Chapter 2

• Shaelan stood with her arms crossed, looking out the large bay window. From this viewpoint atop the ridge, she could see down into the whole village. This view alone should make the position of the village healer a coveted job. With the scenery and quiet space, who wouldn’t want this?
• The job wasn’t popular though, then again to live in this house and hold that position, you had to start training and learning early in life. From around eight years old, the lessons started. With the remote location of the settlement, you had to learn every plant, animal, and mineral, on the mountain then utilize all you could. Accessing modern medicines was virtually impossible. They had some brought up in the regular supply runs, but those took a week, sometimes two, depending on the season. Knowing how to deal with any situation using what was at hand was of the utmost importance.
• Shaelan had known this was for her, even when she was a child. While her friends were playing hide and seek, she was studying the plants on the ground. It felt like a calling, even then. She’d gone against her father’s wishes and climbed the hill to the medicine woman’s home and knocked on the door to ask for training. Since then, she hadn’t thought of anything but healing.
• Her mother supported her, when not in sight of her father. Honestly, Shae could never recall any tender moments with the man. He looked at her with… disappointment? Loathing? Something, she wasn’t sure what, she always saw it in his eyes. Billie, her best friend, said it was because Shae wasn’t a boy. So, essentially it was nothing that was her fault.
• Turning back to the window, she watched—what was his name again? Morris… she watched him come up the path to get Nona-Eve, their healer, medicine woman and Shaelan’s mentor. He was one of the guards at their prison. A place Shae had never been, but knew when she took over it would be on her list of responsibilities. Something she was both looking forward to and dreading at the same time. Nona-Eve was, she had no idea how old, but when she retired, Shae would be the medicine woman in the village.
• You weren’t just the healer of the people, but all of nature as well. Helping the animals in the area also helped the environment the people needed to live in. Shae took her responsibilities very seriously. She planned on being the best medicine woman in the history of the village.
• It had taken her a year to persuade the village council and her father, the head of it, to let her go off the mountain and attend one of the schools there. That had never been done before. Very few left this village for the ‘outside’ world. She’d been so shocked when they had finally agreed to let her go, she hadn’t even paused to find out where they were sending her.
• Once settled into a small house, in a town not much bigger than the village, she was then transported to and from the campus. The couple she stayed with were quiet and kept to themselves. In the two years she was there, she could probably count the conversations she had with them on both hands and have fingers left over. A man, she still knew nothing about, lived over their garage and took her to school each day. It wasn’t what Shae had intended when she got down off the mountain for schooling, but she took advantage of the two years without her father’s cold or indifferent glances.
• In that time, she’d taken as many courses as she could that might help her to be a better healer, as many as her brain and body could cope with. Sucking up the knowledge while she had the chance. She wanted to help her people and change things. Nothing drastic, just enough to make their lives easier. She’d taken courses on plants and medicines, but also on agriculture to help their crops and maybe bring a few new methods and techniques to help her people thrive.
• She also used the time to soak up as much as she could about life outside the village, finding any and every excuse possible for her escort to take her to malls, libraries, and other public gathering places. Within reason of course. She couldn’t justify needing to go to a club or party, not that she was sure she would have, but anywhere else she could manage to finagle she did. Once she came home and took over as the healer, she knew that’s where she’d be until the day her last breath left her body.
• Society off the mountain had been so different, and at times, absolutely terrifying. The horrible things people did to each other almost had Shaelan coming home early more than once. It may have been one of the first confirmations that she’d had that proved the life of the village, in such segregation from the rest of the population, was a good thing.
• The knock on the door had her heaving out a long sigh before turning to go open it. She pulled the door open and gave Morris a brief empty smile.
• “Is Nona-Eve available?”
• Stepping back and motioning for him to enter, she nodded. “I’ll go get her.”
• Going quickly to Nona’s bedroom, she opened the door and peeked in. Nona sat on the chair by her window. “Oh. I wasn’t sure if you were still sleeping.”
• “Heh, I could only wish for such things, child. I’m awake with the dawn each day whether my body is rested or not.” She got up slowly and straightened with care. “The curse of this life, dawn is the only quiet moment you can ever find, so you learn to take advantage of it.” She motioned to the door. “Who’s out there?”
• “Morris?” She still wasn’t sure of his name. “One of the guards.”
• “Tall and gangly-looking one with a twitchy eye?” Nona cringed one eye to exaggerate what she said.
• Shae grinned, “Yes, that’s him.”
• “Morris,” Nona said solemnly and walked by her. “You should come with me. Grab my bag and make sure there’s disinfectant and bandages in it.”
• Shae nodded and went to grab it. Checking the bag, she made sure it was well stocked, then rushed out to the waiting area.
• “She has to find out someday, unless you all plan for her to do this job blindfolded.” Nona told the guard with a clipped tone as she struggled to put her jacket on.
• Morris gave Shaelan a skeptical glance and then looked back to Nona. “You’re sure I don’t need to check with…”
• Nona paused in what she was doing and waved in an annoyed way toward the door. “Yes. Go.”