The shelters of stone - Jean M. Auel [225]
“How did you do that?” the leader asked. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Jondalar held up the firestone. “Ayla discovered the magic in these stones,” he said. “I’ve been meaning to tell you about them, but there’s been so much going on, I haven’t had time yet. We just showed Zelandoni, and not long ago Marthona, Willamar, and Folara.”
“Are you saying anyone can do that?” Proleva said.
“Yes, with practice, anyone can do it,” Marthona said.
“Yes, let me show you how the stones work,” Jondalar said. He went through the process, and Joharran and Proleva were amazed.
“One of those stones is flint, what is the other one? And where does it come from?” Proleva said.
“Ayla calls it a firestone,” Jondalar said, and explained how she happened to discover its properties. “We looked, but didn’t see any on the way back. I was beginning to think they could be found only in the east, then Ayla found some not far from here. If there are some nearby, there should be more. We’ll keep looking. We have enough for all of us, but they could be significant gifts, and Willamar thinks they would be good to trade.”
“Jondalar, I think we’re going to have to have some long talks. I wonder just what else you haven’t told me. You go off on a Journey, and return with horses that carry you on their backs, a wolf that lets children pull his fur, powerful new throwing weapons, magic stones that make instant fire, stories about intelligent flatheads, and a beautiful woman who knows their language and learned healing from them. Are you sure there isn’t something else you’ve forgotten to tell me?” Joharran said.
Jondalar smiled wryly. “Not that I can think of right now,” he said. “When you put it all together like that, I guess it does sound rather unbelievable.”
“ ‘Rather unbelievable’? Listen to him!” Joharran said. “Jondalar, I have a feeling your ‘rather unbelievable’ Journey is going to be talked about for many years.”
“He does have interesting stories to tell,” Willamar admitted.
“It’s all your fault, Willamar,” Jondalar said with a grin, then looked at his brother. “Don’t you remember staying up late listening to him telling stories about his travels and adventures, Joharran? I always thought he was better than many of the traveling Story-Tellers. Did you ever show Joharran the gift he just brought you, mother?”
“No, Joharran and Proleva haven’t seen it yet,” Marthona said. “I’ll go get it.” She went into her sleeping room and returned with a flat section of palmate antler and gave it to Joharran. It was carved with two streamlined animals apparently swimming. They were fishlike, but not fish. “What did you say these were, Willamar?”
“They’re called seals,” he said. “They live in the water, but they breathe air, and come to shore to give birth.”
“This is remarkable,” Proleva said.
“Yes, it is, isn’t it?” Marthona said.
“We saw some animals like those on our Journey. They live in an inland sea far to the east,” Jondalar said.
“Some people think they are spirits of the water,” Ayla added.
“I saw another creature that lives in the Great Waters of the West that is thought of as a special spirit helper of the Mother by the people who live nearby,” Willamar said. “They are even more fishlike than seals. They give birth in the sea, but it is said they breathe air and nurse their young. They can stand on top of the water on their tails—I saw one do it—and it’s said they speak their own language. The people who live there call them dolphins, and some of them claim they can speak dolphin language. They made high squeaking sounds to show me.
“They tell many stories and legends about them,” Willamar continued. “It’s said they help people to fish by driving them into nets, and they have saved the lives of people whose boats have capsized far from shore, who would otherwise have drowned. Their Elder Legends say that all people once lived in the sea. Some of them returned to the land, but the ones who stayed behind became dolphins. Some call them cousins, and their Zelandoni says they are related to people. She