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Back Daughter of Eden
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

‘The wonderful thing,’ Mary said, ‘is that the Edgefolk have ended up truer and better Davidfolk than anyone. As best they can when they’re so far away, they try and mark the Virsry every year at the time it’s marked at Circle Valley, and at each Virsry they have a special way of remembering how they were Johnfolk in the past and how they used to follow a story that was a lie. Every one of the young men whose new hairs have finished growing since the last Virsry lets himself be tied to a spiketree, just as Great David always said should have happened to John. Every single one of them! They’re tied to the hot tree for a whole minute – the people count out the sixty heartbeats – long enough for most of the skin to be burnt right off their backs. Imagine the courage to do that! Imagine the love they must feel for Gela and her True Family! But for the rest of their lives, the men carry those scars with pride.’

‘We surely do,’ said one of the two young guards who were riding with us. With a big smile, he proudly pulled his wrap down off his shoulders so we could see the pink twisted skin on his back. His mate did the same, both of them beaming happily.

Mary laughed loudly. ‘I love these guys, Angie! Down in Veeklehouse, a man would be ashamed of scars like that because it would show he’d done something wrong and been punished, but up here, they’re proud proud of them. And quite right too! What could be better proof that they’ve turned away from John and back to Gela? Let’s just hope that one waking, all the Johnfolk in Eden will be as brave as them.’

It didn’t seem possible to me that these people could have changed in two wakings from believing one story was true, to believing another. I thought it was pretty obvious that they’d just pretended to change their minds so as to save themselves, and I was kind of surprised that Mary couldn’t see that, seeing as she was older than me, and so much smarter, and so much wiser about people. In fact I wasn’t just surprised. I was actually a bit shaken by her saying something so silly and dumb. I’d given up my old friends and family for this woman and, as long as I travelled round with her, there was little chance of my making new friends or finding a new family. I’d shut away a whole big part of my life that I knew she wouldn’t approve of. I’d set aside all the old stories I’d grown up with. And all of that was based on her being smart smart, and seeing things I couldn’t see.