Chapter 34

This chapter is a flashback set twenty-six years before the main narrative, depicting young Szeth's childhood in his shepherd village. When Szeth discovers a second sacred stone on his family's land, his parents propose secretly moving it to avoid their home being declared holy ground and demolished, forcing him to make a moral choice that troubles him deeply.

Young Szeth discovers a small stone on his family's property near Clearmount. His father Neturo explains that if Stone Shamans confirm multiple stones in the region, the entire area will be declared holy and his family will be forced to relocate. Szeth's mother Zeenid arrives with a metal shovel and proposes moving the stone in secret a few hundred yards away—a plan that would deceive the shamans. Szeth's father offers him the choice to decide, claiming Szeth found the stone first. Though Szeth recognizes the deception troubles him and senses his parents' preferred outcome, he agrees to the plan, immediately resenting himself for choosing based on their desires rather than genuine moral conviction. His mother digs up the small grey stone while Szeth watches uncomfortably. As they prepare to relocate it, horns sound from the southern coast signaling a stonewalker raid. In the urgency to gather their sheep and flee toward safety inland, Szeth's mother quickly hides the stone in a tree's roots rather than burying it properly. The family's willingness to touch the stone unpunished surprises them, suggesting they have not done this before. Szeth reflects on how this incident exemplifies his parents' selective interpretation of the shamans' teachings, deepening his childhood confusion about faith and obedience.