by Avell Kro
with long, angry strides.
Later that day, as gentle rain soothed Rhuna’s ragged nerves, she took the position for
relaxation techniques and special breathing to restore her mental energy.Before she could start,
she heard the high-pitched screech of Shandi’s scream and lunged through the doorway, her heart
pounding at the terror in her small child’s voice. She burst into the adjoining room and swooped
onto the small cot where Shandi had been sleeping. The little round face was bright pink and
contorted by cries which quickly abated when Rhuna wrapped her arms around Shandi, cooing
and speaking words of comfort.
“What is it, Little Honey Cake,” Rhuna asked, still shaken by the intensity of Shandi’s cries.
“Lozira,” she said between sobs. “Lozira crying, crying!”
“What happened?” Aradin asked as he descended next to Rhuna and stroked Shandi’s head.
“I think she’s had another vision,” whispered Rhuna, and began to wipe Shandi’s tears.
Then she reached for some of Shandi’s toys, hoping that some playful distraction would soon quell
the terror of what the little girl had seen.
“She saw Lozira crying badly,” she told Aradin in a whisper as Shandi began to play
normally with her animal toy. “It has to be that scoundrel, Beacon of the Night – he’s going to
make Lozira cry!”
“Yes, probably,” Aradin agreed. “Shandi is too young to describe her visions, so we can’t
find out more.”
“I’m going to watch him very closely. Maybe we can change what will happen, or at least be
prepared!” Rhuna said, determined to protect her daughter from emotional harm.
Rhuna struggled to keep up a pretense of a normal daily routine, frequently watching
Beacon of the Night by means of the Gazing of the Waters, and then by summoning mental visions
when she appeared to be merely practicing Inside Focussing.
In most visions, Beacon of the Night was going about usual activities in his workroom
making various items of jewellery, some of them with orrichalcum, the reddishgold of Atlán. At the
middle of the day, Rhuna observed him meeting with two Atlans for a meal, and with whom he
shared normal every-day conversation. The low light in the eating hall made Beacon of the Night
appear much younger in this particular image, reminding Rhuna of how he looked when he was
her teacher in Atlán. The sudden rush of memories reminded her that she had liked him when she
was his student, and that those qualities which had appealed to her then had now attracted Lozira.
When the long and depressing day became unbearable, Rhuna decided to visit her father at
The Reigning One’s residence. Abu-Malech greeted her with his usual friendly manner and
respectful bow, and Rhuna tried to appear cheerful as well. She ascended the wide stone stairs to
her father’s chambers, once again recalling her first lunar cycle in Safu when she resided in the
same rooms. By now she had become accustomed to her father’s foreknowledge of her visits, and
she opened the door without signaling her arrival.
Damel was sitting in his usual position near the window, looking at the door expectantly.
Rhuna walked towards him but stopped abruptly when she saw the light cast deep creases and
shadows across his face. She knew instinctively that he was deeply concerned about something.
“He has discovered our secrets, and discovered my existence,” said Damell gloomily.
“The Dark Master?” asked Rhuna as a chill raced up her spine.
“Much worse,” answered Damell. “Tozar.”
“Tozar?” Rhuna repeated, not understanding.
“Tozar is our most dangerous enemy,” Damell said with a slow and heavy nod of his grey
head.“He has been scrutinizing every action taken by you, every word spoken by you, in all this
time,” Damel began to explain with a long sigh. “He is the reason I have been shielding my
existence for as long as possible.”
“But why? You were friends in the past!” Rhuna said, alarmed and confused.
“A lifetime ago, My Child,” Damell said with a dismissive shake of his head. “Friendships
change and die,” he added on a bitter note.
“How can you say that Tozar is a much more dangerous enemy than the Dark One?”
“Who presides over more people and commands much higher esteem and influence? Is it
not Tozar, whose long-standing reputation excuses his shortcomings, whose superior wisdom
intimidates his peers, and whose mere position as the longest-serving senior member of the High
Council of Atlán fills most people with awe so that his words and actions are never questioned,
criticized or scrutinized?”
“Yes…but how exactly is Tozar dangerous?”
“You have not been observing him since your ways parted,” stated Damel , and Rhuna
shook her head.“You must do so now, Rhuna. You must see for yourself what has become of him.”
“What has become of him?” she asked nervously. Rhuna thought about the things Lozira
had said, and which she had dismissed as merely Tozar’s lack ofproper information about Rhuna’s
circumstances of several solar cycles past.
“He still thinks I’m irrational and a bad influence on Lozira,” Rhuna replied, but stopped
when she saw Damell shake his head gloomily.
“I can summon a vision of him now, then,” Rhuna suggested.
“Yes, and then visit him with your Extended Consciousness by which means you shall
experience and observe much more accurately and intimately,” instructed Damell.
Rhuna obediently approached the water basin in the dimly-lit corner of her father’s
chamber, and with great trepidation focused her thoughts on Tozar.
As soon as the water cleared, she saw Tozar pacing angrily in his private rooms, muttering
to himself and expressing frustration at not being able to summon certain things. Rhuna had
never seen him behave in this manner, and she found the vision very disturbing. The next image
showed Tozar marching towards the other members of the High Council of Atlán who were
gathered in the Council’s private discussion chamber.
“Do you not comprehend that my message to the innkeeper at the land of the isthmus was
intercepted? It could only be she, who has such power and ability!”
“We agree that it is highly irregular,” said an Atlan woman in a Master’s Robe, nodding
solemnly and walking around uneasily as Tozar spoke.
“We must find a way to stop her! Where is her knowledge and power coming from? She is
in league with the Dark One himself, I tell you!” Tozar growled, shocking the Council members.
“Harbinger of Solace,” said another Atlan Master. “Your preoccupation with Keeper of
Wis…”
“Do not speak her name!” Tozar spat venomously.
“How can I not be preoccupiedwhen my daughter is in her grasp? She is being deluded,
misled and turned against me as well as all Atlan principles! Such a course can only lead to misery,
depravity and even death!”
“Surely you are overreacting, Harbinger of Solace!” said one of the Council members whom
Rhuna remembered from her past in Atlán.
“What does she do in the guest chamber of The Reigning One? There is something most
sinister and uncanny about it – have you not observed?” Tozar continued his rampage.
“Yes, and we concluded it was of no importance,” answered another
of the Council
members. “…and there are other matters the High Council of Atlán must discuss, weigh and
debate…if I may point out, Harbinger of Solace, you have not been present…”
“Of course I have been present, what are you saying?”
“Present in body,yet you have been absent in mind and spirit for some time already. We
have been concerned and even discussed it…”
“You have been discussing my manner in secret, even conspiring against me?” bel owed
Tozar.
“Conspiring? Why no, Harbinger of Solace,” exclaimed the Council member.
The image shifted to another time in a similar setting, and Rhuna noticed with horror that
Tozar looked unkempt and unwashed.
“It is Avenger of Justice!” Tozar spluttered with outrage.
“Pardon me…he died many solar cycles past…” stuttered one of the Council members.
“Evidently he did not, and he has been deceiving us!” Tozar scoffed loudly. “He and his
daughter are a far greater threat to the Atlan Empire than the Dark Master ever was!” declared
Tozar, and Rhuna realized he had summoned specific visions, such as incidental comments with
Faleesh about her father, and drawn the correct conclusions.
“What kind of power enables one to be unseen by visions, and be able to observe mentally
with such accuracy? It is the power she has inherited from her father! She experienced these
mental visions at an early age already…”
The image faded and Rhuna exhaled loudly. She stood at the water basin silently for a while,
thinking about what she had just seen.
“He seems so different,” Rhuna said.
“Indeed.”
“He seems…unbalanced and obsessive,” Rhuna said, choosing the words carefully.
“Exactly,” Damell responded with a grave nod of his head. “Yet there is more, Rhuna.
Summon visions concerning his close scrutiny of Lozira.”
She turned back towards the water basin and concentrated on Tozar’s obsession with their
daughter’s wellbeing. The familiar coloured swirls appeared and then cleared to reveal Tozar, deep
creases across his brow and his beard unkempt.
“My daughter is being seduced by the new leader of the Dark Master’s followers!” he shouted
at several other members of the High Council of Atlán. “Her mother knows it and does nothing!”
The Council members nodded in agreement, and one of the women reached out to place a
comforting hand on his arm.
“Be assured, Harbinger of Solace, that the new Atlan Council of Safu shall take firm action in
this matter!” said the woman.
“This is proof that my daughter’s mother is affiliated with the followers of the Dark Master!”
Tozar thundered as his whole body trembled and spittle appeared on his lower lip and beard.“I tell
you, they are dangerous and must be stopped! Intercepting messages, placing so-called curses on
innocent people, and now the leader himself has taken my daughter!” he said desperately.
“We have examined Beacon of the Night’s activities closely, and agree with you that he is a
grave threat to the Atlan Empire, and certainly to innocent and naïve individuals such as your
daughter,” said Tamer of Fire, the red-bearded senior member of the High Council.
“Beacon of the Night and other Atlans calling themselves the New Arrivals in Safu are
developing these new powers by seeking knowledge unfamiliar in Atlán,” said the woman who was
attempting to calm Tozar.
“I declare this to be Forbidden Knowledge!” Tozar shouted hoarsely.
The vision ended and Rhuna sank to the floor where she sat in silence for a long time.
Part Six (Beacon of the Night)
Rhuna used a head-covering to hide most of her face as she walked to the Red Lion statue
to attend the meeting of the Guardians of Knowledge.
“I can’t believe we’re going to one of their meetings!” she whispered to Aradin.
“It’s an opportunity to learn more about their ways,” he said, and Rhuna felt grateful for his
continual positive attitude. She looked to her side and noted the particularly stylish clothes Lozira
had chosen to wear for this event.
They walked along several Atlan-built streets, past some prestigious homes with expansive
and wel -kept gardens, and then along a broad, tree-lined road which led to the lion statue. The lion
loomed above them as they approached it, and Rhuna examined the fine pinkish stone
appreciatively.
“Very rare stone,” said a voice behind them, and Rhuna turned to see Charmer of Snakes
approaching them. “Beautifully made, truly exquisite,” he said, admiring the colossal statue.
“We are here to attend a meeting,” said Aradin in a hushed voice.
“Ah, very good, very good!” Charmer of Snakes responded. “This I had assumed, although
your faces are not familiar to me.”
“This is our first meeting,” said Lozira softly.
Charmer of Snakes smiled in his lopsided way which always repulsed Rhuna. “Come this
way,” he whispered, and began walking around to the rear of the Red Lion.
Rhuna wondered where he was leading them when she suddenly realized that he was
approaching a secret door in the massive rectangular base of the statue. She heard a scraping
noise as Charmer of Snakes moved something with one hand, and pul ed a door open with the
other.
“Bend down until you have walked down exactly five steps,” he instructed, and then he
disappeared into the black square hole. Rhuna let her eyes adjust to the darkness before placing a
foot inside the low doorway, and when she had stooped and taken two steps down the stairs, she
was able to see a dim light ahead of her. She kept her arms outstretched so that she could feel the
walls on either side with her hands.
“It smellsdown here,” Lozira said, and Rhuna noticed how her voice bounced off the thick
stone walls around them.
Rhuna took several more careful steps on level ground, and then realized that the narrow
passage took a sharp turn. Around the corner she saw a dimly-lit room and the dark forms of
people moving about. She recognized the nearby figure standing and waiting for them.
“This is the usual venue for Newcomers and guests, where we have general discussions
and get to know our fellow members,” Beacon of the Night explained. Each core member invites
individuals whom they avouchto use the necessary discretion, and in due course members may
ascend to the higher levels of power and activity, entering the greater secrecyof the inner circles.”
Rhuna glanced across the long rectangular room with its oppressive low ceiling, and quickly
estimated that at least thirty people were in attendance. The smooth surface of the solid stone
blocks reflected the flickering lights of candles and small lamps, and in each corner of the room a
small, narrow table held smoking incense.
We are hidden from any summons by means of the Gazing of the Waters,” Charmer of
Snakes whispered furtively. “The nature of the large stone above,” he said with his devious and
crooked grin. When Rhuna looked at him uncomprehendingly, he explained further. “The rock
contains many small grains of crystals which conduct the Lightning Force and other earth
energies, and this disrupts any summons!” he said triumphantly.
“It’s so simple?” Rhuna gasped.
; Progress of the Wind approached them with a welcoming smile, shaking hands politely and
introducing several people to Rhuna and Aradin. After the usual exchange of greetings, Rhuna
mingled with her new acquaintances and learned that two of them were also attending a meeting
of the Guardians of Knowledge for the first time.
“Brothers, Sisters and Friends, be welcomed!” Rhuna turned towards the familiar voice and
saw Beacon of the Night standing on a pedestal at one of the narrow ends of the room. He wore a
dark robe with a hood, which cast deep shadows across his face. Rhuna noticed that his green eyes
sparkled with reflections of the flickering light in front of him, and she thought that in this
moment his eyes shone like beacons in the black of night.
Silence fell upon the cavernous room, followed by the shuffling of feet as people found a
place to sit and listen. Rhuna quickly returned to Aradin and Lozira, who were already seated
near the back of the room.
“We are gathered once more in the secretive cover of darkness,” Beacon of the Night began,
his speech strong and deliberate. The sudden silence of the audience in the gloomy stone dungeon
sent a chill up Rhuna’s spine.
“On this occasion, for the benefit of Newcomers and specially invited guests, we shall
summarize our accomplishments, our goals and purpose,” Beacon of the Night continued. Rhuna
glanced aside and saw utter devotion on her daughter’s face, her eyes not straying a moment from
the man she adored. A painful despair filled Rhuna as she recalled Shandi’s traumatic vision of
Lozira crying.
“In the beginning, our members were scattered across distant lands, and the Atlan Council
of Safu was executed at the order of The Reigning One,” Beacon of the Night said, and Rhuna
recalled the horror of that day. “It was necessary to commence afresh, after these pioneering
Brothers fel into selfish and unethical ways, bringing the Master’s name into even greater
disgrace. And so, we have begun anew, as the Guardians of Knowledge, holding the secrets of the
Master in high regard as we continue his great work.
“Brothers, Sisters and Friends! Our precepts are superior to those of Atlán! Force is
necessary!Resistance is necessary! Action is vital! Nothing can be accomplished without action;