"Ma!" Jillian called out when she saw her mother packing her pot atop a mule already piled high with their belongings. "Ma!"

Her mother flashed a quick smile and held out a sheltering arm. Even though she was getting past the age for such things, Jillian nuzzled under that arm like a chick burrowing under a mother hen's wing.

"Jillian, get your things." Her mother shooed her with a hand. "Hurry."

Jillian knew better than to question at a time like this. She wiped away her tears and ran to the small, square, ancient building they used as their home when they summered on the plains near the headland. The men sometimes had to replace the roofs when the worst of the weather tore them off, but, other than that, the rest of the stout, squat buildings were the very same buildings constructed by their ancestors who had once built and lived in the deserted city of Caska, up on the headland.

Grandfather, looking drawn and pale as she imagined a ghost might look, waited in the shadows just inside the door. He was not hurrying. Terror swelled in Jillian's chest. She realized that he couldn't come with them. He was old and frail. Like some of the other older people, he wouldn't be swift enough to keep up with the rest of them if they were to escape. She could see in his eyes that he had no intention of trying.

She sank into her grandfather's tender embrace and started wailing even as he comforted her.

"There, there, child," he said, his hand stroking her short-cropped hair. "No time for this."

Grandfather grasped her arms and eased her away as she tried her best to bring her sobbing under control. She knew that she was old enough that she shouldn't be crying in such a way, but she just couldn't help it. He squatted down, his leathery face wrinkling as he smiled at her and brushed away a tear.

Jillian swiped away the rest of her tears, trying to be strong and act her age. "Grandfather, Lokey showed me the strangers who are coming."

He was nodding. "I know. I sent him."

"Oh" was all she could think to say. Her world was turning upside down and it was hard to think, but somewhere in the back of her mind she realized that he had never before done such a thing. She'd never known he could, but, knowing her grandfather, it didn't really surprise her.

"Jillian, listen to me. These men who are coming are the ones I always told you would come. Those who can are going away for a while to hide."

"For how long?"

"For as long as necessary. These men who ride this way are only a small number of those who will eventually come."

Her eyes grew wide. "You mean there are more? But there are so many. They raise more dust than I have ever seen before. There can be more strangers than these?"

His smile was brief and bitter. "These are only a survey party, I expect-the first advance scouts of many more to come. This vast and desolate land is unknown to them. I expect they are looking for routes through it, testing to see if there will be any opposition. I'm afraid that according to the tellings, the men they scout for are more in number than even I can grasp. I believe that these other men, with their uncountable numbers, are yet some time in coming, but even this advance party will be dangerous, ruthless men. Those of our people who are able must flee and hide for now.

"Jillian, you cannot go with them."

Her jaw dropped. "What —?"

"Listen to me. The times I have told you about are upon us."

"But, Ma and Pa won't allow.»

"They will allow what I tell them they must, just as our people must," he said in a stern voice. "This is about far greater matters, matters that have never before involved our people-at least not since our ancestors filled the city. Now these things concern us as well."

Jillian nodded solemnly. "Yes, Grandfather." She was terror stricken, but at the same time she felt an awakening sense of duty to her grandfather's call. If he intended to trust her with such things, then she could not fail him.

"What is it am I to do, then?"

"You are to be the priestess of the bones, the carrier of dreams."

Jillian's mouth again fell open. "Me?"

"Yes, you."

"But I'm still too young. I've not been trained in such things."

"There is no more time, child." He leaned toward her in admonition. "You are the one to do this, Jillian. I have already taught you much of the tellings. You may think you are unprepared, or that you are not old enough, and all that may have some truth to it, but you know more than you may realize. What's more, there is no other. It is upon you to do this."

Jillian couldn't seem to make herself blink. She felt completely inadequate, and at the same time faintly excited and guardedly inspired. Her people were depending on her. More importantly, her grandfather was depending on her and he believed she could do it.

"Yes, Grandfather."

"I will prepare you to be among the dead, and then you must hide among them and wait."

Fear began to wrap its arms around her again. She had never stayed all alone among the dead.

Jillian swallowed. "Grandfather, are you sure that I'm ready for such a thing? To be there, alone, among the dead? Waiting for one of them?"

The light coming in from the open door cast his face with a forbidding look. "You are as ready as I can make you. I had hoped there would be time left to teach you many more things, but at least I have taught you some of what you must know."

Outside, people rushed around in the sunlight, tending to the preparations. They were careful not to look into the shadows, to Grandfather, after he had pulled her away from the rest of them, telling her what she must face.

"To tell you the truth," he said, "this has taken me unprepared as well. The tellings have been carried down from our people for thousands of years, but they never said when it would happen. I never really believed that it would come during my life. I remember my own grandfather telling me the things I have told you and not really believing it would ever happen except maybe in some far future time that didn't really mean anything to my life. But the time is now upon us and we must do our best to honor our ancestors. We must be ready-you must-as we have been taught through the tellings."

"How long will I have to wait?"

"There is no way I can tell you that. You must hide among the spirits. As the tellers have done down through the centuries, you and I have stashed food, as Lokey does, for just such an eventuality. You will have food to keep your belly full. You can fish and hunt for game when it is safe to be out."

"Yes, Grandfather. But couldn't you hide with me?"

"I will take you up there, help prepare you, and tell you all I can. But I must then return here to help make these strangers think we are out in the open and welcoming to them while the others of our people escape-and so that you will be able to hide. I could not be as swift as you, nor as small to slip through the narrow places so that these men cannot follow you. I will have to return here and do my part."

"What if the strangers hurt you?"

Grandfather took a breath and let it out with weary resolve. "It may be that they do so. These men who come will be capable of such brutality —that is why this is so important. Their cruel ways are why we must be strong and why we must not give in to them. Even if I die"-he shook a finger at her.»and you can be sure that I will do my best not to, I will be buying the rest of you the time you need."

Jillian chewed on her lip. "Aren't you afraid to die?"

He nodded as he smiled. "Very. But I have lived a long life and because I love you so, I would choose that you have a chance to do the same."

"Grandfather," she said through choking tears, "I want you to be with me for my life."

He took her hand. "Me too, child. I wish to see you grow into a woman and have your own children. But I don't want you to worry too much for me; I am not so helpless nor a fool. I will sit in the shade with the others and present no threat to these men. We will confess to the strangers that the younger of our people ran away in terror, but we could not. The strangers will likely have more important things to do than waste their energy harming us. We will be fine. I want you to think about what you must do, and not worry about me."