Read The Pogrom of Mages: The Healers of Glastamear: Volume One for Free Online Page B

manna?”
    “You’ve heard the tales of naiads disappearing whenever they wanted to sneak into human settlements. Both Obert and I know transparency . If we cast it with our full manna, this whole small sloop will disappear. I suggest that we make for the squall ahead, and once in it, we’ll disappear, apparently sunk in the storm.”
    The gorgeous Diana spoke for the first time. “I don’t know anything about the elf-blood or water magic My Lord Hampton, but if we can reach it, my home village of Rock Point should be as safe as anywhere in Glastamear. There’s not even a Perry shrine nearby and all four hundred residents are some kin of mine. They have no love for the Church and its constant demands for money. We’re poor folks in coin, but there will plenty of seafood, sweet potatoes, oats, and peas as well as warm hearts to welcome us to their snug little homes. It’s not like the luxury of your guild house, but much safer. The village of Rock Point is on the western most peninsula of the western most island of Glastamear.”
    Lord Hampton replied, “Diana, I too was born in a humble village, not a palace. We’ll enjoy a quiet place by the sea and the time to plan a way to rebuild the guild.
    “Michael, we’ll follow your plan. Captain, make all speed to that squall. When the time comes to disappear, push over the side the empty water barrels, extra sails, and anything else that might mark a shipwreck. Bursar Childes will cover your loss with gold.”
    Once they had reached the squall line, Michael nausea increase until he had a green tinge to his pale skin. He used healing magic to suppress his sickness, but Diana noticed. “Michael, it must be your first time at sea. Look at the horizon not at the side of the boat, and think of other things.”
    When the time came to disappear, Michael took Diana and Bursar Childes by the hand while Obert took Lord Hampton’s and Arthur’s. Michael and Obert repeated the spells to hide their manna and to make their whole ship and everything on it invisible; all sign of the sloop disappeared except for the depression in the sea where she sailed. Flopping around in the high seas with no boat visible was even worse for Michael’s sea sickness, and he cast a more powerful healing spell as he fought the urge the vomit on the most beautiful girl he’d ever met, the woman he already hoped might be his life partner.
    For three hours they kept the sloop invisible and hid the manna of the healers as they sailed toward the western shore of Mitchell Island. During that whole period Michael and Diana talked of their fears and their flight from knight protectors. Michael found Diana very easy to talk to about the loss of his parents and the loss of William, who had been like a second father to him. His whole world had been shattered, but he felt excited to hold hands with this beautiful girl and to talk about everything important to him.
    Michael used his detect all manna to see what happened to the schooner. She had sailed into the squall, tacking back and forth for two hours.
    Finally, the knight protectors turned east towards the mainland. The healers were safe for now, and they were very far from the Great Mother Temple of Perry Ascendant in Min Hollow. The enormous temple was the seat of the Most Holy Son of Perry Ascendant. The Holy Son was the leader of the church who had directed the pogrom against them, and Michael hoped that someday he’d pay for the tortures and deaths he caused.

Chapter 10
     
    Michael and Diana spent the whole night getting acquainted. It was clear to every healer onboard that they and found comfort in each other, and everyone left them alone to talk in private. The following morning at dawn, Michael with Diana by his side stood on the prow of the small sloop, watching in fascination as a giant conical mountain came into view.
    “That’s Great White, an extinct volcano; my hometown of Rock Point lies in the circular harbor on the left.”
    “The only