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

weft that made them different. He couldn’t pick out Indara’s from Inda’s yet, but he felt that he would in time.

Daciana, Nessa, and Victoria had been nearly dead during the week, but they continued to show up on time and focus on their studying. They held to the schedule even during their days off, making their seniors smile in fond remembrance of doing the same.

During tactics, Paul had them play solely against each other while the others watched and asked questions. Chucky continued to do just enough for Paul not to be upset with him, but it was clear that the apprentice and instructor were going to come to odds eventually. Ling and Clover had taken to studying in their time outside of classes and were showing rapid improvement.

The apprentice year, so far, had been eerily quiet for challenges and accidents. Nick’s group appeared to be simmering, but they were restrained compared to the previous year. Some of the smaller clans had disagreements, which had ended up in several one-on-one fights in arenas, but nothing major.

~*~*~

Waking in the early morning hours, Gregory smiled. Yukiko lay on his right arm, her head nestled against his chest. The soft, nearly inaudible snores she breathed made him smile a little wider. A shift on his left arm brought his gaze over to Jenn who was lower down on him. Her head was resting on her elbow, which was pressed lightly into his ribs. The moonlight made up half of the light in the room— the rest came from their medallions. As he watched her, the medallion around her neck brightened as the fourth circle filled.

“Closer and closer, Jenn...” Gregory murmured happily.

Jenn shifted at his words and blinked slowly, looking up at him. “Hmm? Is it time to wake up?”

“Should be,” Gregory whispered back. “Look at your medallion.”

Brow furrowing at his words, she did before looking back up with a big smile. “I’ve caught up to you again.”

“As it should be,” Yukiko said from Gregory’s other side. She pushed up, leaning over him to smile down at Jenn. “I’m glad you’re matching us. Darkness said you’d be in sync with us in the next rank?”

“Yes,” Jenn smiled broadly, leveraging herself up to kiss Yukiko softly.

Gregory let them kiss for a second before he cleared his throat. “You know that’s a little bit of torture for me, right?”

Yukiko giggled as she broke the kiss with Jenn and, with a sudden shift, kissed him. Jenn snickered as she slid up closer to him. The moment Yukiko leaned away from Gregory, Jenn kissed him. Gregory let out a stifled groan when that kiss ended.

“And that’s another form of torture,” he said as the third bell began to chime.

Yukiko sighed. “I’d hoped for a few minutes to make it up to you. I promise to do so tonight, dear one.”

“We both will,” Jenn agreed as she slipped out of bed.

“As if you both don’t cover me with love every night, as it is,” Gregory said with a smile.

“Just as you do for us,” Yukiko smiled back.

~*~*~

Dia and Bishop were chatting when the three of them entered the dining area. Dia looked over when they walked in, and happiness bloomed on her face. “Congratulations, Jenn.”

“Thank you, Dia,” Jenn replied.

“Oh? The fourth rank, all three of you,” Bishop smiled. “That is highly unusual… it’s almost as if Aether himself is helping guide you.”

“I feel like he is beside me all the time,” Yukiko replied with a grin.

“Ever since I joined the clan, I’ve felt like he’s been there to help me,” Jenn agreed.

“Having faith is part of the clan,” Gregory added a little lamely.

“It’s the most important part of the clan,” Bishop said. “I know Dia is firmly considering inviting your novice friends. I wonder... do they believe in Aether as strongly as you three?”

“Yes,” Yukiko said firmly. “I have no doubts that Daciana and Nessa do, and I get the feeling that Victoria is growing to harbor the same feelings.”

“She had many questions regarding Aether when we traveled here,” Bishop nodded. “I was going to suggest her to Dia even before she joined your friends.”

“That will be good. Two years of believers bode well for the clan,” Dia smiled.

“Breakfast will be ready shortly,” Zenim told them. “I figured you’d all be down at your usual time and started yours when I started theirs.”

“Thank you,” Gregory grinned. “That gives us a little extra time to study.”

“How has your studying been going?” Dia asked as they sat.

“Slowly, but steadily,” Jenn said. “The books for apprentices can be a bit harder to parse through.”

“Oh, yes,” Bishop nodded. “Some of them are over a thousand years old. Language changes in that much time.”

“But we’re progressing,” Yukiko said. “We’ve finished two different books each, and we discuss the ones we’ve read to pass along that knowledge, and to see if one of us wants to read it.”

“What have you been reading?” Dia asked.

“My last book was on the customs of Limaz. I’d gone over their laws before, but not their customs,” Gregory said.

“I did Buldoun,” Jenn added.

“While I studied Krogga,” Yukiko finished for them.

“Covering all eventualities in case you are stationed there?” Dia asked.

“Partially, but also to see the differences,” Gregory said. “I’m going to be reading on Buldoun today while they change up.”

“We’ve all done the laws already,” Yukiko smiled. “We might be the most prepared in our class for posts along the borders.”

“I would say that is likely true,” Dia nodded. “Did you know that those are also the posts most likely for multiple adepts and magus to be posted to?”

“Yes,” Yukiko said. “I’d asked Rafiq at the archive.”

“Hmm... those posts are also fought over,” Bishop said.

“Because they control the flow of trade,” Yukiko said. “They