Moral Stand (Aether’s Revival Book 7)

Gregory’s men didn’t make any comments, though there were a few smirks and whispered conversations. The sergeants let Gregory know what the men thought as they marched— they basically thought he had a soft spot for eurtik, wanting to help those he could. No one in the unit had a problem with it, as he was again funding the extra upkeep for Thera from his own pocket.

The gate sergeant in Icelake caught sight of Thera when they arrived. Not having seen her before, he asked if the panther would end up on the auction block, or if Gregory was planning on keeping her for himself. Gregory had laughed off the question, making it clear that Thera wouldn’t be sold.

~*~*~

Waking the next morning, Gregory exhaled as he sat up. Thera had fit right in, blending in with Dot and Polka without any problems. The week had been mostly normal, for which Gregory was grateful.

“No summons to the magus, so I can do the odds and ends needed for the day,” Gregory murmured as he got up. “I need to get clothing and sundries for Thera… but it’d be best to take her with me. There’s no need to see Frenton this time, since I don’t have any bane meat for him to work on… oh, and Trida should be at the tavern later. I’ll have to stop in there.”

Fully dressed, he took a seat at the table and let meditation wash over him, his aether cavern coming into being around his mind’s eye. Gregory let the flames rush off to his channels to polish them as his resonance expanded out— it let him train both his body and spirit paths in a different way than the Peaceful Fist. Polishing his channels still tingled, but it no longer burned him like it had before. He’d need to continue to polish them as he grew in power and his channels expanded, keeping them refined.

When fourth bell rang, Gregory got to his feet. Stepping out, he found the boys, Rafiq, and Davis all leaving their rooms. “Good morning. I’ll be out running errands for most of today. Davis, after dinner to see the commander, then the men?”

“Yes, sir. I was going to pick up a few things today, as well. When will the jackets be ready?”

“Next month, the same day I get the pay chest.”

“We’ll need them by then,” Davis said as they started downstairs.

“Fall is almost here and the chill is coming,” Rafiq said. “I will be quite glad for a jacket.”

“I can get one early for you, Rafiq,” Gregory said. “I should’ve considered that you’d need it ahead of the rest of us.”

“I will accept. Best grab one for Hanz, too, hmm?” Rafiq looked back at Hanz, who had snake eurtik blood.

“I can wait,” Hanz said, not meeting anyone’s eyes.

“Hanz, it’s not a bad thing to admit when you need help,” Gregory said. “If you’re naturally more susceptible to the cold, I need to know.”

“I feel the cold more than others…” Hanz whispered.

“Then I’ll get you and Rafiq jackets today. No one will complain or tease you for it, not in our unit.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Gregory slowed his steps long enough to pat the young man’s shoulder. “We’re like family in the unit, Hanz. If you need something— a jacket, to talk, anything at all— just let us know.”

“Yes, sir.” Hanz smiled at the idea of being family. The unit was already far better than his blood family had ever been.

“Let’s go see about breakfast,” Gregory said. “Rafiq, I’ll work on Magi Squares during breakfast if you have one. I don’t want to miss out on training.”

“Of course, Gregory,” Rafiq nodded.

~*~*~

With breakfast over, Gregory walked with Thera through town. He saw the looks and heard snippets of the whispers, but he ignored all of them.

Thera heard much more with her better hearing, but kept her face impassive. Most of what was said was the honest truth: she was a slave owned by Gregory. None of them would believe how well she was being treated if they were told, and fewer still would believe that Gregory hadn’t touched her in the ways some of them muttered about. She was very grateful for that— even with all the time she’d been at the Golden Collar, she still found humans unpleasant in a sexual way. Their lack of fur was just not something she found attractive.

The first place Gregory stopped was the clothier who was making jackets for his men. He put in an order for one more, then collected two for the boys and one for Rafiq. It didn’t take them long, so they were quickly back on their way.

“You needn’t have done that, sir,” Thera said. “My fur keeps me warm enough.”

“Even in the dead of winter?”

“I might be a little chilly then, but I wouldn’t freeze like you would.”

“It’s best to not even let you chill,” Gregory said. “Everyone will have jackets, including the sisters. I want to keep everything equal.”

“You rescued them from a tavern that was acting as a whorehouse. Both of them have been very vocal about how you are the best magi they’ve ever heard of.”

“If only more magi were kind…” Gregory murmured softly.

“I agree, sir. I’ve been thinking back over all of our interactions. The harshness is not something you enjoy, is it?”

“No. I grew up in a village of kindness and generosity. Acting like other magi is taxing in its own way to me. I can and will do what’s needed, but it grates on me.”

“Has it caused you nightmares?” Thera asked.

“Not yet. It might in time. Every time I’ve killed someone has been in self-defense. I’m thankful for that, as it makes it easier for me to accept.”

“Even the most hardened warriors sometimes find their sleep plagued with nightmares. Father always said there’s no shame in that as long as you don’t let it control you.”

“A wise man. Lionel Lighthand had similar thoughts on the topic.”

“The one magi that we respect in the north,” Thera said. “He let many of our kind flee during the war.”

“‘Women and children are not pawns to be used or removed,”’ Gregory quoted from Lighthand’s journals.

“Exactly,” Thera said with a smile. “You’ve read his words?”

“All of them I could find,” Gregory nodded. “He was the founder of my clan.”

Thera’s eyes lit up. “I knew I had heard the clan name before. Father would be happy to hear it still exists. He’s always had hope for them.”

“Maybe one day, we can see those hopes realized,” Gregory whispered. “We’re stopping in here to get you clothing. The seamstress here is focused on women.”

Thera ducked her head. “Yes, sir.”

~*~*~

Thera was keeping track of just how much Gregory was spending on her. She knew she’d never be able to pay him back, but she was keenly aware of her debt to him. With the cost of her being sold to him, it was high and climbing. She didn’t turn down his offers, though, as everything he bought was things she needed, including soaps that would work with her fur. Gregory got extra, as the cheetah sisters would use them, too.

What puzzled her the most was his ring. She’d seen him put the entire camp inside of it for a week; tents, kegs, the stove that Barny used to cook, and everything else all went into it. Never in her life had she heard of a ring that powerful. Her mother had been a powerful shaman, but the ring she had couldn’t even do a third of what his could.

The thought of her mother made her sad. If she’d been granted Aether’s gift, she’d never have been caught, nor would her foolish sister have died. The old hurt of what her life had become rose in her before she ruthlessly shoved it back down. One couldn’t fix the past; they could only deal with the life they had.

Gregory caught sight of Thera’s expression, but didn’t inquire. He’d seen the smile die, and was sure it involved her slavery. He hadn’t told his plan to anyone— it was too dangerous to allow anyone else to know what it was before he tried it. He was sure his men would understand, but for now, he kept it to himself.

Yuki, Jenn, Mindie, and the rest will understand, he told himself. They’d agree with what I’m planning. I’d do the same for Dot and Polka, but I’m not sure they’d want to because of the uncertainty. Maybe… maybe when the time comes for Thera, they might. He let that thought continue as they made their way back to the barracks.

~*~*~

“Magi, Lieutenant, glad you could join us,” Commander Trida greeted Gregory and Davis. “You are remarkably reliable, Pettit. That was how I could have your drinks here by the time you arrived.”

“I appreciate it, Commander,” Gregory said, taking a seat.

“Thank you, sir,” Davis added.

“My sergeant on the gate said you brought a new slave in,” Trida went on. “A panther eurtik, yet you didn’t bring me a report. Caught her on the way to Coldwood?”

“I bought her in Coldwood,” Gregory corrected him. “The Golden Collar had its annual audit.”

Trida gave Gregory a raised eyebrow. “You bought one of the women from the Golden Collar during the audit?”

“It’s a convoluted story, but basically yes.”

Captain Hendil chuckled into his mug. “Ballsy.”

“Hmm, maybe that’s why I was asked by the Silver Collar to let you know not to go near their business,” Trida said. “I’d love to hear about it.”

Gregory considered it, taking a drink of his wine. “Maybe over cards? If you heard, then no doubt Magus Smitton did, as well.”

“She normally would have summoned you today, as she’ll be holding her audit of the Silver Collar tomorrow. If you weren’t summoned, that’d be your answer.”

“She’s heard, then,” Gregory said. “Honestly, I had no idea doing a job properly was such a problem.”

Hendil pulled out a pack of cards and shuffled them. “We can get the game going if you want to elaborate, Magi.”

Davis snickered. “You did make up a copy of the report, sir. You could just give it to Commander Trida.”

“I’d rather not. Magus Artok will probably be upset that I filed one with Commander Roberts as it is.”

“Why?” Trida asked.

“He took my original report and the contraband instead of letting me take it to Roberts,” Gregory said. “I followed my orders, even if they did not follow regulations.”

Trida sat back. “Ahh. I’ll pass on the copy, then. You can give us the highlights if you’d like.”

Hendil dealt the first hand. “I’d love to hear it.”

“It started with Magus Artok telling me to inspect every room,” Gregory began as he picked up his cards.

~*~*~

By the time he’d finished, Trida looked uncomfortable. “Yes… umm… hmm… I can see why you’d be asked not to set foot in the Silver Collar.”

“He’d have to have been on bone spark to attack a magi who was prepared for him,” Hendil snorted. “That was basically suicide.”

“He said he’d killed magi before,” Gregory shrugged. “Either way, he died, and I didn’t. After all was said and done, I got Thera as a slave.”

“Must be special,” Hendil smirked. “To each their own. I’m not interested in full eurtik, myself.”

“Let’s drop that line of conversation,” Trida said pointedly at his captain.

“Yes, sir…” Hendil mumbled.

“I should be going to check on my men,” Gregory said. “At least I didn’t lose everything today.”

“We’re glad you don’t use foresight when playing with us,” Hendil grinned, having won some vela.

“I like being surprised and seeing if I can win on my own,” Gregory said. “Have a good day, gentlemen.”

Davis said his goodbyes, going with Gregory. They were a ways down the street before Davis handed over half the winnings. “They really don’t see it.”

“It’s gradual, and since you’re slipping money off the table while we play, your stack of vela never looks that big,” Gregory chuckled. “Trida is unnerved. I’m not sure if it’s because of me or because of what Chainer had been allowed to get away with.”

“A little of both, probably. Right now, he’s hoping that you don’t cause a similar stir in his town.”

“That’s fair.”