Moral Stand (Aether’s Revival Book 7)

Gregory spent the morning looking at different futures— it took him a while to find the one he thought would serve him best without causing more problems later. Breakfast had been a little tense, as the men had overheard he’d be meeting with the town magi. Reassuring them that it would be okay, he still asked them to stay in the barracks and recover.

The men who weren’t badly injured did the Peaceful Fist with him after breakfast. Some of the injured did what they could with the limbs they had, wanting to show solidarity. After the Peaceful Fist, Gregory sparred some of the men with the guandao or a wakizashi to keep in practice with them. Without using foresight, he didn’t immediately trounce anyone, which got some cheering for the men who faced him. A couple were even able to beat him— Gregory was at a disadvantage against the naginata when using the wakizashi— though they had to work hard to beat him.

When sparring ended, Gregory took a bath so he could be as presentable as possible for the coming meeting. With some time left before the magus and commander arrived, Gregory made sure his reports were in order. He had copies for Justina and Trida, but also Roberts and Artok, as multiple copies would make it much harder for them to be altered without being found out. Rafiq had been given his copies earlier, along with Gregory taking the time to sit and speak with him about his magic.

Gregory was in his room, a fresh pot of tea having just been delivered by Polka, when Dot brought Justina and Trida to him. Standing in the meeting space of the suite, Gregory welcomed the pair in. Trida was barely covering his nervousness, but doing his best. Justina looked coldly angry, though there was also the hint of fear in her eyes.

“Commander, Magus, please, take your seats.” Gregory motioned to the table. “I have some mint tea for us to have while we discuss the attack on my unit.”

Trida took his seat after seating Justina. Gregory poured for the three of them, letting them add sugar and cream to suit their own tastes. Sitting down, Gregory placed two scrolls in front of Justina and one in front of Trida.

“My reports for you both. What did you do with Hendil and Quintas, Trida?”

“Hendil was executed this morning for attacking me and you, Magi,” Trida said. “Quintas is being held, as he has been very forthcoming with information about the corruption in my guard. The Chainer family, through proxies, have been trying to undermine my command. They bought Hendil off entirely, along with one of my lieutenants. They were starting on two more of my lieutenants and had six sergeants firmly in hand, with Quintas among that number.”

“A failure of epic proportions,” Justina said snidely. “You will be replaced.”

“I am aware. Before that happens, I will make sure the corruption is carved out,” Trida said tightly. “I’m not the only one whose actions will come under the glass.”

Justina’s eyebrow went up. She stared at Trida, who grimaced when he felt her displeasure press down on him. “Did you have something to say directly, Commander?”

“Stop,” Gregory said simply, but with firmness. “You both will face backlash over what has come before. Today, you have the chance of mitigating that. Read the reports first, and then we’ll discuss options.”

Justina’s anger flared— she still vividly recalled Gregory crushing her under his resonance. With a deep breath, she let Trida go. She’d felt Gregory touch her aether, and she didn’t want to start another match of strength with him. While he might control his resonance better, she was a magus and he was not. If she acted, he wouldn’t be able to truly stop her.

Gregory stayed quiet. This was a moment where she might lash out if he spoke, so he waited in silence as she picked up the reports. If she attacked him, he would kill her, as she would fight with every bit of her strength. Trida would die during their clash, which would cripple the town.

Justina’s face was grim when she finally set the scrolls down. “What do you plan on doing?”

“Bring the guilty to justice,” Gregory said softly. “I will request the aid of the guard, who have reasons of their own to help. As the town magi, it is your place to bring the attempted murderer of a magi to justice.”

“You want me to bring Rupert Chainer into custody, on the word of a criminal and a potentially forged letter to a Buldoun mage?”

Gregory sighed. He flooded the room with his resonance, clamping down on Justina’s, who’d been working her aether out slowly to chill the room. “Stop your magic, Justina. The path you’re on will end in your death, not mine. This is the only chance I can give you.”

Justina gasped at the pressure that squeezed down on her— it felt even stronger than the last time. The shock of it all disrupted her grasp of her magic. It slipped away from her, and she went white-faced as she realized an adept had her completely at his mercy… an adept she’d contemplated killing.

“If I kill you, it creates more problems than letting you live. Alive, you can learn, adapt, and grow. Your death only means another magus gets sent up here. If that happens, I either stay until they get here, or I leave the town without a magi as I patrol. Neither of those options are good.”

Justina wheezed as she tried to force his resonance away. She’d read of the spirit path before, but she’d been told by her clan that it was a useless path. Today, she suddenly realized they’d been wrong. If an adept could expel this kind of pressure, what could a magus, master, or grandmaster on the same path do?

“Removing Rupert, and potentially his entire family, is your duty. If his family gives him up, I will leave them be unless they’re stupid enough to push me again. You would be the one to bring a murderer to justice. That might help mitigate the fact you let them do whatever they wanted while taking bribes from their slavers. Now, it’s your choice.” He withdrew his resonance from her as he picked up his cup.

Slumping forward slightly before she straightened her back, she wiped her sweat-slicked forehead. Her gaze darted to Trida, who was looking away from her. She calculated her chances of besting the monster of an adept across from her— every avenue she considered looked bleak. Working with him wasn’t terrible, besides it grating at her to bow to a lower-ranked magi.

“Fine…” Justina said after a few minutes. “We will demand Rupert Chainer be handed over.”

“It will take me an hour to gather the right men,” Trida said softly.

“In one hour, at the guard barracks,” Gregory nodded. “Make sure the reason why is kept from them. I will bring my men who are fit to fight. We won’t need them, but it’ll make a point that there are no avenues open to them.”

“Do you really expect them to just hand over the head of the house?” Justina snorted.

“His son, Rustin, will gladly do so. It’ll see him take over the house, and that’ll occupy him for about a year while he shores up his position. That’s plenty of time for one of the more cunning members to take power and keep the branch of the Chainer family in check.”

Justina sat back, picking up her nearly empty cup. “Hmm… You said you were spirit path, but you reason far quicker and cleaner than some mind magi.”

Gregory smiled. “I’m a man of many talents, Magus. I’m glad we’ve come to an agreement; I’ve killed enough people this year already.”

Justina’s smile went wooden at the clear implication that he was certain he could’ve killed her. She wanted to deride that, but she wasn’t sure he was wrong, and a chill crawled down her spine. “Yes… so am I.”

~*~*~

The group of guards and magi gathered, drawing some curious eyes. When they marched— or rode their horses in the case of the two magi and commander— a few people trailed them, wanting to see what was happening. The march took them past the Silver Collar, where Gregory dispatched half his unit to secure the building. Trida had a couple of squads join Gregory’s, along with the lieutenant he was certain he could trust, as he was Trida’s son-in-law.

The rumors started flying quick and heavy. By the time the remaining strength got to Chainer’s manor, a large crowd stood well back to watch. The guards at the manor were uneasy as they secured the gates to the grounds, holding their weapons in hand.

A stone wall surrounded the small manor’s grounds. Space being a premium in the town, even the wealthy didn’t have acres of land for their homes. What extra the Chainer family had was given over to decorative gardens, further showcasing their wealth, as they weren’t growing foodstuffs in their limited space. The manor itself was solid stone construction; it would’ve been brought in from a quarry farther away from the town, again showing off the wealth of the family.

Trida rode forward a few paces toward the guards. “We are here to arrest Rupert Chainer on conspiracy to kill a magi, hiring foreign aether users to harm a magi, corruption of imperial guards, and breaking slave laws. Stand aside unless you want to also be arrested.”

The head of the manor guard stepped in front of his men. “Commander Trida, who fed you these lies?”

Gregory rode Legacy up beside Trida, pushing his resonance around the guard. “I did. They aren’t lies; they are facts. Unless you were involved in the planning, I’d suggest you step aside so you’re not caught in the net.”

Falling to his knees, the man wheezed. “O-o-open… t-the… g-gates!”

His men rushed forward to do so; they didn’t want to anger a magi.

Gregory backed Legacy up, letting Trida do his job. Justina glanced at Gregory, then back at the guards who’d all been standing next to the man on his knees. The precision Gregory showed in using his aether aura further worried Justina. Her final decision to side with him was clearly the only choice to live she’d had.

When the gates were open, Gregory let the man go so he could scramble out of the way of the incoming force. Trida rode just ahead of Justina and Gregory while the guards spread out to surround the manor. Gregory’s men were the closest to him, not trusting anyone else to safeguard him.

As they got toward the front door, the balcony door overlooking the manor opened. An overweight man with a sneer, bedecked in silks and furs, strode to the front of the group that was looking down at them. Behind him was a younger, thinner man in the same silks and furs, and a couple of women of varying ages behind them.

“Commander, Magus, what is this? Have I not been generous in my appreciation to the town?” Rupert spoke with confidence, but his eyes kept going to Gregory, and beads of sweat began to form on his brow.

“Rupert Chainer, you are to surrender to the guard,” Trida announced loudly. “You have conspired to kill a magi, hired a foreign aether user to harm a magi, corrupted imperial guards, and broken slave laws. The magus is here to make sure you face justice.”

“Lies and slander. Did this mere adept cause this scene?” Rupert asked, leaning into his only way to possibly survive. “An adept against the word of my family?”

“We have other evidence besides just his word,” Trida replied firmly. “Correspondence and a survivor of the attacking force. I have arrested the guards who have willingly told me of your bribery, and we have records to show the broken slave laws.”

“Surrender yourself to spare your family,” Justina said. The clouds above began to darken the sky as she wove her magic. “Pay for your crimes so they might be spared.”

Rupert blanched, but puffed up. “You would dare, Magus?! After all the times you took my money to look the other way? I would give evidence of corruption amon—!”

The younger man stepped forward, forcefully shoving Rupert over the railing. His scream cut off as soon as Rupert hit the ground. Taking the place his father had just stood, he spoke, “Commander, Magus, the family had no idea what crimes my father had committed. Take him and spare us from his crimes and sins against the empire. I will gladly meet with both of you to address any lingering repercussions he might have caused.”

Justina glanced at Gregory, who had said this would happen; she began to wonder just how far ahead the foresight magi could see. It would explain how he’d survived and planned ahead the way he had. She’d been told he could only manage a few hours, but she was certain that was completely wrong. It did mean she would have the chance to clear her name and acquire more power for herself and her clan. As much as she hated being indebted to Gregory, she had to admit that she was.

“Arrest him,” Trida said, Glasson hurrying forward with manacles. Looking up at Rustin, Trida nodded. “I will arrange a meeting, Rustin Chainer. Your family will right the scales, or you will join your father.”

“Gladly,” Rustin said, his eyes straying to Gregory before going back. “Commander, I can give evidence that my Uncle Phineas might have conspired to arrange the crimes against the adept.”

“We’ll take them. Have your staff bring them down directly,” Gregory said. “Will your cousin be as forward-thinking?”

Rustin blinked. A mix of emotions crossed his face before he shook his head. “Not Charl, but Tinessa will if you give her the chance, Magi.”

Gregory smiled. “Then your family will be diminished, but not broken. You chose the best path for you and your sisters. Do not let my leniency today be forgotten. Also, do not try to warn your uncle. If I find out you did… I will be back. I’m sure that Magus Smitton will be glad to assist me if needed.”

Cold rain fell from the clouds as Justina let her magic summon it. Rustin shivered, the rain falling only on the balcony.

“I will never forget the offer that was given today, Magi,” Rustin said, bowing low. “I will do better than my father.”

“Good,” Justina said before dismissing her magic.

“Form up!” Trida bellowed.

Trida’s second-in-command took the bleeding Rupert from Glasson. They waited only another few minutes before a butler brought a small chest out of the house. With it in hand, the force withdrew, with the crowd parting to let them by. More whispered rumors flew, as all eyes were on the procession.