The Pogrom of Mages: The Healers of Glastamear: Volume One

by Charles Williamson

  They continued discussing the project until it was time for dinner. At dinner Michael asked what happened during the purge of healers here in the south.

  Timothy explained, “High Priest Simon is really not a bad man. No word of what was happening in the rest of Glastamear reached Southport before he was ready to act. All the healers were gathered together at the sunset docks. They’d been told that the king had ordered their exile, and they all boarded a large cargo clipper. There were sixty-three of them. I guess the guild leaders didn’t want to resist and risk the lives of the healers so they went along without trying to fight or flee. High Priest Simon knew that southerners would hate the flaying and torture that was being done elsewhere. We loved our healers, so no one was tortured or burned in the temple square here in the south.”

  Carolyn said, “That’s really a good thing. People would have turned against the church if that had gone on here. We’re a generous and kind people. Public executions are rare and are always quick beheadings in front of the local prison. Usually no one attends but guards and soldiers.”

  Timothy explained, “The ship just sailed away that afternoon and returned two days later without any healers. For all the local people knew they might have been exiled to the Waller’s Islands to the south. A week or so later, some drunk sailor explained that a day’s sail from the nearest land, all sixty-three were forced over the side and the cargo ship just sailed away. No blood in the temple square, but they’re just as dead. We’re without healers or a hospital, and a lot of people will die as a result. I assume High Priest Simon didn’t have a choice once the edict reached here, but many people are still angry. Temple attendance is way down.”

  They discussed the meeting with Sir Julian and agreed to a first offer of 12,000 crowns expecting to settle for 17,000 or 18,000 crowns. Carolyn suggested it would help our efforts if we offer Sir Julian a free location for a shop on the first floor because he owns many local stores that sell luxury goods.

  After dinner, Michael was escorted to an elegant suite of guest rooms on the top floor of the townhouse. His rooms had a balcony that gave him access to the roof. Michael wanted to do a sweep of the sea about a day’s sail from Southport looking for healers. He knew that High Priest Carson in Snowport had allowed his healers to escape and he hoped that High Priest Simon had really exiled his healers and manufactured the story that they had been pushed overboard.

  An hour after dark, Michael put a set of black clothing into his pack and climbed to the roof where he converted to a Giant Ki Eagle and flew out to sea. After two hours of searching he detected a concentration of healer manna and quickly turned toward the volcanic island where the healers were hiding.

  He circled the island, which was an extinct volcano with a large freshwater lake in the center of the cone. The healers were gathered near the lake. They had built simple palm leaf shelters to keep the rain off and dugout canoes to fish in the lake. It was an island with groves of coconuts, mangos, and breadfruit trees, a place of easy exile as safe as Rock Point so long as no news of their location reached the knight protectors or king’s troops.

  Michael landed and converted to his human form. He dressed and went toward the strongest manna, Lady Master Barbara of Southport. Michael had met her several times when she had traveled north to attend meetings of the guild council. She was probably the most skilled healer in Glastamear and even Guild Master Hampton would often defer to her at meetings.

  He gently roused her saying, “Lady Barbara, I am Michael, apprentice to William of Hearthshire Town. Please come with me so we can talk without waking everyone.”

  She covered her surprise, nodded, and followed him away from the camp.

  Once they were a hundred paces away, she said, “I recognize your voice even in the dark, but I can’t detect your manna. You’ve learned to hide it. How did you find us? How did you get here? What news do you have of others? Is everyone else dead? Are we the only healers left alive?”

  She would have continued without waiting for any answers except that Michael interrupted. “My Lady, I can hide my manna and the manna of any healer. That allows me travel disguised as a merchant. I found you by transforming into an eagle and using detect all manna as I circled in wide arcs about a day’s sail from Southport.”

  Lady Barbara gasped and said, “You really are Gripton’s promise. Thank Father God.”

  “Yes my lady, I can do water, earth, forest, fire, as well as healing magic. There are about a hundred other healers hiding in a small village on Mitchell Island. Lord Guild Master Hampton, Bursar Childes, Lady Agnes of Northport, Lady Marsha of Snowport and other master healers are there. I think all the rest were murdered in the pogrom except for sixteen children taken by the church to train as healer priests. How in the name of God did you convince High Priest Simon to hide you here rather than follow the king’s edict?”

  There was a pause before she answered. “Simon and I grew up together and we’ve been secret lovers for over thirty years. He couldn’t follow his orders, but he needed to pretend he had or the knight protectors would have killed him too. The church would have sent someone else to complete the pogrom. This was his answer. We can never leave without putting his life as well as our own in danger.”

  “You seem safe enough here, but if you like I could arrange for transportation to Mitchell Island where you could join the other survivors. However, if you’re willing to stay here, it might be better to have two places of refuge.”

  “I think everyone would prefer to stay on this beautiful island rather than move to the frigid winters on Mitchell Island. We’re all southerners who hate the cold. However, if you could arrange for an occasional supply ship to come here secretly, it would make our lives much easier.”

  “I can show you how to hide your manna, and I’ll buy a study merchant ship for you to use. Then you can send a small group to the mainland for whatever you need whenever supplies run short. I don’t have time tonight to hide everyone’s manna, but I’ll return within a few days. At that time, I’ll leave all the gold you’ll need for years of supplies and use a naiad spell to hide everyone’s manna.”

  Lady Barbara hugged him and said, “Thank Father God you came at our time of need. I’ll let everyone know in the morning.”

  Michael flew back to Southport and retuned to his room in Timothy’s house without being noticed.

  The next morning after breakfast, Timothy and Michael walked the short distance along Sea View Lane to a private house that was even larger and more ornate than Timothy’s. A servant in a white uniform trimmed with too much gold braid stood in front waiting for them. He ushered them through the hushed crowd in the courtyard. Clearly everyone present knew they were here for some big negotiations, many may have guessed it was about the hospital building. They all seemed to be curious about who Michael was.

  Sir Julian was a handsome man of middle years, muscular and fit looking with a warm smile. Michael thought he would like the man. Timothy introduced him as Michael Son-of-William and one of his banking syndicate’s most valuable clients.

  “I’m pleased to meet you Michael. Your name was mentioned in a message I received last month from Sir Gregory in Heatherton. I understand you may be interested in the hospital building on the temple square.”

  “I’m pleased to meet you as well. My partner, Timothy, has said good things about you. I will let him explain what we have in mind for the property if we can reach an agreement.”

  The negotiations went on for two hours, and Michael let Timothy do almost all of the talking. Finally they agreed to pay 16,500 crowns for the property with one crown in ten of the net rent going to the church and Sir Julian with free rent for ten years on a prime part of the first floor shopping arcade. Timothy wrote out a draft for the full amount and a sale agreement was signed and sealed that morning.

  That afternoon, Timothy, Carolyn, and Michael met with a well regarded builder, Howard Stonemaster and designed the changes for the first floor, the ninth and tenth
floors and for the former surgery annex, which would become the kitchen and dining area. The remaining floors would be custom built to suit the needs of the new residents. The hospital already had a large water storage tank on the roof, but they decided to add a second one to cover all the sanitation needs of the new tenants. Every apartment would have running water for two or more bathrooms.

  Since Michael had spent less than expected on the building, he decided to spare no expense in making it the most luxurious property anyone in Glastamear had ever seen. They would leave the words Southport Hospital inlayed in black granite on the front and keep the bronze door with the depiction of healers. Of course, his intention was to return it to its original use someday if possible. The building would be called the Southport Hospital Luxury Residences.

  Carolyn commented, “We must turn down enough potential renters to create a real aura of exclusivity. In most cases, no ancient title, no apartment. Almost all the southern gentry have manner houses on their estates where they spend the summer. The winter is the high season for entertaining here is Southport. There will be balls and soirees every night and anyone wanting to make an impression or to find marriage partners for their children will be in the city all winter. It’s the perfect time for sales. We’ll set up a sample apartment on the second floor on the front side with a view of the fountains and gardens of the Great Temple and make it the most elegant one in the whole city. We’ll be the main topic of a hundred conversations a week, and nearly everyone will want to see the sample apartment. I’ll start tomorrow getting things ready for the season. We only have four weeks until the winter’s first ball.”

  Her excitement was contagious and Michael was certain his project was in good hands. “Your ideas sound wonderful. You and Timothy are in charge. I need to travel north in a few days, but I’ll be back before Perry’s Night. By then, the public areas should be finished and some of the arcade rented. I hope my apartment has at least some bedrooms and a bath ready by that time. Make it in the same general style as your second floor sample apartment.”

  Timothy said, “You’re leaving so soon. I assumed you’d be here to make some final decisions for a least a few weeks.”

  “You both know this city. I don’t. I trust you to do things right. Use whatever you need from my letter of credit; I won’t second guess you; but everything must be in good taste and the highest quality.”

  The discussion continued for a few hours. Later Michael went out to do some shopping. All the healers who had escaped to the small volcanic island, called Dragon Crag, were still wearing their healer robes, whose color denoted their rank. With even a glance, any citizen of Glastamear would realize they were escaped healers.

  In the shipwright section of town, he purchased three sets of loose pants and shirts of the type worn by southern sailors and wrapped the clothing in a length of gray sailcloth so it would not be obvious what he carried.

  In the leather working market, he had a strange harness created to his exact design. The leather worker was confused, but followed his pattern using especially strong harness leather and brass studs. It had two loops connected by four straps and three handles along the top side. It was like nothing the worker had ever seen, and he made many attempts to guess its use. Michael declined to comment.

  He walked to the street of ship merchants and began to inquire about cargo ships available for sale. Everyone in the business district knew he was the wealthy northerner who had purchased the hospital building. Michael was now familiar with how quickly news spread among merchants so it was no surprise that everyone greeted him by name.

  He spent the time until sunset negotiating for a cargo ship that had a simple square sail rig that could be handled by only two or three men. It would be slow, but it had a deep draft to hold cargo and a tiny cabin for sleeping and cooking. He chose one with strong internal bracing and new sails. It had large hatches for loading lumber and other large goods. It also had a mast that could be lowered to the deck so that the ship could be hidden in a small cove he had noticed on the western side of Dragon Crag with nothing visible to any passing ships.

  After paying for the square rig, he walked back to Timothy’s for dinner. There was more talk of the project, and they decided to offer four, five, and six year leases with the shorter times available for the higher stories. That would allow the leases to be staggered so they all weren’t expiring at once.

  They also discussed a counterweight lift system that would be powered by water. It could bring supplies and even people to the higher stories and make those apartments more valuable to renters and be quite helpful in the construction process. The lift would be a copy of one that had been installed in the Governor’s Palace of Southport the previous year. It would be only the second such lift in the whole of southern Glastamear and a fine amenity for future tenants.

  Both Timothy and Carolyn asked about the cargo ship, wanting to know if it was to carry cargo for the construction at the hospital building, and Michael explained that he had other plans for it without giving any details.

  Chapter 42

  That night, Michael flew back to Dragon Crag to see Lady Barbara. In his pack, he carried clothing for himself, the three sets of sailors’ clothing, and the harness he’d had made as well as seventy gold films enchanted with submerge manna. Once he was on the island and dressed, he woke Lady Barbara and guided her to the side of the lake. He explained how he’d used cancer reach to put the enchanted gold sheet around his spleen. Lady Barbara used the visualization part of the spell to check his work.

  Lady Barbara was impressed. “The spleen was a good choice, most of the rest of the abdominal cavity organs move too much. I can implant the enchanted gold films if you make them for us.”

  “I have put seventy of them between the pages of this book. You can implant them at your leisure, but I hope to find three men with sailing experience to travel back to Southport and bring supplies in the cargo ship I’ve purchased for you. Those three will need to have their manna hidden tonight.”

  Michael handed her a bag with over five hundred newly made gold coins. “Here’s the gold I promised for future purchases. You won’t need it for the first shipment.”

  “Holy Father God, Michael; that’s an enormous amount of gold. Where did you get this fortune plus enough to buy a ship and fill it with cargo?”

  “My lady, I made this gold, pulling it from the seawater with dwarfish magic and shaping it into coins. You should also take the time to make a list of things you’ll need: building supplies, lanterns and oil, spices and foods to vary your diet, cloth and supplies to replace your healer robes with some other style, windows and doors, and whatever else you think you may need before winter. Winter storms may reach these southern latitudes this far at sea, and the currents will bring fog and colder weather than Southport residents are accustomed to.”

  An hour later Michael had the list of the commodities the settlement would need for the winter. Lady Barbara gathered everyone near a large bonfire on the beach where Lady Barbara introduced Michael.

  “This is Michael Elf-Blood, the most powerful human healer in our two thousand year history. Father God has sent him at our time of greatest need. Do not be shocked by any magic he does; it may be unique and even frightening.”

  Michael stepped forward and said in a calm voice, “My friends, I have a supply boat in Southport that can be filled with building supplies and other things to make your life on this island easier. I need three volunteers with sailing experience to return with me to Southport and sail her back here.”

  Six men raised their hands as volunteers, and Lady Barbara picked the three with the most sailing experience. Explaining as she demonstrated, she used cancer reach to implant the gold films in each man. Once she was finished, Michael passed out the three sets of sailors’ clothing.

  Jake of Conch Cove asked the obvious question after he was dressed as a sailor. “If the ship is in Southport, how do we get to it? I’m a strong swimmer, but not that stro
ng.” That brought a laugh from everyone.

  Michael smiled and took out the harness he’d purchased that afternoon. “I know it sounds impossible, but hold your laughter until I’m finish. I propose to change my form through some magic that I learned from the Fairies of Fay Woods. I will appear to be a giant black dragon wearing this stout leather harness. If all goes right, the three of you will hop onto my back grab the harness, and I’ll fly us to shore in less than an hour. As we get near the coast, I’ll cast the naiad spell transparency and we’ll all disappear. That will probably be the scariest part of the flight, but it will only last a few minutes. When the dragon lands, just slide down his side. As soon as you’re not touching me, you’ll become visible again. I’ll transform back into me, and explain where we’ll meet after you walk into town. Simple.”

  There were smiles since almost everyone assumed it was a joke, a bad joke but at least some poor attempt at humor. They were waiting for the punch line.

  Lady Barbara said, “I for one believe every word he just said. Jake, David, and Marin will be the first humans to ever ride a dragon. Think of the stories you can tell your grandchildren someday.”

  “Except our grandchildren will never believe us. I’m willing to try it if I can keep my eyes closed during the whole flight,” David said. Marin and Jake soon also agreed.

  “So if all the ladies will turn around, I need to get undressed before I transform.”

  “Hell no, there’s no way I’m missing this,” Lady Barbara said to general laughter.

  It was common for the people of Southport to swim at the local beaches in the nude, but Michael was from an inland province and not comfortable as he stripped and put his clothing into his pack. At least there were no giggles from the crowd.

  There was a gasp from nearly everyone when he changed instantly into a giant black dragon. The three sailors reluctantly got onto the dragon’s back and held the leather handles in death grips as Michael flapped his wings and lifted above the lake. Michael could feel all three men shaking in fear, and he grew concerned that one might lose control and fall. He cast calm soul to help them deal with their fear. The flight was through calm skies but just his altitude and the speed of the wind caused the sailors’ hands to grow numb, and Michael cast winter blanket to help them hold on. He decided that if he ever tried this again, he needed a real dragon saddle.