“Bigger and badder,” echoed another.
“The buildings move and change like people,” Kiana commented. “One moment here, one moment gone, or maybe there – or there,” she said pointing in various directions with her finger. “No wonder the people are crazy!”
“Crazy,” nodded one of the men with a full mouth.
“Bad crazy,” mumbled another.
“Yet people come because they must trade in the city,” Aradin stated. “Do you also use the Medium of Exchange?” he asked the Farsan men.
“Yeah, yeah,” they mumbled with full mouths as some of them hungrily ladled more stew into their bowls.
“Can’t do our business without it,” grumbled one of them. “They control all the trade along the route!”
“Is that so?” asked Aradin with raised eyebrows. “Do you mean…the Mages control the trade now?”
“Yeah, them.”
Rhuna looked at Aradin as she sensed he was also thinking of the Dark Master’s devious ingenuity to put people under his control.
“But we not stay there,” said one man angrily. “We happy to stay here – with good people. Good food!”
The other men nodded and chuckled as they gobbled up the entire stew and flatbread.
Aradin and Yarqi lit the torch lights around the terrace as the sun made its final descent. Rhuna looked at the darkening sky, admiring the dramatically changing colours across the horizon. She turned her head to look at the main building of the inn, and saw a pink glow on the sandstone walls which reminded her of orrichalcum, the red gold of Atlán.
In that moment she was startled to see Tozar and Stillness of the Lake approach them from the house carrying plates of more food, and she assumed that the Atlan representatives no longer feared being recognized as Atlans. Behind them, Protector of Remembrance and Greeter of Friends looked on, standing with Damell and Lozira as she tuned her new stringed instrument.
“Oh, very fine!” said one of the men when they recognized the familiar and local sweet food. Rhuna recognized the crispy dough and creamy filling they had first enjoyed in Axla with Ogul and his family.
“We have heard of the suddenly-appearing buildings in the Black City, but I – we – have not been there yet,” Stillness of the Lake began cautiously as she referred to herself and Tozar. “What can cause such a strange phenomenon?”
“Ah, it is the Mages,” answered one of the men. “They have special powers. Like the people in a faraway land who make buildings with their mind.”
“Make buildings with their minds?” Stillness of the Lake repeated.
“That is the saying, yes.”
“Perhaps you mean the Atlan people,” Tozar suggested.
“Ah yes, them,” nodded the men.
“So, the Mages are Atlans?” Stillness of the Lake prodded gently to glean more information from the frequent visitors to the Black City.
“Suppose so,” the man answered, shrugging his shoulders.
“They have magic,” said another.
“What is magic?” Tozar asked with genuine curiosity.
“Magic is what the Mages do. Do things that we, ordinary people, can’t do,” explained one of the men.
“Ah, I see,” Tozar said in a friendly manner. “The language that we are speaking now, is it not also the language of the Atlans, and thereby also of the Mages?”
“Hmm,” the men pondered a moment. “Suppose so. It is the language we hear in trade in this part of the world.”
“You have never spoken to the Mages then?” Aradin asked.
“Sure, sometimes,” one of the men answered. “They speak many languages.”
“Interesting,” Aradin commented as everyone reached for another piece of sweet food.
“We also heard about Sula-tana,” Stillness of the Lake continued. “Do you know what that is?”
“Yeah, yeah,” the men said in unison. “We know about the Sula-tana, of course! Sula-tana is a leader. Not like ruler or judge…like…” the man gestured to the open sky above him. “Like big leader of other rules.”
“A spiritual leader?” Stillness of the Lake asked.
“Yeah, like that!”
“So you know about this spiritual leader.” Stillness of the Lake continued to gently push the traders into revealing what they knew.
“Sure. We have Sula-tana believers in our land, too.”
“Believers?” Stillness of the Lake asked.
“Sure. Believers. People who believe Sula-tana will come and bring peace to all the world,” one of the men explained.
“Bring peace to all the world?” Tozar repeated with a frown.
“Make all problems go away!” another man said with a laugh.
“You don’t believe it?” Aradin asked the laughing man.
“Nah, we not believers,” another man answered. “Too much bad in world now. Not fix by one person only.”
“But the…believers…they believe Sula-tana will fix all problems and bring peace?” Rhuna asked, her voice shaking slightly.
“Yeah, that’s what they believe.”
“Why do they believe such a thing?” Tozar asked, still frowning.
The men shrugged their shoulders as they finished their sweet food.
“Maybe Sula-tana great Mage, greater than them,” suggested one of the men, pointing in the direction of the Black City.
“Oh. The Sula-tana is going to get rid of the Mages?” Stillness of the Lake asked.
“Don’t know. Maybe. Good. Yeah, that would be good,” chuckled a few of the men as they nodded and finished their beverages.
“Has anyone tried to get rid of the Mages before?” Tozar continued to press carefully.
“Hmm, long time past, maybe. Yeah. Yellow-Caps. They come, try to take city.”
“The Yellow-Caps?” Rhuna asked, recalling her visions of the Dark Master attacking and killing people dressed in bright yellow clothes and hats.
“They people from Ling-Yu. They try, but got kill.”
“People from the Ling-Yu Empire,” Tozar repeated thoughtfully.
“Part of Empire. Not good land nowadays. Many little lands with Ling-Yu people.”
“Ah, the Empire has broken up,” Aradin surmised.
“Yeah.”
Rhuna looked up when she heard the strum of stringed instruments, and saw Lozira and Mohandu approach.
“Would you like some music now?” Aradin asked politely.
“Oh yeah, yeah!” the men cheered together as they clapped their hands gleefully.
Mohandu sat down on the paving stones of the terrace and positioned his set of small drums in front of him. Lozira sat nearby, gently strumming a few strings before beginning one of the popular Atlan songs she had sung for their previous Farsan guests.
Rhuna felt the tinkle of plucked strings and rhythmic beat of drums like physical sensations on her body, and she realized how much she had missed hearing pleasant music. Lozira’s voice added an almost dizzying sensation of euphoria, and she closed her eyes for a short time to fully appreciate the wonder of music.
“Oh, she’s very good!” gushed one of the traders when Lozira finished the first song. The other men nodded and clapped in agreement.
“Do you know any Farsan songs?” asked one of the men.
Lozira shook her head apprehensively, afraid to disappoint the guests.
“We can teach you!” said another man as he began to clap a melodic rhythm with his hands. Soon, the terrace was vibrating with cheerful music and voices as even the Atlan representatives sat down nearby to observe and enjoy the new and unfamiliar musical sounds.
The music finally stopped, and the guests stood up yawning and rubbing their full bellies. Rhuna felt she was pulled down to the ground after soaring on a higher level buoyed by the delightful music and singing.
“What a wonderful evening!” Rhuna said softly as she slowly stood up. She helped the others collect the plates and food bowls from the terrace table, and then extinguished the outdo
or lights when the chores were done. Inside, Shandi had already gone to sleep on some cushions as Preserver of Faith sat nearby.
“I can take her,” Kiana said with a stifled yawn. “We’ll both go to sleep now.”
“You’ve had some very big days,” Aradin remarked as he gently woke Shandi and helped her stand up.
“Very big,” Kiana agreed. “I’m going to have dreams about that horrible place,” she sighed. “The worst thing was that black place in the middle. The Con…con.”
“The Conflux,” Goll said from the corner of the room where he sat at a low table writing in the light of two candles.
“Yes, that thing,” Kiana said with a shudder.
Rhuna remembered the uncanny black structure with twisted spires and unnatural shapes.
“We saw it, too,” she said. “The Mages came running out of it, and the sight made me think of poisonous spiders coming out of their nest.”
“Bah!” Kiana shuddered again. “It’s the Dark Master’s place; you can tell.”
“How can you tell?” Aradin wondered.
“The building – it looks like the Dark Master’s inside: dark, disfigured, warped, twisted, angry and aggressive,” Kiana said, choosing her words carefully to describe her impression of the Conflux.
“He is from our time,” Shandi said sleepily, and then took Kiana’s hand as they left to ascend the stairs to the upper level of the inn.
“She has said that several times already,” Aradin remarked when Kiana and Shandi were out of sight.
The Atlan representatives gathered in their usual corner as Rhuna and Aradin sat opposite them, ready to discuss the evening’s events.
Suddenly, the far door to the back of the main building opened and slammed. Goram’s angry footfalls on the smooth tiled floor echoed throughout the room. He stopped in front of the gathering, and Rhuna noticed that he was covered in a fine layer of sandy dust.
“You missed hearing Lozira sing some beautiful songs,” Rhuna told him.
“I heard,” he grunted.
“You should have come outside with the rest of us,” Rhuna continued.
“Am I the only person actively striving to defeat the Dark Master?” Goram bellowed in anger. “While you idly sit, eat and be entertained, I labour to finish the time portal and pyramid which present the only opportunity to thwart the Dark One and his work!”
“You prevented us from assisting you in the construction work!” Protector of Remembrance reminded Goram with a glare. “Furthermore, we do not sit idly,” he continued firmly. “We continually glean information about the Black City, the Mages and the Dark One’s many strategies in order to plan various counter-measures.”
“Even tonight, despite the Farsan traders’ general lack of knowledge, we have gained more insight,” Stillness of the Lake added.
“What was most significant about their statements?” Protector of Remembrance asked the group as he ignored Goram.
“They think the Mages are Atlans because of their powers,” Aradin said.
“They used the word ‘magic’ to describe the constant changes in the Black City,” Yarqi added.
“And they said Sula-tana is a spiritual leader who has believers,” Rhuna said. “They are people who believe that Sula-tana will bring peace to the world, and there are believers in the land of Farsa, too.”
“Most interesting,” Stillness of the Lake said with a frown.
“But why would the Dark Master set up Rhuna as a spiritual leader?” Aradin wondered. “He is the spiritual leader of the Mages, but surely he does not want any competition!”
“Distraction,” Goram said firmly. “As I said before.”
“Yes, I can see how it could distract me, and also some of us, from our main goals,” Rhuna agreed hesitantly.
“The Sula-tana believers from the Ling-Yu Empire shall soon hear from the traders who were our guests and who recognized you as the Sula-tana,” Protector of Remembrance said, stroking his beard. “Perhaps more believers shall come here to see you,” he said, looking at Rhuna.
“But I don’t know what I should do!” Rhuna remarked feebly.
“We shall advise you, when the time comes,” Preserver of Faith said reassuringly.
Tozar cleared his throat in the brief silence that followed.
“The traders mentioned Yellow-Caps,” he began slowly. “They appear to be the yellow-clad people from the Ling-Yu Empire who opposed the Dark One in the distant past, according to oral history and also Rhuna’s visions.” Tozar paused. “Perhaps we have a potential ally in the Ling-Yu people,” Tozar suggested.
“Pah! You can deliberate and plan all you desire,” Goram huffed. “…while I accomplish what no one else can!”
Rhuna watched Goram sadly as he stormed towards the stairs, removing his outer clothing along the way in readiness for a bath. Lozira silently followed him up the stairs.
The following days were filled with activity as guests arrived almost every day, travelling in both directions past the beautiful inn that Rhuna now called her home. She noticed that each caravan of traders was different, even when they came from the same land. Some appeared wealthy and transported a large number of goods, while others were small groups who traded only specific items for one employer. Most traders were from Farsa or the Ling-Yu Empire, but on two occasions Rhuna greeted a caravan from Varappa, much to Mohandu’s delight.
Rhuna continued to assist Goram in the transformation of sand to stone blocks containing crystals, and then finished repairs to the capstone of the pyramid, along with its outer surface of specially transformed gold. When Goram insisted on constructing the time portal chamber alone, Rhuna busied herself with chores in the vegetable garden and the construction of a larger pen for the new goats.
At the arranged day and time, Rhuna met Goram in the small, upper level room where Goram transferred the knowledge of the Great Secrets to her in the specified incremental steps. She realized that she was nervous each time, afraid of handling the Great Secrets carelessly due to inexperience or ineptness. Each time, Rhuna prepared herself mentally with a session of Inside Focussing and special breathing routines to enhance her concentration so that she would memorize the information accurately.
On one such day, Rhuna was startled when Goram announced that they had reached the end of the transference sessions.
“That’s it?” she asked in surprise.
“Is it not enough that you now possess special knowledge that only a select few people throughout history have ever had the privilege of acquiring?” he snapped angrily.
“Of course, it is,” Rhuna retorted angrily. “Must you always find a reason to be angry at everyone?”
Goram stood up with a loud and angry huff.
“What have you done with your knowledge so far?” he asked in a forced friendly tone.
“Nothing.”
Goram spun around and stared at Rhuna in disbelief.
“You have the world in your hands, and you do absolutely nothing?”
“I don’t want to do anything with this knowledge unless I have to,” Rhuna countered, feeling her nerves begin to bristle with tension.
“Do you not intend to stop the Dark Master?” Goram began his tirade. “Why are we here? Why do we serve and entertain guests, if not to be at the ideal site for the construction of a time portal to follow the Dark Master and stop him? Am I not putting the Great Secrets to good use by making it possible to follow him into the past time period?”
“Yes, you are,” Rhuna admitted, standing up and preparing to leave the room as quickly as possible.
“Yet you do nothing to develop your powers according to the new knowledge you have gained!” Goram charged after her. “What a waste of my time to transfer the Secrets to someone as idle and ineffective as you!”
Rhuna rushed down the narrow stairs and ran out of the building, onto the green grass of the garden surrounding the inn.
“Hey! What’s wrong!” Aradin called from the goat pen as Rhuna
rushed past. She stopped and forced herself to breathe deeply and then release the tension with her exhalation.
“Goram got angry again,” she said when Aradin was standing next to her.
“He’s getting worse,” Aradin said gloomily, and then put his arm around her as he ushered her towards one of the large trees that stood like guardians around the inn. “Over here is an old walking track I discovered this morning,” Aradin said cheerfully. “I was waiting for you so that we could follow it and see where it goes. Tell me about Goram as we walk.”
Rhuna let herself be led by Aradin past the large tree and onto a barely visible track in the sandy gravel. Goram’s words echoed in her head as she related them to Aradin, feeling the tension quickly ebb away as they walked and talked.
“He is simply obsessed, and can only think of his own ambition and craving for greatness,” Aradin said after a while.
“But what if I really should be doing something with the knowledge I have now,” Rhuna said, still doubting herself.
“Do what, exactly? When you can do something with your knowledge, you’ll know it and you’ll know what to do,” Aradin assured her.
Rhuna nodded as she began to feel better, and then looked up ahead of them.
“Oh, the flowers everywhere!” she exclaimed.
They stopped to admire the view before them, full of colourful dots like a mosaic picture surrounded by a frame of smooth green grass.
“I didn’t know that such beautiful little flowers can bloom in this kind of dry and sandy land,” Rhuna remarked.
“It is the season for fresh blooms,” Aradin said, bending down to look more closely at the flowers along the walking track. Rhuna did the same along the other side of the trail where a cluster of bright pink petals caught her eye.
“Look!” Aradin said, pointing back in the direction they had come. Rhuna turned around and almost gasped in amazement when she saw the inn and pyramid from a distance.
“It’s beautiful!”
“And the pyramid is glowing!” Aradin added with astonishment.
Rhuna marvelled at the wonderful sight of the gently glowing pyramid and the buildings of the inn behind it, surrounded by protective shade trees. The pond with surrounding greenery was also visible from this direction, and Rhuna realized she had not noticed its beauty until now.
Rhuna- Black City Page 26