Empire's Orders (Aether's Revival Book 9), page 1
Aether’s Revival
Book 9:
Empire’s Orders
Written by
Daniel Schinhofen
Edited by
Sammi Katt
Copyright © 2024 Daniel J. Schinhofen
No parts of this book may be reproduced in any form by an electronic or mechanical means – except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews – without the written permission from the publisher.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Copyright © 2024 Daniel J. Schinhofen
All rights reserved.
Contents
Previously…
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-five
Chapter Thirty-six
Chapter Thirty-seven
Chapter Thirty-eight
Chapter Thirty-nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-one
Chapter Forty-two
Chapter Forty-three
Chapter Forty-four
Chapter Forty-five
Chapter Forty-six
Chapter Forty-seven
Chapter Forty-eight
Chapter Forty-nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-one
Chapter Fifty-two
Chapter Fifty-three
Chapter Fifty-four
Chapter Fifty-five
Chapter Fifty-six
Chapter Fifty-seven
Previously…
Arriving in Krogga had taken them months of marching, but Gregory’s unit finally made it. After he’d gotten his orders in Bloodrock, he took his men into Krogga proper. While marching through an enemy’s kingdom wouldn’t come without complications, they weren’t as bad as Gregory had feared. It just meant having honor fights between the youth of Krogga and his men. An unexpected side effect of allowing the fights was fostering some goodwill between the Kroggians and his men.
An honor guard was appointed to them in Osla, helping make their passage through Krogga easier. Even then, the matches continued, as Gregory could see the good in them. In Gamle, that meant facing a champion— Gregory didn’t embarrass him, instead making sure the fight lasted long enough for the champion to retain his honor. That left the magi with a debt owed by Champion Erik Rolfson, but it wasn’t collected before he had to push on to Krogheim.
The capital of Krogga, Krogheim, was situated on the shore. The seaport was the biggest and oldest city in the kingdom, and it had a few very distinctive features. On the cliffs above the city was a temple of Aether. Inside the temple, there was a message carved by Krog punctuated by his embedded axe. The inner walls of the city rose higher than the outer walls, and as Gregory confirmed, they’d been raised by Aether. Krog’s home was inside the walls, the longhouse also having been enchanted by Aether to survive everything. The last noteworthy building that stood out against the other structures was the Empire’s Embassy.
Finally making it to the embassy, Gregory couldn’t see his wives right away, as he’d been summoned to the ambassador. The Ambassador, Rudit Glowstone, was also part of Aether’s Guard and a freshly minted grandmaster. After a brief chat, allowing her to gauge her new assistant, she let him go to his wives. Once he’d left her office, he finally found his wives and soon-to-be wives after so long apart. The time away had worn on all of them to various degrees, but reunited, their love grew stronger than before.
The few days following Gregory’s arrival in Krogheim were a whirlwind. He went out with his wives and fiancées to shop and complete the last part of the pre-marriage ritual: a tea ceremony. With that done, the wedding was set for the next day.
Following the customs of Krogga, Gregory walked to the temple wearing a flower wreath around his neck. The friends he’d met on the way to Krogheim and strangers alike stood in his way to stop him from reaching the temple— as was tradition in Krogga— but Gregory’s love wasn’t going to be denied. He bested everyone who stood in his way, even when it meant having to kill a berserker champion who just wouldn’t stop.
The wedding was overseen by a priest of Krog and those who’d come up with Gregory. When the ceremony was over, the newlyweds returned to the embassy to consummate their unions and finally experience the desires they’d shared with him so long ago.
Krogga was turning out to be a wonderful post for the growing family. Even when there were new honor challenges, they were met with care. They became a daily occurrence that continued to foster goodwill for Aether’s Guard. It also helped cement an invitation from the Krogheim council for the embassy to participate in the new year’s festivities.
Not everything was good, though, as old troubles came back. Buldoun’s embassy had a Black Cat, an assassin from Buldoun, who tried to take out the family with explosives. If not for Gregory’s dedication to foresight, they might never have known. With it, they not only thwarted the attempt but also captured the assassin and had him shipped back to the empire for questioning.
Even with that dark cloud, some other good was right behind it. Darkness finally revealed herself to the family— she was a being made of Aether’s flame, having a core of ryuite created and enchanted by Aether himself. Darkness was afraid of what their reactions would be, but she was met only by love and acceptance. Being accepted not only by Gregory, but all of his wives, the weight Darkness had felt lifted from her. It would still be years before they could do more than briefly touch her, but all of them were looking forward to that day.
With the solstice over, the festival was upon them. The guard unit who fought earned praise for their honorable fights, with the sergeant of the unit being praised by High Priest Stenson for his actions. Jenn bested some champions to make it to the finals, as did Gregory, with both of them making friends with the combatants.
The festival wasn’t all fights, as the ambassadors had the chance to talk during the week. Gregory’s actions before coming to Krogheim and his ability to fight being on display was a topic of interest. Most of the ambassadors were planning to visit the embassy to speak with Rudit, but also with Gregory.
On the last day of the festival, Gregory encountered something else new: uncertainty about the future that wasn’t just blank. The newest High Champion of Krogga, Ragnar Ivarson, was more than just a fierce warrior. He bested Jenn with not just skill, but with his aether use. When Ragnar and Gregory met in the last match, the reason behind the uncertainty was revealed. Ragnar was like Gregory— he was a god reborn. Krog was joyous to find that his brother-in-law Aether had come back, but was puzzled that Gregory wasn’t fully invested with his old memories.
The fight was epic, one that would be retold for ages. In the end, Ragnar simply had greater control of his aether, more aether, and was just as skilled, if not more, with a weapon. Gregory lost for the second time in his life during a tournament. Ragnar promised that they would speak again, as his sister would be thrilled to find out that Aether was back.
That bombshell was shared with his wives later that evening. Krog’s sister was Vera, meaning that Ragnar’s sister might very well be Vera reborn. They would welcome her with open arms if she was their equal in loving Gregory.
The next week or two looked to be packed full of things to take care of: the age day ritual for the empire youth in Krogga; the ambassadors speaking to the Grandmaster Rudit and Gregory; and then Ragnar bringing his sister to meet Gregory and his wives. Krogga wasn’t the bloody post they’d all feared, but it definitely wasn’t going to be a simple posting, either.
Chapter One
Gregory was glad that today wasn’t going to be complicated; it was almost a return to normalcy after the festival. There weren’t going to be any challengers today, as most of the city would be sleeping off their hangovers or waking up in new beds. For the embassy, it would be hosting the age day ritual for the citizens of the empire living in Krogga.
“Nothing to worry about today,” Gregory told his family.
“That’s good,” Ling said, her lion ears twitching as she smiled. Her light green cat eyes were full of love as she rested against her best friend, Clover.
“Who’s doing the ceremony?” Clover asked, her bushy, red-orange squirrel tail twitching behind her.
“Roshana,” Gregory said. “That’s who Rudit picks.
“Me?” Roshana asked, surprised at being named. Her rabbit ears shifted as she looked up from the Magi Squares she was copying.
“She’ll have me tell you, so I’m shortcutting it by doing it now. All of us will be there, but you’ll be the one to administer the ritual.”
“It’ll be fine,” Mindie said softly, hugging Roshana. “You’ll do great.”
Roshana looked into Mindie’s dual-colored irises, the star-shaped divide being one of her most distinctive features. Taking a deep breath, Roshana hugged her wife. “I hope so.”
Jenn reached over to stroke Mindie’s fox ears. “Our dear healer wouldn’t lie.”
“Not to one of you, no.” Mindie shivered at the soft touch.
“Don’t tease her too much, Jenn,” Yukiko giggled. Finished with brushing her long white-blond hair back, Yukiko put her brush away. “Nothing else of import for the day, Greg?”
“Nothing major. Ling gets to look at the enchantments in the ambassadorial office.”
“Wonderful,” Ling purred. “I hope to understand them in short order.”
“Clover works on more healing items for Rudit.”
“She wants stronger ones. It’s pushing me,” Clover beamed, “but I’ll manage them.”
“The rest of us just handle paperwork and odd tasks for the day,” Gregory shrugged. “I get to sit down with Rafiq for a bit at Rudit’s insistence so he can get notes for Sarinia.”
“You don’t mind that, though, do you?” Jenn asked.
He looked at his shortest wife with a smile. “Rafiq has done so much for us; I’d never begrudge him anything. Making sure his task is completed for Sarinia is perfectly fine by me. It’s the fact Master Damon will get the reports and make them available that worries me.”
“That’s a good point,” Yukiko said. She pinned her hair back with combs, allowing her bright cyan eyes to be seen easily. “Shall we start on our Magi Squares?”
“That’d be for the best, so we aren’t late for breakfast,” Mindie said.
“These Armsmaster Squares are far more difficult than the ones we’ve done before,” Gregory said, pulling out his wax tablet and the puzzle for the day.
“They’re pushing our mind path forward,” Roshana said, then smiled. “We must continue to strive in all ways.”
“For the family,” Ling nodded.
The others could only agree with that sentiment.
~*~*~
Breakfast was pleasant, as Barny and Petal made good meals. His brief chat with the three lieutenants filled them in on the lack of anything going on that day, though they would need extra men to handle the youths and parents coming for the ritual.
It was just before seventh bell when Gregory made it to the ambassador’s office. Makkar Ellon, Rudit’s son and assistant, smiled when he entered. “Good morning, Gregory.”
Gregory paused by the part-mink eurtik’s desk. “Good morning to you, too, Makkar. Nothing bad that I’m aware of.”
“That’s good news. Go on in.”
Entering the ambassador’s office, he went to the desk to wait for Rudit to finish her paperwork. It didn’t take the ambassador long, and she looked up when she was done. “Gregory, report.”
“Nothing terrible, Rudit. The age day goes fine, though you need to choose who does the ritual.”
“Hmm… let’s have Roshana do it. Make sure to tell her.”
“I already have,” Gregory grinned. “Also, my vision showed you allowing Ling to have a little time studying the enchantments in here.”
“That should be fine. I’ll find time today. You, however, will find time to sit down with Rafiq. You should answer his questions about the festival while they are still fresh in your mind.”
“Understood. The ambassadors will send messages to you today to set up appointments this week.”
“I’ll start looking at my schedule to arrange it, then. I assume they all want to speak with you, as well?”
“You did mention that.”
“With what you did during your time in the north, plus your showing at the festival, it isn’t odd. Do make sure to read the books from me and Rafiq about late manifestation of dual magics. I have no doubt you’ll need that knowledge.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Anything else?”
“That’s everything.”
“Good. Let me tell you about yesterday…”
~*~*~
Gregory stood behind Roshana and Rudit with his wives. In the yard in front of them was the line of youths to be tested and their parents. The number of partial eurtiks in the group was far higher than Gregory expected, but with how open Krogga was, it made sense to him. It saddened him that some of the children only had a single human parent with them, making it clear that their eurtik parent didn’t feel safe coming. He couldn’t fault any pure eurtik not wanting to enter embassy grounds.
“Citizens of the empire, welcome,” Rudit smiled brightly. “I am the ambassador for the next few years, Grandmaster Rudit Glowstone of Aether’s Guard. As you can see, my assistants are all also from Aether’s Guard; our clan is humbled to represent the empire. We are again on the rise, and if you do become a magi today, it only takes dedication and belief in Aether returning to join once you have passed the midpoint of your novice year. I will not be conducting the age day ritual. Instead, Roshana Pettit will be. She has never done so before, and she can use the experience for later in life.” Rudit stepped back, making it clear that it was all on Roshana now.
Roshana swallowed down her nerves, smiling kindly. “Today is a big day for all of you. You become adults, and possibly even magi. As you can see, I have eurtik heritage like many of you. My family moved from Limaz to the empire before I was born. While it can be difficult to rise as a magi with eurtik heritage, it isn’t impossible, and with the right friends and the right clan, you can find yourself growing strong far faster than your peers.”
A few of the youths looked encouraged by her words, but others hunched further in on themselves.
“Let us begin,” Roshana said, beckoning the first person forward.
The first was a young man who looked at Roshana with a hint of contempt. He was one of only three who didn’t have any eurtik heritage. Doing as his father had instructed, he took a knee in front of Roshana. “I’ve come to become an adult, Magi.”
Roshana lifted her head and spoke clearly, “Child, you come before me on the verge of adulthood. Let us see if you have the spark of Aether inside of you. Aether, have you blessed this child with your grace?” As she intoned the last few words, she grabbed his head firmly, pushing a spark of her aether into him. Her hand flared blue, and she looked down at the youth impassively while he screamed in agony.
For the fresh adult, it felt like an age before he was released to fall to the ground, but for everyone else, it was only a matter of a few seconds.
“Alas, you are no magi. You are, however, an adult. Celebrate your passage into adulthood.” Roshana finished speaking and nodded to the older man who’d come with the young man.
His father rushed forward to help his son up. Slowly, the pair walked away, opening the spot for the next wide-eyed youth.
“It’s brief, child,” Roshana said softly to the young woman with otter-bestial features. “Come on. It’s time to become an adult.”
With slow steps, the young woman moved up and knelt before Roshana. “I’m ready, M-magi…” Her words shook with fear, but she said them.
Roshana touched her head before gently squeezing to hold her firmly. “Child, it’ll be okay. Today is your age day and possibly your start as a magi. Pray to Aether if you hope to become a magi; he might hear you. Now, let’s see if you have the spark of Aether inside of you. Aether, have you blessed this child with your grace?”
The young woman wasn’t blessed, nor were the other six who were tested. When Roshana finished with the last one, she exhaled. “Sadly, there were no magi raised with Aether’s blessing today, but the empire grows stronger with new adults to help us stay strong. Rejoice in your new status as adults, and pray to Aether that the empire endures for years to come.”
Rudit stepped forward to stand beside Roshana. “Go with Aether’s blessing, and know that we are here if you need assistance as citizens of the empire.”
The crowd began to filter back out of the yard, watched over by two squads of men. Rudit motioned the magi to follow her. Once they were back inside, she smiled. “Roshana, that was well done. I’m curious as to why you changed what you said every time?”
