Page 191 of Circle of Days
“The only other thing I know is that you might not be the only victim.”
Yana said: “Oh, no!”
Duff said: “A massacre?Anothermassacre?”
“I’m not sure.”
There was silence while they tried to digest this news.
Finally Yana said: “Who could be behind it? That’s the next question.”
Duff said: “The woodlanders, I assume. They were responsible for the last one.”
“But that tribe has been wiped out,” Yana pointed out.
“Another tribe, then?”
“As far as I know, no tribe has a quarrel with the herder folk, or with anyone else. And, even if they did, would they ignore the grim lesson of what happened to Bez’s tribe?”
That seemed unlikely to Pia. Woodlanders were not stupid.
Duff looked serious and said quietly: “Perhaps Troon intends that we farmers will be the aggressors. If we create a violent incident at the Monument, it will discourage people from attending the Rites, and then they would come to our feast.”
Pia said: “My visitor said the mission was the target.”
Yana said: “This makes more sense than any other explanation.”
Duff said: “But it would be madness for us to attack the herders. I’ve always said that. They outnumber us.”
“And Troon has always said the herders are too cowardly to fight,” Pia said. “Remember when he took over the Break? He said they would do nothing about it, and he was right.”
“That’s true.”
“In any event, Duff, you have to stay home.”
Yana said: “But what about the others? Duff, you said that some of your friends are planning to defy the ban.”
“Five or six.”
“They might be killed by their own people!”
“I’ll have to warn them.”
“Wait,” said Yana. “That many people can’t keep a secret. Troon is going to find out that you warned them. You’ll be in deep trouble, and your visitor could be found out too.”
“You’re right.” Duff looked bewildered. “I don’t know what to do.”
There was silence for several moments, then Yana said: “We have to warn Joia.”
Duff shook his head. “That means going to the Monument. If one of us disappeared for two or three days, Troon would guess we were up to something. And Shen would find out where the person had been, and probably even who they’d spoken to.”
Yana said: “I agree. So let’s one of us go to Old Oak and tell Zad and Biddy.”
Pia said enthusiastically: “That’s a better plan! We could be there and back in half a night.”
“And they’ll find a way to get the warning to Joia.”
Pia felt good. If the herders were prepared for the attack, it could be fought off. At least it would not be a massacre. At any rate she would have done her best. “I’ll go to Old Oak,” she said. “I’ll slip away unnoticed. I know East Wood well and I can find my way through by night.”
