Susana then tipped her head, as if having heard someone speak nearby. After a moment, she said, “When she is ready, I think it wise to introduce her to your work.”

Ruth raised an eyebrow.

Susana lifted a hand. “I cannot tell you why I think this. But it seems important,” she said.

Ruth smiled. Having received an answer to her question, she planted a kiss on Susana’s cheek and left her chamber.

Alone, the elder woman gave a deep sigh and bent over the light. She had always trusted in the source of her decisions, and in those of the Circle. But, with all that had transpired—all the deaths and rising threats—she had developed grave concerns regarding the future of their mission. In particular, it worried her that a new and grave possibility had arisen—that everything they had so carefully tended could be swept away.

Contemplating this, Susana closed her eyes as a shudder shook through her.

Anna had cornered a sheep and was tugging nettles from the bandaging on its hock when she heard Ruth calling. She glanced up and spotted her friend ambling down the ridgeline. With an exuberant yelp, Anna jogged up to greet her. Seeing her rapid approach, Ruth laughed and reversed her course, running back up the ridgeline. Anna pursued. Ruth looked over her shoulder and saw the young shepherd gaining quickly, her long muscular strides covering the terrain with ease. Before Anna could catch up, Ruth ducked between two boulders. But Anna had foreseen the maneuver and turned up a shortcut. Without warning, she leapt in front of the elder Sister. “A-ha!” she shouted.

Ruth squealed with fright and the two fell down laughing. She gave Anna’s leg a playful slap. “Are you busy with your tasks, or do you have some time to spend with me?”

Anna glanced over her shoulder. “One of the sheep injured a hock this morning and I have set a poultice on it.”

“Will it be all right for an hour or two?”

Anna raised an eyebrow, considering. “Yes, I suppose.”

Ruth smiled. “Good. Then come. There is something for you to see.” She led Anna up the ridgeline to a deep crevice. They sat inside its cooling shade and fanned themselves. From under her robes, Ruth produced a linen kerchief. She held it before Anna and slowly peeled back its corners. Inside the folds lay a handful of fresh figs. Anna’s eyes grew wide at the sight of the plump maroon fruits. She could hardly believe her eyes!

“Where did you get those?” she asked, astonished.

Ruth held her gaze. “It is time for me to tell you a story,” she said. She took a deep breath, crossed her legs, and sat up tall. “We who live in the caves, and who are called Sisters, are among the last keepers of The Way.”

Anna kept silent and did not move.

Was she finally to receive answers to her questions?