Alec the Wanderer: Generations of Eredwynn #4

by Daniel B. Harris

  The next morning we woke early, stocked our messenger with supplies to get him home and said our goodbyes. I cast for an Eredwynn ring, and had no results. I went to the tents and got in the way while they were being packed up.

  When everything was packed, I let everyone know that we’d be porting to Nuremburg. I explained my reasoning and everyone agreed it was best to avoid a confrontation. I cast southeast of our location for the largest town I could find, located a likely suspect and ported us to a wooded area. It was near a lake, just southwest of the city. We got our bearings and turned into travelers once more.

  Two hours later, we arrived at the outskirts of the town. The town’s main entrances were guarded, but the guards only seemed interested in whether we had the sickness or not. I asked directions to the Mayor’s office and went through the town to the location I was given.

  The door had guards and I approached. “Good morning, gentlemen, we would like to see the Mayor, if possible. We’re travelers with healing skills and we might be able to help the sick in this town.”

  One of the guards nodded. “I’ll allow you in and the ladies can wait here. They’ll be kept safe. Perhaps you could show your skill to the Mayor himself. He is just coming down with the sickness. If you could prove your worth to him, I’m sure he’d set you up in business.”

  I nodded and thought to Carol and the sisters, “Keep the twins and yourselves shielded. This shouldn’t take too long and I’ll let you know if anything goes wrong. I love you all.”

  I nodded to the guard and he led me inside. He announced me as a healer and left me with the Mayor.

  I walked up and extended my hand. “Good morning, sir. I’m Alec Stephenson, a healer. I’m traveling with my wife and a couple other young ladies who are also skilled healers. We’ve taken in a couple of young girls who had lost their families to the plague. They assist us and help keep us organized.”

  The Mayor started to shake my hand, noticed a black spot on his right arm and withdrew it quickly. “Good morning, young man; I’d shake your hand, but our local physician died of the plague himself. I wouldn’t want to pass it to you. If you can do anything to ease the suffering of my people, I’ll do everything in my power to assist you.”

  I smiled. “We don’t know how long we’ll be in the area, but I know that my wife is starting to want a place that is more stable than the road. The young girls that we’re traveling with should have a roof over their heads more often. We never charge for our healing and that might make it harder on me to build a home for them. My wife is a country girl and grew up on a farm, so city life wouldn’t suit her. Perhaps you could assist us in getting some land, say southwest of town?”

  The Mayor chuckled. “I’m Mayor Michael Steube, but most just call me Mayor Michael. Talking about a roof and land might be getting ahead of ourselves. Perhaps you could give me some of your special potion or whatever it is you use to heal. If I’m convinced you’re the real thing and not just a charlatan with a good line, I’ll see what I can do.”

  “That is certainly fair, sir and I do apologize for getting ahead of myself like that. It’s just that we came from Liege and the folks there fell in love with us. I was so sure that you would, too, that I spoke out of turn.”

  Michael laughed. “That’s okay, son. Young men often act in haste when the woman they love is involved. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll sample your wares and we can decide what they are worth.”

  I bowed slightly and offered my hand. “Simply take my hand and I’ll show you what we can do.”

  The Mayor took my hand and I could feel the fever just beginning. I scanned him quickly and saw the invading infection. I let my healing magic flow and watched as the man gasped at the disappearing spots of infected skin and the fever. When he was clean, I released him.

  The Mayor bowed low. “Sir, if you can do this for my people, you can have anything that you want. The plague has arrived here and it hurts my heart to turn the sick away at the gates. I have a place where you can work and the land you asked for will be granted to you. As my people are healed, we’ll work out an arrangement for you to have lumber to build that roof your wife is pining for.”

  He called for a guard. “Take this man and his companions to the physician’s building.” He turned back to me. “That building and everything in it can be considered yours, as long as you’re needed right here in town. It has multiple rooms for working, a waiting area and an apartment upstairs. I’ll expect you to take the Sabbath off, as we have a large Jewish population. You could work on your own place on the land that I’ll grant.”

  I thanked the Mayor and returned to the waiting ladies. A guard led us back the way we’d come to a large two story building. He opened the door and stood out of the way. I led my party inside and the guard closed the door with a nod. I explained what had happened.

  “When I got inside, I could see that the man had the first symptoms of the plague. We talked for a while and I healed him. Now this building and everything in it is ours. It belonged to the local physician, but he died recently. It’s supposed to have an apartment upstairs, but I don’t know how many rooms or anything. But this will be home for now, and we have the examination rooms and waiting area. We are once again in the healing business, for free.”

  Everyone laughed except for the twins, who took off for the stairs that led to the apartment. I knew that it would be well explored by the time we arrived. We looked in the small rooms downstairs and saw that everything was very clean. There was a long table and a couple of chairs in each one. It would be perfect for our style of healing, I just hoped that we could do a lot of good without drawing the attention of Father Francis or someone like him.

  We followed the twins upstairs to see what our newest temporary home looked like. It was a humble, but spacious apartment. It had a kitchen and dining area, with a modest living room. There were a couple chairs and a couch that looked threadbare but usable. There were two bedrooms with fair-sized beds, but it looked like I’d be sleeping on the floor. With all of our camping equipment and blankets, the floor would work fine for me.

  I suggested, “You adult ladies, Carol and the sisters, could sleep in one bed and that would leave the other room for the twins. I could make a pallet on the floor, as long as no one stepped on me. I suppose that we could leave our stuff up here and go announce to this huge city that we’re open for business. I honestly didn’t know this city was as large as it is when I decided to come here. But the five of you are strong women and I can just sit back and watch you work.”

  All five of the females in my group laughed and rolled their eyes. I stashed my pack, except for my dagger, since it was irreplaceable, and we went downstairs. I lit the candles in the room with a gesture and opened the door. The guard who had been sent to escort us here was still outside.

  He informed me, “I was assigned to the physician before his death. I feel that it’s only fitting that I resume my post. Do you have everything set up already?”

  “We have everything that we need at the moment except patients. How will we get word out that we’re here to help?”

  The guard laughed. “It’s as easy as this.” He called to a boy that was walking by. “Hey, boy! We have new doctors in town that are looking for people to set right. Do you know of anyone?” The guard turned back to me. “The word will spread faster than a royal proclamation. What would you have me do when the people begin arriving?”

  “Just keep our waiting room from getting overly crowded. The twins have practice at moving people to rooms for us and can take care of that. If you could keep the people orderly and quiet, that would be great.”

  He nodded and we moved back inside. Mary and Martha went about cleaning up and dusting furniture in the waiting area while we claimed our healing rooms. I knew that after our first healed patients reached the streets, people would begin coming in.

  We didn’t have long to wait before the boy had people trickling our way. Very soon, after the first sick man with
a child arrived and left, we were busy once again. Some weren’t happy with the idea of the blindfold, but we couldn’t figure out a way to turn off the blue glow that came from Amanda and Barbara when they were healing. I didn’t think that the populace would accept that display of power without causing some alarm, so they would send the problem person to Carol or me.

  As morning turned to mid-afternoon, I went out to check on the waiting people. We had five in the waiting area and only twenty or so left outside. I told the guard that we’d stop for the day when we’d finished those. He nodded and I returned to work.

  Finally, our last few healed and happy people were sent out the back door. My healers came out looking tired, but content. I walked to the front and was met by a gentleman. He looked heathy and I wasn’t sure what he could be there for, until I saw his long necklace with the cross Amanda had described. I sent everyone upstairs and turned to chat with the man.

  “Good afternoon, sir. We’re just closing up, but if you’re in need of healing, I’d be happy to help.”

  He smiled a friendly smile. “No, my son, I’m not here for healing. I’m Father Blaine; I’m attached to the local monastery here in Nuremberg. I heard that there was a man and some women working as doctors here. I also heard that you were preforming miracle cures! Now, anything that would be called a miracle would be of interest to the church, of course.”

  I gave my most harmless smile. “What we do isn’t miraculous, it’s just different from what most people around here are used to. I’m sure you can tell that we’re not from around here, and we learned these skills in my home country. We just couldn’t bring ourselves to pass up people in need.”

  “I’ve also heard that you’re healing Jews, too.”

  I chuckled. “Sir, I couldn’t tell a Jew from a member of your church if they were standing side by side. If there is a sick man, woman or child in front of me, that is who I’d help. I was raised to believe that people are people, and what they believe makes no difference to me.”

  “Hmm… interesting thinking, and not at all common. Personally, I agree with you, but I fear that there will be some that won’t approve of your methods, or the people you heal. I’m sure that our wandering priest, Father Francis, will see things differently. He’s quite set in his ways. But since I’m not, and I see no claim of miracles, you have my blessing to continue with your good works. Bless you, my son. Rest well and welcome to our fair city.”

  I let the man out, locking the door behind him. At the top of the stairs, I almost knocked the girls over where they were listening at the door.

  Carol looked concerned. “That Father Francis comes here, too? That means that we’ll be running again soon.”

  I shook my head. “If we can prove to these people that we’re not doing anything that could be considered evil, they should be able to convince him. We can’t spend all our time here running. We have to accept that this place and time may be our new home. Someday we’ll have children, and a life on the run is not the legacy that I want to leave for them.”

  It was silent for a moment, then Barbara asked, “When you say that we’ll have children, you mean you and Carol, right?”

  I nodded. “Of course I plan on having children with my wife. I’d love to have children with my Consorts also, if they wanted them. I thought that you’d learned all about that at the knee of the great Queen Isabel!”

  Amanda laughed. “We did, and we met all your aunts and siblings, too. It had never really clicked that you’d be the father of our children. We know that you’re the kind of guy that would always be there for his kids. That’s something that is pretty rare in the world we came from. Personally, I’d love for you to be my baby’s daddy.”

  Barb nodded. “Me, too.”

  Carol was a bit confused, but that still happened when we talked to the sisters. “Me, too, I think. Then we’re going to make a stand here? Blaine talked like he was running a fairly large operation. He might have men working for him, soldiers even, and they could run us out of town.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “The sisters’ powers have advanced by leaps and bounds, just as yours did. I’m sure that they are able to do things that would make soldiers stop and think. I’ve seen your impressive displays and I’d stop and think twice before crossing you. With you three and my parlor tricks, we don’t have to run.”

  Mary sighed. “And Martha and I will just stay out of the way.”

  I took a knee and hugged them both to me. “No army can move without support. You two have already taken it upon yourselves to cook for us and clean, whenever we’ve had floors. You ladies are a very important part of our group, and I don’t want you to forget it!”

  They gazed at me with adoring eyes, and I looked at Carol. She was staring back at me with that ‘I told you so’ look that I’d expected to see. I winked and shook my head. She just shrugged and began cleaning and folding clothes out of a pack.

  I stood up and continued, “Let’s not borrow trouble from tomorrow, all right? We don’t know if or when Father Francis will show up, so we’ll heal like we have been and cross bridges as we come to them.”

  As everyone nodded, there was a knock on the door downstairs. I shielded and went to answer it. A young man was there with some rolled up parchment. “Sir, the Mayor told me to inform you that he’d heard reports of your accomplishments. He has deeded you land and said that if you have trouble locating it or reading the measurements, to let someone in his office know. He’ll send them with you to find it. The land in question is supposed to be staked out, but it might not be clear. I was supposed to remind you that, even if you’re good Catholics, he’d like you to observe the Sabbath. It will help keep peace in the Jewish quarter.”

  I thanked the lad, took the parchment and dropped a couple silver coins in his hand. I didn’t know if he could use our money, but it felt right to give him something. It also reminded me that in Vegas our first stop had been to get local money. With all the confusion we’d had here, we hadn’t made time for that task.

  I locked the door and went back upstairs. I laid out the parchment on the table and looked it over. Since I’d always planned to be a wanderer, map reading was something that I’d studied extensively. I skimmed over the document and grinned from ear to ear.

  Carol and the sisters watched my reaction curiously, so I explained, “I asked the Mayor for land to build a house for you ladies and myself. I guess that he was so impressed by what I did for him and what we’ve all done for everyone, that he granted us this!” I tapped the map. “This grants us a full forty acres southeast of town. I asked for that area because it’s in the direction of that lake we saw when we were coming into town. It’s big enough for your castle, Amanda, but since I’m not my mother, we’ll have to think a bit smaller.”

  The girls hugged me in turn and Carol helped pry the twins off of me. We each went about our business getting ready for nightfall. I laid out a pallet in the corner of the bedroom. The sisters soaked both beds in blue, fireless flames and declared them pest free. Carol and the twins began our first hot meal in our newest home.

  After dinner, Carol and the sisters tucked in the twins, who complained that it wasn’t necessary. After all, they were ladies now and not children. They still got tucked in anyway, then Carol and the sisters got comfortable on the bed in our room. I tucked myself into my bedding, waved out lights and listened to the inevitable whispers coming from the bed.

  Soon, Amanda came over to the corner. “Alec, I’d … how does it go … like to come to your bed tonight. I think that’s right.”

  I laughed softly. “Forget the formal phrasing, miss. Lay by me and we can discuss how hard things have been while I’ve been waiting to get you almost alone.”

  We made love as quietly as we could, which isn’t to say that the other two ladies in the room didn’t get a bit of an earful. We all slept better that night than we had in a week. Either making love, the turn of events, or a combination of both gave me a brighter outlook.
r />   …

  The next morning, we woke early for breakfast. The twins were happy to be back in dresses, now that they would be dealing with the public. I was informed that, while boy’s clothes were fine for on the road, a lady in public had to dress nicely. I started to wonder if my pronouncing those two ladies hadn’t been a mistake. Carol thought it was very amusing, while the sisters seemed to playfully encourage the eleven year olds’ crushes.

  We went downstairs and got situated for the day. I unlocked the door and saw that a line was just beginning to form. It was getting quite cold outside, so we brought as many as we could into the waiting area. The large waiting area contained everyone that had been waiting and I went back to my work room. The twins took over and began sending people back. I let the twins know that they should send the most ill people to Carol. Her magic would hold up better under the strain. Then the day became a blur. We stopped for a quick lunch and learned that we had almost caught up.

  After lunch, we cleared the waiting area and then just had to deal with a trickle. As folks came in, Carol would take them back, heal them and send them out the back. We were all tired, but Carol most of all. By the time the sun was beginning to set and people cleared the streets, all she wanted to do was lie down.

  We all jumped in and took care of dinner. After we ate, I asked if the ladies would like to go out to our land, and see what we had. The sisters and the twins were game, but Carol said that she was going to call it an early night. I kissed her, double checked the locks upstairs and down, then we ported out of town. We wandered the area until we found the stakes that marked our new home site. I considered for a moment raising walls and a floor the way my mother did. Considering the level of my magic, I decided against it.