All seemed quiet today. After Cone-shell's visit, she welcomed the respite. Yet she felt a prickle of anticipation, a hint that the peaceful moment would not last. In the distance she heard gulls calling, then footsteps, then a faint cry. Alarmed, she hastened toward the path just as a sentry came running. She recognized him as one of Pararu's sharp-eyed lookouts, coming from his post on the outer shore. Tepua's guards clustered about to hear his news. Panting heavily, the sentry fell to his knees. "Sails sighted!" he managed to gasp. "Pu-tahi!" The warriors howled in anguish. "Not attacking!" the sentry added. Tepua felt a rush of the old fear. "How many? What are they doing?" She remembered too many raids, when she had been hustled into a canoe and forced to flee. She could still hear the wails of the women whose men were lost in battle. "Just one pahi," the sentry said. "The men aboard carry...a sign of peace." "Peace?'' Tepua stared at him, her hands itching to hold a weapon.
