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Chapters (68)
  1. Title page
  2. Dedication
  3. Part I
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. Twelve
  16. Thirteen
  17. Fourteen
  18. Fifteen
  19. Sixteen
  20. Seventeen
  21. Eighteen
  22. Nineteen
  23. Twenty
  24. Twenty-one
  25. Twenty-two
  26. Twenty-three
  27. Twenty-four
  28. Twenty-five
  29. GAIA YOUNG. SUBJECTIVE IMPRESSIONS.MISSION DAY 20. 20:25 MT.
  30. Part II
  31. Twenty-six
  32. Twenty-seven
  33. Twenty-eight
  34. Twenty-nine
  35. Thirty
  36. Thirty-one
  37. Thirty-two
  38. Thirty-three
  39. Thirty-four
  40. Thirty-five
  41. Thirty-six
  42. Thirty-seven
  43. GAIA YOUNG. SUBJECTIVE IMPRESSIONS.MISSION DAY 22. 20:05 MT.
  44. Thirty-eight
  45. Thirty-nine
  46. Forty
  47. Forty-one
  48. GAIA YOUNG. SUBJECTIVE IMPRESSIONS.MISSION DAY 25. 15:30 MT.
  49. Forty-two
  50. Forty-three
  51. Forty-four
  52. Forty-five
  53. Forty-six
  54. Forty-seven
  55. Forty-eight
  56. Forty-nine
  57. Fifty
  58. Fifty-one
  59. Fifty-two
  60. Fifty-three
  61. Fifty-four
  62. Part III
  63. Fifty-five
  64. Fifty-six
  65. Fifty-seven
  66. Fifty-eight
  67. Also by Chris Beckett
  68. Copyright page

‘I’ve got so many things wrong, Angie, haven’t I? How many women have had a beating from the guards over the years because I got it out in the open that they’d told that Secret Story?’

‘Certainly quite a few when I was with you.’

Mary nodded. ‘Do you remember when we went to the White Streams? There was an old woman down there who asked about those stories you hear about fights on Earth – the white people and the black people, the Germ Men and the Juice – and I told her they were just silly children’s tales.’

‘Well, like you say yourself, Mary, if you wait to be quite certain you’re completely right, you’ll wait forever, and never do anything at all. People come to hear you because you’ve got the guts to believe in something. Of course sometimes you’re wrong, but then you think again. I didn’t like how you made the poor Earth folk look bad, but . . . well, you were trying to make sense of things – I could see that – and helping us make sense of them as well.’

She studied my face doubtfully. ‘Was I?’

I couldn’t believe that Mary – strong fierce Mary – was asking me to reassure her.

‘I think so. I think that’s what you do. Most of the time, anyway.’

She smiled. ‘Gela’s heart, Angie, I do love you! It’s so good to see you again. I’ve missed our talks so much.’

Fifty-seven

Come on, men!’ Luke said. ‘We’re not staying here with the fishing girl!’

He turned towards the door of Strongheart’s shelter, and the two ringmen hurried to follow him out. David Strongheart had sunk down again over the stiff bent body of his dead son, and seemed quite ready just to let Luke go. And seeing that Newjohn wasn’t going to step in against the son of his fellow Headman, Starlight decided to take charge.

‘Stop them, guards!’ she bellowed. My old friend was nothing to do with the Davidfolk Ground. She wasn’t born there, she didn’t live there now, and before this time in Circle Valley, the only Davidfolk places she’d even visited were Nob Head on our trading trips from Knee Tree Grounds, and Veeklehouse on that one single occasion. But never mind that: she spoke so firmly that Strongheart’s guards rushed to do as she said, blocking the way to the door of the shelter and surrounding Headmanson Luke and his two men.