Gathering Blue

Jamison is unfamiliar to Kira, but this is because women and men barely associate past the time of childhood. Jamison is tall and still young, judging by his three-syllable name, and he wears a wooden ornament carved by Thomas the Carver, a boy whose talents are highly coveted by the few who can afford jewelry and decorations. Jamison looks through a stack of papers he carries with him, and Kira privately wishes that she could read.

Jamison says that he’ll address Vandara accusations one at a time, and looks through his papers. Kira realizes that he wrote down everything that Vandara said, and realizes that writing has great value because it allows him to record things exactly so that there can be no arguments about it later. Jamison concedes that “it is the way” to let the deformed die when they’re still babies, but he opens a large book and refers the guardians to the laws of the village, which state that there can be exceptions to the village’s custom. He also concedes that Kira was born deformed and fatherless. The chief guardian notes that Kira’s father was Christopher, and Jamison reveals that he was hunting with Christopher on the day that Christopher was taken by beasts; some of the other guardians nod to show that they knew Christopher as well. Because Kira’s father was an excellent hunter, Jamison argues, Kira’s case is an exception to the laws. The guardians nod and seem to agree.

Jamison continues to work through Vandara’s accusations. He concedes that Kira is lame, but points out that Kira works in the weaving shed. Kira is surprised that Jamison knows this, since men usually ignore women’s work. She nervously tells the council that she is strong with her hands and arms, but doesn’t bring up her weaving. Jamison then asks Kira to demonstrate her lame leg, a request Kira finds cruel. Still, she obliges, and walks before the council. Jamison points out that Kira is lame, but also notes that Kira is a valuable, punctual worker at the weaving shed. He also disputes that she eats a lot, since she is thin. With this, Jamison calls for lunch. The council will address the other charges afterwards.

The door guard brings food into the room. Kira receives roasted chicken and warm bread, but is afraid to eat as much as she wants, remembering Vandara’s accusation. Thus, she eats half of what she’s been given. Afterwards, the guardians retire to eat by themselves, and the guard tells Kira that the court will reconvene a short while later, when the bell rings twice. While waiting, Kira walks outside the Council Edifice, noting even as the trial is happening that life goes on for everyone else: babies cry, tykes fight, etc.

Kira sees Matt as she waits outside the Council Edifice. Matt tells her that he and other tykes have brought a pile of saplings to help her build, and asks her about her trial. Kira is privately surprised that Matt has heard about the trial so quickly, but she feigns bravery and says that it involves a lot of talking. Matt mentions that Vandara was accused of killing her own tyke by forcing him to eat a poisonous plant, but the Council found her innocent. He thinks that Vandara is cruel because her scar brings her pain. Kira thinks that her own pain makes her strong, not weak. She thanks Matt for his help, and, hearing the bell ring twice, returns to the Council Edifice.

Inside the Council Edifice, Jamison proceeds with his defense. Vandara has accused Kira of being kept against the rules because of her grandfather’s influence. Jamison argues that exceptions can be made. As he does so, Kira feels the small piece of cloth in her pocket, and thinks about weaving. Katrina taught her how to dye threads; in fact, Katrina was responsible for coloring the threads used to decorate the robe that the Singer wore when he performed his Ruin Song. As a small child, Kira watched with fascination as Katrina made a small repair on the robe. Katrina once showed Kira’s own weaving to a guardian, who seemed interested and asked to see Kira’s work in the coming years. Katrina often said that Kira’s skill would far surpass her own. Kira also remembers her mother complaining that she couldn’t find a plant that could produce the color blue.

Kira stops daydreaming and realizes that Jamison is going down the list of accusations against her. She can tell that there has been a subtle change in the guardians’ behavior, in her favor. Vandara notices it, too. Kira clutches the cloth in her pocket, which suddenly feels warm to her. She wove the cloth when her mother was dying. As she wove it, the threads seemed to sing to her. She showed the final product to Katrina, and though Katrina was too weak to reply, she smiled. As she sits in the Council Edifice, the cloth seems to tell Kira that she will be saved.