LITMIR.BIZ

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will happen soon. This is his first hunt.

      «I believe, my friend, everything is fine with them!» – encouraged the leader. «Pangea and the spirits will help them!»

      «Yes, chief, I hope so too. May Pangea help your soul in unity! – the sentinel blessed and immediately turned to the young hunters: – Barda, Veles, you will stay here at night, with the elders. Wisdom exercise, maybe they will tell you something interesting. And you will guard the entrance to the cave like your younger brothers! Few things can happen…

      ***

      The road to the Temple of the Creator – to the Abode of Unity – lay through a long underground corridor. In the middle of the path, the corridor branched into a labyrinth of three channels, one of which – the one to the left – was the longest, a hundred paces. The channel led to the edge of the ledge to the abyss, and after another ten steps along it along a narrow cliff, the road again deepened into the sleeve of the dungeon. The first people once wanted to explore the abyss, but the stones and torches thrown into it were lost in the ravine, leaving neither sounds nor reflections of light. Therefore, everyone refused to descend blindly, even the most daring pathfinders. The dangerous gap along the cliff did not inspire confidence even in the most dexterous tribesmen, so this branch of the labyrinth remained in total darkness and was not used.

      The approach to the Temple from the right side also turned out to be extremely inconvenient. In some places, it narrowed into narrow corridors, which either crushed from above, up to crawling, or forced to crowd between the walls, scratching on the sharp contours of the relief.

      The relatives fenced off these two dubious moves. But the path that passed in the middle led along a moderate tunnel without any obstacles and slopes, straight into a huge underground grotto – the Temple of the Creator, and the tunnel was equipped only in this sleeve: the road was illuminated by lights driven into the walls along its entire length.

      After some time, Roshan and his companions arrived at the place. There was light in the vast cave. A dozen torches illuminated the grotto, and coniferous incense created by Inga created a feeling of comfort and peace. Somewhere under the grotto, in the inaccessible warehouses of the dungeon, a stream splashed – the same one that was in full swing in the settlement. The barely audible murmur of the brook broke the silence of the Abode of Unity and gave the cave a mood of mystery and captivity.

      On the walls of the Temple of the Creator, in addition to the knowledge that the elders-wise men and experienced pathfinders left to their descendants in the form of rock carvings and drawings of life, mystical ornaments were imprinted everywhere – symbols of the first people. Sacred symbols that were carved by hunters and shamans on fishing tools carried a special human design that influenced the spirit, capable of awakening the mysterious element of flame, which the leader Roshan once knew in unity with Pangea. He knew and taught other relatives to know. And to those who were able to master the flame and suddenly realized the carved message of the symbol, the elements gave incredible ardor, and the plan instantly became feasible!

      On one of the ledges, where the stone relief was flatter and smoother, the leaders of the hunting parties drew a path to the Great Volcano, and each time after the Great Hunt they drew new explored areas. After many moons, a small sketch turned into a real map of hunting trails. It depicted detours of wooded ridges – former roads traveled, former pastures of herbivores, beds of small streams in a grove of araucaria and other landmarks. On the walls, the relatives denoted all kinds of reptiles that they met in the lands of Pangea. With the help of drawings, the tribesmen described their habits – warnings of danger and dispositions for friendliness. And on one ledge, a whole story of Zavrini was carved, which the day before was told to teenagers at the fire by Roshan and Khord. The Temple also kept relics of ancestors (including those discovered during nomadism): colorful fancy shells, which, according to the sages, were once found by the great-grandfathers of the ancestors near the northern shores of raging waters, petrified traces that an experienced hunter once noticed, broken weapons and various bone remains. True, the identity of the latter has not been established exactly.

      Pointed formations – stalactites – hung everywhere from the tops of the grotto. For those who visited the Abode of Unity for the first time, the menacing stalactites aroused eerie distrust, and it seemed that the stone gouges were about to collapse on their heads. But since the founding of the Temple of the Creator, not one of the stalactites has even moved. Shamans and elders eventually got used to ugly warehouses and stopped paying attention to them long ago.

      In the middle of the dungeon, the rocky terrain underfoot smoothly turned into a small island of earthen soil with a thick moss cover. A lone piece of land stood out noticeably among the stone forms of the cave and seemed to have been equipped by Pangea itself for the ritual of unity. Inga had put a leather bedding on the islet in advance, and next to the fire, the broth was cooling in a vat.

      «I will inspect the fences, Roshan,» Hord warned and headed towards the dark niche of the Temple of the Shaper.

      «I’m sure they haven’t moved,» the chief replied. «But still look around, I’ll be calmer.»

      The dungeon labyrinth didn’t end at Unity Hall. Within the grotto, on its other side, there was another passage that led to a similar cave, but much larger than the Temple. Dozens of tunnels were located in this cave, and the path through them was not explored. The first people were afraid of underground creatures that live and weave webs deep in the depths of the Great Volcano – gigantic creatures, continuations of the original lives. They appeared in the light of the Great Fire, but over time they did not like its rays, and they went underground, where darkness and dampness reigned. In order to protect themselves from this living creature, which the shamans saw near the tunnels inadvertently, and then briefly, the tribesmen decided to erect barriers at the entrance to the labyrinths. And on the barriers of these fixed horns. Staring into the impenetrable darkness, the goats guarded the rest of the first people from insects of creatures, and the high grotto before entering the kingdom of creatures was declared the Abode of Unity – the Temple of the Creator. A place where elders and leaders gathered to discuss real difficulties and future affairs, hunters and shamans – to know the flame of Pangea and the secrets of the unknown.

      The leader took off his outer garment, beads, and, cross-legged, sat down on the mat. Inga placed small vats around him and placed resin candles in them. Then the healer gave Roshan a potion.

      – Are you worried? the old woman asked.

      – Yes a little…

      When was the last time you were in unity with Her? I have already forgotten that past day when I gave you this potion to drink…

      – In the camp near the liana forests. We went to a ravine in new lands, I was looking for a way, as it turned out – here, to the Great Volcano, – the shaman reminded.

      The old woman smiled.

      «And now the Zavrinis are driving us out. That’s the way things are… I hope you can figure it out! I like it here, and I don’t have the strength to wander anymore, Roshan. When will we find shelter for our descendants?

      – Don’t worry, Inga, we’ve already found him. He’s here at the Great Volcano! the leader exclaimed.

      The sorceress smiled. «We will stay where we are,» Roshan said. «At least now we have no reason to leave the camp.

      Here the shaman sniffed the broth and looked inquiringly at the old woman.

      «Come on, drink, my boy,» she said. – I added something there. Don’t worry, have a drink! As soon as you feel warm, tell me – I will light the candles.

      The red flowers of the swamp fern were the strongest poison, but they tasted and smelled quite sweet. Roshan immediately smelled the familiar captivating aroma, so he hesitated. The fruits of plants could send anyone to eternal sleep, but with other healing herbs, the names and recipes

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