Disclaimer- Sorry forgot to put one on the last chapter; I own none of the characters/places created by Tamora Pierce.

Chapter 2 - A Gift from the Goddess

Merella trod carefully through the undergrowth of the forest floor until she reached the path to Corus. She was running dangerously low on money and needed a job-any job would do. She walked down the dusty path until sunset, and then she found a small clearing and got out her bedroll from her bag. She laid it on the ground and went straight to sleep.

She woke up abruptly in the middle of the night. She looked bleary around her and tried to go back to sleep, but no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't get her eyes to close and stay closed. She rolled up her bedroll and ate some spiced bread and water from her canteen. All the trees and bushes were shrouded in darkness and Merella used her Gift to light a small fire. She stared into the dancing flames and was entranced, suddenly she felt like everyone was calling for her help at the same time but she couldn't block out their screaming voices. She felt as if days, weeks and months passed within seconds. Then the fire in her head stopped and she was back in the clearing, staring at glowing embers. She shook her head and rubbed her sore eyes. What was the matter with her?

She glanced at the beautiful light blue sky and wispy clouds. She heard running water and took a well-needed bath in a small river with a gentle current. She was just getting her breeches on as her head began to spin and she was on a cliff's edge her hands glowing white and the sea breeze making her eyes run. She heard voices behind her and turned around. Then the vision was gone and Merella was sprawled out on the grass. She sat up and vomited. She shakily stood up and fell over again. She couldn't focus on anything, even standing up so just lay there tears falling down her face.

She opened her eyes to white light all around her and a silhouette of a tall women kneeling down to her. The woman picked up her hands and held them together with hers. Merella tried to speak but the woman shook her head and said something, which made her fall into a dreamless sleep. Merella sat bolt upright and saw it was dusk. The last couple of days had been one big blur. She remembered strange visions and a tall woman bathed in white light. She must be losing her mind she thought as she got to her feet. Then she felt the strangest sensation in her hands. They were faintly glowing white and her sore, gnawed fingernails had changed into beautiful long pale pink ones. She gasped and ran back to the clearing where her stuff was stashed and saw the same woman as before kneeling by a fire and smiling up to her.

'Sit down, my daughter' her voice was like a choir of angels. Merella had to obey and sat opposite the woman. 'As you can probably tell you have changed.' Merella nodded not ready to speak. 'It is my gift to you, my daughter to help you on your journeys.'

'Why me?' she whispered.

The woman smiled, 'your life is a very colourful thread in this tapestry of life and I want to help you as much as I can.' 'But why?'

'Your entire life has been a struggle, my daughter, and it's not going to get better any time soon.'

'What do you mean?'

'I cannot say, that is for you to find out.'

'What gift have you given to me?'

'To heal the wounded, cure the diseased, to return life to those that have none.'

Merella didn't react for a moment. She had just been given the greatest gift a healer could ever want. A smile greeted her face as she realised what the Goddess had given her.

'To heal,' she glanced down at the soft white aura around her hands, 'with my hands?'

The Goddess nodded and smiled and started to walk away. 'Good luck my daughter.'

'Thank you' Merella whispered.

In the morning Merella got up and checked that the last night hadn't been a dream. She checked over her beautiful new hands and decided it would be best to put on gloves to hide her secret for now. She gathered her things and used her quarterstaff as a waking stick and headed back towards the road.

She made good time to Corus and got their mid-morning the next day. The air was full of a cacophony of market sellers and people everywhere bustling about their business. She felt very out of place and felt very lonely but she snapped out of it and plucked up enough courage to ask for directions for the nearest Healers. After a couple of wrong turns she found the small Healer's in one of the back streets. She went through the wooden door and was hit by the smell of herbs and dried blood. She saw that there was a small counter and behind it a door leading to a back room. Eventually a tall man came in and smiled at her with pearly white teeth. He had short black hair and green, grey eyes and a calm, clear voice. ' Hello, what can I do for you?'

'I was hoping you would be in need of a good healer?'

The man smiled again his eyes sparkling, 'Yes as a matter as fact we are. What can you do exactly?'

'Well, I can heal things with-um, this may sound stupid- with my hands.'

The man's face was motionless. 'Show me.' She cautiously took off her gloves and showed the man her glowing white hands. 'By the Goddess you're not lying,' he said astounded but then he straightened up 'What else do you know?' 'I know many herbal recipes and I have a very small knack for the Gift.' Merella smiled.

'My name is Arias Nightmoon, owner of this humble healer's and you are?'

'I'm Merella, just Merella'

'Well, Merella, you're hired and you can prove your healing skills by going out to the city and dealing with a house call of mine.' He scribbled an address on a piece of paper.

'What about payment?' she asked.

'I pay you on how well you heal and on how fast you do it.' Merella stood there and missed a beat. Arias said more clearly 'HOW FAST YOU DO IT' She rushed out the shop and went in search of the house.