Rhuna smiled again and realized she enjoyed explaining the skills unique to Atlans.
“I don’t know all the details, but there is a very knowledgeable Atlan man here who knows all about the Pyramids,” Rhuna said, thinking fondly of Possessor of Discernment.
“I want to meet him!” Uxbana stated promptly.
Rhuna suggested a rest and refreshments as they finally arrived at the base of the pyramids, and after walking around to view the various produce being traded at the market stalls, she looked around for Possessor of Discernment. As she had expected, the white-haired Atlan was nearby, his countenance lifted when he saw Rhuna waving to him. Uxbana saw the elderly man respond to Rhuna’s wave, and promptly walked towards him.
“Tell me the purpose of these giant buildings!” she demanded of the ageing Atlan man.
“With pleasure,” he said bowing his head slightly. “The First Atlans built the first Pyramid to establish Atlan Knowledge in this world,” he began enthusiastically. The Pyramid had multiple purposes in the beginning, and can adapt to function in other ways throughout the passing of time.”
“Oooh” Uxbana said breathlessly and her slender neck stretched for a better view of the enormous height and girth of the pyramids.
“In the present time, they serve to harness and store cosmic, solar, lunar and earth energies,” Possessor of Discernment continued, his blue eyes sparkling.
“And in past times?” Uxbana asked excitedly.
“Various functions were utilized by the First Atlans, such as providing the Masters with temporary extraordinary powers, enabling them to build the city of Safu and establish the Atlan colony. Certain chambers inside the Pyramid serve to imbue extra mental powers, if only temporarily, in order to accomplish certain great feats,” Possessor of Discernment explained.
Rhuna and Uxbana followed the Atlan Pyramid guide around one of the pyramids and then through a doorway inside the main pyramid. Rhuna felt the solid stone walls envelope her with silent strength and deep inner vibration.
“So quiet, but I can still hear things,” Uxbana whispered with awe.
“The frequency of the earth,” answered Possessor of Discernment in a hushed tone which sounded amplified in the cavity of the pyramid. Rhuna listened and heard the buzz of static energy. “The Pyramid was built on precisely the correct location, and with the exact dimensions to allow the entire pyramid to resonate with the earth’s frequency.”
“Ooooh” said Uxbana softly as she exhaled slowly.
“The nature of this stone contains fine, granular elements that generate energy, and therefore the entire pyramid can be used to harness, produce and store static energy.”
“Mmm,” said Uxbana, as if she were savouring a tasty morsel of food. They walked a little further in silence until they stepped out on the other side of the pyramid. Uxbana walked forward in giant strides, stopped and then looked up at the pyramid for a new and respectful visual examination.
“So, we can harness energy from the earth if we build a pyramid on the right place?” Uxbana repeated incredulously.
“Yes, but there are only very few places as powerful as this one on the planet,” Possessor of Discernment said.
“What are those people doing over there?” Uxbana asked, pointing to the New Arrivals’ encampment.
“Making devices to produce the works of the Atlans without the use of any mental powers,” Rhuna replied.
“Oh! This is what we want!” Uxbana exclaimed excitedly. “Take me there!”
“I am Uxbana of Zambalu, Queen of the land of Ubanti,” she said as she gracefully stepped out of the carry-seat. The New Arrivals and others in their company watched in silent awe as the tall and elegant woman approached them, her gold and other jewels glimmering in the sunshine.
“Welcome!” said several of them in unison, and Rhuna recognized Progress of the Wind and Beacon of the Night among them. She quickly summarized Queen Uxbana’s interest and purpose in visiting Safu, and then introduced a few of the New Arrivals to the Ubanti queen.
“These devices are intended for use by Atlans only, in order to continue the Atlan tradition,” Progress of the Wind explained.
Uxbana looked at Rhuna. “She told me that Atlan things are for everybody!” she said irritated.
“Generally speaking, yes,” said Beacon of the Night stepping forward and giving Uxbana a respectful bow.
“The employment of Atlan Knowledge and these new devices carries a great responsibility, and we Atlans are obligated to ensure that the Knowledge is placed in capable hands.”
“We Ubanti are very capable and responsible people!” Uxbana sniffed.
“Of course, My Queen,” said Beacon of the Night, and Rhuna sensed his false politeness and exaggerated adulation.
“No doubt after further discussions between your leaders and ours, an arrangement can be reached,” he said. Rhuna noticed that Progress of the Wind scowled at Beacon of the Night behind his back, and assumed that he did not approve of his leader’s words.
As the sun began its descent, Rhuna directed the carry-seat to the Commoners’ part of the city, telling Uxbana that this was where she had performed many of the great deeds she had heard about.
“We have such people, also,” said Uxbana lifting her nose into the air as the poor Benshi rushed out of their homes to greet Rhuna.
“Kagu-Hina!” they called out joyfully.
“That means ‘Star Child’ because a certain new and bright star began to appear in the sky at the time I first came to Safu,” Rhuna explained to Uxbana.
“Are you come to heal us?” asked one old Benshi men without any teeth.
“Protect us from the curses!” some others called out to her.
“Curses? They are prevalent among the Commoners?” Uxbana asked, suspiciously.
“Among all kinds of people, but yes, mostly here,” Rhuna confirmed. “They are the most easily susceptible and superstitious.”
Rhuna looked at the gathering crowd of Benshi and then recognized the woman who had the pain in her side. She was making her way through the crowd to approach Rhuna and speak.
“Want amulet!” she shouted.
“How is the pain now? Can you sleep better?” Rhuna asked, trying to make a quick visual examination of her patient.
“Sleep better, pain same!” she said angrily. “Where get amulet?”
“They think that wearing a certain piece of jewellery will make their ailments disappear,” Rhuna whispered to Uxbana seated next to her.
“And is it so?” Uxbana asked, her elegant face showing a mix of awe and horror.
“No…” Rhuna hesitated, being careful what she said. “Some Atlans have been…experimenting…with their powers,” she said slowly. “But that has come to an end now, and the new Atlan Council of Safu will make sure such things don’t happen again.”
“Some of your people do these things? Hurt the poor and vulnerable?”
“Only some! And then they are disciplined, or banished,” Rhuna said adamantly.
“Hmm,” Uxbana said thoughtfully as she frowned.
Rhuna told the woman with the constant pain that she would do something for her as soon as she could.
“You spend time here, helping these people? They should help themselves first!”
“Most of them need to be shown how to do things, and then they usually improve their own lives,” Rhuna responded.
Uxbana shook her head and told Rhuna that her uncle and brothers would not agree with her.
“The Reigning One thought the same at first,” Rhuna answered, and then related how he sent some soldiers to assist in providing materials to make proper doors and windows, and soon many of the capable people of the Benshi poor were improving their homes by themselves.
“Hmm,” Uxbana said, looking at everything more carefully. “Our Poor need blocks for building,” she said. “They live in open spaces, like animals. No house, no roof,” she ges
tured energetically with her long arms and graceful hands.
“We have big rock mountains near our land. How can we make building blocks from it? We are tired of mixing mud with dry grass and baking small bricks in the sun all day!”
“You could use the devices to cut rock,” Rhuna said excitedly. “Then you wouldn’t even need an Atlan Master to help you.”
“And how to transport the heavy rocks?”
“Roaming the Hills is making a device that changes the nature of gravity using sound. That can be used to make it easier to lift heavy stone blocks,” Rhuna replied.
“Ah, excellent, excellent,” she said exuberantly, and began to play with her many bracelets and necklaces in happy anticipation.
“The devices aren’t ready yet,” Rhuna said, and watched Uxbana’s disappointed reaction. “But I could come visit your land and help already,” Rhuna suggested quickly.
“You would do that?” Uxbana said, eyebrows arched. “What do you want in return? We have much gold.”
“I don’t want anything in return,” Rhuna said, waving her hand dismissively. “Just like I did for the Commoners here, I can do for your people. And maybe some other Atlan Masters would come with me and help make paving stones and building blocks.”
“Oh!” Uxbana clapped her hands together with joy. “How wonderful!”
The evening meal was lively with conversation at Rhuna’s home that night as she related all the events of the day. Faleesh had prepared a delicious dish of meat cooked in goat’s milk and yams seasoned with herbs, and Shandi giggled and chirped ‘black woman’ every time Rhuna mentioned Uxbana.
“You are proud of Atlan traditions,” Aradin said as he smiled at her.
Tired but satisfied after the long day, Rhuna retreated to her sleeping chamber after putting Shandi to bed. Her thoughts returned to the woman with the constant pain who had asked her desperately for an amulet to lift the curse.
Rhuna let the silence of her chamber calm her, and then moved into the position for Inside Focussing, deciding to summon a vision mentally, as she had done in the past. She was able to summon visions that could not be summoned by means of the Gazing of the Waters, and they were clear and undistorted by the hallucinatory effect of the herbs.
She thought about the Benshi woman suffering from the unexplained pain in the side of her abdomen, then focused her concentration on what caused the pain in her side. She immediately saw a vision of a figurine with a pin sticking in its side. The image startled Rhuna and she opened her eyes with a gasp.
After a moment, Rhuna decided to examine the possibility of helping the woman in The Infinite, and promptly arranged some cushions in preparation for releasing her Extended Consciousness. She found the release much easier and without disorientation now, and with continued guidance from her father, she was beginning to understand the colours, lights and patterns she sensed in The Infinite.
When Rhuna’s Extended Consciousness was afloat and ready to respond to her direction, she focused her thoughts on the Benshi woman. In an instant, she saw her with a long spear sticking out of her abdomen, and realized that this was the pin that the Dark Ones had stuck into the doll representing the woman.
Rhuna examined the spear and realized it was not solid but of a different matter, like Tozar’s message in The Infinite. It looked like loose grains of sand in a glutinous mass, but did not move or make a sound. She wondered whether she could destroy it with something, and realized she merely had to think of an object for it to appear, like the sword with which she shattered the pulsating noisy mass that was Tozar’s message.
When she was unable to think of a tool, Rhuna wondered whether her transformation skills would be enough, and she recalled how she had caused the big stone block in the Commoners’ part of the city to disintegrate. She put her mind into the transforming mode and focused her mental powers onto the strange spear, willing it to dissolve. In a short time, Rhuna watched as the spear appeared to melt and become viscous, until everything had completely dissolved.
Rhuna returned her Extended Consciousness to her body, and then slowly sat upright as she let out a satisfied sigh. She decided to visit the Commoner’s part of the city in the next days to determine whether the woman’s pain had finally gone.
The following lunar cycle was filled with joyous anticipation, as Rhuna continued to summon images of Lozira by means of the Gazing of the Waters every morning and evening, and was reassured each time she saw her daughter engaged in various practical activities. Some days Rhuna observed Lozira sewing and making new clothes, and other days she assisted the two Atlan women in weaving a large floor covering with a complex and colourful design. Other times, Lozira sat playing various games with her travel companions, or just sitting silently, gazing out of the window at the horizon.
Almost daily, Rhuna visited Damell at The Reigning One’s residence, and when the weather was pleasant, they enjoyed a stroll in the Sanctuary Gardens where they watched birds and other animals that were kept there.
Rhuna also closely observed the Guardians of Knowledge, summoning mental visions of their secret activities which she noticed occurred regularly at certain phases of the moon.
“Brother, should we not attempt to hinder the new Atlan Council’s arrival in Safu?” asked one of the female Guardians in Rhuna’s vision. Her face was in the dark shadow of his black robe so that Rhuna could not recognize her.
“No. We shall deal with them according to their actions when they are here,” Beacon of the Night said decisively.
“In the meantime, we shall continue to thwart the Ubanti’s attempts to enter Safu!” said Charmer of Snakes, rubbing his hands together with glee.
The short vision ended, and Rhuna felt relieved once again that they no longer attempted to prevent the Atlan fleet from arriving at Safu.
The day of Lozira’s arrival had finally arrived, and Rhuna felt it had been many lunar cycles instead of merely one cycle and several days. She awoke before the break of dawn and felt too excited to stay in bed a moment longer. Packing a small bag with some food for the morning meal, she left the house to wait at the dock, while Aradin and Shandi planned to leave later in the morning.
Rhuna watched the sun’s first rays glisten on the Great River, its surface flat and smooth, as if it were still asleep. Some birds awoke and began their morning calls, and nearby two fishermen cast out their nets. The thrill of the beautiful morning and the knowledge that Lozira would soon be with her at last made her entire body tingle with happy anticipation.
Aradin and Shandi, along with many other people began to arrive at the dock as the sun progressed across the sky. Rhuna’s heart began to pound as the ships came into sight, and she wished for a stronger wind to carry them forward faster. When they finally arrived at the docking area Rhuna could barely contain her happiness and excitement much longer.
“Lozira!” Rhuna called out and waved her arm vigorously when she saw the tall and slender figure of her daughter emerge from one of the cabins. The wind picked up her loose long hair and Rhuna thought it looked like a golden aura around her face.
Lozira hurried to disembark and walked briskly to the edge of the vessel where she was guided onto a ramp that connected to the dock. Finally on solid land, Lozira let out a cheer of relief and delight as Rhuna ran towards her with open arms. After a long, tight embrace, there was laughter and many more expressions of joy.
“You are taller than me now!” exclaimed Rhuna, stepping back to have a better lock at her grown-up daughter. “You look more like your father now.”
Lozira’s bright face suddenly darkened at the mention of her father, and Rhuna immediately regretted her words. “But also a lot like me!” she quickly added, and then felt a tug at her dress.
“What’s this?” Lozira asked, looking down at Shandi. “I have a little sister?” She bent down to be almost level with Shandi’s rosy round face.
“Lozira!” the little girl squealed excitedly. “Lozir
a! Come on ship!”
Lozira took the child in her arms and then kissed her soft round cheek. “I am very fortunate to have a sweet little sister like you!” Lozira said with a bright smile.
“You talk more like your father now,” observed Aradin, and Lozira stood up to greet him. Welcome back to Safu,” he said, and gave her a quick but heartfelt embrace and kiss on her cheek.
“I am so very happy to be here!” Lozira exclaimed, wiping a tear from her cheek. Shandi kept tugging at Lozira’s dress, so she took her little sister’s hand and smiled down at her fondly.
“They are the members of the new Safu Council,” Lozira said, indicating with a nod of her head towards the group gathering on the dock nearby. Rhuna examined the faces as they progressed along the dock, and said that she recognized about half of them. Then Aradin took a large bag that contained all of Lozira’s modest possessions, and began carrying it away from the ships.
“We’ll get you many nice new clothes and accessories,” said Rhuna as she put her arm around Lozira. “And so many things we can see and do together!” she prattled excitedly, feeling elated and thrilled at the prospect of sharing every activity with her grown-up daughter.
“I can hardly wait!” said Lozira happily, giving her mother a tight squeeze as they walked behind Aradin. Shandi still dangled excitedly from Lozira’s hand, looking up at her tall new sister.
As they walked down the smooth paved streets of the Atlan part of Safu, Lozira said she recognized the area, and remembered which house belonged to Aradin. Along the way, Rhuna summarized what had happened in Safu in the several solar cycles since Lozira had to leave and return to Atlán, including the recent new living arrangements for Faleesh.
“Oh, beautiful girl!” said Faleesh as Rhuna presented Lozira to her. The motherly Benshi woman took Lozira’s face in her hands and sweetly kissed her cheek. “You grow up tall and beautiful,” she said with admiration. Lozira said that she remembered Faleesh, and that she was delighted to learn that Faleesh now took care of her little sister. Then Rhuna showed Lozira to her sleeping chamber, while Faleesh began fussing over Shandi and talking about preparing the next meal.
Rhuna, The Star Child Page 13