Page 154 of Circle of Days

Ani said: “We all know that the regular work of a herder is notvery demanding. We could manage our herd with half the people, especially now when so many cattle have died in the drought.”

“But this could go on for years!” said Jara.

“You don’t know how long it will take.”

“There’s a lot we don’t know about this idea.”

Ani did not have an answer to that.

Keff said: “How many people would be required to drag a stone from wherever it’s found to the Monument?”

Ani hesitated.

Keff said: “You don’t know, do you?”

“A crowd,” Ani said. “More than any of us can count.”

“I’m sorry, Ani,” Keff said, “but there’s too much we don’t know about this proposal. We don’t know where the stones can be found, we don’t know how many people it would take to move one, and we don’t know how long it would take.”

Ani now saw that she had failed to prepare this proposal sufficiently. She said desperately: “I just feel it’s our only chance.”

Keff plainly felt forced to refuse. He said: “I’m afraid we have to turn you down.”

Seft and Tem were making a bed for Neen, and Joia was watching them. Neen got so cold sleeping on the floor, and Seft had said that before next winter he would make a bed that would raise her by the span of a hand. She would be warmer like that, he had promised. They had brought two large logs, the same width, to support the platform, and they had smoothed three broad planks for the surface she would lie on.

They all knew that the elders were meeting, and Seft felt tense. He had allowed himself to imagine the grandeur of the finished stone circle, and he had made the mistake of enjoying in advance the sense of achievement he would feel. The work he was doing now soothed his anxiety while they all waited for the verdict.

Seft and Tem were drilling holes through the planks and into the logs, and Seft’s son, Ilian, was whittling pegs to fit the holes, when Ani returned from the meeting. Seft could tell by her face that she had bad news. “They turned us down,” she said.

Joia said: “Oh, no!”

Seft’s dream evaporated. He felt bereft. He said: “Why?”

“Too many uncertainties,” Ani answered. “How many people, how many days, how far?”

“I suppose they’re right,” Seft said dolefully. He felt the disappointment like a blow. It depressed him.

Tem, who had not shared Seft’s eagerness, said: “The whole notion was quite shaky. Perhaps we’ve been saved from a catastrophe by the elders’ caution.”

“Perhaps,” said Seft sadly. “But it would have been the adventure of a lifetime.”

Ani said: “I didn’t have the answers to their questions. I should have foreseen their arguments and planned my responses.”

“Oh, well,” Seft said, “I suppose it’s back to real life.”

Joia had tears in her eyes, but her jaw was set in a familiar look of determination. She was not ready to surrender. “Don’t give up so fast,” she said. “I have another idea.”

Seft smiled. That was Joia, never daunted. He wondered how she thought she could rescue this. “Go on,” he said hopefully.

“We’ll move just one stone.”

Seft did not see how that would help. “All right, but…”

“That will prove it can be done.”

He nodded. It made sense. Joia usually made sense.

Ani said: “That may not be enough to change the minds of the elders.”