The Land of Painted Caves (Earth's Children 6)

She had to control a reaction to shake her head so the mother wouldn’t see how hopeless she thought it was. She got up and looked intently at the First, communicating her bleak prognosis. They went off to the side where the Zelandoni of the Fifth Cave was watching. Some people from his shelter had come to get the Zelandoni when the boy was hurt, and he had already examined him. He had asked the First to look at the child to confirm his diagnosis.

“What do you think?” the man said under his breath, looking at the older woman, then at the younger one.

“I don’t think there’s any hope for him,” Ayla said in a very soft voice.

“I’m afraid I agree,” the One Who Was First said. “There is very little that can be done for an injury like that. He has not only lost blood, but he is also losing other fluids from inside his head. Soon the wound will swell and that will be the end.”

“That’s what I thought. I will have to tell his mother,” the Zelandoni of the Fifth said.

The three Zelandonia walked to the small group of people who were obviously trying to comfort the woman who was sitting on the ground not far from the boy. When she looked at the expressions on the faces of the three Zelandonia, the woman broke out in sobs. The Zelandoni of the Fifth Cave knelt down beside her.

“I am sorry, Janella. The Great Mother is calling Jonlotan back to Her. He was so full of life, such a joy, that Doni can’t bear to be without him. She loves him too much,” the man said.

“But I love him, too. Doni can’t love him more than I do. He’s so young. Why does She have to take him now?” Janella sobbed.

“You will see him again, when you return to the Mother’s breast, and walk the next world,” the Fifth said.

“But I don’t want to lose him now. I want to see him grow up. Isn’t there anything you can do? You are the most powerful Zelandoni there is,” the boy’s mother pleaded, looking at the First.

“You can be sure that if there were, I would be doing it. You don’t know how much it hurts me to say it, but there is nothing I can do for someone with such a severe injury,” the One Who Was First said.

“The Mother has so many, why does She want him, too?” Janella sobbed.

“That is one question to which we are not given to know the answer. I am sorry, Janella. You should go to him while he still breathes, and comfort him. His elan must find his way to the next world now and I’m sure he is frightened. Though he may not show it, he will be grateful for your presence,” the large, powerful woman said.

“Since he’s still breathing, do you think he might wake up?” Janella asked.

“It is possible,” the First said.

Several people helped the woman up and led her to her dying son. Ayla picked up her child, held her close for a moment, and thanked Hollida, then walked toward the shelter in which they were staying. The two Zelandonia joined her.

“I wish there were something I could do. I feel so helpless,” the Zelandoni of the Fifth Cave said.

“We all do at a time like this,” the First said.

“How long do you think he’ll live?” he asked.

“You never know. He could linger for days,” the Zelandoni of the Ninth Cave said. “If you want us to stay, we will, but I wonder how extensive this earthquake was, and if it was felt at the Ninth Cave. We have a few people who didn’t go to the Summer Meeting …”

“You should go and see how they are,” the Fifth said. “You are right. There’s no telling how long the boy will linger. You may be the First, but you are still responsible for the Ninth Cave, and seeing to their well-being. I can do whatever is necessary here. I have before. Sending someone’s elan to the next world is not my most favorite part of taking care of one’s Cave, but it needs to be done, and it is important that it be done right.”

Everyone slept outside of the stone shelters that night, mostly in tents. They were too apprehensive to go inside, where rocks might still fall, except to run in and retrieve something they needed. There were a few aftershocks, and a little more rock shook loose from the walls and ceilings of the shelters, but nothing as heavy as the piece that fell on the boy’s head. It would be a while before anyone would feel like being in a stone shelter, though when the cold and snow of the periglacial winter arrived, people would forget the peril of falling rocks and be glad for some protection from the weather.

The procession of people, horses, and a wolf started out in the morning. Ayla and the First stopped in to see the boy, but more to see how his mother was bearing up. They both had mixed feelings about leaving. They wanted to stay and help the mother of the injured boy cope with her loss, but they were both concerned about those who had stayed behind at the stone shelter of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandoni.

They traveled south, following The River as it wound along its sinuous course downstream. The distance was not too great, though they had to cross back over The River and climb up the highland and back down again because the curving stream forced the water against the rock walls in one section, but the horses made the trek both easier and faster. By late afternoon, they were in sight of the sheer limestone cliff with the column near the top that appeared to be falling, which housed the large abri of the Ninth Cave. They strained to see if there were any differences that might warn them of damage to their home, or injury to its inhabitants.

They reached Wood Valley and made their way across the small river that fed into The River. People were standing on the northern end of the stone front porch that faced southwest waiting for them as they started up the path. Someone had seen them coming and told the others. When they passed by the jutting corner that held the hearth of the signal fire, Ayla noticed it was still smoldering from recent use and wondered why.

Because the Ninth Cave had so many people, the number who had stayed back from the Summer Meeting, for one reason or another, was nearly as great as those who made up the total of some of the smaller Caves, though it was comparable in proportion to the other groups. The Ninth Cave had the greatest number of people of any of the Caves of the Zelandonii, including the Twenty-ninth and the Fifth, which had several stone shelters. Their abri was extraordinarily large and had plenty of room to comfortably house their large number, and more. In addition, the Ninth Cave had individuals who were very skilled in many ways and had much to offer. As a result they had a very high status among the Zelandonii. People wanted to join them, but they could only take in so many and tended to be selective, choosing those who reinforced their standing, though once someone was born to them or became a member, they were very seldom turned out.

All who had not gone to the Summer Meeting, who were able, came out to watch the travelers arrive, many of them gaping with surprise; they had never seen their Donier sitting on a seat that was pulled by Ayla’s horse. Ayla stopped to let Zelandoni step off the pole-drag, which she did with unruffled dignity. The First saw a middle-aged woman, Stelona, whom she knew to be level-headed and responsible, she had stayed at the Ninth Cave to care for her ailing mother.

“We were visiting the Fifth Cave and felt a strong earhquake. Did you feel it here, Stelona?” the First said.

“We felt it, and people were frightened, but it didn’t seem too bad. Some rocks fell, but mostly in the gathering area, not here. No one was hurt,” Stelona said, anticipating the Zelandoni’s next question.

“I’m glad to hear that. The Fifth Cave was not so lucky. A boy was severely injured when a large rock fell on his head. I’m afraid there’s little hope for him. He may already be walking the next world,” the Donier said. “Have you heard anything from the other Caves in this area, Stelona? The Third? The Eleventh? The Fourteenth?” the First said.