Page 33 of Circle of Days
“Certainly not!” Soo seemed offended and sat upright. Joia remembered nervously that the question of punishment was not yet resolved. Soo said: “Every other stone circle I have seen does not have the right number of stones for any useful purpose—they’re just random. And that goes for wood circles too. Anyway, we priestesses are the only people who know the rituals. Our Monument is unique, and so is our priestesshood.”
“And the songs?”
“Also unique.”
Joia frowned thoughtfully. “The wood circle is vulnerable. Timber can rot, or fall down in a gale, or be carried away by thieves. The whole Monument ought to be made of stone, not wood.”
Soo nodded. “You’re so right. And one day it will be.”
Soo was too old to be talking about what might happen “one day,” Joia thought. But she did not comment.
Soo said: “Everything we know about the sun, and the moon, and the days in the year, is in our songs. It’s our holy duty to teach the songs to the next generation, so that the knowledge will never be lost.”
Joia nodded agreement.
Soo said: “You’re the next generation. You must think about becoming a priestess. You’re the perfect age to be a novice.”
This had been a conversation of surprises, but Joia had notexpectedthat. For a moment she was lost for words. Then she said: “But… I spied on you.”
Soo shrugged. “That showed me how interested you are. And in talking to you I’ve discovered that you’re clever too. Even smart people don’t usually understand all this as easily as you.”
Joia struggled to imagine leaving her mother and Neen and Han for a new, completely different life. She would still see her family: the priestesses were not isolated. But she would live here, eat and sleep with the priestesses, and sing the songs of the sun and the moon. She would not be there to stop Han falling in the river, or to help Neen raise her children, or to take care of Mamma when she grew old.
Soo saw her thoughtfulness but guessed wrong about its cause. “You may want to go with boys and have children.”
Joia did not care about that. “I don’t know why they all keep talking about boys and babies,” she said, allowing her irritation to show. “As if that was the only thing that mattered!”
“That’s how I felt at your age.” Soo smiled at the memory, and as she recalled her youth her lined face looked beautiful for a moment. Then she said: “But you must go home and talk to your mother. What’s her name?”
“Ani.”
“The elder?”
“Yes.”
“I know her, of course. She’s a very sensible woman. But she will be reluctant to lose you, especially so young. And she’ll worry that you may not like the life of a priestess as much as you expect.”
Joia nodded. That would be exactly how Ani would react.
Soo went on: “Tell her that the Monument is not a prison. Any priestess can leave anytime she wants to. If you find that you don’t like the life after all, you’ll be able to walk away from it.”
In fact Joia was not worrying about that. The life seemed perfect to her. She was reluctant to end her talk with Soo, but she was now eager to tell her mother all about it.
Soo sensed her restlessness. “It’s time you went home for breakfast.”
“Yes.” Joia realized she was very hungry.
“Think about this, and don’t hurry. We can talk again—and I’ll be glad to speak to Ani, too. Kiss me goodbye.”
Joia bent to kiss Soo’s wrinkled lips. The kiss went on a moment or two longer than she expected. Then Soo said: “You’re a special girl, Joia. I hope you decide to join us. May the Sun God smile on you.”
“And on you, High Priestess,” said Joia.
Ani was furious. “What evil spirit possessed you to do such a thing?” she said. “Your brother was scared out of his wits!” She was cooking sheep’s liver with wild sorrel, and she stirred the pot angrily with a wooden spatula.
This was unusual. She had a round, friendly face framed with gently greying hair. Rage did not suit her.
Joia was sitting on the grass, looking at her warily. “Han wasn’t supposed to be there,” she said. “He just followed us, the little sneak.”
