"A Healer's Work" is the first story in the Healer Serril Miniseries. The author is now writing as Dee Shull.
Overview[]
Exhausted Healer Serril and Healer-trainee Jayin are approached by Companion Layelle, asking their expert help for her desperately ill Herald.
Characters[]
Characters appearing or mentioned in this story.
Main character[]
- Healer Serril
Major characters[]
Minor characters[]
- Dean Ostel - Dean of the Healers' Collegium
- Healer Tessa
- Herald Mellie
Referenced characters[]
- Healer Brone
- Herald-Mage Elspeth
- Herald-Mage Vanyel - mentioned in a wild theory about Elspeth's return
- Gryphon Hydona
Places[]
Referenced places[]
- Haven, Valdemar
- Briarley Crossing, Valdemar
- Bardic Collegium, Palace Complex
- Heralds' Collegium, Palace Complex
- Royal Palace of Valdemar, Palace Complex
- Companion's Field, Palace Complex
Terminology[]
Synopsis[]
Healer Serril and Healer-Trainee Jayin have just returned from an extended Healing mission to Briarley Crossing. The Healers at the Collegium have been neglecting their duties due to the arrival of the gryphons and Elspeth renouncing her claim to the throne. Exhausted, Serril and Jayin get stuck trying to restore the herb room, and then Companion Layelle "breaks rules" by asking for their help. Her Herald, Mellie, suffered the same headache everyone got from the Heartstone energy move to Haven. But she became increasingly ill, and is now mostly unconscious. No one knew how to treat her. Layelle says it's possible that the incident awakened a Mage-Gift, but her Magic channels have been burned. Serril and Jayin have worked with Healing channels before, which is why Layelle asked them. She breaks more rules and guides the Healers to the channels. Jayin invents an approach to protect the channels while they heal. Her determination convinces Serril that Jayin is fully qualified to be a Healer. He decides to make the Dean award her Greens immediately.
Chronology[]
The story chronology is very specific as described above, when Elspeth returns in 1405 AF. The tools in the greenhouse are damp due to constant storms, which are a side effect of Ancar's careless magic practices. The storms also delayed Serril and Jayin's return from their mission to Briarley Crossing.
Note that this story is set when Serril sees that Jayin is ready to graduate as a fully trained Healer. The subsequently released stories in the miniseries occurred prior to this point (they could almost be considered fully developed "flashbacks.") The second story begins when he first discovered untrained Jayin and convinced her to enroll in the Healers' Collegium. Other stories occur when she is still training. This story occurs later than those.
Notes[]
The Gift awakening and burned channels echo young Vanyel's experience.