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

shoulder. Ling turned to him with a feline smile in place. “They’re trying, if one can learn to listen.”

“Correct,” Paul said, having come into the room silently. He was standing two feet behind Chucky. “Take your seats.”

Chucky had gone white when Paul spoke, then red when Paul sided with the other two. He took his seat and was frowning at the gaming table.

“I have news for you. Tomorrow starts your first week off. Your next class is in seven days. Use it as you see fit, but when you return, we will be starting the games in earnest, and with variation,” Paul said.

A knock on the door had them all looking toward it and, a moment later, Egil entered the room. “Pardon me. I came to watch the class today. Carry on as you normally do.”

“Sir,” Chucky said, standing abruptly, “I wish to be removed from this group and placed with a different one.”

Paul’s face went cold, clearly angry at the apprentice for the outburst.

Egil went closer to Chucky, staring down at the young man. “Why?”

“The instructor doesn’t listen to my problems, and the advanced apprentices don’t help us learn.”

Egil glanced at the others before he nodded slowly. “I see. Do you think I picked people at random to match them?”

“I can’t say, sir. I just know that I will not grow in this environment.”

Egil nodded his head. “Very well. Gather your things and step outside.”

Chucky looked like he’d won the world as he gathered his things. “Thank you, sir.”

Paul stared at Egil, unhappy to have his class disrupted so easily.

Once Chucky left the room, Egil shut the door and gave Paul a small bow of his head. “I apologize, Magus. I’d hoped that he would learn a little tolerance. Yours was the last class for me to spend the day with and, as such, this festered longer than it should have.”

Paul blinked. “You knew?”

“I placed a handful of the worst in places they could learn if they tried. Two of them have settled in and are improving, but the rest are like him,” Egil sighed. “They won’t survive past their adept year, but at least I tried. You’ll have a new student in a bell or two. Hopefully, this one will settle in.”

“I’m sorry,” Paul said, bowing formally.

“No. I will never blame a subordinate for questioning me, if they do it correctly, which you did. You know as well as I do about his kind. We could try to beat sense into him, but we both know how rarely that works.”

“Indeed,” Paul agreed.

“I shall return and watch from that point,” Egil said. “If I might suggest having these two,” he motioned to Ling and Clover, “play today? I wish to see how they do.”

“Very well. They’re playing without aid today.”

“Good. I prefer to see them unaided or hindered. I shall return.”

When Egil left, Paul turned back to the class. “Well, that is done. You both get your pick of magi. Gregory, Jenn, Yukiko, start setting the board. Inside the empire, and with hills and stands of trees.”

“Yes, sir,” all of them said.

Chapter Thirty-five

 

The three apprentices were excited— Gin had told them they would have a surprise after their morning study period. Making it back to the clan hall after saying goodbye to the novices, they were giddy to find out what Gin had planned.

“Apprentices,” Gin greeted them, “follow me.”

Inda, Indara, Bishop, and Dia were all smiling as they fell into step behind Gin. The trio followed suit, wondering where they were going and what the surprise was going to be.

The walk across the academy grounds let them see a dozen or more novices rushing off to their classes. They also caught a glimpse of Ling and Clover heading to the archive.

As they approached the arenas, Gregory tried to figure out why they were here. They had trained in the front yard of the clan hall for the last few weeks, so why train at the arenas, instead? He traded looks with Yukiko and Jenn, who were also trying to figure out what was going on.

The green flags barely twitched against the poles that held them aloft. The others broke off from the group, heading for the stairs that would take them into the stands, while Gin kept walking. The separation caused the three to purse their lips. It was obvious that they weren’t going to be fighting the others today.

Once they were down in the ready room underneath the arena, Gin finally stopped and turned to them. “Today, and for the four days after this, you will come here after your morning study period. Understood?”

“Yes, Sensei,” they replied.

“Good. Leave your things, grab your weapons and helmets, and come onto the sands,” Gin told them before leaving the room.

“What do you think this is, besides fighting of some kind?” Gregory asked as he started to put his things into a cubby.

“Group training,” Yukiko said with certainty, “but with who is the question.”

“Why the arena?” Jenn asked.

“I think it centers around who our opponents will be,” Yukiko said. “This feels like a deal was made... professionals who can help train us. Gin is going to be the adjudicator, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Professionals,” Gregory said the word slowly. “Hardened Fist,” he said a second later.

Yukiko started to object, but then shut her mouth and nodded. “Yes, it makes sense now. The neutral ground, so it’s obviously a paid contract and not two clans cooperating.”

“This is going to mean aether,” Jenn said, grinning. “We’ll get to use everything.”

“Maybe,” Gregory cautioned her. “Until Gin says that is the case, I’m not going to get my hopes up.”

Jenn sighed. “That’s fair.”

With weapons and helmets in hand, the three of them started up the stairs and toward the arena proper.