The Land of Painted Caves - Jean M. Auel [304]
He reached inside the pouch and pulled out the empty waterbag without comment, holding it up for all to see; then he looked inside and dumped the remaining contents out on top of the cloak. Partially chewed pieces of dried meat and a hunk of a traveling cake fell out, along with a small flint blade and a firestone. Among the crumbs there also appeared to be a few wood splinters and pieces of charcoal.
“Wasn’t Madroman bragging before they left for the Summer Meeting that he had been ‘called’ and was finally going to be Zelandoni this year?” Lorigan said. He lifted the waterbag. “I don’t think he was very thirsty when he came out of that cave.”
“Did you say you were planning to go to the Summer Meeting later, Ayla?” Jeviva said.
“I was thinking of going in a few days. Maybe now I’ll wait awhile,” Ayla said. “But yes, I do plan to go.”
“I think you should take this with you,” Jeviva said, carefully wrapping the food remains, splinters, fire-making equipment, and waterbag in the cloak, and stuffing the cloak back in the carrier pouch, “and tell Zelandoni where you found it.”
“Can you walk?” the older hunter said.
Ayla tried to stand, and felt overcome with vertigo. For a moment everything went dark and she fell back. Wolf whimpered and licked her face.
“Stay there,” the older hunter said. “Come on, Lorigan. We need to make a litter to carry her.”
“If I rest, I think I can walk,” Ayla said.
“No, I don’t think you should,” Jeviva said, then to the hunters, “I’ll wait with her until you come back with the litter.”
Ayla sat back against a stone, feeling grateful. Maybe she could have walked all the way to the Ninth Cave, but she was glad she wouldn’t have to. “Perhaps you’re right, Jeviva. I seem to get a little dizzy now and then.”
“No wonder,” Jeviva said under her breath. She had noticed a fresh bloodstain on the stone when Ayla tried to stand up. I think she lost a baby in there, the woman thought. What a terrible sacrifice to make to become Zelandoni, but she’s not a cheat, not like that Madroman.
“Ayla? Ayla? Are you awake?”
Ayla opened her eyes and saw a blurry image of Marthona looking down at her with concern.
“How do you feel?”
Ayla thought about it. “I hurt. All over,” she said in a hoarse whisper.
“I hope I didn’t wake you. I heard you talking—maybe you were dreaming. Zelandoni warned me this might come. She didn’t think it would be so soon, but she said it was possible. She told me not to stop you, and she told me not to let Wolf follow you, but she gave me some tea to fix for you when you came back.” She had a steaming cup of liquid, but put it down to help prop Ayla up.
The tea was hot, but not too hot, and Ayla was grateful when she felt it slide down her throat. She was still thirsty, but she lay back down, too tired to sit up. Her head started to clear. She was in her dwelling, in her own bed. She looked around and saw Wolf beside Marthona. He whined with concern and drew closer to her. She reached out to touch him and he licked her hand.
“How did I get here?” she asked. “I don’t remember much after I got out of the cave.”
“The hunters carried you here on a stretcher. They said you tried to walk, and then fainted. You ran down from your watching place and apparently all the way to the Deep Hollow of Fountain Rocks. You weren’t yourself and went in without a fire or anything. When Forason came and told me you had come out, I couldn’t get there. I’ve never felt so useless in my life,” Marthona said.
“I’m just glad you’re here, Marthona,” Ayla said, then closed her eyes again.
The next time she opened her eyes, only Wolf was there, keeping a vigil beside her bed. She smiled at him, reached over to pat his head, and scratched under his chin. He put his paws on the bed and tried to edge closer, close enough to lick her face. She smiled again, then pushed him away and tried to sit up. The groan of pain was involuntary, but it brought Marthona in a hurry.
“Ayla! What’s wrong?” she said.
“I didn’t know so many parts