48

Rundling was a small village, but Michael noticed immediately that it had paved roads and a number of the strange streetlights he’d seen in the town he was born in. The buildings themselves were made of wood, stone, or brick and all seemed to have been built at different times and maintained at different rates. The entire town was surrounded by a well-constructed wooden fence that seemed more to keep livestock from wandering out than to keep anything dangerous out. It was quaint and charming—the kind of place he would’ve wanted to spend some time in with Sara. Not the kids, though—they would have been bored out of their minds.

There were a number of people outside their homes and businesses, with many of them greeting their headman or bowing to Jakub and Tain. The Penitents, on the other hand, received dark looks or were ignored. One old man sitting on his porch actually pointed at them and dragged a finger slowly across his throat.

The cart came to a stop near a small stable at the far edge of the village, and Jakub gestured for everyone to get out. They complied, their armor clanking a bit as they landed.

“It will be dark soon, and I would not recommend that you try to hunt the beast in unknown woods in the dark.”

Tain nodded. “In that case we need to insist on quartering.”

“Of course,” said the headman with a nod. “We have a barn with a small house that’s empty at the edge of town. I will take you there.” The headman took a moment to secure his horse, removing the wagon from him and getting him in his pen before he started walking them to another corner of the village.

“You are right that the woods here are unknown to us. Do you have a hunter or trapper that could guide us tomorrow?” asked Jakub.

“We have only one hunter left, and he is badly injured. I’m afraid we will not be able to help.”

Michael coughed lightly to draw Jakub’s attention.

Jakub looked at him and nodded. “Our Penitent here is a diviner with the ability to heal. Once you show everyone else to the barn, take us to your hunter, and we’ll see what we can do.”

The headman frowned. “A Penitent diviner. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Neither had I,” said Michael with a smile, “but I’m not exactly from around here.”

Jakub smiled a bit at that, but the headman did not, instead looking concerned. Everyone dropped their gear at the barn, Michael was grateful to lose the weight of his pack and helmet, rolling his shoulders a bit to stretch before following Jakub back out to the headman. They walked back through the village and to a wooden house on the far end. The headman knocked on the door, and a woman with eyes red from crying and a bloody rag in her hand answered.

She nodded at the headman and, seeing Jakub and Michael, curtsied quickly. “Headman Durn, I don’t think Jon is up to speaking right now.” Her throat was raw as she croaked out her words, barely keeping more tears from flowing.

Durn nodded. “I’m sorry to take you from him for even a moment, Alecia, but this Penitent apparently has the gift of healing, and his knight handler here wants him to try to heal Jon.”

“He can heal him?”

“He can,” said Michael, taking the initiative. “May I come in?”

Durn looked annoyed that he’d spoken out of turn and looked at Jakub, but Jakub did nothing but nod at Alecia.

Alecia stood aside, and Michael walked past her and into her home. The house was well kept, covered in furs and trophies of successful hunts. He saw what looked to be a small dragon’s hide above the fireplace, a fourteen-point set of antlers, and a rug that looked like a bear’s but was heavily patterned, almost like a calico cat. On the far end of the room was a bed on which a short, leanly muscled man was lying. He was older than Michael expected, with thinning brown hair, and he was pale from blood loss. His stomach was wrapped in thick bandages that blood was leaking through. It seemed as if he’d been gored.

Michael took a deep breath, and light began to gather on his palm. He laid his hand on the man’s chest and focused. It was the worst injury he’d ever had to heal, but after only a few moments the man’s organs were mended, and the wounds closed. The man’s breathing steadied almost immediately, and his eyes started to slowly blink open.

Michael looked over to Alecia. “He’ll probably want you to be the first thing he sees when his eyes open.”

Alecia quickly rushed over and gripped the hunter’s hand. Michael stepped back and watched him slowly open his eyes and squeeze her hand back.

Michael moved back to the headman and Jakub. “The hunter should be well after a night’s rest.” He smiled at the couple’s relief. “Do you have anyone else that needs healing? As long as Knight Jakub is amenable to escorting me, I’d be happy to help anyone else who needs it.”

Durn looked at the hunter with relief on his face, then to Michael. “Well… Young Rick broke his leg pushing snow off a roof in winter, and it’s still healing; Widow Rhea’s hand was mangled in a loom recently; and Thomas the Miller’s limp has only been getting worse lately.” He frowned and looked at Jakub. “As long as you are okay with it, Knight Jakub.”

Jakub shook his head lightly. “We have nothing better to do until morning anyway.”

From there, Michael was escorted first to young Rick, who was maybe fourteen and whose mother immediately sent him back to choring once his leg was healed. Next closest was the miller, whose limp seemed to have been due to some muscular tearing. Michael was glad to see that his healing powers could repair slightly older injuries as well, though he actually found the process even more tiring than healing the hunter.

Next was the widow Rhea. She was younger than Michael expected, maybe in her late thirties or early forties. She had smiling eyes and long brown hair with waves Michael could imagine surfing on.

She opened her door and smirked at Durn. “Is this some new military service? Delivering handsome young men to poor lonely widows?”

The headman coughed, and Jakub blushed a bit, whereas Michael chuckled.

“Headman Durn tells me you have a hurt hand? I’m a healer, here to help with the titled beast, and my knight-escort Jakub here thought it would be a good idea for me to heal some other people around the village.”

“That’s quite the excuse to hold a beautiful young woman’s hand, but I’ll allow it.” She presented her left hand, which had been heavily bandaged. Michael took it gently in his own and started to heal it. She had multiple broken fingers and several fractures going all the way up to her wrist. She was in excellent humor in spite of how much pain she must’ve been in.

When he was done, she smiled widely and started to quickly remove her bandages. She flexed some long and delicate fingers before surprising Michael by placing her hand on his face.

“Sorry, I hadn’t touched anything with it for a while and wanted the first thing I did touch to be young and beautiful.”

Michael smiled. “Only on the outside.”

“That’s the only place it matters.”

“Rhea, he’s a Penitent.”

“Oh, I forgot that all Penitents were untouchable and hideous, excuse me.”

“I am remembering a few more people that could probably use some healing,” said Durn, trying his best to leave a conversation he was unequipped for. They all turned to leave, and Rhea shot Michael a wink as he turned around. He returned the gesture, smiling. He hadn’t had a good flirt in a long while and found that he still quite enjoyed the experience. Sara wouldn’t have faulted him for it, he knew. She would probably have been more amused than anything by the situation. Hell, she might have even encouraged it.

Michael spent the rest of the afternoon healing old creaky knees, shoulders that clicked when they were rotated, and even a few small scrapes and bruises that came from the daily business of farming and herding animals. The old injuries he couldn’t fix, but he could at least ease the discomfort they’d caused. He noticed as he worked that there were no young men in the village, only older men and boys. By the end of it, a few of the village people were actually smiling in his direction as he and Jakub walked back to the barn. He would’ve much preferred to spend his time healing people rather than going off to war. It seemed like if there was any reason he’d been given that kind of power since he’d arrived there, it was for that purpose. He muttered a small prayer of gratitude to the Divine for being given the opportunity to heal the people of Rundling before he went to sleep on a large and inviting pile of hay.