Orona held his hand, and he stood as quietly as all the rest of them, only his eyes were lowered. He and Orona both stared at the ground before their feet, steadily and intently, as if they expected something to happen there. But what? Rampa seemed to know what was going on, though, Ma-ah realized. Irritated—why should he know while she didn’t?—she turned to Sumpter and touched his hand. As she did, a strained unsteady sound appeared in the air above her head and she jumped with surprise. She felt as if some … sound-shape was up there, invisible and yet shining; and that her irritation had somehow disturbed it, broken it up into … known sound? Blushing, she lowered her head. She’d interrupted whatever they were doing, and they knew it, she was certain….

Before she could finish the thought and without otherwise moving, Sumpter reached over and took her hand. Ma-ah would have run away in that first moment, but instantly she was dizzy and astonished. She felt as if a river had suddenly begun to lift her up and carry her along; and the river was … the energy or concentration or purpose of the people. They were doing things she couldn’t understand again. Her tingling fingers told her that sound was involved, but it was within-sound, not without-sound. She couldn’t hear it. But because of her practice with the cave drawings she could feel it now and then; and occasionally brilliant images of … shaped sound arose in her inner eye. Where they came from Ma-ah didn’t know, only that the people were manipulating … something. And Rampa and Orona were waiting for it. Did Sumpter smile? Ma-ah thought he did but she couldn’t be sure.

Then before her eyes one large chunk of rock rose up seemingly by itself, slowly. She wanted to gasp aloud, but didn’t dare to. Her fingers twitched as if they were full of … sounds that couldn’t get out, or as if she didn’t know how to release them. The rock rose higher. It went suddenly flying across the ground, just above it, toward Rampa and Orona. Rampa saw it coming and looked as if he wanted to run out of the way.

For an instant Ma-ah was caught between fear for him—the rock could slam into his knees if it didn’t change direction—and relief: she wasn’t the only one who was frightened. She and Rampa at least shared that. Rampa’s eyes widened as Ma-ah watched, but Orona’s hand held his, and he wasn’t about to break away if she didn’t. The rock came right at them, then about three feet away, its progress slowed. It hung for a moment, then quietly dropped at their feet. Still holding hands, Rampa and Orona took several almost-ritualistic steps to the left.