Chapter 271: Aunt Amahle’s Advice
That evening, in accordance with Amahle’s traditions, Talauia and Heila joined the Mother of Thorns at her home for a family dinner. Heila had been delighted to learn that the colorful peppers that Talauia guided her to were sweet rather than spicy. Each of them was the size of Heila’s diminutive fists which she felt made them perfect for stuffing. After packing each pepper with soft, fluffy rice and succulent, slightly fatty sausage, Heila carefully set them in an iron pot directly on the coals of the fire for roasting, letting their warm, sharp fragrance fill the air.
"So, Heila, honey, Tala was telling me that you weren’t too sure about what you desire as a witch," Amahle said while stirring a rich, creamy chicken and vegetable soup. "Ain’t that right, sugar?"
"It is, it is," Talauia said as she carefully scrubbed at the tender okra pods she’d picked. "Can you tell her the tree that Auntie Ashlynn picked for her?"
"I can," Amahle said, using a spider-like limb to place a lid on the creamy soup. "But I think that it’s best if little Heila answers a few questions for me first. You just want to do whatever you can to help Ashlynn don’t you, hun?"
"I do," Heila said with a sharp nod of her head. "I hated feeling so useless when the Tuscans attacked us, all I could do was cower behind Hauke while Ashlynn went out with the soldiers to fight. It, it didn’t feel good at all."
"That’s a good place to start," Amahle said, pouring a fresh cup of chilled sweet tea and placing it in front of Heila. "Now sharpen that desire," she said, her crimson eyes growing intense as she looked at Heila. "Helping a person fight comes in many forms. What do you want to do to help?"
"A powerful witch could tend her wounds after the battle, helping her return to the field again and again," Amahle suggested. "Ain’t no need to get yourself in danger that way. Just stay in the back and patch people up so they can keep fighting. No one will look down on you for that. In fact, many people would praise you for patching them up when they might otherwise have died."
"I want to learn to heal people," Heila said, though her voice held a trace of uncertainty. "Ashlynn gets hurt too often and it would be good if I could help to ease her pains. But I don’t want to hide in the rear while other people are risking their lives. It’s not right when I could be doing more."