Shandi looked up at Rhuna as if she had seen something exciting.
“Lozira,” she chimed, and Rhuna looked down at her, startled.
“How do you know that name, Honey Cakes?” she asked.
“Lozira on boat!” she said happily.
Rhuna thought for a moment, and then asked Shandi if she knew who Lozira was. Shandi nodded and smiled. “Your daughter!”
Rhuna was stunned. The bald attendant looked at Rhuna questioningly.
“She’s learning to talk,” Rhuna said, dismissing Shandi’s words.
The man nodded and chuckled. “Of course! Very good child, very good!” he said smiling.
The wind had eased by the time Rhuna arrived at the pyramids, but the rain fell incessantly, and Rhuna directed the attendants to take shelter under some large canvas tents that had been quickly erected due to the rain.
She looked up at the Golden Pyramid and felt the same deep awe she had the first time. The sight of the colossal structure in gleaming gold, even on a dull and wet day, always stirred something deep inside her.
Underneath the large make-shift canvas shelters and tents Rhuna saw the usual food and drink merchants selling their products, and seating cushions on rugs had been placed in an enclosed area nearby. Rhuna was glad to finally step down from the carry-seat and take Shandi by the hand to walk around the food and drink stalls.
After trading some small items she always carried in a drawstring pouch, Rhuna took the food and water, as well as a small toy Shandi had seen, to the seating cushions in the enclosed area out of the wet wind. Shandi began to play with her new toy, which Rhuna assumed was a small animal made out of various textiles. Rhuna slowly ate the date and barley cakes she had chosen, and watched the activity all around her, surprised that not even the rain and wind could dampen the sellers, merchants and other people who regularly gathered for various reasons at the base of the pyramids.
A white Masters Robe caught Rhuna’s eye, and as the man came nearer, she recognized his white hair.
“Possessor of Discernment!” she called out, and then feared his reaction as she remembered the Atlan High Council’s pronouncement that it was forbidden to talk to her.
“How pleasant to see you again, Keeper of Wisdom!” said the old man with warm sincerity, immediately putting Rhuna at ease. His blue eyes were as clear and energetic as she remembered, and she apologized for not coming to visit him since their last meeting several solar cycles past. He waved away her apology, saying that he was aware of her changed circumstances.
“The Little One…what a delightful child!” he said bending his long and lean stature to look at Shandi more closely.
“Such big round eyes! And round pink cheeks,” he said with a happy chuckle, and then reached out to stroke Shandi’s hair.
“White hair!” said Shandi, looking up at the aged Atlan. “Are you old?” she asked him with wide and innocent eyes.
Possessor of Discernment first stood upright and then leaned backwards as he let out a roar of laughter. His contagious laughter made everyone within hearing begin to laugh as well. When the white-headed Atlan bent down again, Shandi showed him her new toy and asked if he knew what animal it is. Still chuckling, the highly-esteemed Atlan Master, viewed as the ultimate source of knowledge about the Pyramids, flopped down on the rug next to Shandi and began examining her toy.
“What big ears it has!” he said in mock amazement, making Shandi giggle and pull its ears. Happy with this situation, Rhuna left her daughter in the old Master’s care and strolled around the area within the shelter of the tents. Some people looked at her with recognition, while one or two Atlans looked away when she approached. The hurt of being unjustly condemned by her former husband who sat on the High Council of Atlán still burned deep within her, but she had been unable to defend herself and clear her name without exposing the activity of The Observers and possibly endangering their lives.
Pushing aside these anguishing thoughts, Rhuna strolled further along until she saw a group of young Atlan Masters she had not seen before. Three men and one woman, all in bright white Masters’ Robes, were huddled together in intense conversation. One of the men spoke with animated hand and arm gestures, and the woman spoke with an unusually deep voice. Rhuna remembered her father mention New Arrivals from Atlán, and she decided to approach them carefully, perhaps only close enough to hear their conversations.
Rhuna pretended to be waiting for someone, and sat down near the group while looking in another direction. She strained her hearing so that she could understand the Atlan group’s discussions.
“The Golden Pyramid merely requires activation by means of the correct vibrational frequency in order to produce static Lightning Force, which may then be distributed to the stone-shaping devices,” Rhuna heard one of the men saying.
“New energy sources must be established in other Atlan colonies,” said the woman with the deep voice, and Rhuna began to feel alarmed by their use of strange words and expressions.
“Lightning Force shall be revolutionary!” exclaimed the man with wildly animated gestures, and Rhuna felt compelled to look at him, trying to understand the meaning of his words. When she was unable to return to her pretense of looking out for someone in the other direction, the group fell silent and turned to look at her.
“Oh,” said Rhuna, uncomfortable at having been discovered so quickly. “I couldn’t help overhearing your speech about strange things,” she said, hoping they would not react with hostility.
“Feel free to join us!” said the animated man, gesturing for Rhuna to sit next to him in the tight circle of Atlans.
“Really?” she asked nervously.
“Certainly,” said one of the other men. “Our discussions are not secret. However, our terminology may appear to be secretive due to its exclusive use by only a few Atlan Masters knowledgeable in the fields of natural forces and mathematics.”
Rhuna looked at the man who had spoken and experienced a strong feeling of recognition. As she cautiously took a seat within the circle she remembered that she had seen his face in the visions The Observers had summoned the previous day. She took a deep breath to hide her sudden fear as she realized that at least one of the Atlan Masters in her close proximity was a Dark One involved in making curses and amulets.
“Permit me to introduce ourselves,” said the animated man whose pink cheeks gave the impression of having partaken of intoxicating beverages. “My name is Ruler of Numbers, and as my name suggests, I am learned and skilled in the art of Mathematics.”
“Mathematics?” Rhuna repeated the new word carefully. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that. You studied this in Atlán?” she asked, baffled.
“Most certainly so!” he said proudly. “It is a New Knowledge which expresses everything in numerical values. I am self-taught, as a matter of fact,” he said proudly. Then he gestured to the man opposite, whom Rhuna had already recognized as a member of the Dark Ones. “May I introduce you to Progress of the Wind.”
Rhuna greeted the man she had seen in her visions, observing how the daylight removed any sinister qualities, and his white Master’s Robe gave him a pure and honest appearance. She quickly surveyed his face, concluding that his fair hair and beard, along with clear blue eyes, made him fit in with the average Atlan man.
“He is also self-taught in the study of Natural Forces,” added Ruler of Numbers.
Rhuna was too surprised by these words to hide her identity any longer. “In all the time I was in Atlán, I never heard of this New Knowledge. It must have only come about in recent solar cycles, since I’ve been here in Safu,” she said.
“You have lived in Atlán?” asked the woman with a frown of suspicion. “You appear to be a native of Safu…or some other place…” she said, scrutinizing Rhuna intensely.
“Indeed!” said Progress of the Wind. “Your appearance is unconventional for someone from Atlán.”
“I am half Atlan,”
Rhuna responded. “I grew up on Chinza, but I was brought to Atlán where I learned all the traditional skills.”
A flash of recognition passed from one face to the next like a ripple in a pond.
“Oh!” said the pink-faced mathematician, wide-eyed and excited. “Are you…are you not Keeper of Wisdom?” he stammered.
Rhuna answered yes and waited with bated breath for their reaction. One of the men who had been seated with them rose to his feet and walked away without a word.
“Ah! It was not unexpected that we may encounter you here in Safu,” said the woman with formal politeness, and after slight hesitation, introduced herself as Roaming the Hills.
“My area of expertise is the nature of sounds, such as frequencies and harmonies,” she said, and Rhuna sensed an air of self-importance about the lean woman with deep-set eyes.
“Prior to our departure from Atlán, we were instructed to avoid you, even shun you,” said Ruler of Numbers.
“I know…’’ said Rhuna flatly.
“We consider ourselves to be New Atlans, pioneering the new ways, not only in Knowledge, but also in matters of social relationships and behavior,” said Roaming the Hills. “Unfortunately, our colleague who has departed struggles with the old bonds,” she added, referring to the man who had left them and taken a seat in a nearby tent.
“Old bonds?” Rhuna asked, getting very curious. “It sounds like you have broken away from the traditional Atlan ways,” she said, and then looked at Progress of the Wind whom she knew to be far removed from Atlan ways.
“It is indeed so,” said Ruler of Numbers, his head wobbling with exaggerated nods. “It has come to our attention that increasingly fewer Atlans inherit their forefathers’ traditional Atlan powers,” he explained, and Rhuna raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Yes,” he continued. “For this reason, my colleagues and I have studied the New Knowledge in order to reproduce the great works of our forefathers by other means within our capabilities.”
“So…” Rhuna thought for a moment. “The things I heard you talking about: Lightning Force, new energy resources…this is the New Knowledge that can reproduce the works of the traditional Atlan Masters? How?”
“As an example, if I may,” began Progress of the Wind with sudden enthusiasm. “We are planning the building of complex devices empowered by the energy of the pyramids that can cut and mould stone!”
Rhuna saw the sincere passion for his project in his glowing face, and tried to reconcile this with the vision she had seen of him with the other Dark Ones.
“One of the energy resources is Lightning Force!” he continued eagerly. “The dynamic energy of a lightning bolt in the sky can be created by other means, and once it is harnessed, the lightning can be distributed to operate devices!”
“But what are these devices?” she asked, struggling to keep up with the new words and expressions. “And how can anything replace or do the same things as the Atlan powers of transforming elements with the mind?”
“You must come and see for yourself, Keeper of Wisdom!” gushed Ruler of Numbers with a grand gesture of arms and hands. “May we invite you to our work station and show you the stone-cutting machine?”
Rhuna said she would be very interested to see it, and thanked them for the invitation. The men described the location of their work site, and suggested she visit in the first part of the sun’s daily arc. After some more casual conversation, Rhuna returned to Possessor of Discernment who was still playing with Shandi, and appeared not to be aware that she had left them for a while.
“Possessor of Discernment, I must ask you some questions!”
“Most certainly, Keeper of Wisdom!” he said happily, and moved into a proper seating position. Rhuna sat down beside him, lifting Shandi onto her lap, and began to describe her encounter with the New Arrivals.
Possessor of Discernment nodded slowly and then asked whether Rhuna remembered their last conversation several solar cycles in the past.
“You mean about the old saying that Atlans would disappear one day?”
“Yes, Keeper of Wisdom,” began the white-headed old man as he inhaled loudly. “The Ancient Wisdom of the Atlans predicted this event precisely, namely that it is the Atlan powers which shall disappear from this world, not the Atlan people. The descendants of present-day Atlans shall continue to prosper and multiply, only without the powers Atlans have come to take for granted,” he explained.
“I can’t imagine that,” said Rhuna, deep in thought.
“Yet you are seeing these events unfold before your very eyes, Keeper of Wisdom,” said Possessor of Discernment as he gestured in the direction of the New Arrivals. “They are the first generation of Atlans without powers, yet this lack impels them to pioneer new ways which will be essential for the future of Atlán, indeed the entire world of humankind!”
The elderly Atlan’s words filled Rhuna with an odd mixture of fear and awe.
“This will be a big change and adjustment for Atlán,” she said, trying to express her feelings.
“An upheaval and revolution of immense proportions such as have never occurred, nor shall occur ever again,” Possessor of Discernment said with a quiver of awe in his voice, and Rhuna felt a tingle race up her spine.
For a fleeting moment, Rhuna wanted to tell him about her father, whom Possessor of Discernment had instructed in traditional Atlan ways, as well as revealing the secret chamber in the pyramid which had enhanced Rhuna’s abilities. Instead, she said that she would like to come to the pyramids more often, now that Shandi was no longer a small infant.
“There’s so much I want to ask you all of a sudden!” Rhuna said with excitement over the old man’s far-reaching knowledge of matters no one else appeared to possess.
“Come, by all means! You must ask, and I shall impart to you all the vital knowledge you require,” he said smiling, and then looked down at Shandi. “Bring the child with you!”
Shandi perked up, raising her arm to reach the old man’s white beard. “White hair!” she giggled with delight, and then held up her new toy again.
“Precious Child!” Possessor of Discernment said warmly as he patted Shandi’s head. Rhuna saw the bond between them, and asked whether the Atlan had any children and grandchildren.
“No, I have none,” he answered flatly.
Rhuna took Shandi’s hand and motioned to the attendants that she was ready to return home. Before dismissing them, she asked the bald attendant to take some herbal medicines she kept in the house and deliver them to the woman she had examined. She gave him further detailed instructions on how to take the herbal tinctures, and asked him to repeat them. When he confidently repeated the instructions word for word, Rhuna was satisfied and thanked the attendant for running this special errand.
The rain continued to splatter on the paving stones of the garden courtyard as Rhuna prepared the evening meal and let Shandi take a nap. After telling Aradin about her day, and then listening to his account of his business transactions, Rhuna said that she wanted to summon visions of Lozira by means of the Gazing of the Waters.
Rhuna entered her own small chamber where she practiced Inside Focussing, and where a dark corner held another water basin. She lowered herself on the seating cushion in front of the basin and began her usual routine of first summoning for any messages. She closed her eyes to focus her mental energy for a brief time, then watched the swirling colours in the water. When the water cleared to show only clean water, she let out a sigh and realized that she missed the regular communication with other Atlans which she used to enjoy in solar cycles past.
Taking a deep breath, she re-focussed intently on her first daughter in Atlán, summoning visions of her recent activity. Rhuna’s chest tightened every time she saw visions of Lozira, and she was reminded of the intense pain she felt when Tozar ordered her to return home to him and then the even deeper pain when he forbade her from communicating with her. The water in the basin promptly responded wi
th the usual swirls of changing colours which then turned opaque before clearing to reveal the visions.
Rhuna saw the tall and slender figure of a young woman whose hair was always in a different arrangement, and who wore a variety of accessories in complementary colours. Rhuna fondly remembered how Lozira’s passion for colours and clothing, as well as hair arrangements, had helped her to choose garments and accessories when she stopped wearing the Atlan Master’s robe.
In the vision of the Gazing of the Waters, Rhuna saw Lozira with some friends during a break at school discussing lessons and then making plans for a get-together outdoors that evening. Rhuna took note of her general happy appearance, and how her daughter had become confident and sensitive to other people’s wishes and opinions.
A second vision formed in the water, and Rhuna watched Lozira choose textiles and discuss with an older woman what style of attire she would like to make out of it. After a third vision showing Lozira at home, practicing Inside Focussing and then doing general daily chores, Rhuna concluded that her first daughter’s life was still going well, and that there were no foreseeable changes or problems.
Rhuna returned to her own daily chores and routine, and then entered the dimly-lit special room where Aradin was already waiting. He slid the switch at the door in place and then opened the hidden compartment under a floor rug where the hallucinatory herbs were kept.
“You go first,” Aradin said, as he carefully measured the correct amount and inserted the herbs into the smoking tube. Rhuna took it from him without a word, and then focussed her mind intensely on the open end. Almost instantly, the dried herbs began to smoulder and then turn into a small fire.
“What exactly should I try to summon in my visions?” she asked Aradin as she took the smoking pipe to her mouth.
Rhuna, The Star Child Page 6
