“…grateful for the day when ships arrived.
With knowledge and wisdom far beyond theirs,
kind Atlan Masters showed them much better ways.
Good clothing and footwear, nice food as well,
new houses and buildings, inside to dwell.”
Rhuna felt tears flowing down her cheeks and she quickly wiped them away. The words and musical sounds had stirred her deeply. She whispered to Solver of Riddles that she wanted to touch a vuda and make those beautiful sounds.
“I thought so,” he said.
Another regular evening class was added to Rhuna’s expanding curriculum, this time to learn about music and Sonics. Solver of Riddles explained that the science of Sonics was involved in the levitation of stone blocks, among other things, so even if she were to tire of the vuda, she would still have gained valuable knowledge.
When one lunar cycle was almost completed since Tozar’s departure, Rhuna asked her teacher if she could use the Gazing of the Waters to summon messages from Tozar. She showed him the small metal container he had given her, and the teacher led her to a room at the end of a long hallway. The room was like the one at the visitor’s inn, only much larger. Solver of Riddles explained that its size was to accommodate the students during a lesson. “Soon your class shall also observe and participate in this important Atlan gift,” he said.
Rhuna took a small amount of powder, then spoke the seven incantation words, just as Tozar had shown her. The water reddened, then turned opaque white. During this process, Rhuna felt a pulling sensation all over her body, as if she were being pushed and tugged by waves at the shore. Then an image of Tozar appeared in the clearing water.
“Rhuna, be warmly embraced,” he began. She saw the yellow and tan walls of the reed boat behind his head. “It has been a rough and wet voyage so far, however, I have remained dry and comfortable. As soon as my feet are on firm land, I shall be able to summon your messages by the Gazing of the Waters. I am longing to hear them and to know how you are faring since my departure. I am confident that your lessons are keeping you well occupied. Tell me of your progress and the things you have discovered. We shall soon be out of the hot and wet climate zone, and then our voyage will be more comfortable. Sunshine on the Mountain sends you his greetings. Be well and happy, Rhuna.”
As Tozar’s image disappeared, the pulling sensation lifted from her body. She gave a sigh of relief, then turned to Solver of Riddles who had been standing behind her.
“What is it, Adopted by the Rain?” he asked.
“I felt strange and dizzy. Did I do something wrong?”
“You performed extremely well. Not every student summons successfully the first time. Tell me of this feeling you experienced.” said Solver of Riddles with creased brows.
“It felt like I was being pulled back and forth and I felt dizzy,” she said.
“Hmm,” said her teacher and turned to leave the room. His brows remained deeply furrowed and his gaze fixed to the floor as they walked down the hallway. Rhuna was afraid to ask what was wrong.
One late afternoon, after she had made her first cake of soap with Windy using frangipani flowers and vanilla pods, Mala Mahuni stood waiting for her outside. His big white smile greeted her and she quickened her steps. She soon noticed that Mala Mahuni was in a particularly playful mood that evening.
“Rhuna! I have something special for you!” he said in a loud whisper. “We’ve had a special delivery from Atlán of the most exquisite and delectable food stuffs!” he said excitedly, rubbing his hands together in delight. “You are my guest tonight, come eat with me! I’ve prepared the food myself, just for you and me!” he said with an even bigger grin. He was wearing only a wrap-around skirt with the hem at the knees, and on his bare chest he wore a broad necklace made of shells, beads and twine. It reminded Rhuna of the shell jewellery she often saw at the market at her old home. Underneath it, Rhuna saw his shiny smooth brown skin and the flowing forms of his chest and stomach muscles.
“You are using oil with jasmine flower essence today,” she said to him.
“Oh you’re right, you clever girl!” he said laughing. “But let’s hurry because I’m hungry and I can’t wait to eat the special food I’ve prepared for us!”
They entered a room at the back of the visitor’s inn where Mala Mahuni had been busy preparing foods. It was the first time Rhuna had seen the enormous kitchen and she stood still to scan the whole room with its many shelves, large urn-shaped vessels and metallic knives and utensils.
“Look here,” said Mala Mahuni, taking off the lid of one of the large urn-shaped vessels. “Rice! And over here is a special treat: cocoa! Excellent! It’s one of the great Atlan delicacies, and do you know what I’ve done?” he asked with a mischievous grin. “I’ve cooked the rice in sheep and goat’s milk, added honey, spices and some cocoa!”
Rhuna looked at him blankly.
“Sit and let us enjoy!” he said as he ladled the sticky creamy-brown food into large bowls.
They sat down on comfortable cushions and Rhuna picked up a mouthful with her thumb and two fingers. Once on her tongue, the food exploded into wonderful taste sensations she had never experienced before, then slowly melted and left a sweet, yet slightly bitter residue.
“Oh!” she said after the first mouthful, and Mala Mahuni looked expectantly at her.
“You should say ‘mmm!’” he said.
“Mmm!” said Rhuna.
“Mmm!”
Mmm!” They began to laugh.
“Is it good?” asked Mala Mahuni after his second quick mouthful.
“It’s excellent!” said Rhuna, still in a laughing mood, and they both laughed some more as they ate. Rhuna thought that it felt like they were doing something a little mischievous, and wondered what Tozar would say about it.
“Lick your fingers!” said Mala Mahuni as they emptied their bowls.
“How did you know how to make this?” Rhuna asked as they leaned back on cushions opposite each other and enjoyed the satisfaction of a delicious meal.
“I learnt it at school - where you’re going,” he answered.
“Oh. I thought it was only for people with pale skins.”
“Most of the lessons are, but things like Food Science and taking care of animals are things anyone can learn because there’s no special Atlan skill needed for them,” explained Mala Mahuni.
“You mean special skills like summoning the Gazing of the Waters?”
“Yes, things like that. Only the Atlans can do that. So you’re very lucky. You can be Zao like me, or be Atlan like them!” he said with another bight grin.
Rhuna suddenly felt an impulse to say something. “I could listen to your voice forever!”
Mala Mahuni threw back his head and laughed heartily. His deep and regular resonating laughter had the same pleasurable effect on Rhuna.
“Is it okay to say that?” she asked, wondering about his laughter.
“Of course it is! You can say anything to me, we’re friends! No, we’re distant cousins even!” They smiled broadly at each other, and Rhuna began to feel more comfortable with him.
“Do you know about the Dark Master?” she asked. Mala Mahuni’s smile quickly vanished and he looked at her with serious eyes.
“Everyone knows about that,” he said, “but some people don’t want to talk about it.”
“I know. I haven’t heard much. What have you heard?” she asked him. Mala Mahuni looked up at the ceiling and then let his eyes wander around the room.
“Well…there are all kinds of stories among my people here on Medíz,” he began slowly. “Some of the older folks say that the first stories weren’t as bad as the stories being told now. So who knows?” he said shrugging his shoulders and returning his gaze to Rhuna.
“What kind of stories do your people tell?” she asked. Mala Mahuni had stopped smiling, but his voice was still even and friendly.
“Well, at first he began saying that the Atlans were only usi
ng people, making them work as their slaves, getting rich from them and things like that. Then he went around scaring people with tricks or frightening them when they were walking along somewhere. They say he started poisoning people’s medicine. He was a healer, you know.”
“What?”
“A healer. He used to heal people’s illnesses with herbs and other things, but then people started getting sicker or even dying after taking his medicine. Some say that people died even without taking his medicine, or that he put poison in their food, so everyone was afraid of him and many people left their homes to live somewhere else.”
Rhuna felt as if she had been doused with icy cold water.
“They say he could spy on people,” Mala Mahuni continued.
“Spy?”
“Yes, he knew what people were doing, even when they did it all alone and far away. And because he could spy on people like that, he could cheat, lie and steal things. And the worst stories are about people he stole.”
“Stole?”
“Yes, he took them when they were just walking along or doing something. They were just gone for several moon cycles, and then some of them were found lying on the walking tracks, almost dead from their wounds and they said that the Dark Master had tortured them and done all kinds of horrible things to them.”
The cold water sensation had made Rhuna start to shiver, and suddenly she felt her food coming up into her mouth. She swallowed hard a few times so that Mala Mahuni wouldn’t notice.
“That’s awful,” she finally said.
“Yes. That’s why people don’t want to talk about it.”
“I feel sick in my stomach,” said Rhuna.
“Oh. I hope it isn’t the coffee bean.”
“What?”
“I put a single crushed and fire-roasted coffee bean in the rice and cocoa dish because it enhances the flavour.” explained Mala Mahuni. “Some people feel unwell after coffee.”
“You put something in my food that’s making me sick, like the Dark Master did?” said Rhuna, feeling a renewed surge of vomit and trembling coming over her.
Mala Mahuni threw back his head again in loud laughter. “Oh, you’re really funny, Rhuna!” he said between laughs. “But you should have some water then. It will be all right. The coffee bean can’t harm you, I’m sure of it,” he said, still laughing gently.
Mala Mahuni gave Rhuna a walking torch, then took one himself for his own walk home. “There’s still plenty of cocoa left for other meals,” he said as they parted.
“Thanks for the meal,” said Rhuna. “I’d like to try some more,” she added half-heartedly.
“But without the coffee bean!” laughed Mala Mahuni as he strode off into the evening darkness.
Rhuna walked, then ran back to the school, all the time thinking of the Dark Master taking people who were walking along. Her heart pounded hard in her chest and her knees felt unsteady as she entered her room and pulled the drapes closed behind her. She wanted to talk to Tozar, but didn’t want him to know she had eaten cocoa and coffee bean while laughing with Mala Mahuni. So she went to bed, but couldn’t shut her eyes.
For most of the night Rhuna lay awake turning in bed and looking at the shadows in her room. Her stomach felt tight and restless. In the morning, she awoke to noises of the other students walking to their classes, and she hurried to the wash room to make herself ready.
“Adopted by the Rain, are you not well today?” asked Solver of Riddles during the second lesson in which Rhuna had not participated.
“No, I’m not,” she answered without standing up.
“Would you prefer to retire to your room?” he asked. When Rhuna hesitated, Solver of Riddles said he would repeat today’s lessons for her privately at a time when she felt better, and then Rhuna stood up to leave. Morning Glory also stood up and walked outside with her.
“What is it?” she asked Rhuna with wide eyes.
“My stomach.”
“Did you eat unfamiliar food?” asked Morning Glory.
“I had cocoa with a coffee bean.”
The girl’s eyebrows shot up. “Cocoa? We have received some more?” Her look of excitement then changed to concern. “Cocoa is best eaten in small amounts only, and not at all by cats or children. My father says it can make young people somewhat ill. You should drink only water today.” Rhuna said she would do that and left Morning Glory to return to class.
Instead of going to her room, Rhuna walked the short distance to Windy’s home. She was preparing perfumed oils for the visitors who had arrived the previous day, but put the flowers and oils aside to sit down with Rhuna. She told Windy about the rice and cocoa meal she had eaten with Mala Mahuni, and then about the stories he had told about the Dark Master. Windy’s eyes looked away, then moved nervously back and forth around the cushioned sitting area.
“I was not aware of such stories,” she said in her usual soft voice. “Of course I knew… though I believed these things were only known among Atlan people, and we are very restrained in our discussions of the matter.”
“But Mala Mahuni said that all of his people are always telling those stories,” said Rhuna. Windy returned her wandering gaze to Rhuna and looked at her steadily.
“You are emotionally distressed by these stories. Such things affect the stomach,” she said standing up. She walked over to one of her many shelves and clay jars, removed the lids and took some dried leaves from them, then sprinkled a few drops of essences over the leaves. She wrapped them in a small fine cloth and tied the bundle with a ribbon.
“Hold it before your nose and breath normally,” she instructed Rhuna. After a few breaths, Rhuna felt the cold heaviness lift from her.
“I think it’s working already!” she said relieved.
“Take it with you to inhale regularly until the scent has evaporated.”
Rhuna thanked her graceful friend and admired her skill with healing aromas.
“Did you learn how to do this at school?” Rhuna asked.
“Yes. I do not possess the required Atlan skills to study the other subjects,” she explained. Rhuna was surprised. “I attended school with other Atlan students, however, during the class of preliminary transformation it became evident that I had no inherent ability.”
“Oh.”
“It is not unusual. I was one of five other students who also moved to other classes at that time. There were Zao students in my new class, and now these ones are preparing oils and soaps for their own families and villages.”
“Like Mala Mahuni learnt all about food,” said Rhuna.
“Yes, the school is open to all, however, especially for Atlans with the ability,” said Windy.
Rhuna continued to speak many messages to Tozar in her room before bedtime, and asked Solver of Riddles if she could use the Gazing of the Waters again. In his message, Tozar was still on the ship but the weather was fine and sunny, he said. During the long voyage, he and the other Masters from her homeland had long discussions, and other times they played games. They also took turns preparing food because the usual food preparer had become sea-sick. When the message ended and the water returned to normal, Rhuna asked Solver of Riddles when Tozar would arrive in Atlán.
“It may take yet another lunar cycle, depending on the swiftness of winds and currents,” he answered.
“Is it that far away?”
“You shall see in tomorrow’s geography lesson,” said her teacher. Then he added in a different tone: “Did you experience the same uncanny sensation?”
Rhuna said she had. “Is it a bad thing?”
“No, no, certainly not!” said Solver of Riddles with a gentle laugh. “It is merely unusual, puzzling. No doubt in due course the true nature of this experience shall become evident.”
Rhuna looked forward to the promised geography lesson and was excited when Solver of Riddles entered the room carrying a large ball. His fingertips barely touched each other as his arms embraced the wooden sphere, and Rhuna wondered how heavy it was be
cause her teacher showed no strain in lifting it. He placed it on a seating cushion and asked the class to stand around it. She saw that the giant ball had some uneven shapes carved on it, while other parts had been painted. A white dividing line ran around the center of the entire ball, and Rhuna remembered the line Tozar had drawn around the coconut when they were on the ship.
Solver of Riddles turned the sphere around so that the blue-painted side faced the students. “This is the Great Ocean,” he said. “May someone reveal the exact location of Medíz on this globe?”
The students remained still a while, and then a girl stepped forward and pressed her fingertip on the middle of the big blue area. “Here?” she asked.
“Look more closely, Teller of Tales. Do you see the tiny dots?”
The slender girl with long thin legs bent forward. “Yes! But there are so many dots everywhere!” she exclaimed.
“This is true,” said the teacher. “Medíz is only one of hundreds of small islands in the Great Ocean, therefore it becomes necessary to study stellar and navigational charts more diligently and accurately. Medíz is this small point here.” Solver of Riddles held his finger to a point near the middle but a quarter section below the white line.
“Now, may someone identify the land of Atlán?”
Again, Teller of Tales quickly pointed, this time to the land mass to the far right of the tiny speck that was Medíz. “Very good. Which part, precisely?” he asked the girl. She said she did not know and stepped back.
Morning Glory stepped forward to look at the land mass Teller of Tales had pointed out. “My father says that the city and surrounding territory of Atlán is situated half way up the thick middle part of the land, on the long mountain range that travels from north to south along the western shores. Therefore, it must be… here,” she twittered.
“Excellent, Morning Glory. Your father has taught you well.”
Rhuna felt proud of her friend. She looked at the strange-shaped land mass and saw that it tapered to a point at each end, and that the top part connected with the tapering bottom end of another large land mass above the white line. Then she looked at the large blue area between Atlán and Medíz.
Rhuna, Keeper of Wisdom Page 9