Closing her eyes, her mind then fell to the shepherd’s secret Solomon had taught her. “If you want them to be safe, perhaps it would be better to send the sheep dressed as wolves,” she whispered, almost to herself.

Mother Susana stopped breathing. All expression drained from her face.

Anna’s own cheeks flushed with shock and embarrassment.

What had come over her? She had not even meant to speak!

The look of bald astonishment on Anna’s face amused Mother Susana. The seed of a smile took root in the elder’s lips and soon lifted her cheeks high in joy. A rich laughter rumbled up from the old woman’s belly. Her outburst was as much a release of pent-up worry as it was sheer delight at the revelation. Laughter continued to shake the old woman’s shoulders until Anna could not help but giggle herself. The looks on their reddened faces made each of them laugh even more. They bent over themselves, caught in hilarious spasms. Finally, after several minutes, the mirth drained away, leaving them spent and wiping tears from their eyes.

When she could again speak, Mother Susana said, “You are wise beyond your years.”

Anna blushed again, this time with pride.

Mother Susana stared across the landscape. She watched the light shift in degrees. She then returned her attention to the remarkable woman before her. She wondered at the strange and indecipherable visions she had had of Anna’s future.

Had she missed something? Or misunderstood? Was it possible that the shepherd’s destiny lay beyond the caves? In the world from whence she had come?

But at no point had she ever considered selecting the shepherd to become an Awakener.

This was not because Anna was incapable of practicing The Way. On the contrary, Susana had seen the woman demonstrate an impressive degree of compassion and creativity. From living among them Anna had developed inner strength, patience, and the ability to listen deeply. From tending the manuscripts she had imbibed a great store of knowledge. And from assisting the Sisters in the garden she had developed a healer’s instinct—which she had then used successfully to restore Tabitha’s voice!

But Anna had lived her formative years in a manner that had denied her true self. Despite her obvious progress, she still did not seem entirely comfortable in her own skin. And while the young woman could flourish within the compassionate and encouraging world of the Sisters, Mother Susana doubted that she could similarly flourish beyond the caves. After all, the female Anna had existed in the world for only a brief time, and as a child. There was too much about the adult Anna that was unknown and untested.

Taking the sum total of Anna into consideration, Mother Susana believed that the risk of sending out a spirit that had not yet fully emerged was too great.