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

“Yes, of course. He started carving this horse right after you left.”

“I think the hardest thing I ever did in my life was to tell Ranec that I was leaving to go with Jondalar. How is he, Danug?”

“He’s fine, Ayla. He mated Tricie later that summer. You know, the woman who had the baby that probably came from his spirit? She has three children now. She’s feisty, but she’s good for him. She’ll start raving about something, and he just smiles. He says he loves her spirit. She can’t really resist his smile, and she really does love him. I don’t think he will ever get over you completely, though. It caused a bit of trouble between them at first.”

Ayla frowned. “What kind of trouble?”

“Well, he lets her have her way in almost everything, and I think in the beginning, she thought he was weak because he gave in so easily. She started pushing him, seeing how far she could go. Then she began demanding things, wanted him to get her this or that. He seemed to make a game out of it. No matter how outrageous, he would somehow manage to get whatever she asked for, and present it with one of those smiles of his. You know.”

“Yes, I know,” Ayla said, smiling through wet eyes as she remembered. “So pleased with himself, as though he had just won a competition, and was all full of his own cleverness.”

“Then she started changing everything around,” Danug continued. “His work space, his tools, all the special things he collected and arranged. He just let her. I think he was just seeing what she would do. But I happened to be in the lodge the day she decided to move this horse. I’ve never seen him so angry. He didn’t raise his voice or anything—he just told her to put it back. She was surprised. I don’t think she really believed him. He’d always given in to her. He told her again to put it back, and when she didn’t, he grabbed her wrist, pretty hard, and took it from her. He told her never to touch that horse again. He said if she did, he would break the mating bond and pay the price. He said he loved her, but there was one piece of him she could never have. If she couldn’t accept that she could leave.

“Tricie ran out of the lodge crying, but Ranec just put the horse back, then sat down and started carving. When she finally came back in, it was night. I couldn’t help but overhear—their hearth is right next to ours—and well, I suppose I wanted to hear. She told him she wanted to stay with him. She said she loved him, had always loved him, and wanted to stay with him even if he did still love you. She promised never to touch the horse again. She didn’t either. I think it gave her respect for him, and made her realize how she really felt about him. He’s happy, Ayla. I don’t think he’ll ever forget you, but he’s happy.”

“I’ll never forget him, either. I still think about him sometimes. If it hadn’t been for Jondalar, I could have been happy with him. I did love him, I just loved Jondalar more. Tell me about Tricie’s children,” she said.

“That blending of spirits has produced an interesting mixture,” Danug said. “The oldest is a boy—you saw him, didn’t you? Tricie brought him to that Summer Meeting.”

“Yes, I saw him. He was very fair. Is he still so fair?”

“His skin is the whitest I’ve ever seen, except where it’s covered with freckles. Tricie has red hair and she’s fair, but not as much as him. His eyes are pale blue, and he has fuzzy orangey-red hair. He can’t stand the sun, he just burns, and if it’s really bright, it hurts his eyes, but except for his color, he looks just like Ranec. It’s strange to see them together, Ranec’s brown skin next to Ra’s white, but the same face. He’s got Ranec’s sense of humor, only more. Already, he can make anyone laugh, and he loves to travel. If he doesn’t turn out to be a traveling storyteller, I’ll be surprised. He can’t wait until he’s old enough to go off on his own. He wanted to come with us on our Journey. If he’d been a little older, I would have taken him. He’d have been good company.

“Tricie’s little girl is a beauty. Her skin is dark, but not brown like Ranec’s. Her hair is black as night, but her curls are softer. She has black eyes. Serious eyes. She’s a quiet, delicate little thing, but I swear that there’s not a man who sees her that isn’t entranced by her. She’ll have no trouble finding a mate.

“The baby is as dark as Ranec, and though it’s hard to tell yet, I think his features are going to be more like Tricie’s.”

“It seems as though Tricie is a good addition to the Lion Camp, Danug. I wish I could see her children. I have a little girl, too,” Ayla said, and suddenly remembered that she could have been having another one soon, were it not for her “call” to the deep cave. I would like to tell him that it is more than a blending of spirits that makes children, she thought.

“I know. I’ve met Jonayla. She looks just like you, except she has Jondalar’s eyes. I wish I could take her back with me and let her meet everyone. Nezzie would love her. I’ve already fallen in love with her, just like I fell in love with you when I was a boy,” Danug said with a delighted laugh.

Ayla looked so surprised, he laughed harder, and she could hear Talut’s big, booming laughter coming from Danug. “In love with me?”

“I’m not surprised you didn’t notice. Between Ranec and Jondalar, you had enough to think about, but I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I dreamt about you. In fact, I still love you, Ayla. How would you like to come back to the Lion Camp with me?” There was a broad smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye, but something more, too. A hint of wistful longing, a wish that he knew would never be fulfilled.

She looked away for a moment, then changed the subject. “Tell me about the rest. How are Nezzie and Talut, Latie and Rugie?”

“Mother’s fine. Getting older, that’s all. Talut is losing his hair, and he hates it. Latie is mated, has a girl, and still talks about horses. Rugie is looking for a mate, or rather, the young men are looking at her. She’s had her First Rites; Tusie did too, at the same time. Oh, and Deegie has two sons. She told me to give you her love. You never got to know her brother, Tarneg, did you? His mate has three little ones. You know they built another earthlodge nearby; Deegie and Tarneg are headwoman and headman. Tulie is pleased that she can see her grandchildren nearly every day. And she has taken another mate. Barzec says she’s too much woman for only one man.”

“Do I know him?” Ayla asked.

Danug smiled. “In fact, you do. It’s Wymez.”

“Wymez! You mean the man of Ranec’s hearth, the flint-knapper Jondalar admires so much?” Ayla asked.

“Yes, that Wymez. He surprised us all, even Tulie, I think. And old Mamut has gone to the next world. We have a new one, but it’s hard to get used to having someone else at the Third Hearth.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I loved that old man. I’ve been training to be One Who Serves The Mother, but he’s the one who started it. My training is almost over,” Ayla said. She didn’t want to say too much until she talked to Zelandoni.

“That’s what Jondalar said. I always thought you would Serve The Mother. Mamut would never have adopted you if he didn’t think so. There was a time when the Lion Camp thought you might be their Mamut, after the old man left this world. Ayla, you may be Zelandonii here, but you are still Mamutoi, still numbered among the Lion Camp.”

“It makes me happy to hear that. No matter what names or ties I may acquire, in my heart I will always be Ayla of the Mamutoi,” she said.

“You certainly did acquire some names and leave a trail of stories behind you on your Journey,” Danug said. “Not just from the S’Armunai. I even heard about you from people who never met you. You were everything from a skilled healer and controller of surprising spiritual forces to the incarnation of the Great Earth Mother herself, a living muta—I guess here it’s donii—come to help Her people. And Jondalar was her fair-haired and handsome mate—as they say here, ‘Her pale shining lover.’ Even Wolf was an incarnation, of the Wolf Star. The stories about him range from avenging beast to lovable creature who tended babies. The horses, too. They were animals of wonder that the Great Horse Spirit allowed to be controlled by you. There was one story—from Aldanor’s people—that claimed the horses could fly, and carried you and Jondalar back to your homes in the next world. I was beginning to wonder if all the stories could be about the same people, but after talking to Jondalar, I think you both had some interesting adventures.”

“I think people like to enlarge stories to make them seem more interesting,” Ayla said. “And who’s to prove them wrong once the people the stories are about are gone? We just traveled back here to Jondalar’s home. You no doubt have had your share of adventures.”

“But we didn’t travel with a pair of magical horses and a wolf.”