Maybe I should. If Ayla thought about it, she would know I was doing the right thing. It might make her appreciate me. I wonder if she really would consider me if something happened, if Jondalar wasn’t there anymore? If something happened to Jondalar, I wonder, would she consider me, someday?
32
Levela and Jondecam held up their joined hands in welcome when Ayla and Jondalar arrived at the waiting area. “Did she say you were already Blessed, Ayla?” Levela said, rushing toward her.
Ayla nodded, a little too overcome with emotion to trust herself to talk.
Oh, Ayla! That’s wonderful! Why didn’t you tell me? Did Jondalar know? You are so lucky!” she said, not giving Ayla time to answer and trying to give her a hug. But she forgot for a moment about the hand to which she was tied and got tangled up with Jondecam’s arm. They all laughed, including some who were nearby, and Levela ended up giving Ayla a one-arm hug.
“And your outfit is so beautiful, Ayla. I’ve never seen anything like it. It has so many ivory beads and ambers, in places it almost seems to be made out of ivory and amber. The leather is the perfect shade of yellow to go with it. And I love the way you wear it, open like that, especially since you are going to be a mother soon. It must be heavy, though. Where did you get it?” Levela said. She was so excited, Ayla had to smile.
“Yes, it is heavy, but I’m used to it. I carried it a long way. Nezzie gave this to me when she thought I was going to be mating a Mamutoi man, and she told me how to wear it. She was the mate of the headman of the Lion Camp. When I decided to leave with Jondalar instead, she told me to take it and wear it when I mated him. She liked him, they all did. They wanted him to stay and become Mamutoi, but he said he needed to go home. I think I understand why,” Ayla said. Several people were crowded around, listening. They wanted to be able to tell people what the foreign woman said about her richly made clothes.
“Jondalar looks wonderful, too,” Levela said. “Your outfit is exquisite because of the beadwork and decorations, the whole thing. Jondalar’s is a perfect contrast, stunning just because of the color.”
“That’s right,” Jondecam said. “All of us are wearing our best clothes,” he indicated his own clothing, “which usually means decorated, though no one has anything as incredible as your outfit, Ayla, but when Jondalar came out wearing that, everybody noticed. His tunic is simple elegance, especially on him. I know how these things work. All the women are going to want an outfit like yours, and all the men will want something white like his. Did someone give that to you, Jondalar?”
“Ayla did,” Jondalar said.
“Ayla! Did you make that?” Levela said, surprised.
“A Mamutoi woman taught me how to make white leather,” Ayla said. People were turning around, facing the next Zelandoni.
“We better stop talking, they are getting started,” Levela said.
After they quieted so the ceremony for the next couple could begin, Ayla thought about why the mating ritual included tying the wrists of the couples together with a thong that would be difficult to untie. The tangle of arms when Levela, in her excitement, rushed to hug her made her understand that being tied together forced one to consider the other before rushing ahead without thinking. Not a bad first lesson to learn about being mated.
“I wish they’d hurry,” one of the other newly mated men said under his breath. “I’m starving. With all dus fasting today, I’m sure they could hear my stomach growling all the way in the back.”
Ayla was rather glad for the Zelandoni’s long recitation of the names and ties, it gave her time to think and be alone with her own thoughts. She was mated. Jondalar was her mate. Maybe now she could begin to feel that she really was Ayla of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, although she was glad that Ayla of the Mamutoi was a part of her names. Just because they were going to be living with the Ninth Cave didn’t mean she was a different person. She just had new names and ties to add to her list of connections and relations. She hadn’t lost her Clan totem, either.
Her mind wandered back to the time when she was a girl living with the Clan. When they mated, they had no such knot-tying customs, but they didn’t need them. From the time they were young, women of the Clan were taught always to be aware of the men of the Clan, particularly the one to whom they were mated. A good Clan woman was expected to anticipate the requirements and wishes of her mate, because a man of the Clan learned from an early age never to be aware of, or at least not to show that he was aware of, his own needs, discomfort, or pain. He could never ask for her help, she had to know when it was needed.
Broud didn’t need her help when he asked, but he made demands all the time. He invented things for her to do just because he could make her do them—bring him a drink of water, tie on his leg coverings. He could claim that she was just a girl and had to learn, but he didn’t care if she learned, and it didn’t make any difference when she tried to please him. He wanted to show his power over her because she had resisted him, and women of the Clan did not willfully disobey men. She had made him feel less than a man and he hated her for it, or perhaps at some instinctual level he knew that her kind were different. It had not been an easy lesson for her to learn, but she had learned, and it was Broud, with his constant demands, who taught her, but Jondalar was the recipient. She was always aware of him, and it occurred to her that was why she was always uncomfortable when she didn’t know where he was. She was that way about her animals, too.
Suddenly, as though thinking about him had made him appear, Wolf was there. It was her right hand and Jondalar’s left that were tied together, and she stooped down and hugged him with her left. She looked up at Jondalar.
“I’ve been worried about him, wondering where he was,” Ayla said, “but he seems rather pleased with himself.”
“Maybe he has reason,” Jondalar said with a grin.
“When Baby found a mate, he left. He came back to visit once in a while, but he lived with his own kind. If Wolf has a mate, do you think he’ll decide to leave and live with her?”
“I don’t know. You’ve said before that he thinks of people as his pack, but if he’s going to mate, it has to be with his own kind,” he said.
“I want him to be happy, but I would miss him so much if he never came back,” Ayla said, standing. Most of the people around her were watching her with the wolf, especially those who didn’t know her well. She signaled him to stay close to her.
“He’s a very big wolf, isn’t he,” one of the women said, edging back a little.
“Yes, he is,” Levela said, “but people who know him say he has never threatened people.”
At that moment a flea decided to annoy the wolf. He sat down, hunched himself around, and started scratching. The woman tittered nervously. “That certainly doesn’t look very threatening,” she said.
“Except to the bug that’s bothering him,” Levela said.
Suddenly he stopped, cocked his head as though he was hearing or smelling or perceiving something, then stood up and looked up at Ayla.
“Go ahead, Wolf,” Ayla said, signaling his release. “If you want to go, go ahead.”
He raced off, weaving his way around people, some of whom looked rather startled when they caught sight of him.
The next joining was not of a couple, but of a triple. One man was mating identical twin sisters. They did not want to separate, and it was not uncommon for twins, or just sisters who were close, to become co-mates, although it could be difficult for one young man to try to provide for two women and their children. In this case the man was a little older, well established, with a good reputation and high status. Even so, the chances were that they would bring in a second man someday, although one never knew.
By the time the final couple was reached, people were getting bored with the inevitable repetition, especially when the ceremony was for someone they didn’t know, but the last ones brought some interest again. When Joplaya and Echozar came forward, there was a collective gasp from the peo
ple watching and then a buzz of conversation. Though neither one of the two had the usual appearance of the Zelandonii, and the audience knew that they were in fact not Zelandonii but Lanzadonii, they were still a shocking sight for some of the people there.
They saw a tall, slender, exotically appealing woman with dark hair and an ethereal beauty that was hard to describe. The man beside her could not have looked more different. He was slightly shorter, with such strong and unusual features, most people saw them as ugly. His thick browridges, accented by heavy, unruly eyebrows, protruded like a shelf over his dark, deep-set eyes. His nose was prominent, partly because the front of his rather long and broad face jutted forward, and partly because his nose, sharply defined and shaped rather like the beak of an eagle, though not as narrow, was enormous, yet it was in proportion to the size of his face. Like many men, he usually let his beard grow in the winter, because it helped to keep his face warm, but he shaved it in summer. He had recently shaved and his heavy jaw was clearly defined, but like the people of the Clan, he lacked a chin—almost. He had the hint of one, but with his nose protruding out so far, he appeared to have a weak, receding chin.
Echozar’s face was the face of the Clan, except for his forehead. The definitive, pushed-back, and flattened look of the sloping foreheads of the Clan was missing; he was not a flathead. Above Echozar’s bony browridges, his forehead rose as high and round as any man’s there. And while the people of the Clan were rather short, he was as tall as many of the men there, but with a stocky, robust frame and a big, rounded chest typical of the Clan. Like theirs, his legs were short in proportion and slightly bowed, but as muscular as his arms. There was no question that he was a strong man.
And there was no doubt that he was a man of mixed spirits, to some an abomination, half man and half animal. There were those who believed that he should not be allowed to mate the woman who was standing beside him. No matter how foreign she looked, it was undeniable that she was human, one of them, not one of those flathead animals. The Zelandonii should be discouraging them, not recognizing them or aiding in such a joining.
Since the Lanzadonii had no donier of their own yet, the One Who Was First stepped forward again. She was not only First, but the Zelandoni of the Ninth Cave, and Dalanar had once lived with the Ninth Cave. He still had closer ries with them than with any other Cave, and Joplaya was the daughter of his hearth.
As the First took her place, she thought, smiling to herself, that Echozar looked so strong, not many people would be willing to challenge him one on one in an individual competition. Since they were the last couple to be mated, the First was thinking ahead to the contests. And, she thought, after they are mated might be a good time to announce that the First Acolyte of the Second Cave of the Zelandonii had been called, and after examination has proved to be Zelandoni. She has decided to return with Dalanar and his Cave and become the First Lanzadoni to Serve The Great Earth Mother, a good fit, and a good place for her to start out.
The donier looked at the people gathering around. Dalanar, standing there full of pride. It was amazing how much Jondalar looked like him, but the First was aware of some minor differences, probably because she had once been so intimate with the younger one. Jondalar, still tied to Ayla, had moved out of the group of newly joined and into the family circle. Joplaya was his close cousin, after all. Beside Dalanar was Jerika, Joplaya’s mother, and standing behind her was Hochaman, the man of Jerika’s hearth. He was leaning heavily on a young man who was unfamiliar to the First. She guessed he was originally a Zelandonii either from a far Cave or from some more distant people, perhaps the Losadunai, but the designs on his clothing and jewelry declared him as Lanzadonii.
Hochaman was an ancient, wizened little man with a face like Jerika’s, but he could hardly stand, much less walk. Dalanar and Echozar had carried him on their backs the whole way to the Summer Meeting. He told people he used up his legs on his Journey, but no one had ever walked as far. He had traveled all the way from the Endless Seas of the East to the Great Waters of the West, and spent most of his life doing it. He knew how to tell a good story, had many to tell, didn’t mind repeating them, and would probably be in demand after the ceremonies were over and the games and contests and Story-Telling could begin. The newly mated couples would have to forgo those events this year; they would be in the silence of their two-week trial period. The zelandonia chose that time on purpose. If a couple wasn’t serious enough about their mating to give up a few games and Story-Tellings, then they probably shouldn’t be getting mated.
The chanters were still maintaining their fugue, though it was an entirely different set of them now, as the First began the ceremony. “All Caves of the Zelandonii,” the donier’s voice was still resonant. “You are called upon to share in witnessing the joining of a woman and a man. Doni, Great Earth Mother, First Creator, the Mother of All, She Who gave birth to Bali, who lights the sky, and She Whose mate and friend, Lumi, shines down upon us this night in witness with Her. She is honored by the sacred joining of Her children.
“The two standing here have pleased the Great Earth Mother by choosing to join together.” The sound level from the audience rose with background comments. The ceremony went somewhat faster than the others, there weren’t as many names and ties; Echozar had almost none. He was Echozar of the First Cave of the Lanzadonii, Son of Woman, Blessed of Doni, accepted by Dalanar and Jerika of the First Cave of the Lanzadonii. Joplaya had a longer list of names and ties, mostly through Dalanar to the Zelandonii. Jondalar and Ayla were mentioned. Through her mother, only the names of Jerika’s mother, Ahnlay, who walked the spirit world, and the man of her hearth, Hochaman.
“I, Dalanar, Leader of the First Cave of the Lanzadonii, speak for this couple, and I am pleased that Joplaya and Echozar will continue to live at the First Cave of the Lanzadonii,” the leader said at the end, “and I welcome them.” Then he turned to face the people gathered behind him in the audience, the rest of the Lanzadonii who had come all the way to the Zelandonii Summer Meeting to help sanction the mating.
“We of the First Cave of the Lanzadonii welcome them,” they said in unison.
Then the Zelandoni Who Was First Among Those Who Served The Mother held out both her arms, as though trying to embrace everyone there. “All the Caves of the Zelandonii and the Lanzadonii,” she said, “Joplaya and Echozar have chosen each other. It has been agreed, and they have been accepted by the First Cave of the Lanzadonii. What do you say to this joining?”
There was a sizable number of the people there who replied, “Yes,” but also a segment that said, “No.”
Zelandoni was shocked and, for a heartbeat, at a loss. She had never officiated at a mating ceremony that was not seconded by all the people, If there were any objections, they had always been worked out beforehand. This was the first time she had ever heard a “no” from anyone. Dalanar and Jerika were both frowning, and many of the Lanzadonii people were looking around. Most appeared uncomfortable, some angry. The First decided to ignore the “no” and continue as if she hadn’t heard it.
“Doni, the Great Earth Mother, approves this joining of Her children. She has smiled on this union. She has already Blessed Joplaya,” she said. She signaled them to extend their hands. There was a moment of hesitation, then Joplaya and Echozar held hands and offered them to the Zelandoni Who Was First. She wrapped a leather thong around their joined hands and tied it with a knot.
“The knot has been tied. You are mated. May Doni always smile on you.” They turned around to face the people, and Zelandoni announced, “They are now Joplaya and Echozar of the First Cave of the Lanzadonii.”
“No!” came a shout from the audience. “They shouldn’t be. It’s wrong. He’s an abomination.”
Several people recognized the voice. It was Brukeval! The First again tried to ignore him, but another voice joined his.
“He’s right. They shouldn’t be mated. He’s half animal!” Marona said.
I can understand Brukeva
l, Zelandoni of the Ninth thought, but Marona doesn’t care. She’s just trying to cause trouble. Is she trying to get back at Jondalar and Ayla by humiliating his close cousin?
Then another voice joined in, from the area where the Fifth Cave was sitting. “They’re right. The Zelandonii should not be approving this mating.” It was a man who had tried to join the zelandonia but had been turned down. Malcontents seemed to be joining in just to make trouble.
A few others voiced a similar opinion, including Laramar. She recognized his voice, too. Why is he making a fuss? she wondered. Some of those who objected have strong feelings about it, but he doesn’t care about anything.
“Maybe you should reconsider this mating, Zelandoni,” another voice called out. It was Denanna, the leader of all three holdings of the Twenty-ninth Cave.
I have to put a stop to this, the First thought. “Why would you suggest such a thing, Denanna? These two young people have made their choice and it has been accepted by their people. I don’t understand your objections.”
“But you are asking us to accept it, not just their own people,” Denanna said.
“And most of the Zelandonii have. I know individually each person who has made an objection to this mating.” She looked up at the slope full of people, and though she couldn’t see much in the dark, the ones who objected had the distinct impression that she could, and that she was looking directly at them. “Most have their own reasons, which have nothing to do with this couple. Only a few genuinely hold strong feelings on this issue. I can see no reason why those few should disrupt this ceremony, offend the Lanzadonii, and embarrass the Zelandonii. Joplaya and Echozar are mated. When they have finished their trial period, their mating will be sanctified. There is no more to be said about it. It is now time for the procession, and the feast.”