Penitent-Chapter 232 Book 4 Ch 13: Settle

It was late morning when they received the signal from Bayle, along with a guard escort for them. They left the ship, wearing their full arms and armor this time, and allowed the escort to lead them back to the palace and the diplomat's residence. The streets were much busier, with men and women all speaking in hushed and worried tones, much like they had been only a few days ago when Michael had first arrived. There was also a larger number of soldiers, militia, and guard in the streets. They weren't arresting random people, which Michael saw as a good sign, but they were clearly out in order to make sure that the peace was kept.

They stopped at a large building outside of the palace and the guard sergeant that was escorting them turned to Michael.

"Sir, before we reach the palace there were a number of injuries sustained through the night by guards, soldiers, and civilians. It was indicated to us that you may be able to heal them."

Michael smiled, he'd been intending to ask Bayle about any injured himself. He wasn't surprised the spymaster had anticipated him.

"I'd be happy to," he said and the guard opened the door for him to head inside. The building immediately brought back memories of the infirmary back at the academy. Long rows of beds, medics moving from spot to spot in crisp uniforms, and an alchemist station at the far end. He noticed two healers as well, one was panting heavily as she sat on a chair, drinking a restorative draught and the other was concentrating over a guard with a broken leg, sweat heavy on his brow.

"Do the injured here include loyalists to the old king or are they being held separately?" asked Michael even as he began to channel healing energies into his hand, feeling Sarah's grasp in it as the power built.

"They are not. Please focus your energies on those that are here."

Michael shook his head, he could feel the injuries on a lower level. Burns, broken limbs, spear wounds, torn flesh, much the same as what he felt in the room in front of him.

"You can't lie to me. The gods show me the truth."

He held his hand out flat in front of himself and sent healing energies all throughout the building. In a flash of light Michael had healed everyone in the building, down a particularly bad hangnail on one of the guards behind him.

The entire infirmary's eyes went to Michael, and the guards all exchanged looks.

"You're not just some Knight are you?" Asked the Sergeant. "You're that hero from Old Hume. The One that saved their city."

"The people of Hume saved the city with the help of the Gods. I just helped," said Michael letting the glow fade from his hand.

The Sergeant didn't seem to know how to respond to that, so he just confirmed that everyone in the infirmary was healed and then led the group back out onto the street.

"Still a showboat," said Pyotr, patting him on the back.

"Coming from you that really means something."

"What do you mean? I am a very reserved man."

"Even while I was in the middle of my fight yesterday, I saw your moves against the creature. You're telling me that performance wasn't you showing off?"

"It's different," said Pyotr, shaking his head. "For me it is natural."

Michael chuckled. "Fair enough."

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They made it to the gate of the palace, and as before they were stopped to be scanned by a diviner, and it was Meera again. This time she didn't hide that she knew who they were and when she was brought out she walked straight to Michael and wrapped him in a hug. He couldn't really feel it through his armor, and he returned the embrace gently to keep from hurting her.

His erstwhile mentor released him and smiled. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"I'm glad to see you're alright too. Still reading 'Soldier's Slave'? He asked with a smile."

"Of course I am, and here in the capital I can get the new volumes much more quickly than back at the Academy."

"They're fine," she said to the confused sergeant who was standing nearby waiting for them. "But I'll be walking with them into the palace. The rest of you are dismissed."

He and the other guards exchanged glances.

"Ma'am, we need you to help screen those entering the palace. The security of it is paramount at this time," said a man Michael guessed was her commanding officer.

"Why?" she asked. "The king's already dead and the Prince is miles away."

"But-"

"Besides all that I'm actually a lieutenant," she pulled a sheet of paper from her coat along with the markings of a lieutenant. "I was just here to keep an eye on you. Good job by the way. You boys really take your work seriously. You're doing Stent proud."

Her commander looked at the paper and the emblem and returned them to her.

"I'm sorry ma'am," he placed his hand on his chest in salute.

"Don't worry about it," she said, turning around and waving goodbye to the guards as they left them behind.

"Congratulations on the promotion," he said to her with a smile.

"Thank you," she responded. "Congratulations on saving a city."

"Thank you. I'm a bit surprised people have heard about that all the way over here. It's only been a month and Stent clearly had its own problems."

"We have a lot of trade with Hume and from what I understand you and Ollie are all that every trader from Old Hume has been talking about. Besides that," she smiled, "I didn't just hear about it. I saw it." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Michael looked down at her. "The gods?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes. I started receiving visions nearly a year ago. They started as subtle things. A short message relayed in the voice of a man I love, abstract images, hushed whispers. Then I began to pray, as I'd seen you do before, and the visions became more clear. I saw you emerge from the rift in the midst of the battle, wreathed in golden flames and driving all of the rift creatures away from you. You were very impressive." She spoke as if she was praising a grandchild for a particularly impressive piece of Macaroni art, but he appreciated it. He knew that was just her mode of speaking.

"Thank you Meera," he said, smiling for a moment before letting it fade. "I'm glad the gods are with you as well."

She nodded. "They're with many of us, actually. At the academy my small chapel was full every day before I left. Medics, young knights, even a few takers were showing up. The front lines are also full of new believers, those who received visions of who they felt they should really be fighting." She paused thoughtfully. "I even heard of a Tusinyan general sparing and releasing a number of prisoners after a battle because of a vision of Estaid."

Michael nodded. It seemed the gods were keeping as busy as he was. "How about Dugan, and Kline?" He thought of Dugan anytime he encountered a dwarf, or a stack of paperwork. The academy's quartermaster had been one of the only people to treat him well. Kline had been in charge of the takers and their training. Despite the prejudice, Michael had always found the man to be very fair in his dealings with them.

"Kline…" she paused for a moment. "He was reassigned to the front lines and died in an ambush of aelven mercenaries."

Michael put a hand on Meera's shoulder. He'd been a good man, and he knew that the two had been romantically involved back at the academy. "I'm sorry to hear that."

She nodded. "Another reason we needed to end the war. Stop all this senseless death over unneeded patches of land." She sighed. "Dugan is well. He's had to deal with increasingly limited supplies and misses you helping him with his paperwork."

That was a relief, though it made much less sense to send a quartermaster to the front than a Knight-Lieutenant like Kline, but he had still been worried for a moment. They reached the door and Meera gestured that they could go ahead inside.

"Bayle should be here within the hour to meet you. There are guards posted outside for your protection. I'll come back later and we'll have tea."

"I look forward to it."

She embraced him again and he returned it, then she gave him one last nod and walked away, letting them make their way into the diplomats quarters.

"Must be nice to have a grandma here. Someone to kiss your booboos and tell you you're a big brave boy." said Marcus as they made their way inside.

"She's younger than me," replied Michael as he made his way inside. "Besides. You're just jealous."