Shirini

Astra asked, "So, Shirini, do you know how far away we are from Petrona, in the Kingdom of Torbus?"

"No, khanomam. You are unlikely to reach it except through the Great Highway. It runs through Polabi Courthouse. From there, you can embark at the port Corona to finish your westward journey. Or you can take the Highway west, although that will take more time."

"But wouldn't it be faster just to go due west from here? Aren't there roads leading that way?"

Shirini shook her head. "Going through Corona is going out of your way, but it is going to be faster and safer. You no doubt know that the mouth of the Weedy is unsuitable for launching a ship."

"I gathered that. And to the West?"

"There are a few trails that eventually become overgrown with brambles and brush. The land is a waste, and you will not have taverns or hostels to help sustain you."

"But I saw a flock of gulls heading west. Surely there is something out there - a lake perhaps, or a manor?"

"There are some people that you do not want in your life that live out that way."

"Granny talked about alchemists. Are those the people that you are talking about?"

Shirini nodded. "The alchemists and their henchmen. We started noticing them when I was a child. We did not give them much thought back then. If they would mind their business, we would mind ours. I think it was a mistake. I think that the number of alchemists has grown. Their influence certainly has, even in Golabi. Nothing good will come from it."

"So what do they do that is bad?"

Shirini took a breath, as if trying to sort out a difficult problem. Finally, she said, "They are a bad influence. Now, it took me years to learn what I know about the herbs, and cures, and healing people. I learned from the old doctor, Amadid. She taught me many lessons, but the most important is that good health is more than just herbs and potions. That may be one part in ten. The other nine parts are living right, and living smart. She learned that from the doctor before her, just as she learned that from the doctor before her."

"These alchemists come around and try to sell things that cannot be sold. You cannot buy health - or love or prosperity, either. But they promise it with potions and geegaws, and the young ones, the ones that do not know any better, try to grab it without going through the discipline of living right. I think that some of the healing that these potions do comes from the person wanting to believe that they work. But the alchemists are dangerous people. If they think that you are a problem, they take care of you. But still, some of the people here will try to take shortcuts, and get rich quick. Nobody ever does, but I know that some of the people around here muck around bringing them that accursed tar."

Astra could see that Shirini had a natural antipathy toward the alchemists. They undermined her position as the hamlet's healer.

1. Astra then said, "Bella mentioned a Bakhtar, who lives west of here. Who is he?"
2. Astra then said, "Why hasn't someone reported the alchemists to the King, if they are dangerous men?"

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