Greg turned and looked at everyone: the Brotherhood, the students who had crept to the edge of the slope, and Thomas in his kitchen apron, who had apparently come down to watch and was still holding a wooden spoon.
One hundred and fifty-six people who wanted to be here.
"Now we build," he said, "correctly. No more waiting for divine intervention on the horizon."
"We build families, futures, and real lives."
Greg's heart skipped a beat when Marina smiled. She looked at Lylia, then at Seraphine, then at Elwen.
All four of them had the look of people who had been planning something for a long time and were finally at the moment they had been waiting for.
"Speaking of building lives," Marina said.
Greg looked back and forth between them. "What's that?"
Lylia put her hands together, which she only did when she was being very clear. "We've been talking."
"For about three years," Seraphine said.
