Chapter 103

Aethersensing warned me as the first spell formed, even if I couldn’t tell what it was meant to do. Whatever the spell was, it created something in the air behind me — then it was shooting towards my back. I rolled forward, dodging the attack and ignoring the small burst of dust as the ball of aether blasted passed me and impacted the dirt. A second bloomed in my senses, quickly followed by a third. I avoided both — dust exploding off the rocks around me.

Her next attack used three of the wind bullets, as I was pretty sure that is what they were. The extra swirling ball of air forced me to get a little more acrobatic, diving to the side and launching off one hand to avoid the follow up shots that were meant to impact after I had already committed. When Meredith moved to four, the extra one was even further away, straining the range of my Aethersensing. I still avoided all of them.

The dust was beginning to accumulate in the air to the point where I could see the path of the wind bullets and how they subtly changed direction mid-flight. The next set only had two of the spells appearing around me, though one felt bigger than the other. As I avoided the first, a third appeared in my senses, already flying at me at top speed from outside my aethersensing range. I dropped to the ground, letting it shoot over me, only for the larger ball of wind to come flying at me while I was down.

I managed to get my feet up and knees bent so I could dive forward, barely avoiding the blast only for a fourth wind bullet to enter my senses, hurtling towards me while I was still mid-air. Meredith had figured out the range of my Aethersensing and formed some of her spells where I couldn’t sense them. Just as George had once told me, you couldn’t dodge in the air unless you knew how to fly — I was a sitting duck.

The wind bullet exploded across my aether shield with a blast of air, the ring on my finger feeling a little warm as it drank a quarter of my aether. I completed my tumble, returning to my feet and preparing for the next assault.

Instead, I heard gentle clapping and looked over to find Aunt Agnes had handed off her parasol for Meredith to hold so she could give me light applause.

“Very well done, young man. Meredith, my dear, your thoughts?”

“He has the Aethersensing attribute. His range seems a little larger than normal which means he’s almost certainly invested in the attribute. Quick reactions as well. I am going to disagree with Blake, ma’am. You noted he supposedly has a Lesser Aether Core. His progression on an aether-related Path wouldn’t make sense without something supporting the growth. Either he has something like Aether-Talented, or, given his elevated physical capabilities, something wider like the Talented attribute. That is all assuming he has grown up here as claimed, ma’am. If he was taught elsewhere by exceptional Tutors, my assessment would change.”

Hearing the assessment, I expected Agnes to smile like someone who had just won the lottery. Instead her visage was schooled to something more akin to polite interest.

“How would you grade him against his peers?” she asked.

“At Songleaf? He would sit in the upper third were he among the nobility. Amongst the wealthy commoners? Likely top three,” Meredith answered succinctly while still holding the parasol to keep Agnes in the shade.

My Aunt spread her hands towards me. “My dear boy, it seems that you are every bit the uncut gem your Grandfather claimed you to be. So, shadow affinity. I don’t suppose you have a second affinity?”

I glanced at Gramps before shaking my head.

“No? That’s a shame. Though I am sure given you’ve already started taking steps down the Path of the Mage that we can resolve that with your Class Path. What affinity would suit you though? Blake?”

“Kinetic could work,” mused the bodyguard as he rubbed his pock-marked chin with one hand. “He’s got training as a warrior so it would be better to lean into that. Build on what he already has. Life would work as well, but it’s not a good look since it would give him access to spells of the Dream affinity, and I assume you want to downplay his Shadow affinity rather than give the nobility more reason to view him negatively.”

“Not Magma so he has access to Earth and Fire? He could learn the Dancing Flame style then, which might sit better with his peers,” Agnes suggested.

Meredith shook her head. “Anything to do with Earth is aether intensive, ma’am. With his aether core, he would lose on attrition. If your goal is for him to learn the Dancing Flame style, you would be better off having him gain the Fire affinity. Though I still think he would need an attribute to reduce the aether cost of those spells.”

“I plan to solve some of his aether core problems,” Agnes replied off-handedly. “Though you make a good point. It should be an affinity with spells that require less aether. Between his Talented, Aethersensing, and Aether Manipulation attributes, he won’t have space for an aether-efficiency attribute since he will need to take Charm. He can save an efficiency attribute for his Adept Path once he has made a name for himself at Songleaf.”

With every word out of their mouths, I grew more and more annoyed. They were planning out my future for me as if I had no say in the matter, my brows drawing down into a frown until I couldn’t take it any more.

“I’m going to choose my next affinity, not you,” I stated clearly, raking my eyes over the three of them.

“Oh of course,” Agnes replied smoothly. “It will be a discussion dear boy, including your mother and grandfather. But it’s best to get these conversations started early so we can plot the correct course lest we waste time and effort. Point taken though, this is hardly the place or the time.”

She paused to glance up at the sun. “The day has gotten away from us hasn’t it? I suppose we’ll stay here for the night and leave before the sun rises tomorrow. Pack whatever you need and see Thomas about having it stowed on the carriage. You as well, of course, Penny — I assume you’re coming with your son?”

I spluttered at the sudden change of direction while Mum nodded slowly, as if unsure.

“We’re leaving tomorrow?” she asked Agnes, revealing the source of her uncertainty.

“We must, dear. We’ve not a day to waste. I need to return and make sure everything is in order with the auction house. As for Sebastian, we’ve only a year and a half to whip him into the shape necessary to attract the right kind of attention at Songleaf. Why, it’s no time at all!”

“What about Dad?”

“Yeah, what about Gramps?” I demanded, adding my voice to my mothers.

“Well, Cornelius, can you leave this… town?” Agnes asked the old codger.

Gramps slowly shook his head. “Not for at least two months. Perhaps four if my replacement is delayed.”

Agnes nodded firmly as if she had known the answer all along. “Well, there you have it. Cornelius, you’ll just have to make your own way to Helenica when you are freed of the chains that bind you here. Sebastian simply cannot remain here and learn what he needs to learn — unless you’ve some Skilled tutors tucked away in one of those huts across the road?”

I thought her description of our neighbours was a little unfair. Their homes were definitely larger than a hut.

No one disagreed with her assertion about the lack of a tutor though.

“Precisely. Sebastian will return with me, and Penny is too good of a mother to be separated from her son so she must come as well. It’s settled.”

“And Nazim,” I added, eyes drifting to the wolfkin. “He’s family.”

“Very well. We’ll consider it a learning experience for you. I’ll be treating him as being in your service rather than my own, which means feeding, clothing, and paying him will be on you to handle,” Agnes stated clearly, her eyes on me rather than Nazim.

“But… I can’t make aether coins,” I mumbled.

“I am preparing you to enter the most prestigious Academy on the continent where your peers will be made up of the nobility, the wealthiest elites and the very best the premier Guilds have managed to train. Did you think you wouldn’t get a stipend to spend like those children? Your expenses will be monitored and lessons delivered if I find you’re being wasteful.”

The revelation that I was to receive a stipend felt like running into a wall, all thoughts fleeing before the sudden impact. I hadn’t really considered what it might mean to be among the children of the highest rungs of society from one of — if not the — wealthiest nations on the continent. Of course they would be given coins to spend, be it in silver, gold, or aether — and of course, if I was to fit in with them, I needed something similar so as not to appear an outsider.

My glance went to Nazim who gave the smallest of nods — an indication that we would talk later. As of yet, I had no idea what my stipend would be, which meant I couldn’t figure out how much to pay Nazim. More importantly, what would he do while I was at the Academy? Before I could think more on that topic, another thought entered my mind and claimed control.

“What about Mum?” I asked.

“Penny? Oh, I am sure we can find something for her to do.”

The implications of that simple sentence set the ball of anger inside of me that had slowly been shrinking into roaring out of me. Before I could say anything though, Agnes motioned to Meredith.

“Oh, how could I forget? All this talk had it completely slip my mind. I have something for you, Bastian.”

Meredith reached into a pocket of her dress and withdrew a rough, brown piece of paper folded multiple times and tied with some string. The mage-maid handed the letter to Agnes.

“A letter was left at my Auction House addressed to you. I had intended to send it with my next letters to Cornelius, but when he asked for my assistance with your schooling, I thought that it might be a lovely surprise for you if I brought it in person.”

Agnes held the letter out for me, not moving out of the shade of the parasol above her. The anger in me subsided, replaced by apprehension as my stomach dropped and a chill raced down my extremities. Only one person had been told to leave letters at the Thistle and Thorn Auction House. Hesitantly, I approached, taking the letter and walking away. I caught Mum’s eyes following me, filled with worry while Agnes turned, as though nothing was wrong, and started engaging Cornelius in a new topic. I didn’t hear what it was.

I slipped the string off the letter, the paper crackling under my rough fingers as I opened it up. Inside was Etta’s handwriting. We’d had enough lessons together for me to recognise it anywhere.

Dear Bastian,

I wished I had been able to write to you sooner, but Dad wouldn’t let me. He said we needed to leave Meravia first. I know we talked about the ocean, but it was different seeing it. It’s like the sky, so big and blue. The boat was less nice. The sailors said I had seasickness, but all I know is I vomited a lot, and everything smelled like salt and fish. Now that we’re here, Dad said I can tell you where we went. It’s a city on the Southern Continent called Salla. They have a good academy here, and Dad has signed on with a Guild to help pay for it. Mum is good, too. She still cries sometimes about Grandma, but less. I do too. Cry, I mean. I miss her. And you. Dad says when I am older, maybe, we can come back to the Northern Continent. I hope so.

My eyes continued to flick down the page as Etta talked about their trip. How they had ridden south and west avoiding Helenica as they made for Thessavar. George had managed to find a captain who was sailing the long way round to Salla to avoid the pirate flotilla floating in the Thyric Ocean off of Meravia’s southern coast. When they had arrived in Salla, her Dad had signed on with a medium-sized Guild called Mafusa’s Delvers that specialised in protecting merchant convoys going into the city’s Dungeon. Her Mum, Kaylee, was working for a seamstress, and Etta herself was training with a few of the other kids that were children of the Guilders.

That’s a lot, and my hand’s getting tired. I’ll send another letter when I can, but Dad said if you want to send me something, you can send it to Mufasa’s Delvers in Salla. I hope you do.

Henrietta Arman

When I finished reading, I realised only Mum and Nazim remained.

“Was it good news, sweetheart?” Mum asked.

I glanced back at the letter. Etta was safe. “It was, Mum. When we get to Helenica, can I write her back?”

“Of course you can. Come on inside, we should start packing while Nazim goes to get Griselda.”

The wolfkin waited for Mum and I to head inside before leaving. Tonight would be a farewell, both to my friend and mentor, as well as to the life I had lived in Hornpeak.