Read Online The Mages' Winter of Death: The Healers of Glastamear: Volume Two by Charles Williamson - Free Book Online
Authors: Charles Williamson
Ads: Link
They sung the old songs including the oldest epic of all, The Journey of the Elves . It told the ancient story of the journey of the restless elves through the great star cloud until they reached the planet Home under the star Blue Haven. It was part of the shared culture of all the men of the seven kingdoms of the planet Home and sung around hearths and campfires by all.
Michael had made a point of getting to know each of the soldiers and drivers by name, and he joined in the joke telling. They sang several old travelers’ ballads and finally turned in for the night about three hours after sunset with full stomachs and pleasant memories.
Michael heard the sound that he thought was from a dream of his terrifying flight through the Great Black Thicket. Four knight protectors in full armor and casting fireballs had pursued him through the deadly swamp. He heard the sound again and smelled burning. Screams pierced the night. He suddenly roused, realizing this was no dream. The Oxbow brothers were already putting on their armor, and he did the same. More blinding fireballs struck the camp, and he saw guards and wagon drivers on fire and heard their screams. Chaos and death flowed through the night as three steel-plate armored knight protectors let a rabble of thirty deserters and brigands into the camp.
Michael quickly cast his most powerful version of quench fire magic and the fireballs stopped immediately but not the attack. Michael drew his elf-sword and stood back to back with the Oxbow brothers. All five of them swung their two handed swords at any attacker who approached. Most of the guards and wagon drivers were already down and out of the fight.
When Michael noticed that two of the knight protectors were moving from man to man killing the injured, he attacked in a fury. He cast dwarfish strength and charged. In an explosion of blood, his first strike clove a knight protector in two at the waist before the villain could cut the throat of a wounded guard. Michael parried the blow from a second knight. They fought, blow for blow, Perry for Perry, until one of Michael’s strikes got past the knight’s Perry and decapitated him cutting right through his steel plate helmet. It was something only an elf-sword driven with the magical strength of a dwarf could have done.
He turned and charged a third who was standing over a wagon driver to deliver a killing blow, but the Oxbow brothers were already there. Even with steel plate armor, the knight protector, without his fire magic, was not able to overpower four armored and well-armed men. He turned to run, but Peter Oxbow’s long sword found the opening between the back of his helmet and his cuirass, driving a fatal blow up into his skull. Most of the other attackers, seeing the three knight protectors were dead, began to run. The Oxbow brothers grabbed their bows and brought down four of those while at least fifteen brigands and deserters escaped the carnage of the camp.
Peter and Gregory jumped onto the tops of the wagons and loosed arrow after arrow into the fleeing brigands, bringing down five more. Michael, Jacob, and Roger were healers; they saw to the injured, while Peter and Gregory stayed on guard.
Michael knew that some of the injured would realize that the men who helped the survivors were proscribed healer mages, for only a true master healer could knit bones and seal deep wounds. Only one of the wagon drivers survived uninjured because the drivers had no armor and carried only knives. The lone uninjured survivor had crawled under a wagon and not been noticed. Three more of the wagon drivers were alive but gravely injured. Four of the soldiers were alive but seriously injured.
Michael was not a true master healer; he had never taken the master’s test that the guild required. However, he knew spells far beyond his official rank. With the help of Jacob and Roger, he was able to save all of the survivors, but it would leave no doubt that he was a disguised
Michael had made a point of getting to know each of the soldiers and drivers by name, and he joined in the joke telling. They sang several old travelers’ ballads and finally turned in for the night about three hours after sunset with full stomachs and pleasant memories.
Michael heard the sound that he thought was from a dream of his terrifying flight through the Great Black Thicket. Four knight protectors in full armor and casting fireballs had pursued him through the deadly swamp. He heard the sound again and smelled burning. Screams pierced the night. He suddenly roused, realizing this was no dream. The Oxbow brothers were already putting on their armor, and he did the same. More blinding fireballs struck the camp, and he saw guards and wagon drivers on fire and heard their screams. Chaos and death flowed through the night as three steel-plate armored knight protectors let a rabble of thirty deserters and brigands into the camp.
Michael quickly cast his most powerful version of quench fire magic and the fireballs stopped immediately but not the attack. Michael drew his elf-sword and stood back to back with the Oxbow brothers. All five of them swung their two handed swords at any attacker who approached. Most of the guards and wagon drivers were already down and out of the fight.
When Michael noticed that two of the knight protectors were moving from man to man killing the injured, he attacked in a fury. He cast dwarfish strength and charged. In an explosion of blood, his first strike clove a knight protector in two at the waist before the villain could cut the throat of a wounded guard. Michael parried the blow from a second knight. They fought, blow for blow, Perry for Perry, until one of Michael’s strikes got past the knight’s Perry and decapitated him cutting right through his steel plate helmet. It was something only an elf-sword driven with the magical strength of a dwarf could have done.
He turned and charged a third who was standing over a wagon driver to deliver a killing blow, but the Oxbow brothers were already there. Even with steel plate armor, the knight protector, without his fire magic, was not able to overpower four armored and well-armed men. He turned to run, but Peter Oxbow’s long sword found the opening between the back of his helmet and his cuirass, driving a fatal blow up into his skull. Most of the other attackers, seeing the three knight protectors were dead, began to run. The Oxbow brothers grabbed their bows and brought down four of those while at least fifteen brigands and deserters escaped the carnage of the camp.
Peter and Gregory jumped onto the tops of the wagons and loosed arrow after arrow into the fleeing brigands, bringing down five more. Michael, Jacob, and Roger were healers; they saw to the injured, while Peter and Gregory stayed on guard.
Michael knew that some of the injured would realize that the men who helped the survivors were proscribed healer mages, for only a true master healer could knit bones and seal deep wounds. Only one of the wagon drivers survived uninjured because the drivers had no armor and carried only knives. The lone uninjured survivor had crawled under a wagon and not been noticed. Three more of the wagon drivers were alive but gravely injured. Four of the soldiers were alive but seriously injured.
Michael was not a true master healer; he had never taken the master’s test that the guild required. However, he knew spells far beyond his official rank. With the help of Jacob and Roger, he was able to save all of the survivors, but it would leave no doubt that he was a disguised
Similar Books
