“Never shall the people of Ubanti become a colony or become subservient to another people!” Uxbana shouted, spraying spittle into the Atlan man’s face as she turned and strode out of the Attendance Hall.
Sun of the Morning shot the man an angry look before turning towards Rhuna.
“A private word,” she said sternly, and Rhuna stepped aside to let the other Council members pass her as they left the room.
“Harbinger of Solace has given us specific instructions,” she began. Rhuna noticed the many fine wrinkles around her eyes and lips which deepened when she scowled.
“His daughter, Melody of the Dawn, is to return to Atlán at the earliest convenience! Furthermore, she is being prevented from summoning his messages, and we have been given due authority to fulfil his wishes,”
“His daughter? She is as much my daughter, too!” Rhuna protested angrily. “And I am not preventing her from summoning his messages. She is afraid to summon any messages – afraid of returning to Atlán, returning to her father!”
“What is wrong here?” Aradin asked as he entered the Attendance Hall and stood next to Rhuna. “I thought you might need me,” he said softly to her as he placed his arm supportively around her.
“Harbinger of Solace has given us clear instructions to carry out,” Sun of the Morning repeated, her face showing contempt for Aradin.
“She does not want to return to him,” Aradin said as gruffly as he could manage.
“The High Council of Atlán has set this command!”
“First you said it was by order of Harbinger of Solace, and now by the entire High Council,” Aradin said, tightening his grip around Rhuna. “Which is it? And since when does one member speak for the entire Council?”
“You cannot force my daughter to return to Atlán!” Rhuna stated firmly.
“You must! It has been deemed the only right action in view of your…status among Atlan society, and the banishment enforced against you!” spat the angry woman.
“No! I will not make her leave, and I will not make her summon her father’s messages if she doesn’t want those things!”
“What about respecting the will of others – isn’t that a prime Atlan principle?” interjected Aradin.
“In cases where the person is young and inexperienced, this respect is waived,” Sun of the Morning snapped.
“In all my solar cycles living in Atlán, I never heard of that exception,” Rhuna said as hatred for the woman grew rapidly inside her.
“This is the land of both my people, the Benshi, and the Atlan residents,” boomed The Reigning One’s voice behind them, startling everyone in the room, including his attendants. “There shall be no forcing of wills upon others in this land,” stated The Reigning One. “Take your petty squabbles out of my residence,” he ordered Sun of the Morning, who was taken aback and immediately left the room without another word.
Rhuna walked silently outside with Aradin until they reached the outer courtyard area. “You are disobeying an order directly from the High Council of Atlán?” Sun of the Morning asked viciously, her eyes darting between Rhuna and Aradin.
“I am refusing Harbinger of Solace’s request to have his daughter sent back to him,” Rhuna answered, glaring back at the woman.
“We are done here,” Aradin interrupted sharply, and took Rhuna’s arm as he began to walk away.
“They can’t force us to do anything, can they?” Rhuna asked as they walked home.
“No,” they can’t. That woman is full of hatred towards you, and it’s making her unreasonable,” said Aradin.
“Let’s not even tell Lozira about any of this!” Rhuna said after a while. ”She seems so happy right now, and so relieved to be here, thinking she is safe!”
Part Five
(Lozira)
Rhuna sat on the floor practicing the special breathing exercises her father had taught her, and then slowly opened her eyes as she finished the last cycle of breathing. She looked out onto the courtyard garden, feeling refreshed by the mere sight of lush green leaves and the vibrant colours of fresh blooms. A gentle breeze wafted past her, bringing with it a subtle fragrance of the roses in the garden.
Behind her, a door opened and the footsteps Rhuna knew belonged to Lozira made her heart leap with joy once more. The deep contentment of her daughter’s presence outweighed the injustice she suffered from the Atlan Council’s scathing condemnation of her at the Council Address.
“I went out with some old friends from the Creative Arts School,” Lozira began, and Rhuna turned to listen, relieved that her daughter appeared to be unharmed by the stress of escaping her father.
“We went to the pyramids and that’s where I saw Beacon of the Night,” Lozira continued. “So I thanked him for speaking in your defense at the Council Address.”
“You spoke with Beacon of the Night?” Rhuna interrupted with more alarm in her voice than she had intended.
“Yes. Is there something wrong with that?” Lozira asked defensively.
“At the Council Address I couldn’t tell you about Beacon of the Night,” Rhuna said, standing up and preparing to tell her daughter the unpleasant facts about her former teacher. “He has done wrong things in the past, and also now. He is not as he seems,” Rhuna said carefully.
“He told me you would say that about him,” Lozira responded, and Rhuna’s head snapped back in shock.
“You spoke to him about me? What else did he say?” Rhuna asked sharply, trying to quell the alarm that was rising inside her.
“He told me about what he did when he was your teacher, and that he was banished from Atlán for what he did,” Lozira said firmly.
“He told you that? Why?” Rhuna asked, sounding more aghast than she had intended.
“Why not?” Lozira retorted angrily. “We had a nice long conversation about everything.”
Rhuna once again felt as if the earth shook beneath her feet.
“Lozira! You can’t talk to him – him of all people!” Rhuna shouted.
“Why not?” Lozira retorted, her face reddening with outrage.
“He is the leader of a group of Atlans involved with those amulets!”
“That was discussed at the Council Address,” Lozira responded quickly. “But it does not sound like something so very wrong,” she added with conviction.
“But you heard what Sun of the Morning said about Atlan principles and why it is wrong and dangerous!” said Rhuna, puzzled by her daughter’s casual dismissal of fundamental Atlan ways. “He is a dangerous man, Lozira!”
“I do not agree!” she retorted with a firm pout as her cheeks flushed again.
“There is more…just don’t talk to him again, Lozira!” Rhuna implored her daughter, wishing she could tell her the knowledge about her former teacher she had acquired by means that must still be kept secret.
Seeing Lozira’s deflated expression, she calmly added, “there are so many other Atlans in Safu you could meet and befriend.” Lozira nodded and appeared to shake off her momentary disappointment as she turned to enter her sleeping chamber.
The following morning, as Rhuna was washing her hair with the luxurious soaps and oils Aradin had procured for her, she heard someone approach the door of her home. After a moment, Faleesh entered the washing chamber to inform Rhuna that a messenger requested her attendance at the Atlan Council building. Startled, Rhuna hurried to finish washing and dressing appropriately, feeling apprehensive as she prepared to leave.
Rhuna entered the Council building, hearing the echo of her footsteps in the empty and cavernous interior. The new Atlan Council members were seated on cushions in an alcove especially designed for more intimate discussions.
“Harbinger of Solace believes that you intercepted both his messages to the innkeeper at the land of the isthmus,” Sun of the Morning said without a greeting as Rhuna lowered herself onto a seating cushion. She looked at the Council members’ faces and then noticed Sun of the Morning
’s creases around her severely pursed mouth.
Rhuna felt shocked and deeply confronted by the hostile faces, and needed a moment to regain her composure. Remembering her father’s words to keep The Infinite secret, she finally managed to shake her head.
“No. No, of course not! How could a message be intercepted?” Rhuna stammered as her heart began to race.
“It is obvious that you have acquired far more power than even some of the greatest Atlan Masters in our known history,” Sun of the Morning continued, still glowering at her.
“Yes, I suppose so, but…”
“You discussed curses and amulets with the Benshi,” said Stealth of the Fox.
“Yes. I have been helping them. I’m a Healer and I do what I can…”
“Did you put a curse on anyone?” challenged one of the other Council members.
“No!” said Rhuna adamantly.
“The Council is investigating all unusual and inexplicable occurrences in Safu, and in every matter we examined, you are involved,” stated Stealth of the Fox, his thin lips disappearing behind his bushy beard.
“I have been trying to stop the curses!” Rhuna blurted, trying surreptitiously to wipe her sweaty palms.
“What can you tell the Council to assist in these investigations?” asked another member sitting behind Sun of the Morning.
Rhuna realized that there was little she could say without revealing the secrets of The Observers and consequently putting them in danger from the Dark Ones. She shrugged and began to ramble about visiting the Commoners’ part of the city where she had tried to heal a woman who believed she was cursed.
Shortly thereafter, Rhuna was dismissed with the warning that she would most certainly be recalled for further discussions. She rushed back to her house, needing the security of her comfortable home where Aradin was waiting.
“They will find out the truth,” Aradin tried to reassure her. “In time, everything will be revealed, I’m sure,” he said as he held her. Rhuna nodded and decided that she should continue with the day she had planned before being called to the Council building. Taking the position on the floor in front of the window overlooking the garden courtyard, Rhuna began the relaxation techniques her father had taught her.
When she felt sufficiently relaxed, she moved into the position for Inside Focussing so that she could summon mental visions of the Dark Ones’ activities, as she had been doing daily.
“We shall abstain from causing curses and charging amulets,” said Beacon of the Night in Rhuna’s mental vision.
“The Atlans cannot prevent it!” hissed Charmer of Snakes angrily.
“We can impede them, should they interfere with our goals!” said another member of the Guardians of Knowledge.
“We have learned enough from these activities. It is time to progress to greater things!” Beacon of the Night said with decisiveness, and Rhuna observed how the other members respectfully submitted to his will.
Every morning, Rhuna watched Lozira as they gathered around the food table, noting her choice of fine clothes, accessories and hair arrangements each day. She never tired of watching Shandi comb and stroke Lozira’s long golden hair, and it warmed her heart to see both her daughters share such a loving bond.
“Are you going to the Creative Arts School again today?” she asked Lozira as they ate.
Lozira looked up, somewhat startled, and then shook her head. “No, I haven’t been going to the School,” she answered. “Just meeting new friends, going to watch ball games; things like that.”
“It must feel good to have a normal life again, like other young women, eh?” asked Aradin with a broad smile. Lozira nodded firmly as she chewed on some juicy pomegranate seeds.
“You could come with me to The Reigning One’s residence today and see your grandfather again,” Rhuna suggested. “You’ve only met him once so far,” she added, thinking of the brief gathering in her home the day after Lozira’s arrival.
“Oh…but I made arrangements…” Lozira said hesitantly, and Rhuna quickly waved her hand dismissively.
“Go ahead and enjoy yourself,” Rhuna said cheerfully. “I need to talk to Damell about a serious matter anyway.”
As soon as Faleesh had cleared away the dishes of the morning meal, Rhuna kissed Aradin and her two daughters before going to visit Damell in his private chambers at The Reigning One’s residence. She had been distressed about the Council’s accusation the previous day, and needed to tell her father how she felt.
“Very astute of him,” Damell said when Rhuna finished telling him that Tozar suspected her of intercepting his messages to the innkeeper at the land of the isthmus. “Yet it is merely a guess, as there is no evidence, and no way to ascertain what happened. Except by accessing The Infinite, of course,” he said with one of his mischievous smiles.
“It felt awful having to lie,” Rhuna said, remembering her racing heart and sweaty palms.
“At times it is necessary,” Damell replied. “We must weigh the importance of each issue against the other, consider the consequences and choose the wisest course, even if it appears wrong to some, or has temporary ramifications.”
Rhuna thought about her father’s words in silence for a while as they sipped some rich fruit nectar seasoned with spices.
“Rhuna,” her father said after a while, and she sensed he was about to tell her something of a very different and unusual nature. “Your mother has died recently; did you know?”
“My mother? In Chinza?” Rhuna was taken aback by the mention of her mother, and merely shook her head. “I haven’t even thought about her in a very long time. But how do you know?”
“It has been my custom for most of my lifetime to observe all my loved ones, both near and far,” he said with a tender smile.
“Loved ones?” Rhuna repeated, suddenly unsure what she should be feeling.
“Yes, loved ones,” Damell nodded and looked at Rhuna intently. “You bear scars from your childhood with her,” he stated simply. “It can be observed in The Infinite.”
“Really?” Rhuna asked with amazement.
“A person’s feelings, mental state and many other aspects of a person’s being can be detected in The Infinite, with knowledge and experience.”
Rhuna thought of the colours, patterns and varying degrees of light that often accompanied the things she perceived in The Infinite.
“Everyone perceives these colours and lights differently, yet with time and experience, you shall learn what they represent,” he explained, and then took another sip of his fruit nectar.
“You do not inquire about your mother’s death?” Damell asked after a moment.
“Oh, of course. What happened? She wasn’t so old. Was she ill?”
Damell nodded and looked at her intently in silence.
“You would benefit from releasing suppressed anger and fear in connection with your mother,” he stated.
“But not right now,” she said quickly, surprised at the intense unease that had come over her.
“Instead,” she said, quickly regaining her composure, “maybe you could tell me about the time you met my mother, and why you were in Chinza in the first place. You were hiding from Gatherer of Sage, the Dark Master…”
“Not hiding,” he retorted promptly. “It is time to relate those experiences, as they are still relevant and even important in the present.”
Damell set aside his drinking vessel and sighed as he gently reclined on the seating cushions. He closed his eyes as he recollected the events of around forty solar cycles past.
“Gatherer of Sage had been banished from Atlán, yet everyone was always talking about him in those days,” Damell began. “There had never been an Atlan Master so knowledgeable, so powerful and highly esteemed as Gatherer of Sage, so they said. It shook the entire Atlan society to the core when he…changed…and was banished as a result.
“At this time, I had been here, in Safu, studying Atlan traditio
ns with Possessor of Discernment. He was the same even then,” Damell observed with an affectionate smile. “He told me about the special secret chamber which would enhance my power and skills.”
Rhuna recalled her own conversation with Possessor of Discernment when she first arrived in Safu, and how she entered the small chamber of the pyramid, curious what special enhanced abilities would be bestowed upon her.
“Afterward, my mental energy overflowed and exploded with every burst of emotion. Clay pots cracked as I walked past them, glass shattered and mirrors cracked when I became merely a little agitated!” Damell chuckled at the memory, and Rhuna remembered that her experiences with her new power were the same until her father entered her life and showed her techniques to control it.
“Being young and impulsive, I thought it was my duty to pursue Gatherer of Sage and prevent him from causing more suffering and turmoil in lands beyond the Atlan Empire. This required someone with equal powers to his, and after the pyramid increased my skills, I was the only Atlan Master who qualified for this mission.”
“A mission?” Rhuna interrupted. “You were sent?”
“No, no, Daughter. It was a mission I took upon myself, believing it to be the reason I was granted special increased powers,” Damell answered, shaking his head slightly.
“Ah, what foolishness and arrogance are bound up with youth!” he said with a heavy sigh as he continued his reminiscences.
“My mental summoning of visions allowed me to observe Gatherer of Sage when other Atlan Masters could not do so by means of the Gazing of the Waters.” Rhuna recalled that this had happened to her as a young adult already, long before entering any special chamber in a pyramid.
“When I observed some Atlan Masters journeying to the distant and remote island of Chinza and begin to make statues in the likeness of Gatherer of Sage, I promptly set forth in pursuit. Yet during my long ocean crossing, it became apparent to me that the Dark Master – as they had begun to call him then – was elsewhere on the Great Ocean. Before we could change course, severe tropical storms pummeled our small fleet of ships, and several people drowned.”
Rhuna, The Star Child Page 15
