Chapter 7: Hilltop Rock Holding

Ayla stretched to ease the cramp in her back from the long day's ride. Both mother and daughter were weary. They had really wanted to make Hilltop Cave before dark, but since it was almost dusk, they began to look for a campsite. Ayla spotted a place beside a runoff stream that seemed a likely spot for the night.

"Jonayla, Let's stop here for the night. We're still about a morning's ride from Hilltop Rock. I don't think it would be wise to try to make it tonight in the dark."

"I agree mother, I was hoping we would stop soon. I like it being just us on a trail like this. It's nice being away from all the other Zelandoni and Acolytes for a while. I just wish that father and Durc could be with us too. It's been too long since we were all together and away from the distractions that seem to take so much of your time as Zelandoni." She hesitated, but then continued, "I guess that will only become more so, now that you lead the Zelandonia."

"Yes, I suppose so," Ayla said with a sigh. "It is nice to be away from all the problems for a bit, just the two of us. What I wish is that Wolf was still among us in more than just spirit. I miss him so."

"I do too. He was such a good friend to me growing up. I always looked for him when I was playing and I always felt safe when he was near."

"I hope Jonokol... I mean the Zelandoni of the White Cave... will do as I ask and allow us to place Wolf's essence in the Sacred White Cave. It just seems fitting that there be some small token of the spirit that discovered such a place as that."

Ayla dismounted and began to make camp, forming a rough campfire surround from several rocks, while Jonayla began to set out their sleeping furs. Then Ayla foraged for some wood for the campfire and quickly lit a fire to prepare the evening meal. They had easily fallen into the division of tasks. Jonayla would set up the gear while her mother built a fire and cooked the food. While the food was being prepared Jonayla would refill the water bags and unload both of the horses and begin their currying to remove any burrs and check for cuts, scratches and rough spots.

Mother and daughter worked as a team, as they all did. Teamwork was the only way to survive in their sometimes harsh climate. The secret to survival was division of labor. With shared labor, each was less tired than otherwise would be the case and that gave them more time for the esoteric pursuits such as artistic endeavor or enough time to create utilitarian items that were needed to make life more secure or enjoyable, something beyond just existence.

It was fully dark and well into the night before their tasks were completed and they were able to sit back and enjoy full stomachs and a cup of hot mountain mint tea. If the purpose of their trip hadn't been such a serious one, this interlude would have been one of the more enjoyable things they had experienced since the last Summer Meeting gathering when, as a family, they had taken a few days to get away and just be a family together. Having endured their First Zelandoni's illness and then her death, times had been tense and less than happy for so long it was hard to remember when they had been enjoyable and carefree.

As they sat by the cheery little fire with their hot fragrant tea, Jonayla looked at her mother and asked, "What will happen now? Now that you are First Zelandoni? There seems to be so much to do. You have to try to make peace in the north and I know that especially in the south many of the people have become dissatisfied with their voice in the decisions that affect all of the people... There's just so much to do, how are you going to do it all?"

"I'm going to do one thing at a time," Ayla replied. "Since I'm only one person I can only do what one person can do. I have already committed myself to a discussion with the southern Doniers, which means we will need to return to the Ninth Cave soon. We'll stay at Hilltop for a short time. I think since the southern Doniers and their Acolytes had to take the eastern route and will end up visiting at least four other caves before reaching the Ninth Cave, we should have at least five more days to accomplish what is necessary at Hilltop and travel home, probably with a day or two to spare."

"Well, considering everything that must be done I can't say I envy you," Jonayla said sincerely, "but I'll do everything I can to help you."

"I know you will and it's appreciated. You know it will soon be two years since you became an Acolyte. I have been wondering lately how you feel about it now. A lot has happened since you began the training. Do you still think you will want to become a Zelandoni someday?" Ayla asked, hoping that she would, but also hoping that she would still want to mate and have children too.

"I think that I want to continue with my training and I do want to do the moon phases next summer as planned, although I want to come with you when you go north this spring, so I might have to wait another year, or start in the winter. And yes, I think I do want to become a Zelandoni. I want to put to work some of the many things that you and Zelandoni who was First before you have taught me. I see how much difference you make to the world around us and I can't help but want to do the same," Jonayla replied.

"I'm glad that you feel contributing to the people is important, I only hope that you'll become mated to a good man and take the time to have children of your own. Are there any young men that you have interest in?" Ayla asked.

"Well, yes… there is a man that I have interest in. He is a friend of Matagan. I know everyone thinks that I'm not interested in having a mate; it isn't that, it's that I don't want just any man's child. I do want a child, actually more than one, but I want the children that are born to me to be my man's children, really his children! I want to know who the father of my children is," Jonayla said in a determined voice.

"The gift of knowledge does make one think about those things more than we did in the past," Ayla agreed. "So who is the young man that you're interested in as the father of your babies? Could it be Cambarre, that handsome young apprentice of Jondalar's?"

"Mother!" Jonayla replied, in an exasperated tone. "Yes it is Cambarre. We have noticed each other since he moved to the Ninth Cave last summer from Elder Hearth. When I'm around him he makes my heart beat faster, but I haven't spent much private time with him and he has other girls who pursue him. I know of at least one who shares pleasures with him and I'm getting old and he may not want me." This all came out in a rush of words as if it had been pent-up for some time.

"No, you're not old! If I remember right Cambarre was born eighteen summers ago, at least that is what Jondalar told me. You'll be seventeen at this Summer Meeting; and a good age to match his. And besides daughter, I was more than eighteen when I mated your father and he didn't think that I was too old."

"I know mother, but you're different, you have more confidence in yourself than I ever will and everyone says you're beautiful, even now when you have had three children they still say that. I'm plain and not anything special like you."

"You can't really think you're plain. You know that you're beautiful, now you're just fishing for complements," Ayla reached across to her daughter and tickled her ribs, making her smile and squirm. "If you want that man as your mate you may have to tell him. Many men don't see when a woman sends those signals, so sometimes you have to let subtlety go and just tell them how you feel."

"I would die if he said he wasn't interested in me after I told him that I loved him!" Jonayla wailed.

"I've always been proud of you daughter, remember the time you broke a bone in your leg when you fell off Gray. Within a hand of time you were up and riding again. You must have been fearful, but you showed no sign of it. Be fearless in this. If it is worth it, you will do it. If you don't, then you don't really love him and it wasn't meant to be." Ayla leaned over and kissed her daughter on the cheek. "No matter what you decide to do, I know it will be for the best. But someday, I hope you do have children. When I'm old, I want young children to play with." She smiled impishly at her daughter.

"I'm glad we can talk about this mother. I haven't been able to talk to anyone about it, not even Lorala. I want to be with Cambarre and I would love to share pleasures with him and to give you our children to play with," she smiled. "I'll think about what to say to him," Jonayla said, pausing for a moment to think. "I could see giving myself to Cambarre heart and soul, I really want to mother."

Ayla leaned over to place a few more sticks on the fire, then said, "Well daughter, we should turn in, I want to get an early start tomorrow and we can discuss this more in the morning, if you want to."

Both Ayla and Jonayla went to the horses to make sure they had access to water and grass. They were hobbled with lengths of rawhide thongs so they wouldn't stray during the night, and it was always a good idea to make sure they would be content. There were plenty of grain-headed grasses and a small stream within easy reach. The two went to their furs and slept through the night, both feeling more content having shared their feelings with each other.

Ayla did lay awake for a while though, listening to her child's breathing. It was times like this that she wondered if the gift of knowledge was really a gift. In the past, her daughter would have already experienced her first pleasures opening ceremony. But it had been decided almost four years ago now, to stop the ceremony. It turned out that mothers didn't want their daughters to risk having a child with a man who would not make a hearth for her.

Now, because the Mother had told Her children what important role in conception men played, everything had changed and her daughter had to worry about things that used to be easy and pleasant. 'Some time's with knowledge there was a price to pay,' Ayla thought. 'Maybe I can talk to Jondalar about Cambarre?' Then she dismissed the idea. 'Let nature take its course, it worked out for me, it will work out for my daughter.' Ayla rolled over facing away from the fire and soon found sleep.

-o-

As the early morning light glowed on the horizon, Ayla and her daughter were busy breaking camp and loading the carry baskets in preparation for the day's trek. They were on the trail as the sun rose to spread its glorious golden shafts of light over a misty valley.

The sun was slanting into late morning before the two women saw the smoke from Hilltop holding. Ayla paused to look up at a brilliant blue sky with hardly a cloud visible to the eye. The earth around them was green with all kinds of growing things bursting with life and she should have been rejoicing at the feelings that a new season brings, but the pain of Wolf's loss and the edgy feeling she now experienced as she approached the area of troubles blunted the vibrant colors and the joyous feelings she would have normally experienced at this time of year.

Ayla clicked her tongue and nudged Summer Child with her knees to start the horse forward again. Jonayla was feeling subdued as well and silently followed her mother up the gradual grade to The Hilltop Rock Cave.

-o-

It was obvious that something was going on at the cave. Both women could see people running back and forth and they could see people lying on the ground being tended to. Ayla kneed Summer Child into a faster trot up the path they were following.

Within moments of their arrival, Ayla had dismounted with her medicine pouch in hand and was at the side of the closest person lying on the ground in front of the cave. She could tell instantly that the man had received a serious blow to the head, there was a large red swelling on the right temple and he was unconscious.

Ayla, as was usual for her in an emergency, took control. She ordered one of the women who had been tending the men on the ground to prepare resting places in the cave proper. "This man needs to have his head elevated and he needs to be covered and kept warm and restrained." She jumped up and went to the other man close by who was unconscious and bleeding from a hole in his upper right chest. It looked like a spear had penetrated his flesh.

Ayla looked around and yelled to a passing man that she needed help with the injured man. The man stopped in his tracks and took notice of her for the first time and her of him. "Ah, Tormaden, this man is in shock, his mind is leaving his body and we only have a short time to reunite the two. Please get someone to take him inside right away and I need hot water to clean the wound."

Tormaden was the leader and he knew who she was immediately. What he hadn't known before this was that she was now First Zelandoni. The ivory plaque she wore proclaimed it. He immediately began to issue instructions and the unconscious man was lifted up by two men and carried to a place beside the main hearth and placed on furs spread out on the ground while someone else went to the hearth and began adding heated stones to a water container.

Within minutes the scene had been transformed from chaos into order and both injured men were being cared for. Ayla had instructed her daughter in medicine and the care of the ill since she was a small child. Jonayla knew what to do and had taken over the care of the man with the head injury. She had already made a poultice of wild hops and stavesacre root to be applied externally for an extended period of time on the head wound. The poultice was wrapped with woven fibers to hold it in place.

After cleaning the man's chest wound, Ayla quickly checked on her daughter's care of the unconscious man. Satisfied that Jonayla had done all there was to do, Ayla asked her to help with the other man's more serious wound. Once the flesh had been compromised, anything could happen. Fever could take a seemingly healthy man within days, sometimes even when the initial wound was small and insignificant.

Ayla knew that a careful cleaning and binding of the wound produced the best results. She felt that it had to do with washing away the bad spirits and covering the wound to keep more bad spirits away. This system seemed to be effective. "Daughter, would you get some of the dried marigold petals and comfrey from my medicine bag?"

Jonayla knew what her mother was going to do with those ingredients. She would make a poultice to pack over the wound for the next several days, to help the healing process.

Ayla dipped the comfrey root in water to rinse it. Then she pounded it in to a pulp, mixing it with the hot marigold-petal solution left over from making the poultice and drizzled it directly onto the open wound, then packing the herb poultice into it. She wrapped the wound tightly with woven fibers to hold the poultice in place. Then she gave attention to the other scrapes and bruises, washing them with some boiled yellow-spined thistle blossoms solution to clean and soothe the abrasions.

After they had the men resting as comfortably as possible, Ayla turned to Tormaden and asked him to explain what had happened.

"These two were brought in by Brukeval and some of his hunters. They were looking for Flatheads and it looks like they found them."

"Brukeval!" Ayla hadn't heard that name in almost ten summers. "What is Brukeval doing here? Do you mean that he is hunting Clan people?"

"So it seems. I knew something was going on north of here with the ones you call the Clan, but none of us knew that Brukeval was involved. Apparently, according to him, there is a Shaman of the Chimudonii who has declared that the Clan people must leave his territory or die. And the Clan people don't want to leave."

"Did you talk further to Brukeval? Did he tell you why he went into the north?" Ayla asked. She had wondered for a long time what had happened to the man. She had always felt guilty about Brukeval's abrupt departure from the Zelandonii; somehow she had offended him so much that he had just walked away from everyone he had known.

Tormaden answered the First, "No, we didn't really talk but he brought these two hunters in and a bound flathead and then headed out again with his hunters. He said he would be back in a day or so and to care for his hunters and keep the flat... err, clan man tied up until he could come back."

"You have a man of the Clan here? Where, I didn't see him?"

"He was put in a storage pit so he couldn't escape," Tormaden said, becoming a little uncomfortable under the First Zelandoni's hardening gaze.

"Take me to him now!" Ayla demanded.

"Yes, alright. We only did what they asked. I don't know what is going on out there, but there were two hunters wounded, one with a spear thrust through him. I certainly didn't want any flat... clan people walking around here unhindered."

They walked briskly to the edge of the cave's terrace and then down a short path to a log covering, placed over a pit dug chest high into the ground. This was a storage place, but not for food because it had been there for many years and no longer held the frozen properties of natural permafrost within its walls. Now it would normally hold hides for tents, grains and dried meats so they could be stored safely away from foraging animals.

When Tormaden rolled some of the log covering away, Ayla could see the crumpled form of a man who was a mixture of both her people and the Clan. "He's a mixture, not only a man of the Clan, but part of us too. He's unconscious and he is hurt. Bring him up so I can determine his injuries."

"I don't know... Brukeval told me to hold him captive..."

"Tormaden, do you want this man to die because you didn't do anything to help him? Look down there, he isn't moving." Ayla pushed past Tormaden and jumped down beside the unconscious man. She placed her fingers against his neck where life's beat was to be found. She could feel his beat, but he didn't open his eyes and then she noticed a large lump on the top of his head. His arms and legs had been tied and one leg was twisted at an odd angle, Ayla knew that it must be broken.

"This man is unconscious, he has been hit hard on the head and he has a broken leg. How much trouble do you think he can cause in this condition Tormaden? Remove him from this pit, he needs to be treated." She looked up at Tormaden and noted his look of reluctance. "Would you deny this man his life?" she said and stared up at him sternly.

Tormaden still hesitated and then disappeared. In just a few moments there was another face looking over the edge of the pit, the open face of a young man. "Can I help you Zelandoni?" He jumped down into the pit with her. "I am Kimadar, please let me help you."

Ayla looked at the young man gratefully and replied, "Thank you Kimadar, your help is welcome. Tormaden returned with a rope and then helped Ayla and Kimadar to get the inert Clan man out of the pit. Kimadar and Ayla came up from the pit next. Then Tormaden and Kimadar carried the unconscious man to the cave to be placed near the other wounded men.

In the light of day Ayla could tell that the Clan man was young, maybe the age of her own Clan son Durc. He was pretty beaten up. She could see cuts and bruises all over his body as if he'd been held down and beaten by more than one person.

She quickly went to work on the man, calling her daughter over to hold his shoulders. "I need to set the leg bones while he's still unconscious. Hold him under the armpits and pull away from me when I say." Ayla felt along the misshapen leg to find where the break was, then with a nod, her daughter pulled the man toward her, holding him tightly in her lap. Ayla counter-pulled against her daughter and brought the leg straight and then pulled with all her strength so that it stretched beyond the break, then she eased it back so that the bone ends touched. There was a satisfying sound as the two ends of the broken bone settled together.

Jonayla had never held a man of mixed essence before other than brief hugs from Echozar of the Lanzadonii, her hearth kin through her father. This man was different than Echozar, much hairier, and he had longer arms. He was very strong looking with bunched bicep muscles and a barrel chest. His face was different than her cousin's mate too, heavier brows and a hawk nose that looked almost like a snout, and a slightly sloped forehead.

When she was instructed to pull him from under his arms, she shivered for a moment; he looked very dangerous. No man of the Zelandonii would be able to stand up to this man in a one on one fight. His face looked dangerous too, like he might be vicious if angered.

Jonayla was brought back into the moment when her mother clan-signed that she could relax and that the bones were aligned and back in place.

Now that the bones were aligned, Ayla wasted no time in splinting the leg and cleaning the blood from his skin. Once the leg was secured to splints, she cleaned and wrapped his scalp, holding another poultice in place with some of the woven fibers that she had been using for that purpose. The woven fiber was a good absorbent material that was easily tied into place or could be used to hold poultices in place when wrapped around the head or just as a good material for swabbing sores or wounds.

Tormaden had been hovering over them and now spoke, "Zelandoni, what should I do with this Clan man? If he gets better, I don't want him here because it will only cause trouble. If the Chimudonii don't come looking for him the Clan will. He can't stay here."

Ayla looked up at the worried leader of the Nineteenth Cave and realized that he was in a difficult position, caught between two warring factions. "Tormaden, where is the Zelandoni of the White Cave?"

"He is at the site working. He's always there, working and planning."

"Would you please send someone for him? I need to discuss this situation with him so we can come to some resolution that will solve your problem."

Tormaden sent a young hunter running down the trail to the cave with an urgent request for his Zelandoni to come as quickly as possible. He looked relieved that others would resolve his problem for him.

-o-

"Zelandoni! Zelandoni!" The runner ran up to the entrance to The White Cave breathing hard. He stopped at the cave opening and peered into the dark interior, not wanting to enter. "Zelandoni, are you there?" The hunter was beginning to think that his Zelandoni was not in the cave, then he heard a muffled voice, "Yes, what is it?"

"The First Zelandoni and Tormaden have asked me to request that you come to them quickly."

The Donier of the Nineteenth Cave hurried into the light. "You said the First Zelandoni?"

"Yes, I said the First Zelandoni."

He asked no more questions but hurried toward the main holding, wondering who had been chosen as First Zelandoni and why they had come to Hilltop so soon after being chosen. Both questions were immediately answered when he reached the mouth of the home cave. As soon as he saw her kneeling beside a prostrate body on the ground, he realized that it was the Zelandoni of the Ninth Cave; he wasn't surprised by that. Even years ago when he'd first met her, he'd thought of her as Zelandoni, maybe even more than Zelandoni. He was glad that his fellow Doniers could see how right this woman was for the position of First among them.

"Zelandoni!" He hurried forward. Approaching, he noticed three men lying by the main outdoor hearth, bandaged and obviously in pain. "What has happened? Why wasn't I called Tormaden?"

Tormaden said defensively, "It all just happened, some men from across the river were hunting flatheads and were injured. The hunters left two wounded men and one injured prisoner. Then the First Zelandoni happened by and helped with the care of these men. You know that the Zelandoni who shares your responsibility here is away." Then as an afterthought he concluded, "I called for you as soon as I could."

The Donier hushed Tormaden with a simple 'Yes, yes', then spoke to the First Zelandoni, "I'm glad to see that you were chosen to lead us," he said, genuinely happy to see her. Ayla looked up into her old friend's face and saw his acceptance and friendship and was glad of it.

"Greetings Zelandoni," Ayla replied, "It seems that a lot of things have been happening in this area lately. We'd heard that there were men hunting Clan People in the north and now this, open violence crossing south of the river into Zelandonii land."

"Yes, we have been hearing stories about confrontations across the river to the north of us, but this is the first time we've become involved in it," the Donier said as he knelt down to have a closer look at the man the First Zelandoni was tending. "This is a man of the Clan. Where did he come from?" he asked.

"We don't really know where he came from other than from the north as Tormaden says. Which cave and where it is we don't know. Wherever it is, it is outside Zelandonii lands." Ayla looked at the cave leader, "You should treat people as you would want to be treated. This is a man, not an animal. I'm not sure that you would even treat an animal like that, throwing it in a hole, wounded and in pain."

"I am sorry Zelandoni. I'm sure that once things settled down I would have realized that. I have nothing against flat... Clan people..."

"Yes, I'm sure you're right Tormaden, forgive my temper, I realize it's not your fault." Ayla turned to the Donier at her side. "While my daughter watches over the wounded men, would you please walk with me? I have something I need to ask you."

"Of course," the Zelandoni of the White Cave replied, wondering what was on his leader's mind.