The Land of Painted Caves

Chapter 20

Continuing their travels with only half as many people had some benefits. The travelling felt lighter, easier. There were fewer things to deal with, and no rafts to carry; less food had to be found, and not as much wood and other fuel had to be gathered to cook it. Fewer waterbags needed to be filled, and less space was required to make camp, which gave them a greater choice of where to camp. Though they missed their newfound friends, they travelled more quickly and soon settled down into a new, more efficient routine for the next few days. The small river provided a constant source of water and had a trail that was easy to follow, though it had an uphill grade almost the entire way.

The people who lived near the next sacred place that the First wanted to show Ayla were an offshoot of the First Cave of South Land. The First pointed out an abri as they passed by.

'That's the entrance to the painted cave I want you to see,' the First said.

'Since it's a sacred site, can't we just go into it?' Ayla asked.

'It is in the territory of the Fourth Cave of South Land Zelandonii, and they consider it theirs to use and show,' the First said. 'They are also the ones who would add any new paintings, usually. If Jonokol felt moved to paint on the walls, they would probably welcome it, but it would be best if he made his wishes known to them first. One of their own might have been feeling the need to paint something in the same place. It's unlikely, but if that were true, it might mean that the spirit world is reaching out to the zelandonia for some reason.'

She went on to explain that it was always fitting to recognise the territory that any Cave thought of as theirs. They didn't have a concept of private property; the notion that land could be owned did not occur to anyone. The earth was the embodiment of the the Great Mother, given to Her children for all to use, but the inhabitants of a region thought of their territory as their home. Other people were free to travel anywhere, through any region, even distant ones, as long as they used consideration and generally accepted courtesies.

Anyone could hunt or fish or collect food that was needed, but it was considered polite to make one's presence known to the local Cave. That was especially true of neighbours, but also of those passing by so they would not disrupt any plans the local group might have. If a resident spotter had been watching an approaching herd, for example, and the hunters were planning a large hunt to fill out their own larder for the coming cold season, it could make for some short tempers if travellers, in going after only one animal, scattered the herd. If, instead, they checked in with the local Cave, they would likely be invited to come along on their organised hunt and keep a share for themselves.

Most Caves had spotters who were always on the lookout, primarily for migrating herds, but also for any unusual activity in their region, and people travelling with a wolf and three horses were definitely unusual — even more so if one or more of the horses was dragging a conveyance, upon which a large woman was sitting. By the time the visitors came within sight of the home of the Fourth Cave of the South Land Zelandonii, there was a small cluster of people waiting for them. After the large woman dismounted, a man with tattoos on his face that declared he was a Zelandoni stepped forward to greet her and the rest of the people. He had recognised her facial tattoos.

'Greetings to the One Who Is First Among Those Who Serve The Great Earth Mother,' he said, approaching her with both hands open and extended in the usual manner to show candour and friendliness. 'In the name of Doni, Great and Beneficent First Mother Who Provides for Us All, you are welcome.'

'In the name of Doni, Original and Most Generous Mother, I greet you, Zelandoni of the Fourth Cave of the South Land Zelandonii,' the One Who Was First said.

'What brings you this far south?' he asked.

'A Donier Tour for my Acolyte,' the First said.

He watched a tall, attractive young woman approach with an especially pretty little girl. The Zelandoni smiled, and approached the young woman with his hands outstretched; then he noticed the wolf, and glanced around nervously.

'Ayla, of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii …' The First began the formal introduction with her important names and ties.

'Welcome, Ayla of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii,' he said, though he wondered about all her unusual animal names and ties.

Ayla stepped forward with both of her hands out. 'In the name of Doni, Mother of All, I greet you, Zelandoni of the Fourth Cave of the South Land Zelandonii,' she said.

The man struggled not to show his surprise at the way she spoke. It was obvious that she came from someplace far away. It was rare that a foreigner was accepted into the zelandonia, yet this foreign woman was Acolyte to the First!

With her ability to detect nuances of gesture and expression, Ayla could clearly see his surprise, and his attempt to hide it. The First also noted his surprise, and repressed a smile. This was going to be an interesting Journey, she thought. With horses, a wolf, and a foreign Acolyte, people were going to talk about their visitors for some time. The First thought she would give the Zelandoni a bit more information to show Ayla's status and introduce him to the rest of their party. She motioned to Jondalar, who had also picked up on the reactions of this Cave's Zelandoni and the First's response.

'Jondalar, please greet the Zelandonii of the Fourth Cave of the South Land Zelandonii.' She turned to the man. 'This is Jondalar of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, Master Flint-Knapper of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, brother of Joharran, leader of the Ninth Cave, son of Marthona, former leader of the Ninth Cave, born to the Hearth of Dalanar, leader and founder of the Lanzadonii,' she said, 'and mated to Ayla of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, Acolyte to the First, and mother of Jonayla, Blessed of Doni.'

The two men clasped both hands and greeted each other in the formal way. The few people who had gathered to meet them were rather overwhelmed by all the high-status names and ties. The Ninth Cave itself had a high position in the ranking of the Caves. Though such formality was seldom used in normal encounters, the First had the impression that this particular Zelandoni would not hesitate to tell stories of this meeting. And the reason she had wanted to take Ayla on a Donier Tour was not just to show her some of the sacred sites in Zelandonii territory, but to introduce her to many of the Caves. She had plans for Ayla that no one else was aware of, not even Ayla. She signalled Jonokol next.

'Since we were making this trip, I thought I should include my former Acolyte. I never took him on a tour when he was just Jonokol, my artistic Acolyte. Now he is not only a talented painter, with an exceptional new sacred place in which to work, but an intelligent and important Zelandoni,' the First said.

The tattoos on the left side of his face had already announced that he was not an Acolyte any longer. Zelandonia tattoos were always on the left side of the face, usually on the side of the forehead or the cheek, and sometimes quite elaborate. Leaders had tattoos on the right side, and other important people, like the Trade Master, had symbols that were in the middle of the forehead and generally smaller.

Jonokol stepped up and made his own introduction. 'I am the Zelandoni of the Nineteenth Cave of the Zelandonii, and I greet you Zelandoni of the Fourth Cave of the Zelandonii who live in the land south of Big River,' he said, and reached out with both hands.

'Greetings, and you are welcome here, Zelandoni of the Nineteenth Cave' was the response.

Willamar came forward next. 'I am Willamar of the Zelandonii, mated to Marthona, former leader of the Ninth Cave, who is the mother of Jondalar. I am known as the Trade Master of the Ninth Cave, and I have brought my two apprentices, Tivonan and Palidar.'

The Zelandoni welcomed the Master Trader. When he saw the tattoo symbol in the middle of his forehead, he knew the man held an important position, but it was only when he saw it more closely that he knew Willamar was a Trader. He then welcomed the two young men, who returned formal greetings to him.

'I have stopped here before and have seen your remarkable sacred site. But this is my last trading mission. It is these two men that you will likely see from now on. I knew the Zelandoni before you. Is he still Zelandoni?' The question was Willamar's tactful way to ask if he was still alive. The former Zelandoni had been Willamar's contemporary, perhaps a little older, and this new one was young.

'Yes, he went to the Summer Meeting, but it was not easy for him. He is not well. Like you, he is giving up his calling. He said this will likely be his last Summer Meeting. Next year he plans to stay here to help care for those who can't go. But you seem to be in good health. Why are you passing your profession on to these young men?' the young Zelandoni asked.

'It is one thing to continue if you generally stay close to one region, but a Trade Master travels, and to be honest, I'm getting tired of travelling. I want to spend more time with my mate and her family.' He motioned toward Jondalar, then continued. 'This young man was not born to my hearth, but I feel as though he was. He lived there from the time he was a toddler. For a while I thought he'd never stop growing.' Willamar smiled at the tall blond man. 'And his mate, Ayla, feels like mine, too. Marthona, his mother, is a grandam and has some remarkable young ones, this pretty little one among them. I am grandfa to her,' Willamar said, indicating Jonayla. 'Marthona also has a daughter, who is the child of my hearth. She is of mating age. Marthona would be grandma and I am looking forward to being Grandda to her children. It's time for me to stop travelling.'

Ayla listened with interest to Willamar's explanation. She had guessed that he wanted to spend more time with Marthona, but she hadn't realised how strongly he felt about the children of his mate, and their children, and Folara, the child of his hearth. She realised then how much he must still miss Thonolan, the son of his hearth, who had died on the Journey he made with Jondalar.

The First continued with the last introductions. 'We also have a young woman who is travelling with us, returning to her Cave. Her mate was a man whose home was near ours. He met her on a Journey and brought her back with him, but he now walks the next world. He was climbing a high cliff and fell. This is Amelana of the Southern Zelandonii,' the First said.

The Zelandoni of the Fourth Cave of the South Land Zelandonii looked at the young woman, and smiled. She is quite lovely, he thought, and guessed that she was probably pregnant, not that she showed much yet, but he felt he had a good sense about those things. What a shame that she had lost her mate so young. He reached for her outstretched hands. 'In the name of Doni, you are welcome, Amelana of the Southern Zelandonii.'

His warm welcoming smile was not lost on her. She responded politely and smiled sweetly. He wanted to find a place for her to sit, but he felt he had to complete the introductions, and presented, in a general way, the people of his Cave who had not gone to the Summer Meeting, because it seemed that introductions were necessary.

'Our leader is not here. She's with the others at the Summer Meeting,' the Zelandoni said.

'I assumed as much,' the First said. 'Where is your Summer Meeting this year?'

'Three or four days to the south, at the confluence of three rivers,' volunteered one of the hunters who was there to help out those who had stayed behind. 'I can take you there, or go and get her. I know she would hate to miss your visit.'

'I am sorry. We can't stay long now. I have planned a very extensive Donier Tour for my Acolyte and the Zelandoni of the Nineteenth Cave, all the way to the end of the central highland and then quite a ways east,' the Zelandoni Who Was First explained. 'We want to visit your sacred cave — it is a very important one — but we have many others to see and our Journey will be extensive. Perhaps on our way back … Wait, did you say at the confluence of three rivers? Isn't there an important sacred site near there, a large and richly painted cave?'

'Yes, of course,' the hunter said.

'Then I think we will see your leader. I had planned to go there next,' the First said, thinking how opportune it was that some of the South Land Caves had decided to have their Summer Meeting there this year. It would give her a chance to introduce many more Caves to Ayla, and arriving at the Meeting with the wolf and horses, and so many important people from the north side of Big River, should make quite an impression.

'You can join us for a meal and will spend the night, I hope,' the Zelandoni was saying.

'Yes, yes, and thank you for inviting us. It is welcome after a long day of travelling. Where would you like us to set up our camp?' the First said.

'We have a visitors' lodging place, but I should check it out first. With only a few of us here, we haven't had to use it. I don't know what condition it's in.'

In winter when the Cave, the semi-sedentary group of people who lived together, typically an extended family, were in residence at the stone shelter they thought of as home, they tended to break up into smaller households, thus spreading out to some extent. But the few who stayed behind during the summer liked to gather closer together. The other constructions used as dwellings, or as the rudiments of what would be finished into living places, were left alone, which tended to invite small creatures like mice and voles, newts, toads, and snakes, and various spiders and insects.

'Why don't you just show it to us. I'm sure we can clear it out and make do,' Willamar said. 'We've been setting up tents every night. Just having a shelter will be a welcome change.'

'I should at least check to make sure there is adequate fuel for a fire,' the local Zelandoni said, starting toward the lodge.

The travellers followed behind. When they were settled in, they went to the area where those who had not gone to the Summer Meeting were staying. Having visitors was usually a welcome event, a diversion, except for those who were too ill or in pain and couldn't move from their beds. The First always tried to make a point of checking in on the ones who were not well whenever she visited a Cave. Usually there wasn't much she could do, but most people enjoyed the attention, and sometimes she could help. They were often elderly and would soon be walking the next world, or they were sick or hurt, or in the late stages of a difficult pregnancy. They were left behind but not abandoned. Loved ones, relatives or friends, made sure that there was somebody to look after them, and the leaders of the Caves usually assigned a rotation of hunters to help provide for them and to serve as runners if messages needed to be communicated.

A communal meal was being prepared. The visitors brought their own contribution to it, and helped them prepare it. It was close to the time of the longest days of the year and after everyone had eaten, the First suggested to Ayla and the Zelandoni of the Nineteenth, whom Ayla still referred to as Jonokol most of the time, that they visit with the ones who were not at the meal because they were sick or had some other physical condition, while it was still light. Ayla left Jonayla with Jondalar while she accompanied them, but Wolf came along.

No one had any immediate problems that hadn't been taken care of. A young man had a broken leg, which Ayla thought hadn't been set too well, but it was too late to do anything about it now. It was nearly healed, and he was able to walk, though with a bad limp. A woman had been severely burned on her arms and hands, with splashes on her face. She was also nearly healed, but had been left with some serious scarring and had avoided the Summer Meeting. She hadn't even come out to meet the visitors. This was a situation that would require a different kind of care, the Donier thought. The rest were mainly older people, some who suffered from sore knees, hips, or ankles, or shortness of breath, or dizziness, or failing eyesight or hearing to such an extent that they hadn't wanted to make the long hike, though they were glad to see the visitors.

Ayla spent some time with one man who was almost stone deaf, and the people who cared for him, and showed them some simple Clan talking signs so he could make his needs known and understand their replies. Though it took a while for him to understand what she was trying to do, once he did, he was quick to learn. Later, the Zelandoni told her it was the first time that he had seen the man smile in a long time.

As they were coming out of the structure under the overhanging shelter, Wolf left Ayla's side and started sniffing around a structure in one corner. She heard a cry of fear in a woman's voice. She left the others and immediately went to see what was wrong. She found a woman who had covered her head and shoulders with a soft buckskin blanket, cringing in a corner. It was the burned woman who had been hiding from the visitors. Wolf had dropped down on his belly, whining a little as he tried to edge closer. Ayla dropped down beside him and waited a while, then she began to speak to the frightened woman.

'This is Wolf,' Ayla said. She had named him the Mamutoi word for the animal, so the woman heard only a strange sound. She tried to squeeze farther back into the corner and covered her head completely. 'He won't hurt you.' Ayla put her arm around the wolf. 'I found him when he was a tiny little puppy, but he grew up with the children of the Lion Camp of the Mamutoi.'

The woman became very conscious of Ayla's accent, especially after hearing her word for Wolf, and strange words for the name of the people she had mentioned. Despite herself, she was curious. Ayla could hear that her breathing had calmed down.

'There was a boy who lived with them who had been adopted by the leader's mate,' Ayla continued. 'Some people would call him an abomination, a mixture of Clan, the people some call Flatheads, and those who look like us, but Nezzie was a caring woman. She was nursing her own child and after the Clan woman who gave birth to him died, she fed the newborn infant. She just couldn't let him go to the next world, too, but Rydag was weak, and he couldn't talk the way we do.

'The people of the Clan mostly talk with hand movements. They have words, but not as many as we do, and they can't say many of the words we speak. I lost my family in an earthquake, but I was lucky because a clan found me and a woman of the Clan raised me. I learned to speak the way they do. Their words don't sound like ours, but those are the ones I learned to say when I was growing up. That's why I sound different when I talk, especially some of my words. As hard as I try, I still can't quite make certain sounds.'

Although the light in the corner was quite dim, Ayla noticed that the cover had fallen away from the woman's head and she was obviously listening intently to Ayla's story. Wolf was still whining softly and straining to inch forward to reach her.

'When I brought Wolf back to the lodge of the Lion Camp, he developed a special closeness to that boy who was weak. I don't know why, but Wolf also loves babies and small children. They can poke at him, and pull his hair, and he never complains. It's as if he knows they don't mean to, and he just feels very protective toward them. You may think it's a strange way for a wolf to act, but that's how they behave toward their own puppies. The whole pack is protective toward the young ones and Wolf felt especially protective of that weak boy.'

Ayla bent closer to the woman as Wolf crept closer. 'I think he feels that way about you. I think he knows that you were hurt, and he wants to protect you. See, he's trying to reach you, but he's being very careful about it. Have you ever touched a living wolf before? Their fur is soft in some places and coarse in others. If you give me your hand, I'll show you.'

Without warning, Ayla reached for the woman's hand and before she could pull it away, put it on the top of Wolf's head, as the animal laid his head down on her leg. 'He's warm, isn't he? And he likes it when you rub behind his ears.'

Ayla felt her start to rub Wolf's head, then took her hand away. She had felt the scarring, and the stiffness where the skin had pulled tight as it healed, but she seemed to have the use of her hand. 'How did it happen? Your burns?' Ayla asked.

'I filled a cooking basket with hot stones, and added a few more until it was boiling, then I tried to move it over. It split open and the hot water splashed all over me,' she said. 'It was so stupid! I knew that basket was wearing out. I should have stopped using it, but I was just going to make some tea, and it was nearby.'

Ayla nodded. 'Sometimes we don't stop to think. Do you have a mate? Or children?'

'Yes, I have a mate, and children, a boy and girl. I told him to take them to the Summer Meeting. No reason for them to pay the price for my stupidity. It was my fault that I can't go anymore.'

'Why can't you go anymore? You can walk, can't you? You didn't burn your legs or feet.'

'I don't want people looking at me with pity for my scarred face and hands,' the woman said angrily, as tears came to her eyes. She moved her hand away from Wolf's head and put the blanket back over her head.

'Yes, some people will look at you with pity, but we all have accidents, and some people are born with worse problems. I don't think you can let it stop you from living. Your face is not that bad, and with time the scars will fade and won't show as much. The scars on your hands and probably your arms are worse, but you can use your hands, can't you?'

'Some. Not the way I used to.'

'They will get better, too.'

'How do you know so much? Who are you?' the woman said.

'I am Ayla of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii,' Ayla said, holding out her hands in formal greeting as she began reciting her names and ties, 'Acolyte of the One Who Is First Among Those Who Serve The Great Earth Mother …' She went through all her usual names and ties because it gave her something to say. She ended with 'Friend of the horses, Whinney, Racer, and Grey, and the four-legged hunter, Wolf — his name just means "wolf" in the Mamutoi language. I greet you in the name of Doni, Mother of All.'

'You are the Acolyte of the First? Her First Acolyte?' the woman said, forgetting her manners for the moment.

'Her only Acolyte, although her former Acolyte is with us, too. He is Zelandoni of the Nineteenth Cave now,' Ayla said. 'We have come to see your sacred site.'

The woman suddenly realised that she was going to have to extend her hands and take hold of the hands of this young woman to formally introduce herself to the Acolyte of the First, who had obviously travelled far and seemed so accomplished. This was one of the main reasons she hadn't wanted to go to the Summer Meeting. She would have had to show not only her face, but her burned hands to everyone she met. She bowed her head and thought about hiding them under the cover and saying she was unable to greet her properly, but the Acolyte had already touched her hand and knew that wasn't true. Finally, she took a deep breath, then pushed the blanket away and held out her badly burned hands.

'I am Dulana of the Fourth Cave of the South Land Zelandonii,' she said, beginning to recite her names and ties.

Ayla, holding both of her hands, concentrated on them. They were stiff and the skin was stretched, bumpy and irregular, and probably still a little painful, she thought.

'… in the name of Doni, I welcome you, Ayla of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii.'

'Are your hands still giving you some pain, Dulana?' Ayla asked. 'Some willow-bark tea would probably help if they are. I have some with me if you need it.'

'I can get some from our Zelandoni, but I didn't know if I should keep on taking it,' Dulana said.

'If you are still feeling pain, then do it. It keeps the heat and redness away, too. And I was just thinking that maybe you, or someone you know, could make some fine soft skins, maybe rabbit skins and put together some mittens for you, except with fingers. Then when you meet people, they probably wouldn't notice that your hands are a little rough. And do you have some nice clean white tallow? I can make a hand softening cream for you. Maybe add some beeswax, and rose petals to make it smell nice. I have some of both with me. You could rub it on during the day, and wear it under your finger-mittens, too. You can put it on your face to soften those burn scars and help them fade away,' Ayla said, thinking as she was talking of what could be done to help the woman.

Suddenly Dulana started crying.

'What's wrong, Dulana?' Ayla said. 'Did I say something to upset you?'

'No. It's just the first time anyone has said anything to me that gave me hope,' Dulana sobbed. 'I was feeling that my life was ruined, that everything had changed so much, nothing would ever be the same, but you make the burns and the scars seem like nothing, like no one will even notice, and you tell me all these things that can help. Our Zelandoni tries, but he's so young, and healing isn't his best talent.' The young woman paused and looked directly at Ayla. 'I think I know why the First chose you for her Acolyte, even if you weren't born to the Zelandonii. She is the First, and you are First Acolyte. Should I call you that?'

Ayla gave her a wry smile. 'I know that someday I will probably have to give up my name and be called "Zelandoni of the Ninth Cave", but not too soon, I hope. I like being called Ayla. It's my name, the name my real mother gave me, or close to it anyway. It's the only thing I have left from her.'

'Ayla, then, and how do you say the name of this wolf?' He had put his head back down on her leg again, and she found it comforting.

'Wolf,' Ayla said.

Dulana made an attempt at the name, and Wolf lifted his head and looked at her, acknowledging her effort.

'Why don't you come out and meet everyone,' Ayla said. 'The Trade Master is with us and he tells wonderful stories about his travels, and the First might sing some of the Elder Legends, and she has a beautiful voice. You shouldn't miss out.'

'I guess maybe I could,' Dulana said, softly. She had been feeling lonely staying inside her dwelling by herself while everyone else was enjoying the visitors. When she got up and walked out, Wolf stayed close to her. Everyone from the Cave, especially the Zelandoni, was surprised to see her, and even more to see the way the four-legged hunter seemed to have developed a protective closeness to her. Instead of Ayla, or even Jonayla, he chose to sit beside Dulana. The First glanced at her Acolyte and gave her an inconspicuous nod of approval.

In the morning the visitors and some of the local residents prepared to visit the nearby painted cave. There were several stone shelters in the region, many of them home to various Caves, usually named with their own counting words, though on occasion two or three that lived close to each other joined together to make a single Cave. Most were empty now, with the people doing their usual summer travelling. A few people from nearby Caves who did not make the trek to their Summer Meeting had come to stay where there was a Zelandoni in residence.

All eight adults who were travelling on the Donier Tour, plus five who were staying at the Fourth Cave of the South Land Zelandonii were in the group who came to see the sacred site, which included the two hunters who normally lived at the nearby stone shelter. Dulana had offered to watch Jonayla; Ayla suspected she missed her children. Jonayla was willing to stay with the woman, and Wolf was willing to stay with both of them, so Ayla agreed. Although the child could walk, she was only a four-year, so Ayla often carried her. Jondalar also carried her occasionally, but Ayla was so used to carrying her daughter, she felt as if she had forgotten something when they started out.

They reached the small stone shelter that the First had pointed out to Ayla on their way there. The opening faced east and it was obvious that the site had been used as a living space at times. The dark charcoal circle of a former fireplace was still partially ringed with stones, though some were missing. A couple of larger chunks of limestone that had broken loose from wall or ceiling had been dragged closer to it for seating. A torn and discarded leather covering lay in a pile near a wall next to a few large and awkward pieces of wood that would likely last through the night if the fire was big and hot enough to get them started.

The entrance to the cave was at the north end of the abri under a short section of overhanging ledge, which was weathering and shedding pieces of broken rock that were beginning to pile up in front of the opening that led inside the wall of stone.

The Zelandoni had put some wood, tinder, and a fire-making drill and platform along with some stone lamps into a backframe that he slipped off near the firepit. Then he began to organise the materials. When she saw what he was doing, Ayla reached into a leather pouch hanging from her waist thong and retrieved two stones. One was a strong piece of flint in a sturdy blade shape, the other a walnut-sized chunk of stone with a silvery-brassy metallic lustre. A groove had been worn into the shiny stone from being struck repeatedly by the flint blade.

'Will you allow me to start a fire?' Ayla asked.

'I'm pretty good at it. It won't take me long,' the Zelandoni said as he started to cut a notch in the platform for the pointed end of the wooden drill he would twirl between his hands.

'She can do it faster,' Willamar said with a grin.

'You seem very sure,' the young Zelandoni said, beginning to feel a bit competitive. He was rather proud of his fire-making skill. There were few who could make a fire from scratch faster than he could.

'Why don't you let her show you,' Jonokol said.

'Fine,' the young man said, then stood up and backed away. 'Go ahead.'

Ayla knelt down by the dark, cold fireplace, then looked up. 'May I use your tinder and kindling, since it's here?' she asked.

'Why not?' the local Zelandoni said.

Ayla piled the light, dry tinder together, then bent down close to it. She struck the iron pyrite with the flint, and the young Zelandoni thought for a moment that he saw a flash of light. Ayla struck again, this time drawing off a large spark that landed on the desiccated, easily flammable material and brought forth a bit of smoke that she started blowing on. In a moment there was a small flame, which she fed with more tinder, then slightly larger pieces, then kindling, then small wood. When it was established, she sat back on her heels. The young Zelandoni stood with his mouth agape.

'You'll catch flies that way,' the Trade Master said, grinning.

'How did you do that?' the young local Zelandoni asked.

'It's not that difficult with a firestone,' Ayla said. 'I'll show you before we leave, if you'd like.'

After a few more heartbeats to let the surprising fire-making display settle in, the First spoke up. 'Let's get the lamps lit. I notice you brought some — are there also some stored here?'

'Usually. It depends on who was here last,' the young man said as he retrieved three shallow bowls gouged out of the local limestone from his backframe, 'but I don't count on it.' He also took out a small rawhide packet of wick materials and a hollow aurochs horn from a young animal — much more manageable than the huge horns of a mature adult specimen — with the open end covered by several layers of nearly waterproof intestine tied on with sinew. Inside was softened grease. He also had some torches made of leaves, grasses, and other vegetation tied tightly around a stick while they were still green enough to be pliable, left to dry for a short while, then dipped in warm pine pitch.

'Is it a very big cave?' Amelana asked. She was slightly nervous in deep caves, especially if they were difficult.

'No,' the local Zelandoni said. 'There's only one main room with a passage leading to it, a smaller side room on the left, and an ancillary passage on the right. The most sacred areas are in the principal room.'

He poured a little softened grease into each of the three stone lamps, added mushroom wicks, then catching fire with a twig, used it to light the wicks once they had drawn up some of the fuel. He also lit one of the torches, then quickly put everything into his backframe again and shouldered it. He led the way into the cave, holding the torch high. One of the hunters brought up the rear to make sure no one got into trouble or fell behind. It was a large group and if it hadn't been a reasonably accessible cave, the First would not have allowed so many people to go in at one time.

Ayla was near the front, with the First and Jondalar behind her. She glanced down and noticed a broken piece of flint on the ground, and not far beyond another blade of flint that appeared whole, but she left them both. Once they were beyond the narrow entrance passage, the cave opened out in both directions.

'On the left is just a constricted little tunnel,' the young Zelandoni said. 'The right leads down to the ancillary passage. We'll go straight ahead, more or less.'

He held the torch high and Ayla looked back. She saw people filing into the enlarged space. Interspersed among them were three lights, three people holding the stone lamps. In the absolute black inside the cave, the torch and small fires appeared to shed much more light than seemed possible, especially now that her eyes were adjusting to the darkness. As they continued, the passage ahead veered slightly to the left and back again to the right, but the way was essentially straight. After a slight widening, the passage narrowed and the Zelandoni stopped. He held the torch high toward the left wall and Ayla saw claw marks.

'At some time bears have hibernated in this cave, but I have never seen them,' the young man said.

Just beyond them, some large rocks had fallen from the wall or ceiling, requiring everyone to go single file. On the other side of the rocks, the Zelandoni again held the torch toward the left. On the wall were the first definitive signs that people had been there before: looping, swirling traces done with the fingers adorned the space. A little farther and the passageway opened out again.

'On the left is the secondary room, but there's not much in there except red and black dots in certain places,' the Zelandoni said. 'Though they don't seem to be much, they are very meaningful, but you have to belong to the zelandonia to understand. We'll go straight ahead.'

He went on straight ahead and after a little jog to the right, he stopped in front of a panel that contained finger traces in red ochre and six black fingerprints. The next panel was more complex. The young man held up the torch while people crowded around. There were what appeared to be human figures, but they were vague, almost ghostlike, and there were deer all interspersed with dots. It was very enigmatic, spiritual, numinous, and it gave Ayla a chill. She was not alone. It suddenly became very still. She realised she hadn't noticed that people had been quietly talking until they stopped.

The left wall had a small projection, a protrusion. Behind it was a niche that spread out into a panel. The first thing she noticed were two magnificent megaceroses painted in black outline, one superimposed on the other. The one in front was a male carrying an imposing rack of palmate antlers. His neck was thick with the muscles needed to support such a heavy load. His head seemed small in comparison to the powerfully built neck. The hump on his withers, more like a black bump, which she knew from butchering the giant deer, was a tight bundle of tendons and sinew that was also necessary to support the weight of the antlers he carried on his head. The megaceros behind the first one also displayed the powerful neck and the hump on the withers, but there were no antlers. She thought it could have been a female, but she believed it was probably another male who had shed his antlers after the fall rut. After the mating season, there was no need for the grand display that showed his enormous strength and attracted the females, and he would need to conserve his energy reserves to survive the glacial winter that would soon be upon them.

She had looked at the two megaceroses for quite a while before she suddenly saw the mammoth. It was inside the body of the first giant deer, and it wasn't a complete mammoth, just the line of the back and head, but the distinctive shape was enough. It made her wonder which was painted first, the mammoth or the megaceros. Seeing it made her look more closely at the rest of the wall. Above the back of the first megaceros, in front of the head of the second, two additional animals were painted in black outline, and again they were not complete. There was a side view of the head and neck of a mountain goat with its two horns that arched back, and a front view of just the horns of a different mountain goat-like animal, which she thought might be an ibex or a chamois.

Advancing a little farther, they came to another section of animals painted in black outline, which contained another megaceros with his giant antlers. There was also part of a smaller deer, a wild mountain goat, and the suggestion of a horse with the stand-up mane and the beginning of the back, and another figure that was more surprising and frightening. It was a partial figure, just the lower body and legs that looked human, with three lines either going into or emanating from his backside. Were they meant to be spears? Was someone suggesting that a human had been hunted with spears? But why put something like that on the wall? She tried to recall if she had ever seen an animal represented with spears in it. Or was it meant to represent something else, something coming out of the body? The lower back was not the most logical place to aim in order to hunt something. A spear in the buttocks, or even the lower back, was not likely to be fatal. Maybe it was meant to show pain, a pain in the back that hurt as much as a spear.

She shook her head. She could make all the guesses she wanted to, but that wouldn't bring her any closer to the real reason. 'What do those lines in that figure mean?' she asked the local Zelandoni, pointing to the painting that was suggestively human.

'Everyone asks,' he said. 'No one knows. It was done by the ancients.' Then he turned to the First. 'Do you know anything about it?'

'There is nothing specifically mentioned in the Histories or Elder Legends, but I can say this,' the First said. 'The meaning of any of the images in a sacred site is seldom obvious. You know yourself that when you travel to the spirit world, things are seldom what they seem. The fierce can be tame, the gentlest, the most ferocious. It's not necessary for us to know what something in here means. We already know it was important to the one who put it there, or it would not be here.'

'But people always ask. They want to know,' the young man said. 'They make guesses and want to know if they are true, if they guessed right.'

'People should know, you don't always get what you want,' the First said.

'But I'd like to tell them something.'

'I'm telling you something. It's enough,' the woman said.

Although she had been tempted, Ayla was glad now that she hadn't been the one to ask what the young man had asked. The First always said anyone could ask her any question, but Ayla had noticed before that the woman who was her mentor could make a person feel less than bright for asking certain questions. The thought occurred to her that while anyone could ask her any question, it didn't mean she could necessarily answer every question that she was asked. But as the First she couldn't exactly say she didn't know. It wasn't what people wanted to hear from her, and even if she didn't always answer the question, she never lied. Everything she said was true.

Ayla didn't lie either. Children of the Clan learned early that their way of communicating made lying nearly impossible. After she met her own kind of people, she noticed that people had trouble keeping track of lies, and it seemed to her that lying was more trouble than it was worth. Perhaps, instead, the First had developed a way to avoid answering a question by making the one who asked, question his own intelligence for asking. Ayla found herself turning aside and smiling to herself, thinking she had deduced something significant about the powerful older woman.

She had. The First saw her turn away, and caught the glimpse of a smile she had tried to hide. She thought she guessed the reason, and was glad Ayla had turned aside. She didn't mind that her Acolyte learned some things on her own, but it was best not to make an issue of them. The time might come when she would have to employ similar strategies.

Ayla turned her attention back to the wall. The young Zelandoni had moved on and was now holding his torch up to show the next section, which had a pair of goats and some dots. Beyond that were two more goats, some dots, and some curved lines. Some of the animals, and lines and dots, were in red, some in black. They were entering a little antechamber with five black and red dots and in the back some red dots and lines. They came back out of the opening of the niche, and turned a corner. On the wall on the other side there was another human-like figure with lines going into or emanating from it, seven of them going in all directions. It was a very roughly drawn figure, hardly even recognisable as human, except it really couldn't be anything else. There were two legs indicated, two very short arms, and a misshapen head drawn in black outline. She wanted to ask the First what it meant, but she probably didn't know either, though she might have some ideas. Perhaps later they could talk about it. Four mammoths painted in red were also in this section, very simplified, sometimes only suggested, just enough to identify the animal. There were also the horns of a goat and more dots.

'If we go to the middle of this room, we can see the whole wall, especially if the ones with lamps stay near it,' the local Zelandoni said.

They all shuffled around until they were in position to see the entire display; then they looked at the entire wall of painted panels. At first there was some shuffling and clearing of throats, a few murmurs and whispers, but soon everything was still as the people focused on the stone wall that they had studied closely. When they saw all the images together, they began to feel the sense of the mystical potential the bare rock had acquired. For a moment in the flickering flames and wispy smoke of the lamps, the figures seemed to move and Ayla had the impression that the walls were transparent, that she was seeing through the solid stone and catching a vague glimpse of some other place. She felt a chill, then blinked a few times and the wall became solid again.

The Zelandoni led them out again, pointing out a few places where there were dots and marks on the walls. As they moved out of the decorated area of the cave, and got closer to the entrance, the daylight that penetrated the space made the cave seem more clear. They could see the shape of the walls and the rocks that had fallen to the ground. When they stepped out of the cave, the light seemed exceptionally bright after all that time in the dark. They squinted and closed their eyes, waiting for them to adjust. It took a while before Ayla noticed Wolf, and a moment longer before she saw his agitation. He yipped at her and started in the direction of the living shelter, then turned around and headed back toward her and yipped before he trotted the other way again.

She looked at Jondalar. 'Something must be wrong,' she said.