Everyone settled back down, and those who had so eagerly asked questions looked a bit embarrassed. The First dipped out a cupful of the simmering liquid and set it aside to cool. The remainder was passed around to the others, who each got some but a smaller amount. When it was cool enough to drink, the Donier gave the cup to Ayla.
'This testing could be done without this drink, using meditation, but it would take longer. The tea seems to help us relax and get in the right state of mind,' Zelandoni explained.
Ayla drank down the cup of tepid, rather foul-tasting tea and then, along with everyone else, assumed whatever pose was most conducive to meditation, and waited. Ayla was at first most interested in consciously observing how the drink was affecting her, thinking about how her stomach felt, how her breathing was affected, whether she could notice a relaxation of her arms and legs. But the effects were subtle. She didn't notice when her mind wandered off and she found herself thinking about something entirely unrelated. She was almost surprised — if she could have felt surprise — when she became aware that the First was talking to her, in a low, soft voice.
'Are you getting sleepy, Ayla? That's good. Just relax, let yourself feel sleepy. Very sleepy. Empty your mind and rest. Don't think of anything, except my voice. Listen only to my voice. Let yourself be comfortable, relax, and hear only my voice,' Zelandoni droned on. 'Now, tell me Ayla, where were you when you decided to go into the cave?'
'I was on top of the cliff,' Ayla began, then stopped.
'Go on, Ayla, you were on top of the cliff. What were you doing? Take your time. Just tell the whole story in your own way. There's no hurry.'
'The Shortday was already marked; the sun had turned around and was going back, heading for winter, but I thought I'd mark a few more days. It was quite late and I was tired. I decided to stir up the fire, make a little tea. I searched in my medicine bag for the mint. It was dark, but I was feeling the knots to find the right bag. I finally found the one by the strong smell of mint. While the tea was steeping, I decided to practise saying The Mother's Song.' Ayla began to recite the song:
'It's my favourite of all the legends and histories, so I repeated it while I was drinking the tea,' Ayla said, continuing on with the next few verses.
It all seemed so clear in her mind, almost as though she were there again. 'I was bearing, too, sharing my life with the growing life force inside. I felt so close to the Mother.' She smiled dreamily.
Several of the zelandonia looked at each other with some surprise, then at the First. The big woman nodded, indicating that she knew Ayla was pregnant. 'And then what happened, Ayla? What happened on that cliff?'
'The moon was so big, so bright. It filled the whole sky. I felt myself drawn to it, drawn up into it,' Ayla continued, telling how she rose above the land, and how the column of rock glowed, then how she had become frightened and ran down to the Ninth Cave, then headed towards Down River and on to The River. She told how she had walked along a river, like The River but not quite the same, for a long, long time. It seemed like days and days, but the sun never shone. It was always night, lit only by the huge bright moon.
'I think Her shining lover, Her friend, was helping me to find my way,' Ayla said. 'Finally I came to the Place of the Sacred Fountain. I could see the path up to the cave glowing in the light of Lumi, Her shining friend. I knew he was telling me to go that way. I started up, but the path was so long, I wondered if I was going the right way, and then suddenly, I was there, I saw the dark opening of the cave, but I was afraid to go in. Then I heard, 'She dared the great void, the chaos, the dark' and I knew I had to be brave, like the Mother, and brave the dark, too.'
Ayla continued her story, and the gathered zelandonia were completely enthralled. Whenever she stopped, or hesitated too long, Zelandoni encouraged her to go on in her low, soothing, unhurried voice.
'Ayla! Here, drink this!' It was Zelandoni's voice, but it sounded so far away. 'Ayla! Sit up and drink this!' The voice was commanding now. 'Ayla!'
She felt herself being raised up and opened her eyes. The big familiar woman held a cup to her lips. Ayla sipped it. It made her realise she was thirsty and she drank some more. The mist was beginning to clear. She was helped to sit up, and became aware of voices around her speaking softly, but with an undertone of excitement.
'How are you feeling, Ayla?' the First asked.
'I have a little headache, and I'm still thirsty,' she said.
'This tea will make you feel better,' the Donier of the Ninth Cave said. 'Have some more.'
Ayla drank it. 'Now I think I have to pass water,' she said, smiling.
'There's a night basket behind that screen,' a zelandoni said, indicating the way.
Ayla stood up, felt slightly dizzy, but it cleared.
'I think we should let her get settled,' Ayla heard the One Who Was First say. 'She has been through a great deal, but I think there is little doubt she will be the next First.'
'I believe you are right,' she heard another voice say. She heard more of the zelandonia talking among themselves, but wasn't listening any more. What did they mean? She wasn't sure she liked hearing them talk about 'the next First'.
When she returned, the Zelandoni of the Ninth Cave asked, 'Do you remember everything you told us?'
Ayla closed her eyes, frowning with concentration. 'I think so,' she finally said.
'We would like to ask you some questions. Do you feel strong enough to answer, or would you like to rest longer?'
'I think I'm awake, and don't feel tired. I would like some more tea, though. My mouth still feels dry,' Ayla said. Her cup was refilled.
'Our questions should help you to interpret your own experience,' the Donier said. 'No one else really can.' Ayla nodded. 'Do you know how long you were in the cave?' the First asked.
'Marthona said almost four days,' Ayla said, 'but I don't recall too much after I first came out. Some people were there waiting for me. They carried me back on a litter, and the next few days are not clear.'
'Do you think you would be able to explain some things to us?'
'I'll try.'
'The ice walls you spoke of — if I remember correctly, you told us once of falling down into a crevasse on your way across the glacier. By some miracle, you landed on a ledge and Jondalar pulled you out. Is that right?' the First asked.
'Yes. He threw me a rope and told me to wrap it around my waist. He attached the other end to his horse. Racer pulled me out,' Ayla clarified.
'Few people who fall into crevasses are fortunate enough to get out. You came very close to death then. It is not uncommon for Acolytes, when they are being called, to experience again those times when they were near the spirit world. Would you say that was a possible interpretation of the ice walls?' the First asked.
'Yes,' Ayla said, then looked at the large woman. 'I didn't think about it before, but that could explain some of the other things, too. I almost died crossing a flooded river on our way here, and I'm sure it was Attaroa's face I saw. She would have killed me for sure if Wolf hadn't saved me.'
'I'm sure that accounts for some of the visions. Though I haven't heard the full story of your Journey here, obviously most people have,' said the visiting Zelandoni. 'But what was that black void? Was it a reference to the Mother's Song or did it have some other significance? You almost had me terrified.' There was some quiet laughter and a few smiles at her comment, but some nods of agreement as well.
'And what about the warm sea, and the creatures burrowing in the mud and in the trees? That was all very strange,' said another, 'not to mention all the mammoths and reindeer, and the bison and horses.'
