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“Lungs”

“His lungs, and I think his … other organs In Mamutoi I would say ‘liver’ and ‘spleen’ I don’t know the words in Zelandonii They bleed heavily when daed Do you knohich ones I mean?” Ayla said

“Yes, I do,” the First said

“The blood had no place to go I think that’s why he turned black and got so hard It filled hi woman said

“I exaree with your assessment The blood filled his stomach and some of his intestines I believe part of the intestines burst,” the donier said

“The intestines are the long tubes that lead to the outside?”

“Yes”

“Jondalar taught ed on Shevonar, too, I think, but it was the blood filling him up inside that made him die”

“Yes The sht wrist, but those would not have been fatal, of course,” Zelandoni said

“No, and I wasn’t so concerned about those breaks, I just wondered if you knew of anything else that I could have done for him,” Ayla said, her earnest face full of concern

“It bothers you that you couldn’t save him, doesn’t it?”

Ayla nodded and lowered her head

“You did everything you could, Ayla We will all walk in the world of the spirits so or old, we have no choice Not even a Zelandoni is gifted enough to stop it, or even to knohen it will happen That is a secret Doni shares with no one She allowed the Spirit of the Bison to take Shevonar in exchange for the bison we took It is a sacrifice She sometimes demands Perhaps She felt we needed to be reranted We kill Her creatures so that we iven us e take the lives of Her anientle Sometimes Her lessons are hard”

“Yes That is what I have learned I do not think the Spirit World is a gentle place The lessons are hard, but valuable,” Ayla said

Zelandoni did not reply She had found that people often kept talking to fill the gap if she did not respond immediately, and she learnedquestions After a time, Ayla did continue