the introduction from a primer written by Esme the Great for her soul healer descendants

My dear daughters,

With the water elves’ help, I’ve enchanted this primer to only appear to those with soul healer powers to make sure this knowledge doesn’t get discovered by those seeking to exploit us. Please keep much in this volume secret, as ’tis dangerous for others to know because many would covet us more than they already do. This chapter is a mere introduction to the basics of being a soul healer, while further chapters will go more in depth.

Soul healers originated when the Goddess used the melissae to transform Brigid, the Spring Queen and our first foremother, into a healer who could heal nearly any wound or ailment (both physical and mental) by meshing her soul with her patient’s. How the Goddess transformed Brigid caused several traits for soul healers:

• We are all female descendants of Brigid and extremely rare. (Also, in our families, only soul healers have the full powers of Rhiannon descendants, while the rest of our families have the power of ordinary witches.)
• Our powers make us very fertile and healthy as well as can create lifelong soulbonds. (More about that later.)
• We are defenders of the melissae. We can communicate directly with them, and melissa queens consider us sisters.
• Especially if physically beautiful as well, most of us are irresistible because of our auras.
• Our powers work differently than other witches, so we can’t perform ordinary magic. However, we can use created spells like humans without magic, but carefully because our high-energy auras can interfere unless carefully bound.
  

So we can heal with our souls, soul healers can read auras to see how we must alter our souls to match our patients’. Our auras are extraordinarily high energy to allow us to alter our souls, so our base aura is transparent, with our magic shown as many electrum motes swirling inside it. This high-energy aura is what makes us irresistible, fertile, and healthy as well as what interferes with non-will spells.

Because of our high-energy auras, soul healers have a massive appetite, much larger than our frames would suggest. This is particularly true during our courses, pregnancy, or after using our powers to heal. (Soul-healing requires a lot of energy, especially for fatal wounds or ailments.) After using our powers, we suffer the same consequences as other witches, and can use the same strategies to recover. However, the best recovery food for us is the melissae’s ambrosia (both for its properties and due to our bond with them), so ’tis wise to keep a vial for crises. In addition, always remember to eat enough, and never attempt to reduce your figure by restricting your food because such regimens can son kill us. ‘Tis better for you to be naturally plump than die, after all.

Our powers appear any time from birth to when our bodies fully ripen, although most soul healer show their powers when their courses begin, while more powerful ones tend to show their powers earlier. The first power to manifest is reading auras, usually starting as flashes then growing into constantly seeing them. Once we can always read auras, our ability to alter our souls and others’ begins to grow. If our powers appeared earlier, they finish developing by the time our bodies fully ripen. If they appeared then, they usually finish developing within a year. Our powers never wane over the course of our lives, although our ability to recover after using them may.

Soul healers are very fertile, and even strong-magic contraceptive charms are ineffective since our powers continually neutralize them. Only another soul healer or a Rhiannon descendant healer can create a contraceptive that works for us, but we can’t create one that works on ourself. (A word of caution: witch healers don’t typically read auras, but they’ll recognize a soul healer when they invoke their healing sight due to our auras’ high energy.)

If publicly acknowledging being a soul healer, wear an electrum torc with hearts as the terminals. This indicates both healing and sight powers, and hearts represent healing by meshing souls. However, consider carefully before doing so because openly being a soul healer is a heavy burden. And never do so unless already soulbound, or people shall attempt to force one.

Please use everything you learn in the following chapters wisely, and may your life be wonderful and full of magic and love,

Esme Greysnowe
First Baroness Greysnowe* from the kingdom of Calatini
(also known as Esme the Great)

---

* The Greysnowe title was a barony at the founding of Calatini, awarded to Esme and her husband by her erstwhile pupil King Calator for her service during the Stone Wars. Their title was converted to a county in 597 AF for a soul healer daughter saving the Prince Adrian from melissae stings. ‘Tis why their title includes their last name, while most counties include a place instead. (Similarly, the Ravenstone title was a barony at the founding and was converted to a county in 618 AF for their family being the first to trade with magical creatures north of the Walle.)