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past the line of squalls ahead.
    As they neared the sloop, four crewmembers stood at the gunnels with notched arrows in the bows, but when they saw Obert, they lowered them. All sailors regard naiads as friends; there’re hundreds of sailors’ legends of naiads saving sailors from drowning and doing other acts of kindness. Even threatening one with a bow was regarded as risking a lifetime of bad fortune.
    When Michael moved to stand next to Obert, he heard a shout. “Is that you Michael?”
    “Yes my lord guild master. I’m relieved to see you still alive.”
    “And I you Michael, I feared every healer in your province was already dead. What of William?”
    “I’m sorry. I know he was your closest friend. I was out in the Hearth Forest gathering herbs when they came for him. I located our housekeeper and she told me he used heart stop before they could carry him away.”
    “We live in evil times, Michael, evil times not seen for two thousand years. The Church seeks to gather all magic including our healing magic under its domination. They will find children with healing magic potential and make them priests.
    “You don’t think it was the king’s death that started this,” Michael said with uncertainty in his tone.
    “Of course no healer was involved. No healer in the two thousand year history of our guild has committed cold-blooded mass murder. It’s impossible for a trained guild healer to murder hundreds by poison and commit regicide as King Richard claims. How about you? Will you join us in our flight to Mitchell Island?”
    “My friend Obert, shaman of the Black Sand Pod, helped me to reach you in time. A fast schooner with the manna signs of six fire mages follows not far behind. They’re knight protectors on your trail.”
    Lord Hampton, master of the healers’ guild, showed shock on his wrinkled brown face. “Michael if you know the spell for detecting manna, you must also know that many priests and all knight protectors are fire mages who can also cast it. There’s no place to hide if they are close behind us. Mitchell Island has no real temples only Perry shrines tended by lay brothers with no magic skills. We thought we could hide there, but we’ll never outrun a schooner.”
    “My Lord, I have a plan; may we come aboard?”
    Michael introduced Obert to Lord Guild Master Hampton and to Guild Bursar Childes. The guild master introduced the other two mages: Arthur manager of Westport Hospital, and Diana a strikingly beautiful young apprentice from Westport Hospital who Michael had never seen before.
    Lord Hampton explained. “Bursar Childes and I were at the hospital when word came that the guild hall had been invaded and our brothers and sisters carried off by knight protectors. Since the hospital is next to the main wharf, we had a chance to flee before they came for us.”
    “The naiads taught me the water magic spell submerge manna . It can make our manna invisible to the priests.”
    The guild master smiled in relief. “If you can work water magic, then you truly are the elf-blood of Gripton’s promise. The guild suspected it since you were discovered as a child, but now I know it. But you must also realize that no other human can learn water magic. I see now how you can escape, and that is most important. I will die happy knowing you’ve come to set thing right.”
    “Master, I don’t think I’m really Gripton’s promised one, but I did learn that if someone with water magic takes your hand and casts submerge manna , your healing manna will be hidden from any fire mage. One of the naiads used this power to help me avoid the knight protectors who chased me through the Great Black Thicket. When the time is right, Obert and I can hold hands with each of you, and your manna will suddenly disappear to the vision of the mages in the schooner.”
    The four healers nodded in understanding. Bursar Childes asked, “How will our little sloop elude them even if they can’t see our