We smell the roasting meat before we see the bonfire. A shout greets my arrival, and people crowd around me. My neighbor, whose belly swells large with her first child, embraces me and tells me she wants me to be present at her baby’s birth. Others follow in quick succession, taking my hand, offering their well-wishes. And then I see my mother and father waiting by the bonfire.

My mother’s face breaks into a smile when I reach her. She pulls me close and rubs my back as if to assure herself that I am in one piece. “You passed your trial.”

My father, his face lined by years on the crop terraces, clasps my shoulders. “My daughter, a full healer at seventeen. The Goddess smiles on our family.”

The ceremony itself is short. Head Healer Doron calls me forward and reads vows for me to repeat, the very ones that the Goddess gave to the first healer. I will use this sacred knowledge to heal and not to harm. I will brave the jaws of death to save those the Goddess has chosen. Then, with the village watching, my master Kaylah ties the sash around my waist.

The feast starts in earnest after that. Wine is poured, and after everyone has had their fill, some village boys pull out tambourines and pipes, and the dancing starts. I’d been worried about Amparan soldiers intruding on the festivities, but surprisingly few of them show up. It’s curious, since they must be able to smell the venison roasting, but I count it a blessing.

Much later that evening, I’m sitting at the edge of the festivities when Kaylah comes to join me. “Is the day catching up to you?” she asks.

Indeed, my limbs ache as I move over on the bench to make room for her. Kaylah sweeps her heavy black hair over her shoulder as she sits down.

“If I’d only been bitten by one creature this morning,” I say, “perhaps I’d still be dancing.”

Her eyes crinkle in her round face. “I’ve spoken to Doron and Zad. You’ll take over the care of my younger patients until you become more accustomed to managing things on your own.”

Doron and Zad will probably travel back to their own homes tomorrow. Though we call Dara a village, it’s actually a series of clusters up and down the valley. Doron, Zad, and their apprentices live a day’s travel away in different directions.