through it all jondalar is waiting for the summer meeting and matrimonial that will finally "tie the knot" for the two of them. this has been his ultimate goal since the valley of horses. their daughter, jonayla, named for her mother's belief a man's "essence" creates babies, which leads to jondalar and ayla each being part of the baby, not just their spirits, is born sometime after this event. not long after the birth, ayla finally decides to become zelandoni's acolyte, if only so that the members of the zelandonii will accept her as a healer.