Chapter 2 Summary

Kira returns to the smoldering remains of her home and finds that virtually all of her possessions have been destroyed. The garden that she and her mother tended is still intact, though, and someone has left a stack of saplings for building nearby. As Kira arrives, a woman emerges from the bushes and begins stealing carrots from the garden. Kira shouts at the woman and drives her off, but not before the scornfully laughing woman steals her fill. Hungry from her vigil in the Field of Leaving, Kira sits and eats from her garden.

After finishing the meal, Kira inspects the saplings, and Vandara, an imposing woman from the village, immediately emerges from a nearby clearing. Tall, muscular and bearing a scar reputedly caused by an animal attack, Vandara is respected and feared throughout the village. Vandara confronts Kira, plainly stating that Kira...