Magi's Path (Aether's Revival Book 3) by Daniel Schinhofen (motivational books to read txt) 📕

looked over at Yukiko and Jenn and saw them watching her with smiles, giving her a wave. “I will.”

“Glad to hear it,” Gregory said, standing up. “Time to face down three of the scariest fighters inside the walls... Then, maybe, they’ll let me clean up.” He looked down at her, as Mindie was still kneeling, her gaze locked on Yukiko and Jenn. “Looks like you could use a cleanup, too. This mud gets everywhere.”

Mindie’s eyes went wide and her face turned scarlet. Jerking her gaze away from his wives, she looked up at him, her mouth opening and closing. When she saw his puzzled expression, she blushed harder and lurched to her feet before rushing away.

“Ugh, what did I do this time?” Gregory sighed as Mindie fled.

“Pettit, are you ready?” Klim asked.

“Yes,” Gregory said, turning back to the others.

Taking a deep breath, Gregory faced the three dangerous men. Exhaling, he felt his nerves die off. He bowed when told to. His aether was only half of what it should be because of fighting against the Hardened Fist earlier, but even reduced, he felt good about his chances.

When Klim backed away, Gregory triggered his foresight and let the first few seconds of the fight play out for himself. He found two points where he could change things easily, and looked down each of those paths briefly before Klim’s hand came down and the fight started.

Gregory let himself flow in the combat, following his foresight and going with the future or onto a different path as needed. Chen was the first one out— he was good, but as he wasn’t an armsmaster and wasn’t using aether, he was the weakest of the three. It took Gregory nearly a minute to separate the three enough so he could manage to eliminate Chen.

Chen grunted as the naginata slipped past his block and caught him in the neck. Hacking, he raised an arm and backed away as Klim called him out. As he walked backward to keep his eyes on the fight, he replayed the scene in his mind— he’d managed the perfect block, but at the last instant, Gregory shifted the naginata. He twisted the haft so the spine of the blade caught Chen’s sword, riding his block to guide the point into Chen’s neck.

 Mindie rushed to his side, finding the damage already well underway to being healed. “I’m surprised you were out first, sir,” she said.

“No, he picked me for good reason. If I’d been able to use aether, he would have gone for Gin first,” Chen said, his eyes focused on the fight. “You might not fight, but you should focus on this. Two of the best wielders of a naginata in the empire are before you.”

Mindie looked back in time to see Gregory go from trying to balance the fight between Egil and Gin to going all out. He pushed at Egil hard for a second, which brought Gin in. Digging his foot down fractionally, he flung mud at Egil and turned on Gin. Egil turned his head as the mud came at him, but that delayed him coming back into the fight, even if it did guarantee he wouldn’t be blinded.

Gin grunted as Gregory spun on him. The moment their weapons crossed, Gin felt the difference. Gregory hesitated at times during their sparring, as if he was still finding his way, even if he was always in the right spot at the right time. Right now, there was only power and certainty behind Gregory’s attacks.

As Egil rushed to come back into the fight, Gregory spun again, throwing the naginata at Egil before a barrier appeared behind him, stopping Gin’s attack. Egil had not expected the throw, but he managed to stop it from hitting his heart. It still hit him square in the shoulder and staggered him back a step.

That delay allowed Gregory the time to spin back on Gin, a second barrier forming to stop the armsmaster’s next attack. Gin tried to backpedal, but he was too late— Gregory was inside the weapon’s reach. Hands grasping, he caught Gin and threw him, taking a glancing hit on a shin with the flat of wooden blade as he did.

Egil let go of his naginata with his right arm, acknowledging that he would’ve been crippled if Gregory’s weapon had been real. With his naginata clutched in his left hand, he’d taken a single step when his friend came flying at him. Both older men had to let go of their weapons or risk impaling each other before they collided.

Gin rolled off Egil and was reaching for the haft of the naginata closest to him when a boot caught him under the chin, and he went spinning away. Gregory dropped to a knee long enough to punch Egil in the throat before grabbing a naginata and standing again. Rolling to his feet, Gin blinked as Egil raised a hand in the air, staying on the ground and trying to breathe.

Seeing Gregory stand with a weapon, Gin laughed, weaponless. “I surrender,” he said, raising his arms.

Gregory started to relax before throwing himself to the left. Gin hissed in disappointment when the throwing star he’d plucked from its hidden pocket went sailing harmlessly past Gregory.

Gregory turned back to Gin, and Gin dropped to his knees, lowering his head. “This time, it will be my life,” Gin said.

Gregory nodded, stepping forward and lightly tapping Gin on the back of the head. The moment he did, he pulled his helmet off, looking at his wives with a bright smile before falling to his knees.

Gin caught him and snorted. “Exhausted?”

“Had to push to make sure you meant it that time...” Gregory mumbled.

Chapter Forty-nine

 

Gregory gave Daciana a grin when she came into view. “How much longer?”

“One hundred and ninety-five hours to go,” Daciana grinned back. “One day off after today.”

“Well,