His mother stepped on to the small porch just behind him, deftly working her long white hair into a thick plait. Gran seemingly had no other name-at least none that the villagers could remember. Old as she was, hermemory was astonishingly sharp. She nodded. “Like the year-was it almost fortyyears ago? — year 546, yes. A bad one, everything on-end. It was too wet allsummer, too dry in fall, and a poor harvest because of it. What grain there was rotted when rain fell before we could reap.” She fastened the plait with a bitof faded blue ribbon. “At least the rain put out the fires that year. And it’sour good fortune that you were clever enough to call on High Haven to come in and stay last night, should the grain be ready today.”

She glanced toward the low stable, usually empty this time of year since the herds grazed out all year except snow season. At the moment, the stable threshing floor was packed with High Haveners-twenty men from the uppervillage, who would exchange labor now for flour and fodder come winter. Fifteen young women who had come down from the mountain with them had taken over the common house for the night.

Yerik sighed heavily. “The grain will have to beready. We’ve no choice.”

“Yes. The crop is your business today, son. Remember that ifwe go hungry this winter, those who like placing blame will blame you. Worse still, we’ll lose Bregya, and she is a fine tanner.”

The headman nodded. “We’d also lose her father. Digos has notbeen well the entire year. A better b’lyka player we’ve never had.”

“True.” Gran flipped the braid over her shoulder and camedown the step to stand beside him. “Organize everyone able to help in some way.The herders are a sturdy lot. They’ll give you good time, and old Haesk and hisbrother can help keep watch over the babes. Get little Adisa to help Bregya tend her small ones. Take blankets so they can sit under the trees and weave us wreaths from the stems for good fortune. Make a game of it for the youngest. The children are useful at finding all the loose wheat-heads, if you plan it right.”