I shook my head. “I’m just a man, and my companions are only women. Lovely women, but not angels or demons. So, do we have your blessing to heal your people? The sisters’ abilities are a bit more colorful and we’ll have to use blindfolds for them, but my wife and I can heal without them, as you saw.”
He smiled tiredly and set up four rooms for us. I figured that we’d only need three, but the extra could be used if too many came back at once. The sisters took a room, Carol took one and so did I. The twins were given the job of escorting the people into a room when we needed one and out the back door when we were done.
I signaled the man at the door to send in three people, and the girls guided them back. Everyone that came back for treatment was very cooperative and happy that someone was trying to help. The doctor laid on a cot in the corner and was asleep before we were done with our first patients. I asked the ladies to keep an eye on their magic. I assumed that I’d have to quit before the sisters, and Carol would be able to work as long as she was able, physically.
After our fifth or sixth group came through, an excited Barbara came to my room. “It finally clicked, Alec! Amanda and I can separate for healing! We haven’t been able to see if we can do other things yet, but healing’s a go!”
I set up Barb in her own room and signaled for four. I told the sisters to call if they needed any backup or if they had any problems. I went back to work myself. By dusk we were exhausted, my magic was down quite a bit and we needed to stop.
I went to the door and talked to the man there. “I don’t know how many we have waiting and don’t know how many we’ve had come through. All I know is the ladies and I need a break and will need to look for lodging. We can camp on the outskirts of town, if need be.”
The man smiled. “I would never have believed that some of the illness I saw could be healed. We have an inn in town that would have rooms and food. I don’t know how much money you have, but if I need to, I’ll pay for it from my own pocket. Truly good people are hard to find.”
“Thank you, sir. I’ll gather my party and then get directions.”
“I’ll let the people out front know to return tomorrow, if you’ll be here. Then I’ll walk you to the inn myself to make sure you’re situated and have no problems.”
I assured the man that we’d be back and went to round everyone up. We gathered our belongings and tiredly headed for the door. The doorman was waiting for us and guided us to an inn that wasn’t far from the doctor’s place.
Our guide talked to the innkeeper and then asked me about money. I tossed a gold coin on the counter for the man to examine. He wasn’t familiar with the coinage, but the weight of the gold convinced him that it was worth the three rooms we’d requested, dinner and breakfast.
I thanked the man who had taken the time to get us squared away. He just smiled and nodded, then departed. We sat down to a nice meal, then made our way to the rooms. For the first time in what seemed like ages, I had my wife alone. We made love quietly, both too tired to get overly energetic. I took the boost to my magic that I’d need tomorrow, and a boost to our relationship.
…
We woke early, rousted the others and went down to breakfast. Dried venison is a very tasty and filling food, but for every meal, it gets old and boring. Having a hot porridge breakfast was nice for a change. We ate and I let the innkeeper know that we’d be back that evening. He’d heard about our work at the doctor’s and was pleased to have us return.
We set up in our treatment rooms again and began our healing of the crowd. We only had one minor problem, when a farmer refused to allow Barbara to blindfold him. I had him come to my room and sent my patient to her. We took a short break at lunch when the wife of a man we’d healed showed up with a meal for us. We were grateful and all sat for our lunch break. Finally, and a bit reluctantly, we went back to work.
After nearly three more hours had passed, the man at the door announced that there were no more people to send in. We were thrilled with the news. My magic was getting down to the level I wouldn’t be comfortable going below and the ladies were tired.
I called the doctor to me. “I believe that we’ve got things under control for the time being. I think we’ll stay at the inn for a few more days, at the very least. If people show up with the sickness, you could send them to us or send for us. As long as we’re here, we’ll be happy to help.”
The doctor shook my hand. “I still believe that you’re angels, just as I suggested before. I thank God that you were sent to us.”
I laughed. “I know I can’t change a man’s mind when he fully believes something, but the truth is very different. If you want to thank something for us being here, thank my lack of focus. We’re men and women, just like everyone else, and I hope that you’ll make sure the townsfolk know that. People sometimes do strange things when they start believing in things like angels.”
The man chuckled. “I have to agree. I’ve seen some horrible things done in the name of God. Take care of yourself, Alec, and those lovely ladies, too.”
We retired to the inn for some much needed rest. On occasion one of us would be called upon for healing, but the number of sick was becoming manageable.
At breakfast on our third day of rest, the twins were quiet. Since the twins were never quiet, it got everyone’s attention.
I asked, “What’s the matter with my beautiful Wards this morning?”
They both shrugged, then Mary answered, “It’s our birthday today. Mom and Dad would always have presents for us at breakfast. Our friends would come over and we’d have a good time. Now all of them are dead. It’s kinda hard to have a happy birthday with all of that in your head.”
I leaned over and whispered to Carol, “How comfortable are you with a levitation bubble and tether? I bet if you took the birthday girls up to three thousand feet, so you couldn’t be spotted, they would consider that a good birthday gift.”
She grinned and whispered back, “I could do that without any trouble at all. I could also port us out of town so we wouldn’t be seen. I heard that porting out to go flying can be fun, but we’ll keep our clothes on.”
I laughed and turned back to the table. “Carol would like to take you two out scouting with her today. Amanda and Barbara, you could go, too, if you’d like. I’ll just sleep or wander the town while you’re gone. You could find out what abilities you can manage on your own without being connected. It might not be a party with presents, but I hope you all have a good time.”
After breakfast, the girls straightened their rooms so housekeeping wouldn’t be needed. They bundled up against the chill of the day and headed out to find a hidden place to port from. I walked over to the doctor’s to chat. I had something to say that he might be interested in knowing.
He was sitting at his desk with no patients. He jumped up when I walked in. “It’s very good to see you again, Alec. You and your lady friends have saved many from certain death and this town will forever be in your debt.”
I smiled. “I’m just glad we happened along and were received with kindness. Many would have run us off for even suggesting that we could do things that they hadn’t heard of before. Now that we’ve headed off the plague for this town, it’s time that we moved on. What towns do you think would accept our healing?”
“Well, the rumor mill has heard that you’re heading east. The next large town that way would be Frankfort. I don’t believe that they are having the problems that we were and I’m not sure they know the meaning of ‘open minded.’ It’s a week away if you’re on foot. Close to a week past that would be the city of Nuremberg. I’ve heard that the folks there are friendly and would be open to your healing methods.”
“Thank you for that information, sir. I believe that Nuremburg will be our destination. That is, unless my wife changes my plans. It was very nice to meet you and I hope that everything goes well for you in the future.”
“I wish you the same, but I have something to say that you’d do well to heed. I
watched all of you heal, even the sisters. The healing they used and the results that you and Carol produced were incredible! To me it looked like the healing work of angels. To the church it will look like you spared lives that God had chosen to take. I fear that they will brand you as devil worshipers and burn you at the stake. Be cautious if there are any clergy around, my friend.”
I nodded somberly. “Thank you for the warning and I will take it to heart. My lady friend Amanda had warned me of that practice and we’ve tried to be careful. I just can’t find it in my heart to pass up people that are hurting. Thank you for everything and be well.”
I left the building and headed back to the inn with a feeling of foreboding. When Mandy came back from their outing, I’d have to find out what ‘clergy’ meant. Right now a clergy person could be standing beside me and I wouldn’t even know.
I located a general goods store and began restocking our traveling supplies. I picked up more salt, flour and other items that we’d need. I found a tailor that had boy’s trousers and tunics that I thought would fit the twins. Any alterations could be done by Carol. Her magical skills were invaluable to our little band and she was positively priceless to me.
At the stores and shops that I stopped in, the only problem I encountered was getting the proprietors to take payment. Everyone in town thought that my party’s healing was enough. I managed to talk them into taking gold, but only after convincing them that I’d feel better if they allowed me to pay.
With everything gathered up, I returned to the inn and packed. I left the twins new outfits out so they wouldn’t have to wear dresses on the road, and then laid down to think.
I felt that healing was something that we needed to do. The doctor’s warning worried me, because there were too many things I didn’t know. If the ‘church’ decided that we were demons or witches, would they come after us? If we tried to settle down until I found a way home, would we always have to watch our backs? How strong was this group and would they be able to bring men against us? I wasn’t afraid for us as much as I feared for anyone who helped us.
I cast once again for a ring home, found nothing, and dozed off. The girls were gone until midafternoon and it was obvious to everyone in the inn that they’d had a good time. I was glad that we could give our girls a good birthday, and I was sure that they would have never expected to get a present like they got. Flying might be common in the twenty-first century, but in this time, it was unheard of.
The sisters told me that they’d tried a lot of spells while they were out and could do them all solo. They felt that the magic held more secrets that they would be able to do only when linked, but they didn’t feel comfortable trying them. They weren’t sure how visible they would be, and they were as skittish as I was about getting labeled as witches.
I pulled Amanda aside. “The doctor told me that we should be careful around ‘clergy’ and people working with the ‘church’. What are ‘clergy’ and how would I be able to spot them? For all I know, I could have healed a clergyman and not even known it.”
She laughed. “I doubt that there are any clergy in town or we would have heard about it by now. In this time, they traveled a lot from town to town. I think they often wore long robes, and a long necklace with a cross on it would be a dead giveaway. I’m really sorry, Alec; I didn’t study much about the church from this time. I was more infatuated with the castles and that sort of thing. I really miss Wizard’s Castle and want to go home.” She laughed but I could see the tears fighting to rise. “I never thought I’d call a castle home, but that place is the closest thing to a home I’ve had in a very long time.”
I hugged her and whispered, “I’m sorry I got us all stranded here. I promise to look daily until I get us home. I’m hoping that Father will know something has gone wrong when he doesn’t hear from me for a while. I don’t know what he could do, but Davie has many magical contacts. If we can’t help ourselves, maybe they can help us.”
She nodded, a bit reassured, and we went to join the others. I heard about the wonderful gift that the twins had been given and they declared this the best birthday they’d ever had. Carol and the sisters practically glowed with happiness. After the report, I had Carol drift to go off with me.
“It’s time to go.”
She smiled. “Actually, you surprised me by staying as long as we did. You should know that your Wards fell in love with you when I told them that their gift was your idea.”
I laughed. “That’s fine, there can never be too much love in the world. When we get back to our world and they get older, they’ll find men to love. Then they’ll realize that this old wanderer isn’t as wonderful as they think he is now.”
Carol nodded playfully. “And if they don’t in a half dozen years, we can have Consorts instead of Wards.”
I shook my head and winked. “If I help raise these young ones for that long, I don’t think that I’d be comfortable having them as Consorts. They could still be our Wards until they marry, but I doubt they’ll ever be Consorts.”
She smiled and gave me that ‘we’ll see’ female look. She went back to the rest of the party and made the announcement. “Tomorrow morning we’re going back on the road. The people of this town have things under control now and should be healthy soon. There might be other places that need our help, but we’ll still have to be careful. So let’s get our packs checked so we can be ready to go early.”
I took the twins upstairs and showed them the clothing that I’d gotten for them. They thought that dressing like boys was funny, but decided that it would be better than having cold wind up their dresses while walking. The clothes were a near fit and Carol helped out with a stitch here and there.
Chapter Sixteen
I woke early, roused everyone and we prepared to travel once again. The innkeeper knew of my plans to leave and had breakfast waiting for us. We thankfully sat down for breakfast, thanked the innkeeper and his staff, and then hit the road.
Our travel routine returned quickly and my heart was light. My little group had helped a couple hundred people at the very least. We’d rested, had hot meals and were on the road again. This was exactly what I’d wanted to do with my life, and I had people that were happy to do it with me.
The only thing that bothered me was the doctor’s warning, and that became reinforced on our fourth day out from the city. As we were making camp one evening, a rider from Liege caught up with us. He hailed me by name and I went to meet him.
He was road-weary, but wanted to talk before he’d join our fire. “Alec, if I may be so bold, the doctor sent me with news. He said that it was important that you know, so you’d be able to protect yourself and the ladies.”
That got my attention, because no one threatens my family. “Thank you for bringing the message. What is it that the good doctor thought we needed to know?”
Carol and the sisters gathered around while the twins started dinner. The man looked at all of us and spoke apologetically. “I was one that was healed by your wife.” He smiled and nodded at Carol. “I was talking to some friends that had also been healed and we were overheard by Father Francis. I hadn’t even heard that he’d returned to town, but thought no harm could come from telling him of you. Your skills were miracles and saved so many, I felt they must have come from God. He declared that healing like that without the sanction of the church must come from the devil. God had sent the plague to smite the wicked and he said you were interfering with God’s will. Father Francis has never been an open-minded man. The town was thrown into an uproar when he tried to gather men to hunt you down. None, other than his own men, would go with him. He has twenty men on horseback and they should be leaving in the morning to begin pursuit.”
I nodded thoughtfully. “Thank you for your warning, sir. Stay the night with us. I’ll move the twins to the large tent with my wife and the sisters. You can have the smaller tent. The ground will be fine for me and we have gear that will keep me plenty warm. We use some of our other skills when
we’re on the road and away from towns. Don’t be shocked by anything that you see and know we’d never hurt anyone that wasn’t trying to harm us. I’ll show you the boundary of our camp, because when you leave, you’ll need me to let you back in.”
The man agreed and was understandably confused by a lot of what I’d told him. Sunset came and we’d not finished with moving the girls out of the little tent, so I had Carol use her light spell to illuminate the area. I’d never seen it before and she had been itching to try it since she’d dreamed about it. When a circle of light lit up an area twenty yards around us, the poor visitor fell to his knees.
“Now I know that I’m in the company of angels.”
I helped him up with a chuckle. “I call my wife my angel sometimes, but in reality, I’ve never seen an angel. I’ve traveled farther and seen things that you couldn’t even imagine, but no angels. We’re men and women with special skills, nothing more.”
He joked nervously, “What do the twins do? Shoot fireballs from their fingertips?”
I laughed, saying, “No, that would be the sisters.” I nodded to Amanda and Barbara. “I think you should let them fly about fifty yards and kill them. We don’t want people to come running.”
The sisters grinned from ear to ear and counted down. They cast at the same time and small, white hot fireballs flew across the field. At fifty yards, they deactivated them and they faded into nothing.
The man laughed very nervously. “That’s the last time I’m gonna make a sarcastic joke around you lot! You are very wonderful people and I owe you my life. Seeing the fireballs actually made me feel better, knowing that you can defend yourselves if necessary.”
I sighed, then chuckled. “Those were our second weakest offensive talents. I hope we never have to use our strongest.”
That night I slept by the fire with a heated dome shield over my campsite. My plan to get away from Father Francis was simple. We’d get up in the morning, I’d cast for a ring to Eredwynn and if I had no luck, I’d cast for Nuremberg and port us there. Since the town folk had been told we were heading for Frankfort, and the horses should catch us before we made it, perhaps he’d give up the chase. We had enjoyed ourselves helping the people and I knew that keeping the ladies busy would take the edge off the homesickness. I could have taken us into the hills, lived off the land and never been discovered, but they needed contact outside our little group. We’d go to Nuremberg and help. We’d deal with Father Francis if he came to us and protect the townspeople from him if needed. I slept restlessly and with one eye open.
Alec the Wanderer: Generations of Eredwynn #4 Page 18
