Rhuna, Keeper of Wisdom

by Barbara Underwood

  “I don’t think I’m good enough to be taught by her,” Rhuna said to her young teacher as they left Orator’s Square.

  “Never may that be! You, Keeper of Wisdom, are too good a student to be taught by some!” said Beacon of the Night. “In fact, before the passing of much time, you shall have learned all the instruction I am enabled to impart to you!”

  “You are too kind,” said Rhuna.

  “You are most extraordinary!” responded Beacon of the Night. “There is still the matter of the personal pyramid for harnessing purposes,” he continued. “May I show it to you this evening?” Rhuna agreed to go with him, but only after she met with Tozar at the High Council to tell him where she would be going.

  As the sun began the second half of its descent, Rhuna and Beacon of the Night took the usual road out of the city to a slightly raised terrain of small trees and some open, level ground. Rhuna told her teacher that Tozar had not been very happy when she told him of her evening’s plan, but that he didn’t say anything against it.

  “An outstanding woman as you should not require the approval of any man,” said Beacon of the Night. Rhuna began to wonder about his changed manner towards her, and the new words he used.

  “He only wants me to be free from harm and to be happy,” explained Rhuna.

  “Are you not able to protect yourself and find your own happiness?” responded Beacon of the Night.

  “Yes, I think so,” said Rhuna. “But I’ve had so much to learn…”

  “Your studies have surpassed the preliminary and more advanced levels, and soon you shall qualify for your own Master’s title and robe,” said Beacon of the Night. “You shall no longer require such protective guidance as you have thus far been accustomed.”

  “No, I suppose not,” said Rhuna, beginning to feel disquieted.

  “Ah, we have arrived!” said her teacher as they stopped and viewed a small stepped pyramid of five tiers, made of small to medium-sized stones of uneven shapes. Rhuna looked at the stonework, and Beacon of the Night told her that the preciseness of stonework had no bearing on the harnessing of energies, and that the pyramidal shape and dimensions were more important.

  “Ascend to the top level,” he instructed Rhuna. She stepped up reluctantly. “It is not the ideal alignment for lunar magnetic flows, however the stars are favorable and I predict a considerable amount of cosmic energies may be bestowed upon you this evening!”

  Rhuna felt uneasy at this prediction, and no longer had complete trust in her young and ever-smiling teacher. She began to think of returning home quickly, as soon as the informal lesson was over. Beacon of the Night instructed her to stand and concentrate as she did for harnessing lunar energies, and to step down from the pyramid whenever she felt enough time had elapsed.

  Rhuna closed her eyes and waited for the sensations she had experienced with lunar energy harnessing, but felt only the vibration in her head that always accompanied her Inside Focussing. After a while, she opened her eyes and decided to step down.

  “I didn’t feel anything this time,” she told Beacon of the Night who stood nearby and watched her.

  “It is an entirely different form of energy,” he answered. “Attempt a transformation to ascertain the quality of increased concentration strength.”

  Rhuna looked around for a small and suitable stone, but found nothing nearby. She stepped past a small shrub-like tree that appeared almost dead, and wondered for a brief moment if she could project her concentrated thought energies onto it. As soon as she had thought of it, the dry trunk of the tree split open in three parts.

  “Ho! You projected your thought energies towards this small tree?” exclaimed Beacon of the Night as he approached her. “Dry wood is the most difficult element to transform or affect! This is indeed most remarkable!” he said and began to laugh loudly. Rhuna looked at him and wished he would stop praising her so excessively.

  “You are remarkable!” he said when he had stopped laughing and stepped nearer. “And you are beautiful! And wonderful!”

  Rhuna stepped back and said that she should return home.

  “There is no necessity to run to him at every moment! Come, stay with me a while, Keeper of Wisdom!” he stepped closer to her again and placed his hands on her upper arms. “It would be most beneficial for you to know other men, those to whom you owe no accounting of your every action,” he continued. Rhuna tried to carefully push herself away from him, but he tightened his grip on her arms.

  “Oh, you are so lovely!” he breathed in her face, then slid his hands across her breasts. In that moment Rhuna was released from his grip and she stepped back. She tried to speak but found no words, so she turned and ran back to the city.

  “Stop! Return and let us talk! Keeper of Wisdom! Stop and wait!” he called after her. Rhuna kept running at a steady pace and only slowed down to a fast walk when she approached houses and some people on the street. Breathlessly she thrust open the door of her home and slammed it shut behind her. She heard running bath water and ran into the bathroom. Tozar stood up in his wrap-around cotton cloth and looked at her with alarm. Rhuna swung her arms around him and pressed her head into his chest.

  “Another vision? What has occurred?” he asked. Rhuna felt his chest rising with rapid breaths of alarm. When his embracing arms had calmed her enough, she began to tell him what had happened while Tozar listened silently. His arms remained firmly wrapped around her and his chest still heaved after Rhuna had finished.

  “It is a matter for the Counsellors,” he said finally. Rhuna looked up at his face and saw mixed emotions of anger and concern. She had only once heard briefly about the Counsellors who settled domestic issues and other personal affairs between people that did not warrant a hearing with the Low Council.

  “I feel so… betrayed!” said Rhuna as she straightened herself and looked down at her dress where Beacon of the Night had touched her.

  “He has betrayed the trust of us all,” said Tozar firmly. “We shall tell the Counsellors of the incident tomorrow. Perhaps you should bathe and rest now,” he said to her gently. Rhuna agreed and added a mind-calming fragrance oil to the ready bath water.

  In the morning, Tozar explained to her that they would visit one of the Counsellors nearby to report the incident with Beacon of the Night, and that several Counsellors would talk to him and then decide among themselves what action should be taken. Rhuna felt slightly nervous and still confused by what had happened, and wondered what the Counsellors would say about it.

  When they arrived at the home of the Counsellor who also lived in a large stone building with gleaming metal panels, a light-haired woman of Tozar’s age promptly led them inside and introduced them to several other Counsellors who had already gathered there.

  “Beacon of the Night has already approached us,” said the woman who had let them in. “He informed us late last night of an incident with Keeper of Wisdom.”

  “He has?” asked Tozar surprised. “I had not expected him to be so readily forthcoming about the incident.”

  The woman hesitated. “He has made a complaint against Keeper of Wisdom,” she said.

  Tozar burst into anger.

  “He lies! He is more unprincipled than we imagined!” he said loudly to everyone in the room.

  “The Counsellors shall reach the correct conclusion in the proper manner, as you are well aware, Harbinger of Solace,” said the woman. “Leave us with Keeper of Wisdom to hear her account.”

  “It is not necessary! She has told me everything that transpired, and it is a certainty that he lies!” insisted Tozar.

  “You are aware of the proper procedure of hearing the concerned individuals alone, therefore you may excuse us now, Harbinger of Solace,” said the woman firmly.

  Tozar hesitated and searched for more words, then looked at Rhuna. “I shall wait outside,” he said reluctantly.

  Rhuna turned to the woman who had spoken, and then sat down to the others on large seating cushions. Two of them wore Mas
ter’s robes, the other four wore general clothing. They were four men and three women altogether, of different ages.

  “Give us your account of yesterday’s incident,” said a young woman with a gentle manner which made Rhuna feel more at ease. Rhuna began to tell the story from the time she arrived at the pyramid with Beacon of the Night, and became upset as she reached the climax of the story. When she had finished, she looked around at the seven faces which had remained unchanged throughout her story. Then each person asked her one or two questions, such as what her feelings were towards Beacon of the Night both before and after the incident, what manner of questions he had asked her and how she had answered them, and what she believed led to this incident.

  Rhuna answered that she had spent some time during the previous night thinking of what had led to the incident, and that she still wasn’t sure.

  “Maybe it was what I said about my husband, because Beacon of the Night kept saying that I shouldn’t have to always ask for his approval of what I do,” said Rhuna feebly.

  “Is this so? You ask your husband’s approval of what you wish to do?” asked one of the older men.

  “No, not like that. I always tell him everything, and I wouldn’t want to do anything that he isn’t happy with,” explained Rhuna.

  The man looked around at the other Counsellors and then nodded. “You expressed a healthy attitude towards your husband, and it is evident that Beacon of the Night has deliberately twisted some issues to his advantage. We shall talk with him once more and evaluate the seriousness of his course.” He looked at the hosting woman and told her that Tozar could join them now.

  When Tozar had taken a seat next to Rhuna and looked around at all the faces, the older man of the Counsellors addressed them both.

  “It is evident to us that Beacon of the Night became attracted to Keeper of Wisdom and began to desire her, and while this in itself is natural, his further reasoning and attempts to subvert her relationship with her husband are of a serious nature. Furthermore, in order to hide his guilt, he approached us feigning innocence and accused Keeper of Wisdom of causing him emotional harm by her seductive behaviour.”

  Tozar moved to react, but stopped himself and let the Counsellor continue.

  “Let his subversive words not undermine your relationship with your husband,” he said to Rhuna. “It was a ploy to pry you away from your husband and take you for himself.”

  Rhuna said that she realized this now, and asked whether she would have to see him again for instruction. One of the other Counsellors answered that Beacon of the Night would be reproved accordingly, and his behaviour made known within certain circles so that there could be no opportunity for gossip, suspicion or slander. It was also implied that he might be removed from his teaching position, and that his future depended on his reaction to the Counsellors’ reproof and their directions for his personal improvement.

  “What would happen if he doesn’t admit what he did and still says I’m the guilty one?” asked Rhuna, still slightly anxious at the prospect of seeing Beacon of the Night again.

  “In such extreme cases, the Gazing of the Waters may be summoned to determine what transpired,” answered one of the female Counsellors. “Should a person reject admonition and counsel in a serious behavioral matter causing harm to others, he no longer has a place in Atlan society. There exist isolated areas where such ones are supervised and given beneficial work.”

  Rhuna remembered that two of the Masters who were on Chinza were given such work under supervision where they could no longer misled or harm others in various ways.

  “I apologize for my earlier outburst,” said Tozar.

  “It is natural,” replied one of the Counsellors.

  “In recent times I have often reacted emotionally, rather…”

  “Perhaps you judge yourself too harshly, Harbinger of Solace,” said the older Counsellor to Tozar. Tozar nodded and asked if he and Rhuna could be excused.

  As they walked home, Rhuna asked Tozar if everything was in order, and he answered yes. He suggested they enjoy some of the city’s gardens again due to the fine weather, and to wash away the unpleasantness of the incident. Rhuna happily agreed and told Tozar that she was grateful for the way he always took such special care of her emotional wellbeing.

  When they enjoyed the early afternoon together and returned home, Rhuna went into their small room to summon messages by means of the Gazing of the Waters. She regularly summoned such messages using only the incantation, and other times she summoned other visions which Seer of Worlds had meanwhile permitted due to her advancement and experience.

  As she watched the reddish clouds move about, she expected to see Morning Glory or another distant friend or acquaintance, and was startled when the white opaque layer cleared to reveal the face of a stranger, although he appeared vaguely familiar to Rhuna. Her attention immediately fell on the man’s unusual eyes and darkish rings around them. His fair hair had turned grey and it hung wildly around his long and narrow face. Rhuna saw that the man wore a very dark garment, but before she could gather her thoughts, the man began to speak.

  “Rhu-u-na! It is I! Gatherer of Sage,” spoke the man with a lift of his eyebrows and a false smile. “Do you not know my name, Rhuna? You have observed me, as I have also observed you, and with great delight, I may add! Your powers are impressive, Rhuna! I know what you can do, and I am enthralled and delighted! No other but your father showed such great skills, and he has gone forth from where no one can hold him back! Yes, he lives and prospers; free to exercise his powers as he wishes! You are the same, Rhuna. Do not let them hold you down like a bird with clipped wings! They fear you; they fear your greatness, your power and your strength! Your vulnerable husband fears you most of all because he cannot control you when you become so powerful, so much stronger than he. Husbands long to be superior to their wives, this is evident by the way he dominates you in bed. Did you not know, Rhuna? Do not be a slave to your husband and his fellows. Your destiny reaches far beyond the realms they offer you. Remember this, Rhuna! Remember!”

  Rhuna staggered backwards as if she had been struck, then walked numbly to the bed where she sat down. She felt a heavy wet blanket envelop her and tear away the reality she had known up to that day. When she looked up and saw Tozar enter the room, she felt he was a stranger to her.

  “What…?” Tozar asked with trepidation.

  Rhuna opened her mouth but no sound came out.

  Tozar lunged forward and held her shoulders. “A vision? A message? From whom?” he asked urgently.

  “From…Gatherer of Sage,” she said distantly.

  Tozar sunk to his knees in front of her and gave her a look of sheer horror.

  “Come!” he said urgently, and pulled her by the arms.

  “No, don’t touch me!” Rhuna heard herself shout, and in that moment a loud crack resounded from the corner of their bedroom. A small table of polished stone had split sharply in two. Tozar looked aghast, then grabbed her once more.

  “The message was a lie! Whatever it was, he lied!” he shouted at her, and dragged her out of the room and downstairs to Revealer of Brightness. “This is what I had feared! This is what I attempted to prevent!” he said as he ushered Rhuna down the hallway.

  Revealer of Brightness heard their arrival and stood as if frozen to the floor in his doorway.

  “The Dark One spoke her a message!” said Tozar with a tremor in his voice. “She must talk; Rhuna, you must talk in order to reverse the damage he has inflicted upon you! Rhuna!” Both men led her to the seating cushions and Tozar squeezed her hand and arm. She still felt numb and needed a further prod to start talking.

  “He identified himself as Gatherer of Sage!” Tozar told Revealer of Brightness, whose face remained stony and grey as he looked at Rhuna.

  “He…he sounded so normal, he looked…” Rhuna’s words began to splutter out of her mouth, and soon she was able to repeat the words she had heard, even the most distressing ones about Tozar a
nd her father.

  “A direct assault on one’s deepest emotions!” said Revealer of Brightness angrily. “It is his usual manner of personal attack!” he leaned forward and clutched Rhuna’s arm. “He attempts to undermine your very soul and corrupt you to his ways! Believe not a word, Keeper of Wisdom! Believe not a word!”

  Rhuna nodded and felt better after everything had been talked over, and then she turned to Tozar and said that the Dark Master had been watching them even in private. Tozar nodded solemnly.

  “Why?” she asked, as her tears began to flow.

  “The visions you received caused both his attacks to fail,” said Revealer of Brightness. “Thereby you became his main adversary, and this was his retaliation.”

  Rhuna let herself fall into Tozar’s arms, and he held her tightly.

  “What shall we do? How must we respond to this?” Tozar asked Revealer of Brightness. “Never have I felt so helpless!” he said desperately.

  “Be at ease, Valued Friend! It is done, and our only defence against him - as always - is not to succumb,” said Revealer of Brightness in an even shakier voice.

  The three of them sat quietly a while, and Rhuna’s tears soon dried. When she looked up, she saw a kind smile on the old man’s face, and she told Revealer of Brightness that she felt much better due to his words, and because of Tozar’s care and protection. She relaxed and returned to her own seating cushion, but still held Tozar’s hand.

  “Is that his name, Gatherer of Sage?” asked Rhuna. “I didn’t know that.”

  “We never speak his name,” said Revealer of Brightness bluntly. “The name of Gatherer of Sage holds good memories, and is not associated with the nameless identity we call the Dark One.”

  “What was he like before?” Rhuna wanted to know. She felt Tozar’s grip tighten.