Rhuna, Keeper of Wisdom

by Barbara Underwood

  Rhuna learnt that Tozar was not required to attend the High Council meetings every day, and that he was expected to spend time with her in their first lunar cycle together. Therefore, it was only after this first lunar cycle that Tozar showed her the grand school where she could pursue her studies. She felt she had been exceptionally lazy in her first lunar cycle in Atlán because she attended no classes, nor did she practice any further Inside Focussing, but once she had adjusted to her new surroundings, she was eager to resume her learning.

  The school was a grand building, like most important buildings in the city, and its floors and walls were of smoothly polished stone blocks which reflected Rhuna’s image almost like a mirror. The high walls and tall wide doors made an imposing impression on her, and for a moment she wondered if she was good enough for this lofty school. She had already noticed that there were no children in this school, only adults of many different ages. Some wore white robes like Tozar, others wore normal clothing like Rhuna’s dresses.

  Tozar took her by the hand and led her into a room where a very tall Master stood up to greet them. Although the man stooped slightly, he still towered over Rhuna. His long hair and beard were a dark brown streaked with many graying hairs, and his deep-set black eyes were almost concealed by his creased and heavy brow. His appearance startled her, and she shook his hand reluctantly.

  “Adopted by the Rain, I have looked forward to our meeting for a very long time,” he said sternly. Tozar excused himself and told Rhuna he would wait at the end of the hall while she became acquainted with her new teacher.

  Seer of Worlds set his penetrating eyes upon Rhuna and continued to speak in an even tone. “I have frequently inquired of your progress since the revelation of using common red powder to summon general place visions more than three solar cycles past. Now we may finally discuss these matters in depth, face to face!” he said.

  Rhuna felt a little nervous and explained to him that since that occasion, she had not tried summoning without her teacher’s supervision. Seer of Worlds ignored her statement and bombarded her with more questions once they were seated on soft cushion-covered benches.

  “Have you succeeded in summoning without the use of any powders? Which level of element transformation have you reached? Have you projected your concentrated thought energies onto animals?”

  “Animals?” asked Rhuna shocked.

  “It is possible for those with special abilities,” he said in the same stern tone. “My life’s work has revealed greater depths and dimensions in the nature of Atlan powers than ever suspected, such as the intricate connections between concentrated thought processes and the summoning of the Gazing of the Waters. Hence my questioning of your level of experience. Your level of ability may be something entirely different.”

  Rhuna wasn’t sure what her new teacher wanted to know, nor what he wanted to teach her. She didn’t want to tell anyone about her disturbing experiences with the Gazing of the Waters, but Seer of Worlds drew it out of her with his sharp look and direct speech.

  “I see! I am pleased. Under my guidance you shall expand your skills and techniques beyond the normal limits. We shall see which heights and breadths one with exceptional abilities may attain! Come to this room in the morning and we shall commence at once!”

  Rhuna walked hesitantly out into the hall and Tozar approached her.

  “His manner causes apprehension in many of us,” he assured her, “however, he is a skilled teacher and possesses a fiery passion for goodness and justice.”

  “I’m afraid he’ll get me to tell about my visions,” said Rhuna as she held onto Tozar’s arm.

  “Be at ease, My Beloved. Should he learn of them, his discernment shall direct him in the proper course. Now, become acquainted with your other teachers!” he said clasping her hand reassuringly.

  Rhuna liked her other teachers much better. Her new music teacher was an elderly woman who was also a skilled linguist, and she offered to teach Rhuna the language of the surrounding native inhabitants. Tozar said that this would be a most useful asset, and that he also spoke several languages. Her third teacher for general subjects and transformation of elements was a much younger man, but his intense early education with his skilled parents qualified him to teach the most advanced students at this illustrious school of the capital. Rhuna noticed that instruction in this school was always on the direct and personal level of teacher to single student, and that all students were Atlans, some of them considerably older than her.

  Happy with her new teachers and curriculum, she and Tozar walked outside into the late afternoon sunshine and enjoyed a good meal at one of the dining halls near the center. Rhuna tasted new foods made from local fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as different ways of preparing chicken meat. Afterwards, they returned home to enjoy conversation on their wide cushioned bed. When not playing with puzzle toys, Rhuna loved to sink into the soft pillows and cushions of their bed, nestled closely to Tozar and hearing about his life before he met her. She never tired of hearing these stories, and some of them she asked Tozar to tell over and over, such as his very early school days and the funny games he played with other children, and his first long walking journey around the Great Lake where he discovered strange new animals and met an old native inhabitant of the mountainside with whom he tried to converse, but failed.

  The following morning, she and Tozar walked hand-in-hand to the school, where he then kissed Rhuna on her forehead and said that she could be part of the audience at the High Council whenever she was free from lessons. She looked forward to this, but stepped inside the school building with apprehension as she went to her first lesson.

  Seer of Worlds immediately led Rhuna to the dimly-lit Gazing of the Waters room which adjoined his lesson room. It was a small windowless chamber, and two candles on each side of the stone basin were already alight.

  “Invoke a common summon without the use of powder,” he directed.

  “A common place vision?” she asked nervously.

  “Proceed.”

  Rhuna stood at the basin and gathered her thoughts. She closed her eyes to focus on her old school in Medíz, then spoke the incantation words. The familiar pushing and tugging came over her, and when the dizziness began, she opened her eyes. Dark clouds formed and dispersed in the water reflection, changed to the opaque white cover and then a clear image of her old school appeared.

  “As I thought! Child’s play. We may progress at a fast pace!” said Seer of Worlds. His face remained unchanged, and only his voice altered between severe and milder terseness. “Let us sit and discuss the various forms of summons.”

  “I haven’t practiced many others,” said Rhuna, feeling daunted.

  “You shall learn quickly. In your case, we may bypass the preliminaries and venture into unexplored territory. For instance… it is my theory that you may summon any form of information as easily as executing a basic soft stone transformation. Without the use of powders, and possibly…without the limiting incantations.”

  “What leads you to think this way, Esteemed Teacher?” Rhuna ventured to ask.

  “The deeds of the Dark Master, of course!”

  Rhuna shrunk back in shock.

  “Since his deplorable perversion, my entire work centers on the means by which he eluded justice and perpetrated his vile acts,” spat Seer of Worlds. “It is vital for the safe and happy future of the Atlan Empire that we gain deeper insight into the techniques he utilized. You are therefore a most valuable asset to the Empire, let this fact be known!”

  Rhuna stared at the dark and angry man and wished she was at home with Tozar.

  “Let us commence the lesson,” he said sternly.

  Seer of Worlds began with an overview of the many subtle variations of summoning information, such as invoking images from the past, summoning more than one person at a time, and invoking a certain subject, rather than people or places. Then he told Rhuna to imagine an infinite reservoir of information about all places, people and
all their words and actions, and that the Gazing of the Waters was the tool to access specific information. He concluded by saying that this information reservoir was only limited by the user’s ability and knowledge of gaining access to it.

  Rhuna found this lesson very interesting, and her growing fascination with the powers of the Waters pushed aside her earlier apprehensions about her new teacher. When Seer of Worlds had finished his discourse, he asked Rhuna to summarize it. This was different from the repetition of the teacher’s key summary points she had been accustomed to, but she managed to give a thorough précis in her own words without too much effort.

  “Very good,” said Seer of Worlds leaning back in his seat and slapping his open hands on his lap. “Tomorrow you shall demonstrate these methods to me,” he said.

  Rhuna left the room and attended her other lessons, and when they were over, she decided to see the High Council. She longed to tell Tozar about the things Seer of Worlds had said.

  The High Council was one of the most radiant and imposing structures in the center of the city, built on a massive stone block pyramid foundation and covered almost entirely in various forms of decorative metal panels. The arched entrance featured gold and small inlays of genuine orrichalcum, and several symbols which Rhuna had learned represented words or names. The High Council was a single level complex, but the roof rose as high as several houses stacked on top of one another. Rhuna went inside and saw an immense hall with gold-plated columns, in the middle of which was a large circular court with shimmering paving tiles. Around this court was a circular row of cushioned seats which Rhuna recognized were the members of the High Council, including Tozar. Outside this circle was another larger circle, this time defined by the golden columns. The seats in this outer circle did not go around in a complete circle, but they were raised on a small platform so that the people sitting in those outer circular segments could have a clear view of the paved circle in the middle. Finally, along the outer parts of the giant hall, Rhuna saw the seating rows for the audience. She walked up a few steps to one of the higher tiers of seating rows and took a seat on a firm red and blue cushion.

  The hall was filled with a pleasant white light which came through many windows located high above the seats. Rhuna looked up and saw that the ceiling was an arched gold-plated panel, firmly anchored to the gold columns which stood on solid stone pedestals. She noticed that all the bare stone that was visible was smoothly polished or carved in flowing forms, and she remembered how she had once spied on the Master who carved the giant statues on Chinza. She wondered if her new young teacher would soon show her these more advanced techniques of stonework.

  When Rhuna had settled down, she looked at Tozar in the inner circle. He was listening intently to a man standing in the round court, and Rhuna wondered whether Tozar had already seen her. She decided not to get his attention because it seemed to her that something serious was being discussed.

  “Furthermore,” said the robed Atlan who was standing in the circle, “the local inhabitants of the Zitán area demonstrate an unusual fear of the Atlan people, and attempts at allaying these fears have thus far been unsuccessful.”

  A plain-clothed man with slightly darker skin, not unlike Rhuna’s, stood up from his seat in one of the outer circle sections. When the Atlan in the circle saw him, he gave a signal with his hand and returned to his seat in an outer section on the opposite side of where the darker man had stood up. This darker man then entered the circle and wrung his hands nervously before he began to speak. Rhuna noticed that he spoke a little differently.

  “These local inhabitants you speak of have been talking to me, telling me all about their customs and beliefs, and I’m still trying to make friends with them so that they will trust me,” he explained. Rhuna wondered why the Zitán people needed to trust him.

  “As I understand it,” the nervous man continued, “they’re not the local inhabitants of that area at all, but they’ve actually migrated from much further away and haven’t been in the Zitán territory very long. I’m still learning their language - it’s a dialect of my own native tongue - and I think it just needs a little more time until we can find out more about them and start addressing the other problems.”

  A robed woman with light brown hair stood up from the inside circle, and the nervous man went back to where he had been sitting. In that moment Rhuna looked in Tozar’s direction and saw that he had been looking at her. He gave her a happy smile, then began to listen as the woman spoke.

  “Time is always an important ingredient in solving problems,” she began. “Let the process of acquaintance between Atlán and Zitán inhabitants take its course, with the assistance of further helpful inquirers and translators to promote understanding and harmonious co-existence. Let us be informed of further progress next lunar cycle… and may I suggest a closure of discussions for the day?”

  No one spoke or stood up for a short while, and then everyone got up from their seats and began to move about. Rhuna also stood up and walked to the door where most other people were heading. She waited outside the entrance way for Tozar to come.

  “You appear slightly troubled, My Dear. Were your lessons somewhat demanding?” he asked Rhuna as he took her hand and began walking onto the street with her.

  “I enjoyed all the lessons, but I’m very uncomfortable with something Seer of Worlds said to me. I’m not sure what he wants to do with me…”

  “Do with you?” asked Tozar puzzled.

  “He spoke about the Dark Master and that I’m a most valuable asset to the Empire due to my enhanced abilities. I think he wants to find out what I’m capable of, but I’m afraid to find out!”

  Tozar frowned as they walked on in silence. After several paces he said that he would accompany her to tomorrow’s lesson and discuss those matters with Seer of Worlds. Then he took a big breath to shake off the heavy mood and suggested a walk to the Lake while the sun was still warm. Rhuna felt better and was thankful that Tozar always showed her nice and interesting places for her to enjoy. She often spoke a message to Morning Glory about the things Tozar showed her in and around the city of Atlán, and that Morning Glory’s father was right about letting instinct guide you when the feelings were right.

  Seer of Worlds was surprised when Tozar entered his rooms with Rhuna the following morning, and stood in his usual stooping stance to hear the reason for this unexpected visit.

  “Respected Colleague, my wife has informed me of your unorthodox approach to teaching her, and some of your reasons have disquieted her,” began Tozar.

  “Ah,” said Seer of Worlds looking down at the floor. He clasped his hands behind his back and paced a few steps across the room. “Unorthodox, is it?” he said loudly.

  “Your words gave the impression of pushing beyond traditional boundaries to seek the extent of your student’s abilities, rather than teaching her in the proper manner,” said Tozar.

  “The proper manner?” spat Seer of Worlds. “Dare you question my qualifications as a teacher, Esteemed Friend? What purpose serves a teacher who instructs all his students of the same limited matter he himself was taught, especially when some among us show exceptional ability beyond the usual?” He began to pace back and forth in an agitated state. “What manner of teacher would suppress such great ability in a student? Is it not the duty and responsibility of a teacher to extract, nurture and develop the full scope of the student’s ability, for the benefit of the greater multitude? My purpose is to establish the full potential of summoning demonstrated by Adopted by the Rain. Are you not aware that she summoned a common place vision without the use of powder with the greatest ease?”

  “I am,” replied Tozar.

  “Did not you yourself bring her to Atlán for the very purpose of advancing her skills?” Seer of Worlds shot at Tozar as he abruptly stopped his pacing and stood before him.

  “Yes, although…”

  “This is the natural course for her, and I as her teacher am merely a humble instrument in
developing her skills,” concluded Seer of Worlds.

  “May I ask, what purpose does it serve to develop her abilities to such extremes?” Tozar asked sharply. “I perceive an over-enthusiastic and unnecessary strive for excellence that motivates you.”

  “And I perceive a man distracted from clear and logical thought by the over-protective motivations of the new husband!” responded Seer of Worlds. “It is always more severe when the young wife comes at a more advanced age!” he added.

  Tozar straightened his back and closed his lips tightly.

  “You made mention of the Dark Master; this has troubled her,” said Tozar in a neutral tone after taking a breath.

  “He troubles us all!” said Seer of Worlds, then stepped back from Tozar and turned to Rhuna. “May you accept my apology for causing distress,” he said to her. “It was the truthful answer to your question. Shall we commence the lesson?”

  Rhuna looked at Tozar who was about to speak again, and then quickly put her hand on his sleeve. “I’d like to begin the lesson,” she told Tozar. “I’m satisfied with the explanation Seer of Worlds has given. Can we meet again afterwards?” Tozar hesitated, then nodded silently with his lips still pressed tightly together. He bowed his head slightly at Seer of Worlds as he made to leave the room, and Rhuna’s teacher did the same. Then Seer of Worlds promptly ushered her towards the dark Gazing of the Waters room.

  “I told my husband that I was afraid of finding out what the limits of my abilities are,” said Rhuna.

  “It is understandable,” he said with a reprehensive sigh which Rhuna deduced was meant for Tozar. “Attend to the lesson. Should you perhaps require Inside Focussing to clear your mind prior to attempting the more challenging summoning?” he asked her.