The Mammoth Hunters - Jean M. Auel [259]
“But why should she give them to me?”
“You still haven’t collected on your future claim, and she’s in debt to you. If you tell her you want it in a traveling outfit and supplies, she would make sure you have the best there is, to relieve her obligation,” Talut said.
“That’s right,” Jondalar said with a smile. He’d forgotten the wager he’d won. It made him feel better to know he wasn’t entirely without resources. “I will ask her.”
“But you are not planning to leave, are you?”
“Yes, I am. As soon as I can,” Jondalar said.
The headman sat down for some serious discussion. “It is not wise to travel yet. Everything is melting. Look what happened just going for a walk,” Talut said, “and I was looking forward to you coming with us to the Summer Meeting and hunting mammoth with us.”
“I don’t know,” Jondalar said. He noticed Mamut near one of the firepits, eating, and was reminded of Ayla. He didn’t think he could stand it another day. How could he possibly stay until the Summer Meeting?
“Early summer is a better time to start a long trek. It’s safer. You should wait, Jondalar.”
“I’ll think about it,” Jondalar said, though he had no intention of staying any longer than he absolutely had to.
“Good, do that,” Talut said, getting up. “Nezzie told me to make sure you had some of her hot soup for breakfast. She put the last of the good roots in it.”
Jondalar finished tying Talut’s footwear, then got up and walked to the firepit where Mamut was finishing a bowl of soup. He greeted the old man, then reached for one of the bowls stacked nearby, and ladled some out for himself. He sat beside the shaman, pulled out his eating knife, and stabbed a piece of meat.
Mamut wiped out his bowl and put it down, then turned to Jondalar. “I could not help but overhear that you are planning to leave soon.”
“Yes, tomorrow or the next day. As soon as I can get ready,” Jondalar said.
“That’s too soon!” Mamut said.
“I know. Talut said it was a bad time of year to travel, but I’ve traveled in bad seasons before.”
“That’s not what I mean. You must stay until the Spring Festival,” he said, with absolute seriousness.
“I know it’s a big occasion, everyone is talking about it, but I really need to go.”
“You cannot go. It is not safe.”.
“Why? What difference will a few more days make? There will still be melting and flooding.” The young visitor couldn’t understand the old man’s insistence that he stay for a festival that had no particular meaning for him.
“Jondalar, I have no doubt that you can travel in any weather. I wasn’t thinking of you. I was thinking of Ayla.”
“Ayla?” Jondalar said with a frown, as his stomach tightened into a knot. “I don’t understand.”
“I have been training Ayla in some practices of the Mammoth Hearth, and planning a special ceremony for this Spring Festival with her. We will be using a root she brought with her from the Clan. She used it once … with the guidance of her Mog-ur. I have experience with several magic plants that can lead one to the spirit world, but I have never used this root, and Ayla has never used it alone. We will both be trying something new. She seems to have … some concerns, and … certain changes might be upsetting. If you leave, it could have an unforeseeable effect on Ayla.”
“Are you saying there is some danger to Ayla in this root ceremony?” Jondalar asked, his eyes full of distress.
“There is always some element of danger in dealing with the spirit world,” the shaman explained, “but she has traveled there alone, and if it happens again, without guidance or training, she could lose her way. That is why I am training her, but Ayla will need the help of those who have feelings for her, love for her. It is essential that you be here.”
“Why me?” Jondalar said. “We are … not together any more. There are others here who have feelings … who love Ayla. Others she has feelings for.”
The old man stood up. “I cannot explain it to you, Jondalar. It is a sense, an intuition. I can only say that when I heard you speak of leaving, a terrible, dark foreboding came over me. I’m not sure what it