Michael was angry with himself, realizing that the girls would have been trapped and easy prey if he had waited longer to return to the camp or slept another hour. He pulled his two-handed elf sword, opened a different section of the dome with the excavate spell, and charged the wolf pack after casting stone armor everywhere on his body except his hands and feet.
Most healers knew almost nothing of swordplay, but his best friend Sir James Neville, son of the baron of the Red Marshes had spent endless hours training him in their use. Recalling all the proper footwork and holding the two-handed weapon high, he charged the eight wolves. He killed the first three without trouble, but two more tore at his legs to bring him down. Without the stone armor spell, they would have overwhelmed him and torn out his throat. He increased his weight using a fairy spell to hold himself upright and continued his attack.
It took less than five minutes, and all eight wolves were dead, often severed in half by his sword’s incredible sharpness. Michael wondered if he was worthy of being Gripton’s Promise. He had failed to properly secure the camp. He had failed to hide the manna of the healers from Fay Woods thereby bringing two hundred knight protectors to the beach. The whole enterprise might have died if the wolves had gotten into his camp before he woke. He washed the blood off in the stream, dropped his stone armor spell, sheathed his sword and returned to the dome to have breakfast with the girls.
As he sat on a log to eat Isabelle’s porridge, she said, “Michael of Hearthshire, you’re not who you claim to be. By my count you killed eight wolves with a sword you weren’t carrying before you went after them, a sword that disappeared after you finished using it. You’ve done a lot of things that I’ve only heard of in ancient stories. Thank you for saving us, but you scare me.”
“I am truly Michael, a healer born in a village much like Azure Falls, but on the other side of the province. I trained under the master healer William in the city of Hearthshire Town. It is true I can do more spells than most healers, but I’m just a man with some extra skills, like a blacksmith or a cooper has special skills.”
Anna said, “You said you’d take us to a safe place, Black Sand Beach, where the naiads live, but you took us in the opposite direction into the foothills of the Mountains of Clouds. You look trustworthy, but are you really? My father always said to beware of strangers.”
“We’ll be in Black Sand Beach in less than an hour. I know a shortcut. Now that breakfast is over, let me take you there. That ramp leads down into a chamber built by the dwarves in the Dawn Time. You will both hold my hands and we’ll walk right through to another chamber. From there we’ll follow a tunnel, maybe a little bit scary, but it leads to about forty other healers who are waiting for ships that will take all of you to safety. Let’s do it as soon as I clean up the camp. I’ll be staying one or two days at Black Sand Beach before I travel to look for other healers.”
Michael cast a new stone dome spell with enough strength to last for five days. He refashioned the exit for the small stream so that bars of force would let the water out but also block any future attempt for animals or people to use it as an entrance. The horses had already consumed much of the grass in the camp, so he chopped the top from a fallen log and dug a feeding station using his elfish sword. He filled it with the last of his oats. He had every intention of returning for Black Dash and his packhorse Stalwart, but in case he could not, he wanted them free and healthy when the dome spell terminated.
Holding their hands, Michael led Isabelle and Anna down into the ramp, past the stone dwarves, and into the travel chamber. The girls were brave, but gave small gasps when the saw the stone dwarves. Saying the spell for transport to Black Sand Beach instantly took all three of them to another similar room. He led them through the tunnel to the refuge, and entered to an excited crowd of healers.
The healers were happy to see him and welcomed the girls; several of the women took them off for baths and sets of fresh clothes. Lady Agnes took Michael aside to explain what had happened in his absence. They reported that a cohort of two hundred priests and knight protectors had come searching for them but had not been able to find them in the hidden refuge that Michael had constructed. The churchmen had stayed for several days until a black dragon drove them away. Since they fled, a few of the senior healers had ventured out to inspect their former camp. Huge amounts of food and other supplies had been abandoned, and the healers had brought everything useful into their refuge. They had been taking turns in small groups to walk on the beach and get fresh air and exercise.
Michael asked Lady Agnes, Lady Marsha, Master Gwen, and Master Bradley, the four most senior healers present, to join him on the beach. As they walked along the beach, he explained what he had learned about the abduction of children by knight protectors. It seemed that the knight protectors were quite willing to kill the parents if they resisted.
“I don’t see anyway to prevent them from taking every youngster with manna,” Michael said. “I can’t be everywhere. It was just luck that I saved those two girls.”
Master Gwen replied, “If you can find where they are taking the youngsters to train them as healer priests, maybe you can free them all at once. I’d guess that there are fewer than twenty healers who discover their manna each year. We usually can’t detect their potential until they’re teenagers. Michael, you were an exception; we saw your manna when you were three. It was already the strongest we’d ever seen, and we suspected you might be the healer of Gripton’s promise even then.”
“I might be able to sneak into any school the high priests create, but how would I shepherd thirty kids to a place of safety? Even Isabelle and Anna were suspicious of me, and I rescued them from the men who killed their parents.
Bradley replied, “We have no idea how you’ll do it, but we have faith that you can. It’s your destiny to fix this mess and restore sanity to Glastamear.”
Michael felt totally inadequate to the task he confronted, but he saw no reason to share his doubts with the others. He was their best hope of returning to an active role as healers here on the mainland.
So far, Michael had feared traveling to the capital city of Min Hollow where the Great Mother Temple of Perry Ascendant sheltered many hundreds of priests and knight protectors. He knew that their power increased when they cast spells together. Could the Most Holy Son of Perry Ascendant casting with the support of his team of knight protectors and priests overcome any of the spells he’d already learned? He thought that was possible.
Everyone in Glastamear had heard reports that every year on Perry’s day, the Holy Son cast a spell at midnight that lit the whole city as it were daylight for the rest of the night. Michael had also heard that in times of great blizzards, they were able to cast a spell that kept the city of over four hundred thousand people warm until the storm passed. If those spells were the torch and winter blanket spells that he had learned, it was far beyond his power.
“Lady Agnes, Lady Marsha, Master Gwen, and Master Bradley, I can only do my best. Our fishing ships should be here within two weeks. You must travel on to safety. The greatest risk of the pogrom is that if too many of us are killed; the healing magic might be lost to mankind forever.”
Lady Agnes replied, “The healing trait does run in families. Almost every master healer had at least one grandparent who was a strong healer. You more than any of us must have children to pass on your power to the future generations. You know Diana is waiting for your return. Don’t wait too long.”
Michael blushed. “I’ll come after I search the Southport area and investigate Min Hollow. That’s only a couple of more months. If you see her before I do; tell her I miss her and will see her by spring.”
Agnes smiled in a motherly manner and said, “I could carry a letter to her and bring her reply when I come back. The answer would be here before you return.”
“I’d like that. I’ll write one tonight.”
“Michael, I don’t want to be pushy, but you could include a ring with the letter. I�
��m certain it would be welcome.”
“Lady Agnes, I didn’t take you for a matchmaker. However, I will look for the perfect ring to include. Diana and I are committed to each other; we both know that we’ll be married someday. Thank you.”
Before he left Black Sand Beach, Michael wanted to do something to help the naiads. He knew that they didn’t work metals; they took the metal objects they needed from humans, usually leaving a pearl in their place. He had learned many things from the dwarfish spell book including how to make metal tools with metals that human smiths had never refined. One such metal was lighter than iron and not as easily corroded by seawater. There was no human word for this metal, but he knew it was abundant in the seawater. The dwarfish name was just strange sounds, anodized aluminum. He could fashion it into tridents that didn’t rust and were lighter to carry. He also thought he could make some fishing nets that would last much longer than the ones the naiads fashioned from seaweed.
Michael walked down the to beach and sat on a rock near the remains of the knight protectors’ camp. He began the spells to pull the strange metal from the sand and seawater. In an hour, he had a mound of shiny silver metal pellets two paces high. Recalling the shape of Obert’s trident, Michael began to form similar shapes in the new metal. He worked for six hours and produced over a hundred of them. He added some decorations of fish and other sea life. It took more time to make the nets because of the detail, but by dark he had made thirty of them.
He reached out to Obert with mage thought-talk and let him know that presents were waiting for the naiads on the beach. Soon Obert and many other naiads were crowded around admiring the tridents and nets. Normally the naiads’ nets were floated with inflated swim bladders taken from a local type of fish, but Michael sat in the crowd of naiads and formed colorful glass balls with aluminum hooks on the bottom. He found he could make the glass any color or blend of colors that he wanted. None of the hundred and fifty floats he made were exactly the same blend of colors. The naiads took great joy in seeing each glass ball formed, guessing at what colors he would blend together in next ball. It was a fun time for all involved, and the naiads appreciated both the gifts and the entertainment.
Chapter 36
It was midnight by the time Michael returned to the tower to sleep. He dreamed of unicorns. He didn’t know if unicorns were real, but there were hundreds of children’s stories where they were the heroes, protecting children from danger and evil. When he woke in the morning, he decided to ask Isabelle and Anna about the probably mythical animals.
It was low tide, and Michael walked to the beach carrying his boots with his pants rolled up. The water was cold and invigorating. He saw four figures playing in the tidal flats, looking for oysters or crabs. It was Lady Agnes, Master Gwen, Isabelle, and Anna. This was the girls’ first view of the ocean and the creatures that lived along the shore, and Michael could hear their excited voices at each discovery.
The girls ran to him when they realized who was approaching and he bent to talk with them at eye level. They hugged him and explained their excitement at seeing the seashore and at meeting all of the healers.
After talking for a few minutes Michael asked the question that had interested him since his dream. “Girls, I think you were especially courageous, but maybe a Giant Ki Eagle wasn’t the best form to reassure you I was not scary. What could I have done to make you feel safer?”
Isabelle replied, “You have to admit it really was scary: knight protectors shooting fire balls, our house burned and our parents murdered, a giant eagle asked us to ride on his back, and then arrows shot at us. Even the bravest adult would find all of that much too scary for words.”
“Well girls, I hope to rescue other girls and boys who have been taken by the knight protectors. What do you think of unicorns? Are they less scary?”
Anna replied, “You have to admit that unicorns who we know love and protect all children are a whole lot less scary than giant birds who carry off lambs and piglets.”
Isabelle commented, “Unicorns are always friendly in the stories we hear. I don’t know if they’re even real, but I hope they are. Almost every kid I know has a stuffed unicorn on her bed. They protect you from bad things that might come while you sleep.”
“So riding on the back of a unicorn would be a lot less scary than riding on an eagle?”
Both girls nodded, and Isabelle said, “Give me a unicorn ride any time over flying. However, how would a unicorn get to the top of that oak tree; I guess in our case unicorns were out and an eagle was necessary.”
“Thank you girls. I have some more travel to do, looking for other healers. I’ll see you in a month or two at the nice little town that you’ll be moving to soon. My fiancé Diana lives there. Please tell her I love her and will see all of you soon.”
From what Kate had said about the deaths in Hearthshire Town, Michael did not expect to find any more living healers in that province. Since he also might be recognized, he decided to fly over the city as a Giant Ki Eagle at night. He would circle out from the center of town covering as much territory as he could within a few days. If he found no one he would move on to Southport to continue his search.
Michael said goodbye to the healers and naiads at the beach and traveled back to his camp. For a full day, he rode Black Dash while leading Stalwart toward Hearthshire Town before making his next camp. He rested for a few hours before transforming into a Giant Ki Eagle and beginning his search. It was after dawn when he returned to his camp without success. After sleeping for a few hours, he rode south until sunset, made camp, and continued the search by air. He still found no sign of healers. Hearthshire Province seemed to be completely free of healers except for Kate. The weather had gotten colder, and he knew that winter was only weeks away in this inland province; it was time to search farther south.
It was on the third day of his travel toward Southport that he saw his first manna of healers. It was in the town of Broken Arrow, which was located on a major crossroads and had about five thousand residents. The town was well known because it was the location of the final battle between the followers of Perry Ascendant and the resistance to their rule. The stories told of three thousand pagan holdouts being immolated in the central square in a single auto-de-fé.
That central square was now the location of a large temple called The Temple of Perry’s Final Victory, and the two sources of healer manna were coming from the temple steps. Michael rode Black Dash as quickly as he could toward the temple through the crowds that were headed in that direction. He pulled into the first stable and asked the stable boy to look after his horses and gear until he returned, giving him a large tip.
As he pushed his way through the crowd, he was finally able to see the men on the temple steps, He gasped and stumbled because he knew all four of the men bound and ready for execution, the Cooper brothers of Oxbow Narrows. Tied by hand and foot to flaying racks and completely naked were two healers he knew well, the twins Jacob and Roger, and their non-healer older brothers Peter and Gregory. All four men were ready for the knives. There were spits over burning coals ready for a final torture, and thirty priests and knight protectors surrounded them chanting. Four executioners in red robes stood ready for the first cuts.
Michael knew the twins well because they had always stayed with William when they visited the city. He had last seen them only two weeks before the pogrom began. They were former students of William about ten years older than Michael. He had also met their two older brothers who once had traveled with them to Hearthshire Town.
The head priest with his conical golden hat and purple robes was reading the condemnation in a loud voice. “By their own admission all four of these brothers were directly involved with the death of our late great king and scores of others who were murdered that same night through a most cravenly poisoning. They committed this enormous sacrilege to king and country on the most hallowed Perry Night when all decent men celebrate Perry’s ascension. The suffering you will witne
ss in the next eight hours is a pale shadow of the eternal suffering they will all endure in the lowest level of hell for their mass murders. These four wicked criminals are the last of the murders in Hearthshire Province, and it is fitting that they will die in the same location as the last resistors to the one true faith of Perry Ascendant. So let the flaying begin without mercy or pity. May your souls be forever damned Jacob, Roger, Peter, and Gregory of Oxbow Narrows.”
Michael had almost no time to react before the knives would begin on their victims. He immediately cast transparency and smashed his way through the crowd sending people sprawling until he was standing on the temple steps next to the four victims. He cast quench fire manna and stone dome enclosing the torture area, but also enclosing six of the priests who were preparing for the ritual murders. He quickly used surgery sleep on each of them before they could do any damage to the prisoners.
He cut the ropes that bound each victim to his rack; they slumped to the steps unable to stand from the torture they had already endured. Although they were temporarily safe, Michael wondered how he would get them out of the crowd of knight protectors who were pounding on the stone dome spell with their swords. There must be two thousand people in the square who were also angry at being denied their spectacle. Had he just trapped himself?
He stripped the scarlet cape from one of the executioner priest and cut it into strips for four loincloths, and he took six rings from the unconscious priests to enchant. He heard Jacob cry out, “For God’s sake, who or what are you?” His voice was distorted by pain and thirst.
“Jacob and Roger, I’m someone you know well, but don’t say my name even if you know my voice. Peter and Gregory, I’m a friend of your younger brothers. I’ll give Jacob and Roger each a ring to hide their manna and all of you rings enchanted with a naiad spell transparency. They will make all four of you invisible like I am. Put the rings and the loincloths on as best you can while I figure out how to get us the hell out of this trap.”
The Pogrom of Mages: The Healers of Glastamear: Volume One Page 17