Chapter 26
Gavi squatted in the dirt at the center of the village square, drawing a map in the dust. Neeva, two of the more curious children, and a young man named Makree hovered nearby. Gavi used a stick to draw, first dipping it in water that had been mixed with the fruit of a long gourd called moon.
"Why is it called moon?" Gavi asked Makree.
"After you are finished drawing, and it sets, it stays for one moon cycle," Makree answered. "When you draw your map, it will remain. Even if all the children of the village run over it. We use it to make the markings on our houses."
Gavi looked up at the huts of the village. Most of them were covered with swirls, all different. It looked like a lot of work to do if it only lasted one month.
As though Makree knew what Gavi was thinking, he add
