Page 152 of Circle of Days

“Let me speak to them,” said Joia.

Sary looked worried. “Don’t you want to be High Priestess?”

“It depends.”

Joia stood up and they all went quiet.

“I love you all,” she said. “It’s wonderful to sing and dance with you. I’m fascinated by the study of the sun and the moon, andthe way they move in the sky. And I really want to be your High Priestess.”

They began to cheer, but she held up her hand for silence.

“However, I will not be your High Priestess with a ramshackle Monument and a nearly empty circle. Our Monument must be a great sight to see, and our public ceremonies should be viewed by great crowds of awestruck people crammed inside the earth circle. We are the spiritual heart of the Great Plain. But right now the community is drowning in a river of pessimism and timidity.”

She studied their faces. No one scowled, looked indignant, or shook their head. They knew she was right. Her words were true.

“If I become High Priestess, you must be prepared for a challenge. We must have a spectacular Monument and crowds of followers. It is our holy duty.” She saw their faces lighten. This was what they wanted to hear. “If you want a quiet life, say so now, and I’ll withdraw, and let someone else be High Priestess.” Several women shook their heads. “But if you’ve got the courage…” A murmur of agreement began and got louder. “…the courage to make the Monument truly amazing…” The murmur became a shout. “…say so, and…”

Her words were drowned out in a chorus of acclaim. She stopped speaking. She had said enough.

She was High Priestess.

Seft sometimes felt guilty because he did not produce any food. He knew that this feeling was irrational. He did essential work, as did leather tanners such as Ani and flint knappers such as El. When he confided this feeling to Neen, she said: “You’re probably the most valued person in the community—they always come to you for help.” Still, sometimes he felt he had no right to eat food others had put in his bowl.

However, he did not let this depress him. He was happy, especially when he remembered how his life had been before he came to Riverbend. Now he felt so lucky that he sometimes found himself hoping this was not a dream.

After Neen and his children, the person he liked most was Joia. The feeling was not romantic. He liked her because she was smart and kind and courageous. So when, soon after she had become High Priestess, she asked him to meet her at the Monument, he went along right away.

As they stood looking at the makeshift restoration, she said: “We’re losing respect, and this is part of it.”

He was glad she was High Priestess. Ello had been content to leave everything just as it was. Joia was different. She was always looking for improvements. Even before she became leader she had changed the way the priestesses sang and danced, making the whole performance more dramatic.

Now she said: “It’s time for the stones.”

He was thrilled. They had been talking about building a stone Monument for years. Now that she was High Priestess they could do it—or at least try.

He began to walk around, looking at the timbers, and Joia went with him. He said: “You want it exactly like this?”

“It must be. This is how we count the days. Nothing can be changed, except the material.”

“So the stones will go in the holes that the posts are in now?”

“Yes.”

“We’ll have to dig the holes wider and deeper, but that’s easy. What about the volunteers? We need crowds and crowds of people to drag the stones here from Stony Valley.”

“I’m going to make a speech at the next Midsummer Rite, asking for volunteers. I’ll appeal to their sense of adventure. I’ll tell them that this is a holy mission, but also an extension of the festival. I think we’ll get the two hundred people we need. And we’ll start for Stony Valley the next day.”

It was the first time Joia had revealed this plan to Seft, and he took a few moments to absorb it. He wondered how people would respond to her appeal. She was exceptionally charming and persuasive, and he just had to have faith in her.

But he thought of another snag. “If this works, we’ll be takingmany strong young men and women away from their regular work.”

“I hope so!”

“I’m afraid I think we’re going to need the elders’ consent.”

Joia made a stubborn face, and he thought she was going to disagree, but she said nothing.

“Think about it,” Seft said. “If the elders forbid this, some young people might defy them, but others would hesitate to get into a dispute. And then you might not have enough people to pull a stone.”