Ruske;;

      I learned Brisa, too, knew only a little of Helovia’s gods. If nothing else, I suffered ignorance in good company, then. Resplendence said nothing of the subject; I recorded the question for later use. If nothing else, it promised a diversion in some nebulous future, when I had divested myself of more intriguing topics. Moving on, I listened as Brisa continued to speak, though she only touched ambiguously on some magic of her own. And what kind? How could one possess such a skill and fail to utilize it? Map out every facet of its use at once? I longed to ask more, but she changed the subject quickly, speaking of a greenhouse evidently in their plans but uncompleted. An old ambition of my own, as well – but long ago, in a land without the glasswork found here in the Edge.

      Though I felt a stab of disappointment in the face of the Moon Doctor’s vague reply, I swallowed the feeling quickly enough. “Are they at work on many projects?” I wondered aloud. Another wall, perhaps? Or something else...? “The Edge is blessed to have such a power under its control,” I observed absently, recalling again the great shards of the broken wall. Even in a state of ruin, they were magnificent. Did the other herds, then, wield similar magic...? I wondered, but I did not voice the question, all too aware of my own mind moving quickly back and forth, my thoughts whirling away to distraction.

      Valiance was a flash of crimson at my side, the angelica mentioned earlier placed delicate near my forefeet. “Very well.” I moved from the seed chest, angelica grasped lightly between my teeth. A small nod acknowledged Brisa’s comment, a surge of wonder acknowledging, again, the forethought of these creatures – keeping seeds, not for days but months, in such easy reach! I felt a little foolish, truly, in all my years only capable of scattered organization – the legacy of a man kept running. Absently I scooped the earth away with a forehoof, and let the angelica drop into its new home. I thought over Resplendence’s words as I nudged dirt back in around the stem, satisfied that, though it sat perhaps a little crooked, it would grow straight and true.

      “You allow other herds to take what they will?” With my mouth free of the herb, I was able to ask. “Even poison?” It seemed almost naïve, such a trust... Though surely other herds might find poison on their own, if they had necessity. “Do you have much use for toxins?” I wondered, as well. Resplendence hardly seemed the type... though perhaps I had misjudged. Absently, I moved from the new-planted angelica to drag small furrows in the fresh earth, obedient to the Moon Doctor’s suggestion. It required somewhat more attention than the mere pulling of weeds; I focused in order to drag the lines straight, though one ear tilted up to catch the next question. I mulled it over for some time as I moved, tail tip quivering in betrayal of small anxiety. How best to broach the subject?

      “I know much about the healing of wounds,” I answered at last, pausing momentarily to think it through. Oh – much about the ways soldiers could be cut up. I cocked my head. “And the workings inside of creatures like ourselves. I had... failed to find many pegasi willing to...” I snorted quietly, “serve as subjects for appropriate research, though I suspect their wings function as birds’ do. How they manage it without the appropriate chest muscle, I could not say.” Perhaps they knew, already. I shook myself in a mild shrug. “I have a grasp of basic herbal remedies – willow for fevers, aloe for mild burns, though I am not certain where in Helovia might prove hospitable to such a plant. Fire makes good work of wounds, though it can be treacherous as well. I am fond of poppies for those in a great deal of pain, and they are good for easing troublesome creatures to sleep.” I hesitated, thinking. How easy life had been with magic at my call – or when I had given up on everything. I remembered, momentarily, the mud and desperation of my very early life. “I spent a great deal of my young life skirting battlefields. Tending the wounded was my first calling. Not always my choice. If you’ve more specific questions, I will answer them.”