Moral Stand (Aether’s Revival Book 7)

The two days left in Icelake didn’t explode after Gregory’s meeting with Justina. If not for foresight, his men would’ve had terrible days of harassment. As it was, a couple of men tried starting a fight in the Groomed Mane. Lowen, the owner, was more than happy to make a point about why that was a bad idea. The two men had to be taken to a healer after the brawl was over.

That was the only major event before they left for Coldwood. The march was calm, except for the light snowfall that never seemed to truly stop. Small drifts were building up on the edges of the road while the tree limbs groaned under the weight of the accumulating snow.

Cold and tired, but unbowed, the unit arrived in Coldwood on time. The gate sergeant greeted them, answered Gregory’s questions about slavers, then got out of the way so the men could keep marching. Joining them, Gregory went straight to the barracks to get things in order.

The barracks had a few things wrong with them, the biggest being the larder having been cleaned out. For any other unit, that might’ve caused problems for dinner and breakfast. It didn’t even cause a hiccup for Gregory, as he had more than enough supplies in his ring to handle the missing food and spices. The other issue had Gregory going room to room, expanding his resonance to drive out the rats that hadn’t been there even a week ago.

~*~*~

Foresight spun out for Gregory as he sat in his room. He’d be speaking to Commander Roberts at the very least, so his ally in the town knew the trouble that was arrayed before him. The future was littered with difficulties for his unit. If he had them continue to move as a unit instead of squads, they became minimal— no group of street toughs wanted to accost a score of soldiers.

With nothing huge going on in the future, Gregory let foresight go to enter meditation. The aether flame burned in the middle of the cavern, the light brighter than a year before, giving him a better view of the walls and the channels carved into them.

“Good morning, Flame. Can I see a simulation of me against the winter bane wolf and the earth bane bear? Just me, not the men.”

The flame danced for a moment before the tongues of fire separated to rest above it, depicting the part of the road he’d marched on for months. A man made of fire, wielding a naginata, appeared, and on either side of him were the two opponents.

“Perfect. Thank you.”

Gregory had the simulation run at least ten times before fourth bell rang. It was peculiar to watch a flame copy of him fight, but he now had a better understanding of how his opponents must feel. His copy was always moving, avoiding attacks while positioning himself to take advantage of his opponents’ mistakes.

Lips pursed in thought, Gregory got up and stepped into the hall. He greeted the others who were leaving their rooms at the same time. He paused, as Basal wasn’t with Hanz.

“Hanz, is Basal okay?”

“Yes, sir. He went down a few minutes ago to talk with Dot.”

Gregory grinned. “Ah, I see. Very well.”

“Young love,” Davis chuckled as he joined Gregory to head downstairs. “I can still vaguely recall my first crush: Jenny, the weaver’s daughter who lived next door. Golden hair, a dimpled cheek… always smiling.”

“What happened with her?”

“Never told her. She ended up betrothed to the butcher’s son. That was when I knew it would be best to move on. I went to the barracks and spoke to the sergeant on duty. Started working as an errand boy there for a couple years, and when my age day came, I enlisted.”

“Never saw her again?”

“No, but I still remember that warm, fluttering feeling. Felt it once more after training,” Davis snorted. “That one wasn’t real— she just wanted the benefits of being a soldier’s wife.” He wasn’t smiling when they reached the mess hall. “I found her cheating on me with her real lover. Glad I hadn’t married her before I found out. I got shipped out the next day. That was the only reason I caught them; I’d gone to propose, since I was leaving.”

Gregory winced, patting Davis’ shoulder. “Tough to have a heart break that way.”

“Decade past, now. My heart’s mended. I just haven’t found anyone to love since. Maybe I’ll find someone when my time with the unit ends.”

“I will pray to Vera for you, Davis.”

“Thank you, sir. Maybe some of your luck in that department will rub off on me by then. Your wives are devoted beauties, and three wives, at that. Any man would’ve been lucky to have any one of them. They know that their devotion is returned in equal measure. Having seen you together, only a fool would miss the love you all have for each other.”

“I’ve been blessed,” Gregory chuckled awkwardly, knowing he’d be married thrice over again in Krogga.

Laughter came from the kitchen, and Gregory looked over to see Basal beside Dot, working together to prepare something. He smiled as he said a silent prayer for his young friend to be blessed when his age day came.

~*~*~

“Good morning, Commander,” Gregory greeted Roberts when he entered the office.

“Pettit, you have a report for me?” Roberts asked, standing to shake hands with him.

“No written reports,” Gregory said as the pair took their seats. “I wanted to let you know about my recent time in Icelake. I know who’s upset enough with me to push.”

Roberts grunted. “The Chainer family?”

“You knew?”

“It was the easiest guess. They have branches in both towns, thrive on the slaves brought in, and you’ve embarrassed Phineas Chainer a few times. I had a request to look into your suddenly missing slave. Thera, the panther eurtik you bought from Chainer. She hasn’t been marked as one of the slaves with you the last month.”

“My report clearly states her death during my patrol,” Gregory shrugged. “What more did they want?”

“That was my reply. I was politely told to find out where on the route she’d died so her remains could be verified.”

“No corpse remains unmolested in the wilds,” Gregory snorted. “The bane beasts feast on them.”

“I’m aware. I had to comply, so I informed Magus Artok of where the remnants of her body might be.”

“They won’t find any trace of her. After a month, even her bones would’ve been chewed upon.”

“It puzzled me, as well. The request was most unusual.”

Gregory sat back, thinking, before he nodded slowly. “I think I understand. I’ve brought bodies in other times. The lack of her body likely caught their attention.”

Roberts looked thoughtful. “Hmm… yes… I can see them questioning things because of that.”

“It’ll be dealt with if they bring it forward. The answers are simple. Thank you for letting me know. My continued use of the laws have made them look for a way to cause me difficulty along the same lines. It’ll be brought up in the future… I wonder if it’ll come before the next attack on me or my men.”

“If it is Chainer, that might explain the assassin,” Roberts said. “And why Artok ‘accidentally’ killed your would-be assassin.”

“More leverage over Phineas, which Artok will use to his own advantage. Likely still looking to deepen that debt, too,” Gregory mused. “I know what Yuki would tell me to be mindful of.”

“Yuki? One of your wives, if I recall from our previous talks.”

“My first wife,” Gregory said fondly, “and the most cunning when it comes to money and leverage.” He stood up. “My thanks, Commander, for speaking with me. They might look to discredit you in the future, so please be mindful.”

“I am. They’ll move on me after they remove you, so I believe I’ll be fine.” Roberts chuckled as he stood up, again shaking hands with Gregory. “Aether watch over you, Gregory.”

“You, too, Dylan. Oh, before I leave: the larder at the barracks was empty when we came back.”

“Ah, thank you for letting me know. I’ll make sure it’s not a problem going forward.”

“Thank you, Dylan.”

Leaving the command post, Gregory headed to Golden Crusts. The bakery was calm when he arrived, the breakfast rush having ebbed.

Erik Moda, the owner, grinned when Gregory entered. “Adept, a pleasure as always. Shall I get your order ready for tomorrow?”

“Yes, but I was going to ask you to double it. My men have worked hard of late, and deserve an extra bonus.”

Erik laughed happily. “Gladly, Magi! Gladly! My wife and I have been very happy with your continued patronage.”

His wife came out of the back, giving Gregory a bright smile. She thanked him before hurrying into the back again to get started on the order.

“I’m glad that my presence has been a bright spot for you. I’ll be reducing my visits, but keeping the orders larger. I’ve caused some friction with prominent people in town and they might look to cause grief for those near me.”

Erik’s smile faded slightly. “You think they’ll cause me problems?”

“It’s possible, hence why I’ll be coming less often. I can store your goods for longer than most others can, so it’ll work for us. It would be a blow to the morale of my men if they no longer had your delicious creations to brighten their routine. This is what I can do to minimize trouble for you while keeping my men happy.”

“Magi… I…” Erik blinked a few times before he bowed to Gregory. “Thank you. I don’t think any other magi would consider my family in the same way.”

“My entire clan would, but outside of them… maybe a handful of others. I wouldn’t fault you for asking me to stop being a patron of your business, either. My troubles shouldn’t be yours.”

Erik shook his head. “No. I wouldn’t turn my back on a customer as loyal as you, sir. I’d worry more without your precautions, but I wouldn’t ask you to stop.”

Gregory bowed slightly to him. “Thank you. Let me pay for this round now. If nothing happens, then I’ve just been overprotective. If my adversaries move, then I will have done what I can to mitigate things for you, hopefully.”

“Yes, sir. The total comes out to…”