Moral Stand (Aether’s Revival Book 7)

The rest of the day, following the execution of the Chainers, was spent going over paperwork, writing reports, and arranging with Roberts to get the documents from Tinessa. The tension that had been hanging over the men was gone during dinner— it felt like the worst of the problems facing them had just been lifted.

After the meal, Gregory met with the sergeants and Davis. They all agreed that French would be a good fit to take over Donald’s squad, so Gregory asked Davis to arrange the celebration during the two days of an extended break in Coldwood to let the men rest. Gregory still asked the sergeants to make sure everyone went out as squads— with Donald’s men going with one of the others— and that a single squad stayed in the barracks at any given time.

The next day was uneventful, for which everyone was grateful. Gregory arranged cake from Golden Crusts and full kegs of ale to be brought in. Davis asked if he could help cover the expense, not wanting to draw too far on unit funds.

Gregory kept half an eye on Basal and Dot, but the pair were respectful. He was glad he wouldn’t have to take further action between them. Some might see the age gap between the soon-to-be couple as a problem, but Gregory thought it was fine as long as they stayed respectful.

The celebration for French’s promotion was set for dinner, leaving the day open for Gregory to handle other business. After his normal morning exercise with the men, Gregory rode to see Roberts.

The commander was at his desk with stacks of paperwork all around him. He gave Gregory a grim smile. “This man was worse than I had ever thought, and his son wasn’t much better, either. I’m glad they’re both dead.”

“Tinessa delivered everything?” Gregory asked, taking a seat.

“All of these were her father’s personal papers. She’ll have the business papers copied and brought over in the next few days. No doubt I’ll find even more there.”

“What have you found?”

“Artok has been taking bribes and bonuses from the Chainers the entire time he’s been here. It’s not a small amount. If we could charge and arrest magi, it would be easy to make the case. Magi are above such petty concerns.”

“We shouldn’t be. The best we can do is put together a report and send it to his clan. I can also send one to the archive. They’re getting copies of all my reports, after all.”

“What will that do?” Roberts asked, leaning back.

“Tarnish his clan. If it’s that egregious, it’ll cost them face. No clan likes being viewed as so twisted that they can’t be counted on to hold a posting without corruption. Small incidents can be overlooked, but if it’s as bad as you say… Artok will be shunted to the worst posting his clan can get. They have to show they’ll make the offending magi pay. It’ll also ensure that the next magi who comes in to fill this spot is warned by their clan so they walk a much cleaner path.”

Roberts’ lips twitched away from grim toward a smile. “Let’s find everything we can then.”

The pair dove through the paperwork, finding that Phineas was meticulous in keeping his deals. Everything that he and Artok had agreed upon was in the paperwork, including the deals they’d worked out when Gregory audited the Golden Collar. The first assassin being paid and Artok silencing the man for further concessions were also there.

It was afternoon by the time they stopped. Roberts looked disgusted at how corrupt the magus was, and Gregory was sickened by what he’d found. He was sorry he hadn’t pushed for an actual confrontation with Artok now that he knew more about him.

“I’ll get this written up,” Roberts sighed. “You have a celebration to get to. I’ll have copies dropped off for you to sign so you can send it to his clan and the archive.”

“Thank you, Dylan. If you find anything more in the business paperwork, we can write a supplemental addition.”

“I’ll handle it. How long are you going to be in town?”

“Another couple of days for my men to heal enough to march. That’ll get us to Icelake just in time to draw their pay.”

Roberts chuckled. “I’m sure they’ll approve of that.”

“Of course.”

~*~*~

Everyone knew about the party being planned, but no one knew exactly who was getting promoted. There were four of them that knew they were up for consideration, and they were all nervous. It was a big step to go from rank and file to sergeant, but they were all looking forward to the challenge if selected.

Barny asked Gregory for a little extra so he could make a special dinner. That had him, Polka, and Dot all working from shortly after lunch all the way until dinner preparing the meal. When everyone had gathered, they began serving.

Steaks, chicken, and fish were the main courses, with each going to the ones who preferred them. To go along with the protein, a variety of side dishes were set out: lemon-herb veggies, garlic-butter mashed potatoes, and side salads.

Gregory was presented with a bane bear steak. He didn’t know how Barny managed half of what he did, but the meat was delicious. The potatoes made an excellent side to accompany the steak.

The men loved everything, raising their mugs several times to thank the cooks and Gregory for the food and ale. Gregory had a soft limit on how much ale they could have, as he didn’t want to stop the fun, but also didn’t want them getting wasted.

The meal was almost over when Erik Moda and his wife brought the cakes in, one for each table to split. They thanked the men for their kind words, smiling at all the compliments before slipping out.

“Before we have dessert,” Gregory said, standing up as the bakers left, “we have business to get to.”

The room fell quiet as all eyes locked on him. The four felt their nerves ratchet up higher while they waited to hear if it was them or one of the others.

“This decision was not an easy one. Four of you— you know who you are— were in consideration for this promotion. Each of you is qualified to rise to the rank of sergeant; that, all of the command staff agreed on. Your strengths and weaknesses were debated multiple times. Do not think of this as you failing. There was not a single one of you four who didn’t garner praise from not just your sergeant, but the other officers too.”

The four men sat up straighter. They wore large smiles, but their nerves were still climbing.

“We’re sad about why this promotion is needed, but thankful to know that the spot will be filled by one of our own. I’ve been told that some units pull in other qualified men. We’ll never lack for qualified men among our ranks.”

That had the entire unit smiling proudly that he’d rather promote from within.

“Tonight, we raise one of our own up the ranks. Andrew French, front and center.”

French blinked, but quickly got to his feet. With careful marching steps, he made it to Gregory’s table. “Sir!”

“Today, you step into a higher rank, French. You take over your squad after the loss of a great man. We all know you will fill those boots equally as well.” Gregory brought out the sergeant insignia pins. Reaching toward French, he stripped the old rank from his uniform before pinning the new rank on. “Andrew French, welcome to the rank of sergeant.”

Gregory stepped back, saluting the newly-minted man. French saluted back, maybe a bit stiffly, but that wasn’t surprising considering the shock in his eyes.

“Back to your squad, Sergeant. You have a cake to cut and divvy out.”

“Yes, sir,” French said crisply.

“Men, rise and salute our new sergeant,” Gregory called to the room.

As one, the entire unit rose, saluting French. French froze for a second, then saluted the room back.

“Enjoy your desserts,” Gregory chuckled. “We’re here to celebrate.”

Voices rose in cheer as conversation filled the room again.

~*~*~

The party was over and Gregory took a seat in his room. The danger they’d faced was over, but his posting still had months left to go. He was sure other problems would pop up, but he wasn’t worried about them.

Pulling out the one document he’d taken from Robert’s office, he studied it. It was the message from a sergeant in Icelake to another man in Coldwood; it had directions to inform Phineas about Rupert’s death, and about Gregory leaving Icelake.

“Another for Trida to cull from his ranks,” Gregory sighed. “Conspiracy to kill a magi…? Did he not consider the consequences?” A knock on his door got him to set the document down. “Enter.”

Rafiq came into the room. “Good evening, Gregory.”

“Rafiq, it’s always good to see you.”

“You looked troubled earlier, but we didn’t get the chance to talk then.”

“Artok is the most corrupt magi I’ve ever seen,” Gregory said. “I’ll have a report for you to send off to the archive, documenting his every deal with the Chainers.”

“Ahh. You want to pressure his clan into dealing with him?”

“I’ll be sending them the same report. I’m just not going to let them sweep it under the rug.”

“His clan isn’t as powerful as many, but it will set them against you, if not your entire clan.”

“I can’t, in good conscience, let him go without punishment.”

“Very well. I do not mind helping, but I wanted to make sure you know.”

“I’ll send Bishop a letter, too,” Gregory exhaled slowly. “She should know what I’ve done up here. No doubt she’ll be asked pointed questions by other clans.”

“Doubtlessly true.”

“I did the right thing, didn’t I?”

“Do you truly doubt yourself?”

“No, but hearing it from a trusted friend helps.”

Rafiq chuckled as he sat down, setting up the Shogi board. “That is fair. You did the right thing. Knowing who you are and how you feel, I’m not sure you could have done nothing.”

“It would’ve hurt… It will hurt.”

“Because now, they will make sure to have their papers for the rest of the year,” Rafiq nodded. “It will strain you, but I am here to talk. If you push against them after they have the required papers, it would be disastrous for both you and your clan.”

“I know. I’d hoped to drag it out enough to not have to deal with it.”

“That would have been nice, but your enemies moved swiftly and with deadly force. They left you no other options.”

Gregory triggered aether sight to check the room, but no one was listening in. “I’ll just have to avoid the slavers as much as possible if they come in with their paperwork. I’m not sure I could brand innocents.”

“If it was truly needed, you could, but it would wound your soul,” Rafiq said. “It is best to do what you need to do, to avoid that happening. You can manage that.”

“I can,” Gregory agreed, making the first move on the board. “It’ll make them wonder if my finding the first four sets was luck or not.”

“It actually might. That will help muddy things when people look back at the reports.”

“Good. Anything that makes things harder to piece together the why will help later.”