The Land of Painted Caves

Chapter 26

Ayla had got up very early and gathered her collecting baskets and the panniers for Whinney. She told Jondalar that she was going to look for some greens and roots and whatever else she could find for tonight's feast, but she seemed distracted and uncomfortable.

'Would you like me to come along?' he asked.

'No!' Her answer was sharp and abrupt, and then she tried to soften it. 'I was hoping you would watch Jonayla. Beladora is taking her children to spend some time with her mother this morning. Jondecam and Levela are also going and taking Jonlevan with them, because they are all related. I don't know what Kimeran is doing, but I think he may join them later. Jonayla is like family, but she is really just a friend and may feel left out because she won't have her usual friends to play with. I thought maybe you and Racer could go for a ride with her and Grey this morning.'

'That's a good idea. We haven't been riding for a while. The exercise would do the horses good,' Jondalar said. Ayla smiled at him and rubbed cheeks, but a frown still creased her forehead. She looked unhappy.

It was barely daylight when Ayla left, riding Whinney and whistling for Wolf. She rode along the riverbank looking over the vegetation. She knew the plants she was looking for grew near the place where they had camped, but she hoped she wouldn't have to ride that far. She rode past the Third Cave's location; it was deserted. Everyone was at the meeting that had spontaneously come about at the First Cave. She wondered how Amelana was doing, and if she would have her baby before they left. It could be any time now, she thought, and fervently hoped it would be a normal, healthy, happy baby.

She didn't find what she was looking for until she was close to their former campsite. It was the backwater of the river that had almost formed an oxbow lake that created the right kind of habitat for both water parsnip and water hemlock. She halted the horse and quickly slid off. Wolf seemed happy to have her to himself for a change and was a little frisky, but Ayla was in no mood for playfulness, so he began exploring the interesting smells coming from the small holes and hummocks.

She had her good sharp knife and a digging stick with her and first collected heaps of water parsnips. Then in another basket and a new tool she had fashioned explicitly for the purpose, she dug up several roots and plants of the water hemlock. She wrapped them with long stems of grass and put them in a separate basket, again made expressly for the plants. She left it on the ground while she packed the parsnips in the panniers fastened to Whinney, then attached the separate basket on top. Then whistling for Wolf, she started back upstream; she was in a hurry to return. When she came to a place where the river flowed fresh and clean, she stopped to fill her waterbag. Then she saw the dry bed of a seasonal tributary stream that would be full of rushing water when rains came. The smooth, rounded stones on the bottom were perfect, and she carefully selected several of them to refill the pouch of stones for her sling.

She was near a stand of pines and noticed small mounds pushing up under a layer of needles and twigs beneath the trees and brushed them aside. She found a clump of pinkish-buff mushrooms hidden underneath. She searched and found more until she had collected quite a nice little pile of pine mushrooms. These were good mushrooms, white and firm of flesh with a rather nice, slightly spicy smell and taste, but not everyone knew them. She filled a third gathering basket with them. Then she mounted Whinney, whistled for Wolf, and rode back, pushing her mare to a gallop for part of the distance. People were in the midst of preparing or eating their morning meal when she arrived. She went straight to the zelandonia pavilion and brought in two of the baskets. Only the two 'Firsts' were there.

'Did you find what you were looking for?' the One Who Was First asked.

'Yes,' Ayla said. 'Here are some good pine mushrooms, with a somewhat unusual flavour that I like very well,' she said, then showing them the basket of water hemlock, she said, 'I have never tasted these.'

'That's good. I hope you never do,' the large woman said.

'Outside, on Whinney's pannier is a big load of water parsnips. I was careful not to mix them,' Ayla said.

'I'll give them to one of the people who is cooking,' the taller, thinner Zelandoni First said. 'If they are not cooked well, they can be unpalatable.' She studied Ayla a while. 'This is uncomfortable for you, isn't it?'

'Yes. I have never deliberately collected something that I knew was harmful, especially knowing that it is intended to be given to someone, to kill him,' Ayla said.

'But you know if he is allowed to live, he will only cause more harm.'

'Yes, I know, but it still doesn't make me feel good about it.'

'And it shouldn't,' her First said. 'You are helping your people and taking the onus on yourself. It's a sacrifice, but sometimes it's what a Zelandoni must do.'

'I will make sure they go to the ones who should eat them,' Zelandoni First said. 'It is the sacrifice I must make. These are my people and he has hurt them long enough.'

'What about his other men?' the First asked.

'One of them, Gahaynar, is asking what he can do to make reparations. He is saying how sorry he is,' Zelandoni First said. 'I don't know if he is just trying to talk his way out of the punishment he knows is coming, or if he means it. I think I will let the Mother decide. If he ends up not eating the root and lives, I will let him go. If Balderan doesn't eat it and lives, I have already spoken with several people who have been personally harmed by him and are eager to see him pay. Most have lost family members or have been attacked themselves. If necessary, I will turn him over to them, but I would prefer it if this more subtle approach works.'

When Zelandonia First went to pick up the basket of hemlock she saw a slithering movement under the container. She quickly snatched the basket and moved it aside. Underneath was a snake, an extraordinary snake.

'Look at that!' the woman said.

Ayla and the First looked, then both took a small indrawn breath of surprise. It was a small snake, probably quite young, and the red stripes running the length of its body indicated it was a nonpoisonous type, but near the front of the body the stripes split into the shape of a Y. The snake had two heads! Both tongues slipped in and out of its mouths, sampling the air; then it started to move, but the movement was a bit erratic, as though it couldn't quite decide which way to go.

'Quick, get something to catch it before it gets away,' the First said.

Ayla found a small watertight woven bowl. 'Is this all right to use?' she asked Zelandonii First.

'Yes, that's fine,' she said.

The snake started moving as Ayla approached, but she turned the basket upside down and clamped it over the snake. It pulled its own tail in as she held it down firmly so it couldn't get out under the edge.

'Now what do we do?' Zelandoni First said.

'Do you have something flat that I can slip under that?' Ayla asked.

'I don't know. Maybe the edge of a shovel that's been ground flat. Would that work? Like this one?' She picked up the shovel that was used to clean ashes out of the hearth.

'Yes, that's perfect,' Ayla said. She took the shovel and slid the flat part under the basket, then picked them both up and held them together while she flipped them over. 'Is there a lid for this bowl? And some twine to tie it on?'

Zelandoni First found a small shallow bowl and gave it to Ayla, who set the bowl with the snake down, removed the shovel and pressed the shallow bowl on top, then tied them together. The three women left together to have a morning meal.

They planned that the meeting should start when the sun was highest in the sky, but people started gathering on the slope earlier to find seating and standing places with enough elevation so they could see and hear better. Everyone knew this was a serious meeting, but there was still a feeling of celebration and festivity in the air, mostly because of the sociability of being together, especially since it was unplanned. And because people were glad that the vicious troublemaker had been caught.

By the time the sun was high, the meeting area was filled to overflowing. Zelandoni First started the meeting and began by welcoming the First Among Those Who Serve The Great Earth Mother, and the rest of the visitors. She explained that the First was accompanying her Acolyte, and her former Acolyte, who was now a Zelandoni, on their Donier Tour, and had come to see the Most Ancient Sacred Site. She also mentioned that the First's Acolyte and her mate had captured Balderan and three of his men, when they tried to attack her. That information brought an undercurrent of voices from the audience.

'That is the main reason we called this gathering. Balderan has caused pain and suffering to many of you for many years. But now that we have him, we have to decide what to do with him. Whatever punishment we mete out to him should be something we all feel is appropriate,' Zelandoni First said.

Someone in the audience said, 'Kill him,' in a loud whisper that everyone heard, including the zelandonia.

The One Who Was First responded, 'That may well be the appropriate punishment, but who will do it, and how, is the question. It could be very unlucky if it is not handled properly,' the large woman said, 'for all of us. The Mother has declared strong prohibitions against people killing other people, except in extraordinary circumstances. In an effort to find a solution for coping with Balderan, we don't want to become what he is.'

'How did she catch him?' someone asked.

'You should ask her,' the First said, turning to Ayla.

This kind of situation always made her nervous, but she took a deep breath and tried to answer the question. 'I have been a hunter since I was very young, and the weapon I first learned to use was a stone hurled with a sling,' she began. For those who had not heard her speak before, her accent was a surprise. It was rare for a foreigner to become part of the zelandonia and she had to wait until people quieted down before she could continue. 'Now you know, I was not born a Zelandonii,' she said with a smile. Her comment brought a small chuckle from the audience.

'I was raised far to the east of here, and I met Jondalar when he was on his Journey.' People were settling down, getting ready to listen to what could be a very good story.

'When Balderan and his men first saw me, I had gone behind the trees for some privacy, and when I stood up to pull my leggings back on, they were staring at me. It made me angry that they were so impolite, and I told them so. Not that it did any good.' That brought a few chuckles from the group. 'I usually keep my sling wrapped around my head; it is an easy way to carry it. When he came after me, I don't think Balderan understood that it was a weapon as I began to unwind it.'

She unwound her sling as she was talking, then reached into her pouch and took out two of the stones she had collected from the dry streambed near their former camp earlier. She put the two ends of the sling together and placed a stone in the middle of a leather strap in a pocket that had formed from use. She had already selected a target: a varying hare in its brown summer coat sitting off to the side on a rock next to its hole. At the last minute, she also spied a pair of mallards, which had taken off from their nests near the river. With swift sure movements, she flung the first stone, and then the second.

People spoke out their surprise. 'Did you see that!' 'She killed that duck right out of the sky!' 'She killed a rabbit, too!' The demonstration gave them a sense of her skill.

'I didn't want to kill Balderan,' Ayla said.

'But she could have,' Jonokol interjected, which brought another murmur of voices.

'I only wanted to stop him, so I aimed for his thigh. I think he may have a good bruise to show for it. I hit the other man on the arm.' She whistled for Wolf, who came immediately at her call. That also brought a flurry of comments from the assembled group. 'Balderan and the others didn't notice Wolf at first. This wolf is my friend and he will do what I ask him to. When a third man tried to run away, I told Wolf to stop him. He didn't attack him or try to kill him; he bit at the man's ankle and tripped him. Then Jondalar came around the trees with his spear-thrower.

'As we were bringing those men here, Balderan tried to run away. Jondalar used his spear-thrower to cast a spear. It just missed Balderan's ear. So he stopped,' Ayla said. 'Jondalar is very accurate with a spear-thrower.' Again there were chuckles.

'I told you they didn't stand a chance,' Willamar said to Demoryn, who was standing next to him. They were taking a turn at guarding Balderan and the others, who also heard everything that was said.

'When I saw how these men behaved toward me, I thought they were probably troublemakers. That's why we brought them with us, though they did not want to come. It was only after we arrived at the Third Cave of Watchers that we understood how much trouble they had caused over the years,' Ayla said. She paused, looking down. It seemed obvious that she had more to say.

'I am a healer, a medicine woman. I have helped many women give birth. Fortunately, most babies are perfectly healthy when they are born, but some children of the Mother are not born right. I have seen some that are not. Usually, if the problem is serious, they don't survive. The Mother takes them back because only She can fix them, but some have a strong will to live. Even with serious problems, they live and often give much to their people,' Ayla said.

'I was raised by a man who was a great Mog-ur, that is the word the people of the Clan use for Zelandoni. He had only one usable arm and walked with a limp, a problem from birth, and he had only one eye and his weak arm was further damaged when a cave bear chose him and became his totem. He was a very wise man who served his people, and was very well respected. There is also a boy who lives not far from our Cave, who was born with a deformed arm. His mother was afraid that he would never be able to hunt, and perhaps never become a real man, but he learned to use the spear-thrower with his good arm, became a good hunter and gained respect, and now has a fine young woman as his mate.

'When a child is born dead, or leaves this world and walks the next soon after birth, it is because the only way a person who is not born right can be fixed is to return to the Mother, so She takes them back. Although it is much easier to say than to do, one should not grieve for such children, the Mother has taken them back so they can be made right.'

Ayla reached into a haversack she wore over one shoulder and took out a small bowl with a lid. She opened it and held up the two-headed snake. There were startled ooohs. 'Some things are not right when they are born, and it is obvious.' The tongues flicked out of the mouths of both heads as she showed the little creature. 'The only way this snake can be fixed is to return it to the Mother. Sometimes that is what should be done.

'But sometimes someone is born wrong, and it is not obvious. When you look at them they seem normal, but they are not right inside. Just like this little snake, the only way they can be fixed is to return them to the Mother. Only She can fix them.'

Balderan and his men were also listening to Ayla's story. 'We're going to have to watch for our chance soon, if we're going to get away from here,' Balderan said, under his breath. He had no desire to be returned to the Mother. For the first time in his life he began to feel the fear he had so often caused others to feel.

'I think that was a very appropriate way to talk about what needs to be done,' Zelandoni First said as she was walking back to the zelandonia pavilion, along with the First, Ayla, and Jonokol. Wolf was sedately following Ayla, as she had signalled. She wanted people to know that while he was an efficient four-legged hunter, unlike Balderan, he was not an indiscriminate killer. 'It will help people accept it if they can think about sending Balderan back to the Mother to be made right. What made you think of it?'

'I don't know,' Ayla said, 'but when I saw the dwarfed young man who came with Beladora's people, I knew that there was no medicine that could help him to grow into a normal size, at least none that I knew of. Then that little snake made me understand that there are some things only the Mother could fix, if not in this world, then perhaps in the next.'

'Have you met the young man?' Zelandoni First asked.

'No, not yet.'

'Nor have I,' the First said.

'Then let's do it now.'

The three women and the man walked toward the Giornadonii campsite. They stopped off at the Ninth Cave's camp and picked up Jondalar and Jonayla, and Willamar, the only ones who happened to be there. Beladora and Kimeran were at the camp with their children. Ayla wondered if Beladora's mother would succeed in persuading them to return with her and staying for a year. She couldn't blame her for trying, as she wanted to get to know her grandchildren, but Kimeran was the leader of the Second Cave.

The friends greeted each other with cheek rubs and then they went through a series of formal introductions to Beladora's mother, the leader of the Cave, and a few others. Then the young man came forward.

'I wanted to meet you,' he said to Ayla. 'I liked what you said about the snake and some of the people you know.'

'I'm pleased that you did,' Ayla said, then bent down and took both of his small, oddly shaped hands in hers. His arms were also too short and his legs. His head seemed almost too big for him. 'I am Ayla of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, Mated to Jondalar, Master Flint-Knapper of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, and Mother of Jonayla, Blessed of Doni, and I am Acolyte to the First Among Those Who Serve The Great Earth Mother. I was formerly of the Lion Camp of the Mamutoi, who live far to the east. I was adopted by the Mamut to be Daughter of the Mammoth Hearth, Chosen by the spirit of the Cave Lion, Protected by the Cave Bear, Friend of the Horses; Whinney, Racer, and Grey, and the four-legged hunter, Wolf.'

'I am Romitolo of the Sixth Cave of the Giornadonii,' he said in slightly accented Zelandonii. He was fluent in both languages. 'I greet you Ayla of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii. You have a lot of unusual ties. Perhaps you could explain them to me sometime,' he said. 'But first, I would like to ask you a question.'

'By all means,' Ayla said, noticing that he seemed to feel no need to recite all his names and ties. Well, he was unique enough, she thought. He seems young, yet ageless.

'What are you going to do with the little snake?' Romitolo asked. 'Are you going to send him back to the Mother?'

'I don't think so. I think the Mother will take him when she's ready for him.'

'You have horses and a wolf — would you let me have the little snake? I will take care of him.'

Ayla paused for a while, then said, 'I wasn't sure what to do with him, but I think that's a good idea, if it's all right with your leader. Some people fear snakes, even those that are not poisonous. You will have to learn what to feed him. I may be able to help you.' She reached into her carrying sack and pulled out the woven bowl with the lid bowl tied on and gave it to Romitolo. Wolf was leaning against her leg and whining slightly. 'Would you like to meet the wolf? He won't hurt you. When he was growing up, he grew to love a boy who had some problems. I think you remind Wolf of him.'

'Where is the boy now?' Romitolo asked.

'Rydag was very weak. He walks the next world now,' Ayla said.

'I am getting weaker. I think I will walk the next world soon,' Romitolo said. 'Now I will think of it as returning to the Mother.'

She didn't deny his assertion. He probably knew himself and his body better than anyone. 'I am a medicine woman and was able to help Rydag be more comfortable. Can you tell me where you feel bad? I may be able to help you,' Ayla said.

'We have a good healer and he has probably done everything that can be done. He gives me medicine to help the pain when I need it. I think I'll be ready to go back to the Great Mother when the time comes,' Romitolo said, then changed the subject. 'How can I meet your wolf? What do I have to do?'

'Just let him sniff you, and maybe lick your hand. You can pat him, if you like, and feel his fur. He's very gentle when I ask him to be. He adores babies,' Ayla said. Then she added, 'Have you seen the pole-drag that the One Who Is First rides on? If you would like to ride on it and be pulled around by a horse, I'd be happy to take you wherever you would like to go.'

'Or, if you need anyone to help carry you,' Jondalar added, 'my shoulders are strong and I have carried people that way before.'

'I thank you for your offers, but I have to tell you that it makes me tired to go visiting much. I used to love it. Now, even with someone carrying me, it's hard. I almost didn't come on this Journey, but if I hadn't, there would have been no one left to help me, and I can't manage without help. I do like it when people visit me, though.'

'Do you know how many years you can count?' the One Who Was First asked.

'About fourteen years,' he said. 'I reached manhood two summers ago, but things have been getting worse since then.'

The First nodded. 'When a boy reaches manhood, his body wants to grow,' she said.

'And mine doesn't know how to grow right,' Romitolo said.

'But you know how to think, and that is more than many can say,' the First said. 'I hope you live many more years. I think you have much to offer.'

The three women of the zelandonia rejoined each other later in the afternoon at the travellers' campsite. The large gathering area was too busy. What had started out to be a meeting of the neighbouring zelandonia had turned into an unscheduled Summer Meeting, and those who were cooking meals had taken over the covered space of the pavilion. No one else was in camp at the moment, and Ayla's sleeping tent was being used as a quiet place to talk. Even then they spoke softly.

'Should the hemlock be served tonight, or should we wait until tomorrow night?' the First said.

'I don't think there is any need to wait. I think we should get it over with as quickly as possible,' Zelandoni First said. 'And the water parsnips should be cooked while they are fresh, although they will keep for a while. I have an assistant, not quite an Acolyte, but a woman who helps me a lot. I will ask her to cook the hemlock roots.'

'Will you tell her what they are and who they are for?' the First asked.

'Of course. It would be dangerous for her if she didn't know exactly what she was cooking and why.'

'Is there anything you want me to do?' Ayla asked.

'You've done your share,' the First said. 'You gathered the plants to begin with.'

'Then I think I will go and find Jondalar. I haven't seen him all day,' Ayla said. 'When are we going to visit the Sacred Site?'

'I think it's best to wait a few days, after this whole Balderan matter is finished,' Zelandoni First said.

Balderan and his men had been watching both Ayla and Jondalar, and the wolf, very closely, though not overtly. It was getting dark and close to the time when the evening meal would be served. It wasn't officially being called a feast, but it would be a communal meal to which everyone was contributing, so it felt like a major celebration.

Ayla and Jondalar weren't entirely sure where the men were being held; it changed somewhat depending upon who was watching them. They were deeply involved in conversation with each other, and nearly walked into Balderan and his men.

Balderan looked around quickly, and noticed that the wolf was a little way off. The men who were supposed to be watching them also seemed distracted and not paying attention. 'Let's do it now!' he said.

Suddenly Balderan jumped out, grabbed Ayla, and the next instant had a leather thong around her neck. 'Stay back or she dies!' Balderan shouted as he pulled tight on the cord. Ayla gasped, trying to breathe.

The other men had armed themselves with stones that they were threatening to throw or perhaps use to hit her or whoever came after them. Balderan had been waiting for this moment. He had planned how it would go in his mind, and now that he had her, he was enjoying it. He was going to kill her, maybe not right away, but he was going to enjoy it. He was sure he knew how the big 'gentle giant' of a man would react.

But Balderan didn't know that Jondalar had cultivated that calm and restrained demeanour as part of his need to keep himself under control at all times. He had allowed his temper to get control of him before and knew what he was capable of doing.

Jondalar's first thought was how dare anybody try to harm Ayla! This time it wasn't temper, it was reaction.

In an instant, before any of the men even thought of moving, Jondalar took two long steps and was behind Balderan. He bent over and grabbed both his wrists and broke his hold, almost broke his arms. Then letting go of one arm, he spun him around and smashed him in the face with his fist. He was close to hitting him again, but the man slumped over in a daze, blood running down his face from his broken nose.

Balderan had misjudged Jondalar entirely. He was not only a big man, he was a powerful man with quick reflexes, a man who sometimes had to exert himself to control a spirited stallion. Racer was not a domesticated horse; he was a trained horse. Jondalar had lived with him from the day he was born and taught him, but Racer still had all the natural instincts of an extremely strong and sometimes wilful wild stallion. It took a lot of strength to handle the horse, and it kept the man in shape.

Balderan had doubled the leather cord which had originally been used to tie his shirt together. It was still hanging loosely around Ayla's neck, but the marks it had made were bright red, even in the dim light of fireplaces that were some distance away. People were belatedly running in their direction. Everything had happened so fast. Several Zelandonia, including the First, went to help Ayla, but she was trying to calm Wolf, and Jondalar wouldn't leave her side.

The people Zelandoni First had spoken to about how to deal with Balderan had gathered around him as he was lying on the ground. Suddenly Aremina, the woman who had been raped and whose mate he had killed, kicked him. Then the woman who had lost her daughter after she was held by them and badly mistreated, suddenly kicked him too. Then a man who had been badly beaten by the men after watching his mate and young daughter being raped, punched his face, breaking his nose again. Balderan's other men were trying to back away, but they were all surrounded now, and one of them was punched in the face.

There was no stopping the angry crowd now. Everyone who had been subject to the depredations of Balderan and his men was giving it back and then some. The crowd had turned into a mob. It had happened so fast, no one knew what to do at first; then the Zelandonia moved in to stop it. Ayla was among them shouting, 'Stop it! Stop it now! You are acting like Balderan.' But the people couldn't stop. All their frustrations, their feelings of impotence, humiliation, and powerlessness came out.

When the people settled down and looked around all four men were sprawled on the ground covered with blood. Ayla bent over Balderan to check him; he was dead and two others. One was barely hanging on to life, the one who had asked how he could make reparations. The wolf stayed with Ayla, watching the scene closely, a low growl in his throat, and she could tell he wasn't sure what to do. Ayla sat on the ground with her arms around his neck.

The First moved beside her. 'That's not at all the way I expected it to happen,' she said. 'I didn't realise there was so much pent up anger, but I should have.'

'Balderan brought it on himself,' Zelandoni First said. 'If he hadn't attacked Ayla, Jondalar would not have hit him. Once he was down, the people who had been hurt by him couldn't hold back. They knew he wasn't invincible. I guess there is no need for the hemlock now. I will have to make sure it is disposed of properly.'

Everyone was still tense and overexcited. It took a while for most people to understand what had happened. Those who had participated were beginning to feel a range of emotions. Some felt shame for what they had done; others felt relief, sorrow, excitement, even elation that Balderan had finally got back what he had given out.

Levela had kept Jonayla with her when Wolf ran out of the tent, though she wanted to follow him. Ayla had some of Balderan's blood on her when she returned, which upset her daughter. She assured Jonayla that it was not her own blood, but that of a man who was hurt.

The next morning Jondalar went to see the Zelandonia who were both called First to tell them that Ayla wanted to stay in her tent and rest that day. Her throat still hurt from the attempted strangulation. All the local zelandonia had been discussing how to help the people, whether they should call another meeting, or wait until people came to them.

As Jondalar walked back, he was aware that people were watching him, but he didn't care. And he didn't hear the comments. Men admired his strength and his speed, his reaction had been so swift; the women just admired him. To have a man like that, so handsome, so quick to jump to his woman's defence, who wouldn't want such a man? If he had heard them talking, he wouldn't have cared. He just wanted to get to his Ayla and make sure she was well, and that everything was all right.

But after a while it was the story of Balderan's attack on Ayla and Jondalar's quick defence that was told several times, not the resulting melee that ended in the beating death of three men, and quite possibly a fourth, although Gahaynar was holding on to life. The zelandonia had to decide how they were going to dispose of the bodies. It posed a dilemma. They didn't want to honour them in any way; there would be no ceremony, but they did want to make sure their spirits were given back to the Mother. They ended up taking the bodies into the mountains and leaving them on the crest of a hill, exposed to every kind of scavenger.

The visitors from the nearby Caves spent a few more days camped in the field, then began to trickle away to get back into their normal routine now that the excitement was over. They would have many stories to tell about the visitors, the One Who Was First, and her Acolyte who controlled a wolf and horses, and called up a two-headed snake, and who helped rid them of Balderan, but the versions of what happened to Balderan and his gang would likely be different depending upon what part each person had played in the events.

Ayla was getting restless and anxious to leave. She decided it was a good time to finish drying the bison meat — it would give her something to do — and laid out lines of cordage supported by sticks of wood, and built smoky fires in and around them. Insects like gnats were drawn to the raw meat, where they liked to lay eggs that could cause it to spoil. The smoke kept them away, and incidentally flavoured the meat. Then she set about slicing the sections of bison into thin, uniform pieces. Before long, Levela joined her, then Jondecam and Jondalar. Jonayla wanted to help, so Ayla showed her how to cut the meat and gave her a section of the corded lines to hang her pieces up to dry. Willamar and his two assistants strolled into camp around midday, quite excited.

'After we leave here, we were thinking it might be a good idea to go south along the big river until we reach the Southern Sea,' Willamar said. 'After coming all this way, it would be a shame not to see it, and we've been told this is the time to trade for shells. They have many of the small round ones, and the pretty long dentalia, and some particularly nice scallop shells, even periwinkles, I'm told. We could keep some and trade some to the Fifth Cave.'

'What do we have to trade with them for the shells?' Jondalar asked.

'I was going to talk to you about that. Do you think you could find some good flint and make some blades and points to exchange for shells? And maybe some of that meat you are drying, Ayla?' Willamar said.

'How do you know this is the time to trade and about all these shell beads,' Levela asked.

'A man from the north just arrived. You'll have to meet him. He's a trader, too and he has some fascinating ivory carvings,' Willamar said.

'I knew a man who made ivory carvings,' Ayla said, a little wistfully.

Jondalar's ears perked up. He knew that same ivory carver. He was a remarkable and talented artist, and the man to whom he almost lost Ayla. He still felt a lump in his throat at the thought.

'I would like to meet the man and see his carvings, and I wouldn't mind seeing the Southern Sea. I'm sure we can work something out in terms of trading. What else would make good trade goods?' he asked.

'Almost anything that is well made or useful, especially something unusual,' Willamar said.

'Like Ayla's baskets,' Levela said.

'Why my baskets?' Ayla said, a little surprised. 'They're just plain baskets, not even any decoration on them.'

'That's just it. They seem to be just plain baskets, until you look closely,' Levela said. 'They are made so well, absolutely tight and even, and the weave is so unusual. The ones that are watertight stay that way for a long time, the looser ones also hold up well. Anyone who knows anything about baskets would pick yours before a showier one that is not made as well. Even your throwaway baskets are too good to throw away.'

Ayla blushed a little at all the praise. 'I just make them the way I was taught,' she said. 'I didn't think there was anything special about them.'

Jondalar smiled. 'I remember when we first went to stay with the Mamutoi, and there was a festival where people were exchanging gifts. Tulie and Nezzie offered to give you some things that you could give as gifts, but you said you had many gifts you had made to keep yourself busy and wanted to go back to your valley and get them. So we went and got them. I think Tulie, in particular, was surprised at how beautiful and well-made your gifts were. And Talut loved his bison robe. The things you make are beautiful, Ayla.'

Now she was blushing bright red and at a loss as to what to say.

'If you don't think so, just look at Jonayla,' Jondalar said with a grin.

'That's not just me. Jonayla has a lot of you in her, too,' Ayla said.

'I certainly hope so,' Jondalar said.

'There's no doubt the Mother used your spirit to blend with Ayla's,' Levela said. 'You can see it in Jonayla's eyes. They are exactly your colour and that shade of blue is not very common.'

'So everyone's agreed. We will go to the Southern Sea on our way home,' Willamar interjected. 'And I think you should make some baskets, Ayla. You can trade for salt, too, not just shells.'

'When are we going to meet the man with the carvings?' Jondecam asked.

'If this is a good time to stop for a midday meal, you can meet him now,' Willamar said.

'I just have a few more pieces to finish,' Levela said.

'We can bring some of the bison with us to cook for our meal or contribute to a community meal,' Jondalar said.

Jondalar picked up Jonayla and they all left with Willamar and walked to the zelandonia's covered shelter. Demoryn was talking to a stranger, and Amelana, obviously pregnant and fully aware of how attractive that made her, was smiling at him. He was smiling back. He was fairly tall and well built, with brown hair and blue eyes, an appealing friendly face, and to Ayla, there was something about him that seemed familiar.

'I brought the rest of our travelling group,' Willamar said, and began the introductions. When he started with 'Jondalar of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii,' the man looked puzzled as Jondalar put Jonayla down in preparation for joining hands.

'And this is his mate, Ayla of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, formerly of the Lion Camp of the Mamutoi, Daughter of the Mammoth Hearth …'

'You I know,' the man said. 'Or know of you. I am Conardi of the Losadunai and you both stayed with the Losadunai a few years ago?'

'Yes, we stayed with Laduni's Cave on our way back from our Journey,' Jondalar said, with genuine excitement. Although anyone who made a Journey usually met many people, one seldom met them again, or even someone who knew someone a person had met.

'We all heard about both you at next Summer Meeting. You made big impression with horses and wolf I recall,' Conardi said.

'Yes, the horses are at our camp, and Wolf is hunting,' Ayla said.

'And this little beauty must be addition to family. You she resembles,' Conardi said to the tall blond man with the vivid blue eyes. It sounded as though he was speaking Zelandonii with a slight shift in construction and a slightly different accent, but, Ayla remembered, their languages were very close. He was actually speaking Zelandonii with some Losadunai, his own language, mixed in.

'Willamar said you brought carvings,' Jondalar said.

'Yes. Here examples,' Conardi said.

He untied a pouch from his waist ties, opened the top, and poured out several mammoth ivory figures onto an unused platter. Ayla picked one up. It was a mammoth with some extra lines incised on it, whose reason was not clear, so she asked him.

'I do not know,' he said. 'They always made that way. These not made by ancients, but made like ancients make, especially by young people who are learning.'

Next, Ayla picked up a long, slender figure, and when she looked closely, she knew it was a bird, but a bird like a goose flying through the air, It was so simple, yet so full of life. The next figure was like a lion standing on its hind legs — at least the head was and the top of its body, and the upper arms seemed to be feline — but the legs were human. And in front of what would be the long underbelly of a cat, if it wasn't standing upright, was a clearly marked enlongated downward-pointing triangle, the pubic triangle, the unmistakable sign of a female. Though there were no human-like breasts, the figure was a lion woman.

The last figure was definitely a woman, though she had no head, just a carved hole through which a cord was strung. The breasts were huge and quite high. The arms ended with the indication of a hand with fingers. The hips were broad and the buttocks large, with the line dividing them sharply incised all the way around to the front, ending with such an exaggerated depiction of a vulva, the female organ was almost everted.

'I think this was made by a woman who has been through childbirth,' Ayla said. 'That's sometimes how it feels, like you are being split in two.'

'You may be right, Ayla. The breasts certainly appear to be full of milk,' said the First.

'Are you offering these for trade?' Willamar asked.

'No, these my own. I carry for luck, but if you want one or more, could get some made,' Conardi said.

'If it were me, I would get some extras made to take on trading missions. I'm sure they would trade well,' Willamar said. 'Are you a Trade Master, Conardi?' He had noticed the man did not have a trader's tattoo.

'I like travel, and trade some, but not Trade Master,' Conardi said. 'Everybody trades, but we have not such occupation as speciality.'

'If you like to travel, you can make it be,' Willamar said. 'It is what I'm training my apprentices to be. This may be my last long trading mission. I'm at an age where travelling is losing its appeal. I'm ready to settle down at home with my mate and her children and grandchildren, like that pretty little one.' He indicated Jonayla. 'Some traders take their mates and families with them, but my mate was the leader of the Ninth Cave, and not as free to travel. So I always make sure I bring her something special. That's why I was asking if your carvings were available for trading. But I'm sure I'll find something when we go to the Southern Sea to trade for shells. Would you like to travel together with us?'

'When do you leave?' Conardi asked.

'Soon, but not before we see the Most Ancient Sacred Site,' Willamar said.

'Is good you do. Beautiful cave, most extraordinary paintings, but I see several times. I go ahead, tell them you coming,' Conardi said.