The Land of Painted Caves - Jean M. Auel [55]
“That is true,” the First said, smiling at the tall, elderly man, then announced to the rest, “And Zelandoni of the Seventh Cave is the one who discovered them and showed them to us. It takes time to see them, and most of you won’t until your Year of Nights.”
“What is the Year of Nights?” Ayla asked. There were several others who were glad she did.
“It is the year when you will have to stay awake at night and sleep during the day,” the First replied. “It is one of the trials you will face in your training, but it is more than that. There are certain things you need to see that can only be seen at night, like where the sun rises and sets, especially during midsummer and midwinter, when the sun stops and changes direction, and the risings and settings of the moon. The Zelandoni of the Fifth Cave is the one who knows most about that. He made notations for half a year to keep track.”
Ayla wanted to ask what other trials she would have to face in her training, but didn’t speak up. She guessed she would find out soon enough.
“What else shows us the power of five?” the First asked.
“The Five Sacred Elements,” the Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth said.
“Good!” the large woman Who Was First said. She shifted to a more comfortable position on her seat. “Why don’t you begin.”
“It’s always best to talk about the Sacred Colors before the Sacred Elements because color is one of their properties. The First Element, sometimes called a Principle or Essential, is Earth. Earth is solid, it has substance, it is soil and rock. You can pick up a piece of Earth with your hand. The color most associated with Earth is old red. As well as being an element in its own right, Earth is the material aspect of all the other Essentials; it can hold them or be affected by them in some way,” he said, then looked toward the First to see if she wanted him to continue. She was already looking at someone else.
“Zelandoni of the Second Cave, why don’t you continue.”
“The Second Element is Water,” she said, standing up. “Water sometimes falls from the sky, sometimes rests on the surface of the earth or flows across it, or through it in caves. Sometimes it is absorbed and becomes part of the earth. Water is movable; the color of Water is usually Clear or Blue, even when it looks muddy. When Water is brown, it is because you are seeing the color of Earth, which has mixed with Water. Water can be seen and felt, and swallowed, but you cannot pick it up with your fingers, though your hand can make a cup for it,” she said, holding her two hands together to form a cup.
Ayla enjoyed watching her because she used her hands a lot when she was describing things, although it wasn’t intentional the way it was with the Clan.
“Water must be held in something, a cup, a waterbag, your own body. Your body needs to hold water, as you will find out when you go through your trial of giving it up. All living things need water—plants and animals,” the Second finished and sat down.
“Would anyone else like to say something about water?” the leader of the zelandonia asked.
“Water can be dangerous. People can drown in it,” said the young acolyte sitting on the other side of Jonayla. She spoke softly and looked sad and Ayla wondered if she had personal knowledge of what she spoke.
“That’s true,” Ayla said. “On our Journey, Jondalar and I had to cross many rivers. Water can be very dangerous.”
“Yes, I knew someone who broke through the ice on a river and drowned,” said the Zelandoni of South Face, of the Twenty-ninth Cave. He started to embellish the story about drowning, but the main Zelandoni of the Twenty-ninth interrupted and cut him short.
“We understand water can be very dangerous, but so can Wind, and that is the Third Element.” She was very pleasant with a nice smile, but an underlying strength, and she knew this was not a time for a digression into anecdotes. The First was discussing a serious matter with important information that needed to be understood.
The First smiled at her, knowing exactly what she had done. “Why don