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“Uba, co up the toddler and securing her firmly to her hip with the cloak They walked down the slope and crossed the strea an anihtly by occasional use as a path When they came to an open meadow, Iza stopped and looked around, then headed for a stand of tall, showy, yelloers that resembled asters

“This is elecarows in fields and open places The leaves are large ovals with pointed ends, dark green on top and downy underneath, see?” Iza was down on her knees holding a leaf as she explained “The rib in the middle is thick and fleshy” Iza broke it to show her

“Yes, mother, I see”

“It’s the root that’s used The plant grows from the same root every year, but it’s best to collect it the second year, late in summer or fall, then the root is smooth and solid Cut it into small pieces and take about as much as will fit in your palm, boil it down in the small bone cup to more than half full It should cool before it’s drunk, about two cups a day It brings up phleg blood It also helps to bring on sweating and to pass water” Iza had used her digging stick to expose a root and was sitting on the ground, her hands round to a powder, too” She dug up several roots and put them in her basket

They ain Uba had fallen asleep, secure in her comfortable closeness “See that little plant with the funnel-shaped yellowish flowers, purple in the middle?” Iza pointed to another plant

Ayla touched a foot-high plant “These?”

“Yes That’s henbane Very useful to a erously poisonous if used as food”

“What part is used? The root?”

“Many parts Roots, leaves, seeds The leaves are larger than the flowers, grow one after the other on alternate sides of the stereen with spiky edges, and see the long hairs growing along the middle?” Iza touched the fine hairs while Ayla looked closely Then the medicine woman picked a leaf and bruised it “S narcotic odor

“The soes away after it’s dried Later there will bedown and pulled out a thick, yaated root with a brown skin The white inner color shohere it had broken “The different parts are used for different things, but all of theood for pain It can be , doesn’t take much—or into a wash and applied on the skin It stops s sleep”

Iza gathered several plants, then walked to a nearby stand of brilliant hollyhocks and picked several of the rose, purple, white, and yellow blossoood for soothing irritations, sore throats, scrapes, scratches The flowers make a drink that can ease pain, but it ood for wounds I used hollyhock roots on your leg, Ayla” The girl reached down and felt the four parallel scars on her thigh and thought suddenly about where she’d be now if it weren’t for Iza

They walked along together for a while, enjoying the war But Iza’s eye was constantly scanning the area The chest-high grass of the open field was golden and gone to seed The worain, tops bent with their heavy load of ently in the war and walked purposefully through the tall stalks and stopped at a section of the rye grass whose seeds had a violet black discoloration

“Ayla,” she said, pointing to one of the stalks “This is not the way rye grass norrows, it is a sickness of the seeds, but we are lucky to find it It’s called ergot Smell it”

“It smells awful, like old fish!”

“But there’s nant wo the baby faster It causes contractions It can start labor, too It can make a woman lose her baby early, and that’s important, especially if she’s had proble A woether, it’s hard on her, and if she loses her milk, ill feed the baby she has? Too many babies die at birth or in their first year; aand has a chance to grow up There are other plants that can help her lose the baby early if she needs to, ergot is only one It’s good after delivery, too It helps push out the old blood and shrink her organs back to normal It tastes bad, not as bad as it smells, but it’s useful if used wisely Too , even death”

“It’s like henbane, it can be harmful or helpful,” Ayla commented

“That’s often true Many tiest medicines, if you kno to use them”

On the way back toward the stream, Ayla stopped and pointed to an herb with bluish purple flowers, about a foot high “There’s sohs when you have a cold, right?”

“Yes, and it adds a nice spicy flavor to any tea Why don’t you pick some?”

Ayla pulled out several plants by the roots and plucked off the long thin leaves as she walked “Ayla,” the woman said “Those roots send up new plants every year If you pull the roots there will be no plants here next summer It’s best just to pick off the leaves if you have no use for the roots”

“I didn’t think about that,” Ayla said contritely “I won’t do it again”

“Even if you use the roots, it’s best not to dig therow more”

They doubled back toward the stream, and when they came to a marshy spot, Iza pointed out another plant “This is sweet rush It looks so like iris, but it’s not the same The boiled rootthe roots so it to a pregnant wo the juice, though I’ve never had ave it to a woman for that purpose It can help an upset stomach, especially constipation You can tell the difference by this growth here,” Iza pointed “It’s called a corer, too”

They stopped and rested in the shade of a broad-leafed maple near the stream Ayla took a leaf, curled it into the shape of a cornucopia, folded up the bottom and tucked it under her thuht a drink for Iza in theit away

“Ayla,” the wo the drink “You should do as Broud tells you, you know He is a ht to command you”

“I do everything he tells me,” she countered defensively

Iza shook her head “But you don’t do it the way you should You defy hiret it, Ayla Broud will be leader one day You must do what the men say, all the men You are a woman, you have no choice”

“Why should ht to command women? What estured bitterly, feeling rebellious

“That’s the way it is That’s the way it has always been in the Clan You are Clan now, Ayla You are irl of the Clan should”

Ayla hung her head, feeling guilty Iza was right, she did provoke Broud What would have happened to her if Iza had not found her? If Brun had not let her stay? If Creb had not made her Clan? She looked at the woed She was thin and drawn The flesh of her once- froray Creb had seeed at all

It was Iza who looked old now, older than Creb Ayla worried about Iza, but whenever she said anything, the woman put her off

“You’re right, Iza,” the child said “I haven’t behaved the way I should to Broud I’ll try harder to please him”