Ninth had been chosen instead.
'It seems they need it,' said the same man who had commented earlier.
Jonayla had fallen asleep on her shoulder. Ayla took her carrying blanket and spread it out on the ground, the young acolyte on her right moved over to make room, then she put her infant down on it.
'Yes, they do,' the First was saying, shaking her head; then she realised that Ayla didn't know the man, and though he had no doubt heard of her, he had not met her. 'I don't think everyone here has met my new acolyte. Perhaps some introductions would be in order.'
'What happened to Jonokol?' Zelandoni of the Fifth Cave asked.
'He moved to the Nineteenth Cave,' the First said. 'The White Hollow that was found last year enticed him. He always was more artist than acolyte, but he's serious about the zelandonia now. He wants to be sure that whatever is done with the new cave is appropriate … no, more than that. He wants it to be right. That white cave has called him now, more than any training could have done.'
'Where are the Nineteenth Cave? Are they coming this year?'
'I believe they are, but they haven't arrived yet,' the One Who Was First said. 'I will be glad to see Jonokol; I miss his skills, but fortunately Ayla arrived with many skills of her own. She is already a fine healer, and brings some very interesting knowledge and techniques. I am pleased she has begun training. Ayla, will you stand so I can introduce you formally?'
Ayla got up and took a few steps to stand beside the First, who waited until everyone was looking at them, then said, 'May I present to you Ayla of the Zelandonii, mother of Jonayla, Blessed of Doni, acolyte of the Zelandoni of the Ninth Cave, the One Who Is First Among Those Who Serve The Great Earth Mother. She is mated to Jondalar, son of Marthona, former leader of the Ninth Cave and brother to Joharran, present leader. Formerly she was a Mamutoi of the Lion Camp, the Mammoth Hunters who live far to the east, and an acolyte of Mamut, who adopted her as Daughter of the Mammoth Hearth, which is their zelandonia. She was also chosen and physically marked by the spirit of the Cave Lion, her totem, and is Protected by the spirit of the Cave Bear. She is a friend of the horses, Whinney and Racer, and the new filly, Grey, and the four-legged hunter, she calls Wolf.'
Ayla thought it was a very comprehensive reciting of her names and ties, complete with explanations. She didn't know if she was actually an acolyte of Mamut, but he had adopted her to the Mammoth Hearth and he was training her. The Donier hadn't mentioned that she had also been adopted by the Clan, whom they called Flatheads. The only reference was that she was protected by the spirit of the Cave Bear. Ayla doubted if Zelandoni fully understood that it meant she was one of them, she was Clan — at least she was until Broud disowned her, cursed her and made her leave.
The man who had spoken earlier approached Ayla and the First. 'I am Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth Cave, and in the name of Doni, I welcome you to this Summer Meeting camp that we are hosting.' He held out both hands.
Ayla took his hands. 'In the name of the Great Mother of All, I greet you, Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth Cave,' she said.
'We have found a new deep hollow. It has wonderful resonance when we sing, but it is very small,' the man said. He was obviously quite excited about it. 'One must crawl in like a snake, and it is best for only one or perhaps two people, though three or four could go in. I think it is too small for the First, I am sorry to say, though I would certainly let her make that decision. I promised Jonokol I would show it to him when he came. Since you are now the First's acolyte, Ayla, perhaps you would like to see it, too.'
The invitation caught her by surprise, but she smiled, then said, 'Yes, I would like to see it.'
Chapter 7
The Zelandoni Who Was First had mixed feelings upon hearing about the new cave. New discoveries of hollows that were likely to be entries to the Mother's Sacred Underworld were always exciting, but the thought that she might be excluded for purely physical reasons was disappointing, though the idea of crawling on her belly into a small space was not exactly appealing anymore. It did, however, please her that Ayla was accepted enough to be offered the opportunity in her place. She hoped it meant that her choice of a newcomer as an acolyte was already taken for granted. Of course, having a woman with such obviously unusual powers safely under the authority of the zelandonia was probably a relief to many. That she was also an inherently normal and attractive young mother made her acceptance easier.
'That is an excellent idea, Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth Cave. I had planned to begin her Donier Tour later this summer, after the First Matrimonial and Rites of First Pleasures ceremonies. A visit to a new sacred hollow could be an early introduction, and give her a chance to understand from the beginning how sacred sites are known to the zelandonia,' the First Donier said. 'And while we are talking about introductions and training, I notice several of the newer acolytes here. This seems a good time to reveal some knowledge they will need to know. Who can tell me how many seasons there are?'
'I can,' said a young man. 'There are three.'
'No,' said a young woman. 'There are five.'
The First smiled. 'One of you says three, another says five. Can anyone tell me which is correct?'
No one spoke for a while; then the acolyte next to Ayla on the left said, 'I think both are.'
The First smiled again. 'You are correct. There are both three and five seasons, depending upon how you count them. Can anyone tell me why?'
No one spoke up. Ayla remembered some of Mamut's teachings, but she felt somewhat shy and hesitant to speak. Finally, when the silence grew awkward, she said, 'The Mamutoi also have both three and five seasons. I don't know about the Zelandonii, but I can tell you what Mamut told me.'
'I think that would be quite interesting,' the First said, looking around and seeing nods of agreement from others of the zelandonia.
'The downward-pointing triangle is a very important symbol to the Mamutoi,' Ayla began. 'It is the symbol of woman, and it is made with three lines, so three is the number of the power of … I don't quite know the word … motherhood, giving birth, creating new life, and is very sacred to Mut, to the Mother. Mamut also said the three sides of a triangle represent the three major seasons, spring, summer, and winter. But the Mamutoi recognise two additional seasons, the ones that signal change, fall and midwinter, making five seasons. Mamut said five is the Mother's hidden power number.'
Not only were the young acolytes surprised and interested, the older Zelandoni were fascinated by what she said. Even those who had met her the year before and had heard her talk noticed the way she spoke, her accent. To those who were seeing her for the first time, especially if they were young and had not travelled much, her voice seemed absolutely exotic. For most of the zelandonia she had spoken of information unknown to them but that essentially agreed with their way of thinking, which tended to confirm their own beliefs. That gave her added credence and an element of prestige. She was travelled, knowledgeable, but not really threatening.
'I didn't realise the ways of the Mother were so similar even from such a great distance,' said Zelandoni of the Third. 'We also speak of three main seasons — spring, summer and winter — but most people recognise five: spring, summer, autumn, early winter, and late winter. We also understand that the inverted triangle represents woman and that three is the number of generative power, but five is a more powerful symbol.'
'That is true. The ways of the Great Earth Mother are remarkable,' the First said, then continued with the instruction. 'We talked about the counting-word five before, the five parts of an apple, five fingers on each hand, five toes on each foot, and how to use the hands and counting words in a more powerful way. There are also five primary, or sacred, colours. All other colours are aspects of the main colours. The first colour is red. It is the colour of blood, the colour of life, but just as life does not last, the colour red seldom stays true for long. As blood dries it darkens, becomes brown, sometimes very dark.
'Brown is an aspect of red, sometimes called old red. It is the colour of the trunks and branches of many trees. The red ochres of the earth are the dried blood of the Mother, and though some can be very bright, almost new looking, they are all considered old red. Some flowers and fruits show the true colour of red, but flowers are ephemeral, as is the red colour of fruits. When red fruits, such as strawberries, are dried, they turn to old red. Can you think of anything else that is red, or an aspect of it?'
