Spring Showers Box-set

by Avell Kro

  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

  respectful y 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 tel ing 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?”

  Damel 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 tel me about the

  time you met my mother, and why you were in Chinza in the first place. You w
ere 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 traditions 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 arroganceare 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.”

  Damel sighed sadly and shifted his position until he was more comfortable.

  “The ships were all damaged to some degree, and we were forced to come ashore on

  Chinza to repair them before we could continue our voyage. Yet once on land, we were attacked by

  the native Zao people, and two more of our company lost their lives. Fortunately, when they saw

  rocks explode and other strange phenomena take place due to my emotional distress, the Zao fled

  from me in terror.”

  Damel ’s smooth features became creased in a deep frown and his lips tightened.

  “Yet several of their bravest men dared to pursue me and attempt to kill me with their

  primitive weapons,” he said as he squirmed slightly. “They were cunning and tricked me, catching

  me in a cave…”

  Rhuna wondered whether it was the cave in which she used to play as a child, and where

  she later met Tozar when he was in hiding from the native Zao people.

  “Indeed, I should have been dead,” he continued slowly. “My wounds were extensive, yet

  perhaps due to the special powers imbued upon me by the Pyramid’s special chamber, my body

  continued to function…at least long enough for your mother to find me and stop the excessive

  bleeding.”

  “My mother found you in the cave?” Rhuna asked, surprised.

  Damel merely nodded. “She was an excellent healer, I must say!” he said with a smile.

  “Utilizing simple herbs and foods, along with rest and many bandages, my body began to heal. She

  hid me in another cave…the island has many subterranean hollows due to its volcanic nature.

  There, in that small cave on the face of a cliff overlooking the ocean, is where she nursed me back

  to health, and where I was forced to re-think my actions. This long convalescence also provided

  me with the necessary time to gain control over my newly-acquired powers.”

  “And then?” Rhuna asked, becoming intensely curious about her own conception.

  “Yes, yes,” Damell laughed gently. “While recovering, we grew to love each other, and it was

  my intention to remain by her side,” he said in a nostalgic tone. “Yet circumstances would not

  permit it, and I was forced to leave Chinza, risking my life on a single ship that the other survivors

  of my company had managed to repair. There was no room for your mother, although she insisted

  on staying because she feared the water.

  It was always my intention to return to Chinza…” Damell said wistfully. “The Dark Master

  was active in other lands, and during my long absence, I was presumed dead. This surprised me at

  first, until I learned that it was no longer possible to summon visions of Chinza by means of the

  Gazing of the Waters due to the statues that had been erected there. Their position on the island

  interfered with the natural flow of earth energies, and this affects the Gazing of the Waters.”

  “I didn’t know that,” Rhuna said.

  “The images they could summon by means of the Gazing of the Waters showed an

  altercation between Gatherer of Sage and me, when his powerful force knocked me backwards

  and I lay unconscious for a long time…”

  Rhuna remembered this vision which she had also summoned when she was very young,

  and had believed her father to be dead.

  “My life had changed so much by then, and circumstances kept forcing me to pursue an

  entirely different course of life than I had intended.”

  “Do you…regret anything?” Rhuna asked.

  “No, not at all, My Child, not at all!” Damell said as he opened his eyes and sat up.

  “Everything is as it should be!”

  Rhuna had finished the day’s chores and played with Shandi and her long-eared toy, and

  was gazing out the window. Gentle rain had begun to fall, making the garden look tranquil and

  peaceful. She was about to take the position for breathing exercises when she heard people arrive

  in front of her house.

  Sun of the Morning and Stealth of the Fox stood in the small rose garden outside her door,

  each holding a personal rain shelter and wearing appropriate footwear.

  “We must speak with you on a matter of great urgency and importance,” said Sun of the

  Morning. Rhuna sensed the hardness in her voice and braced herself for another confrontation.

  She stepped back and allowed them to enter her home, telling Falee
sh to take Shandi into

  another room while she and Aradin had a discussion with the visitors. The two senior Atlan

  Council members stepped inside but remained standing as Sun of the Morning cleared her throat

  and prepared to speak.

  “Harbinger of Solace has informed us of your daughter’s activities, and your complete lack

  of supervision, protection or guidance, lending weight to the charge that you are a thoroughly

  incompetent parent, as well as a destructive, demoralizing and degrading influence on the young

  woman!”

  “What?” Rhuna stammered, shaking her head with incomprehension.

  “What activities?” Aradin asked sharply.

  “You are not even aware, are you!” spat Sun of the Morning as her companion made noises

  of disapproval.

  “Aware of what?” Rhuna asked, reeling from the aggressive attack and trying to gain her

  footing.

  “Melody of the Dawn is emotionally involved with a man of severe disrepute,” saidStealth of

  the Fox through his bushy beard.

  “Emotionally involved?” Rhuna repeated, still not understanding.

  “With whom?” Aradin snapped.

  “Beacon of the Night, of course!” retorted Sun of the Morning.

  Rhuna felt the earth shake beneath her feet again, and needed a few moments to regain her

  composure.

  “You are mistaken!” Rhuna retorted loudly. “She only had a casual conversation with him

  once, and as soon as I found out about it, I told her not to speak to him again,” Rhuna said firmly.

  Sun of the Morning emitted a short, sharp laugh which sounded singularly ugly to Rhuna.

  “She disobeyed you, as children often do, and you never questioned her actions thereafter,”

  Sun of the Morning scolded fiercely.

  “No…” said Rhuna, struggling to comprehend what was happening. “Why should I have

  questioned her actions? She isn’t a child anymore.”

  “Harbinger of Solace has been observing his daughter carefully, as it behooves every

  responsible parent, and he has instructed us to act on his behalf,” Sun of the Morning stated.

  “By doing what, exactly?” Aradin said, taking a small yet defensive step forward.

  “By doing whatever is necessary to protect Melody of the Dawn, from both you and Beacon

  of the Night,” she responded sharply.

  “Let me talk to her then,” Rhuna said, feeling the release of strong emotions surge through