Rhuna, The Star Child

by Barbara Underwood

“You’ve always been most successful summoning visions concerning the Dark Master,” he said. “We should find out whether the Dark Ones still believe they are communicating with him, or just what kind of influence he has over them,” Aradin suggested.

  Rhuna nodded, and then with slight hesitation, closed her eyes as she began to drag on the smoking pipe.

  Before she had finished the second deep inhalation, Rhuna felt a cold dampness on her skin, and as she looked around at her dimly-lit surroundings, she realized she was no longer in the special room. Across the spacious room which Rhuna realized was made of large stone blocks, she saw the shadowy figures of some people clad in dark robes. The scene was already very familiar to her, and she approached the huddled group while further examining her surroundings.

  “Psst!” came a hissing sound like a cold wind rustling through dead leaves. Rhuna recognized the unearthly voice from previous visions, and her skin began to prickle with fear. “Come over here, Rhuna, so that I may show you what you seek!” whispered the crackly disembodied voice. Rhuna knew she had to obey, and reminded herself that it was only a vision enhanced by hallucinatory herbs which enabled her and her fellow-Observers to glean more details and information about the subjects they summoned.

  “Look here, Rhuna!” The images before her began to transform, and soon she was in a sunlit room with wooden furniture and a smooth, polished floor. A disembodied hand pointed at some items on the floor, and Rhuna stepped forward to have a better look.

  “They look like figurines and other little toys,” Rhuna said.

  “Yesssss,” said the voice, which Rhuna believed to be a representation of the Dark Master. “Yet much more than mere toys, Rhuna! See, here!” he hissed and pointed to a particular figure next to some clay animals. “A trader with his pack animals, bringing his wares to Safu.”

  Rhuna focussed on the figures and saw that they were quite realistic, made out of clay, wood and materials like cotton and linen cloth. She noticed that some sacks were tied to the donkeys’ backs, and Rhuna assumed that these were the wares that the trader was bringing to Safu.

  “Observe, Rhuna!” said the eerie voice with a loud crackle. A hammer appeared above the miniatures, and Rhuna watched it smash the trader several times until the doll-like figure was broken in several places. Suddenly, Rhuna felt sick all over, and for a moment it was as if she felt the pain of many broken bones in her own body.

  “An unfortunate accident has befallen this travelling trader!” cackled the ugly voice, and Rhuna understood that whatever happened to this trader was caused by the Dark Ones when they destroyed the figure.

  “But how can that be?” asked Rhuna. Her voice sounded distant and high-pitched, like a frightened little girl.

  “Ah, Rhuna! So much to learn! Listen and be attentive, little girl,” he said with a snicker. “My followers have access to my powers! As long as they continue to do my work, they are able to do magnificent things!”

  “But how? You’re dead!” protested Rhuna.

  “Am I?” The bodiless voice said mockingly, with a chilling laugh. “Ask Damell!” he said, and then laughed some more.

  Rhuna felt paralyzed for a moment as her mind struggled to comprehend what she had heard, and why it had instinctively set off distress and panic throughout her body.

  “Oh!” she cried, and opened her eyes to see Aradin looking directly at her. She took a deep breath to compose herself, and then reflected on the vision she had experienced. As she began to tell Aradin about it, she noticed that her voice was shaky, and Aradin reached across to hold both her hands in his.

  “He knew my father’s personal name!” Rhuna exclaimed as horror rippled through her body. “The Dark Master knows my father’s personal name, and told me to ask him whether he, the Dark One, is still alive!” Rhuna took a few more deep breaths to calm herself.

  “Rhuna, it was only a vision!” Aradin said firmly as he squeezed her hands. “They always upset you because they’re so real, but they’re distorted due to the hallucinatory herbs, remember!”

  Rhuna nodded as she remembered her past visions induced by hallucinatory herbs in which the Dark Master also spoke to her, and how the facts had been disguised in unreal images.

  “The Dark Master is dead and can’t talk to you,” Aradin continued to reassure her, and Rhuna agreed that those parts of her visions were obviously not real. She finished describing the rest of her vision to Aradin, and then watched as Aradin sat back and inhaled the hallucinatory herbs.

  The vision she had experienced continued to replay in Rhuna’s mind as she sat in silence, waiting for Aradin to awake from his hallucination-induced visions. She determined to visit Damell the very next morning to tell him about her visions, as well as about her meeting with Possessor of Discernment.

  Aradin’s eyes popped open with a loud inhale of breath, and Rhuna sat upright, anxious to hear about her husband’s vision.

  “They are still meeting secretly in the same large room under the pyramid!” he said immediately, and then reached for a drink of sweet nectar before telling Rhuna the rest of his visions.

  “They do the same ritual as the other Dark Ones before them - killing small animals, thinking this pleases the Dark Master somehow!” he said shaking his head with disgust.

  “Oh no!” said Rhuna, distressed at the memory of watching the previous Dark Ones killing a pig in her first hallucinatory vision several solar cycles past.

  “Yes,” said Aradin closing his eyes to recall his visions more accurately. “For the life force in them – they think the Dark One needs the animals’ life force to sustain him!”

  “Do they think the Dark Master is invisible and amongst them, or what do they believe?” Rhuna wondered, and then shuddered.

  “The answer to this question must be revealed to us eventually,” sighed Aradin, and then vigorously shook his head to free his mind from the disturbing vision. “But now we should rest,” he said as he stood up and placed his arm around Rhuna.

  “So much is going through my head – I don’t think I can sleep!” said Rhuna with a groan as they walked to their sleeping chamber.

  “Perhaps I can think of something that will help,” Aradin whispered seductively, making Rhuna giggle and throw her arms around him.

  Rhuna awoke the next morning feeling well rested, and when she turned towards the open window, she felt refreshed as the scent of wet grass wafted through the room. Aradin stirred beside her, and she gave him a quick tight embrace before jumping to her feet, eager to start the new day.

  After the usual morning routine, Rhuna walked to The Reigning One’s residence, feeling invigorated by the fresh clean smells caused by the overnight rain. She passed the golden feline statue, thinking of Shandi’s special gift of foreknowledge, and then proceeded up the large stairs to her father’s chambers.

  “There’s so much to tell you, so much to ask!” Rhuna said excitedly after she had greeted her father with an embrace and kisses. Damell chuckled happily and gestured towards the seating cushions.

  “Let us be comfortable and take nourishment,” he said.

  As she chewed on nuts, dates and seeds, she told her father about the visions she and Aradin had experienced after inhaling hallucinatory herbs, and then she described the visions The Observers had summoned, as well as the conclusions they drew from them.

  “I’m sure I know him…those green eyes are so familiar!” Rhuna said, recalling the familiarity she felt when she saw the leader of the Dark Ones in the summoned images.

  “The Infinite contains all Knowledge, and you are now able to access it for details of the memories you are unable to fully recall,” Damell said, his bright blue eyes flashing with excitement.

  “Really? I can do that?” Rhuna asked astonished, and then laughed happily when she saw her father’s mischievous expression.

  “You access The Infinite in the manner of summoning mental visions,” Damell began to explain. It is the same pr
ocess, only with the techniques I have instructed you to practice these past solar cycles, you are now able to reach further, with your Extended Consciousness, into The Infinite to glean the information you require.”

  “That’s amazing!” Rhuna exuded as her mind raced to comprehend the possibilities of her newfound abilities.

  “When you enter the first level of The Infinite,” Damell began, motioning for Rhuna to take the position for extending her Consciousness. “Focus your thoughts on the man with green eyes and any other familiar characteristics, regardless how vague, and the answer shall be given you,” he said confidently.

  Rhuna proceeded to take the usual steps as she had been taught, and soon felt her Consciousness float in weightless space. Light and shadow forms of various hues danced before her eyes, distracting her for a moment from the purpose of extending her Consciousness to access The Infinite. She recalled the image she saw of the green-eyed leader of the Dark Ones, and thought about the feeling of familiarity she experienced. In an instant, the young face of a green-eyed man wearing a Master’s Robe flashed before her, along with all the memories and feelings of unease, distress and repulsion connected with the face.

  “Beacon of the Night!” Rhuna exclaimed, gasping as she returned to her body and popped her eyes open. “Of course! That old rascal!” she said, as memories flooded over her. She began to tell her father about the young teacher she knew in Atlán who taught her how to make a small pyramid for her own personal use of harnessing solar, cosmic and lunar energies. She had been unaware of his attraction to her because she was so immersed in learning and developing all the traditional Atlan skills to become a Master.

  “He tried to kiss and grope me,” Rhuna recalled, surprised that her memories of a time twenty solar cycles in the past were suddenly so vivid and emotionally poignant. “When I told Tozar and an official complaint was made, he lied and twisted everything around to make it sound as if I had tried to seduce him…as if it was all my fault, not his!” she said angrily.

  “Your feelings concerning this event are momentarily strong due to accessing The Infinite,” Damell explained, discerning her anger and repulsion of the green-eyed man.

  “He was sent away…” Rhuna remembered, and Damell nodded.

  “Removed from Atlan society for the purpose of readjustment and re-alignment with Atlan principles. Yet this procedure is not always successful,” Damell said with a frown.

  “No…” said Rhuna, reflecting on the events of the past for a moment longer until her mind turned to the pressing question of the Dark Master.

  “The vision I had last night…of the Dark One telling me to ask you whether he is really dead, and using your personal name!” Rhuna began. “Aradin reminded me that the hallucinatory herbs distort things, but it felt so real!” She shuddered again at the memory of the disturbing vision.

  “What did it mean, Damell? He is dead…he must be! But why do I still see him in visions?” she asked with desperation.

  Damell hesitated and Rhuna felt the knot in her stomach tighten as she waited for her father to answer.

  “Do not be afraid, Rhuna. He cannot harm you,” he said in a low voice.

  “Then you mean…you mean he is still alive somehow?” asked Rhuna breathlessly.

  Damell nodded and then took a breath. “His Extended Consciousness is alive,” he finally said.

  “What?” asked Rhuna aghast. “The Consciousness can live while the body is dead?”

  “Indeed, it was believed not possible,” Damell quickly replied, “Yet Gatherer of Sage has once again pushed past all known boundaries into the Unknown and proved everyone else wrong,” he said, still looking down at the floor.

  “Oh, Father!” exclaimed Rhuna. “This is terrible!”

  “Do not fear, My Daughter!” said Damell quickly and put a hand on her forearm.

  “Remember my explanation about the Extended Consciousness: it cannot be seen or sensed in any way.”

  “But my visions…”

  “You access the Infinite in your visions, Rhuna,” Damell explained firmly. “He communicates directly with those who are in his sphere, the Infinite.”

  “So…” Rhuna began as a cold wave of horror passed through her. “The Dark Master was really talking to me in my visions, even some solar cycles past?”

  Damell nodded with a serious glance.

  Rhuna shuddered. “He always terrifies me,” Rhuna admitted.

  “He is formidable, yes,” nodded Damell.

  Rhuna thought for a moment. “Have you…do you…talk to him when your Extended Consciousness enters the Infinite?”

  “Yes,” he answered bluntly, then took another breath before explaining. “It is possible to encounter the Extended Consciousness of others in the Infinite, and communication is possible; in fact, in the Infinite, it is facilitated by the lack of speech and need to articulate words.”

  “You mean, you can talk by mere thoughts only,” Rhuna said, and Damell nodded, then smiled.

  “You have gained a very good understanding of the Infinite,” he said.

  “How is it possible for his Consciousness to stay alive all this time?” Rhuna wondered.

  “This is another mystery yet to be fully revealed. He has discovered that the life force of living beings which enter the Infinite give him sustenance and renewed spiritual strength.

  “That’s why they kill animals!” Rhuna gasped.

  “It is so,” Damell stated bluntly. “May their work be contained to mere small animals,” he added solemnly.

  “But we have to try to stop them!” said Rhuna, puzzled by her father’s words.

  “No, My Daughter, we cannot prevent this,” he said with sudden sternness. “We must focus on preventing much greater transgressions against humankind! Let us commence without delay, for there is much to learn!” he told Rhuna as he motioned for her to relax on the appropriate soft cushions.

  “Attempt to move your Point of Consciousness to a more distant location, such as your home,” Damell instructed.

  “But the Dark One…I’m afraid!” Rhuna protested, but Damell quickly rose his hand to calm her.

  “No harm can befall you in The Infinite,” he repeated forcefully, and Rhuna felt her fear begin to ebb away. When she felt ready, Rhuna began the practice of Inside Focussing and releasing her Consciousness from her physical body. Before she realized it, her Extended Consciousness was already hovering above her motionless body. She saw her father from above, and noticed for the first time that his scalp showed through his grey hair at the very top of his head.

  Then she felt herself floating in sunshine, and recalling the rain as she arrived at The Reigning One’s residence only a short time earlier, she looked around to see where the sunshine was coming from. When she could not find the source of the warm sunlight, she remembered her father’s instructions, and willed her Point of Consciousness to move towards the outside of the room.

  Rhuna felt a strange sensation as she passed through the solid stone block walls of her father’s chambers. She thought to herself that it felt like missing a breath or a heartbeat. Suddenly, she was already in front of her own house, and she felt disoriented for a moment. Moving her Point of Consciousness from The Reigning One’s residence to her own home had taken no time at all, and it took her breath away once more as she realized what had happened.

  Seeing the door of her home before her, Rhuna moved to reach and open the door, but in the blink of an eye she was inside, sitting next to Aradin in the room he called his office, talking to a client. She looked intensely at her husband and the unusual female trader wearing odd clothes. For a brief moment it bothered Rhuna that Aradin paid no attention to her, and that the client seemed to ignore her as well, until she remembered that her Extended Consciousness could not be seen.

  “My family owns much land, yes,” said the woman, whose dark eyes and brown skin Rhuna now examined more closely. “Family and friends, even strangers, work
on the land to gather these olives,” she continued, and Rhuna surmised that the dark woman represented a large olive-growing plantation in a nearby land, and that she wanted to start trading olives and olive oil with certain merchants of Safu in exchange for crops and rose petals.

  Rhuna watched as Aradin repeated the details of the trade agreement, and then made indentations on a clay tablet which Rhuna knew to be writing. Then she saw Aradin take off one of his rings and press the top of it into the clay, leaving a detailed impression of an intricate design. To her surprise, the dark woman did the same, only her ring left a different impression on the tablet.

  Suddenly, Rhuna felt the urge to return to her father, and without moving out of the house or across the streets of Safu, she felt herself getting heavy and sinking into cushions until she opened her eyes and saw Damell looking at her.

  “I was at home!” she said, and began to describe her experience in every detail as Damell listened, nodded and smiled. “And you are losing hair on top of your head, Father!”

  “I myself have observed this, also,” Damell said with a chuckle, and then reached for the refreshments on the small table nearby. Rhuna took a handful of dates and then some nuts while slowly savouring a tangy fruit drink rich in pomegranate.

  “You have progressed extremely well, and in a short period of time,” Damell said as he finished his last handful of seeds. “Yet practice is essential, and you may now continue exploring the realm of The Infinite with your Extended Consciousness at your own convenience.”

  Rhuna thought about her usual Inside Focussing practice at home, and expressed her concern that Aradin would notice when her Consciousness was absent from her body for a period of time.

  “Of course, he must be informed now,” Damell said. “He shall object and be concerned at first, however. Explain to him the importance of this gift you and I have been granted, and that our skills shall be needed in the near future,” he told her. After a brief pause, he added with a frown, “Explain only to Aradin, not to your friends, The Observers. They shall acquire this knowledge at the proper time.”