Page 216 of Circle of Days

“Where shall we meet?”

That was a conundrum. “The usual place is outside Troon’s house. I’m afraid that might give Shen an aura of authority. But if we hold it anywhere else, that may be taken to signify that we lack authority.”

Duff said: “Let’s hold it where meetings are always held.”

“All right.”

Pia thought they were finished for the day, but just then they heard a child’s voice. “Hello?”

In the dusk they saw a boy of about eleven midsummers. Yana recognized him. “You’re Laine’s son, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I’m Arp.” He was panting as if he had run there.

He came closer and they saw that his face was red and bruised around his left eye. Yana said gently: “You’d better tell us what’s happened.”

“Shen came to our house,” he said. “Mamma told him to go away but he wouldn’t. Then he wanted to kiss her and everything, and she tried to stop him, but he was too strong. Then I tried to pull him off her and he punched my face. Then I came here. Would you help her, please?”

Pia was so racked by pity for the poor child that she could not speak.

Yana said: “Of course we’ll help her.” She stood up. “Yousit down and Pia will give you a drink of water. I’ll go and see your mother. It might be a good idea if the two of you sleep here tonight.”

“Thank you,” he said.

Duff said to Yana: “Wouldn’t it be better if I go?”

“No,” Yana said decisively. “We don’t want another fight.” She left.

Pia got a bowl of water for Arp and he drank it all. Then she sat on the ground beside him. He was at the awkward moment in a boy’s life when he is neither child nor man. Right at this moment she guessed he needed mothering. She put her arm around him and hugged him. It was the right decision. He leaned on her and turned his face to her shoulder.

After a moment, he cried.

Everyone in the farmer community was standing outside Katch’s house well before noon the next day. Pia listened to the chat. It seemed to her that the women were equally divided. Some wanted Shen thrown out as quickly as possible. Others said the farmer community needed strong male leadership.

No one yet knew what Shen had done yesterday evening.

When the sun was high, Shen came out of the house. Katch, behind him, stayed in the doorway.

The crowd went quiet.

Shen stood on the tree stump that Troon had used to make speeches. Duff immediately went and stood beside him. “What are you doing?” Shen said to him.

Duff said loudly: “I’m here to make sure no one gets raped, Shen.”

Shen had no answer to that. Quickly, he lifted his head and spoke to the crowd. “I have come here as your new Big Man,” he said. “Troon, the greatest man the farmer folk have ever known, died in a battle with the herders, and I was with him. Fate is cruel. I wish, for the sake of Farmplace, that I had been the one to die, and that he had survived to return here. But it was not to be. With his last breath Troon told me to be his successor as ruler of this community. It was his last command, and I am here to obey it.”

A few people applauded.

Duff gently pushed Shen, forcing him to step down from the stump so that Duff could step up. “I’m not going to say much,” he said. “Someone else is going to speak now. Arp? Come here.”

Arp stepped out of the store next to the house and walked to Duff.

This had been Pia’s idea, and they had planned it last night.

Overnight, Arp’s injury had turned into a spectacular black eye, and every woman in the crowd saw it. Pia heard one say: “Poor child.”

Duff gave Arp his hand and Arp stepped up onto the trunk. Duff said: “Arp, please tell people how you got that black eye.”

Arp repeated what he had said last night, word for word. Some in the crowd wept quietly.