“Yes, I think that’s quite possible,” Rhuna said, grateful for the knowledgeable scribe’s valuable insights. “Continue to write your personal account,” she said as she left the room.
Rhuna saw that the remainder of the rooms in the building were unoccupied, so she walked outside and into the garden again. She strolled past the small pen where the pretty goat appeared to be very comfortable among dried grass, a wooden shelter and large bowls of food and water. She walked farther past the vegetable garden and through some shrubbery towards a copse of trees, then stopped to look back at the inn’s buildings. Rhuna was struck by the elegant style of the buildings, and realized that she had not walked beyond these shrubs since they settled in the old inn. She walked on to look at the nearby trees which stood like wizened old people with long, outstretched limbs ready to welcome weary travellers. She stopped to look more closely at them, and then turned her attention to more trees farther away. Then she saw Panapu standing on the crest of a small sandy hillock, apparently also admiring the large old trees.
“Is this where you come when you’re not playing with Shandi?” she asked the big bald man as she approached him.
“Like being outside, look at sky, look at land and trees…” he said wistfully.
“It’s so different from any place I’ve ever been, but I love it here,” Rhuna said as she stood next to him and gazed at the horizon.
“Soon sun gone, but first many nice colours,” Panapu said. “I like to watch.”
“I also like to see the sky’s colours as the sun descends,” Rhuna said, feeling comfortable next to the rugged-looking giant with a soft and kind heart.
They stood on the sandy crest in silence, admiring the pink and orange hues of the sky and the shifting dark shadows of the large trees around them. Suddenly, Rhuna sensed Panapu’s body become rigid with alertness.
“There!” he barked, pointing in the direction of the trade route that passed the inn at a short distance. “Two people come!”
Rhuna scanned the near distance until she saw two black forms moving along the track connecting the inn to the trade route.
“Two guests,” Panapu said uneasily. “Strange guests. Black hats.”
Rhuna’s blood ran cold when she realized Panapu had accurately described the two visitors. She spun around on her heels and ran back to the main building of the inn.
“Guests!” she called out as she entered the main rooms. “They have black hats!” Rhuna dashed towards the stairs to tell Aradin, and then stopped when she saw him on the upper level.
“I’ve seen them,” he said in a panic-stricken voice. “I’ll warn the others!”
“Inform Beacon of the Night,” Protector of Remembrance instructed as he emerged from the main room. “We shall watch from the back and be prepared to use our powers, should it become necessary.”
Rhuna felt her heart pound hard in her chest as Lozira and Kiana came from various parts of the inn.
“Take Shandi back upstairs and wait,” Rhuna instructed Lozira, ushering the little girl towards the stairs.
“Are they Mages?” Yarqi asked as she appeared behind Rhuna.
“They are wearing tall black hats,” Rhuna confirmed.
“Perhaps they are only traders wearing black hats,” Mohandu suggested with a wobble of his head.
“We should be prepared for the worst, in case they are Mages who don’t like Atlans,” Aradin said breathlessly as he arrived with the other Atlan representatives, with Tozar and Damell close behind.
“Greet them as regular guests,” instructed Protector of Remembrance. “Those of us with obvious Atlan appearance shall remain hidden, but we are prepared to act, should the need arise,” he said sternly.
“Me come, too,” Panapu boomed, making everyone jump. “Me protect you,” he said, raising his thick wooden club and pointing out of the windows across the terrace.
Rhuna took Aradin’s hand as they strode out onto the terrace to welcome the unusual guests. Yarqi and Mohandu, along with Goll and Panapu walked behind them until they reached the lodging house.
“They have horses instead of camels!” Mohandu remarked.
Rhuna looked at the unusual horses with long hairs, noting that the two pack animals only bore a few small items on their backs.
“They are not traders,” she whispered to Aradin.
Aradin nodded, then squeezed Rhuna’s hand reassuringly.
“Welcome to our inn!” Goll said confidently as he stepped ahead of Rhuna and Aradin.
Rhuna waited curiously to see whether the unusual pair spoke the Atlan language. The travellers had dismounted and walked closer so that Rhuna could discern that they were a man and a woman, neither young nor old.
“We are emissaries of Etzina, the Black City,” replied the man with a friendly gesture. “We wish to welcome you to this area.”
Rhuna relaxed slightly at the friendly tone of the man’s voice. As the pair approached Goll, Rhuna observed a very brief moment of shock and hesitancy in the new visitors.
“I am Goll, from the Land at the Top of the World,” the scribe said quickly.
“Ah,” the visitors said in unison as they began to smile. Rhuna assumed that the Black City emissaries were shocked to see a white-skinned man with the general appearance of an Atlan.
“I am Zal, The Welcomer,” said the man. Rhuna thought his sharp, protruding nose matched his pointy black hat.
“And I am Pari, The Orator,” said the woman with rich brown curls tumbling from beneath her wide-brimmed black hat.
“We have heard of new proprietors at this inn, and we have come to visit you,” said Zal in a proficient and polite manner.
“That’s very nice of you,” said Aradin in his friendliest tone, and then began to introduce Rhuna, Yarqi and Mohandu, using only their personal names.
“And this is Panapu,” Rhuna added, as the giant trod cautiously towards them.
“We invite all our guests to share the evening meal with us on the terrace,” Aradin said, pointing towards the main building of the inn. “Join us there when you have settled into the lodging house and fed your horses.”
The black-hat strangers gave a nod of appreciation before entering the lodging house with a small sack of personal belongings.
Rhuna’s group returned to the main building in silence, and then reported their observations to the Atlan representatives in the back of the main room.
“They are polite and friendly,” Rhuna remarked.
“They speak the Atlan language proficiently,” Goll observed.
“I sensed no threat from them,” Yarqi added.
“Hmm,” Protector of Remembrance said when he had listened to everyone’s descriptions and impressions of the mysterious visitors.
“Perhaps they have a plan of attack,” suggested Greeter of Friends.
“There are only two of them,” Stillness of the Lake remarked.
“They could be very powerful Mages sent here to kill Atlans,” Preserver of Faith said grimly.
“Further observation shall reveal the facts,” Protector of Remembrance stated, and then turned to Rhuna and Aradin. “Proceed as usual for regular guests, and we shall observe from a nearby hidden vantage point.”
Rhuna obeyed the senior Atlan and assisted Kiana with the food preparations for the evening meal. While Aradin tended to the flatbread in the oven, Yarqi and Mohandu set out the bowls and plates. Goll and Panapu lit the terrace lamps and set out the low table and seating cushions and before long, the mysterious guests arrived.
“Do sit down!” Aradin said in his most charming manner. “Will you not remove your large hats? They appear to be rather cumbersome.”
Rhuna stopped what she was doing and looked at the visitors with their ridiculously big hats. She waited in anxious anticipation of the Mages’ reaction.
“Do pardon us,” Zal said politely. “But we never remove our hats in public. They constitute the fundamental belief structure of our fellowship.”
; Rhuna smiled at them without understanding Zal’s explanation, and then proceeded to place the large serving pot of vegetable stew in the centre of the table.
“You have unusual names,” Goll commented when everyone was seated. “Is The Welcomer your title or part of your name?”
“It is both, actually,” Zal replied. “My personal name is Zal, yet in my capacity as a welcomer of visitors to the Black City I also carry this title as a name.”
“But everyone calls him Zal Welcomer,” Pari interjected. “And they call me Pari Orator.”
“That is interesting,” Mohandu said with a gentle wobble of his head.
Kiana appeared at the table with a large plate of flatbread, and then served the stew with a heavy ladle.
“Mmm, this bread is good,” said Pari appreciatively as they began to eat and make general remarks for the sake of polite conversation.
“You came with horses, not camels,” Mohandu commented. “It is the first time we have seen anyone with horses.”
“Most traders on this route have camels, that is true,” Zal replied. “Yet horses are commonly used by the nomadic people of this land.”
“And some Ling-Yu people also have horses,” Pari added. “You have met some Ling-Yu traders already, have you not?”
“Yes, several caravans have already been our guests,” Aradin replied.
“You will soon see many more caravans this season,” Zal said as he dipped his flatbread into his bowl of stew. “The busiest trade season has just begun.”
“We didn’t know that,” Aradin replied. “In fact, we are novice innkeepers.”
“We thought so,” Pari said with a smile.
“This is the reason for our visit,” Zal said, putting his eating utensils down and looking directly at Aradin and Rhuna. “We would like to offer advice and assistance so that your fine establishment will be successful.”
“That’s very kind of you,” Rhuna said, smiling.
“Your success is our success,” Pari said, returning Rhuna’s smile.
Zal reached into the front of his garment and pulled out a drawstring pouch. “You will need more food and other supplies, even animals for meat and milk,” he said as he opened the pouch. “You can obtain the goods you need with these.”
Zal let several metal chips slip from his hand and clatter onto the table.
“What are they?” Rhuna asked. “I’ve never seen such things before.”
“This is the Medium of Exchange in our city,” Zal answered. He picked up one of the metallic pieces and held it up for Rhuna and Aradin to see in detail. “They each have the same mark stamped onto them.”
Rhuna looked at the small disc between Zal’s two fingers and noticed that it had a different design on each side.
“It looks like silver,” Aradin remarked.
“It is a silver alloy,” Zal nodded. “On this side is the symbol of our city – a sun and moon in a partial eclipse, and on the other side…” Zal turned the disc around. “…the sun containing a star with two rising moons on each side.”
“What does that mean?” Rhuna asked.
“It is the symbol of The Immortal One,” Zal answered.
Rhuna’s blood ran cold as she recognized the Dark Master’s designation since stepping into the past time period.
“Who is The Immortal One?” Goll asked innocently.
“He is our teacher and spiritual leader,” Pari answered proudly.
“Where is he?” Goll asked casually.
“All around,” Zal answered as he put the Medium of Exchange down and raised both hands in a gesture of omnipotence. “He is everywhere and nowhere.”
Rhuna smiled once more as she struggled to understand.
“And we can trade with these?” Aradin asked, picking up the Medium of Exchange to examine its shape and thickness.
“Yes. Other traders obtain the Medium of Exchange along with trade items, and use the Medium to obtain goods from other traders who, in turn, come to the Black City with the Medium. It makes trade so much easier,” Zal said with a broad smile.
“We heard that in order to trade in the Black City one must give a token of some sort to the Mages,” Goll said carefully. “Are you Mages?”
Rhuna caught her breath at Goll’s bold question.
“We are the Black-Hats,” Pari answered. “We belong to the Black-Hats Fellowship, which is connected to the Bond of Mages.”
“The Mages have great powers, yet we do not,” Zal explained. “The Mages wear black from top to bottom, while our black Hats identify us as their operatives.”
“Their operatives?” Yarqi repeated, puzzled.
“Yes. We assist and serve the Mages in any way they require,” Pari answered.
Zal raised one of the pieces of Medium of Exchange and held it up for everyone to see. “When you make certain trade transactions in the Black City, it is required that you forfeit a small portion of your gains to us,” Zal explained. “One piece of Medium of Exchange should be given to the Mages or their operatives for every ten pieces.”
“I see,” Aradin said.
“We also heard that Atlans must not enter the Black City,” Goll stated. “Is this true?” he asked innocently.
“It is true,” Zal replied. “It has been a fundamental rule in our teachings for many generations that Atlans in the Black City or in its close proximity must be killed.”
Rhuna gasped unintentionally. “That sounds shocking,” she said apologetically.
“It is a necessary rule that we must enforce,” Zal replied.
“However, it has not been enforced in a very long time,” Pari quickly added.
“Do not be disturbed,” Zal said soothingly. “You are safe here.”
Rhuna looked questioningly at the two operatives.
“We know that you are part-Atlan,” Pari explained. “It is in your features.”
“So…we can stay here at the inn, but not come any closer to the Black City?” Aradin asked nervously.
“That is precisely so,” Zal confirmed.
“But you can come and trade on their behalf,” Pari said, looking at Goll. “And he as well,” she said, pointing at Panapu at the far end of the table.
“And the older woman who brought the delicious bread,” Zal added.
“My mother?” Rhuna
“She is not Atlan,” Zal stated.
“No, she isn’t…” Rhuna wavered as she imagined Kiana going to the Black City.
“They can accompany us tomorrow, when we return to the city,” Pari said cheerily. “Take the Medium of Exchange which we give you for tonight’s meal and accommodation, and use it to obtain the goods and supplies you need.”
“I require more parchment, ink and writing implements,” Goll said excitedly.
“Our city has everything that you could possibly need or desire,” Pari said proudly.
“Even musical drums for Mohandu, and also a stringed instrument?” Yarqi asked.
“We have many musical instruments in our city,” Zal confirmed.
“Maybe we can get some fowl, and another goat or two,” Rhuna suggested.
“Fowl and small animals are numerous and require very little in exchange,” Zal said as he gathered all of the metal discs in both hands, returned them to the pouch and then placed it firmly on the table between Aradin and Rhuna.
The Black-Hats returned to the lodging house after expressing appreciation for the fine meal, and Rhuna hurried inside the main building where the others had watched and waited. Rhuna, Yarqi, Mohandu and Goll related the conversation with the operatives of the Mages, while Aradin opened the draw-string pouch to show them the Medium of Exchange.
“They said that The Immortal One is their teacher and spiritual leader,” Rhuna said.
“And that he is everywhere and nowhere,” Yarqi added.
“A spiritual leader,” Protector of Remembrance repeated thoughtfully. “It is a significant expression,” he said as he stroked his white beard.
&n
bsp; “On the surface everything appears to be harmless,” said Mohandu cautiously. “They say that as Black-Hats, they are only the Mages’ operatives and are without powers.”
“But they would kill any Atlans who come near the Black City, apparently without questioning their old rule,” Rhuna said.
“People obey contradictory rules,” Preserver of Faith admitted thoughtfully. “The blind belief in a harsh rule or principle does not preclude goodness, peace and harmony.”
A brief silence followed as the Atlan representatives examined the Medium of Exchange that Aradin handed them.
“The Medium of Exchange is a fascinating concept,” Aradin remarked. “And we need certain goods and supplies; more than we are acquiring simply from our guests. If the Black-Hats can help us…”
“It appears to be a harmless and even generous gesture,” Stillness of the Lake said. “Yet we should not become complacent, especially when everything appears to be innocent.”
“Goll and Panapu are not Atlans, and therefore pose no threat to them,” Greeter of Friends commented.
“Let them go to the city,” Protector of Remembrance said after a moment of thoughtful consideration. “Unless they do not wish it,” he added quickly.
“I wish it!” Goll said excitedly. “I do not fear the Black-Hats, nor the Mages.”
“Me come to protect,” Panapu said, slapping the wooden club at his hip, hidden under his vest.
“And you, Kiana?” the senior Atlan asked, looking across to the washroom where Kiana was busy.
“Do you want to go with Goll and Panapu to the Black City tomorrow and get more food and other supplies?” Rhuna asked her mother as she looked up.
“Me?”
“You’re not Atlan, so nothing can happen to you if you go there,” Rhuna explained. “But you don’t have to…”
“I will go,” Kiana said cheerfully. “I haven’t seen much of the world so far, and that Black City you always talk about sounds special.”
“But you have to beware of the Mages,” Rhuna warned. “Don’t wander off on your own!”
“I’ll stay with Panapu,” Kiana replied. “He can protect Goll and me.”
Rhuna- Black City Page 22
