Michael released Jim from the manacles and gently eased him to the stone floor. Agnes joined him and they both began to cast healing spells. After they had cast spinal block and every other spell they thought useful, Michael woke him, holding his hand over his mouth in case he screamed. When he opened his eyes, Michael leaned over him so he would first see a familiar face.
Jim said with anguish, “They got you too Michael?”
“No Jim, it’s over. I’m getting you out of here. Let me help you stand.”
They all put on their rings and gold chains and Michael assisted Jim who could barely walk without a single nail left of his bloody toes. Two hours later and after many near misses and detours, they were eating a meal in the warehouse Michael had rented.
“You should spend the day here. Keep those rings on every second and the transparency chains as well. They might search the whole dock district once they find you’re gone. Sleep but keep one person on watch. I’ll look for a way out of the city. If I can buy a small boat we’ll attempt to leave the city after midnight tomorrow. Do any of you know how to sail?”
Herb said, “My dad’s a fisherman. I can sail anything smaller than a schooner without the help of a crew.”
Gail said, “We had a sailboat on Lake Glass. I know how to handle a sail, but not the waves of the ocean. In autumn there’re terrible storms that will swamp anything smaller than a schooner.” She looked scared.
“Perhaps I can fix the wave problem too.” Michael smiled his reassurance.
Chapter 14
Michael didn’t want to wait until the agreed meeting date with Obert because the spells he had used didn’t prevent someone from physically touching you or hearing a sounds you made. The temple priests would know an invisibility spell or something like it was used because the third guard saw the first two men fall; he would know that an invisible person had been involved. The priest might also figure out that the healers’ spell anesthesia release was used on all three guards. The combination might let them know a healer had also learned water magic.
He made his way back to the inn an hour before dawn and climbed the invisible rope ladder he’d left hanging from his balcony. A few hours later a knock on his door roused him.
“Good sir, sorry to bother you, but some men from the temple are checking the rooms in every inn in town.” The innkeeper used his key to open the door.
Michael sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Come on in.”
Two temple guards, one priest, and one Knight Protector in full armor entered the room and began to search it. They even had Michael get out of bed so they could search under it. It was clear they were physically searching, not relying on eyesight.
The priest opened his pack and found the letter of credit for fifty gold crowns: it was more than enough to buy several substantial houses in the city or large estate in the country. He could also see the other coins totaling about ten gold crowns and the remaining pearls.
The priest turned to him and said, “Good sir, we’re sorry to bother you. I see you’re in Northport on business. It looks like a successful trip.”
“I would like to share my success with the Perry’s Holy Church. Can you accept a donation on their behalf or should I go to the temple?” Michael expected the coins to never reach the temple’s poor box.
“I would be glad to see that it gets to the needy, sir. I thank you.”
Michael handed him two gold crowns. The priest smiled, bowed in thanks and left. Michael asked the innkeeper to send the chambermaid to prepare a bath and to send up a huge breakfast. He planned to take the leftovers with him when he checked on the warehouse later in the day.
He wondered if the churchmen were also searching the warehouse district, but decided that it would take all their manpower just to check every inn in one day. To search every building in this large city was impossible, so he assumed they had started with inns because they suspected the healers had out-of-town help.
He went to see his banker, Arthur of Stone Lane. He had told the merchant that the naiads had allowed him to search for pearls at Black Sand Beach, something they had never previously permitted. He claimed that they had granted him an exclusive. The merchant had seemed doubtful since no one had ever fished in the naiads’ territory, but he didn’t argue the point.
Michael’s plan was to approach Arthur about buying one of his oyster boats. They were shallow-drafted single-sail boats suitable to traveling short distances near shore. It was customary for six to ten pearl divers to be onboard. The boats would anchor near a shallow oyster bed. The divers would grab the oysters from the bottom and bring them onboard. The oysters were usually shucked and smoked on shore and then loaded into pots of olive oil, after checking for pearls of course.
He didn’t want to ask strangers at the docks if any ships were for sale, but a private sale of an oyster boat would probably go unnoticed. He wouldn’t need a crew because the rigging was so simple that Herb and Gail would be able to sail it if necessary.
The small boat would be safe on the high seas in autumn if he could enchant something with a powerful still water spell. The more gold and jewels in an item, the more powerful a spell it could hold. He still had the ruby and gold necklace he had chosen as a gift for Diana. If he could enchant it with a large still water spell, he could send it as a gift to Diana along with the four rescued healers. Of course, he couldn’t enchant it in Northport or the whole bay would suddenly become glass smooth.
After half an hour of dickering, he and Arthur agreed to meet at the fishing dock and choose one of the six oyster boats still in port. Michael would meet him there in two hours. He went to the market closest to the docks and purchased ten oyster-shucking knives, some used fishermen’s clothing, twenty clay vessels of olive oil, and other supplies for an oyster fishing trip.
He took his supplies in a wheelbarrow he’d purchased to his rented warehouse, watching to make certain he wasn’t followed. The healers had all slept some since arriving, and Jim was still sleeping.
“How’s he doing?” Michael asked Lady Agnes.
“Weak. There’s no way he could ride a horse. It’ll be a month before he can do much. I’m keeping him asleep so he can heal. There’s a lot of damage that doesn’t show from the cursed Perry’s fire spells the vicious monsters used on him.”
Michael asked Herb if he was familiar with oyster boats.
“I’ve fished oysters every spring and autumn from when I was seven until I joined the healers at fifteen, and I know a good boat when I see one. Let me go with you to select it, since our lives will be dependent on this boat staying afloat.”
Michael smiled and agreed since that was exactly why he had stopped at the warehouse. He gave Herb his razor and soap and asked him to shave his wispy beard and head. It was the best he could do to change his appearance on short notice. He gave him a set of oystermen’s pants and tunic to replace his healer’s robe. Oystermen often shaved their hair in cool weather because it was always wet from diving.
When they reached Arthur’s dock, he was waiting with one of his assistants. They indicated which six boats were Arthur’s, and Michael nodded to Herb. Herb dropped his clothing on the dock and dove into the murky water. He swam under each boat, holding his breath for what seemed like an impossible length of time, something only a true oysterman could do.
Finally Herb pulled himself up onto the dock and said, “These boats are here because no one in their right mind would go to sea in them. Five of them have rough patches of the sort a crewman would do on a beach after holing her on the reef. One has several dry-dock patches of better quality, but she needs a new coat of pitch before the worms eat her whole.
“Excuse me,” Arthur said and moved away to hold an animated conversation with his assistant.
A few minutes later he returned and said to Michael, “I didn’t know their condition was that bad. I own one of the dry docks, and I can have a new coat of pitch on that third one by morning if we still have a deal
. I expect to do a lot of future business with you Michael, and I want you to be completely satisfied.”
“We have a deal if Herb can go with your men to the dry dock and see the work is done right.” They shook hands and exchanged the money. Michael had the boat he needed to get his healers to Black Sand Beach. Because of Herb’s comments, Michael no longer thought he could send the healers all the way to Rock Point on an oyster boat, and he dared not take the chance of buying another boat in Northport so soon after the healers’ escape.
Chapter 15
That night, Michael went back to the warehouse to discuss the escape options with the healers.
“Herb, could we sail the oyster boat all the way to the west shore of Mitchell Island if the sea was calm the whole way?”
“I’d give us only even odds of reaching it alive even in perfect weather. Oyster boats are terrible on the high seas and sink all the time. The trick in using one safely is staying within swimming distance of shore. You’ll need a line-fisher for the longer journey. That’s the largest boat Gail and I can crew without help. They’re designed for long fishing trips and usually have a three-man crew. They can take more wind and sea than any ship smaller than a clipper. It’d be best if you bought a new one since you’d have trouble picking a good used one.”
Michael thought it over. “Herb, I want you to take everyone to Black Sand Beach tomorrow night after the boat is repaired and provisioned. I’ll buy two horses and ride up the coast to Snowport. I can use detect all manna to look for healers along the way. In Snowport, I’ll buy two or three line-fishing boats and hire some sailors to sail them to Black Sand Beach.”
Herb looked concerned. “Sailors never go to Black Sand Beach. We don’t want to anger the naiads. Is there somewhere else we could meet?”
“The naiads will see you approach the reef and challenge you. Ask for Obert and tell them Michael Elf-Blood sent you. They have a stone tower where you can stay warm and dry until the line fishing boars come for you. It’ll probably be a couple of weeks, and I hope to have more healers with me when I meet up with you again.”
“If the weather holds, Gail and I can get us to Black Sand Beach.”
Michael gave Lady Agnes four gold and ten silver coins in case of emergencies. “All of you except for Herb need to use your gold chains to stay invisible. The priests are bound to check every boat leaving town, and they’ll know what you look like, especially Jim; he’s way too big and way too mutilated not to stand out. I’ll come back tomorrow at midnight and help you to get Jim into the oyster boat. The following morning, I’ll ride north toward Snowport.”
The next morning Michael bought two horses, one exceedingly fine young black stallion named Ebony Honor for riding and a sturdy gelding as his packhorse. He also bought a silvered saddle, the showy type a wealthy merchant might use. He took the horses back to the Inn of Splendid Dreams and let the proprietor know he was planning a trip and leaving the following morning.
Next, he went to the headquarters of the city watch and inquired into the road conditions between Northport and Briarton, a town a hundred thousand paces southeast. He wanted word to get out that he was leaving so that no one from the Church would be surprised at his sudden departure, but he didn’t want them to actually know he was headed north in case he had a chance to free other healers along the way.
A city guard officer explained, “We’ve had no bandit troubles since last winter anywhere in the province. It’s safe enough, but you can hire an escort if you want. Six guard stations protect that route; we’re watching for trouble. You’ll find some nice inns at regular intervals. The eastern gate opens an hour before sunup. Perry’s grace be with you sir.”
He went by to speak with Arthur of Stone Lane. “I’m off to Briarton in the morning. Perhaps you could recommend an honest merchant there?”
“To be sure, Peeps of Jewel Square is a fine man, but my agent there is Sir Gregory in the merchants’ quarter. He’s well connected and well known. I’ll write you a letter of introduction if you like. It’s smart to take the rest of your pearls somewhere else lest the local market get saturated with ones of that outstanding quality. Will you be back here after your trip?”
“I may need to visit the naiads again and also check on the oyster boat you sold me. Perhaps if I’m lucky with the naiads, I’ll head down to Southport or inland to Hearthshire Town with some new pearls. It’s the life of a young merchant. Perhaps someday I’ll be able to settle down like you and have a dozen little ones.”
Arthur had come to like the young man who reminded him of his own youth. He wrote out four letters of recommendation for merchants who were members of his banking syndicate in Snowport, Briarton, Southport, and Hearthshire Town. The letters would remove any suspicion that he was not really a well-known merchant’s representative since they came from a prominent man that most other merchants in Glastamear would know by reputation.
Michael headed to the warehouse to check on Jim and deliver some of the things he’d purchased for their trip. On his way he saw a crowd gathering in Temple Square. He stood at the back of the crowd. On the steps of the temple were four men. Three of them had been so badly beaten that their faces were swollen, their noses broken, and their eyes black. They looked too dazed to understand what was happening. Whip marks and burns covered their bare chests and backs. The fourth man also had his hands manacled behind his back, but he wore a priest’s robe and showed no signs of torture. Only the priest showed the manna of a fire mage; the other three had no sign of manna, at least they were not brother healers.
A herald stepped forward, blew his bugle for silence and read from a scroll. “Know all ye present that these four men are guilty of treason against Glastamear. The king has decreed that anyone assisting the conspirators who murdered his dear uncle shall meet the Death of Six Days. So let it be recorded so let it be done.”
Michael didn’t know what the Death of Six Days meant, but from the gasps of the crowd it was clear that they did. Two men were seated on the top steps of the temple, the high priest of Northport and Lord North himself, the governor of the whole province who reported directly to King Richard.
Lord North was an elderly man, stooped and white-haired. Two pages assisted him in standing. He spoke with a strong voice projecting authority in spite of his advanced years. “Through the intersession of the Holy Church of Perry Ascendant and at the direct request of the High Priest of Northport, I commute these sentences to a lenient death by the headsman. These men have confessed to assisting in the escape of four of the conspirators who murdered our king by sleeping while on guard. Know ye citizens of Northport that any man who gives the conspirators aid of any kind, be it even a glass of water, will suffer the full penalty directed by his royal highness, King Richard the Twenty-Seventh. May Perry have mercy on their souls.”
It was only then that Michael realized with horror that three of the men were the guards he had put to sleep with the anesthesia release spell. The priest was probably their supervisor, and Michael wondered if the fire mage book in his pack belonged to this priest. Certainly, losing the ancient manuscript would be a serious matter. He quietly left the square before the executions began. His hands were shaking and his breath was forced.
Michael entered the warehouse and took Lady Agnes aside to speak with her in private. He explained what had happened in Temple Square.
“Michael, you didn’t murder these guards; you can’t hold that guilt in your heart. It will destroy you.”
Lady Agnes continued, “Far older than the religion of Perry is the First Truth of Father God. Father God taught that suicides and murders would never be reincarnated. You did not commit murder when you put the guards to sleep, and you should not lose your soul to suicide. You should never use heart stop if there is any other choice. Only members of the High Council of the guild should know it. There are secrets that we are willing to lose our souls to keep.”
“Secrets like Perry being pushed in a well rather than ascending?
” Michael asked.
Lady Agnes gasped. “Never ever say anything like that again! How could you know such things? They are never written, only passed on as part of the training for the High Council.”
“The naiads know the full story better than any human. They taught me some of their songs.”
“It is not suicide to resist with your weapons, be they sword or magic. To die that way is no suicide. To use heart stop is. That is my final word.”
Michael changed the subject. “What of my friend Jim? Tell me truly, will he ever heal completely.”
“He’s in a bad way; worse than I’ve admitted. Before he even reached Northport he was racked. That separated his joints and strained his cartilage to near breaking in many places. That will take months to heal. You probably already know he will have no children, but I can treat him with hormones so his body will appear normal. The burns are healing nicely, but the worst risk is from mental damage he suffered. Unless I use powerful spells, his dreams are terrifying; they wake him screaming. I don’t know any way of fixing his mind. You’re his friend and might be able to help him in time. He needs both a friend and a purpose. When he’s better, I think he should help you in your quest.”
No magic Michael knew would protect him from a sword, and Jim was the best swordsman he had ever met. He would be a great companion, but that was for the future when he was well.
Michael hid his invisible rope ladder and other things he didn’t need for the trip under a floorboard in the rented warehouse, and he gather the group to finalize their plans. Herb would go alone and sail the oyster boat to the beach directly in front of the warehouse. While he loaded the pots of olive oil and fishing gear, Agnes, Gail, and Michael would help Jim onto the boat. All but Herb would remain invisible until the boat was far from the city.
That night after midnight, they got Jim on board. Michael enchanted the ruby necklace with the still water spell and gave it to Agnes to pass on to Diana if she made it to Rock Point. He watched them sail across the unnaturally still bay and past the breakwater before he returned to his room at the inn.
The Pogrom of Mages: The Healers of Glastamear: Volume One Page 6
