The Mages' Winter of Death: The Healers of Glastamear: Volume Two by Charles Williamson Read Free Book Online Page B

be one of the apothecary wagon drivers in order to secretly use her healing spells to cure refugees. She also planned to stay in Broken Arrow permanently and open an apothecary shop to provide cures. As each of the refugees from north of the roadblock entered the reception area, she handed them a dose of a harmless bitter concoction. If they actually needed a cure, she secretly cast clear lungs . By mid morning the whole group of nearly five hundred refugees had been processed and boarded passenger wagons to be transported to a refugee camp near Wellington Plantation.
    Rather than waiting at the pass, Michael had decided to ride to Marigold Meadows and see how the town fared. In general, the farther south a town, the later the white pneumonia reached it because the plague began in the extreme north of Glastamear.
    They had to pass through one of the King’s travel restriction roadblocks, but Michael showed the soldiers the governor’s letter and they were allowed to pass. The soldiers warned them that gangs of brigands had been actively robbing travelers in the area. Some were believed to be deserters from the Hearthshire garrison who wore guard armor and were well armed with crossbows and swords.
    Michael was hopeful that the pleasant town of Marigold Meadows where he had spent four days on his trip south would be in good shape. What they found when they reached the town was hundreds of refugees camped outside the stockade walls. The town gates were barred, and archers guarded the walls from catwalks at regular intervals.
    Michael rode to the gates and called up to the guards. “A wagon caravan of supplies sent by the Southport governor and high priest will be here by tonight. Ask your mayor to come to the walls to discuss our entrance into town.”
    The guard made an obscene gesture and yelled, “This is some trick to let the plague into the city. Be gone or I’ll test the strength of your armor with my bow. Strangers are not welcome here, and no refugees are allowed inside.”
    “Get the mayor, or I’ll test the strength of your flimsy wooden gates with my sword.”
    The Oxbow brothers armed their crossbows, and that act seemed to get the townsman’s attention. After another even more obscene gesture and a shouted obscenity that would require impossible flexibility, the archer left and returned with a man with a familiar face. It was the innkeeper Ivan, proprietor of the nicest inn in the town, the Safehold Saga where Michael had stayed on his previous visit.
    “Hello, what do you want of us,” Ivan called down. “I’m the acting mayor since old Nicholas died last week.”
    “Ivan of the Safehold Inn, I’m Michael Son-of-William. I stayed four days with you in the wheat harvest month. The governor and high priest of Southport have sent a wagon caravan of food and supplies north to help the citizens of southern Briarton and Hearthshire Provinces. It will be here by nightfall. We have two apothecary wagons that carry a cure for the white pneumonia. I ask only that you open the gates.” Michael took off his helmet so Ivan would recognize him.
    “Well met, Michael Son-of-William. I believe you, but I will need to ask our priest. It was he who ordered the gates barred against the tide of refugees.”
    Ivan sent one of the archers to get the local priest. Marigold Meadows was so small that the local priest was not a fire mage since Michael could see no sign of manna among the inhabitants of the town.
    Soon the local priest in a rather threadbare brown robe stood above the gate and said, “High Priest Simon is known to be a virtuous and generous man. I believe he would send aid in our distress. We will open the gates.”
    They entered the town using the fever search spell to determine how widespread the coughing sickness was in the town. Ivan and the priest Edward both had fevers indicating they were in the earliest stages of the pneumonia. Michael secretly healed both and Ivan led them to his inn.
    “I fear my