Marta

The old herbalist of the Combes, past seventy. She is failing and knows it, but does not complain. She has a precise eye for plants and a good eye for people — she is the one who knows wood heath and passes Zora a sample of it. Her words are weighed like herbs — one apt remark, no more. The evening teas with Zora by the fire are among her warmest habits; it is Marta who asks, "Did you find what you were looking for?", and Zora answers: "I found something I wasn't looking for."