The Mages' Winter of Death: The Healers of Glastamear: Volume Two by Charles Williamson
Authors: Charles Williamson
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sword. Why in Father God’s name would you stand and fight six armored knights?”
“I had killed two in the attack near Swamp Ford. I just reacted and was over confident. I should have run back to where Jim and the Oxbow brothers were waiting, but when I saw what they were doing to that young man, I …”
“For my sake, and the sake of the twins who will be born this summer, you must learn to control your aggression and anger. You are a healer, not a warrior. All of Glastamear needs you, and I need you.”
“I swear to be more careful.”
They kissed and parted. Michael flew back to Azure Falls and joined his friends on a trip to his former home in Hearthshire Town.
Chapter 10
Michael and his friends camped for three nights on the ride to Hearthshire Town because every village had barred the gates to their stockades and every remote farmhouse had refugees crowded around it. The massive flight from the chaos of Hearthshire Town had occurred more than a month earlier, but many city dwellers preferred camping in the fields near any stream or well to the terrors of the nearly deserted city they had fled. Everyone they saw on the road was wary of six armored men, and Michael made no attempt to interact with the frightened and demoralized refugees who hid at the sight of them. They no longer transported food or other supplies to offer the refugees since the wagons had headed back to Southport a week earlier, but Michael, Jacob, and Roger still got close enough to heal anyone who showed the signs of the pneumonia when they cast fever search .
The epidemic seemed to be receding in this area. Many of the survivors camping in the countryside had survived the white pneumonia and were now immune to this specific version of the epidemic. Unfortunately, immunity to this version of the pneumonia did not guarantee immunity to all future versions. Unless healing magic was returned to Glastamear, plagues and epidemics would be likely to return on a regular basis.
As the group of friends neared the city, Michael noticed the weak manna of a low level priest. He was walking the road with two other priests who showed no sign of manna. They all wore the brown robes of the lowest level of the priesthood.
“Greetings good men, I am Michael Son-of-William, a merchant of Southport. We’re traveling to Hearthshire Town on behalf of High Priest Simon of Southport to see how the province fares in this terrible winter. Are you from there?”
The priest who showed some manna replied, “Greetings Michael, I am Goodman Kyle of village of Peeps Crossroads here in Hearthshire Province. In great sorrow, I must tell you that chaos rules Hearthshire Town. With both the high priest and governor dead, the knight protectors now subjugate the weak and steal their food and property. Even the King’s Own Guards, who should keep order in the city, have fled from the knights. The soldiers are now camped outside the city and provide no help to the suffering citizens. With the governor dead, they seem to have no one to direct them. These scoundrel knights lord over everyone. Six days ago, they expelled all of the priests who had followed the Holy Son’s orders to spend the winter in the compound from the Great Temple and murdered any who resisted. They want to retain all of the stores of food and the church’s chest of golden crowns for themselves.”
“I’m sorry to say, we are faced with rogue knight protectors throughout central Glastamear,” Michael said.
Goodman Kyle replied, “Priests are not welcome anywhere in the villages in this province because the citizens blame us for the Pogrom on the Healers’ Guild, even though it was King Richard the Vengeful who ordered those executions. My Friends and I can’t return to our own village shrines. Now, rogue knights who rape and pillage the weak rule the nearly abandoned province capital. Do not go there. Tell High Priest Simon that most of the citizens have fled and that evil has overcome
“I had killed two in the attack near Swamp Ford. I just reacted and was over confident. I should have run back to where Jim and the Oxbow brothers were waiting, but when I saw what they were doing to that young man, I …”
“For my sake, and the sake of the twins who will be born this summer, you must learn to control your aggression and anger. You are a healer, not a warrior. All of Glastamear needs you, and I need you.”
“I swear to be more careful.”
They kissed and parted. Michael flew back to Azure Falls and joined his friends on a trip to his former home in Hearthshire Town.
Chapter 10
Michael and his friends camped for three nights on the ride to Hearthshire Town because every village had barred the gates to their stockades and every remote farmhouse had refugees crowded around it. The massive flight from the chaos of Hearthshire Town had occurred more than a month earlier, but many city dwellers preferred camping in the fields near any stream or well to the terrors of the nearly deserted city they had fled. Everyone they saw on the road was wary of six armored men, and Michael made no attempt to interact with the frightened and demoralized refugees who hid at the sight of them. They no longer transported food or other supplies to offer the refugees since the wagons had headed back to Southport a week earlier, but Michael, Jacob, and Roger still got close enough to heal anyone who showed the signs of the pneumonia when they cast fever search .
The epidemic seemed to be receding in this area. Many of the survivors camping in the countryside had survived the white pneumonia and were now immune to this specific version of the epidemic. Unfortunately, immunity to this version of the pneumonia did not guarantee immunity to all future versions. Unless healing magic was returned to Glastamear, plagues and epidemics would be likely to return on a regular basis.
As the group of friends neared the city, Michael noticed the weak manna of a low level priest. He was walking the road with two other priests who showed no sign of manna. They all wore the brown robes of the lowest level of the priesthood.
“Greetings good men, I am Michael Son-of-William, a merchant of Southport. We’re traveling to Hearthshire Town on behalf of High Priest Simon of Southport to see how the province fares in this terrible winter. Are you from there?”
The priest who showed some manna replied, “Greetings Michael, I am Goodman Kyle of village of Peeps Crossroads here in Hearthshire Province. In great sorrow, I must tell you that chaos rules Hearthshire Town. With both the high priest and governor dead, the knight protectors now subjugate the weak and steal their food and property. Even the King’s Own Guards, who should keep order in the city, have fled from the knights. The soldiers are now camped outside the city and provide no help to the suffering citizens. With the governor dead, they seem to have no one to direct them. These scoundrel knights lord over everyone. Six days ago, they expelled all of the priests who had followed the Holy Son’s orders to spend the winter in the compound from the Great Temple and murdered any who resisted. They want to retain all of the stores of food and the church’s chest of golden crowns for themselves.”
“I’m sorry to say, we are faced with rogue knight protectors throughout central Glastamear,” Michael said.
Goodman Kyle replied, “Priests are not welcome anywhere in the villages in this province because the citizens blame us for the Pogrom on the Healers’ Guild, even though it was King Richard the Vengeful who ordered those executions. My Friends and I can’t return to our own village shrines. Now, rogue knights who rape and pillage the weak rule the nearly abandoned province capital. Do not go there. Tell High Priest Simon that most of the citizens have fled and that evil has overcome
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