I can always insist on a divorce, she thought. We only have to stay together for two years. That seemed like an eternity. By then, Tryss might have found someone else. And I might have children.

She grimaced. I don’t even know if Tryss wants to get married. The trouble with being attracted to quiet types is that they aren’t good at letting you know what they want. She had no doubt that he liked her a lot, and that he was attracted to her—she was sure of that!

A flicker of light caught her attention. Looking beyond her father she saw that several lamps surrounded a clearing ahead. Though it was only mid-afternoon, the trees here were so close together that little sunlight penetrated to the forest floor.

One lamp stood in the middle. Several men and women were sitting in a circle around it. She recognized Styll, the Speaker of her tribe. Beside him sat her father’s latest proposed suitor for her, Sveel. The boy smiled at her and she felt a pang of guilt. He was obviously enthusiastic about the match.

She looked at the woman sitting beside Styll and felt a mild surprise. Speaker Sirri and her son, Sreil, sat among her tribe. A mad thought came to her. Perhaps Sirri had come seeking a wife for her son, too. Perhaps Sreil and Sveel would have to battle for her. Drilli smothered a laugh at the thought. Too bad, Sreil. My father won’t accept anyone born outside the Snake River tribe, not even the son of the leader of all Siyee.

Her family joined the circle, her father managing to direct her to the place beside Sveel. She made herself talk to the boy. There was no point being rude. If she must marry him, she may as well try to get along with him. He wasn’t a dislikeable person, just not interesting or particularly smart.

“So why have you joined us, Speaker Sirri?” her father asked. “I have heard you do not agree with our marriage traditions.”

Sirri smiled. “It is not that I disagree with them, Zyll, but that I think it is foolish for Siyee to marry so young. They haven’t fully developed as individuals at fourteen.”

“Which is why it is best that their parents select a partner for them.”

She shook her head. “If only that were so. I have observed parents make bad matches as often as good ones. While they may take great care with their choice, they are hampered by the fact that their sons or daughters haven’t yet become the person they are going to be. How can they decide who will make a suitable mate when they don’t yet fully know their offspring’s character?”

Zyll scowled. “This is not just about character. It is about bloodlines and tribal connections.”

She frowned. “Huan released us from our interbreeding laws over a century ago.”