Rimon didn't like the way Del began to finger the edge of the scythe blade. "I wasn't going to kill, Rimon. I'd had all I could take. Or maybe—maybe I really hoped Ana would stop me and convince me—I just don't know. I was crazy!"

Deeply concerned, Rimon tried to make his field soothing to Del, wishing desperately that Kadi were here, and on the other hand glad she didn't have to hear this.

Del glanced at him, and smiled grimly. "I'm all right now —for the time being. But that day I decided to kill myself."

Rimon leaned on his own scythe. "But you didn't."

"No. Ana found me. Maybe I hoped she would. She took me to Abel Veritt—shen it, Rimon, he stayed up all night talking with me, to be sure I wouldn't go off and try again the minute his back was turned. And then… he brought me one of those Gens they kill, passive, drugged, and he kept telling me to zlin it, to see the difference—and I was so deep into need by then, I had to believe him. And there is a difference. Nothing—nothing like Kadi… like Billy—" Tears were sliding down Del's cheeks, unnoticed. Rimon was able to take the scythe from him, make him sit down. "But, Rimon, after it was over, I—I couldn't accept it anymore. I want to. But I can't. Just can't."

Rimon put an arm around Del's shoulders, helpless. Finally Del said, "You and Kadi—that's the only thing that gives me hope, Rimon, hope enough to take Ana and the kids and stay alive until—until you—"

When Del couldn't finish the sentence, Rimon said, "Yeah. Until." This is what I've done to my best friend. Now what?

At last Del pulled himself together and went to the brook to wash his face. The women, bouncing the wagon across the empty field, ignored Rimon.

"Do you love Del?"

"Oh yes, Kadi," Carlana replied. "I loved my husband; he was an honest, hard-working man who cared well for me and our children. But—Del is a—gentler man. Haven't you seen the way he gentles the horses? He is a very easy man to love."

"I know," said Kadi, her nager humming with strong emotion. She turned to Carlana, securing the reins. "You said yourself that he loves your children as if he were their own father. Grab him, Carlana. Grab him while you can."

With a silent, welling bitterness, Rimon thought, And I'm not an easy man to love. Not at all.

Carlana climbed down from the' wagon, careful to keep her long skirts in place. Kadi, wearing denims, jumped down beside her. "Here comes Del," she said. "Go ahead and ask him."

"I wish to. It would mean leaving Fort Freedom, but we would not be far away: The only thing I could wish is that we could be married in the chapel."

As "marriage" to Rimon and Kadi meant living together, Carlana's statement made little sense. "You mean a pledge ceremony?" asked Kadi. "Most couples do that with a big party. I'm sure Dei would be delighted—why, it would almost make this country seem civilized!"

Del joined them to find his fate sealed—but Rimon sensed that he was relieved that the women had made his mind up for him and were already making plans concerning plum cakes and whether there was enough of Kadi's blue material left for a wedding dress. When they went off to the house to see, Rimon turned to Del and said, "Congratulations. You are doing the right thing, you know."

"I know," said Del. "The right thing for me, anyway. I just hope it turns out to be the right thing for Ana."

If Del was worried about taking care of a wife, Rimon was equally worried, with more reason. Kadi had carefully preserved a store of food for the winter, and they had their house—the problem was money. Rimon had never had to worry before about not having enough cash. He was down to what he'd earned in Fort Freedom's fields, worrying about paying Kadi's head tax, when, after the Wild Gen raid, they were awarded four of the horses taken that day —and the right to have them shod once by Fort Freedom's blacksmith. The Gen guns would be melted down for their precious metal. Rimon sold the saddles in town, adding to their meager supply of money.

Thank goodness, there would be no property taxes until their two years of homesteading were up, and Rimon could claim the deed to his land. By then surely they'd be doing better!

Kadi seemed content with their progress. They even had a goat now, a present from Slina, who claimed to have taken it in trade. "She'll drop kids in the spring," she told them, "and you'll have milk and cheese after that. You can—use her; to me she's a nuisance."

Paradoxically, the local Gendealer was friendly toward them because of Rimon's healing of Risko, while a good number of the people of Fort Freedom were not. Rimon noticed it particularly the day Del and Carlana were married, a glorious day with the crisp cool of early autumn in the air.

It was a simple ceremony, with Abel 'Veritt presiding and just a few friends to witness. Mrs. Veritt was there. Jord Veritt was not. While he would not oppose his father openly, he spoke to others in the community, warning that the "outsiders" were trying to destroy their way of life.

Somehow, a number of people became convinced that Del's taking Carlana and her children away was part of a plot directed by Rimon and Kadi.

More and more, there was a distinct coldness from those who sided with Jord—the younger Simes born in-Territory, with whom Rimon should have had the most in common. Soon after Del and Carlana were married, they learned one of the reasons the Sime children of Fort Freedom might foster feelings of resentment.

Rimon and Kadi were invited to a "Farewell Ceremony" for Elin Lol, the girl whose father had been killed in the Wild Gen raid. She had just established as a Gen—cause for rejoicing in Fort Freedom.

The celebration began at dusk, in the chapel. Both factions were there, Abel and Jord Veritt officiating jointly. Those approaching need carefully placed themselves on the periphery, those most recently satisfied, in front and along the aisle. As Elin had established only yesterday, her low field would have put her in little danger; nonetheless, every precaution was taken for her safety.

Rimon and Kadi were placed in the front row, Abel Veritt saying, "When you two are together, no one can tell where you are in your cycle, Rimon."

He could feel all eyes on them, and the effort of those approaching need to avoid zlinning. Many were resentful of their presence, and even those friendly to them were affected by the hostility.

A large proportion of Fort Freedom's Simes had killed within the past three days, as the Wild Gen raid had been four weeks ago. Only a few members of the community were past turnover, so the atmosphere was not tense. A stilled 'hush fell as all were assembled, expectant and reverent.

Elin, in a white dress, a wreath of chrysanthemums on her hair, came down the aisle between Abel and Jord Veritt. At the front of the chapel a table was covered with a white cloth, and on it were laid out a pitcher and three cups, an unlit lamp, and a lighted candle.

Elin and Jord took the two chairs that stood to one side, and Abel Veritt faced the congregation. "We're here tonight," he said, "to rejoice in God's blessing upon Elin Lol, child of this community—child of Simes and yet herself not cursed with the Sime nature."

Elin Lol was attempting to smile, although her eyes were flooded with tears. This was the best Sime Territory had to offer a Gen. Elin didn't face a terrorized flight to the border, or the prospect of being killed by a friend, sold into the Pens, or captured by Gen hunters. She knew the Gen language and customs, and something of what to do when she got across the border. Nonetheless, she was leaving the only home she'd ever known, never to return.

Veritt was continuing, "We all question the will of God at times. Every Sime here has wondered why God would curse anyone with the Devil's form. To that question, no one can give a complete answer—yet we know that God is working for good because every so often we see His plan revealed to us.