"Who would object?"

"Laramar would." Marthona was still vexed and somewhat embarrassed that Laramar had caught her in a breach of etiquette, and her face showed her irritation. "He'd make an issue of it, just to make trouble. He did it at the burial," she said.

"I wasn't aware of that. What did he do?" the large woman said. The two women were in her dwelling, drinking tea and chatting quietly. The donier was glad her latest patient had finally gone home, giving her back her privacy, where she could meditate in solitude and speak privately.

"He let me know that Ayla should have been at the end of the procession."

"But she is a healer and belonged with the zelandonia," the donier said.

"She may be a healer, but she is not zelandonia, whether she belongs there or not, and he knows it."

"But what can he do?"

"He can bring it up, he is a member of the Ninth Cave. There may be others who feel as he does but would hesitate to mention it. If he does, those others may go along with him. I think we should get more people to agree to accept her," Marthona said with a note of finality.

"You may be right. Whom do you suggest?" Zelandoni said. She took a sip of tea and frowned in thought.

"Stelona and her family might be a good possibility," the former leader said. "According to Proleva, she was the first to agree to feeding Tremeda's baby. She's respected, well liked, and not related."

"Who will ask her?"

"Joharran can, or perhaps I should. Woman to woman. What do you think?" Marthona said.

Zelandoni put her cup down and her frown deepened. "I think you should talk to her first, feel her out," she said. "Then, if she seems agreeable, Joharran should ask her, but as a member of the family, not as leader. That way, it won't be as though he is making an official request, and bringing the pressure of his leadership to it. It will be more that he is asking a favor…"

"Which he would be," Marthona said.

"Of course. But just the fact that it's the leader who is making the request brings the force of his position to it. We all know his rank. It doesn't need to be mentioned. And she might consider it a compliment that he would ask her. How well do you know her?" the First said.

"I know her, of course. Stelona is from a reliable family, but we haven't had occasion to associate on a personal level. Proleva knows her better. She's the one who asked her to come when Ayla wanted to talk about Tremeda's baby. I do know she has been very cooperative whenever there are gatherings to organize, or food to be prepared, and I always see her helping out when there's work to be done," the older woman said.

"Then you should include Proleva, and take her with you when you go to see Stelona," Zelandoni said. "Find out what she thinks would be the best way to approach her. If she likes to cooperate, and is willing to help, you might appeal to that side of her."

The two women were silent for a time, sipping their tea and thinking. Then Marthona asked, "Do you want to keep the acceptance ceremony simple or make it more dramatic?"

Zelandoni looked at her and realized the woman had a reason for raising the question. "Why do you ask?" she said.

"Ayla showed me something that I think could make quite an impact, if it was handled properly," Marthona said.

"What did she show you?"

"Have you ever seen her make fire?"

The large woman hesitated only a moment, then sat back and smiled. "Only the time she started one to get some water boiling for a calming drink for Willamar, when he came home and found out about Thonolan. She did say she was going to show me how she did it so fast, but I admit, it slipped my mind, what with the burial, and planning for the Summer Meeting, and everything else that's been going on."

"The fire was out when we got home one night, and she and Jondalar showed us. Willamar, Folara, and I have been making it her way ever since. It requires something she calls a firestone, and apparently they have found some nearby. I don't know how many, but enough to share with some of the others," Marthona said. "Why don't you come over this evening? I know they planned to show you, they could do it then. In fact, why don't you share a meal with us? I still have a little of that last batch of wine left."

"I'd enjoy that. Yes, I will come."

"As usual, Marthona, that was very good," Zelandoni said, putting an empty cup down beside a nearly clean bowl. They were sitting on cushions and stuffed pads around the low table. Jondalar had been glancing and smiling at everyone all through the meal, as though he were anticipating something especially delicious. The donier admitted to herself that it did make her curious, though she had no intention of showing it.

She had lingered over her meal, regaling them with stories and anecdotes, encouraging Jondalar and Ayla to talk about their Journey, and inducing Willamar to tell of his travel adventures. It had been a thoroughly enjoyable evening for everyone, except that Folara looked as if she would burst with anticipation, and Jondalar was so smug and pleased with himself, it made the woman want to smile.

Willamar and Marthona were more accustomed to waiting until the time was right; it was a tactic often used in trade negotiations and dealings with other Caves. Ayla also seemed content to wait, but it was hard for the One Who Was First to fathom her real feelings. She didn't know the foreign woman well enough yet, she was an enigma, but that made her intriguing.

"If you are finished, we'd like you to move closer to the hearth," Jondalar said with an eager smile.

The large woman hoisted herself up from the stack of pads upon which she was sitting and walked toward the cooking hearth. Jondalar rushed to pick up the pads and put them down near the fireplace, but Zelandoni remained standing.

"You might want to sit, Zelandoni," Jondalar said. "We're going to be putting all the fires out, and it will be as dark as a cave in here."

"If you prefer," she said, seating herself on the stack of pads.

Marthona and Willamar took their cushions with them and also sat while the younger people collected all the oil lamps and placed them around the hearth, including, Zelandoni was a little surprised to notice, the one from in front of the donii in the niche. Just bringing them all together made the rest of the dwelling much darker.

"Is everyone ready?" Jondalar said, and when the three who were waiting nodded, the others began to snuff out the small flames. No one spoke as each one went out. The shadows deepened until the encroaching darkness overtook every glimmer of light and permeated the entire space, creating an eerie sense of close, impenetrable thickness in the intangible air. It was as dark as a cave, but in the dwelling, which moments before had been filled with a warm golden glow, the effect was eerie, unnerving, and, curiously, more frightening than in the cold deeps. Darkness was expected there. It wasn't that fires did not go out inside a dwelling, but that all the illumination was not purposely put out. It felt as if they were tempting chance. The mystic impact was not lost on the First.

But as time passed and eyes adjusted to the darkness, Zelandoni noticed that the deep black was slightly less. She still could not see the shape of her own hand in front of her eyes, but above the roofless dwelling, on the underside of the overhanging shelf, the light fromother fires was faintly reflected into neighboring spaces. It wasn't much, but it was not quite as dark as a cave. She would have to remember that, she thought.

Her thoughts were distracted by a light nearby that was startling to eyes grown accustomed to the profound dark. It held for a long moment, highlighting Ayla's face, then went out, but a moment later a small flame had started and was soon blazing. "How did you do that?" she said. "Do what?" Jondalar said, grinning widely. "Start that fire so fast."Zelandoni could see that everyone was smiling' now.