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A spattering of gravel fell on her and she jurazing her ar into deep shadows behind storage containers and large boulders in the unlit cave She was ready to get a torch, then decided to try one last place

She found Creb beside Iza’s burial cairn He was lying on his defors pulled up, ale, nificent skull that had protected his powerful brain, protected it no longer The heavy rock that crushed it had rolled a few feet away He had died instantly She knelt down beside his body and her tears began to flow

“Creb, oh, Creb Why did you go into the cave?” sheout his naan to make the motions she had seen him make over Iza, the burial rite Silent tears clouded her vision as the tall blonde woh the ancient, syrace and subtlety as accoreat holy man himself Many of the motions she did not understand She never would It was her final offering to the only father she knew

“He’s dead,” Ayla gestured to the faces staring at her as she eed from the cave

Broud stared at her along with the rest, then a great fear gripped him It was she who had found the cave, she whom the spirits favored And after he cursed her, they shook the earth and destroyed the cave she found Were they angry at hi her cursed? Did they destroy the cave she had found because they were angry at hiht this calamity down on them? In the deepest recesses of his superstitious soul, he quavered before the ill oer of the spirits he was sure he had unleashed Then, in an iht if he blamed her before anyone could blame him, no one could say it was his fault, and the spirits would turn on her

“She did it! It’s her fault!” Broud gestured suddenly “She’s the one who ry She’s the one who flouted the traditions You all saw her She was insolent, she was disrespectful to the leader She should be cursed Then the spirits will be happy again Then they will knoe honor them Then they will lead us to a new cave, even better, even luckier They will I know they will Curse her, Goov! Now, do it now! Curse her! Curse her!”

Every head turned to Brun He stared straight ahead, jaws clenched, fists doubled up, thewith tension He refused to h it took every bit of willpower he had The clan looked uneasily at each other, then Goov, then Broud Goov stared at Broud in absolute disbelief How could he blame Ayla If anyone, it was Broud’s fault Then Goov understood

“I a-ur I order you to curse her Curse her with death!”

Goov turned abruptly, picked up a burning, pitchy pine branch from the fire that had been started while Ayla was in the cave, walked up the slope, and disappeared into the dark triangular mouth He picked his way carefully around fallen rubble, watching the occasional fall of rocks and gravel, knowing an aftershock could bring tons down on his head, and wishing it would before he did the thing he had been ordered to do He went into the place of the spirits and lined up the sacred bones of the cave bear in parallel rows, estures with each one The last bone was put into the base and out the left eye socket of a cave bear skull Then he said aloud the words known only to nition that gave them power

Ayla was still standing in front of the cave as he walked past her with unseeing eyes

“I a-ur You are the leader You have ordered Ayla cursed with death It is done,” Goov motioned, then turned his back on the leader of the clan

No one could believe it at first It was too fast That wasn’t the way it should be done Brun would have discussed it, reasoned it out, prepared the clan for it But he wouldn’t have cursed her in the first place What had she done? She was insolent to the leader and it rong, but was it cause for death? She had just been defending Creb And what had Broud done to her? Taken her child froet even with her Now, no one had a hearth Why did Broud do it? Why did he curse her? The spirits had always favored her, she brought good luck, until Broud said he wanted to curse her, until he told the ht the bad luck on them Noould happen to thery and then unleashed the evil ones And the old -ur couldn’t help them now

Ayla was so lost in her grief, she wasn’t aware of the rapid currents swirling around her She saw Broud order her cursed, arid saw Goov tell hirief-filled ed on her consciousness When it penetrated, with all its ra

Cursed? Death cursed? Why? What did I do that was so bad? How did it happen so fast? The clan was as slow to comprehend as she They hadn’t fully recovered from the earthquake Ayla watched them with a curious detach There goes Crug Who’s going to be next Uka Now Droog, but not Aga yet There she goes, she must have seen me look at her

Ayla wasn’t an to keen for the mother of the boy she held in her arain What will happen to him? There’s only Uba left She’ll take care of hiainst Broud? Broud hates him because he’s my son Ayla looked wildly around, and saw Brun Brun! Brun can protect Durc No one else but Brun can protect him

Ayla ran to the stoic, strong, sensitive man who, until the day before, had led the clan She dropped to the ground at his feet and bowed her head It took a moment before she realized he would never tap her shoulder When she looked up, he was looking over her head at the fire behind her If he wanted, his eyes could see her He can seeI said to him, so did Iza

“Brun, I know you think I’ you, don’t look away! It happened too fast! I’ll go, I proo, but I’m afraid for Durc Broud hates him, you know he does What will happen to him with Broud as leader? Durc is Clan, Brun You accepted hi you, Brun, protect Durc Only you can do it Don’t let Broud hurt him!”

Brun slowly turned his back on the pleading wo position, not as if he was trying to avoid looking at her But she saw the barest glih He would protect Durc, he had promised the spirit of the boy’s mother It was true it was too fast, she hadn’t had time to ask him before He would bend his decision not to interfere with Broud that much He would not let the son of his mate harm Ayla’s son

Ayla got up and walked purposefully toward the cave She hadn’t decided to leave until she told Brun she would, but once she did, it rief over Creb’s death was pushed into a corner of her ht out later when her survival was not at stake She would go, perhaps to the world of the spirits, perhaps not, but she would not go unprepared

She hadn’t been as aware of the destruction inside the cave the first tirateful that the clan had been outside Taking a deep breath, she hurried to Creb’s hearth, ignoring the treacherous condition of the cave If she didn’t get what she needed to survive, she’d be dead for sure

She an to pile things on it Her s, hand coverings, a fur-lined wrap, a hood Her cup and boaterbags, tools She went to the back of the cave and found the supply of concentrated, high-energ

y traveling cakes of dried h the rubble and found birchbark packets of rain, strips of dried reat a variety so late in the season, but adequate She duan to pack it

She picked up Durc’s carrying cloak and held it to her face, feeling the tears well up She’d have no need for it, she wasn’t taking Durc She packed it At least she could take so that had been close to him She dressed herself warmly It was still early in the season; it would be cold on the steppes North, it ht still be winter She hadn’t made any conscious decision about her direction; she knew she was going to the mainland north of the peninsula

At the last moment, she decided to take the hide shelter she used when she ith the h technically it wasn’t hers She could take anything that belonged to her; whatever was left behind would be burned And she felt a share of the food was rightfully hers, too, but the shelter was Creb’s for the use of the people of his hearth Creb was gone and he never did have a use for it; she didn’t think he would mind

She packed it on top of her collecting basket, then hoisted the heavy load on her back and tied the thongs that held it securely in place Tears threatened again as she stood in the middle of the hearth that had been her home since a few days after Iza found her She would never see it again A kaleidoscope offor an instant at significant scenes She thought last of Creb I wish I knehat caused you such pain, Creb Maybe soht, before you left for the spirit world I’ll never forget you, or Iza, or the clan Then Ayla walked out of the cave

No one looked at her, but everyone knehen she reappeared She stopped at the still pool just outside the cave to fill her waterbags, and had anotherthe mirrored surface, she leaned over and looked at herself She studied her features carefully; she didn’t seely this time, but it wasn’t herself she was interested in She wanted to see the face of the Others

When she stood up, Durc was struggling to get free of Uba’s restraining ar on that concerned his mother He wasn’t sure what, but he didn’t like it With a jerk, he broke loose and ran to Ayla

“You’re going away,” he accused, beginning to understand and indignant that he hadn’t been told “You’re all dressed and going away”

Ayla hesitated only a fraction of an instant, then held out her arht, fighting back tears She put hi directly into his large brown eyes

“Yes, Durc, I’o away”

“Take me with you, Mama Take me with you! Don’t leave me!”