important one that Magus Dia will ask you,” Gregory said. “Do you believe Aether will be reborn? That’s what our clan believes in— that he will return and that we will be his guard.”

Clover let go of Jenn and faced Gregory, her usually happy face serious. “I wish Aether would come back. Maybe he would…” She trailed off, stopping herself from expressing things that shouldn’t be voiced in the empire.

Ling exhaled, glad that Clover had stopped. “I agree with Clover. We’ve talked about just that before, mostly because of you being in class with us. We looked into your clan and have found nothing that we disagree with.”

“If you can repeat that to Dia, it’s possible,” Gregory said. “Either way, learning with you here is a blessing. You for your focused intensity, Ling, and Clover for her uplifting spirit.”

Both women smiled at him before glancing at Yukiko and Jenn, then quickly away. “Thank you... all of you,” Ling said, echoed swiftly by Clover.

“You go to the archive when you study, right?”