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and then knelt to greet his uncle. Soro touched his cheek, a kind gesture, before motioning to him to rise. “Our people have settled to the east of the lake, close to the inGeiro,” he told the young man. “If the lord of the inGara does not have some other task that will occupy you, I suspect your mother would be pleased to see her son. And her husband,” he added to Hokino. “But I hope she will be patient a little longer, so that you may first explain everything that happened to those of us here.”

“I think we will all be interested to hear about these adventures and events,” Koro said, his manner almost equally dry. He and my father exchanged a glance.

My father signaled for ponies to be brought up. He said, “We will all go to my wife’s tent,” which was his right because inGara was the host of the Convocation. He added to Arayo, “Go to your mother. Tell her that her husband will come later, or she may come now to my wife’s tent if she wishes.”

Arayo bowed in acknowledgment and walked away, raising his hand to greet someone else. This was a girl, who pressed her pony through the gathering and took him up behind her, then spun her pony about and cantered away. She was a female cousin of mine, a lively, good-humored girl-child when last I had lived among my people. Now she was a pretty young woman, probably still lively and good-humored. It occurred to me that even if my father formally released Arayo, this was a young man who might prefer to stay with the inGara. More often, a young woman who marries goes to her husband’s people, but sometimes it happens the other way.

I glanced at Darra, who met my eyes and smiled. She was neither lively, nor good-humored, nor a girl. She was forceful, and fierce, and more than old enough to know her own mind. She did not speak—it was not her place to speak before my father or her father—but her smile told me some of the things I wanted to know. I could not smile in return, but I had to make an effort to turn my attention to my father.

Everyone’s close kin had come to greet them, and everyone’s close friends. Very many people went aside as we rode toward the inGara camp, but those of us who had been most involved in every event gave our ponies to the children who came to take them and then continued toward my mother’s tent. This was still a large number.

Her tent was near the center of the inGara camp. Because she had known the Lau would be cold, my mother had set three extra braziers around the perimeter of her tent, in addition to the large one in the center. Already the air within was uncomfortably warm for Ugaro, but Aras and the other Lau straightened in that warmth, putting back their hoods and loosening their coats, so that suddenly anyone could see how hunched and cold they had been before. My mother held out her hands, speaking their names and greeting them in darau, offering them the warmest places, and younger women hurried to offer them hot berry tisane, and very soon everyone had settled.

Though the air was too warm now, in every other way, my mother’s tent was the most comfortable of places. All the walls of the tent were lined with felt dyed in different shades of purple and blue and gold; rugs covered the floor; abundant cushions and furs offered many comfortable places to settle. My elder sister Tasig had come in and sat near my mother, a young infant sleeping in the crook of her arm. We had been gone so long that Tasig had had her baby. More than anything else, that made me feel the time that had passed so strangely. I wondered whether the child was a boy as my mother had predicted. This was likely so. My mother was seldom mistaken in such matters.

Lalani sat beside my mother, and then Aras, with Suyet and Geras near him. Darra sat on my mother’s other side, with Koro beside her and Royova inVotaro at his back. My father took his place on the other side of the fire, with Garoyo beside him and Soro inKera on his other side, and Hokino beyond Soro.

By this time, Yavorda inGeiro had come in as well, and the warleader of the inGeiro, Naroya, and Naroya’s wife Lutra, a singer almost as highly regarded as my mother. Lutra went to sit with my mother—Darra got up, yielding the place because Lutra was older and Lalani did not realize she should move aside. Darra settled beside Lalani, kindly failing to notice when Lalani did not make way for her. They made a remarkable pair, very different from each other, each very beautiful in a completely different way.

Lalani’s lips curved, and Darra raised her eyebrows, and I realized I was staring. I dropped my gaze in polite apology.

Iro had entered as well, but respectfully took a place close to the door, which is the appropriate place for young men. My brother Raga joined him there, along Rakasa and Bara, and one of Yavorda’s sons, and some other young men. Rakasa grinned at me, gesturing that I should take the place beside him. When I sat down there, he murmured in my ear, “I should court an inGara woman, Ryo, and then perhaps my younger brother would not be the one to take part in every adventure!”

I let him see me roll my eyes. He laughed, almost without sound. I felt myself relax a little. Everyone on our side of the tent was beginning to relax merely because of his presence. I relaxed a little myself. Now I could see, as I had not before, that my sister had been right: Rakasa was too