“Can you sing the Hymn?”

Asach winged this one. “I don’t know the tune. I’ve never heard it sung.”

Laurel jumped on this. “Well, of course not, if you’ve never Gathered. But can you say it?”

Asach was out to sea now. “It’s hard, without—”

“Oh, never mind. You’ll learn it on the way, with everyone else. It’s just that any child can say—” She stopped. “Wait a minute. Are you a convert?”

Asach looked back blankly, not wishing to outright lie. Thankfully, Laurel persisted. “You weren’t born to Him?”

Grateful for the out, Asach pounced. “That’s right. I was not born to Him.”

But now, Laurel became suspicious, her eyes downcast again. “I warn you. If we find out that you are a TCM spy, you’ll be abandoned on the high plains where no-one will come to get you.”

Asach had no need to circumnavigate this. “I swear by the stars above that I am not a member of the TCM, or the True Church, nor am I a spy for either of them. Think on it. My name is Quinn.”

Laurel looked up sharply. The name meant nothing to her, but Asach’s patent sincerity did. “OK. Name his Gatherings.”

Asach felt like a graduate student wilting under oral examination. “I—I don’t know them all. Only the New Utah ones. That’s why I’m here.”

“Well, do those, then. You need to know them all, but do those.”

“OK. Um…” These were a little easier, since they rounded off in twenty-year increments. “Um, 2960, that’s when you—I mean He, first came to New Utah. I mean Heaven.”

Laurel was nodding, obviously bored.

“Then, 2980, that’s the First Gathering—” and suddenly, this began to make sense—”that is, the first Gathering here on New Utah—Heaven—which is the sixth overall.”

Laurel was still nodding. “And?”

“And…and…and His Earthly Eye was revealed!” Asach still had no idea what that meant, but it satisfied Laurel.

“Then, 3000—that’s the second here, seventh overall; 3020—that’s the third here, eighth overall; and 3040—that’s the fourth, or ninth overall.”

“And?”

“Oh, yes, and—and—and what was the Revelation? I mean, I realize that I should know, but—”

Laurel was clearly exasperated. “Well how could you know? It hasn’t happened yet?”

“But it’s already 3048, so—” But Asach stopped, as Laurel glared. Stupid! It was a liturgical calendar. It didn’t use Standard Years.

But clearly this wasn’t the first time Laurel had heard that particular error. She forged on. “So, what’s your number?”

Asach was growing weary of this interrogation, and peevishly nearly answered “Scorpio,” when the childish chatter at the windmill came to mind. Asach frantically counted back, trying to allow the correct slippage for the lag between calendars, and took a calculated guess. “Two.”

Clearly, to Laurel this seemed about right. “Little old, aren’t you, to make your first Gathering?” She eyed Asach critically. “Well, you seem fit enough.”

Asach exhaled slowly. “I can go then?”

“Go? Of course you can go. Who am I to stop you?” She got up to leave. “More to the point, we’ll bring you with our island, so long as you’re clear in your mind.” Then she paused. “You can ride, can’t you?”

Relieved at an easy question, Asach smiled and nodded. Laurel turned to go, calling out over her shoulder, “Only, if you’re a two, I’m not your Seer. You need to talk to Collie.”

Asach’s fears were disappointed. The bed was deep, soft, and warm. The night was dark and quiet. In the morning, Laurel was already up and gone, but Collie lingered over breakfast.

“I won’t apologize, but I’ll explain. That girl’s got a lot on her mind.”

Asach listened, patiently.

“See, she’s of an age where she takes everything seriously. Like, being a Seer. Now, she really, really, way down deep believes that she was Seen in her mother’s womb by His Eye.” He shook his head. “Now, I believe that too, of course I do, but mostly it’s just a way of stayin’ organized.” He looked at Asach intently. “You ain’t from Purchase, are you?”

Asach indicated the negative.

“See, I figured that you was from New Cal. Maybe even farther.”

Asach nodded.

“Well, OK, so. See, that’s more burden on Laurel. First she has to see off everyone from her own island. All them little ones. Then she has to see off every Three or Four from The Barrens who don’t have a Seer of their own. You follow?”

Asach made a slight inclination of the head. ‘Go on?”

“But at least all them folks knows their way to the staging areas; knows their way around. I mean, even if they can’t see where theys’ goin’, they sure as hell know what to do once they get there. And the parents usually take the little ones. But then on top o’ that, comes all the town-dogs from Bonneville. At least there, we know our own, and a lot of them hook up with their kin in The Barrens islands. But the fun really starts when the city rats from Saint George start marchin’ in. ‘Cuz then, she’s gotta figure out which ones’re TCM spies, and keep ‘em isolated until she can lose ’em or chase ‘em home.” He shook his head. “And all that’s gotta get sorted before the tramline opens and sisters from MP and New Cal arrive. And most of them, well they usually come, because somebody in their island came, so they have some idea of what’s goin’ on. But the wild fishes like you, who swim in from the starry ocean?” He shook his head again “That’s a lot for a kid her age to take on, on top of everything else.”

“I’m sorry,” said Asach simply, and genuinely.

Collie smiled. “Don’t be. She says it’s all about ‘doin’ it right,’ but really it’s just to get one more thing off her mind. Like I said, it’s mostly just a way to stay organized. It’s not really all on her. It’s not like she’s the only one. She picks up the Threes and Fours from her island, plus whichever else other ones gets sent to her island. There’s other Seers, and other islands. They don’t all go to her. So she wants to hand you off to a Seer for Twos. Twos and Threes. In other words, to the Seer whose done it all once, and taught her.”

“I see,” said Asach. “And who is that?”

Orcutt frowned. “Well, really, that was my sister. Her mother who died.”

“I’m sorry,” said Asach again. “I can see why she’d take this very seriously. With a lot of piety.”

“Thank-you.” Collie pursed his lips. “But I think it’s worse than you realize. “ He pursed again. His lips moved in, then out, several times. He cocked his head and decided. “You know how a Seer is made?”

“No. Are they?”

“Good answer. They’re not. They’re born. At a Gathering. They are born at a Gathering, in the Sight of His Earthly Eye.” He sighed. “And you’ll find out just what that means soon enough. But just think on this. Laurel’s too much like her mother. Too serious. Takes it too serious, when it’s really just about being organized. Somebody born at the Second Gathering, they train to take Twos and Threes next time. Somebody born at the Third, they take Threes and Fours next time, And so on. You follow?”

Asach nodded.

“So, it’s not even meant to follow in any family line. It’s just a way to be sure the routes get passed on. But Laurel’s Mom was stubborn as they come. Came the Third Gathering, she was no spring bud any more, and she was carrying Laurel. But she just wouldn’t hear of reassigning her people to another island. And so she went up there, and He opened His Eye, and she bore Laurel, and on the way back she died.” He stared down at the table. “I know her mind. She thinks He took her Mom, to make her Seer. But it’s just a way to stay organized.” Tears welled in his eyes.

Asach left him a moment with this remembered grief. “Perhaps it would be better if I sought another island?”