The Healers' Tale

By Ashley Abbiss

Part of a series, but can also be read as a standalone novel.
Petiria and Raiah are two healers from the House of ‎Healing in Tasivan, Dawpenel, who have travelled all ‎the way to Nava doing research into healing methods ‎outside of the Houses of Healing. ‎
The two women have no relation whatsoever to Niari, ‎Carlitha or any other of the Companions, unless you ‎count the fact that Pet was one of the healers who ‎worked on Rozvin when she was wounded. All they ‎really know about them comes from the songs and ‎stories of their exploits that they’ve heard from time ‎to time.‎
But when, on their way home to Dawpenel, they and ‎their escort of three Cazovanian priests decide to take ‎a short side trip to look at a ruined city near the border ‎with Falodirian, all that changes. An overheard ‎conversation places the two women in possession of ‎vital information; information that could spell life or ‎death for Niari, Carlitha, Keladryn, Tassi and others.‎
It is critical that the five travellers get this information ‎to the people who can use it in time. But first, there’s ‎the small matter of escaping from the forest they’re ‎trapped in and the search parties hunting them.‎
Meanwhile, in the realm of the gods, Kerelline is not ‎pleased that Warin is using her ladies to further the ‎Plan, especially when she finds out that their ‎participation may cost them their lives. Warin and ‎Cazovania are afraid that she may interfere. The ‎trouble is that if she does, she will give Elithim a free ‎hand. That will not only doom the fugitives to almost ‎certain death, it will also mean that their warning ‎doesn’t get through. Kerelline’s meddling could cost ‎all of them more than she could possibly imagine.‎

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ashley Abbiss
• Release date: Nov 23, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463615553

Ashley Abbiss

Hello there. I’m Ashley Abbiss. ‎I live and write in beautiful New Zealand, where I live with one large dog, who looks nothing ‎like Friend from my Daughters of Destiny books. She is, however, almost as intelligent and definitely as ‎opinionated, and if she can’t quite speak in the way Friend does to Niari, that doesn’t really ‎hold her back much!‎I write fantasy, mostly of the epic variety. Let me say right up front that if you’re looking for a quick read, you’re in the wrong place. But if you like a substantial, ‎satisfying story that you can really get your teeth into, stick with me. I may have something ‎you’ll enjoy. There’s no graphic sex in my books. If that’s what you want, you’ll have to look ‎elsewhere. There is violence, and there is swearing, though mostly of the ‘s/he swore’ variety, ‎nothing overly graphic or offensive. I also write about strong, independent female characters, ‎so if your taste runs to something more macho, or something more frilly and helpless, this may ‎not be the place for you. ‎I’ve always loved wandering in different worlds, be they fantasy or science fiction, although ‎lately I tend to prefer fantasy. The only proviso is that they have to be believable worlds, ‎worlds that feel real, that have depth and scope – and they must, absolutely must be fun to ‎visit. I read for escape and entertainment, and I don’t really want to escape from this world ‎into one even grimmer. Trouble, tension, and danger I can deal with, what sort of story would ‎there be without them? Where would Pern be without Thread, Frodo without Sauron, Harry ‎Potter without Voldemort? But there has to be hope, and there has to be a light touch. Happy ‎ever after does have a lot going for it, even if initially it’s only a very small light at the end of ‎a long, dark tunnel. My personal favourites include Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, Anne ‎McCaffrey’s Pern series, and the fantasies of David Eddings, and lately, they’ve been joined ‎by J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and a few others. Of those, David Eddings was probably my ‎greatest inspiration.‎I began to wonder if I could create my own world, one just as believable and multi-layered as ‎theirs. Could I create a world with its own history, geography, social structure, deities, and all ‎the rest? One that hung together? That a reader could believe in? It became a challenge, one I ‎really wanted to see if I could meet. So I dusted off my writing skills, learned a few more, ‎cranked up the imagination, and got busy. I’d always been good at creative writing, but ‎though I’d made a few attempts to write after I left school, none of them came to anything. ‎That was until I started writing fantasy. Suddenly, I knew I’d come home. ‎I quickly discovered that I’m not the sort of writer who can plan a book (or a world!) before I ‎start. I just can’t do it. But I can create characters, and suddenly the characters took on a ‎reality of their own and took over the stories, often to the extent that they actually surprised ‎me. And the stories worked. Their world worked. Sometimes I had to go back and fix the ‎odd contradiction, but mostly it worked and was very natural and organic. Even though my ‎first attempts were pitiful, I knew I’d found where I belong. I persevered, I learned, I wrote. ‎I discovered that the characters are key for me. Once I get them right, they tell their own ‎story. I was away. There were dark days during which my stories became my refuge, my ‎characters my friends. And I kept writing. There were happy times when I didn’t need a ‎refuge, but my characters were still my friends, and they drew me inexorably back. I kept ‎writing. ‎And now, I hope my characters may become your friends too, my worlds ones where you also ‎like to walk; perhaps even your refuge from dark days. Come join me in a world where magic ‎is real and the gods are near, where beasts talk and men and women achieve things they never ‎dreamed they could. But most of all, come and have fun! ‎Happy reading.‎Ash.‎

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

‎Aren’t you ready yet, Pet? Raiah demanded as ‎she bounced into the little room.‎

‎Almost, Petiria said calmly as she placed a few ‎last things inside her pack and began to do up the ‎buckles. She looked at her friend. You seem ‎particularly chirpy today.‎

‎Well, why shouldn’t I be? We’re going home, ‎Pet. Home. Doesn’t that excite you?‎

‎Don’t you think you’re getting a bit ahead of ‎yourself, Raiah? It’ll be three or four months at least ‎before we make it back to Dawpenel.‎

‎But once we leave here, we’ll be on the way! ‎Don’t be such a wet blanket, Pet.‎

Petiria shook her head, but she had to laugh. ‎Raiah’s enthusiasm was infectious, and one of the ‎things she had come to love about the younger ‎woman.‎

‎I want to stop in and take a last look at the ‎woman I treated yesterday before we hit the road, ‎Petiria said as she turned back to her task. ‎

Raiah sighed.‎

‎It won’t take long, Pet assured her friend. But ‎it was a bad injury, and I want to be sure the local ‎healer remembers what I told her to do. There’s a ‎very good chance that the patient will walk almost as ‎well as before, but only if she’s treated the way I laid ‎out. If not, she could well be crippled for life. Isn’t it ‎worth an extra twenty minutes or so to make sure?‎

Raiah surrendered with a shrug of her shoulders. ‎‎In that case, I suppose I might as well check on my ‎kiddies one more time, as well.‎

‎How are they coming along? Pet asked casually ‎as she shouldered her pack and the two women made ‎their way downstairs. ‎

‎Very well. Those new healing spells are very ‎effective against this particular infection. Truth be ‎told, I probably don’t need to check on the children, ‎but I would like to make sure the healer has those ‎spells committed to memory. That infection seems to ‎be endemic in this area, so they’re going to be very ‎valuable.‎

‎Things have changed quite a bit since we got our ‎own goddess of healing, haven’t they? Pet said. ‎

‎Oh, yes. I especially like these new spells. ‎They’re very effective in most cases, and yet they’re ‎simple enough that even someone with no magical ‎training can learn them without too much difficulty. ‎They’re going to be real lifesavers, especially when ‎combined with the existing treatments. Kerelline’s ‎changing things, all right, and everyone’s going to ‎benefit.‎

They found the innkeeper, paid their bill, and ‎stepped out together into the warm autumn sunshine.‎

‎I don’t know that I’m really looking forward to ‎spending the winter travelling, Pet sighed, wrinkling ‎her nose. ‎

She lifted her face to the sun and drew a deep ‎breath. ‎

‎It’s been a good trip though, hasn’t it? I think ‎we’ve done some real good.‎

‎And learned a lot, Raiah said, her tone sober. I ‎hadn’t realized how different things are out here in ‎the real world.‎

‎No, it’s been a real eye-opener, all right. I can’t ‎wait to hear the screams when I publish my ‎dissertation.‎

‎Do you think they’ll take any notice? Raiah ‎asked. ‎

‎I’ll make them take notice, Petiria said grimly. ‎‎They’ve spent too long living in their ivory towers. ‎It’s about time someone rubbed their noses in real ‎life.‎

‎They won’t give you your Mastership if you ‎upset them, Raiah warned.‎

There was quite a long pause.‎

‎I’m not entirely sure I care about the Mastership ‎any longer, Pet said pensively. ‎

Raiah gave her friend a startled look.‎

‎Things need to change, Raiah, Petiria said. ‎‎We’ve seen that. The system as it stands is rotten. ‎While I agree in principle with the idea of having ‎centres of learning such as we have in Dawpenel, that ‎only works if the people we train then take that ‎learning back out into the world and use it to help ‎their own people. However, what we actually have is ‎a situation where people just stay in the teaching ‎institutions. They add qualification to qualification ‎and spend their time researching often quite trivial ‎matters that are no real use to anyone and maybe ‎taking a paying client now and then from among the ‎wealthy and the nobility. Either that, or they become ‎the personal physician of someone who can afford to ‎pay them handsomely, and their knowledge and  ‎talents are wasted on one or a few people.‎

‎We do have our careers and our own futures to ‎think about, Pet, Raiah said gently. ‎

‎I know, Pet sighed. "That’s the problem with ‎making a career of healing. You immediately have a ‎conflict of interests. On the one hand, you have to ‎make a living, and on the other, you owe it to people ‎to use your skills even if they can’t afford to pay you. ‎Unfortunately, too many of us fail to get the balance ‎right. In fact, too many of us, from what I’ve seen, go ‎into healing as a way to get rich, not because we want ‎to help people. So, we take up lucrative positions as ‎personal physicians to the rich. ‎

‎"Meanwhile, people out here in the real world are ‎largely left with healers who’ve never been formally ‎trained at all. And while they’re often very good at ‎what they do, and they know more than we do about ‎some things, there’s a lot they don’t know, for the ‎simple reason that they’ve never had the chance to ‎learn. As a consequence, their patients often don’t get ‎the care they need. Not to mention the fact that the ‎clients who are paying through the nose for so-called ‎expert help often aren’t getting what they need either ‎because we’ve become so complacent and self-‎satisfied that we don’t bother to look beyond our ‎own circle for knowledge. ‎

‎I mean, I’ve spent the last fifteen years in the ‎House of Healing in Tasivan, the greatest healing ‎centre in the world, and certainly the greatest ‎teaching centre, and I’d never even heard of any of ‎these Navan healing spells that we’ve been coming ‎across lately. I didn’t even know such things existed ‎until we came here to Nava. Some of them cover ‎areas that we struggle with, but did anyone think to ‎look at what was available out there? No, because we ‎think we’re the only ones who know anything. ‎

Pet looked around to find Raiah grinning at her. ‎

‎Sorry for the lecture, she said, blushing a little. ‎‎I get a bit passionate about it. But my point is that ‎it’s a corrupt system, and it needs to change. I can’t ‎help thinking that becoming a Master would simply ‎make me part of the problem rather than part of the ‎solution, which is what I’d rather be.‎

‎That’s true, I suppose, Raiah said thoughtfully. ‎‎But it would give you the chance to change things ‎from within.‎

Petiria turned her head to look along her shoulder ‎at her friend. ‎

‎Would that happen, though? she said soberly. ‎‎Or, would the system corrupt me before I could ‎change it? I surely can’t be the only one who ever ‎started out wanting to change things.‎

Raiah laughed. Somehow, I can’t imagine ‎anything corrupting you, Pet. Your ideals are too ‎strong. But then, she said in a sober voice, I ‎suppose that’s what others who tried thought, too.‎

‎And that’s precisely my point, Petiria said. ‎

‎Well, you’ve got several months to think about it ‎while we travel home, Raiah said. Surely, that ‎should be long enough.‎

Pet laughed. This is my turn-off. Do you want to ‎come, or will you go on to see the children?‎

‎I’ll go on, I think. Otherwise, we won’t get out ‎of town until sunset.‎

Pet laughed. Not quite that late, I think. It’s ‎barely three hours past dawn now.‎

Raiah waved a hand. You know what I mean. ‎Let’s meet up on the temple steps when we’re ‎finished.‎

Pet nodded and started down the alley.‎

Half an hour later she made her way back to the ‎main street again and turned towards the local temple ‎to find Raiah sitting on the steps in the sun waiting ‎for her.‎

‎Everything all right? Pet asked as she sat down ‎next to her friend.‎

‎The children are thriving, and the healer is word ‎perfect, Raiah reported happily. And she’s already ‎busy organising a meeting with other healers she ‎knows so she can pass those spells on. Plus, she ‎taught me a couple more Navan ones that might come ‎in useful. How about you?‎

‎The patient is doing better than I expected, and ‎the healer actually remembered the procedures I ‎taught her, Pet said. ‎

‎Brilliant results all around, Raiah said. It’s ‎been a good stop, this one. ‎

She looked out at the square, of which the temple ‎precinct formed one side, which was thronged with ‎the stalls and shops of the town’s market. ‎

‎Do we want to stop on our way out and buy a ‎few supplies?‎

‎We’d better, if we mean to eat tonight, Pet ‎said. ‎

‎How far to the next town? Raiah asked as the ‎two women began to walk in the direction of the first ‎stalls.‎

‎About a day and a half’s walk, apparently. ‎There’s a village about halfway, but it doesn’t have ‎an inn, just a tavern, so it’s out with the tent again, ‎I’m afraid.‎

‎No coach, I suppose?‎

‎No.‎

Raiah sighed. I wish we still had the horses! ‎she said for about the thousandth time.‎

It had been their first mistake. Well, no, that ‎probably wasn’t accurate. It was one of a long string ‎of mistakes and misconceptions, and it was difficult ‎to say which was actually the first. The two friends ‎had set out from the House of Healing in the Warinite ‎temple compound in Tasivan, Dawpenel, eight ‎months ago. ‎

Petiria had been looking for a research project as ‎the last stage in her progression to Master Healer. ‎After much thought, she had come up with the idea ‎of conducting a survey of the healing practices of the ‎provinces and how they related to those within the ‎Houses of Healing. She didn’t really know where the ‎idea came from, but the moment it popped into her ‎head, she knew it was exactly right. ‎

She decided to take a year, travel to Crinnan, ‎then across to Entroth, on to Nebreth and then Nava, ‎then through Falodirian and Harran and home to ‎Dawpenel. That, she thought, should give her a good ‎look at healing practices in several nations, and a fair ‎idea of how things stood out there in the hinterlands.‎

Raiah was a journeyman healer and a specialist in ‎the new healing spells that had arisen in the last few ‎years since Kerelline had arrived on the scene and ‎there’d been a proper goddess of healing for the first ‎time. There’d always been a handful of such spells, ‎but since the advent of Kerelline, it was an area that ‎had literally exploded. There seemed to be a new ‎spell every week, and it had quickly become a ‎specialist area since no one could possibly keep up ‎with them all unless they devoted all their time to it. ‎

Raiah had discovered an aptitude for magic and ‎had happily become a healing mage. She had also ‎been thinking about the hinterlands, in her case ‎because she thought they ought to share in the new ‎knowledge. So, when Petiria had mentioned her ‎intentions, Raiah had mentioned hers, and the two ‎friends had decided that it would be safer and far ‎more pleasant to travel together.‎

They’d set out in high spirits, but they’d been ‎hopelessly naïve, as they soon discovered. They’d ‎started out with a riding horse each plus one ‎packhorse, a small chest of gold, and the confident ‎expectation that they could make their way by selling ‎their services when that ran out. But they had been on ‎the road less than a fortnight before all three horses ‎and the chest of gold were stolen. ‎

Then,‎                                                                      ‎ they had found that the people who needed ‎their services often did so precisely because they had ‎no money to buy decent food or fuel for fires, let ‎alone pay a healer. The women were almost destitute ‎and with little hope of being able to improve their ‎situation any time in the near future. ‎

It had been very tempting to give the whole thing ‎away right there and slink back to Tasivan. But ‎Petiria had already given official notification of her ‎research subject, and once approved that could not be ‎changed. To pull out would be to fail in her bid for ‎Mastership. ‎

Raiah might have left her and gone back alone ‎except that she had volunteered to help disseminate ‎the new healing spells, and she believed strongly that ‎there was a need for them. Besides, Petiria was a ‎friend, and she couldn’t find it in herself to abandon ‎her.‎

So, when they’d cried it all out, the two friends ‎wiped their eyes, sat down, and took stock of their ‎situation. Fortunately, they still had their packs. In ‎those were their clothes and the tools of their trade, ‎such books as they had brought with them, and some ‎of the gold from the chest, which Petiria had taken ‎out for current expenses. Petiria still had her bow and ‎quiver full of arrows, and both women had knives ‎and cloaks. It wasn’t as bad as it might have been. ‎

They sold most of the books, which were too ‎heavy to carry anyway if they were walking and used ‎the money to buy a tent and a few necessary items ‎like pots and pans, water bottles and bedrolls, all of ‎which they were fortunate to be able to find second-‎hand. ‎

It had been a hard, painful lesson, but they had ‎come through it. As they shouldered their packs and ‎set off to walk to the next town, they discovered that ‎their shared adversity had brought about a new ‎closeness in their relationship. ‎

They had been friends for some years, but now ‎that friendship had matured into something closer to ‎sisterhood. And so, poorer but wiser, yet infinitely ‎richer, they set out together on what had become far ‎more of an adventure than they had envisioned when ‎they started. Now, several months on, they had made ‎it all the way to Nava. ‎

Few of their erstwhile colleagues would have ‎recognised them now. When they’d set out they had ‎been - not exactly soft and pampered, but certainly ‎life in the House of Healing had been secure and ‎fairly comfortable. They’d been well-housed and ‎well-fed, and the only walking they’d had to do was ‎about the temple compound where the House of ‎Healing was situated, or about the city of Tasivan. ‎

Now, they were leaner, fitter and also tougher ‎than they’d ever been before. Their healers’ robes had ‎long ago been exchanged for good, tough travelling ‎kit of trousers and tunics, and their shoes for good ‎strong boots that could last the distance. In fact, of ‎the clothing they’d set out with, only their cloaks ‎remained the same. ‎

Each woman also now wore a sword strapped to ‎her hip, and what was more, they knew how to use ‎them. Though Petiria still always felt a little strange ‎every time she belted on her sword, she had also ‎learned that out here in the wide world it was a ‎necessity. High ideals about healing injuries not ‎inflicting them were all fine and good in theory. ‎

But this wasn’t theory. This was real life, and if ‎they wanted to travel the often-lawless roads and still ‎go on living, they had to be able - and willing - to ‎protect themselves. They had learned that the world ‎was a lot tougher, nastier, and more dangerous than ‎they had ever imagined, but they had also learned ‎that they could survive there. ‎

They had learned, for instance, that wherever ‎they went there was almost always some wealthy ‎person suffering from gout or digestive upsets or any ‎number of other ailments that they would pay ‎handsomely to have relief from. A few of those ‎patients in each place paid the bills and allowed them ‎to continue with their other, more important, work. In ‎fact, since that disastrous start to their journey, they ‎had learned to get along fairly well. ‎

Often, they had enough money to take a coach to ‎wherever they were going, and usually, they could ‎afford to stay at an inn, although their trusty tent was ‎always there if they needed it. Life was harder and ‎dirtier, and a whole lot less secure, yet for all that ‎Petiria had never enjoyed it so much, felt so alive. ‎

She’d found something out here on the roads of ‎the world, something she’d been lacking. She wasn’t ‎even sure what it was; confidence, perhaps; self-‎belief; a purpose; all of the above? She wasn’t sure, ‎but whatever it was, she knew she was no longer the ‎person who had ridden out of Tasivan all those ‎months ago. ‎

Yet it was a change she could not regret, for she ‎was more herself now than she’d ever been before in ‎her entire forty-one years of life. She felt that she was ‎finally coming to know the real Petiria, and she ‎wasn’t the person she’d always thought herself to be.

In some ways that was a frightening thing to ‎contemplate, yet the fear was tempered with wonder ‎and with joy. She spent the time when they were ‎travelling coming to know this new Petiria, and she ‎discovered she liked her very much; much better than ‎she’d liked the old one if she was completely honest ‎with herself.‎

CHAPTER TWO

Kerelline, goddess of healing, was sitting at the ‎table in her mother Warin’s kitchen. She supposed she ‎should really get around to creating her own heaven, ‎but for now, she was happy to use her mother’s place. ‎Everybody did, and it wasn’t just because Warin was ‎head of the pantheon. Somehow, her heaven had a ‎special atmosphere, an aura of serenity and repose ‎that none of the other gods had been able to match, ‎even though Kerelline knew some, at least, of them ‎had tried quite hard. ‎

Since Warin had become head of the pantheon ‎and it had become necessary for the other gods to ‎pop in from time to time to consult with her about ‎various matters, everyone had got to know about it, ‎and her world had become a favourite haunt. It ‎wasn’t at all unusual, when walking in Warin’s world, ‎to come across other gods, either alone or in ‎company, walking in the woods and gardens or ‎picnicking by the lake. ‎

Warin didn’t seem to mind. It was, after all, ‎rather a compliment to have the other gods so ‎appreciate the beauty and tranquillity of her world. ‎And although it seemed cosy and intimate, it was, in ‎fact, infinite, so there was always a lonely spot if one ‎wanted to get away. About the only drawback with ‎it, from the point of view of the other gods, was the ‎animals. ‎

Warin had peopled her world with representatives ‎of every species of animal, bird, and insect. She loved ‎them dearly, and they adored her. She often spent ‎time with them, petting them and handing out treats ‎so, if they spotted a god, the creatures expected treats ‎and caresses. They could be most insistent. ‎

In fact, they could be downright annoying. But it ‎was, after all, Warin’s world, and if they wanted to ‎share it then the other gods just had to put up with ‎her friends. Most had learned to come armed with a ‎few treats to cover any encounters. They seemed to ‎think it worth it to enjoy the place. ‎

Certainly, it hadn’t stopped Warin’s world ‎becoming the playground of the gods. Kerelline ‎laughed aloud at that image, even as she realized that ‎it was exactly right. The gods came here to relax and ‎unwind and enjoy themselves. What else would you ‎call it? ‎

Kerelline loved her mother’s world too, but her ‎favourite place was the kitchen where she now sat. ‎There was something unspeakably homely and ‎comforting about it, with its big solid table, ‎comfortable chairs, enormous fireplace and light, airy ‎interior. ‎

It was the place that most visitors either began or ‎ended their visits in. So much so, that it had become ‎the first port of call if you were looking for one of the ‎other gods. Warin sometimes complained that her ‎home wasn’t her own any more, and yet Kerelline ‎rather thought that, on one level at least, her mother ‎wasn’t quite as upset about it as she claimed to be. ‎

Warin had been sidelined for a very long time, ‎largely thanks to the machinations of Elithim, ‎goddess of the moon. Being at the centre of things ‎was a novel experience for her, and one that Kerelline ‎suspected she secretly enjoyed, even if it was a bit ‎inconvenient at times.‎

Right now, that big solid kitchen table wasn’t ‎quite as solid as usual, for the top of it had become ‎transparent and formed a window on the world ‎below. Kerelline was sitting there, sipping wine and ‎nibbling sweetmeats as she watched the scene below, ‎when Cazovania wandered into the kitchen.‎

‎Good morning, Grandmother, Kerelline said, ‎looking around.‎

‎Good morning, Kerelline. Are those some of ‎your healers? Cazovania asked, peering over ‎Kerelline’s shoulder at the scene below.‎

‎Yes.‎

‎They don’t look much like healers any more, do ‎they?‎

‎On the contrary, Grandmother, Kerelline said ‎firmly. They look like people on a mission, and that’s ‎exactly what I want my healers to be. She sighed. ‎‎It’s difficult because Mother ran things a different ‎way when she was in charge of healing, of course. ‎She used luck and destiny, so she didn’t really need ‎competent, dedicated healers or especially effective ‎procedures. I do. I need to shake things up, create a ‎bit of a revolution. People like Petiria and Raiah are ‎the beginnings of that. They and a dozen or so others ‎are getting out there, seeing what needs to be done, ‎and then they’re going to go home and start making ‎things happen.‎

‎You sound quite sure about that.‎

Kerelline pulled a face. I’m cheating just a tiny ‎bit, I admit. Not very much, just a nudge here and ‎there; a thought, an idea, a subtle change in attitude, ‎that sort of thing. Otherwise, it could take a ‎generation or even more to make the changes that are ‎needed, and people are sick and in need of help now. ‎They don’t have that long to wait.‎

‎Well, Cazovania said a trifle doubtfully, as ‎long as you’re not doing more than that, I suppose.‎

‎I’m being careful, Grandmother. I know what’s ‎at stake. But I’ve been down there, don’t forget, and ‎had a look, and these changes are necessary and ‎urgent. I’m not Mother. I can’t make the luck fall ‎someone’s way, so I need another way to get things ‎done. And I can’t leave people without proper care ‎while I organise that. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I ‎did that.‎

‎You have got a bit of a quandary on your hands, ‎haven’t you? I wonder if it was such a good idea for ‎Warin to hand everything over to you just like that. A ‎transition period might have been better.‎

‎Perhaps, but it’s a bit late now. Besides, ‎Kerelline grinned, this is a challenge. I’m having a ‎heap of fun, and I’m learning a lot.‎

Cazovania smiled at her granddaughter’s ‎enthusiasm. Kerelline was an ideal goddess of ‎healing, Cazovania thought. She really cared, and that ‎was what ill people needed. Of course, she still ‎needed to grow up a bit, but you couldn’t have ‎everything. No doubt that would come with time.‎

‎‎**********‎‎‎

Petiria and Raiah had bought their supplies and ‎headed out of town towards their next destination. It ‎was a good day for walking. The road wasn’t too ‎badly rutted, and the morning mist was beginning to ‎burn off, revealing a day that promised to be fine and ‎warm without being too hot. The two women strode ‎out side by side, each satisfied with what she had ‎achieved in the town they had just left and looking ‎forward to whatever challenges awaited them up ‎ahead. ‎

‎I don’t believe I’ll ever get used to that, Raiah ‎said suddenly, breaking a silence that had lasted ‎several minutes.‎

‎What? Petiria asked, jerked out of her own ‎deep thoughts.‎

‎That. Those ruins, Raiah said, waving a hand ‎towards some ruins that humped against the horizon a ‎little way off to the left, their feet still wreathed in ‎mist. I’ve never seen anything like it. They’re all so ‎intact you almost expect the old owners to come ‎walking up and move back in.‎

‎I don’t think they’re quite that intact, Pet said, ‎smiling at Raiah’s exaggeration. But I know what ‎you mean. Apparently, the Navans are superstitious ‎about the ruins. They think they’re haunted, so they ‎won’t go near them. That’s why they’re so ‎substantial, I expect. No one’s raided them for ‎building stone the way they have in other countries.‎

‎It’s a strange country, Nava, Raiah said, ‎looking about her. Every time you turn a corner, ‎there’s a ruin. It’s kind of spooky in a way, especially ‎given the fact that it’s such a misty country too. That ‎definitely adds to the eeriness. I’m not surprised that ‎people think they’re haunted. The whole country feels ‎kind of haunted, as though the past is right there, just ‎out of sight, and if you step off the path you might ‎end up anywhere. Or anywhen.‎

Petiria laughed. What nonsense you do talk! ‎She looked along her shoulder at her friend. Just ‎how desperate are you to get out of Nava and start ‎for home, Raiah?‎

‎What a peculiar question. Why do you ask?‎

‎I was just thinking. I know we hadn’t planned ‎to go too far into Nava, but that was before we ‎discovered how many healing spells they have that ‎could be valuable to us as well. The main Cazovanian ‎temple is at Ia. That’s where the real experts will be, ‎and it’s not too far from where we are now. If we ‎were to take an extra week or ten days and go there, ‎it might be well worth our while.‎

Raiah looked out at the surrounding countryside ‎in silence for several long moments. Petiria, stealing a ‎look at her, could see in her face that the longing to ‎be on the way home was warring with her curiosity ‎about Navan healing spells. She waited quietly. It ‎would have to be Raiah’s decision. After all, as a ‎healing mage, spells were much more in her line that ‎in Petiria’s. Pet was more interested in surgical ‎procedures and the treatment and rehabilitation of ‎wounds. Finally, Raiah heaved a great sigh.‎

‎I was so looking forward to starting for home! ‎Trust you to have an idea and mess things up!‎

Pet laughed.‎

‎I suppose we should take a closer look at Navan ‎healing traditions, Raiah said thoughtfully. It’s a ‎whole unknown system, and if we can add some of ‎their spells to our own collection, it can only help to ‎advance the state of medical knowledge. Magical ‎knowledge, anyway.‎

‎That’s what I thought. You could make a real ‎name for yourself if you take knowledge of a whole ‎new system of magic home with you.‎

Raiah looked startled. Do you really think so?‎

‎Well, of course I think so! It’s a whole new ‎system, Raiah. You just said so yourself. A hitherto ‎unknown collection of healing spells. The person who ‎brings that home is going to go down in history.‎

‎You’re here too, in case you haven’t noticed.‎

‎But I’m not a mage. You are. It’s your area of ‎expertise, and therefore it’ll be your discovery. You’ll ‎be famous, Raiah. There might even be a Mastership ‎in it for you. You could become the first Master ‎Mage.‎

‎You don’t have to lay it on quite so thick, Pet. ‎I’ll come with you to Ia.‎

‎I’m not so sure it is laying it on thick, you ‎know, Pet said pensively. After all, it’s going to be ‎something pretty special. She grinned suddenly. ‎‎Just think what a riot it’s going to cause. I hate to ‎say it, but some of your fellow mages are just a little ‎bit impressed with themselves. They’re not going to ‎be pleased when they find out there’s another system ‎of healing magic out there that they don’t control.‎

‎They don’t control the system we have now! ‎Raiah said indignantly. Kerelline does. We just use ‎it.‎

‎But they like to think they control it. In fact, ‎they like to think they own it. This will drive them ‎absolutely wild. You’ll probably be able to hear the ‎screams in Ia.‎

Raiah looked at Pet, and the two women grinned ‎at each other.‎

‎What makes you so sure that we’ll learn more in ‎Ia? Raiah asked then. I mean, you’re talking about ‎it being the main temple complex, but the people ‎we’ve learned these spells from so far haven’t been ‎priests, have they? They’re just ordinary healers.‎

‎But didn’t you hear that healer in Pulan say that ‎they learn their spells from the temple? Pet asked.‎

‎So she did. I’d forgotten. All right then, how do ‎we get there? Raiah asked.‎

‎I think if we turn west when we leave the town ‎we’re headed to, we’ll be on the right road, Pet said. ‎‎I’ll check the map when we stop. ‎

‎‎‎‎**********‎‎‎‎‎

‎That’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you ‎about, Grandmother, Kerelline said as the two ‎goddesses sat over a cup of wine and a plate of ‎sweetmeats watching the two healers. ‎

‎Mm? Cazovania said absently, busy picking ‎through the sweetmeats to find her favourites.‎

‎How did your people get such a big store of ‎healing spells? No one else does. You’ve never had ‎healing as your responsibility, have you?‎

‎Actually, yes, Cazovania said, finally making ‎her selection and popping it into her mouth. The ‎spells come from before everyone else came to this ‎world, when I was the only one here. I had to do ‎everything then, of course. Once upon a time, ‎everyone used them, but now only my priesthood ‎have preserved them. She swallowed her mouthful ‎and sipped from her goblet. I’m quite pleased your ‎healers are rediscovering them, actually. It’ll be good ‎to see them used more widely again.‎

‎Why don’t we talk about that? Kerelline said, ‎helping herself to a sweetmeat. I’ve been madly ‎creating spells to cover the gaps in healing ‎knowledge. It looks as though you might be able to ‎save me some work. ‎

She reached for the wine jug and refilled her ‎grandmother’s goblet.‎

‎All right, Cazovania agreed placidly, creating a ‎plate on which resided two fat golden peaches. ‎‎Have a peach and let’s discuss it. Where’s your ‎Mother, by the way?‎

‎She’s off to the Southern Ocean with Father. He ‎wanted her advice about something or other. I wasn’t ‎really listening. I imagine she’ll be back sometime ‎fairly soon. Now, about those healing spells... ‎

‎‎‎‎**********‎‎‎‎‎

‎I wonder if we’re wasting our time, Raiah ‎fretted as she and Pet headed out of town on the ‎road to Ia a few days later. ‎

They’d been able to take a coach this time. It was ‎a peculiar vehicle found only in Nava, with the usual ‎enclosed carriage, but also with open-air seating on ‎the roof. The day being fine and warm, Pet and Raiah ‎had chosen to sit up there where they could see the ‎countryside, rather than be shut up in the carriage ‎with their fellow passengers.‎

‎What are you talking about?‎

‎Going to Ia. What if we get there and they don’t ‎want to share their knowledge? People do get ‎possessive about that sort of thing, especially priests, ‎I’ve noticed.‎

‎Then we’ll have had a nice ride and got to see ‎the capital. It’s supposed to be a beautiful city. Don’t ‎be so negative, Raiah. It’s worth a try. I mean, if we ‎can learn as much as we have just from village ‎healers, imagine what the real experts might know. ‎And that’s quite apart from what we can teach them. ‎We came to teach as well as to learn, remember, and a ‎big city is a good place to start new knowledge ‎circulating.‎

‎I suppose so.‎

‎Goodness, you have got it bad. Pet gave the ‎younger woman a searching look. You’re really ‎dying to start for home, aren’t you?‎

‎Yes, I am, Raiah sighed. We’ve been away ‎from home so long, Pet. I’m starting to get a bit ‎homesick. Besides, it’s autumn already. I know the ‎weather hasn’t really turned yet, but the good ‎weather can’t last too much longer, and travel’s going ‎to get more difficult once it breaks. We need to get ‎started.‎

‎Yes, I know. But I still think it’s worthwhile ‎taking the time to make this detour. I really do. The ‎Cazovanians are very keen to be understood by the ‎rest of the world. I think you’ll find they jump at the ‎chance to share their medical knowledge. Trust me. ‎We could learn a very great deal, and we may never ‎have the opportunity to visit Nava again. Surely, it ‎makes sense to do this while we’re here.‎

‎‎‎‎**********‎‎‎‎‎

‎Good, that’s them on their way, Kerelline said ‎as she sat back from where she had been leaning over ‎the window. Thanks for this, Grandmother. She ‎looked at Cazovania. Do you think it would be all ‎right if I tampered just a little bit more?‎

‎In what way? Cazovania asked, looking rather ‎doubtful.‎

‎Well, from what you’ve just told me there’s an ‎awful lot for my ladies to learn. I thought I might ‎improve their memories just a bit and give Pet just a ‎smidgen more magical aptitude. That way they can ‎learn more and retain what they learn until they get ‎home.‎

Cazovania mulled that over for a long moment. I ‎don’t see any harm in it, she said finally. Just so ‎long as it’s not too much.‎

‎It won’t be. Their memories are pretty good ‎now. I just want a bit of extra insurance, so we don’t ‎have to do this all over again in a year or two. As for ‎Pet’s aptitude for magic, she’s almost there already ‎although she doesn’t realise it. I just have to give her ‎a tiny boost to raise her to the same level as Raiah. ‎She leaned over the window again. There.‎

‎Oh, hello, a new voice said from the doorway. ‎‎What are you two up to?‎

‎Hello, Mother, Kerelline said, glancing up. ‎‎Grandmother and I were just doing a little plotting.‎

‎Oh, yes? Warin said, sitting down, conjuring up ‎a cup of tea and a plate of cakes, and observing her ‎two relatives over the lip of her cup as she sipped. ‎‎That sounds rather ominous. Am I allowed to know ‎what you’re up to? ‎

She glanced at the window, and her eyes ‎widened as a look of surprise flitted across her face.‎

‎Did you know that Grandmother’s priests have a ‎whole library of healing spells that she gave them ‎before any of the rest of you came here?‎

‎Um, yes. I’d forgotten about them until you ‎mentioned them, but I did know she had them.‎

‎I’ve been madly creating spells for my healers, ‎but it turns out that Grandmother’s already done a lot ‎of the work for me. Kerelline waved a hand at the ‎window. She’s agreed to let me use them, so we’ve ‎just been arranging for a couple of my healers to ‎travel to Ia and study them.‎

‎Ah, so that’s why those two are already on the ‎way. I did wonder. I was quite surprised when I ‎walked in and saw that. Warin indicated the scene in ‎the window. As a matter of fact, I came home ‎specifically to set them on their way. It’s a bit of a ‎bonus that they’re halfway there already.‎

‎You what? Kerelline said in a hard voice.‎

Her mother blinked at her, preoccupied with her ‎own thoughts and a little startled by her daughter’s ‎reaction. ‎

‎What’s the matter with you? ‎

She threw a look of enquiry at Cazovania, who ‎was watching the confrontation with every evidence ‎of enjoyment. Cazovania shrugged her ‎incomprehension.‎

‎You were coming back to interfere with my ‎healers? Kerelline demanded.‎

Warin stared at her. No, Kerelline, she said in a ‎deliberate voice. I was coming back to set two ‎people on course with the destiny that I’ve plotted ‎for them.‎

‎They’re my people! Kerelline almost screamed, ‎leaping to her feet. You have no right to interfere ‎with my people! ‎

She drew her arm back and slapped her mother’s ‎face.‎

CHAPTER THREE

Warin recoiled, and tears born as much of shock ‎as of pain blurred her vision as she tried to mop up ‎her spilt tea.‎

‎All right, young lady, that’s quite enough of that ‎sort of behaviour! Cazovania said in a voice that ‎cracked like a whip.‎

‎But she’s interfering with my people! Kerelline ‎objected.‎

‎I don’t care if she’s planning to have your ‎people for dinner, you silly girl! Cazovania said. ‎‎You do not behave like that towards your mother. ‎But as it happens, you’re quite wrong. Now sit there, ‎keep your hands to yourself, and listen!‎

Kerelline glared at her grandmother sulkily, but ‎she did sit as ordered.‎

‎All right, Cazovania said, conjuring the usual ‎wine, peaches and sweetmeats, and settling herself ‎comfortably in her chair. Have a peach.‎

Kerelline shook her head sulkily.‎

Cazovania shrugged. Suit yourself. ‎

She picked out the fattest one and began to peel ‎it with a small silver knife, working in silence for a ‎few moments and apparently ignoring her ‎granddaughter. ‎

‎So the crux of this argument is that you don’t ‎think anyone else should have any influence over ‎your people, is that it? she asked without looking up.‎

‎Yes, Kerelline said defiantly.‎

Cazovania peeled a bit more peach. ‎

‎I assume that you want some at least of your ‎people to have children? she asked casually.‎

Kerelline blinked and stared. ‎

‎Of course I do!‎

‎How are you going to manage it? ‎

Cazovania’s tone was conversational and she ‎sounded only mildly curious.‎

Kerelline blinked again, looking totally confused. ‎

‎What?‎

‎You’re the goddess of healing, Kerelline. I’m ‎the goddess of fertility, so if you don’t want me to ‎‎‘interfere’ with your people, how are they going to ‎manage to have children?‎

Kerelline gaped at her.‎

‎We all have our areas of responsibility, ‎Kerelline, Cazovania went on, still concentrating on ‎her peach, which she was now coring and slicing. ‎‎And they cover all people, not just our own. I don’t ‎imagine that you aim to heal only those people who ‎exclusively worship you, any more than I provide ‎fertility only for my own people, or your mother sets ‎destiny only for hers. Atrios doesn’t provide sunlight ‎only for his worshippers, and so on. ‎

She speared a slice of peach with her knife and ‎transferred it to her mouth before glancing up at her ‎granddaughter. ‎

‎I’m rather disappointed really. You’re making ‎the exact same mistake that Elithim is. I thought you ‎were better than that.‎

Kerelline blushed and didn’t seem to know where ‎to look. ‎

‎You did it, she accused.‎

‎Yes, I did it. How do you think I know it’s a ‎mistake? Cazovania said. You’re trying to do ‎everything, not just those things that you’re suited to, ‎but also those you don’t handle well, and if you get it ‎wrong the consequences are catastrophic. People and ‎animals die, crops fail, the seasons get out of kilter, ‎it’s a nightmare. And then you’ve got to fix it before ‎there’s nothing left to worship you. And while you’re ‎busy with that, other things get neglected, and then ‎you have to turn around and fix those. If you’re not ‎very careful you end up in an endless cycle of ‎catching up, and you can’t make any real progress. ‎There’s no one to ask for advice, no one to hand part ‎of the load to. ‎

She gave her granddaughter a very direct and ‎serious look. ‎

‎"I’ve never told anyone else this, but there was a ‎part of me that was immensely relieved when the ‎other gods came to this world and I was no longer ‎required to do it all alone. It took me a long time to ‎realise that that part existed, and even longer to admit ‎it, but