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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

‘I used to be friends with a woman called Starlight,’ I said. ‘She crossed the water to New Earth. Last time I was here, one of you blokes told me she was the Ringwearer or something . . .’

I was looking for the nice warm feeling I got last time from hearing about my friend and seeing how impressed the New Earthers were that I knew her. But, before I’d even finished speaking, I could tell that it wasn’t going to be that way this time round. The clawfoot man was quite friendly at first, but as soon as he understood that I was a friend of Starlight’s he became hostile and harsh.

‘The False Ringwearer, you mean? The one that came over from here and tried to steal our ring? The one that told wicked lies, with our Mother’s ring on her finger?’

I was so shocked that at first I just gaped at him, not knowing what to say.

‘What do you mean wicked lies ?’ I asked at last.

‘Have you heard of the Secret Story?’

I did my best to look like I hadn’t.

‘Well, maybe you don’t have it over here, but it’s a pack of lies that silly women whisper to each other. If they get caught they’re sent straight to the fire, and serve them right. But your Starlight seemed to think she was above all of that. She didn’t just tell a girl or two, like other whisperers do, she shouted it out to whole crowds of people, up and down our ground: men, women, children, everyone who came to see her. But she got what was coming to her in the end. You won’t be seeing your little buddy again, I’m afraid, holeface. No one knows for certain what actually did for her, but she washed up way down alpway from here near Brown River with her lungs full of water and a big old spear hole through her.’

‘What? Starlight, you mean? You mean she’s—?’

‘That’s right, holeface, I mean she’s dead. Looks like she had a quarrel with one of her stonehead mates, and either died from the wound or drowned.’ He’d been avoiding looking at me, but now he gave me a little sideways glance to see how I was taking it. He spat and shrugged. ‘I guess it’s hard to hear if she really was your friend, but I’m afraid it served her right, the little slinker.’

‘But Greenstone—’