Tamen nodded, pointing again to the marks on the ground. "…Many son… many… girl?" He shook his head, doubtful.
"Daughters?" Jondalar offered.
Tamen brightened. "Many daughters…" He thought for a moment. "Live… all live. All… many children." He held up one hand and one finger. "Six Caves… Hadumai."
"No wonder they were ready to kill us if we so much as looked cross at her," Thonolan said. "She's the mother of all of them, a living First Mother!"
Jondalar was as impressed, but even more puzzled. "I am honored to know Haduma, but I don't understand. Why are we being held? And why did she come here?"
The old man pointed to their meat drying on cords, then to the young man who had first detained them. "Jeren… hunt. Jeren make…" Tamen drew a circle on the ground with two diverging lines making a broad V from the small space left open. "Zelandonii man he… make run…" He thought for a long time, then smiled and said, "Make run horse."
"So that's it!" Thonolan said. "They must have built a surround and were waiting for that herd to move closer. We chased them off."
"I can understand why he was angry," Jondalar said to Tamen. "But we didn't know we were on your hunting grounds. We'll stay and hunt, of course, to make restitution. It's still no way to treat Visitors. Doesn't he understand passage customs for those on a Journey?" he said, venting his own anger.
The old man didn't catch every word, but enough to understand the meaning. "Not many Visitors. Not… west… long time. Customs… forget."
"Well, you ought to remind him. You were on a Journey, and he might want to make one someday." Jondalar was still annoyed at their treatment, but he didn't want to make too much of an issue about it. He still wasn't sure what was going on and he didn't want to actually offend them. "Why did Haduma come? How can you allow her to make a long trip at her age?"
Tamen smiled. "Not… allow Haduma. Haduma say. Jeren… find dumai. Bad… bad luck?" Jondalar nodded to indicate the correctness of the word, but he didn't understand what Tamen was trying to say. "Jeren give… man… runner. Say Haduma make bad luck go. Haduma come."
"Dumai? Dumai? You mean my donii?" Jondalar said, taking the carved stone figurine out of his pouch. The people around gasped and drew back when they saw what he had in his hand. An angry murmur rose from the crowd, but Haduma harangued them and they quieted.
"But this donii is good luck!" Jondalar protested.
"Good luck… woman, yes. Man…" Tamen searched his memory for a word, "…sacrilege," he said.
Jondalar sat back, stunned. "But if it's good luck for a woman, why did she throw it?" He made a violent gesture of casting the donii down, bringing exclamations of concern. Haduma spoke to the old man.
"Haduma… long time live… big luck. Big magic. Haduma say me Zelandonii… customs. Say Zelandonii man not Hadumai… Haduma say Zelandonii man bad?"
Jondalar shook his head.
Thonolan spoke up. "I think he's saying she was testing you, Jondalar. She knew the customs were not the same, and she wanted to see how you would react when she dishonored…"
"Dishonor, yes," Tamen interrupted, hearing the word. "Haduma… know not all man, good man. Want know Zelandonii man dishonor Mother."
"Listen, that's a very special donii," Jondalar said, a little indignant. "It's very old. My mother gave it to me – it's been handed down for generations."
"Yes, yes." Tamen nodded vigorously. "Haduma know. Wise… much wise. Long time live. Big magic, make bad luck go. Haduma know Zelandonii man, good man. Want Zelandonii man. Want… honor Mother."
Jondalar saw the grin lighting up Thonolan's face, and squirmed.
"Haduma want," Tamen pointed to Jondalar's eyes, "blue eyes. Honor Mother. Zelandonii… spirit make child, blue eyes."
"You did it again, Big Brother!" Thonolan blurted, grinning with malicious delight. "With those big blue eyes of yours. She's in love!" He was shaking, trying to hold his laughter in, afraid it might offend, but unable to stop. "Oh, Mother! I can hardly wait to get back home and tell them. Jondalar, the man every woman wants! Do you still want to go back? For this, I'd give up the end of the river." He couldn't talk anymore, He was doubled over, pounding the ground, holding his sides and trying not to laugh out loud.
Jondalar swallowed several times. "Ah… I… um… does Haduma think the Great Mother… ah… could still… bless her with a child?"
Tamen looked at Jondalar, perplexed, and at Thonolan's contortions. Then a big grin cracked his face. He spoke to the old woman, and the whole camp erupted into raucous laughter, the old woman's cackle heard above all. Thonolan, with a heave of relief, let out a great whoop of glee as tears squeezed out of his eyes.
Jondalar did not see anything funny.
The old man was shaking his head, trying to talk. "No, no, Zelandonii man." He beckoned to someone. "Noria, Noria…"
A young woman stepped forward and smiled shyly at Jondalar. She was hardly more than a girl, but showed the fresh sparkle of new womanhood. The laughter finally subsided.
"Haduma big magic," Tamen said. "Haduma bless. Noria five… generations." He held up five fingers. "Noria make child, make… six generations." He held up another finger. "Haduma want Zelandonii man… honor Mother…" Tamen smiled as he remembered the words, "First Rites."
The worry lines on Jondalar's forehead smoothed out, and the beginnings of a smile turned up the corners of his mouth.
"Haduma bless. Make spirit go Noria. Noria make… baby, Zelandonii eyes."
Jondalar exploded with laughter, as much with relief as pleasure. He looked at his brother. Thonolan was not laughing anymore. "Do you still want to go home and tell everyone about the old hag I bedded?" he asked. He turned to Tamen. "Please tell Haduma it will be my pleasure to honor the Mother and share Noria's First Rites."
He smiled warmly at the young woman. She smiled back, tentatively at first, but, bathed in the unconscious charisma of his vivid blue eyes, her smile grew.
Tamen spoke to Haduma. She nodded, then motioned for Jondalar and Thonolan to stand, and looked the tall blond man over carefully again. The warmth of his smile still lingered, and when Haduma looked into his eyes, she chuckled softly and went into the large circular tent. The people were still laughing and talking about the misunderstanding as the crowd broke up.
The two brothers stayed to talk to Tamen; even his limited ability to communicate was better than none at all.
"When did you visit the Zelandonii?" Thonolan asked. "Do you remember what Cave it was?"
"Long time," he said. "Tamen young man, like Zelandonii man."
"Tamen, this is my brother, Thonolan, and my name is Jondalar, Jondalar of the Zelandonii."
"You… welcome, Thonolan, Jondalar." The old man smiled. "I, Tamen, three generation Hadumai. No talk Zelandonii long time. Forget. No talk good. You talk, Tamen…?"
"Remember?" Jondalar suggested. The man nodded.
"Third generation? I thought you were Haduma's son," Jondalar added.
"No." He shook his head. "Want make Zelandonii men know Haduma, mother."
"My name is Jondalar, Tamen."
"Jondalar," he corrected. "Tamen not Haduma son. Haduma make daughter." He held up one finger with a questioning look.
"One daughter?" Jondalar said. Tamen shook his head.
"First daughter?"
"Yes, Haduma make first daughter. Daughter make first son." He pointed to himself. "Tamen. Tamen… mate?" Jondalar nodded. "Tamen mate to mother, Noria mother."
"I think I understand. You are the first son of Haduma's first daughter, and your mate is Noria's grandmother."
"Grandmother, yes. Noria make… big honor Tamen… six generation."
"I am honored, too, to be chosen for her First Rites."
"Noria make… baby, Zelandonii eyes. Make Haduma… happy." He smiled remembering the word. "Haduma say big Zelandonii man make… big… strong spirit, make strong Hadumai."
"Tamen," Jondalar said, his forehead knotted. "Noria might not make a baby of my spirit, you know."
Tamen smiled. "Haduma big magic. Haduma bless, Noria make. Big magic. Woman no children. Haduma…" He pointed with a finger toward Jondalar's groin.