Rowan blushed. “It was the verse Ruth knew.” She sang it. “Don't you see. Tomi's still dreaming about me, even though he knows…” She stopped and looked at Arbor. She bit her lip. “Arbor, I'm sorry. But I still love him. And if he dreams of me, such powerful dreams that all those days' march across the hills Ruth hears his dream ... “

Healhand interrupted. “It's a hopeless dream, child. He's one of the Lords and you' re the child of a free man.”

“Healhand, he couldn't help being a Lord. After all, he loved freedom enough to go back to that place for our sakes.”

“But you can never join him there. You wouldn't want to, even if it were possible.”

“Maybe he'll come out again. Maybe he can help his own people out of that trap. Arbor, I'm so sorry,” she said again. “I know I said I'd marry you next year. But I've thought about nobody but Tomi since he left. And now I know he feels the same way about me. I have to take my chance and wait for him.”

“Good for you, girl.” The old man Stargazer spoke. “The young 'un's for you, if you've the courage to risk for him.”

Arbor shrugged and his mouth twisted into a half-smile.

He turned and walked away into the forest.

“He'll be all right,” said Treefeller, as Rowan looked anxiously after him. “I'm sorry not to have you as a daughter, child, but I respect your decision.”

Ruth felt guilty at her dreams again. Now she had disrupted a happy community. Then she noticed a couple of girls of Rowan's age looking very pleased indeed, and she thought - well, he won't be lonely long. And he is very good-looking.

She wondered what sort of person Tomi must be, that Rowan preferred him to Arbor.

“This man Tomi, the one I've dreamed about, you say he lives inside the Ark but comes out at the full moon? I don't understand. Is he one of you?” Ruth asked.

Everyone began talking at once, and it took quite a while to sort out the story of Tomi, the hero, the Freedom Man, who had once been a fat self-centred Lordling, but who had fallen into the river during a slave rebellion two years before, and had lived in the village for almost a year.

“He is a Lord, but not like the others. He came among us by accident. He was happy here.” Rowan's eyes sparkled and she blinked.

“Then the saw broke and one of us remembered the great store room back in the Ark ... “

“Full of seeds, it was, and all the equipment we would ever need to build a whole new world.”

“Saws and hammers and nails ... “

“And a plough,” Ruth put in, afraid that they might go on for ever enumerating the wonders of the store room. “But why did he have to bring them out at night?”