Chapter 16 Summary

At Sant Clara, Sor Agnete asks Josefa if she has observed any blood, when she cares for Amara. They bathe Amara and do find some blood. The wolf-girl is less wild now since her escape, and she seems almost able to discern human friend from foe. She even sometimes tries to put on the shift.

Amara falls very ill. She becomes covered with oozing blisters, and she refuses to eat. She is moved to the infirmary, and the abbess contacts Severo about the illness. The abbess does not tell Severo about Amara's escape. Severo dispatches Melchor Fortessa, a famous doctor and Jew who has converted to Christianity. Such doctors were believed to be more skilled, as Christian doctors often advised patients to submit to the will of God and they would get better.

Melchor has never seen a patient like Amara. He wonders...