“What if the High Counselor sees us? What if we interrupt his quest for wisdom?” Oh’na whispered fearfully, peeking into the cave. It was shallow and small, and no one was inside.
“He won’t see us,” Addie replied confidently. Their High Counselor never rose that early.
They followed the path up the incline to a series of caves.
“It’s almost like a road has been carved into the stone,” Adie remarked on the surprisingly smooth and wide trail that led upwards.
“Must be the ancestors,” Oh’na commented offhandedly, looking around with interest.
“Must be,” Addie hid a smile.
“Once upon a time, our people dwelled here.”
“You’re making up stories.”
“I know it. Chele told me. Everybody knows it - it’s history.”
“Really?”
‘Yes.”
“Why do people not live here anymore?”
“Guess there’s nothing to eat.” Oh’na shrugged, food always on her brain. “Those people were so silly. I mean, why stay here? You don’t see Elkeks here, Addie. Nor Teks. And Boroms don’t grow in the rock. No wonder they left.”
The case might be open and closed for Oh’na, but Addie’s mind churned with questions. People had lived here before. Now that she knew it, she saw evidence everywhere. They lived here for a long time if the pathway cut through stone was any indication. The lack of Elkeks and Boroms hadn't stopped them. Why did they leave?
Holding hands, Addie and Oh’na went into the next cave.
Addie’s breath caught in her chest and she forgot what she was thinking. It was the light, really. Filtered and muted, it spilled from small openings in the case’s roof to transform the area into a magical realm. Surely, no real place on any planet could be that ethereal.
“Oh, Oh’na. Look at this!” She tugged her deeper.
The walls were covered in scrolls, as far as the eye could see, going deeper and deeper until they disappeared in the gloom of the innermost recesses of the cave. There were drawings, too, depicting people against the backdrop of landscapes. They weren’t rudimentary sketches; the drawings were masterfully done.
There was an old woman with wrinkles and highly arched brows holding a spear in each hand, a dead bison-looking animal at her feet - a huntress. There was a young man in robes like Chemmusaayl, his hair shorn and his young face serious and intense. A High Counselor of the old whose youth belied his wisdom.
And on and on they went, the writings and the imagery.
Ignoring Oh’na who grew uncomfortable on the inside, Addie lingered, touching the walls, feeling its rough texture and the grooves of the etchings. Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply, tracing the whorls of the unfamiliar hieroglyphs with her fingers.
This was the history of For. And now, her own life was a thin thread in the fabric of it.
???
The tribe stayed in the Valley of the Sacred Scrolls for days. Chemmusaayl spent most of his time deep in the tunnels of the caves. When he came out, he often gathered people around him in a subdued group and, with an air of reverence about him, talked in circles about the history and special powers of unknown origin.
Contrary to what Addie expected, only a few people made forays into the caves and quickly left, expressing limited interest in the place and their own history. Most couldn’t read the writings, and many feared enclosed spaces of the caves, unused as they were to having walls around them.
This sojourn felt much like a vacation. Living off of the provisions they brought with them, people had free time, and knowing that it wouldn't last, they indulged in idleness fully. They played, and sang, and simply lay around, temporarily unburdened by their usual hard work.
Their peaceful pastime was marred only once when a young woman, Sav, began shrieking and chasing away Illied during one of the jumping games young men engaged in. The sight was so incongruous and unexpected that Addie had trouble understanding what had happened.
“What did Illied do?”
“Nothing. Sav is on guard,” Chele murmured. “Illied is now a free female, and Sav doesn’t want to lose her mate to Illied.”
Incredulous, Addie stared at Chele. “Why would she lose him to Illied?”
