strung. The breasts were huge and quite high. The arms ended with the indication of a hand with fingers. The hips were broad and the buttocks large, with the line dividing them sharply incised all the way around to the front, ending with such an exaggerated depiction of a vulva, the female organ was almost everted.
'I think this was made by a woman who has been through childbirth,' Ayla said. 'That's sometimes how it feels, like you are being split in two.'
'You may be right, Ayla. The breasts certainly appear to be full of milk,' said the First.
'Are you offering these for trade?' Willamar asked.
'No, these my own. I carry for luck, but if you want one or more, could get some made,' Conardi said.
'If it were me, I would get some extras made to take on trading missions. I'm sure they would trade well,' Willamar said. 'Are you a Trade Master, Conardi?' He had noticed the man did not have a trader's tattoo.
'I like travel, and trade some, but not Trade Master,' Conardi said. 'Everybody trades, but we have not such occupation as speciality.'
'If you like to travel, you can make it be,' Willamar said. 'It is what I'm training my apprentices to be. This may be my last long trading mission. I'm at an age where travelling is losing its appeal. I'm ready to settle down at home with my mate and her children and grandchildren, like that pretty little one.' He indicated Jonayla. 'Some traders take their mates and families with them, but my mate was the leader of the Ninth Cave, and not as free to travel. So I always make sure I bring her something special. That's why I was asking if your carvings were available for trading. But I'm sure I'll find something when we go to the Southern Sea to trade for shells. Would you like to travel together with us?'
'When do you leave?' Conardi asked.
'Soon, but not before we see the Most Ancient Sacred Site,' Willamar said.
'Is good you do. Beautiful cave, most extraordinary paintings, but I see several times. I go ahead, tell them you coming,' Conardi said.
Chapter 27
The entrance to the cave was quite large but not symmetrical, and more wide than high. The right side was taller; the left lower section had a projecting ledge over part of it, creating a sheltered area that offered some protection from rain, and from the occasional rain of pebbles that cascaded down the cliff. A cone-shaped mound of gravel had accumulated at the far left end of the cave's mouth, falling from the rock face above, amassing on the ledge, and spilling over, creating a scree slope from the base of the cone that continued down the side of the cliff.
As a result of the capacious opening, light penetrated to some depth into the cave. Ayla thought it would make a good place to live, but it obviously was not used as such. Except for the corner under the ledge where a small fire was burning outside a sleeping shelter, there was little evidence of the things that people used to make their life comfortable. As they approached, a Zelandoni came out of the shelter and greeted them.
'In the name of the Great Earth Mother, you are welcome to Her Most Ancient Sacred Place, First Among Those Who Serve Her,' she said, holding out both hands.
'I greet you, Watcher of Her Most Ancient Sacred Site,' the First replied.
Jonokol was next. 'I am Zelandoni of the Nineteenth Cave of the Zelandonii, and I greet you Watcher of Her Most Ancient Sacred Site. I am told the images inside this Sacred Place are quite striking. I have also made some images, and I am honoured to be invited to see this Sacred Site,' he said.
The Watcher smiled. 'So you are a Zelandoni Image Maker,' she said. 'I think you will be a little surprised at what you see in this cave, and perhaps you will appreciate the artistry more than most. The Ancients who worked here were quite skilled.'
'Are all the images here made by the Ancients?' the Nineteenth asked.
The Watcher heard the unspoken plea in Jonokol's voice. She had heard it before from artists who came to visit. They wanted to know if they would be allowed to add to the work, and she knew what to say.
'Very nearly, though I do know of a few made more recently. If you feel equal to the task, and compelled to do so, you are free to make your mark here. We put no restrictions on anyone. The Mother chooses. You will know if you are chosen,' the Watcher said. Though many asked, very few actually did feel equal to the task of contributing to the remarkable work inside.
Ayla was the next one. 'In the name of the Great Mother of All, I greet you Watcher of the Most Ancient Sacred Site,' she said, holding out her hands. 'I am called Ayla, Acolyte to the First Among Those Who Serve The Great Earth Mother.'
She's not ready to give up her name yet, was the Zelandoni's first thought. Then she grew conscious that the young woman had spoken with an unusual accent and knew she was the person she had been told about. Most of her Cave thought that all the visitors spoke Zelandonii with what they considered a northern accent, but the way this woman spoke was entirely different. She spoke well, and she obviously knew the language, but the way she made certain sounds was unlike anything she had heard before. There was no doubt that she came from a very distant place.
She looked at the young woman more carefully. Yes, she thought, she's attractive, but she has a foreign aspect, a different set to her features, a shorter face, wider space between her eyes. Even her hair, it's not fine, like so many Zelandonii women. It has a thicker texture, and though she is blond, the shade is distinctive, darker, rather like honey or amber. A foreigner and yet she is Acolyte to the First. It's rare enough for a foreigner to become one of the zelandonia, much less Acolyte to the First. But perhaps understandable since she's the one who can control horses and a wolf. And she's the one who stopped the men who have been causing so much trouble for so many years.
'You are welcome to this Most Ancient Sacred Site, Ayla, Acolyte to the First,' the Zelandoni said, grasping Ayla's hands. 'I suspect you have travelled farther to see this site than anyone ever has.'
'I came with the rest of …' Ayla started, then seeing the smile on the woman's face, she understood. It was her accent. The Watcher was talking about how far she had travelled on her Journey with Jondalar, and before that, from her home with the Clan, and perhaps even before that. 'You could be right,' she said, 'but Jondalar may have travelled even farther. He Journeyed all the way from his home to the end of the Great Mother River far to the east, and beyond, where he found me, and then back again before we started on this Donier Tour.'
Jondalar stepped closer at the sound of his name and grinned when he heard Ayla describe his travels. The woman was not young and immature and not old, but old enough so that she had the wisdom that came from experience and maturity, about the age he used to like women before he met Ayla.
'Greetings, respected Watcher of the Most Ancient Sacred Site,' he said, holding out his hands. 'I am Jondalar of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, Flint-Knapper of the Ninth Cave. Mated to Ayla of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, who is Acolyte of the First. Son of Marthona, former leader of the Ninth Cave; brother of Joharran, leader of the Ninth Cave. Born to the Hearth of Dalanar, leader and founder of the Lanzadonii.'
He recounted his important names and ties. It was one thing for members of the zelandonia to simply state their primary affiliations, but it would seem too casual and not very courteous for him to be so brief in a formal introduction, especially to a Zelandoni.
'You are welcome here, Jondalar of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii,' she said, taking his hands and looking into eyes of an incredibly vivid shade of blue, eyes that seemed to see inside her very spirit, and cause her womanhood to quiver. She closed her eyes for a moment to regain her internal balance. No wonder she's not ready to give up her name yet, the Watcher thought. She's mated, and to one of the most fascinating men I have ever met. I wonder if anyone is planning a Mother Festival for these visitors from the north … too bad my time for serving as Watcher is not up yet. If someone needs me here, I can't go to Mother Festivals.
Willamar, who was waiting to introduce himself to the Watcher, ducked his head to smile to himself. It was a good thing that Jondalar hardly seemed to notice the impact he still had on women, he thought, and as perceptive as she was, Ayla seemed oblivious to it. Even though it was discouraged, he knew that jealousy still lived in the hearts of many.
'I am called Willamar, Master Trader of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii,' he said, when his turn came, 'mated to Marthona, the former leader of the Ninth Cave, who is the mother of this young man. Though he was not
