Rhuna, Keeper of Wisdom

by Barbara Underwood

  “Good, good!” said Mikkel, and the other men nodded and grunted their approval. “Well for a start, we don’t want the Atlans telling us what’s good and what isn’t, you know. Like this brew we’ve been drinking since the days of our ancestors. They don’t like us drinking it. They say it makes us intoxicated and incoherent. What big words they use!” said Mikkel, and he and the other men began to laugh.

  “Is that all?” asked Rhuna.

  “Oh no, no,” said Mikkel shaking his hand at her. “There’s lots more, like growing food in the fields and family things, and other stuff they expect us to learn. We don’t want to do anything like that. Just let them make us some nice stone houses and give us good food, that’s all we want. We won’t bother them if they just give us those things and don’t tell us what to do. See?”

  Rhuna nodded.

  “So tell us, how did you make that big catch of yours, huh?” sneered Mikkel. The other men chuckled.

  “Well…he thinks I’m more like him, like the Atlans…”

  “But you don’t work in the fields or do any hard work, do you!” said Mikkel. “I bet you have lots of nice things and you’re always having fun, eh!” The men chuckled again.

  “Yes, that’s right,” said Rhuna trying to smile at all of them. “But you know, I’m supposed to find out more about some of your people’s traditions and beliefs, so if you tell me those things, I can go back to them and they’ll keep thinking I’m like them. You know?”

  “Ah yeah, yeah,” nodded Mikkel, “okay, okay, we can tell you that stuff. Like what do they want to know then?” He took a few big gulps from his drinking bowl and sat in a more relaxed pose.

  “Well, like why you’re afraid of your ancestors and why you left your original home,” said Rhuna.

  “Oh, that.” Mikkel shrugged. “It’s just some of them who’re afraid, not me! They’re just stupid and believe everything that priest said.”

  “What priest?” asked Rhuna as her heartbeat quickened.

  “Oh, there was this priest before who was saying that our ancestors would come out of their graves if we didn’t do the things they want.”

  “Do what things?”

  “Hm, things like doing songs and dances when the moon’s big, doing chants for the sun and sometimes kill animals.”

  “Kill animals? To eat?” asked Rhuna surprised.

  “No no, for the priest, the High Priest. He needs animal lives so he can call on the sun and moon to keep giving us food and water and to keep the ancestors in their graves. I don’t believe that about the dead ancestors, though,” said Mikkel casually, then took another gulp of brew.

  “So…this High Priest called on the sun and moon?”

  “Yeah, yeah. He did all kinds of things. And if we didn’t do those things he wanted, people got sick or died, and others got killed in some way. They said it was the dead ancestors, but I figure it was just a wild animal that killed them, you know.”

  “Yes,” said Rhuna nodding slowly. “I get the picture.”

  “You do, eh?” said Mikkel sneering again. “So you can go tell them that, and get them to give us what we want, right?”

  “Of course, of course. I know what to say,” she said as she got to her feet. The men stayed seated and made a few simple hand gestures as she left.

  Rhuna walked back to her group where Tozar had been standing with a worried look. She went directly to him and tugged his sleeve so that he would go aside with her. The others stood up and looked expectantly at her and Tozar.

  “You appear distressed, Dear,” he said. “Come, tell me what transpired,” he said as he put his arm around her. “We shall have thorough discussions in the evening,” he said to the others who nodded in agreement and then went about their own business. Tozar walked with Rhuna to another grassy area along the road and out of sight from the group of Zitán men who were still sitting on the ground drinking their brew. They sat down on a soft mound under some shade and Tozar took her hand.

  “I’ve got a bad feeling,” she said to Tozar. “I want to summon the Gazing of the Waters for some information.”

  “What information? Why?” asked Tozar alarmed.

  “They think I’m like them because I don’t look or sound Atlan… and they said I’m shrewd because I caught you. They think you’re a leader with power, and that’s why I chose you!”

  “It is an insult, though no cause for such deep distress,” Tozar said comfortingly.

  “No, that’s not the reason. I played along with them and found out they want to use me as a connection to get houses and food from us, but without doing any work or living in harmony with our ways.”

  “It is as I suspected,” said Tozar grumpily.

  “But then… I said I’d help them if they told me more about their ancestors and homeland, and that’s when he told me about a High Priest who told them that their ancestors would come out of their graves to kill them if they didn’t do certain things.” Rhuna paused to collect her thoughts, then looked up at Tozar. She saw horror arise in his face.

  “He said… he said that this High Priest did things like summon the moon and sun to provide houses and food, and that he needed animal lives to keep doing those things. And the people had to dance to the full moon and sing to the sun, or else people got sick or were killed by their dead ancestors.” Rhuna took a deep breath and watched Tozar turn his head and look into the distance. Her mouth felt dry.

  “The harnessing of lunar and solar energies… I thought it could only be an Atlan Master, but what about killing animals? Is this… is that something the Dark Master did?”

  Tozar nodded hard once. “Let us be certain of this before we assume the worst,” he said shakily. He got up and silently led Rhuna back to the inn where the attending Master greeted them with some freshly baked bread and cheese made from goat’s milk. They sat down with the man and enjoyed eating and talking for a while first, and when they were alone again, Rhuna told Tozar that she wanted to use the Gazing of the Waters.

  “I’ve learned how to summon an unknown person connected to someone I know, so I could find out who that High Priest was,” said Rhuna.

  “Seer of Worlds forbade you this, did he not?” said Tozar somewhat sternly.

  “He said not to practice these summons without his supervision, but I’m not going to practice. I want to invoke a special summon for real,” she said.

  “You are shrewd!” said Tozar teasingly, but then his face darkened. “If it is he…your summoning shall be to no avail. Let me summon this particular matter.”

  They entered the dark Gazing of the Waters room at the back of the visitors inn, and Rhuna looked at the two unlit candles on the stone top.

  “Let me try this,” she said as she held Tozar back from entering further. She closed her eyes and projected her concentrated thought energies towards the candles. Within two blinks of an eye, both candles sprung alight. She smiled and looked at Tozar. His face remained serious.

  “What is it?”

  “Your confidence escalates in great bounds,” he said, then reached into his robe to find the appropriate powder. He spoke the incantation to summon a person whose identity is unknown, sprinkled the powder over the water and watched. Rhuna stood next to him and saw dark clouds forming and dispersing as usual, but when the opaque whiteness began to appear in the center, the water suddenly returned to normal within the blink of an eye.

  Tozar stepped back. “It is he,” Tozar said with awe. He took a deep breath and continued after a moment’s thought. “It is no cause for alarm, as the incident the Zitán inhabitants speak of may have occurred many solar cycles past.”

  Rhuna remembered some of her most recent lessons with Seer of Worlds. “I’ve learned how to summon past events and find out when they happened,” said Rhuna excitedly. “I can summon a past vision of Mikkel when he was two, five or ten solar cycles younger, and what he saw at those times. That way we’ll find out when those things happened!”

  Tozar shook his
head and smiled at her enthusiasm. “Your advancement is remarkable. Use the appropriate powder.”

  “I don’t need them,” said Rhuna stepping towards the basin of water. “Watch.”

  She closed her eyes to focus on Mikkel ten solar cycles past, then spoke the incantation for summoning a past vision of a person. When she opened her eyes, dark yellow clouds were forming, then swirling. Finally, the white opaque layer cleared to show a peaceful village, not unlike her own home on Chinza, with an adolescent Mikkel sitting with family and friends on the ground outside a primitive hut. The Gazing of the Waters presented two more images from those surroundings which also appeared peaceful.

  “It looks normal,” said Rhuna, and looked at Tozar who stood behind her. His worried expression had deepened.

  “I’ll try only two solar cycles ago,” said Rhuna, enjoying her Gazing of the Waters skills.

  She repeated the same procedure and focussed on Mikkel in the more recent past. The swirling clouds began to change to the white opaqueness, but then a sharp and hefty blow flung Rhuna backwards towards Tozar.

  “No!” he shouted and grasped her around the waist to stop her fall. “Rhuna!”

  Rhuna found her footing and held onto Tozar’s embracing arms. She felt stunned a while.

  “What was it? Something hit me.”

  Tozar ushered her out of the dark room and into their sleeping area where he sat next to her on the bed with one arm still tightly wrapped around her. His heaving chest frightened Rhuna more than the blow she suffered.

  “What is it, Tozar, what happened?” she said as she began to panic.

  “The Dark One’s power… I should have foreseen… It is far more injurious for those with enhanced sensitivities to summon a matter connected to him!” He looked into Rhuna’s face. “Forgive me! It was the height of carelessness on my part! Forgive me. My skills as a husband require diligent improvement!” Rhuna had never seen him so distressed. “A life of solitude has impeded my learning of this new role,” he added, then laid her head against his chest and pressed her tightly to him.

  “It wasn’t your fault. I wanted to show you what I could do,” said Rhuna.

  “And I wanted to see, thereby neglecting my responsibility.”

  Rhuna closed her eyes and let the warmth of Tozar’s touch soothe her.

  “Does this mean the Dark Master is still active?” she asked after a while. Tozar didn’t answer so she lifted her head. He nodded once with a grim face.

  When the evening meal was served at the visitor’s inn, the other members of their party gathered around Tozar and Rhuna to inquire what had been discussed with the six Zitán men earlier in the day. Tozar told them that Mikkel asked to speak to Rhuna because he believed she was like them, and that it became evident they only wanted to use her to take advantage of some Atlan provisions without doing anything on their part. He explained that Rhuna had played along to draw out more information concerning the habits they didn’t want to abandon, such as drinking their intoxicating brew, and why they felt forced to leave their original homeland. He also added that this experience was stressful for Rhuna, that she needed rest and possibly an early return to Atlán. The others agreed readily, and began to compliment Rhuna on her diplomacy and wisdom in this difficult situation. Their sincere compliments made Rhuna feel much better, but once the torches were extinguished and they lay in bed, she asked Tozar to hold her more tightly than usual because she felt scared.

  Early the following morning, Tozar announced to the members of their party that he and Rhuna would return to Atlán, and gave them instructions to seek out the scattered groups of the Zitán inhabitants and observe their individual needs or problems. Tozar suspected that each group held different views on such matters as beliefs about their ancestors, fears of disobeying their leaders and coexistence with the Atlans. He instructed certain leading members of the Low Council to pay special attention to any groups who seemed either favorable or particularly hostile to any coexistence. Tozar reminded them of Mikkel’s words about wanting Atlan benefits without any effort on their part, and that the members should make a thorough survey of each group’s wishes and desire to contribute in this regard. Then he asked them to report their findings regularly by means of the Gazing of the Waters so that he could give further instructions, if necessary. He finished by saying that he hoped enough information could be speedily gathered about all the people residing in the Zitán territory so that a solution could be found quickly. Everyone in the party agreed and wished them a pleasant return journey.

  Once Rhuna and Tozar began their walk home, she asked Tozar why they were returning already. “Is it because of me?” she wondered.

  “No. I must inform the High Council of what has transpired with regard to the Dark One,” he said gloomily. “It shall be a closed discussion among the ten senior members only…however, your presence may be requested,” he said looking at her questioningly.

  “Do you want me to tell the High Council what happened when I tried to summon?”

  “Yes.”

  “And about my vision?”

  “Yes.”

  “Should I also tell Seer of Worlds then?” she asked Tozar.

  “We shall do so together,” he answered.

  Rhuna wanted to ask whether this was a serious situation, what the High Council would do, and whether it was all her fault due to her vision and summoning the Gazing of the Waters without proper permission, but she was afraid of what the answers might be. Instead, she looked around at the scenery and discussed other more mundane things with Tozar.

  When they had washed and eaten at the visitor’s inn on the first night of their return, Rhuna was still feeling troubled as they lay down to sleep.

  “What exactly is a priest? And why are some Masters called priests?” she asked Tozar as she nestled up close to him in the comfortable bed.

  “The term is used in a certain context only, implying the status of mediator between cosmic energies and people. When a Master is in a position of such responsibility, harnessing cosmic and earth energies for the benefit of a people in his care, he is appropriately called a Priest. Or she is called a Priestess.” Rhuna remembered that Tozar had referred to the Masters on Chinza as Priests.

  “And is that what the Dark Master did before?” Rhuna kept her eyes open in the dark.

  “At one time. He represented his colony at the High Council and his reputation grew…” “Then why did he change and do all those awful things later?” Rhuna wanted to know.

  Tozar hesitated, then breathed in loudly. “Greed for power overcame him,” he answered bluntly. “He developed a lust for control over others, to dominate them. Each time he succeeded, his greed for power increased.”

  “Is that why he told the Zitán people those things about their ancestors and to dance to the full moon?” asked Rhuna, trying to imagine such a scene.

  “Yes. By his influential manner he easily convinced ignorant people of many things. When people believed or feared in such a way, he easily coerced them to obey him.”

  “Killing animals? And chanting to the sun?”

  “Mere games to satisfy his lust to dominate!” said Tozar angrily. “He delights in seeing people toil and suffer in doing as he commands them. He chooses his demands with great artfulness that many are easily misled to believe whole-heartedly in the value of the action he commands.”

  “So the Zitán people believe there’s an important reason to do all those things?”

  “Most certainly. Ignorance gives him power,” said Tozar. Rhuna thought about those last words a while, and then managed to close her eyes.

  During their homeward journey, Tozar spoke a message to a member of the High Council saying that an urgent closed discussion should be held as soon as he and Rhuna return to Atlán. When they arrived at the inns each evening, Tozar summoned messages from members of the party who remained in the Zitán territory, and on a few occasions spoke messages to some of them with further instructions. Rhuna
listened and continued to learn about the ways of dealing with such issues, and she often thought about her relatives on Chinza who she began to see in a different perspective.

  On the last night before arriving in Atlán, Rhuna’s thoughts once again kept her open-eyed in the dark. During the day, she had thought about Seer of Worlds and imagined his reaction to her disobedience in summoning the Gazing of the Waters, and to the frightening experience that ensued.

  “How did the Dark Master do that to me when I was summoning?” she asked Tozar as she laid her arm across his chest. She heard him sigh, then give a gentle laugh and turn towards her.

  “You are attuned to the energy forces which flow in the field of the Gazing of the Waters, hence your physical sensations when summoning,” said Tozar sleepily. “The Dark One’s heightened powers and skills enabled him to control this force field to some extent. You experienced the impact his concentrated thought energies produced.”

  “Did he hurt animals with projected thought energy?” she asked. She felt Tozar startle at her question. “Seer of Worlds asked me if I’d ever tried projecting my concentrated thoughts onto animals,” she quickly added.

  “He asked this of you?” asked Tozar alarmed.

  “Yes. That’s when I asked him why he thought that way, and he said it was because of the Dark Master.”

  Tozar hesitated. “When he projected his concentrated thought energies onto a living being, there was a considerably negative outcome,” he answered reluctantly. “Now sleep.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Be silent,” he said. Then he put his arm firmly around Rhuna, and she felt better.

  They arrived in Atlán as the sun’s light began to fade, and the dining halls resounded to joyful talk and laughter. As they entered one of them, Rhuna saw their happy faces and she wondered how they would feel if they knew that the Dark Master was active in a remote part of the land. Tozar had become more and more silent as they approached the city, and his face remained stiff as they sat down to eat. He told Rhuna they wouldn’t have time to chat with anyone in the dining hall that evening because the members of the High Council would be waiting for them.