“They are too proud…” Greeter of Friends replied with a deep shrug of his shoulders.
“But those people might be dying in these terrible conditions!” Rhuna said alarmed. “I’ll tell Harbinger of Solace,” she said, using Tozar’s formal Atlan name by which he was known to everyone else. “And I can summon a vision of them by means of the Gazing of the Waters to find out how they are,” she said, quickly turning to find Tozar.
“We shall summon the Gazing of the Waters immediately,” was Tozar’s predictable reaction when Rhuna finished relaying the news to him. “Tell Morning Glory and Traverser of Deserts,” he told her as he strode towards one of the community buildings.
Rhuna ran to find her friend, then found the Atlan guides finishing their morning meal in a nearby courtyard.
“What is it?” asked Lozira when she noticed the urgency in everyone’s movements.
“Some of the Gakkans are lost in the mountain wilderness,” she answered, and watched the shock in her daughter’s face change to fear and then horror.
“What…what happens when you get lost?” she whispered.
“It depends…” Rhuna began, and then told Lozira to return to her friends making Celebration decorations. “Morning Glory will stay here with you until I get back,” she assured her.
Rhuna rushed into the community building that housed the small chambers for the Gazing of the Waters, and stopped when Tozar emerged from behind a dark and heavy curtain.
“My first impressions are positive,” he told Morning Glory and the Atlan guides who had waited outside the small room.
“We should embark immediately to rescue them,” said Traverser of Deserts decisively.
“Accurate and varied images must first be summoned by the Gazing of the Waters to determine their precise location,” Tozar responded, and then looked at Rhuna. She entered the curtained room as he stepped aside. “Attempt to summon visions of surrounding terrain which the guides may recognize,” he told her.
Rhuna breathed in deeply to calm her mind, and then opened her eyes in the dimly-lit chamber which contained only a basin of water on a pedestal. She focussed her mental energy on the group of lost Gakkans, and then looked down into the basin of water as the surface began to swirl in different colours. When the opaque stage began to fade, Rhuna caught her breath at the sight of ravaged people desperately clinging to life.
Most of the people Rhuna saw in the visions by means of the Gazing of the Waters were elderly or infirm, but some were also small children who cried incessantly in the coldness. A few of the able-bodied men had kept fires burning, but Rhuna saw that their supply of firewood was almost gone.
The image in the water changed, and then revealed more of the surrounding terrain so that Rhuna could understand their predicament clearly. The group of about thirty huddled people was trapped between a sheer rocky cliff-face and impassable deep snow. Remembering Tozar’s words, Rhuna focussed once more on the surrounding landscape until further images began to appear in the Gazing of the Waters.
“I can’t describe it well,” she told Traverser of Deserts when she emerged from the small chamber. “In the background I saw a tall peak, like a short, curved knife.”
“Like a knife?” replied Morning Glory, puzzled. Traverser of Deserts frowned deeply for a moment, and then his face lit up.
“Their location may be on the other side of a landmark we have recorded and identified in our travels,” he said with hopeful excitement. “Allow me to also attempt to summon a vision,” he said as he stepped past Rhuna into the dark little room.
Before Rhuna knew it, she was at Tozar’s side leaving the charming new settlement and following Traverser of Deserts and his fellow guides back into the rocky wilderness. Behind her, another group of Atlans and two Gakkans led donkeys carrying ropes and a variety of other equipment for the rescue.
“We can reach their location faster by walking alongside this small stream,” Traverser of Deserts said after he had surveyed the terrain from a small nearby peak. Rhuna and the rest of the group obeyed silently, following their leader’s footsteps with special care.
Rhuna thought she had never experienced such a long silence among a group of people, even though her head echoed the whistle of the wind above, and the gurgling gushing of the stream at their feet. She found it unusually difficult to walk alongside this stream because no track had been laid by any predecessor, and in that instant Rhuna felt she understood the hardships, challenges and also rewards of being a guide like Traverser of Deserts.
“There!” called out one of the guides from the head of group.
Rhuna hurried to catch up to the point where the guides had stopped to evaluate the problem of rescuing the stranded Gakkans. As she reached a point where she could look across the deep soft snow, she saw several arms waving frantically at her.
“Don’t worry – we’ve come to help you!” Rhuna called out instinctively, remembering only later that the Gakkans could not understand the Atlan language. The cheers and happy smiles of the trapped Gakkans nevertheless conveyed that they understood Rhuna’s words.
“Let us consider all the factors,” Tozar cautioned sternly. “The snow is too soft and deep to traverse safely,” he said as he began to enumerate the problems.
“Even without this layer of snow,” Traverser of Deserts added, “…the layer of ice above the lake here is too thin. It would break under the weight of one or two people, and death is certain to ensue quickly.”
“Yes,” responded Tozar with a deepening frown.
“The cliffs behind them are too high and treacherous,” commented one of the other guides.
“Furthermore, it would take an extra day for us to reach the cliff-face side, and these people have reached the end of their endurance already,” spoke another.
“You mean we aren’t able to rescue them?” Rhuna asked, alarmed.
“No,” Tozar responded quickly. “We are still evaluating the situation.”
“Atlan Masters have often succeeded in melting snow,” began Traverser of Deserts in deep thought. “Most Atlans are able to create heat and fire with a mere thought.”
“Removal of this large amount of snow can cause further problems,” Tozar speculated. “The heat used to melt the snow would also melt the layer of ice below, and most probably a strong current of flooding water would make any chance of a rescue even more remote.”
“Can we transform the snow into something else then, if we can’t melt it?” Rhuna asked, looking back and forth between Tozar and the guides.
“Snow is the most difficult to transform due to the added complication of temperature which must be exact to maintain its consistency…” Tozar said heaving a sigh.
“Do you think I could do it?” Rhuna asked, remembering the times her extra skills helped the rest of the Atlan Masters in trapping the Dark Master.
“Do what?” asked Tozar, startled.
“Transform the snow into…something hard that they can walk over?”
“Something hard? Like stone?” Tozar’s eyes widened.
“The First Atlans transformed water into building stones, didn’t they?” Rhuna responded.
“You may well be able to replicate the feats of the First Ones, yet the added factor of temperature…”
“I’ve done if often before,” Rhuna interjected. “Sometimes I use my transforming abilities to affect the cooking temperatures of foods, and also speed up the icing of water in the hot season.”
“What did you do?” asked Traverser of Deserts incredulously.
Rhuna merely nodded, and suddenly Tozar roared with laughter. “She really could do it!” he said to the guides. “Come, Rhuna. Practice Inside Focussing to hone your mental power,” he said excitedly as he guided her aside to an area where she could sit down comfortably.
“Give her some sweet cakes and drinks,” Tozar ordered the guides, who momentarily remained standing as they stared bewildered at Rhuna.
“We have never heard of su
ch things,” said one of the guides as he hurried to fetch the sweet cakes and drinks they had packed for the Gakkans. Rhuna ate a handful of sweet cakes, then drank some fruity beverage until she felt the sustaining power of the sweet foods in her body and mind.
“I’m ready now,” she said to Tozar, and prepared herself for an important session of Inside Focussing. She breathed in deeply, sensing the cold, fresh air and drawing mental energy from it. She found her deep and silent inner mind, and let her breathing continue to draw physical energy inwards where it invigorated her mental strength.
After a while, Rhuna knew she was ready for the challenging task ahead, and opened her eyes. Tozar stood nearby waiting, and then ushered Rhuna towards a point at the edge of the frozen lake.
“Look along here,” he told her. “This is where you should focus your energies to transform the snow into something solid. Make a bridge for the Gakkans to cross safely!”
Rhuna looked at the expanse in front of her, and although it appeared to be a short distance, she knew that the snow was deep and soft, impossible to pass. She kneeled down to touch the snow, sense its density and temperature, and then she felt ready.
Standing straight and facing the trapped Gakkans across the snowy void, Rhuna focussed her mental energy onto the snow at her feet. She visualized the particles of icy water being transformed into stone while the temperature remained almost constant.
“Yes, it is becoming solid!” called out one of the guides standing near the snow-covered lake.
“Continue in this manner!” urged Tozar.
Charged with the thrill of success, Rhuna channelled her accumulated mental energy onto the next section of snow along the corridor indicated by Tozar.
Rhuna continued to visualize the transforming of snow to stone, excluding any other thought, until she felt there was no more snow on which to focus her concentrated mental energy.
“It is done!” Tozar exclaimed triumphantly, and then embraced Rhuna tightly for a brief moment.
“We must first test its strength,” said one of the guides, while another guide gathered some wooden poles with coloured ends. Rhuna watched with bated breath as one of the younger guides took one small step at a time across the newly-formed stone bridge, poking one of his wooden sticks to each side as he trod.
Soon, another guide followed the first, placing the coloured wooden pegs on each side of the stone bridge.
“Well done, Keeper of Wisdom!” beamed Traverser of Deserts when he received the signal from the guides that the bridge was safe from one end to the other.
Before long, the guides assisted each of the Gakkans across the bridge, being careful to stay within the coloured marker pegs on each side. Some of them were too weak to walk, and Tozar helped in carrying some of them to the stretchers that had been tied to the donkeys.
As soon as each member of the rescued group reached the other side, Rhuna gave them sweet cakes and beverages to nourish and strengthen their bodies quickly. She thought of the journey back to the settlement, and hoped they would reach it before sunlight faded.
Rhuna’s feet and back ached as the Atlan rescuers dragged or carried the weary Gakkans back to their new settlement. Although the sun had set, Rhuna could see the pretty coloured lights from the courtyard in the near distance, and the sight re-invigorated everyone. Morning Glory and other Atlans who helped settle the Gakkans in their new home had kept a vigil, and quickly came to meet the rescuers on the main path.
Finally, when the welfare of the ailing and fragile Gakkans had been attended, and Rhuna examined some of them in her capacity as a Healer, the senior Atlans gathered around to speak through Greeter of Friends.
“Did they not know their weak and elderly were missing until this morning?” asked Tozar.
“Someone must have been missing them!” Rhuna added.
Greeter of Friends shook his head sadly and repeated the stance of independence the Gakkans valued so highly. “They fear that to accept help from others would make them weak…dependent on the others in some way…” he attempted to explain.
“Everyone needs help some time in their lives,” Rhuna replied. “It doesn’t make you weak or dependent. We help each other every day – it creates a strong bond, deep trust and a feeling of true contentment and freedom. Freedom from fearing that you owe something to others, or that you’re not living up to others’ expectations.”
“That was beautifully said,” Greeter of Friends said as he looked at Rhuna admiringly. “I shall attempt to translate your words to Gak and his family. As he did so, Rhuna watched the Gakkans listen, then look at each other and give a careful nod of agreement. Finally, Gak spoke slowly and carefully to Greeter of Friends, and Rhuna waited eagerly for his translation.
“Even though they do not fully understand your words – yet – they instinctively feel that you are right, and that the Atlan Way is good.”
“You can take part in the Atlan Way tomorrow, at the Celebration of Cakes and Colours,” Rhuna said, and waved her arms around at the colourful decorations around the community courtyard.
The day of The Celebration of Cakes and Colours began at sunrise, with individuals and groups performing songs, dance music and drama plays about celebratory events in the history of the Atlan Empire. Rhuna watched proudly as Lozira took part in one of the plays, and marvelled how quickly she had learned to speak a considerably large part in only a few short days.
Everyone took colourful containers, jugs and textiles as they desired or needed, and sat with them on the prepared seating cushions throughout the courtyard and community buildings. Atlans and Gakkans alike chatted, laughed and embraced each other in celebration of all the good things they could enjoy. During the day they ate roasted meats, baked vegetables, freshly-baked breads with rich butter and drank hot milk with herbs and spices. Later in the day, cakes of all kinds were available in abundance, and young men walked around serving warm fruit drinks with herbs and spices from gourd and leather carriers.
“It is time for you to play the Vuda,” Tozar said teasingly to Rhuna.
“I wasn’t going to bring it…that was your idea!”
Tozar laughed and urged her to step onto the performance platform with her instrument. Despite the cold air which made her fingers numb, they soon warmed up when she strummed the strings and prepared to play one of her favourite songs. She quickly overcame her nervousness after hearing the first notes she plucked; a sound like crystal clear water drops tinkling like glass beads.
As Rhuna stepped down from the platform, she looked up in surprise when she saw Morning Glory approach her with a big smile.
“I have made a new song about what happened yesterday!” she beamed. “Sit down and listen!”
“Really? I didn’t know you had such talent for making up new songs!” Rhuna exclaimed, feeling proud of her childhood friend. She sat down between Tozar and Lozira, then watched Morning Glory strum her instrument which resembled a vuda but produced a deeper and more rhythmic sound. And then Morning Glory began to sing:
Gak and his people came from far away,
Searching for a better and happier life,
And to keep the hunger and cold at bay.
Across harsh and rocky hills they walked,
Until at last they met some men from Atlán,
Whose words were foreign when they talked,
One of them soon found a way to be converse,
So Gak could hear about the City of Atlán:
For him, the greatest news of the universe!
Gak and his people to Atlán they came,
But left some behind in the cold and snow,
When the old and infirm became lame.
Lost and desperate, alone in the cold,
Only one of the Atlan Masters could do it,
Even though she was not at all old,
And with her special power and wit,
She made out of snow a brand new bridge
To save Gak’s people before they quit.
All together again on Celebration’s Eve
Gak and his people have a new home,
And a new life they can hardly believe!
Never again through rocky hills to roam,
In safety and comfort, never to leave.
Rhuna looked around and saw Greeter of Friends busily translating the song’s words to Gak and his family, and she thought a few times Gak’s eyes moistened with tears.
In that moment, a wonderfully warm feeling flooded over her, and she felt connected with not just the Atlans and Gakkans in the new settlement, but with all people in the Atlan Empire celebrating in the same way at the same time. She looked up and saw the dazzling clear night sky above her, and it seemed like the bright stars were all blinking at her in happy approval.
* * *
The Celebration Page 3
