Read Online The Mages' Winter of Death: The Healers of Glastamear: Volume Two by Charles Williamson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Charles Williamson
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too. I recognize that you are actually Michael the apprentice of William the master healer. You were well known in town. I saw you heal these injured men, and I’m certain of who you actually are.”
Michael said, “You’re right. I escaped from the pogrom because I was out in the forest when the knight protectors came for us.”
Arthur explained, “I watched as all the healers of the province were executed. Even your teacher William was flayed and burned although already dead at the time. I think the church and the king did great evil in those executions, and that terrible sin by both the church and crown, brought the plague upon us. I had the disease and survived but my wife and three children all died. The three knight protectors who were with us were also from Hearthshire Town, and they also had the white pneumonia and survived. It killed most of the priests and knight protectors who sheltered in the Great Temple, and every family like mine who got the contaminated grain came down with it.”
“If they had the pneumonia and survived, why did these knight protectors leave the Temple and city? Why become brigands and outlaws? They couldn’t contract the disease a second time.”
“They always treated the rest of us with contempt. I would never have dared to ask them why they fled, but I think they had lost all faith in divine Perry. All three of them were evil men who killed, often slowly, anyone who questioned their authority. They organized all of the rootless desperate men who wandered into this area. They claimed that we would eventually take over the town of Swamp Ford or Marigold Meadows and rule it like barons.”
“How many did you kill personally, Arthur?”
“I could claim none, but you would not believe that. I killed two tonight; both were men without armor. I killed several other people that we waylaid in the past three weeks when they resisted.”
“Arthur, you will forget the past day and sleep for about eight hours.” Michael cast the spells and Arthur relaxed into sleep.
Chapter 7
Jacob, Roger, and Michael moved away from the injured men to talk.
Roger said to Michael, “You must cast amnesia release on all the survivors. They know we’re healers.”
“Guild guidelines don’t allow it to be used in that way, and I’ve already stretched the limits when I cast it on the brigands, but we need to trust our own men. They should be grateful that we healed them and drove off the brigands.”
Jacob said, “You can’t count on even good men to keep silent forever. One night in a pub with too much brandy would be all it would take to get us all condemned. Guild rules or no rules, we need them to forget our magic armor, your elf-sword, and the healing we’ve done. Michael, your scruples might be deadly in the future. Neither of us has the master skill of that spell. It has to be you Michael who casts amnesia.”
Michael walked over to the surviving drivers and guards. “My friends, we’ve come through battle together. We are comrades in arms, but I have a question for you. By now you know that Jacob, Roger, and I are healers. That knowledge could get us condemned to the fires of the executioners. I would like to take that knowledge from you with a light cast of a spell that master healers know. If I do it perfectly, you will forget everything since our dinner last night. You won’t remember the battle with the brigands and knight protectors. Guild rules require that I have your permission to cast this spell on you. Will you allow it?”
Several survivors said yes immediately, and the others followed their lead. Michael cast sleep spells on each of them and then made a very light cast of the amnesia spell so that they would only forget a few hours and not weeks. Michael himself didn’t know for certain how far back the memories would be lost. He had never tried the spell in such a weak form.
They busied themselves with clearing up the evidence of what Michael’s sword could do.
Michael said, “You’re right. I escaped from the pogrom because I was out in the forest when the knight protectors came for us.”
Arthur explained, “I watched as all the healers of the province were executed. Even your teacher William was flayed and burned although already dead at the time. I think the church and the king did great evil in those executions, and that terrible sin by both the church and crown, brought the plague upon us. I had the disease and survived but my wife and three children all died. The three knight protectors who were with us were also from Hearthshire Town, and they also had the white pneumonia and survived. It killed most of the priests and knight protectors who sheltered in the Great Temple, and every family like mine who got the contaminated grain came down with it.”
“If they had the pneumonia and survived, why did these knight protectors leave the Temple and city? Why become brigands and outlaws? They couldn’t contract the disease a second time.”
“They always treated the rest of us with contempt. I would never have dared to ask them why they fled, but I think they had lost all faith in divine Perry. All three of them were evil men who killed, often slowly, anyone who questioned their authority. They organized all of the rootless desperate men who wandered into this area. They claimed that we would eventually take over the town of Swamp Ford or Marigold Meadows and rule it like barons.”
“How many did you kill personally, Arthur?”
“I could claim none, but you would not believe that. I killed two tonight; both were men without armor. I killed several other people that we waylaid in the past three weeks when they resisted.”
“Arthur, you will forget the past day and sleep for about eight hours.” Michael cast the spells and Arthur relaxed into sleep.
Chapter 7
Jacob, Roger, and Michael moved away from the injured men to talk.
Roger said to Michael, “You must cast amnesia release on all the survivors. They know we’re healers.”
“Guild guidelines don’t allow it to be used in that way, and I’ve already stretched the limits when I cast it on the brigands, but we need to trust our own men. They should be grateful that we healed them and drove off the brigands.”
Jacob said, “You can’t count on even good men to keep silent forever. One night in a pub with too much brandy would be all it would take to get us all condemned. Guild rules or no rules, we need them to forget our magic armor, your elf-sword, and the healing we’ve done. Michael, your scruples might be deadly in the future. Neither of us has the master skill of that spell. It has to be you Michael who casts amnesia.”
Michael walked over to the surviving drivers and guards. “My friends, we’ve come through battle together. We are comrades in arms, but I have a question for you. By now you know that Jacob, Roger, and I are healers. That knowledge could get us condemned to the fires of the executioners. I would like to take that knowledge from you with a light cast of a spell that master healers know. If I do it perfectly, you will forget everything since our dinner last night. You won’t remember the battle with the brigands and knight protectors. Guild rules require that I have your permission to cast this spell on you. Will you allow it?”
Several survivors said yes immediately, and the others followed their lead. Michael cast sleep spells on each of them and then made a very light cast of the amnesia spell so that they would only forget a few hours and not weeks. Michael himself didn’t know for certain how far back the memories would be lost. He had never tried the spell in such a weak form.
They busied themselves with clearing up the evidence of what Michael’s sword could do.
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