The goddess, facing them, was the teacher, and they were there to learn. "How did you first become aware of your talents?" Thaiss asked. Tom hesitated, needing a few seconds to frame his reply. Fortunately Mildra stepped into the breach, evidently happy to answer first. "Small things, when I was a little girl. A cut or a bruise… If I closed my eyes and concentrated, I could sort of sense what needed doing to heal them, how the blood vessels could be repaired and the escape of blood staunched, the pressure eased and the skin knitted together. It wasn't ever a conscious process, just something I could do at an instinctive level. When I was older, somebody I cared about was murdered in front of me, and I thought I was going to be next. I was spared, but the experience traumatised me and I went to one of your temples seeking… I'm not really sure what; advice, solace, reassurance… maybe a bit of all those things.
