Moral Stand (Aether’s Revival Book 7)

Gregory and Davis entered the Gilded Cup shortly after dinner; Gregory waved to Commander Trida. “Good evening to you all,” he said as he took a seat, then flagged the barmaid over. “Need some refills?”

“I’ll gladly take one. Might help me believe the report,” Hendil said, then downed his nearly-full mug.

“I have questions about the report, Magi,” Trida said.

“I’d be glad to answer them,” Gregory nodded, then turned his attention to the barmaid. “Rosem wine for me, a refill for the captain, and for you, Davis?”

“Pale ale, please,” Davis directed to the barmaid.

When she left, Gregory looked back at Trida. “Sorry, Commander. What questions did you have?”

“Over a dozen bane wolves attacked you on patrol?”

“Yes.”

“Yet you had no casualties?”

“None.”

“Not even any injured?”

“Sir, we wear the best armor the archmage of Buldoun could provide,” Davis cut in. “Pettit won it during the tournament he attended with his clan. It’s enchanted armor, sir, and covers them from head to toe.”

Trida sat back, not having known this fact.

“My men also use naginatas, not the standard shield and sword,” Gregory said. “That let two or three of them attack each wolf as it closed on them. One of my men still got bitten, but their armor stopped them from acquiring any wounds.”

“Your report said there was an alpha,” Hendil pointed out. “Those beasts can freeze your blood.”

“They exude aether with their howl, and that can lock your muscles,” Gregory corrected him. “It can be countered by a magi doing the same. At that point, it’s a matter of power versus power. I was stronger, so my men were free to move.”

“You got into the thick of it, the report said. Went after the alpha yourself,” Trida said. “How did that fight go?”

“Fine, sir.” Gregory pulled out a medal from his ring, setting it on the table. “I’m an armsmaster with the naginata.”

The four men at the table sat up straighter upon seeing it.

“He bested Armsmaster Watashi, Armsmaster Magi-killer, and General Ruzi to be granted this,” Davis said with a smile.

“That is an impressive selection of armsmasters…” Trida said slowly.

Gregory collected his medal. “I didn’t know the requirements to be granted the title and medal. It came as a surprise to me, but yes, I bested the alpha bane wolf. Its aether wasn’t able to suppress me, and I had reach.”

“Why didn’t you just blast it, fry it, or whatever, like most magi would?” Hendil asked.

Gregory paused as the barmaid came back with the drinks. After she’d left, he sipped his wine, then answered, “Because my magic is foresight, not fire, force, or the rest.”

“Foresight? I didn’t think magi had that magic anymore.”

“The former head of my clan did,” Gregory said softly. “Now, as far as I know, I’m the only magi in the empire with it.”

“How does that work?” Trida asked.

“I can glimpse into the future. The further into the future I look, the more aether it takes,” Gregory replied. “I’ll be able to look even further ahead as I continue to grow.”

Trida finished his mug, waving the barmaid back for a refill. “What are you going to do with all the carcasses?”

“I already took them to the Cutting Block. The meat is being turned into jerky for me, and the hides will be sold to the tanner.”

Trida’s brow furrowed slowly. “You want all the jerky from that many bane wolves?”

“It’s not like I have my cook prepare special meals for me,” Gregory shrugged. “The jerky is what I use to help keep me ingesting aether. The richer the aether, the easier I can refill myself and grow stronger.”

“Right, yes. The magus in town might like some of it. She normally buys what she can when quality bane meat is brought in.”

“Hmm… I’ll have to make her a gift when I come back. I doubt they’ll have it finished by the time I leave.”

“Maybe just let Block sell it to her?” Trida suggested after ordering another refill. “Easier all around that way.”

Gregory looked thoughtful as he sipped at his wine. “I’ll talk with him tomorrow. It’ll be better for me if it’s a gift that he’s preparing from me to her.”

“Favors can be important,” Hendil nodded.

The conversation turned to other topics as the cards came out. The two lieutenants with Trida finally chimed in at that point, not wanting to interject into the commander’s conversation. Drinks were imbibed and money changed hands for a few hours until Gregory finally took his leave.

“I need to check up on my men. Looks like luck wasn’t with me today; that was all my gambling money until I get back to Coldwood.”

“Never a good idea to make your commander a debtor,” Trida told Davis, then laughed. “Might end up with extra duties that way.”

“Fair, but until he does, I get to live life to the fullest,” Davis laughed.

As the pair left the Gilded Cup behind, they chuckled. Halfway to Groomed Mane, Davis handed over half the winnings, which was Gregory’s money back plus a little more.

“That’s just evil. Do you think they’ll figure it out?”

“No, because it isn’t me winning,” Gregory grinned. “My wife would be proud of me using misdirection to profit.”

“Works out for me too.”

“And it helps me use my aether. I need to use it to improve, so this is a double win for me.”

~*~*~

The Groomed Mane was busy when Gregory and Davis got there. Every table was filled, the seats at the bar were taken, and the dice games looked full, too. The noise dropped some when people saw Gregory, but he just smiled and waved them off.

“I’m just here for a drink,” Gregory announced. “Don’t mind me.”

Heading to the bar, Gregory caught snippets of conversation as the volume slowly rose again.

“A magi here?”

“Do you think he likes eurt—?”

“His men said he’s very mell—”

“His men are better behaved than othe—”

“Magi,” Lowen, the owner of Groomed Mane, asked, coming down to them, “what can I get you?”

“Rosem?”

“I’ve got a new small cask in, just in case,” Lowen nodded. “Pale ale, Lieutenant?”

“Please? A good barman will always remember a drink,” Davis smiled, putting some vela on the counter.

“Be right back,” Lowen said, collecting the money before going to get the drinks.

A couple of men left the bar area, so Gregory and Davis took the now-open seats. Lowen was back a minute later with their drinks.

“Your men have been telling a tall one,” Lowen said, setting their drinks down.

“If it’s about the bane wolves, they’d be telling the truth,” Davis said. “Over a dozen, plus an alpha, with no wounds on our side.”

“It’s true?” Lowen asked with a touch of incredulousness. “That kind of attack normally leaves a few wounded, and some dead.”

“You only see my men out of armor, without their weapons,” Gregory said. “They don’t use swords and shields, but naginatas, instead. Their armor is enchanted armor that covers them from head to toe. Add that together, and the wolves never had a chance.”

“But the alpha—”

Gregory cut him off by raising his hand. “A magi can break the howl with their own aether if they know how to do so. I can, so my men weren’t frozen in place, waiting for death. Instead, they pinned each wolf to the ground with multiple blades. I killed the alpha myself.”

“What kind of magi are you?” Lowen asked. “I’d think fire or force would have the easiest time of it. Possibly air if you can do the air blades correctly.”

“Foresight,” Gregory replied. “The alpha had no chance.”

Lowen blinked slowly for a moment. “Oh… oh! Your clan makes sense now. Elder Lightshield has foresight, too. I met him once, decades back. He was… personable for a magi.”

“My entire clan is,” Gregory said, sorrow touching his voice. “Sadly, Lightshield died not long ago.”

Lowen turned to grab a mug, pouring himself an ale before he turned back to Gregory. “To the passing of a good man. May his life teach others how to live.”

Gregory was a little surprised, but he raised his glass. “To a mentor who will never be forgotten by his clan.”

With the toast over, Davis cleared his throat. “We just came to let you know they’re not telling tales. I’m glad to see your customers aren’t trying to start a scuffle over it.”

“My customers know better,” Lowen snorted. “The most they’d do is mutter about it away from them. No one with brains starts a fight in my bar.”

“I’ve known enough people to know that it must happen occasionally,” Gregory chuckled.

“True, but normally it’s newcomers to town or magi guards. Not yours, but others,” Lowen said, making sure Gregory was clear that he wasn’t impugning on his men.

“Considering the last unit, I believe it,” Gregory said wryly before he drained his glass. “We’ll be off, Lowen. Thank you again for having a place where my men can relax without concern.”

“Thank you for having well-trained men, sir.”

Davis downed the rest of his mug before getting up with Gregory. “A good bar is always hard to find. Glad there’s one here.”

With goodbyes said, Gregory waved to Glasson and Bunson, who were keeping an eye on their men. The pair waved back before going back to their own discussion.

Walking back to the barracks, Davis sighed. “This year has been good so far. I’m sure it’ll get complicated once things start, but it was nice.”

“It was. Hopefully, it’ll be for a while yet. I’m not going out to find them, I’ll just enforce it when we run into them.”

“Life will be interesting when it starts.”

“Yes, it will.”