Yunlo was suddenly beside them, and Mindie and Klim were running out to help heal them. Nessa let go of Daciana’s arm and dropped to her knees next to her friend.
“The winner is Novice Nessa Jimae!” Yunlo announced. “Celebrate her achievement, and the valiant effort of Novice Lyall.”
“She capitalized in the right spot,” Gregory said.
“I want to speak with them, but we shouldn’t,” Jenn sighed.
“Looks like they’re good,” Yukiko said.
Mindie and Klim stepped back after a minute, and Nessa rose and offered Daciana a hand up. When they were both on their feet, they bowed to Yunlo and the boxes before heading toward the tunnel, side-by-side.
The crowd was still cheering and, as the two novices got closer to the tunnel, Gregory and his wives stood up to applaud them. The smiles they directed at the three apprentices were bright and happy. They waved at them before stepping into the tunnel.
“The best we could do,” Gregory said. “At least they know we’re proud of them.”
“Yes,” Yukiko smiled.
“There will be demonstrations until the next fight, then Bishop’s challenge after the fight,” Jenn said.
“And then ours,” Yukiko said. “We don’t know who will be on Nick’s team... Franco and his clanmates brutalized them.”
“That leaves a lot of variables in the air,” Gregory agreed. “We’ll see what we have to overcome when we get there.”
Chapter Seventy-seven
The demonstrations after the novice fight were interesting, but not spectacular. Everyone was eager for the third-place apprentice fight to begin. The crowd cheered when Yunlo called for the two clans to step out of the tunnels.
Hayworth and his clan entered the arena floor. The three apprentices that had fought Aether’s Guard were joined by two more, who looked injured. The five of them were clearly going to give everything they had. A single person walked out of the other tunnel. The alchemist from Green Leaf bowed, then stepped back into the tunnel.
Yunlo’s look of disgust was clear, and he spoke to Hayworth before raising the disk to his mouth. “The Green Leaf clan has forfeited the match. Swift Wind takes third place for the apprentices.”
The crowd was torn between cheering and booing. The boos weren’t directed at Swift Wind, but at Green Leaf for refusing to fight. Hayworth raised his hand in thanks to the crowd before ushering his clanmates back into the tunnel.
“That’s what would have happened if we’d lost,” Gregory said, “but from the look of the magi with him, I don’t know if they could beat Nick.”
“That would depend on who’s with Nick,” Jenn said. “I expect Jason and Parks, at the very least.”
“It looked like Jason had a broken arm, so I’m not so sure about him. Franco’s clanmates savaged the others, so I doubt any of them will be there, either,” Yukiko added.
“Guess we’ll find out soon,” Gregory said.
Yunlo raised the glowing disk to his mouth. “We have had an unexpected development. Since the fight is over, we’ll ask Magus Bishop and Magus Harrison to come to the arena floor for their challenge.”
Bishop stood up and took off her pouches, handing them to Dia. “Hold these for me, please? Apprentices, you might want to go down to the waiting area. I’m sure they will move your fight up.”
The three of them rose and followed Bishop.
“Fight hard, but smart,” Gin said as they went past him.
“We will, Sensei,” Gregory said.
They walked in silence for a bit until Bishop asked, “You have your rings and extra cores?”
“Yes, Bishop,” Gregory said.
“Do you have enough of them?”
“That’s unknown, but we do have a good amount,” Yukiko replied.
“Did you factor them into your plan?”
“We did, Bishop,” Jenn answered for them.
“Very well. Your win here will solidify the standing of the clan over the next few years. Our novices this year and beyond will have a harder time, but that is fine. Hard paths make the best magi, and those who would stand as Aether’s guards need to be strong.”
The apprentices exchanged glances, but didn’t reply to her statement.
As they reached the stairs, Hayworth was leading his clan out of the waiting area. “Pettit, looks like our loss was still a win,” Hayworth grinned at him.
“Honestly, if I’d known it would go like that, I’d have been tempted to lose,” Gregory shrugged. “Instead, we’ll just have to win.”
“I hope you do,” Hayworth said seriously. “We’ll be watching. If you’ll pardon us, we have to make it up to the stands to watch our seniors fight.”
“We’ll watch from the tunnel,” Gregory said.
The two groups parted with quick goodbyes, as Bishop hadn’t stopped to listen to them talk. Quickly dropping their things off, they grabbed helmets and weapons and hurried up the stairs into the tunnel. Mindie stood at the end, looking worried.
Mindie glanced back to see them. “Is she not going to wear any armor?”
“She hasn’t since she’s given up being a proctor,” Gregory said.
“But they’re using real weapons,” Mindie said, motioning to where Bishop and Harrison were standing.
“She fought him a little over a year ago,” Yukiko said. “Neither of them had more than a scratch when it was over.”
“If Harrison hasn’t improved, this will be over with quickly,” Gregory said.
Bishop bowed formally, while Harrison gave her a short bow in return. Yunlo raised his arm and smiled briefly before
