“I don't understand. How can this be? But I know you're telling true. No one has ever sung that verse before. It must be from inside his mind - Tomi's mind. Oh, how very strange. Come, you've got to tell the others.”

“But I already explained about my dreams last night. What's so important ... ?”

“We didn't really believe you. Did you expect us to? We thought it might be a trap.”

“But you gave us food and a place to sleep…”

“Did you expect us to treat you as if we were soldiers? Or Lords? To be free is to risk. Now ... what you've told me proves you were telling the truth last night. Come on.”

Once more Ruth found herself explaining about her dreams.” ... and there are two kinds. Some are just about life Outside, by the fire, or cultivating the fields, or hunting or fishing. I used to wake up from those dreams longing to get outside and be free. Oh, I just see what that song means: the Freedom Man dreamed out of the Ark.”

Rowan nodded. “Go on.”

“Well, the second kind of dream is far more real. It only happens now and then. Sometimes I'll get a new one - it's always close to the time of the full moon - isn't that strange? But then it may come back, the same dream over and over. In those dreams I feel I'm another person, a man called Tomi, and it's his fear I experience. His fear, his loneliness.

“There was a buzz of conversation. “Wait,” cried Rowan. “Listen to her. It's all true. Don't you see, it has to be! We're ordinary people and all this talk of es per is over our heads. But I want to prove to you that Ruth is telling the truth. She says she only gets a new dream at the time of the full moon. I think it will also be true that there are five months when you had no dreams of that kind - the 'Tomi dreams'. The winter time between the Moon of No Squirrels and the Moon of Fresh Water.”

“Five months. Between November and March. Yes, that's absolutely true. But, Rowan, how could you know that? Or was it just a guess?”

“In a way it was.” She turned to the others. “Ruth dreamed true dreams through Tomi whenever he came Outside to bring us equipment too heavy to send down river. The plough, do you remember? And the big axe? And he only crossed the dam at the full moon.”

“Yes,” said Heal hand. “The strangers have been telling us the truth. You've proved that, Rowan. But why is it so important to you? You look - I don't know - all lit up today.”