Silver Hooves in the Darkness

Chapter Ten

For that question, Paola had no answer.

The woman circled her, taking in her strangeness, before saying, "Why have you come, equina?"

"I am passing through on the way to Dome Erba," she answered honestly. Her presence had already caused enough of a stir, and she hoped that Gemma would not be too angry with her for the revelation when she later viewed their journey in her orb.

The woman gasped and stepped back. The people surrounding them moved closer. The woman raised her hand to stop their advance. She said to Paola, "My people do not understand the common tongue of the domes. Only I do. It has been a long time since someone has visited Dome Pecora. So long in fact, that you are a creature of legend." She pointed to an outcropping of rock. "I am Sophia. Come with me, little equina, and learn."

*****

The torch Sophia held cast shadows upon the cave's walls. Drawings made from red pigment covered the uneven surfaces. Paola's tail twitched nervously; Miacarabella walked beside her, occasionally pausing to cautiously sniff a patch of fungi. The woman aimed her light toward one specific image. It was an outline that matched Paola's shadow. She raised her torch higher. Hidden beneath an overhang was another image consisting of black dots, some connected by yellow lines and some not. Only one dot was orange. It was connected to a single black dot, which in turn was connected to many others.

"The domes forgot us long ago."

"Why?" Paola asked.

"We refused!" Sophia said, anger in her words.

"Sacrifice." Paola whispered, scared that the images would somehow bring the horrible story to life.

Sophia nodded gravely. "Only I, the Shaman, know what happened, but I cannot speak of it to my people. As you are an equina, I can tell you. You have come from beyond our dome as the prophecy has predicted. You have a connection to Dome Erba because you have named it. You are our friend. You must hear our story; then, you can decide if you will do my bidding."

The woman lowered herself onto another flat stone as if her story had become a burden too heavy to carry. She beckoned for the equina to sit down beside her. She looked deeply into the flames of her torch. Did the past unfold before her eyes?

"Because of our refusal, it was forbidden for equinii to come here. With no way to contact the other domes, we were expected to die out. That was our punishment, decreed by the Authority.

"It was recorded by those who first dwelt in the domes, the Ancestors who had come from Elsewhere, that the Authority was chosen to oversee the greater good of all and His laws were to be obeyed. Sacrifice was necessary to maintain order and survival. How this was to be was His alone to know. A representative from Dome Biblia arrived in a grand carriage drawn by a mighty equino. She bore the message that a young daughter of our tribe was to be taken for Sacrifice. We did not yield to her threats and did not give up the child. She left and our punishment was sanctioned. Sophia chuckled grimly. "I suppose any child would have done, but each dome was expected to yield when its time came. We did not yield, so we were punished with expulsion.

"All would have ended, but some brave healers from Dome Erba defied the order of the Authority. They found a way to aid us in secret and assisted us until the danger of discovery became too great. Our dome survived only because of their help and their wisdom. Since the last healer from Dome Erba left, many cycles have passed, and we have been alone."

Had the healers from Dome Erba discovered what Gemma had? Had equinii from that dome also rebelled against the Authority by making undocumented Carrys?

Moved by the story, Paola reached over and gently touched the woman's hand, an intimate gesture that would have brought her censure among other humans, who only considered her a servant. "My lady, what must I do?" she asked, praying that Gemma would not punish her for her audacity.

The Shaman smiled warmly and stood. "You have great courage for one so young. Come with me, little equina."

The three moved farther back into the cave. The images on the wall thinned out until there were no more. They squeezed through a narrow fissure in the rock. To Paola's astonishment, there was a stone staircase leading farther down into the earth.

They walked until the steps ended at a niche. Within the niche rested five glowing red stones. Miacarabella leapt up and circled them. She made the strange sound Paola associated with happiness; then, she jumped back down. The Shaman set her torch within an iron holder bolted to the rock. She gathered the small stones. As she touched them their luminosity vanished, but a hint of a reflective mineral brightened the scarlet surfaces. She put them into a leather pouch she had retrieved from a pocket in her tunic. She closed the bag by pulling the length of cord looped through its mouth and offered the gift to the equina.

The Shaman straightened, her chin raised regally as befitted her rank. She said to Paola, "Equina! I contract you for a Carry. Take these to the Healer Who Remembers. Tell him the love and gratitude of Dome Pecora for Dome Erba remains faithful; tell him that we wish to share our love with our brethren once more."

"It will be done," Paola answered, not caring that she had no idea how she would find the Healer Who Remembers from among all the humans that lived in Dome Erba.

The Shaman raised her arms and began to chant.

Golden light bathed the equina and the cat.

"Meow!" cried Miacarabella in surprise.

They stood once more by the dome's edge. The luminous disc had disappeared behind the hills. Gleaming lights decorated the darkening sky above them.

Paola stretched. She felt as rested and refreshed as if she had enjoyed a night in a fine stable. She stamped her foot in readiness, anklets jangling. "Let's go, Miacarabella," she said with enthusiasm. "You are to go back to Dome Biblia, and I will run to Dome Erba!"

The cat swished her tail in indignation at the coming command that bound her will and her freedom.

"Duc me ad victoria! Per ardua ad astra! Omnes viae ducunt domum!"