“Then let’s do it now.”
The three women and the man walked toward the Giornadonii campsite. They stopped off at the Ninth Cave’s camp and picked up Jondalar and Jonayla, and Willamar, the only ones who happened to be there. Beladora and Kimeran were at the camp with their children. Ayla wondered if Beladora’s mother would succeed in persuading them to return with her and stay for a year. She couldn’t blame her for trying, as she wanted to get to know her grandchildren, but Kimeran was the leader of the Second Cave.
The friends greeted each other with cheek rubs and then they went through a series of formal introductions to Beladora’s mother, the leader of the Cave, and a few others. Then the young man came forward.
“I wanted to meet you,” he said to Ayla. “I liked what you said about the snake and some of the people you know.”
“I’m pleased that you did,” Ayla said, then bent down and took both of his small, oddly shaped hands in hers. His arms were also too short. His head seemed almost too big for him. “I am Ayla of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, Mated to Jondalar, Master Flint-Knapper of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, and Mother of Jonayla, Blessed of Doni, and I am Acolyte to the First Among Those Who Serve The Great Earth Mother. I was formerly of the Lion Camp of the M
amutoi, who live far to the east. I was adopted by the Mamut to be Daughter of the Mammoth Hearth, Chosen by the spirit of the Cave Lion, Protected by the Cave Bear, Friend of the Horses; Whinney, Racer, and Gray, and the four-legged hunter, Wolf.”
“I am Romitolo of the Sixth Cave of the Giornadonii,” he said in slightly accented Zelandonii. He was fluent in both languages. “I greet you, Ayla of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii. You have a lot of unusual ties. Perhaps you could explain them to me sometime,” he said. “But first, I would like to ask you a question.”
“By all means,” Ayla said, noticing that he seemed to feel no need to recite all his names and ties. Well, he was unique enough, she thought. He seems young, yet ageless.
“What are you going to do with the little snake?” Romitolo asked. “Are you going to send him back to the Mother?”
“I don’t think so. I think the Mother will take him when she’s ready for him.”
“You have horses and a wolf—would you let me have the little snake? I will take care of him.”
Ayla paused for a while, then said, “I wasn’t sure what to do with him, but I think that’s a good idea, if it’s all right with your leader. Some people fear snakes, even those that are not poisonous. You will have to learn what to feed him. I may be able to help you.” She reached into her carrying sack and pulled out the woven bowl with the lid tied on and gave it to Romitolo. Wolf was leaning against her leg and whining slightly. “Would you like to meet the wolf? He won’t hurt you. When he was growing up, he grew to love a boy who had some problems. I think you remind Wolf of him.”
“Where is the boy now?” Romitolo asked.
“Rydag was very weak. He walks the next world now,” Ayla said.
“I am getting weaker. I think I will walk the next world soon,” Romitolo said. “Now I will think of it as returning to the Mother.”
She didn’t deny his assertion. He probably knew himself and his body better than anyone. “I am a medicine woman and was able to help Rydag be more comfortable. Can you tell me where you feel bad? I may be able to help you,” Ayla said.
“We have a good healer and he has probably done everything that can be done. He gives me medicine to help the pain when I need it. I think I’ll be ready to go back to the Great Mother when the time comes,” Romitolo said, then changed the subject. “How can I meet your wolf? What do I have to do?”
“Just let him sniff you, and maybe lick your hand. You can pat him, if you like, and feel his fur. He’s very gentle when I ask him to be. He adores babies,” Ayla said. Then she added, “Have you seen the pole-drag that the One Who Is First rides on? If you would like to ride on it and be pulled around by a horse, I’d be happy to take you wherever you would like to go.”
“Or, if you need anyone to help carry you,” Jondalar added, “my shoulders are strong and I have carried people that way before.”
“I thank you for your offers, but I have to tell you that it makes me tired to go visiting much. I used to love it. Now, even with someone carrying me, it’s hard. I almost didn’t come on this Journey, but if I hadn’t, there would have been no one left to help me, and I can’t manage without help. I do like it when people visit me, though.”
“Do you know how many years you can count?” the One Who Was First asked.
“About fourteen years,” he said. “I reached manhood two summers ago, but things have been getting worse since then.”
The First nodded. “When a boy reaches manhood, his body wants to grow,” she said.
“And mine doesn’t know how to grow right,” Romitolo said.
“But you know how to think, and that is more than many can say,” the First said. “I hope you live many more years. I think you have much to offer.”
The three women of the zelandonia rejoined each other later in the afternoon at the travelers’ campsite. The large gathering area was too busy. What had started out to be a meeting of the neighboring zelandonia had turned into an unscheduled Summer Meeting, and those who were cooking meals had taken over the covered space of the pavilion. No one else was in camp at the moment, and Ayla’s sleeping tent was being used as a quiet place to talk. Even then they spoke softly.
“Should the hemlock be served tonight, or should we wait until tomorrow night?” the First said.
“I don’t think there is any need to wait. I think we should get it over with as quickly as possible,” Zelandoni First said. “And the water parsnips should be cooked while they are fresh, although they will keep for a while. I have an assistant, not quite an acolyte, but a woman who helps me a lot. I will ask her to cook the hemlock roots.”
“Will you tell her what they are and who they are for?” the First asked.
“Of course. It would be dangerous for her if she didn’t know exactly what she was cooking and why.”