The Plains of Passage - Jean M. Auel [368]
Losaduna scratched at the stiff rawhide leather stretched between a rectangle of slender poles. The entry door was pushed outward and they were admitted by an older woman. She frowned when she saw Ayla and gave her a sour look, obviously unhappy that the stranger was there.
The woman started right in, full of bitterness and anger. “Has that man been found, yet? The one who stole my grandchildren from me, before they ever had a chance to be born.”
“Finding Charoli won’t return your grandchildren, Verdegia, and he is not my concern right now. Madenia is. How is she?” Losaduna said.
“She won’t get out of bed, and she hardly eats a thing. She won’t even talk to me. She was such a pretty child, and she was growing into a beautiful woman. She would have had no trouble finding a mate, until Charoli and his men ruined her.”
“Why do you think she is ruined?” Ayla asked.
The older woman looked at Ayla as if she were stupid. “Doesn’t this woman know anything?” Verdegia said to Losaduna, then turned to Ayla. “Madenia didn’t even have her First Rites. She is fouled, ruined. The Mother will never bless her now.”
“Don’t be too sure of that. The Mother is not so unforgiving,” the man said. “She knows the ways of Her children and has provided means, other ways to help them. Madenia can be cleansed and purified, renewed, so that she can still have her Rites of First Pleasures.”
“It won’t do any good. She refuses to have anything to do with men, not even for First Rites,” Verdegia said. “All my sons have gone to live with their mates; everyone said we didn’t have room in our cave for so many new families. Madenia is my last child, my only daughter. Ever since my man died, I have been looking forward to her bringing a mate here, having a man around to help provide for the children she would bear, my grandchildren. Now I won’t have any grandchildren living here. All because of that … that man,” she sputtered, “and no one is doing anything about it.”
“You know that Laduni is waiting to hear from Tomasi,” Losaduna said.
“Tomasi!” Verdegia spat out the name. “What good is he? It was his cave that spawned that … that man.”
“You have to give them a chance. But we don’t have to wait for them in order to help Madenia. After she is cleansed and renewed, she may change her mind about her First Rites. At least we need to try.”
“You can try, but she won’t get up,” the woman said.
“Perhaps we can encourage her,” Losaduna said. “Where is she?”
“Over there, behind the drape,” Verdegia said, pointing to an enclosed space near the stone wall.
Losaduna went to the place and pulled the drape back, admitting light into the darkened alcove. The girl on the bed put up her hand to ward off the brightness.
“Madenia, get up now,” he said. His tone was firm but gentle. She turned her face away. “Help me with her, Ayla.”
The two of them pulled her to a sitting position, then helped her to her feet. Madenia didn’t resist, but she didn’t cooperate. With one on each side, they led her out of the enclosed space, and then out of the cave. The girl didn’t seem to notice the freezing, snow-covered ground, even with bare feet. They guided her toward a large conical tent that Ayla hadn’t noticed before. It was tucked away around the side of the cave, screened by rocks and brush, and steam came from the smoke hole at the top. A strong smell of sulfur permeated the air.
After they entered, Losaduna pulled a leather covering across the opening and fastened it. They were in a small entrance space that was partitioned from the rest of the interior by heavy leather drapes, mammoth hide, Ayla thought. Although the temperature was freezing cold, it was warm inside. A double-walled tent had been erected over a hot spring, which provided the heating; but for all the steam, the walls were reasonably dry. Though some moisture collected, beading up and running down the sloping sides to the edge of the ground cloth, most of the condensation occurred on the