'I suppose … do you really think it's going to rain that soon?' Kimeran asked.
'I trust Ayla's 'nose' for rain. She is seldom wrong,' Jondalar said. 'She's been smelling rain for a few days and she thinks it will be a big storm. Not one that we'll want to get caught in without good shelter. She doesn't even want to stop to cook a midday meal; she says we should just drink water and eat travelling cakes along the way, so we can get there faster. Now that Beladora is getting well, I don't think you want her to get soaked.' Suddenly he had another thought. 'We could get there more quickly riding on the horses.'
'How can we all ride on three horses?' Kimeran asked.
'Some people could ride on the pole-drags and others double up on the horses. Have you ever thought about sitting on a horse? You could sit behind Jonayla.'
'Maybe someone else should sit on a horse. I've got long legs and I can run fast,' Kimeran said.
'Not as fast as a horse,' Jondalar said. 'Her two children can ride on the pole-drag with Beladora. It would be a bumpy ride, but they have already done it a few times. We could move the gear on Racer's pole-drag to Grey's. Then Levela and Jonlevan can ride double on Racer with me. That leaves you and Jondecam. I thought he could ride on the pole-drag, or he can ride behind me, and Levela and her young one can be on the pole-drag. That leaves you riding double with Ayla or Jonayla. With your long legs, it would give you more room if you ride with Jonayla, since she rides so close to Grey's neck. Do you think you could hang on to a horse with your legs while you are sitting on her? You could also hold on to the pole-drag ropes. Whoever rides double with me can hang on to me. We won't ride too long like that — it would tire the horses — but we could cover a good bit of ground a lot faster if we let them run for a little while.'
'I see you've been thinking about this,' Jondecam said.
'Only since Ayla told me of her concerns,' Jondalar said. 'What do you think, Levela?'
'I don't want to get wet if I can avoid it,' she said. 'If Ayla says it's going to rain, I believe her. I'll ride a pole-drag with Jonvelan like Beladora if it means we'll get there faster, even if it is a little bumpy.'
While the water was heating for tea, the loads on the pole-drags were rearranged, and Ayla and Jondalar got everyone settled. Wolf was watching from the side with his head tilted at an angle as though he was curious about what was going on, which was emphasised by his cocked ear. Ayla caught sight of him and smiled. They started out slowly at first, then with a look between them, Jondalar signalled Ayla, then gave a shout.
'Get ready, and hold on tight,' he said.
Ayla leaned forward, instructing her horse to run. Whinney started into a fast trot, then her gait changed to a gallop. Though it wasn't as fast as it would have been if she hadn't been dragging the travois, she did gain considerable speed. The horses behind followed her lead and the urging of their usual riders, and picked up their pace. Wolf ran along beside them. It was exhilarating for Jondecam and Kimeran, and breathtaking, if a little frightening, for those holding on tight to the pole-drags as they bumped over the rough ground. Ayla paid close attention to her horse, and when Whinney started to labour under the strain, she slowed her down again.
'Well, that was exciting,' Beladora said.
'That was fun!' both the twins said together. 'Can we do it again?' Ginadela asked.
'Yes, can we do it again?' Gioneran asked.
'We'll do it again, but we have to let Whinney rest a little now,' Ayla said. She was pleased with the distance they had travelled in their short burst of speed, but they still had some ways to go. They kept going, but at a walk. After she felt that her horse was rested, Ayla called out, 'Let's do it again.'
When the horses started running, the riders hung on, knowing now what to expect. The ones who had been frightened were not as frightened this time, but it was still exciting to move with greater speed than any of them could have run, even those with the longest of legs.
The native wild horses, which had been tamed but not domesticated, were very strong and tough. Their hooves needed no protection from rocky ground, they could carry or pull a surprisingly heavy load, and their endurance was well beyond what might be expected. Though they loved to run, the horses with the extra loads could sustain the pace for only a limited time, which Ayla watched very carefully. By the time she slowed them back to a walk, and after a while signalled them to take off in a run a third time, the horses even seemed to be enjoying it. Wolf did too. It seemed like some kind of game. He tried to anticipate when they would start to run again and get a head start, but he didn't want to get too far ahead because he was keeping pace and needed to predict when they would slow down.
By late afternoon Ayla and Jondalar were beginning to recognise the region though they weren't sure, and didn't want to miss the trail they needed to take to reach the Cave of Camora's people. It had been Willamar who knew the region. Going at a slower pace made everyone notice the changes in the weather. The air was damp and the wind had started to pick up. Then they heard a resounding rumble and the roaring crack of thunder and not long after saw a flash of lightning and it wasn't very far away. They all knew a big storm was almost upon them. Ayla began to shiver, but it wasn't just the sudden blast of cold damp air. The rumbling and roaring reminded her too much of an earthquake, and there was nothing she hated more than earthquakes.
They almost missed the trail, but Willamar and some of the others had been keeping a watch for them for several days. Jondalar was very relieved when he saw the familiar figure waving at them. The Trade Master had seen the horses approaching from some distance away, and had sent one of the people up to tell the Cave that the horses were returning. At a distance, when Willamar didn't see anyone walking alongside the horses, he was afraid they hadn't found anyone, but as they drew closer, he saw more than one head above the backs of the horses, and realised they were riding together. Then he saw the pole-drags and as they pulled up, people on them.
People from the Cave were rushing down the path. When Camora saw her brother and her uncle, she didn't know which to run to first. They solved her dilemma when both of them ran to her and hugged her together.
'Hurry, it's starting to rain,' Willamar urged.
'We can leave the pole-drags here,' Ayla said, then they all hurried up the trail.
The travellers stayed longer than planned, partly to give Camora a chance to visit with her kin, and for her mate and children to get to know them. The Cave was a more isolated band of people, and though they went to Summer Meetings, they didn't have any close neighbours. Jondecam and Levela considered staying with Jondecam's sister, perhaps until the travellers could stop and pick them up on their way back. She seemed hungry for company and news about people she knew. Kimoran and Beladora definitely planned to leave when the First did. Beladora's people lived at the end of their proposed Journey.
The First had been hoping to leave within a few days, but Jonayla came down with measles as they were getting ready to go, which delayed their departure. The three Zelandonia among the travellers gave remedies and instructions to the resident Cave on how to care for those who developed the contagious disease, explaining that they were likely to get sick, too, but that usually it wasn't too serious. The local Zelandoni had become acquainted with the First and Jonokol while Ayla and Jondalar were looking for the others, and had grown to respect their knowledge.
The people of the Ninth Cave told stories of their experiences with the sickness and made it seem so commonplace that the people didn't feel quite as nervous about getting sick with it. Even after Jonayla started to feel better, Zelandoni decided that they should postpone leaving until the people of the Cave started to show symptoms so the three of them could explain how to care for those who got sick and what herbs and poultices would be helpful. Many of the Cave did get sick, but not all of them, which made the First think that at least some of the people had been exposed to measles before.
Zelandoni and Willamar knew there were some sacred sites in the region and talked about them with Farnadal and their Donier. The First knew of them but had not seen them. Willamar had, but it had been many years before. The sites were related to the major painted cave near the Seventh Cave of South Land Zelandonii, just as the one near the Fourth South Land Cave was, and they were sacred sites, but from the descriptions, there wasn't much to see, just a few rough paintings on stone walls.
They had already been delayed so long that the First decided they could omit those sites on this Donier Tour so they would have time to see some others. It was more important to see the very major sacred site that was not far from Amelana's Cave. And they still had to make a visit to the neighbouring Giornadonii, and Beladora's Cave.
The wait gave the Ninth Cave an opportunity to get to know the people of Camora's Cave better, and Jondalar, in particular, the opportunity to demonstrate the spear-thrower and show how to make one to those who wanted to learn. The wait also gave Jondecam and Levela more time to visit with Camora and their relatives and when the travellers left, they were ready to go with them. During the extended visit, the two Caves had become
