The Plains of Passage (Earth's Children 4)

"And she has two children?" Jondalar said.

Laduni's eyes sparkled with pleasure. "A daughter from the first blessing, Thonolia—Filonia was sure she was a child of your brother's spirit—and not long ago, she had a son. She is living with her mate's Cave. They had more room, but it's not too far away and we see her, and the children, regularly." There was satisfaction and joy in Laduni's voice.

"I hope Thonolia is a child of Thonolan's spirit. I'd like to think that there is still a piece of his spirit in this world," Jondalar said.

Could it happen so fast? Jondalar wondered. He only spent one night with her. Was his spirit so potent? Or, if Ayla is right, could Thonolan have started a baby growing inside Filonia with the essence of his manhood that night we stayed with them? He remembered the woman he had been with.

"How is Lanalia?" he asked.

"She is fine. She is visiting kin at another Cave. They are trying to arrange a mating for her. A man lost his mate and is left with three young children at his hearth. Lanalia never had any children, though she always wanted some. If she finds him compatible, they will mate, and she will adopt the children. It could be a very happy arrangement, and she is very excited about it."

"I'm pleased for her, and wish her much happiness," Jondalar said, covering up his disappointment. He was hoping that she might have become pregnant after sharing Pleasures with him. Whatever it is, a man's spirit or the essence of his manhood, Thonolan has proved the strength of his, but what about me? Is my essence or spirit potent enough? Jondalar wondered.

As they entered the cave, Ayla looked around with interest. She had seen many dwellings of the Others: lightweight or portable shelters that were used in summer, and sturdier permanent structures able to withstand the rigors of winter. Some were constructed out of mammoth bones and covered with sod and clay, some out of wood and tucked away under an overhang or on a floating platform, but she had not seen a cave like this since she left the Clan. It had a large mouth that faced southeast, and it was nice and roomy inside. Brun would have liked this cave, she thought.

Once her eyes became accustomed to the dim light and she saw the interior, she was surprised. She had expected to see several fireplaces in various locations, the hearths of each family. There were family fireplaces within the cave, but they were inside or near the openings of structures made of hides fastened to poles. They were similar to tents, but not conical in shape, and open at the top—they needed no protection from the weather inside the cave. As far as she could tell, they were used as panels to screen the interior space from casual sight. Ayla recalled the Clan's prohibition against looking directly into the living space, as defined by boundary stones, of another man's hearth. It was a matter of tradition and self-control, but the purpose, she realized, was the same: privacy.

Laduni was leading them toward one of the screened-off dwelling spaces. "Your bad experience didn't involve a band of rowdies, did it?" he asked.

"No, has there been trouble?" Jondalar asked. "When we met before, you spoke about some young man who had gathered together several followers. They were making sport of the Cl... flatheads." He glanced at Ayla, but he knew Laduni would never understand "Clan." "They were baiting the men, then taking their Pleasures with the women. Something about high spirits leading to trouble for everyone."

When Ayla heard "flatheads," she listened closely, curious to know if there were many Clan people nearby.

"Yes, those are the ones. Charoli and his band," Laduni said. "It may have started with high spirits, but it has gone much beyond that."

"I would have thought by now that those young men would have given up that kind of behavior," Jondalar said.

"It's Charoli. Individually, I suppose, they are not bad young men, but he encourages them. Losaduna says he wants to show how brave he is, to show he is a man, because he grew up without a man at his hearth."

"Many women have raised boys alone, who have turned out to be fine men," Jondalar said. They had become so involved in the conversation that they had stopped walking and were standing in the middle of the cave. People were gathering around.

"Yes, of course. But his mother's mate disappeared when he was just a baby, and she never took another. Instead she lavished all her attention on him, indulging him long beyond his early years, when he should have been learning a craft and the duties of an adult. Now it's up to everyone to put a stop to him."

"What happened?" Jondalar asked.

"A girl of our Cave was near the river setting snares. She had just become a young woman a few moons before, and she hadn't yet had her Rites of First Pleasures. She was looking forward to the ceremony at the next gathering. Charoli and his band happened to see her alone, and they all took her..."

"All of them? Took her? By force?" Jondalar said, appalled. "A girl, not yet a woman. I can't believe it!"

"All of them," Laduni said, with a cold anger that was worse than any heat of the moment. "And we will not put up with it! I don't know if they got tired of flathead females, or what excuse they gave themselves, but that was too much. They caused her pain, and bleeding. She says she wants nothing more to do with men, ever again. She has refused to go through with her womanhood rites."

"That's terrible, but it's hard to blame her. It is not the way for a young woman to learn of Doni's Gift," Jondalar said.

"Her mother is afraid that if she forgoes honoring the Mother with the ceremony, she will never have children."

"She could be right, but what can be done?" Jondalar asked.

"Her mother wants Charoli dead, and she wants us to declare a blood feud against his Cave," Laduni said. "Revenge is her right, but a blood feud can destroy everyone. Besides, it's not Charoli's Cave that has caused the trouble. It's that band of his, and some of them aren't even from the Cave of Charoli's birth. I've sent a message to Tomasi, the hunt leader there, and put an idea to him."

"An idea? What's your plan?"

"I think it's up to all of the Losadunai to stop Charoli and his band. I'm hoping that Tomasi will join with me in trying to convince everyone to bring those young men back under the supervision of the Caves. I've even suggested that he allow Madenia's mother her revenge, rather than suffer the bloodshed of a feud over them. But Tomasi is related to Charoli's mother."

"That would be a hard decision," Jondalar said. He noticed that Ayla had been listening closely. "Does anyone know where Charoli's band stays? They can't be with any of your people. I can't believe any Cave of Losadunai would shelter such ruffians in their midst."

"South of here is a barren area, with underground rivers and many caves. It is rumored that they are hiding in one of the caves near the edge of that region."

"They could be hard to find if there are many caves."