panel before, smiled at the Seventh. They had both known what was coming and they were pleased that they got the response they had expected.
'Do you know who painted this?' Jonokol asked.
'An ancestor, but not an ancient one. Let me show you some things you may not notice immediately,' the Seventh said, stepping up closer to the stone panel. He held his left hand up over the back of the left-facing horse and bent the joint of his thumb. When he held his hand beside a red outline, it was obvious that the negative space was not a handprint, but a bent thumb. Now that it had been pointed out, they could see that there were several outlines of bent thumbs along the back of the left hand horse.
'Why was that done?' a young Acolyte asked.
'You would have to ask the Zelandoni who painted it,' the Seventh replied.
'But you said it was done by an ancestor.'
'Yes,' the Zelandoni said.
'But the ancestor walks in the next world now.'
'Yes.'
'Then, how can I ask?'
The Seventh only smiled at the young man, who frowned and fidgeted. There were some titters of laughter from those watching, which suddenly made the young Acolyte blush.
'I can't ask, can I?'
'Perhaps when you learn to walk in the next world,' the First said. 'There are some Zelandonia who can, you know. But it is very dangerous, and not all choose to.'
'I don't believe everything on that panel was made by the same person,' Jonokol said. 'The horses probably were, and the hands, and most of the dots, but I think some of them were added later, and the thumbs, and I think I see a red fish on top of that horse, but it's not clear.'
'You may be right,' said the Seventh. 'That's very perceptive.'
'He is an artist,' Willamar said.
Ayla noticed that Willamar often tended to keep his opinions to himself, and wondered if that was something he had learned to do on his travels. When you travelled a lot and met many new people, it probably wasn't wise to advance your own opinions on strangers too readily.
The Seventh showed them many other marks and paintings, including a human-like figure with lines either coming out of or going into his body, similar to those they had seen at the Fourth South Land Cave's sacred site, but after the unusual horses, nothing else seemed to stand out, except for some formations far older than any of the paintings. Large discs of calcite naturally formed by the same actions that had created the cave itself decorated one room in the cave and were left alone in their own space without any embellishments added, as though they were decorations in their own right made by the Mother.
After they returned from visiting the sacred site, the First was anxious for them to be on their way again, but she felt she had to stay for a while to fulfil her role as the First Among Those Who Served The Great Mother, especially for the zelandonia. It wasn't often that they had an opportunity to spend time with her. For some of the groups who lived within Zelandonii territory, the First was almost a mythical figure, a figurehead whom they acknowledged but seldom saw, and in reality, did not need to see. They were more than capable of performing their functions without her, but for the most part they were very pleased and excited to see her. It wasn't as though they thought of her as the Mother Herself, or even the Mother incarnate, but she was definitely Her representative, and with her huge size, she was impressive. Having an Acolyte who could control animals, added to her stature. She had to stay a little longer.
During the evening meal, the Seventh sought out the visitors. He sat beside the First with his plate of food and smiled, then spoke softly to her. It wasn't exactly a conspiratorial whisper, but Ayla was sure she would not have heard him if she hadn't been sitting on the other side of the First.
'We have been talking about having a special ceremony at the sacred cave later tonight, and would like you and your Acolyte to join us if you feel up to it,' he said.
The First smiled at him encouragingly. This might make her decision to stay a little longer a bit more interesting, she thought.
'Ayla, would you be interested in going to this special ceremony?'
'If you would like me to, I would be happy to join you,' Ayla said.
'What about Jonayla? Can Jondalar watch her?' the First asked.
'I'm sure he could,' Ayla said, not as excited about going since Jondalar wasn't invited, but then he wasn't a part of the zelandonia.
'I'll come for you later,' the Seventh said. 'Dress warmly. It gets cool at night.'
After things had quietened down and most people had either gone to their beds, or to some other activity — talking, drinking, dancing, gambling or whatever else they chose — the Zelandoni of the South Land Seventh Cave returned to their camp. Jondalar was waiting with Ayla and Zelandoni beside the fire. He wasn't particularly pleased about Ayla going off at night to participate in some secret ceremony, but he didn't say anything. A Zelandoni was, after all, what she was training to be. Part of that was secret ceremonies with other zelandonia.
The Seventh had brought some torches and lit them from the small fire that was still burning in the fireplace. He took the lead when they started out, followed by the First and then Ayla, each holding a torch. Jondalar watched them as they headed up the trail that led to the sacred cave. He was even tempted to follow them, but he had promised to watch Jonayla.
Wolf had apparently had the same inclination, but not long after they left, the wolf came back to the camp. He went into the tent and sniffed the child, then walked out, looked in the direction Ayla had taken, then went to Jondalar and sat down close beside him. Soon he laid his head on his front paws, still watching the direction she had gone. Jondalar put his hand on the animal's head and ran it down across his shoulders and back a few times, petting the great canine.
'She chased you away, too, didn't she?' the man said. Wolf whined softly.
Chapter 22
The Seventh led the two women along the path up toward the sacred cave. Some torches had been stuck in the ground beside the path to help guide them, and Ayla suddenly recalled the time she had followed the lamps and torches into the winding cave at the Clan Gathering until she came upon the mog-urs. She knew she wasn't supposed to be there then and had stopped just in time, hiding behind a huge stalagmite so they wouldn't see her, but Creb knew she was there. This time she was part of the group that had been invited to join the gathering.
It was a good walk up to the sacred cave and by the time they reached it they were all breathing hard. The First was thinking to herself that she was glad she had decided to make this trip now; in a few years she wouldn't be able to. Ayla had been aware of her difficulty and had purposely slowed down to make it easier for the woman. They knew they were close when they saw a fire burning ahead, and soon after noticed several people standing or sitting around it.
They were greeted with enthusiasm by the gathering, then stood and talked while they waited for a few more to arrive. Soon another group of three appeared, Jonokol among them. He had been visiting the camp of another Cave whose Zelandoni was also inclined to make images. They were also greeted by all; then the Seventh addressed them.
'We are very fortunate to have the First Among Those Who Serve The Great Mother with us. I don't think she has ever joined one of our Summer Meetings before and she makes this an especially memorable occasion. Her Acolyte, and the Zelandoni who was her Acolyte are both with her, and we are pleased to welcome them as well.'
There were words and gestures of greeting and then the Seventh continued. 'We should all make ourselves comfortable around the fire; we brought pads to sit on. I have a special tea to try, for any who would like to. It was given to me by a Zelandoni far to the south of here, in the foothills of the tall mountains that define the boundary of Zelandonii territory. She has watched over a very sacred cave there for many years and renews it frequently. All sacred caves are wombs of the Great Mother, but in some Her presence is so profound, we know they must be
