“The ships shall sink?” asked Charmer of Snakes, delighted.
“Apparently in an unforeseen storm,” the other answered with a wicked grin.
Rhuna’s chest tightened until she could barely breathe.
“My daughter! She’s aboard one of the ships!” Rhuna cried out.
“Wait! There are more images!” said Divider of Fortunes.
Rhuna pressed her hand over her mouth to suppress a scream of anguish, and then held her breath as she watched the next image emerge. She saw the Dark Ones led by Beacon of the Night placing model ships in a large tub of water, some of them commenting on how realistic the models appeared.
“Now make gigantic waves!” enthused Charmer of Snakes as another Dark One pushed the water with a plank of wood. At the same time, the entire group began to chant and then speak strange incantations Rhuna had never heard before. The model boats tossed about wildly and most of them capsized, prompting cheers and laughter from the Dark Ones.
The image faded, and when the water returned to normal, Rhuna let out a groan of despair.
“We have to do something to save them! To save my daughter!”
“How? We can’t speak a message because they are unable to use the Gazing of the Waters while the ship is constantly moving on the water!” said Roses of the Field.
“Damell! He will know! Maybe we can stop them the same way he showed me how to intercept the message Tozar spoke to the innkeeper in the land of the isthmus!”
“What is this you are saying, Star Child?” asked Revealer of Truths with a concerned frown.
“It appears you have not shared important events with The Observers,” stated Divider of Fortunes gravely.
Rhuna began to explain that she was advised by her father not to reveal certain things when they were startled to hear a knock on the door. Alarmed, Aradin quickly jumped towards the door and then asked loudly who stood on the other side.
“Avenger of Justice!” came the reply. Rhuna gasped and jumped to her feet as Aradin opened the door.
“Pardon the interruption,” Damell said as he quickly looked at The Observers’ startled faces.
“On behalf of the Observers, I bid you a warm and heartfelt welcome, Avenger of Justice! It is indeed a great pleasure!” said Divider of Fortunes standing up to shake the revered Atlan’s hand.
“The pleasure is all mine, I am sure,” said Damell politely, and then turned to Rhuna. “It is a matter of great urgency which brings me here,” he said gravely.
“You know about the Dark Ones’ attempt to sink the Atlan fleet!” Rhuna exclaimed.
“May I request your indulgence, as there is no time to waste!” he said urgently, looking at The Observers.
“Father, can we stop the curse somehow? Like we did in The Infinite with Tozar’s message?”
“Indeed, My Daughter, this is the only way,” he said severely.
Aradin stepped in front of The Observers who remained respectfully silent. “We shall explain about the Infinite afterwards,” he told them.
Rhuna’s body throbbed with fear and excitement as she released her Consciousness into The Infinite, anxious to save her daughter from certain death before the Dark Ones’ curse took effect. Damell reached his hand out to her in The Infinite, and she understood that he was guiding her to a place where colours shifted continuously in shades of light and dark.
“We are on a level between the material and ethereal planes,” her father’s thoughts entered her mind.
“What does this curse look like?” Rhuna asked her father telepathically, wondering whether it would look like Tozar’s message.
“We shall see in a moment,” answered Damell, as he continued to guide Rhuna through clouds of changing colours, densities and factions of dark and light.
“There it is!” Damell said triumphantly.
Rhuna thought she would have been breathless if her Extended Consciousness could breathe. Before her loomed a dense and dark mass, moving with angry, ferocious jerks as explosions of light shot out from its interior.
“The storm to sink the ships!” exclaimed Rhuna in awe, and then felt overcome by despair, feeling completely inadequate to stop the massive bundle of pulsating energy.
“We must transform it with our minds,” Damell said forcefully, prodding Rhuna to pull herself out of the momentary despondency.
“The same procedure when transforming elements such as water to stone,” Damell instructed her. “A difficult task even for the First Atlans, but you have mastered it in the physical world, and therefore you shall succeed in The Infinite!” Damell said firmly.
“What should I transform?” she asked, suddenly unsure of her abilities. The tumultuous storm made Rhuna think she was hearing extremely loud roaring, and communicating with her father felt like shouting through a windstorm.
“The noise is only your mind’s interpretation of what you sense,” Damell told her, knowing her thoughts. “The wind, lightning and compressed air can be transformed in the same way as water, stone and metal. You are able to change it!”
“But I never did anything like that before!” Rhuna said in dismay.
“Proceed, Rhuna! I am here with you, attempting the very same procedure, and together we shall succeed!” Damell said forcefully.
Rhuna focused all her energy on the individual parts of the simulated storm and visualized the elements changing their structure, exactly as she always did when transforming stone or metal. She imagined dissolving the compressed air into light, breezy air particles, and weakening the lightning by disrupting the current of energy that connected the particles. When nothing appeared to change after a while, Rhuna concluded that the mass of particles was too great. Suddenly, she remembered the thin metal screens that Roaming the Hills said were used to amplify and focus sound vibrations onto a certain object. She visualized several large metal screens like the ones she had seen, and before long, Rhuna saw them in front of her. Reaching out, she was able to lift, hold and turn them with merely one hand. Directing her concentrated mental energies to bounce off the screens towards the dense air and lightning, she renewed her attempt to change the particles.
After a while, Rhuna sensed that something finally began to change. She noticed the intensity of the dark colours in the thunderous mass becoming transparent and turn a lighter shade of grey and purple. Then the lightning flashes were reduced to mere flickers, like candles in the wind. She continued projecting her mental energy until everything looked bright, translucent and calm.
Rhuna willed her Extended Consciousness to return to her body, and she slowly sat up with a deep sigh of relief. She looked to her side where her father was also rising from his cushions and smiling with deep satisfaction.
“Did we really stop the storm?” Rhuna asked breathlessly as the enormity of their feat suddenly struck her. “We stopped a giant storm that the Dark Ones created, and now Lozira is safe!” she said to everyone in the room who had been watching in stunned silence.
“Yes, My Daughter,” said Damell with a smug grin. “We accomplished a great feat today!
“What has been achieved?” asked Divider of Fortunes with bewilderment. Rhuna looked around the room at the wide-eyed Observers, and then sat upright to explain to them what she had learned from her father.
“This is incredible!” Revealer of Truths gasped in awe.
“We have never heard of such things!” Designer of Works said with slight alarm.
“It is overwhelming!” said Softness of the Clouds shaking her head.
“Is it a forgotten Atlan skill, perhaps?” asked Echo of the Evening as he nervously fiddled with his outer garment.
“Some believe that the First Atlans possessed this knowledge and developed the skill of accessing The Infinite,” nodded Damell in response.
“In my homeland of Varappa I heard stories about such things, but no one understood them properly,” Aradin said.
“You can all imagine the
power one can wield with this knowledge,” Damell said in a serious tone. “It is therefore imperative that the Dark One’s followers do not learn of this.”
“Yes, of course, Avenger of Justice! We shall hold this in utmost secrecy!” said Reaching the Moon, and the other Observers nodded and murmured their agreement.
“You have done well in keeping your use of hallucinatory herbs secret from everyone,” Damell said.
“For the same reasons,” Aradin answered. “We cannot give the Dark Ones any advantage, not even the suspicion that we have the ability to observe them when they think they are hidden from any summoning.”
“Let us summon images by means of the Gazing of the Waters in the present time to confirm what we believe has transpired,” Damell suggested.
The Observers promptly moved to their positions around the basin of water and looked questioningly at Damell. Without the assistance of powders or incantations, Damell merely focused his concentration onto the water’s reflection, and almost instantly the usual swirls of colour appeared.
Rhuna held her breath, anxious to see whether the storm had completely vanished. First, she saw the fleet of ships bobbing on the rising waves, with the sunshine brightly reflected on the water and parts of the ships. Rhuna sighed silently with relief as she observed the blue sky as far as the image revealed, and then wondered what the Dark Ones would think of this development. She watched the various images closely and waited to see Lozira, who was in conversation with two other Atlan women on one of the ships, completely unaware of the devious plot to sabotage their voyage.
After lengthy animated discussions about their newly-acquired insights, The Observers prepared to leave the special room and share a meal in the main part of Rhuna’s lovely home. Damell told them that he would also remain to eat, and turning to Rhuna, asked to see his grand-daughter at last.
Overjoyed that Lozira was safe, and that now her father could finally sit and eat a meal with them, Rhuna rushed to tell Faleesh and then whisked Shandi out of her sleeping cot. Before Rhuna could say a word, Shandi gave a happy squeal and stretched out her arms to embrace the grandfather she had never seen.
“It’s as if she already knows you!” remarked Aradin surprised.
Damell took the little girl in his arms and let her kiss his cheek and then pull his beard.
“Why are you surprised?” Damell asked Aradin. “She can not only foresee the future,” he said as he stroked her hair fondly. “She has insight that not even I have yet attained.”
“Insights?” Rhuna asked, looking at her small child with amazement. “Like…my mental visions?” she wondered.
“Hmm, similar,” Damell answered, smiling. “You shall understand when she is able to speak more and express herself better.”
Rhuna helped Faleesh prepare the meal for their guests outside in the courtyard garden where two large trees provided shelter, and rose bushes nearby exuded their rich fragrance. The abundance of variety in the dishes Faleesh had prepared reminded Rhuna of The Reigning One’s feast. She breathed in the warm air mingled with the aromas of cooked leek and garlic with roasted meats, and for the remainder of the day she felt wonderfully elated.
“Do you ever miss Atlán?” asked Roses of the Field. Rhuna answered no, and said that she was very happy in Safu.
“I like the diversity and mix of people here,” she went on to explain to the pale-haired Healer whose compassionate eyes always made Rhuna feel at ease. “So many various games and activities all the time, the warm climate and this lush vegetation,” she said looking around at the blossoming garden and shade trees in the neighbourhood. She noticed that the birds were singing noisily, and the sound blended with the light-hearted conversation of friends enjoying good food together.
As they ate sweet fruit for dessert, Rhuna looked across at her father who had held Shandi on his lap during the whole meal. The little child appeared to be completely at ease and happy with her grandfather, as if she had known him all of her short life. Rhuna concluded that Shandi must have known about Damell with her special gift of insight.
As evening fell and the friends took their leave, Rhuna’s thoughts returned to serious matters and she entered the quiet solitude of her sleeping chamber. She took the position for Inside Focussing on a seating cushion on the floor and began her mental summons to observe the Dark Ones in connection with their attempt to stop the Atlan ships. Almost immediately, she perceived the dark and musty room in which the Dark Ones performed their secret activities, hidden from the Gazing of the Waters.
“The storm has not materialized as expected!” exclaimed Progress of the Wind.
Beacon of the Night muttered a curse under his breath.
“Why not?” asked Charmer of Snakes, his brow in deep creases as he shook his head with incomprehension.
“Perhaps the distance,” offered Progress of the Wind. “It is the first attempt to alter matter at such a great distance.”
Beacon of the Night looked at him and then slowly nodded. “Yes, this may be so,” he said gloomily. “Yet we shall not be deterred!” he said determinedly as he turned and prepared to leave the dark room. “Let us not forget our many successful attempts, and continue striving for success in distant and more difficult situations.”
Rhuna opened her eyes and realized that she was thoroughly exhausted all of a sudden. She let herself flop onto the bed and fell asleep almost instantly.
Some days later, a messenger from The Reigning One’s residence appeared in front of Rhuna’s house, beckoning her to attend.
“To escort Queen Uxbana on a viewing tour of Safu,” the messenger told her, taking Rhuna by surprise. She decided to dress more appropriately, then kissed Shandi and Aradin before walking briskly behind the messenger. As she walked, she noticed that the gardens were being tended everywhere, in preparation for the warmer seasons ahead. The Safu garden arrangements were so different from those in Atlán, but their simple geometric shapes and straight lines suited the style of buildings in Safu.
“See The Reigning One first,” the messenger said as he directed Rhuna towards one of the Attendance Halls in the grand stone building. The high ceilings and columns gave the rooms a light and airy feeling instead of the heavy and oppressive atmosphere usually created by large stone blocks.
Rhuna stepped inside the Attendance Hall where The Reigning One was seated, stiff and motionless as usual. Several attendants stood around him, one holding a drinking vessel and ewer, and another approached Rhuna to usher her to the visitor’s chair.
“My soldiers have reported unnatural occurrences and physical afflictions when accompanying Ubanti traders into Safu,” he boomed. “Certain Atlans appear to be responsible for these events.”
Rhuna nodded in acknowledgement of the blunt statement, and then explained that a new Atlan Council was on its way to Safu.
“The Atlan Council has the responsibility and authority to sort this out and make it right,” she told him.
“Hmm,” he responded brusquely, and then waved the subject away with a quick gesture of his fingers.
“Queen Uxbana desires your company on her tour of Safu,” he said in the same tone. Rhuna answered that she felt honoured by this privilege, and then followed one of the attendants to a stately room where Uxbana was waiting.
“Ah! You have the wonderful textile!” Uxbana gushed when she saw what Rhuna held out to her as she approached the Queen of the Ubanti people. She immediately began to feel it with her long slim fingers, then unfolded the fabric to view the pattern and colours. “Splendid, splendid!” she said with a wide grin.
After bombarding her personal Ubanti attendants with instructions in their own language, Uxbana indicated that she was ready to view Safu, and together they followed The Reigning One’s attendant to an elaborately decorated carry-seat.
Uxbana sat tall and regal in all her finest regalia, making Rhuna feel small and ordinary. They proceeded along the wide, tree-lined street from The
Reigning One’s residence to the Atlan part of Safu, where Rhuna’s house was located.
“The roads are so smooth and exactly straight!” she exclaimed, making Rhuna smile. “How is it done?” she demanded to know.
“When there is no rock to quarry nearby, we can transform either sand, soil or even water sometimes,” Rhuna began. “Usually, we make moulds for the sand or water so that we get the same size of blocks or paving stones.”
“But everything is so accurate and straight! How is it done?”
“Simply a string held tight at both ends,” Rhuna answered.
“Aha!” Uxbana said exuberantly. “Not with the mind power, but with string! Even we Ubanti can do that!” she laughed heartily.
“Now, the buildings with very big stone blocks,” Uxbana said pointing to one of the grand homes with large courtyard gardens. “It is not possible to lift such heavy stones. How?” she demanded to know.
“With our mental powers we can transform the magnetic earth energies that are all around us, and that makes anything in the area we focus on become weightless or at least light enough to lift easily.”
“Oooooh,” Uxbana said, fascinated.
Rhuna directed the attendants along streets where other buildings for production could be viewed, explaining which one was a granary where wheat and barley were prepared and ground into a fine meal, and which one was for slaughtering and preparing meats. When they neared The Great River, Rhuna showed her some of the irrigation and dam walls, and then pointed across to the far shore where irrigated fields of crops and vegetables grew.
“We can learn a great deal from Safu,” Uxbana said with a firm nod of her head.
After viewing the part of the river set aside for swimming, then the large and flat grassy plain used for a variety of games and physical agility competitions, Rhuna directed the attendants to take them to the pyramids.
“Aaaah! The pyramids! So tall, so high! The gold on top of this one – how?”
Rhuna, The Star Child Page 12
