Spring Showers Box-set
Page 48
everyone beware!” Damell called out, and both soldiers and observers reacted immediately.
“More soldiers are arriving,” Damell said to Rhuna as he finally regained his breath.
“Instruct them to assist you, and I shall fol ow these ones with the prisoner to The Reigning One’s
residence,” he told Rhuna. “Come to me there when you are done.”
Rhuna nodded, and then turned her attention to Lozira, whose tears had begun to stream
down her face as she continued to sob violently, all the time stroking Goram’s ashen face. Suddenly,
the memory of Shandi’s distressing vision of Lozira crying rushed through her head, and Rhuna
concluded that it was this incident that her small daughter had foreseen.
“What has…Beacon of the Night!” said a voice behind Rhuna, and she recognized Progress
of the Wind and then several other Atlans who had rushed to the scene. A small commotion in the
other direction caught her attention, but she dismissed it quickly when she realized that someone
had merely fainted.
“Someone get bandages and wound-cleaning ointment,” Rhuna called out at the gathering
of horrified spectators.
“I’l get them,” said Aradin, moving with great haste.
Several of The Reigning One’s soldiers had arrived and stood nearby, ready to follow her
instructions. Reaching out to embrace Lozira and move her aside, Rhuna began to instruct the
soldiers to carry Goram into his house, remove his blood-soaked clothes and lay him on his bed.
She looked back quickly and saw another soldier remove the bloody swords and cover the dead
assailant with a large canvas cloth.
In the sleeping chamber of Goram’s house, where Rhuna knew only moments earlier Lozira
had been in blissful ecstasy, she now watched her daughter’s distraught actions as she sat on the
bed next to him, desperately willing him to cling to life. Aradin entered the room, breathless from
his errand, and gave Rhuna the items she had requested. She applied the cleansing and healing
ointments to the wound and then bandaged it as Goram slowly regained consciousness.
“Lozira,” he whispered breathlessly, as he tried to focus his eyes and move his head. “I love
you,” he said in an urgent rasp, as if saying his final words. Lozira sobbed harder and stroked his
cheeks, then kissed his forehead.
“You are not dying,” Rhuna said to Goram.
“Rhuna healed you!” Lozira said between sobs. Goram tried to lift his head to see Rhuna,
but Lozira had begun smothering his face with tear-soaked kisses.
“Stay still. Be quiet and do what I say, and you will probably recover fully,” Rhuna spoke in
her professional capacity as a Healer. “He has lost a lot of blood and will be very weak. Keep him
warm with these blankets. Until his body replaces the lost blood, his condition is still critical, so he
must lie still and rest,” she said firmly. “I will bring a blood-restoring tincture which he should take
frequently.”
Rhuna looked around and saw that Progress of the Wind stood anxiously behind her, so
she repeated some of her instructions. The man nodded obediently, and then moved towards
Goram so that he could see him.
“Friend, we are deeply distraught!” Progress of the Wind said softly, and Goram managed to
focus his eyes and recognize his friend.
“Who is she?” Progress of the Wind asked, looking at Lozira.
“She is the woman I love,” replied Goram with effort.
“We did not know this,” said Progress of the Wind apologetically. “May her loving
attentions speed your recovery, Brother!”
Aradin placed his hands on Lozira’s shoulders as he sat down behind her, comforting her
with soothing words, while Progress of the Wind settled on a nearby seating cushion.
“Someone should stay with him at all times,” Rhuna said looking at Progress of the Wind,
who promptly nodded in obedience.
“I want to stay here,” Lozira said as she looked at Goram.
“Of course,” Rhuna said after a moment. “I’ll bring your clothes and personal items,” she
said as she prepared to leave. Aradin stood up to join her, and as they left the house, Rhuna told
the soldiers to keep guard on them while she went home to prepare the herbal tincture.
Rhuna stepped outside the house and was suddenly overcome by weakness and nausea
when she saw the large pools of blood on the ground.The horror of the attack and the near-death of
Goram made her feel she couldn’t breathe.
“The shock is having its effect,” Aradin said as he quickly grabbed hold of her arms and
supported her for a while.
As she slowly regained her composure, Rhuna noticed the throng of people milling around
nearby, raised voices reflecting the horror experienced in this Atlan part of Safu.
“How can such a thing happen here in Safu, among us Atlans!” asked one raised voice.
“Such things only happen when she is nearby – the one they call The Star Child,” said a
woman’s hard voice.
“She healed a dying man!” retorted Aradin angrily. The crowd instantly fell silent and
looked at Rhuna as Aradin ushered her along the street.Two of the soldiers accompanied herand
waited outside her home as she washed blood off her hands and arms beforequickly changing
clothes. A wooden crate of herbal tinctures which she kept in a cool place under some furniture
contained the medicine she needed, and as she took the blood-restoring herbs,she quickly grabbed
a bottle of sedating herbal extracts for Lozira.
Aradin had packed a bag of Lozira’s clothes and personal items, and together they quickly
returned to Goram’s house. As Rhuna approached the bed, Lozira jerked and looked up with a
fright, then sighed with relief. Rhuna’s heart ached at the sight of her daughter’s distraught and
tear-stained face. Her tousled hair covered part of her face, and her nervous movements told
Rhuna that she was emotionally very fragile.
“I’m so scared…” she whispered.
Rhuna embraced her tightly without a word, and then instructed her to take the sedation
tincture while she prepared the blood-building treatment for Goram.
After agreeing with Progress of the Wind that he should supervise the dispensing of
Goram’s treatment and comfort Lozira, she and Aradin left the house and hurried to The Reigning
One’s residence to find Damell. One of the soldiers accompanied them, keeping a sharp watch for
sword-wielding attackers until they were safely inside the large iron gates of the residence.
Inside the grand residence, two attendants guided them to the large room where Damel and
The Reigning One, along with several soldiers and Sun of the Morning were involved in agitated
conversation.
Silence fell as soon as Rhuna approached the gathering.
“He shall survive?” asked Sun of the Morning, and Rhuna answered with a nod.
“He fought valiantly, like a true soldier,” stated The Reigning One.
“The others have been captured and imprisoned,” Damel told her as she stopped to stand
next to her father. Rhuna suddenly remembered Shandi’s latest frightening vision and asked
whether any of the swordsmen were dark or black-skinned.
“They are assassins,” answered The Reigning One with a distinct tone of bitterness.They
are from the nearby land in the direction of the rising sun, and they are brown-skin
ned, like the
Benshi. They possess no loyalties, and can be utilized for any loathsome work in exchange for
material or other gain,” stated The Reigning One with a nervous twitch of his lips. “After thorough
interrogation, they shall be executed,” he added bluntly.
“But who sent them to take my daughter and kill anyone who tried to stop them?” Rhuna
asked, her voice squawking with rising anguish and shock. Her thoughts raced as she thought of
the Dark Ones, but dismissed this idea because they had attacked Goram.
“I regret to inform you,” began Sun of the Morning shakily. “It appears…I cannot…”
“It was Harbinger of Solace,” boomed The Reigning One.
Rhuna looked at Damell, who shot her a dark look with a single, hard nod.
“He was so distressed about his daughter…he wanted her returned by any means…”
stuttered Sun of the Morning, and Rhuna thought she had never seen an Atlan Council member in
such a floundering state.
“He instructed the assassins to kill anyone who prevented them from taking the girl,” The
Reigning One continued. “The initial interrogation of the prisoners indicates that he wished The
Star Child and her father, along with Beacon of the Night to be…permanently removed.”
Rhuna suddenly felt overcome by a debilitating feeling of sickness, as if she could not
breathe. She felt herself collapsing into Aradin’s arms, and saw The Reigning One make a small
hand gesture to several attendants.
“She has suffered shock!” Aradinexclaimed. “First the deadly attack, and now this shocking
news.” The attendants promptly guided her to seating cushions while another prepared to give her
a fortifying beverage. Aradin sat beside her, holding her upright.
Sun of the Morning stood nearby, ashen-faced and helpless, as Aradin fussed over Rhuna
and helped her drink the strange beverage. In a short time, Rhuna said that she felt a lot better
already.
“We should all have a sip of this wonderful beverage,” said Aradin, and The Reigning One
promptly instructed his attendants to bring drinking vessels for Aradin and Sun of the Morning.
Rhuna noticed that the Atlan woman she disliked appeared emancipated and frail from her
illness-curse, as if she could also collapse at any moment.
“Come with me to my chambers,” Damell said to Rhuna when everyone had silently
partaken of the fortifying beverage and silently pondered the dramatic events of the day. She stood
up, holding onto Aradin as she noticed that her legs were unsteady.With Aradin’s support, Rhuna
slowly ascended the stairs to her father’s private chambers, where Damell quickly prepared
seating cushions for them.
“Oh Rhuna!” Damell said with a deep groananguish when they were seated. “Despite all
my efforts to foresee and prevent such a reprisal, events overcame me,” he said shaking his head
sadly.
“How did he get these…assassins?” Rhuna asked, her mind still reeling from the revelation
that Tozar was responsible for the horrendous event.
Damell inhaled deeply and spoke slowly, his voice full of dismay. “He spoke a message to an
Atlan…of disrepute…whom he had been observing by means of the Gazing of the Waters, and
determined he would act on his behalf in exchange for gold and other products. Once he received
the goods, he sought out the assassins and showed them by means of the Gazing of the Waters
who you, Lozira, Goram and I are, so that they would recognize us and…kill us…”
“So deliberate, with forethought and planning…” Rhuna shuddered and felt coldness creep
over her. Aradin put his arm around her, and she squeezed his hand in gratitude.
“Did you know that Tozar could do such a thing?” Rhuna asked, afraid to hear the answer.
Damel nodded gravely. “An incident when we were young, wandering in the land of Atlán to
see new places,” he began, and described a small settlement where they decided to reside for a
while, providing their Atlan skills to assist the people in various ways.
“He loved a young woman there,” Damell said as his eyes wandered into the distance. “After
a time of intense involvement, she wanted to return to her family instead of remaining by his side.
He could not accept this and… became irrational in certain ways.”
“He never told me about that,” Rhuna said.
“No, of course not,” responded Damell.“One day, when by chance we encountered the
woman’s brother who then told Tozar to stay away from his sister, he…became violent and
attacked the man.”
“Hmm,” said Aradin, and Rhuna looked at him. “I always felt intimidated by him.”
Rhuna remembered her surprise when Aradin had told her this at the beginning of their
relationship, and wondered what he had seen in Tozar that she had never seen.
“He began to twist Atlan precepts and laws to use against the family, against her…”Damell
continued as he looked out the window, recalling his memories of the distant past.
Rhuna realized the shocking resemblance to her own situation, and began to feel confused.
“It’s as if I never really knew him at all!” she said.
“Such derangements are usually hidden deep inside, and indeed, they may never manifest at
all in a person’s lifetime,” Damell responded. “Tozar displayedutterfrenzy and hysteria, using Atlan
authorityfor personal revenge on the one who hurt him. He could not tolerate losing control over a
woman he loved, and this led to aperverse attitude.”
“What happened to the woman’s brother whom Tozar attacked?” asked Aradin.
“It was only a short altercation, yet vicious and intense, whichdeeply disturbed me for a
considerable length of time. The delirium blazing in his eyes I shall never forget.” Damell trailed off
as his eyes became unfocussed with the vivid memories.
“What will happen to him now?” Rhuna’s mind raced to imagine what the High Council of
Atlán would do in such an extreme and rare case.
Damell turned his head sharply, tearing himself from compelling memories. “The Atlan
High Council is keeping him under constant observation so that he cannot speak a message to
anyone, nor do himself any harm. Various Healers are tending to him, attempting to discern the
nature and depth of his turmoil. When this has been achieved to reasonable satisfaction of the
High Council, they shall engage in serious deliberations to decide his future. Furthermore,” Damel
said in a lighter tone, “the High Council of Atlán has begun to investigate Tozar’s claims about you,
and with due process, the truth shall finally be known.”
“It must be a great upheaval for the Council,” Aradin said.
“The High Council regarded Tozar too highly, without questioning his word, and such blind
obeisance always leads to tragedy,” Damell said gravely. “Sun of the Morning is confused and
distressed. The person she so greatly admired has become deranged, and as a result, she has lost
her own way.”
“I’m afraid for Lozira,” Rhuna whispered. “She’ll have to learn what her father did, and
she’s already in such a fragile state!”
Aradin put his arm around Rhuna as she prepared to leave Damell’s chamber, and after a
reassuring gesture from her father, she walked back to Goram’s house. One of The Reigning One’s
soldiers was still standing gu
ard outside, prepared to run errands or deliver messages as well as to
protect those inside. Rhuna entered the bedroom, her heart filled with dread at the thought of
tel ing Lozira about her father.
“Lozira, you haven’t washed and changed clothes,” Rhuna observed with concern.
“I’m afraid to leave his side,” she said shakily.“Rhuna, he nearly died! He was almost dead…”
Lozira wailed as she began to sob. “I couldn’t live if he had died!”
“Oh, my poor Child!” Rhuna said as she firmly held her daughter in a long and silent
embrace.
“Go wash now, while I stay and watch him,” she said after a while, giving Lozira a reassuring
squeeze. She watched her daughter slowly take some personal items and walk to the bath
chamber, and then turned her attention to her patient.
Rhuna examined Goram’s breathing and then began to feel his pulse when his hand
suddenly grasped for her arm.
“Who did this?” Goram’s raspy voice came with great effort.
“Lozira’s father sent assassins to take Lozira back to Atlán, and to kill us if we got in the way,” Rhuna said in a low voice that only Goram could hear.
“What?” he said, trying to raise his head. Rhuna told him to lie back and let her examine his
condition.
“He wanted us killed? You and me?” Goram said, grasping Rhuna’s arm again.
“Yes. You, me and my father, Avenger of Justice.”Rhuna said as she finished checking
Goram’s energy pulses.
“You were right, Rhuna,” Goram whispered with effort. “My involvement with Lozira is the
cause of this,” he said with a bitter groan.
“You did as you promised,” Rhuna said softly. “You protected her.”
Rhuna administered the herbal tincture while she listened to splashing water in the nearby
chamber. Shortly after, Goram slipped into sleep again, and Rhuna sat in silence next to the bed
waiting for her daughter to finish washing.
Lozira appeared in the room holding a towel and running the fingers of one hand through
her washed hair.
“Do you know more about those horrible men?” Lozira asked as she approached Rhuna.
“I don’t know how to tell you,” Rhuna said quietly. “They are called assassins…and they
were told to do it…by your father. Tozar sent them,” said Rhuna steadily, hoping the blow would