Damell 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.”
Damell’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.
Damell 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 Faleesh 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,” said Stealth 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 her body. “I don’t want her to be involved with Beacon of the Night either! Give me a chance to prove that I am a good parent!”
Sun of the Morning glanced at her companion briefly before responding.
“Atlan principles dictate that we allow everyone the opportunity to change and improve,” she said with a distinct tone of skepticism. “We shall observe and consult with you again accordingly,” she said as she turned to leave.
Rhuna let herself fall onto one of the large seating cushions and released a deep groan of anguish.
“What do they mean, emotionally involved? How can that be?” Rhuna squeaked as Aradin lowered himself onto the adjoining cushion and placed his arms around her.
“We’ll talk to her as soon as she returns,” Aradin said.
“I don’t understand this,” Rhuna said shaking her head.
“Let’s summon the Gazing of the Waters to learn what this is all about,” Aradin suggested, squeezing Rhuna’s hands encouragingly. Rhuna nodded, but approached the basin with trepidation.
Seated next to Aradin, Rhuna began the summons for visions of Lozira’s involvement with Beacon of the Night, and then watched the swirls of colour change until the reflection became opaque before clearing to reveal the visions.
Rhuna gasped when she saw Lozira seated next to Beacon of the Night, their faces close to each other as they spoke softly. Beacon of the Night reached out to gently hold Lozira’s hand, and Rhuna watched with disbelief as her daught
er smiled and continued to gaze into the mysterious green eyes of the man Rhuna associated with the Dark Master.
“He must have put a curse on her!” Rhuna hissed vehemently.
“Wait!” said Aradin in a loud whisper, pointing to the changing images in the water.
Rhuna heard herself gasping once again as she watched Lozira and Beacon of the Night standing near the Great River, warm sunshine surrounding Lozira’s yellow-gold hair. She watched disbelievingly as Beacon of the Night leaned towards Lozira and kissed her.
“Oh, no! Oh, no!” Rhuna said in dismay as the kiss lingered and Lozira’s arms folded around the man’s neck.
The images faded, and Rhuna pushed herself away from the basin with a loud groan, realizing that she had been holding her breath.
“How can this be happening?” Rhuna asked in anguish.
“It’s an unexpected and grave turn of events,” Aradin said gloomily.
“Could he really have put a curse on her somehow?”
Aradin shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “We saw no evidence of such kind of curses in our observations, but we are not infallible, and Beacon of the Night is shrewd and clever.”
“We have to stop this immediately,” said Rhuna, suddenly aware that she was shaking all over.
“Even if we can prevent her from seeing him again, we can’t stop feelings – unless it’s a curse that can be removed,” Aradin admonished.
“What feelings? She can’t have feelings for him!” she scoffed angrily.
“Why not? Beacon of the Night is a charming man with many appealing attributes, not to mention a handsome appearance – everything a young woman would find attractive,” said Aradin. Rhuna remained silent and tried to calm herself.
“At her age, after being under Tozar’s restrictive domination, it would be natural for her to develop feelings for the first appealing man she met here in Safu,” Aradin continued.
“But not him!” Rhuna shouted, her agitation increasing again.
“Be careful what you say,” Aradin said after a moment. “Strong opposition might only push her more towards him.”
Rhuna nodded solemnly as she held her head in her hands and waited for Lozira to return home. Thoughts raced through her head, and she wondered whether she could affect Lozira’s feelings in The Infinite, or even stop Beacon of the Night in the same way as she had intercepted Tozar’s message to the innkeeper at the land of the isthmus. Deciding it was better to do something rather than sit and wait, she told Aradin she would rest a while and entered the adjoining chamber where she could recline on seating cushions.
Rhuna breathed in slowly as she tried to enter the deep and silent state of mind in preparation for her Extended Consciousness to explore outside her body. The process took longer, and she assumed it was her agitated emotional state that hindered her usual immediate relaxation. When she finally entered the tranquil darkness of her inner mind, she willed her Extended Consciousness to find Lozira.
At first, her Extended Consciousness felt heavy as it rose from Rhuna’s body, and she felt as if she were underwater and swimming to the surface. Suddenly, she felt freed and entered areas of moving light and colours before recognizing the exterior of her home seen from above the nearby street. Focussing on Lozira, she felt herself pulled swiftly to a nearby street lined with shady trees, and under one of them she recognized Lozira standing with Beacon of the Night.
Rhuna willed her Extended Consciousness to hover above them so that she could hear their spoken words and see their faces clearly.
“I still feel strange,” Lozira was saying as Rhuna’s Extended Consciousness neared them, and Rhuna was shocked to see her daughter’s face flushed pink from laughing, and her long hair rather disheveled. “Do you really think Rhuna would not suspect?” she asked Beacon of the Night before suddenly bursting into laughter.
“And what if she does?” Beacon of the Night said dismissively as he shrugged his shoulders and joined in Lozira’s laughter. His hands slid around Lozira’s slim waist as she raised her arms to embrace him, and Rhuna’s Extended Consciousness seemed to vibrate with the tension of witnessing this scene.
Lozira stopped laughing as she raised her head to meet the man’s lips on her mouth, and Rhuna realized that their long and deep kiss indicated a relationship already far progressed. As she watched her daughter in the embrace of the leader of the Dark Master’s followers, her Consciousness became aware of another sense alongside the flashes of colours which Rhuna associated with thoughts and emotions. The sense was unpleasantly familiar, and after a while she recognized it to be intoxicating beverage.
Feeling suddenly unwell, Rhuna let her Extended Consciousness return to her body, landing on the seating cushions like a heavy wet sack. Opening her eyes, Rhuna let out a groan of dismay as she struggled to accept what she had experienced in The Infinite. She rose to her feet and decided to summon images of Lozira partaking of intoxicating beverages by means of the Gazing of the Waters.
Rhuna summoned the specific visions of the present day concerning Lozira and Beacon of the Night, and with Aradin at her side, waited for the images to appear in the water. Almost instantly, Rhuna saw her daughter entering a building with Beacon of the Night, and emerging from it with drinking vessels and an earthenware ewer which was used solely for fermented barley beverages.
Still feeling shocked and alarmed, Rhuna held her breath as the next images appeared and she saw Lozira and Beacon of the Night sitting on grass, drinking and laughing. Beacon of the Night was recounting amusing tales of what people had done in a state of extreme intoxication, and Lozira curled up with laughter as she listened. The images faded, and Rhuna took a deep breath.
“Nothing else happened,” she said with a sigh of relief.
“You thought he would take advantage of her intoxicated state,” Aradin said, nodding in agreement. “Yet it appears they did not indulge to excess, and everything we just saw was harmless.”
“Harmless? Harmless, Aradin? How can you say that?” Rhuna screeched, feeling distraught anew at the thought of her daughter being emotionally involved with the leader of the Dark Ones.
“No, I meant the drinking of intoxicating beverages…nothing happened besides normal laughter and merriment,” he said as he tried to sooth Rhuna’s jagged nerves.
“Drinking intoxicating beverages is against Atlan principles!” Rhuna spluttered. “Lozira has never had such beverages, and normally she would never consider it! He has already undermined her Atlan principles, and who knows what else…”
“We’ll talk with her as soon as she returns home,” Aradin said soothingly. When she responded to his touch, Aradin embraced her and silently held her for a while.
After some time, Rhuna heard Lozira enter the house and immediately rushed towards the doorway to confront her, despite Aradin’s urgent whispers to stay calm.
“Has something happened?” Lozira asked as she looked at Rhuna and then at Aradin.
“Where have you been?” Rhuna asked with a shaky voice.
“With friends,” Lozira answered casually as she looked away and began walking towards her chamber.
“Were you with Beacon of the Night?” Rhuna asked sharply. Lozira stopped abruptly and spun around with anxious wide eyes.
“You know?”
“We were told by Sun of the Morning and others from the new Atlan Council of Safu. Your father told them! He has been observing you and accused me of being a bad parent,” Rhuna prattled as her distress rose to the surface again.
“Your father is very upset,” interrupted Aradin. “Why did you keep it secret from us?”
“When I told you about the long conversation I had with him near the pyramids, you got so angry and told me not to see him again…so I kept it from you,” Lozira answered unapologetically.
“You must really like him, to disregard your mother’s warning,” Aradin said emphatically. Lozira looked at Aradin and then at Rhuna.
/> “I love him,” she said softly.
“Oh no, Lozira!” Rhuna said with dismay. “Love? But he’s more than twice your age!” Rhuna argued.
“Like Tozar was, when you came to Atlán!” Lozira shot back. Aradin let out a quick laugh, then shrugged as he glanced at Rhuna.
“He doesn’t have any true feelings for you, Lozira!”
“He’s not like that anymore!” Lozira shouted angrily. “He told me that you’d say such things!”
“Rhuna is just afraid you’ll be hurt,” Aradin interrupted.
“He won’t hurt me,” Lozira stated loudly. “I know all about his old life; he told me everything!”
“He’s devious and clever,” Rhuna said firmly. “And there are other things that you don’t know about. Oh, why did you have to choose him of all people!” Rhuna wailed in dismay. “Try to forget him, Lozira. There are so many other nice men you can meet here!”
“You cannot control me like a child anymore, Rhuna!” Lozira cried angrily. “I came to Safu to be free of Tozar’s control, and now you also tell me what I must not do! But you cannot, cannot, cannot!”
“I can and I will!” Rhuna screamed back.
“Then I shall leave here!” Lozira thundered as her face turned red.
Rhuna felt Aradin’s hand grasp her arm and she understood that she had gone too far. A moment later, she heard Shandi’s high-pitched wail, and turned to see the little girl standing in the doorway.
“Din-Din!” she wailed between sobs, and Aradin rushed to scoop her in his arms.
“The screaming has upset her,” he said as calmly as he could, and then carried Shandi away as Rhuna breathed deeply to quell some of her heated emotions.
“Don’t be angry with me, Rhuna!” Lozira spluttered though an eruption of tears. “I cannot do anything about my feelings!” Lozira sobbed, turning away and hiding her face in her hands. “Do not send me back to Tozar! I would rather die!” she wailed desperately.
“I know you can’t help it,” Rhuna said, remembering her dilemma when she met and came to love Aradin while still bound to Tozar. “I didn’t know you felt this way…and that you kept seeing him after I told you not to,” she said as she laid her hands gently on her daughter’s shuddering shoulders.
Rhuna, The Star Child Page 16