"You underestimate your town. Wise One. You love it so much that you think thatno one else does-but that is incorrect. In the two years since my people arrivedhere, I have yet to meet a man, woman, or child of Sanctuary who did not,despite their very loud protests to the contrary, care as deeply for Sanctuaryas you do, though they may show it differently. And I find, to my surprise, thattheir feelings are quite contagious."
She caught his surprised glance and laughed again. "Yes, I find that even withthe blood of forty generations of Beysas and our island empire running in myveins, neither I nor my goddess has been immune to the lure of your town. Atfirst it seemed to me to be vicious and barbaric, and it is, but there is a zestand vigor here that is invigorating and quite lacking in my own very civilizedpeople. While you may fear that it has changed or lost, as one watching throughnew eyes, I can tell you that it is still there, and if anything it's strongerthan when we arrived. Oh, they may squabble over their new wealth and power, butthis is still Sanctuary. If threatened, the people here will fight or dowhatever is necessary to keep that feeling of independence and freedom they havetoiled so long for. The Beysib will be at their side, for my people and I are apart of it, just as you and yours are."
After that, she lapsed into silence and, side by side, they studied the town,living symbols of the old and the new Sanctuary. In their own thoughts, theyeach hoped desperately that she was right.
LADY OF FIRE by Diana L. Paxson
A peach tree grew in the courtyard below Lalo's stairs. It was only a littletree, but Gilla had covered its roots with straw to protect it from cold and