“How come you got all these people comin’ t’ ye for yarbs, when they kin—y’ know—just Heal.” That was what was baffling him. There was no reason, so far as he could see, for anyone to be messing about with leaves when all they needed to do was put their hands on someone and will them better.

“Well,” Bear said slowly. “There’s folks as don’t want a Healer muckin’ about with ’em like that. “I know it don’t make sense, but that’s how they feel and they feel pretty strong. Then there’s stuff that don’t respond real good to that kind of Healing. Herbs and medicines actually work better and faster. And sometimes, you just gotta have both. Which is a good thing.” He shrugged, with a rueful grin. “See, my whole family is Healers. Every one of them. They all have the Gift but me, and I wanted to be a Healer bad, so I started learning this stuff. Big thing I can learn here, besides cures I didn’t have the books for at home, is cuttin’ and stitchin’ and bonesettin’. You got to have those even if you got a Gift. And if you don’t—you can still do stuff someone with a Gift can’t. You know?”

Mags didn’t, but he was willing to take Bear’s word for it.

Despite the interruptions, they got some good study in. Bear kept them all going with kettles of herb teas with subtle flavors, and when he finally bid them good night, he gave them a final cup of something that tasted like nothing so much as summer.

“You get into bed soon, now, ’cause that’ll put you to sleep right fast,” he advised with a smile, as they went out into the still-falling snow.

The falling snow reflected all the light from all the buildings around them, so that the air itself seemed to glow faintly. As they trudged through the new-fallen stuff, Mags scratched his head. “How’d you an’ him—” he began.

“He was looking for a tutor, and they recommended me,” she said modestly. “But then we realized we have a lot in common.”

“Uh . . . you do?” Mags couldn’t imagine how.

“Of course.” Lena sighed. “People expect really big things from both of us.”

“Oh,” he replied, feeling stunned that he had not realized this. Of course. He already knew how she felt about those expectations. Sometimes he found her almost sick with anxiety over it.

It was at that moment that he realized how much she must envy him. Not just having a Companion; she would love that, of course. But because no one expected anything of him. For that matter, they appeared surprised when he actually accomplished something.

Poor Lena. He couldn’t imagine how it must be to be her, with everyone watching her all the time. And by extension—poor Bear.