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Kira followed his pointing finger with her eyes and found the saaunt woman who had eyed them suspiciously from the squalor of the cott Today she ashed and tidy; beside her, holding her hand, was the tyke who looked soas a family But there was no second child No Matt A wave of sorroept through Kira, a feeling of loss

Looking down at the sea of faces, Kira gradually recognized people here and there: the weaving women, separate from each other, each with a hubby and children; the butcher, clean for a change, with his large wife and two tall sons The entire village had gathered now, only a few stragglers still hurrying up the lanes

A san and she could see that the people were shuffling forward The crowd rippled like waterfloated by

"The doorsforward to see

They watched as the entire village, person by person, entered the building Finally, when the crowd outside was alone -- and now they could hear the murmur of voices and the shuffle of footsteps fro -- a tender appeared in Thomas's doorway and beckoned

"It's time," the tender said

Except for a quick peek through a cracked-open door when she looked for Jamison one afternoon, Kira had not seen inside the Council of Guardians hall since the day of her trial months before The circumstances had been so different then, when she entered the cavernous roory, lonely, and fearful for her life

Today she still leaned, as she had that day, on her stick But now she was clean, healthy, and unafraid Today she and Thoh a side entrance near the front, so that they saw the faces of the village watching the them to a row of three wooden chairs on the left, just below the stage, facing the audience Kira could see that there was another, longer row of chairs on the opposite side, and she recognized the Council of Guardiansthe herself of the custoe Then she followed Thoether they took their places in two of the chairs A h the audience and Kira felt her face flush in eled out She didn't want to sit here at the front She remembered the derisive voice of one of the weavers only a few days before "She don't need us no more!" the woman had called

It's not true I need all of you We need each other

Gazing at the crowded audience, Kira remembered the many past years when she had co Always they sat in the back where she couldn't see or hear, and she had endured the event bored and restless, so on her seat to try to peer around the spectators' shoulders and get a glier Her ently restrained her when she wriggled in the seat But the Gathering and the Song were long and difficult for tykes

The people in the crowded audience, who though respectful had been shifting in their seats and whispering, quieted completely when Kira and Thomas entered and took their places Everyone waited Finally, in the silence, the four-syllable chief guardian, whom Kira had not seen since the trial and whose name she still could not recall (was it Bartholemew, perhaps?), rose from his seat on the other side He walked to the space at the front of the stage and began the ritual that always opened the cereins," he announced

"We worship the Object," he said, gesturing toward the stage, and bowing The entire audience bowed respectfully toward the little crossed construction of wood

"I present the Council of Guardians," he said next, and nodded to the row of roup, they stood For a nervous moment Kira couldn't remember if the spectators were supposed to applaud But a hush had fallen and the croas silent, though some heads seemed to nod toward the Council of Guardians in respect

"For the first tiestured toward Thomas, who looked uncertain

"Stand," Kira whispered under her breath, knowing intuitively that it was the proper thing to do Thoain, heads nodded in respect He sat back down

She knew that she would be next, and she reached for her stick, which was leaning against the chair

"For the first tiner of the future"

Kira stood as straight as she could and acknowledged the nods in her direction She sat again

"For the first tier of the future One day she ear the robe"

The eyes of the villagers all turned to the side door, which had opened Kira could see two tenders push Jo forward, pointing to the unoccupied chair The tyke, dressed in a new but siown, looked confused and uncertain, but her eyes found Kira's and Kira beckoned to her, srinned and hurried forward toward the chair

"Don't sit yet," Kira whispered "Stand and look at the people Be proud"