The Medic

Who is Constance Deveraux? A doctor. A mother. A wife. A responsible woman. A successful woman. A woman certain that Terra, her home planet, is doomed. Seeking safety, she signs on as medic aboard the rogue starship Adventurer, fleeing Terra for a distant planet. She does it for her family. Things don't work out as planned. The ship arrives at a supposedly uninhabited planet to find a thriving, if primitive, civilization. Medicine here utilizes folk techniques discredited on Terra centuries ago, and Constance's technology-based medical training is of little value. As well, the residents believe in the existence of a mysterious planetary Aura, which enhances the abilities of those called Weavers, including some herbalists / healers. Constance alone among her shipmates proves to be sensitive to Auric energy. Unless she masters the skills needed to manage the Aura, she could be a danger to herself and others. A woman more accustomed to lattes on the plaza than lentils in a mud-walled hut, she is forced to leave the security of the Adventurer to undertake a year of training at the Motherhouse, the Weavers' home base. Pining for all she lost in her flight from Terra, shaken by the reality of the Aura and her immersion in an alien culture that calls into question everything she believes, Constance faces the biggest challenge of all – herself. Tales of the Aura Weavers continue the story begun in the Aura Weavers trilogy, where many of the people and customs are introduced.