Page 98 of Circle of Days

“I hope you’ll come back one day.”

So do I, Pia thought.

Zad turned and walked back the way they had come.

Pia and Han looked at the moonlit path ahead. Never in their lives before had either of them left the Great Plain.

Pia said: “Our new life has begun.”

She took Han’s hand and together they walked on.

The Autumn Rite at the Monument was a small affair, with nothing like the crowds that came at midsummer. This one, Ani thought, was even quieter than usual. People were trading flints and food, but no one wanted tanned hides.

The cloudburst of two days ago had been a hopeful sign, but the Great Plain needed a lot more rain before it could return to normal.

Zad came to the Rite. Ani had heard nothing about Han since the day he had left, heading for the western end of the plain and Pia. Now Zad told her, speaking quietly so that no one else could hear, how Pia had escaped from Farmplace and, with Han, had headed for the Northwest Hills. Ani was both thrilled andworried. She was glad they were out of Troon’s control, but she fretted about how they would survive winter in the hills. The woodlanders always came back at the end of the summer.

A contingent of a dozen or so farmers had come to the Autumn Rite, she noticed as she walked around: all men, no women. They did not seem to have much to trade, and Ani wondered if they were here on some other mission. She saw Joia’s childhood friend Vee talking to a thin man with a bent nose, and she recognized Shen, the henchman of Troon. Vee looked as if she would rather not speak to the man. When the conversation ended and Troon walked away, Ani went to Vee and said: “What did that sly villain want?”

“He’s looking for Pia. I told him I haven’t seen her for a long time. Which is true.”

Ani was not really surprised, but all the same her heart missed a beat. Troon wanted to take Pia back, undoubtedly. He was nothing if not vengeful. Han would of course try to keep her from Troon. Ani just hoped there would be no violence. She said to Vee: “Did he ask you anything else?”

“He wanted to know if Pia had any friends here. I told him she used to play with Han when they were children but she hasn’t had friends here since then.”

Ani heard that with dismay. She wished Vee had not mentioned Han’s name. However, she did not say so. Vee had meant no harm.

A little later Shen reappeared and approached Ani. “Always a pleasure to see you, Ani,” he said.

Ani said: “What are these farmers doing here? They have practically nothing to trade.”

“Oh, well, in these times every little bit helps, doesn’t it? By the way, what’s happened to your son, Han? I don’t see him anywhere.”

Shen was following up on Vee’s indiscretion, Ani realized. He had guessed that the childhood friends might have become grown-up lovers. “Oh, Han’s here somewhere,” Ani lied. “You’ll bump into him sooner or later.”

“He’s hard to miss, being so tall,” Shen said insinuatingly. “Only someone said he’s gone to work at the western end of the plain.”

“No, he works here. What business do you have with my son?”

“Oh, nothing particular. I just noticed his absence.” Shen moved away.

Ani was disturbed. Shen was dogged. He might work out Han’s secret.

As Shen melted into the crowd, Vee’s mother, Kae, appeared. “I hate these farmers,” she said.

“What have they been doing now?”

“They’re such bullies! They’re questioning my family, saying we must know where Han has gone with his farmer girl.”

Ani was angry. She had to put a stop to this. “I’m glad you’ve told me, Kae. We can’t tolerate such behavior. I’ll deal with it right away.”

“Thank you.”

If herders had acted that way in Farmplace, the farmers would have reacted with instant violence. They needed to understand that the herders could be decisive too. She sought out Scagga, who was talking to the ropemakers, Ev and Fee. She took him aside and told him what Kae had reported.

“We’ll beat up the lot of them,” Scagga said immediately. “Break a few bones and crack a few heads. That’ll teach them.”

“I’d like to scare them off without actual violence,” Ani said. “Let’s bear in mind our reputation for peaceful gatherings here at the Monument.”