Rhuna shook hands with the other two female Atlans of the group, feeling slightly uncomfortable when greeting Stillness of the Lake, whose green aura had impressed her in The Infinite. She looked around, noticing the advanced age of all of them except Greeter of Friends. Then she returned her attention to the fifth member who remained standing at a distance, hiding behind his hood and scarf.
“I know you,” Rhuna said, slowly stepping towards the tall figure.
The mysterious Atlan slowly pushed back the hood of his robe, letting strands of grey hair tumble around his bony face. Rhuna caught her breath as she stopped and stared.
“Tozar? Is it really you?” she exclaimed breathlessly.
“Who?” asked Aradin with slight alarm as he stepped up behind Rhuna.
“My speculations were accurate - it could only be you!” Damell exclaimed triumphantly, rushing forward to greet his old friend.
Rhuna was transfixed as she watched the slightly awkward meeting of friends who had not seen each other in over forty solar cycles. She stared at Tozar who was both familiar and a complete stranger at the same time.
“Have you…recovered?” Damell asked in a hushed tone.
Rhuna looked around at the four Atlan representatives, wondering how much they knew about Tozar’s life since she left him behind in the city of Atlán.
“Harbinger of Solace has related his experience,” said Protector of Remembrance, using Tozar’s formal Atlan name.
Finally, the familiar stranger standing before her spoke in a rough and unsteady voice.
“Rhuna…it is…good to see you again,” he said, then quickly lowered his eyes to the ground.
“How is it that you have joined the Atlan group of representatives?” Damell asked in a polite tone which Rhuna knew was an obvious attempt to ease the uncomfortable situation.
“While striving to improve myself under the guidance of a great Master, I heard of strange occurrences in nearby lands,” Tozar answered, his voice still unsteady. “When I inquired further and learned of a group of Atlans residing with the Masters of Ancient Wisdom, I knew it was you.” Tozar looked first at Damell and then at Rhuna. “It was an opportunity to assist which I could not forgo.”
“An opportunity to assist?” Aradin repeated with scepticism.
Tozar’s back straightened and he cleared his throat.
“An opportunity of reunification with family, and to seek reconciliation and forgiveness,” he said shakily.
“Let us rest and partake of food,” the guide interrupted. “The remainder of your journey is a steep ascent which requires fortitude and sufficient overnight rest.”
“A welcome invitation indeed,” remarked Protector of Remembrance as he ushered the group into the wooden abode. The Atlans cheerfully agreed and made polite conversation as they walked inside and removed their sacks and outer garments.
“How is our daughter?” Tozar asked as he walked carefully behind Rhuna.
Rhuna barely recognized his voice and she turned around to search his face for familiar characteristics. His eyes appeared darker and deep-set behind steel-grey brows, and hard lines accentuated his gaunt face. She was disturbed to see how much her first husband had changed in only several solar cycles.
“You look…so different,” she said awkwardly.
“My appearance must shock you,” Tozar admitted. “It reflects my inner torment and desperate desire to make atonement, recompense…to plead for forgiveness!” he added with such sudden vehemence that Rhuna reeled back and felt unnerved.
Aradin spun around and looked sharply at Tozar, then reached out his hand for Rhuna. She walked ahead quickly feeling deep pity for Tozar.
They entered the comfortable abode, and Rhuna put the unsettling exchange with Tozar aside as the Atlan representatives chatted happily and enjoyed hot food and drink. Tozar chose a place farthest from Rhuna and sat silently with downcast eyes.
Rhuna looked at the Atlans seated around the table and felt the joyous excitement of making new acquaintances. She listened to Protector of Remembrance summarize their long journey from the land of Atlán, and frequently looked at Stillness of the Lake whose aura she had observed some days earlier. The other woman appeared younger, and her pale skin looked like cream. Her Atlan name was Preserver of Faith, and she spoke in a deep, soft voice that Rhuna found soothing.
“We are very curious,” said Protector of Remembrance as he twirled his long, white beard with two fingers. “Yet we wish to conduct our formal discussions with all of you, when we arrive at the abode of the Masters of Ancient Wisdom.”
“You require rest before the ascent,” Damell offered. Before long, the travel-weary Atlans left the table to retire while Aradin removed the emptied bowls of food.
“Lozira is well,” Rhuna said, leaning over towards Tozar. He jumped slightly, and then raised his eyes slowly.
“She must despise me,” Tozar said bitterly. “Perhaps I should not intrude upon her new life.”
Rhuna sat down beside him and carefully considered his words.
“She has changed and grown a great deal in just a short time.”
“How would my presence affect her?” Tozar needed to know.
“I don’t know,” Rhuna answered honestly.
Tozar finally turned his face towards Rhuna and looked at her directly. The desperation in his eyes hurt her.
“Should I go with you?”
Rhuna turned her eyes away from the pitiful old man that was once her handsome and emotionally solid first husband. She considered his advancing age and damaged health, then thought of Lozira and the tears Shandi had foreseen.
“You should come and see Lozira…talk to her,” Rhuna said at last.
Tozar bowed his head in acceptance and gratitude, then stood up to retire for the night.
Rhuna used the washing area and then also retired to one of the small rooms containing soft and comfortable beds. She waited in the dark for Aradin to join her, and then wrapped her arms around him.
“That was a surprise,” Aradin whispered after a while. “How do you feel about it?”
Rhuna looked into the darkness.
“He looks terrible.”
“His mental travail has really ravaged him,” Aradin agreed. “Do you think he has fully recovered?”
“I don’t know,” Rhuna answered honestly.
“Then perhaps he shouldn’t go back with us,” Aradin said with concern. “He wanted Goram killed, after all!”
“He told me he wants forgiveness,” Rhuna whispered urgently. “He won’t do anyone any harm.”
“Can you be sure of that?”
“No…but I think he should have a chance to see Lozira again,” Rhuna said. “It might help her, too. If not now, then in the future, when he has died.”
Rhuna listened to the silence and sensed Aradin’s thoughts mulling over the problem.
“Yes, I think you’re right.”
Part Two
(The Atlans)
Rhuna was barely aware of the strenuous ascent through the mountain tunnels which lasted an entire day. Her mind continually mulled over Lozira’s reaction to seeing her father again, and whether she had made the right decision to bring them together. Before she realized they had arrived, their guide pulled open the heavy wooden door to the abode of the Masters of Ancient Wisdom and Rhuna braced herself.
“Ah, they have arrived,” Mohandu announced, his head bobbing excitedly. He scurried off to gather the others as Rhuna stepped inside the familiar common rooms. Lozira and Goram stood in a doorway to watch from a distance, while Lhom Tsu greeted the Atlan representatives formally.
Rhuna noticed that Tozar had remained inside the tunnel entrance, peering out at her to await her signal. She waited until the Atlans had been introduced to Mohandu and Yarqi, then Kiana and the gentle giant, Panapu. Shandi stood between them, holding Panapu’s big, fleshy hand as she smiled happily at the new arrivals.
“Papa-nu is my friend,” Shandi announced cheerful
ly as the Atlans carefully greeted Panapu.
“Such a delightful child!” exclaimed Stillness of the Lake, chuckling at Shandi’s mispronunciation of the big man’s name. Rhuna beckoned to Lozira and Goram, and then introduced the four Atlan visitors. She was relieved to see a normal Atlan handshake take place between all of them, and she wondered whether the representatives knew who Goram was.
Lhom Tsu ushered the group into a seating room where hot tea was served, and Rhuna steeled herself for the meeting between Lozira and her father.
“The fifth Atlan is someone you know,” she told Lozira. Her daughter’s blue eyes lit up with keen interest as she stepped towards Rhuna and then turned towards the tunnel entrance.
“Who?”
Tozar moved slowly out of the shadows and pulled the hood away from his face. Lozira stared in silence while Goram suddenly moved forward and grabbed her arm.
“What is he doing here?” demanded Goram, his voice uncharacteristically uncertain.
“W-who?” Lozira asked feebly.
“Yes, it’s your father,” Rhuna stated, looking back and forth between Lozira and Tozar.
Tozar stepped into the room and then stopped, waiting for a reaction.
“He has been learning from a Master here, in the land at the Top of the World, when he heard about us being here, and about the Atlan representatives coming to meet us.” Rhuna thought her words sounded empty and meaningless in the strange tension that hung around them like a brewing storm.
“Yet this is not the purpose of his visit,” Goram said in his usual loud and clear manner. “What do you want from us?” he demanded, stepping in front of Lozira and between her and her father.
“Atonement. Forgiveness. A chance to repair the damage I have caused.” Tozar’s voice was weak and creaky, and Rhuna thought his face resembled death itself.
Lozira remained still and silent, staring at the pitiful gaunt figure before her.
“Let’s go with the others to drink tea,” interrupted Aradin.
“Yes, good idea,” Rhuna said, deciding to leave father and daughter alone. She walked away slowly, looking back briefly to see Goram also step aside and watch the pair from a cautious distance.
The seating room felt warm and cosy as Rhuna took her steaming cup of tea and sat down between Damell and Aradin.
“We are not yet accustomed to this strong brew with rancid butter,” said Stillness of the Lake.
“It is very stimulating,” remarked Protector of Remembrance as he winced.
“Some encounters with different people can be rather challenging,” said Greeter of Friends with a mischievous grin.
Rhuna was suddenly acutely aware of the Atlans’ eloquent manner of speech which she had not heard since she left her peaceful and happy life in the City of Atlán. Those memories felt as old as many lifetimes, yet they were only several solar cycles in the past.
“Is it a certainty that Gatherer of Sage, the one commonly named The Dark Master, has caused this…this aberration?” Protector of Remembrance asked, jolting Rhuna out of her nostalgic reverie.
“Indeed it is,” Damell confirmed.
“That was his name before, in Atlán? Gatherer of Sage?” Mohandu asked wide-eyed.
“Were you not once his follower?” asked Preserver of Faith in her smooth, deep voice.
“Oh, you know this?” Mohandu asked, his head bobbing nervously.
“We are well acquainted with each one of you,” Protector of Remembrance answered, and then raised his hand in a friendly gesture. “Be assured, we do not sit in judgement of you,” he added quickly, looking at the young man. “Nor you,” he said, looking at Yarqi.
Rhuna saw mild surprise in Yarqi’s mysterious dark eyes before she lowered them to the floor.
“Where is Beacon of the Night?” asked Protector of Remembrance, turning around towards the door. Rhuna also turned around and saw Goram standing in the doorway.
“We desire to put all past issues aside as we unite against the Dark One,” Protector of Remembrance said congenially.
“You wish to join me in defeating the Dark Master?” Goram repeated with a challenging tone. He stepped into the room and hooked his thumb into his waistband in a gesture of defiance.
“Of course,” said Greeter of Friends and Protector of Remembrance in unison.
“The High Council of Atlán deliberated at length, and it was unanimously agreed that we, the body of able Atlans, have a moral obligation to restrain him and attempt to correct the damage he caused.” Protector of Remembrance tugged at his beard as he related the High Council’s decision.
“He is an Atlan, and was once among us as a respected Master,” Stillness of the Lake added. “Therefore, his actions are our responsibility.”
“Did the High Council say that?” Aradin challenged. “I would think that only the Dark Master himself is responsible for his deviant actions.”
“We deliberated whether the Atlan Way was perhaps somewhat responsible for what he has become,” countered Greeter of Friends.
“He is the only one among many thousands of Atlans who chose this path,” Aradin argued. “It was his own decision.”
“The Atlan Way is partly responsible for the Dark One’s course,” Goram commented, agreeing with Greeter of Friends. “He felt restrained and misunderstood, and then he was falsely accused by the High Council. These events caused anger and rebelliousness to grow and fester within him.”
“A condition you understand very well,” remarked Protector of Remembrance, holding Goram firmly in his gaze.
“Yes, indeed I do!” Goram retorted, re-establishing his defiant stance.
“Then we are in agreement that we shall work unitedly in our attempt to constrain Gatherer of Sage.” Protector of Remembrance concluded in a loud voice.
Rhuna nodded and heard others express an affirmative answer.
“We can leave in several days, when the snow has melted sufficiently,” Damell commented.
“These following days shall serve to prepare us adequately,” Stillness of the Lake said. “Our knowledge of the Black City and the Dark One’s recent activities is quite limited, and it shall be necessary for you to inform us of every detail.”
“We first heard of the Black City when we were journeying across this land,” Aradin began. “A camel caravan of travelling merchants stopped at the small village where we were resting, but the villagers had never heard of the city they described.”
“When we returned to this abode of the Masters of Ancient Wisdom, we heard about the changing texts in the Depository of Archival Texts,” Rhuna continued. “It was a frightening experience for all of us when we saw the texts change right in front of us!”
“The writing changed by itself as you looked on?” Preserver of Faith asked, needing confirmation of this bizarre event.
“Yes. And the texts that changed were about respected Masters, the forebears of these people here,” Aradin explained. “The recorded history of some leading Masters in the past had changed because they went to the Black City and stayed there, doing things they never did in their first recorded history.”
“This is difficult to comprehend,” said Greeter of Friends with a deep frown.
“By going into the distant past, the Dark One has changed the course of events in this region, and drastically altered the lives of many people,” Damell summarized, his voice deep with serious concern.
“It is a phenomenon unlike anything we in Atlán have ever known,” Protector of Remembrance said with awe. “A monumental responsibility weighs upon us.”
Rhuna felt the speech of these Atlan representatives sounded somewhat stilted and affected, and concluded that it was due to her long absence from Atlán in lands where different dialects of the Atlan language were spoken. Even their appearance of pale skin and light-coloured hair with blue eyes seemed striking after residing among people of mostly darker complexions.
The contrast became evident in that moment when Lhom Tsu interrupted th
e discussion. His leathery skin and black eyes that rolled gently behind narrow eyelid slits had become very familiar to Rhuna, and she felt a sudden pang of sadness as she thought of their departure from this land and its people.
“An urgent message from Atlán for you and your party,” Lhom Tsu advised Protector of Remembrance.
The Atlan with the long white beard looked up sharply, then jumped to his feet as Lhom Tsu pointed towards an adjoining room. The other three representatives also stood up and quickly followed Lhom Tsu.
Rhuna looked around at Lozira during the sudden silence that ensued, attempting to read her emotions in her face. She sensed distress and turbulence underneath the even features of her daughter’s beautiful young face.
“Did you speak with your father?” Rhuna asked carefully.
“Yes,” Lozira replied softly. “A little.”
Rhuna sensed a calm strength in her daughter’s voice, and decided to put her concerns aside for the moment.
“How is it possible that they received a message from Atlán?” Mohandu queried, looking at Damell and then at Goram. “We cannot summon visions or messages by means of the Gazing of the Waters in this place!”
“Perhaps the message was relayed by the Masters who received it on the wind,” Goram offered.
“Quite possible,” Damell agreed.
Rhuna watched the door of the adjoining room in the strange silence that followed, waiting for the representatives to return. When the door finally opened, Rhuna was alarmed to see deep concern and even anguish in the Atlan faces. She waited with bated breath as Protector of Remembrance resumed his seat and prepared to speak.
“The High Council of Atlán has informed us of significant changes in Atlan history,” the white-haired Atlan representative began. His grave expression prepared Rhuna for the remainder of the message.
“A massacre occurred near the Black City. Almost a hundred Atlan men and women were killed by unexplained means.”
Rhuna- Black City Page 5
