“Can I ask you something, Jonokol?” Ayla said.
“Of course.”
“Why did you paint the deer on top of the mammoth?”
“That wall, that place, drew me to it,” Jonokol said. “It’s where I had to put the reindeer. They were in the wall and wanted to come out.”
“It is a special wall. It leads beyond,” the woman said. “When the First sings there, or a flute is played, that wall answers. It echoes, resonates to the sound. Sometimes it tells you what it wants.”
“Did all these walls
tell someone to make paintings on them?” Ayla asked, indicating the paintings they had passed by.
“That’s one reason this deep is so sacred. Most of the walls talk to you, if you know how to listen; they lead you places, if you are willing to go,” the woman acolyte said.
“No one ever told me this before. Not in exactly this way. Why are you telling us now?” Jondalar asked.
“Because you will have to listen, and perhaps go through, if you are going to help the First find the elan of your brother, Jondalar,” the woman said, then she added, “The zelandonia have been trying to understand why Jonokol was inspired to make these figures here. I’m beginning to get an idea.” The woman smiled enigmatically at Jondalar and Ayla, then turned to walk deeper into the cave.
“Oh, before you go on,” Ayla said to the woman, touching her arm to detain her. “I don’t know what to call you, can I ask your name?”
“My name isn’t important,” she said. “When I become Zelandoni, I will be giving it up anyway. I am the First Acolyte to the Zelandoni of the Second Cave.”
“Then, I suppose I could call you Acolyte of the Second,” Ayla said.
“Yes, you could, although the Zelandoni of the Second has more than one acolyte. The other two are not here. They have gone ahead to the Summer Meeting.”
“Then perhaps First Acolyte of the Second?”
“If it pleases you, I will respond to that name.”
“What should I call you?” Ayla asked the young man who brought up the rear.
“I’ve only been an acolyte since the last Summer Meeting, and like Jonokol, I still use my own name most of the time. Perhaps I should give you a formal greeting and introduction.” He held out both his hands. “I am Mikolan of the Fourteenth Cave of the Zelandonii, Second Acolyte of the Zelandoni of the Fourteenth Cave. And I welcome you,” he said.
Ayla took his hands in hers. “I greet you, Mikolan of the Fourteenth Cave of the Zelandonii. I am Ayla of the Mamutoi, Member of the Lion Camp, Daughter of the Mammoth Hearth, Chosen by the Spirit of the Cave Lion, Protected by the Cave Bear, Friend of the horses, Whinney and Racer, and the hunter, Wolf.”
“I seem to have heard that some people to the east refer to their zelandonia as the Mammoth Hearth?” the woman acolyte said.
“You are correct,” Jondalar said. “They are the Mamutoi. Ayla and I lived with them for a year, but I’m surprised anyone here has heard about them. They live far away.”
She looked at Ayla. “If you are a daughter of the Mammoth Hearth, that explains some things. You are zelandoni!”
“No, I am not,” Ayla said. “The Mamut adopted me to the Mammoth Hearth. I wasn’t called, but he was starting to teach me some things before I left with Jondalar.”
The woman smiled. “You would not have been adopted if you were not meant to be. I am sure you will be called.”
“I don’t think I want to be,” Ayla said.
“That may be,” the First Acolyte of the Second said, then turned and continued leading them into the heart of Fountain Rocks.
Ahead, they began to see a glow, and as they approached, it grew almost brilliant. After the total darkness of the cave with only a few small lights, their eyes had adapted, and any greater illumination was all but dazzling. The corridor opened out and Ayla saw several people waiting in an. enlarged area. It seemed almost crowded, and as she reached the area, and recognized people she had met, she realized that everyone there was zelandonia, except for Jondalar and her.
The large woman from the Ninth Cave was sitting on a seat someone had brought in for her. She got up and smiled. “We’ve been waiting for you,” said the First. She gave both of them a hug that was held at a slight distance, and Ayla suddenly understood that it was a formal embrace, a greeting one gave to close associates in public.
One of the other Zelandonia nodded to Ayla. She responded with a nod to the short and slightly built man she identified as Zelandoni of the Eleventh, the one who had impressed her with his strong grip and self-confidence. An older man smiled at her, and she smiled back at Zelandoni of the Third, who had been so kind and supportive when she was trying to help Shevonar. She recognized most of the others only as people she had met and greeted.
A small fire had been made on top of some stones that had been brought in for the purpose—they would be taken back out when they left. A partially filled waterbag was on the ground beside a good-size wooden cooking bowl full of steaming water. Ayla watched a young woman use a pair of bentwood tongs to fish out a couple of cooking stones from the bottom of the cooking bowl, then add more from the fire. The steam billowed out as the hot rocks touched the water. When she looked up, Ayla recognized Mejera and smiled at her.