Shaking, I followed the man out. The infirmary, where Teraj carried out his surgery, was a small building at the far end of the plain. It was bare, except for a long narrow wooden table, with a smaller table beside it. The floor, roof and walls were all wood, and scrubbed. The woman was lying on the narrow table, naked but for blankets, and two women were washing her. There was firestone dust and blood everywhere, and I saw that all her abdomen was torn open, her insides exposed. Even the washing was torture, and she moaned and sobbed and begged the women to stop. I turned away, my hand across my mouth.

“Wash your hands, Elsha,” said Teraj. “There is a bowl of water just outside, and soap.” He was wearing a white apron that covered all his clothes, and was spreading out his instruments on the smaller table, on top of a clean cloth. I didn’t move, and he looked at me and frowned. There were four men in the room waiting to help him, and they all looked at me, appraisingly. I felt faint.

“I need your help,” said Teraj quietly. “You have some healing ability, I think. It’s needed. Don’t fail me. Or her.”

I went out and washed my hands, watched by the Quelled men who had brought her. I could hear one of them lamenting, and guessed it was her husband. I wished I could encourage him, but my own limbs shook with terror, and my stomach churned. I went back into the infirmary and saw that Teraj was giving the woman some kind of drug to drink. She vomited, and cried with pain. The two women left, and the four men moved closer to restrain her.

“Hold her head, Elsha,” said Teraj. “Be strong. She must not move. And for God’s sake, distract her. Talk to her.” He bent over the other table, and picked something up.

The woman groaned and whimpered, and I stood near her head, and stroked her hair. I could not bear to watch Teraj. Never had I felt so outraged, so powerless. One of the men stood opposite me, both his arms clamped hard across the woman’s chest. “Hold her shoulders, her head,” he said, looking at me. “Hard.”

I put my hands on her shoulders, and pressed gently. She looked at me, pleading, terrified. I dug my fingers into her flesh, and we both waited. Suddenly she threw herself upwards, screaming.

“Hold her, Elsha!” shouted Teraj.