'Because I was one who was forced, after they killed my mate,' the woman said.
'And you are?'
'I am Aremina, of the Third Cave of the Zelandonii That Watches Over the Most Ancient Sacred Site,' she said.
'What she says is true,' the male Zelandoni of the Third Cave of Watchers said. 'She was pregnant at the time and also lost her baby.' He turned to Demoryn. 'We have been talking about them, and were trying to think of a plan to find them. How did you catch them?'
'It was the First's Acolyte,' Demoryn said. 'They tried to attack her, but didn't understand who she is.'
'Who is she besides the First's Acolyte?' the Zelandoni of the First Cave of Watchers said.
Demoryn turned to Willamar. 'Why don't you explain?'
'Well,' Willamar said, 'I wasn't there, so I can only tell you what I was told, but I believe it. I know that Ayla is an extremely skilled hunter with both a stone-slinging weapon, and a spear-throwing weapon, which was devised by her mate, Jondalar. She's also the one who controls the wolf, and the horses, although her mate and child also do. Apparently, when these men tried to attack her, she bruised them with stones, although she can kill with stones if she chooses. Then Jondalar came with his spear-thrower. When one of them tried to run away, she sent the wolf to stop him. I've seen them work together hunting. Those men didn't have a chance.'
'All the visitors use the spear-throwing weapon — Jondalar has promised to show us how — and when they went hunting, they were too lucky,' Demoryn continued. 'Each one brought down a bison. They killed nine of them. That's a lot of meat; bison are big animals. That's why we're bringing you a large load of meat, for your First Cave and for your zelandonia meeting.
'As for these men, once they were caught, we weren't sure what to do with them. Aremina thought they should be killed, since they killed her mate. Perhaps she's right. But we didn't know who should do the killing, or how. We all know how to kill animals that the Great Mother has given us so that we can live, but the Mother does not condone killing people. I didn't know if we should be the ones to kill them. It may bring bad luck to our Cave if we do, or if we didn't do it correctly. We thought the zelandonia should decide, so we brought them here.'
'I think that was wise, don't you?' the First Among Those Who Served said. 'It's fortunate that you are having a meeting so that all of you can discuss it and come to a decision.'
She's letting them know that she doesn't plan to take over just because she's the First, Ayla thought, but she will be interested in what they do.
'I certainly hope you will be staying and will offer your counsel,' said the Zelandoni of the First Cave of Sacred Site Watchers.
'Thank you. I would like that. This is not an easy problem to work out. We are here because I am taking my Acolyte on her Donier Tour. I hope someone will be able to guide us through your Sacred Site. I have seen it only once before, but I have never forgotten it. Not only is it the Most Ancient, it is unbelievably beautiful, both the cave itself and the images that have been painted on the walls. They honour the Great Mother,' the First said with feeling that conveyed her conviction.
'Of course. We have a Watcher at the Sacred Site who will be happy to guide you through it,' the woman said, 'but now let's see these men.'
As the four men were brought forward, they were trying to resist, but Wolf was guarding them and herded Balderan back with snarls and nips to his ankles and legs when he tried to leave. It was obvious that Balderan was seething with rage. He particularly hated the foreign man and woman who could control horses and a wolf, and could therefore control him. For the first time in his life he was afraid, and what he feared most was Wolf. He wanted to kill the animal, but not any more than Wolf wanted to kill him. The four-legged hunter knew in the way that animals with senses more developed than those of humans know that this man was not like other men. He was born with too much or not enough of something that made him different, and Wolf innately knew that this man would not hesitate to harm the ones Wolf loved.
By now everyone from both Caves and all the neighbouring zelandonia had gathered in the field in front of the cliffs, and when the men were brought forward, it caused quite a disturbance. Several people recognised Balderan and some shouted out accusations.
'He's the one!' a woman said. 'He forced me! They all did.'
'They stole meat from me that I had spread out to dry.'
'He took my daughter and kept her for nearly a moon. I don't know what they did to her, but she was never right again and died the next winter. As far as I'm concerned, he killed her.'
A middle-aged man came forward. 'I can tell you about him. He was born to my Cave before I moved away,' he said.
'I would like to hear what this man has to say,' the First said.
'So would I,' the Zelandoni from the Third Cave of Watchers said.
'Balderan was born to a woman who had no mate, and at first everyone was pleased that she had a son who seemed sound and healthy, a son that could one day make a contribution to the Cave, but from quite a young age, he was uncontrollable. He was a strong boy but he used his strength to take what he wanted whenever he wanted it. In the beginning his mother made excuses for him. Since she had no mate, she hoped her strong son, who quickly became a very good hunter because he liked killing things, would take care of her as she grew older, but eventually she came to recognise that he didn't care about her any more than anyone else,' the man began.
'By the time he reached young manhood, all the people of the Cave were angry and afraid of him. It came to a head when he took some spears from a man who had made them for himself. When the man objected and tried to take them back, Balderan beat him so badly, he nearly died. I don't think he ever fully recovered. That was when everyone banded together and told him he had to leave. All the rest of the men and most of the women armed themselves and chased him away. Two friends left with him, young men who admired him for taking what he wanted and not having to work for anything. One of them returned before the summer was over and begged to be allowed to come back, but Balderan always managed to acquire a few followers.
'He would go to a Summer Meeting, settle into a fa'lodge, and challenge the other young men into reckless acts of danger to prove their manhood. He always bullied any who seemed weak or afraid, and when he left, he always had a few new followers charmed by his troublemaking ways. They would harass some new Caves until they finally got together to go looking for them. Then Balderan and friends would travel some distance away, and find other Caves from whom they could steal food, clothing, implements, weapons, and before long, women they could force.'
Balderan sneered while the man related the story. He didn't care what anyone said about him. It was all true anyway, but he had never been caught before, and he didn't like it. Ayla observed him closely and saw that he was more than angry; she could see his fear and his hatred, and she was sure Wolf could smell it. She knew if Balderan made any attempt to hurt her, or Jonayla, or Jondalar, or any of the people travelling with them, Wolf would kill him. She knew that if she merely gave Wolf the signal to kill the man, he would, and the people would probably be grateful. But she didn't want Wolf to be the one to solve their problem and she didn't want Wolf to be known as a killer. Stories tended to grow out of proportion. Everyone knew wolves could kill. The fact that he helped to catch the man, and that he guarded the man and didn't kill him, that was the story she wanted people to tell about Wolf. The people needed to deal with Balderan themselves, and she was curious to see what they would do.
The other men with him weren't angry. They were just scared. They knew what they had done, and there were enough people here who knew it too. The man standing beside Balderan was thinking about the predicament he was in. It always seemed so easy following him, taking whatever they wanted, and frightening people. Of course, Balderan scared him too, sometimes, but it made him feel important to see people afraid of him. And when they saw that people who came after them were close and determined, and felt it was time to move on, they were nimble and quick and could always get away. They were sure they would never get caught, but the foreign woman with her weapons and her animals had changed that.
There was no doubt that she was a Zelandoni, and they should never have gone after One Who Serves The Mother. But how could they have known? She wasn't even tattooed. They said she was an Acolyte, but an Acolyte to the First? He didn't know the First really existed. He thought she was just a story like the Elder Legends. But now the most powerful Zelandoni on earth was here, with her Acolyte, who had magic control of animals and had caught him. What were they going to do to him?
As though hearing his thoughts, one of the Zelandonia said, 'Now that they're here, what are we going to do with them?'
