But something was missing, Her love was unspent.
She was the Mother. She needed another.
She dared the great void, the chaos, the dark,
To find the cold home of the life-giving spark.
The whirlwind was fearsome, the darkness complete.
Chaos was freezing, and reached for Her heat.
The Mother was brave. The danger was grave.
She drew from cold chaos the creative source,
Then conceiving within, She fled with life force.
She grew with the life that She carried inside.
And gave of Herself with love and with pride.
The Mother was bearing. Her life She was sharing.
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 toward 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 realize 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 anymore. 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?”