Rhuna, Keeper of Wisdom

by Barbara Underwood

  “He was…an exceptionally skilled Master with vast knowledge of the healing arts…”

  “The healing arts?” Rhuna remembered that Mala Mahuni had told her that the Dark Master was a healer.

  “Yes,” continued Revealer of Brightness, “this was his field of expertise. He gathered many herbs previously unknown to us and found their healing properties. He formed new remedies using these herbs and their derivatives which have since become common healing tinctures. His apothecary rooms remain, here in the city, where his former students continue to dispense them.”

  “Apothecary rooms?” asked Rhuna.

  “It was such revolutionary work, then he… he became obsessed,” hissed Revealer of Brightness, gazing into the distance. “He believed he could find a tincture to prolong or even sustain life indefinitely. He neglected his pioneering work and focussed his attention inwardly, on his obsessive goal to create this elixir of immortality.” Revealer of Brightness shook his head slowly. “I believed him to be ill, and as his friend I comforted him, reassured and prodded him to return to normalcy. It was insufficient, however… he became angry and more determined to achieve some form of grandeur, despite his highly-acclaimed position as the most prominent apothecary.”

  The three of them were quiet again. Then Revealer of Brightness tugged at his long grey beard and suggested that they enjoy a good evening meal together.

  Rhuna felt much better as she enjoyed a delicious meal and pleasant conversation with others in the dining hall, but unease returned to her when she entered the silent rooms of the home she shared with Tozar. She went into the bedroom and remembered the stone table that had split apart. Tozar followed her and also looked at the broken stone slabs in silence.

  “My thought energies…”

  “In a highly distressed state,” added Tozar, and put his arms around her.

  “This is what happened to my father, isn’t it,” she said.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m afraid,” said Rhuna.

  “Naturally…It shall pass, however,” he said trying to reassure her and stroking her head.

  Rhuna said she didn’t want to be alone for the next few days, and Tozar said he would be at her side constantly.

  That evening, Tozar told her of his plans for a period of respite in an area in the mountains across the lake where they could walk and see different sceneries, plants and wildlife, as well as benefit from forest air and abstinence from the usual daily activities. He told her about his previous visits there, and that he always took his pipe to play there. At that, Rhuna asked him about this instrument and why he had not told her about it before, and Tozar explained that he barely had time to play it since he became an active member of the High Council. He then suggested Rhuna take her vuda and he would take his pipe, so that they could enjoy music together during their respite in the mountains. Rhuna fell asleep with pleasant thoughts of this upcoming period, and awoke the next morning with eagerness to see the places Tozar had described.

  They boarded a sailing boat not unlike the one they had been on before, and asked to be taken to the other side of the lake. The morning wind bounced them across the blue water, and Rhuna felt better as she saw the city of Atlán recede behind her.

  “I don’t want to go back to school,” she told Tozar, who had put his arm around her.

  “Nothing is expected of you, My Dear,” he answered and squeezed her with his arm. “Release these thoughts and allow your mind to welcome the new impressions directly ahead of you.”

  Although Rhuna often thought of the incident with Beacon of the Night and the message from the Dark Master, she enjoyed the different scenery on the other side of the lake, smelled the fresh forest scents and listened to various bird calls in the trees. Tozar told her what he knew about the various trees, plants and wildlife on the side of the mountain, and showed her the paths he knew that ascended to points of beautiful vistas across the lake. At one such point, he held and kissed Rhuna for a while, and on another occasion, they took their musical instruments and played a simple tune in harmony. Tozar’s pipe was made out of fine polished wood, and its sound reminded Rhuna of a gentle gust of wind blowing through crevices in a cave. The pipe’s natural tone was full and deep, but the pitch rose when Tozar closed several air holes with his fingers. Rhuna was transfixed when he played, and she loved the sound of his pipe as much as that of the vuda.

  Their evenings were also very pleasant because they were the only guests at a visitor’s inn near the lake’s shore, and they were treated to various food delicacies and merry conversation with the hosts. The hosts were an elderly couple who remembered Tozar from his previous visits, and the husband enjoyed telling funny stories about other visitors. There was also a room of the Gazing of the Waters, but only Tozar entered it briefly every few days to summon messages. He told Rhuna that the only messages he received were from Revealer of Brightness, who told him that everything was fine in Atlán, and that they should enjoy their sojourn on the mountainside.

  After nearly one lunar cycle had passed, Rhuna returned to the city of Atlán and was warmly greeted by all the people who knew her and Tozar. They spent a long evening in the dining hall telling various ones about their relaxing time on the opposite side of the lake, as well as hearing news from all the others. Rhuna was surprised when a messenger approached her there and told her that Seer of Worlds looked forward to meeting with her to discuss the finalising of her education, among other things. She felt apprehensive at the thought of going back to school, and wondered if Seer of Worlds knew about the Dark Master’s message to her. When she had thanked the messenger, she saw one of the Counsellors approach her, and promptly tugged Tozar’s sleeve to get his attention.

  “Beacon of the Night has departed from the school,” said the young woman Counsellor. “He volunteered as a member in a party journeying to a southern colony where teachers and other skilled Masters are required.” Rhuna asked if this was a good outcome, and the woman said it was the best outcome for his particular circumstances. Rhuna was relieved that she would not have to see Beacon of the Night again, and she felt that this news enabled her to put the incident completely behind her.

  Tozar offered to accompany Rhuna to school the next morning, but she said she would only meet with Seer of Worlds and then come to the High Council building. He agreed and told her that meanwhile Seer of Worlds and all the members of the High Council had been informed of the Dark Master’s message to her.

  She entered her teacher’s room with uncertainty, but was put at ease when the stooping man walked slowly towards her and reached for her hand. She shook his hand and greeted him, and he clasped Rhuna’s hand with both of his, holding her hand for a moment. Seer of Worlds told her that he was very glad to see her, and Rhuna noticed his softer tone. As he released his warm clasp on Rhuna’s hand, he looked down and forced his next words.

  “I, also… received such a message many cycles past,” he said.

  Rhuna was taken by surprise and looked speechlessly at her ageing teacher.

  “You have regained your composure well,” he said nodding slightly.

  “Thanks to my husband whose tender care and affection helped me to heal,” said Rhuna. Seer of Worlds looked at her with soft eyes.

  “Your words stir me deeply,” he said. “Perhaps, should I have had such a one in my life…” he broke off with a shake of his head, and then gestured her to take a seat.

  “In three solar cycles you have completed your studies in much less time than is expected,” said Seer of Worlds.

  Rhuna said that she hadn’t finished all her lessons completely, but Seer of Worlds motioned with his hand that this was irrelevant. “Your final lesson is that of making your Master’s robe. It shall require less than a lunar cycle, and you may wear it confidently.”

  Rhuna said she felt she didn’t deserve it somehow, and that she thought she might never use the Gazing of the Waters again.

  Seer of Worlds shook his head vigorously. “Yo
u must overcome this fear! Do not let him overpower you in any such way! He seeks to intimidate and weaken you, and should you succumb, he shall revel in your fear! This must not occur, Keeper of Wisdom!” Seer of Worlds had regained his usual sharp and angry tone. “You shall overcome this obstacle of fear, as I have, also!” he said determinedly.

  Rhuna said she was encouraged by his words, and began to feel a deep warmth towards her teacher. Then she told him she was sad to end her study with him, but Seer of Worlds replied that they would surely see each other often in the city and High Council building.

  Rhuna sat in the audience of the High Council and observed a routine discussion mostly among the Low Council about establishing new trade routes to certain areas, and then met Tozar outside when talks had finished for the day. She told him about her meeting with Seer of Worlds, and that he told her the Dark Master had also spoken a message to him in the past. Tozar nodded and said he had assumed it.

  “Did the Dark One ever say anything to you?” she asked Tozar as they walked slowly towards the lake. Rhuna had been afraid to ask, in case Tozar’s answer brought the Dark Master closer and into her life again.

  “I heard him… I heard his subversive words and observed his treacherous manner as he became rebellious. However, I received no such direct personal attacks,” said Tozar slowly. “Your father received them, and told me of them,” he added after slight hesitation.

  “I think I can use the Gazing of the Waters again to summon messages, if you stay with me,” she said. Tozar took her hand and squeezed it.

  That evening, Rhuna summoned several messages from Morning Glory while Tozar stood beside her, and afterwards she felt much happier. She also felt better about receiving her Master’s robe, and looked forward to her final lesson of making it. However, she was still reluctant to practice Inside Focussing for more than a very brief session, and only when Tozar was with her.

  Rhuna learnt that the material of the Master’s robe was a transformed element, using a plant fibre already washed and flattened. As such plant matter was different from all the other elements she had transformed, it took considerable effort to transform it to the desired texture, and she was given small test pieces with which to experiment first. Her teacher for this process was a woman she had seen in the school building several times, but Rhuna had never spoken to her. Flower of the Field had dark hair which matched her deep blue eyes, and Rhuna wondered whether both her parents were Atlans because she was considerably smaller than most Atlan men and women. She stood at almost the same height as Rhuna, and they discussed their size as Rhuna learnt the measurements of the Master’s robe relative to the body’s dimensions. During their conversations, Rhuna learnt that the small woman taught various other subjects at the school, in particular some of the healing arts such as herbal aromas.

  “I’ve used some healing aromas and learned to prepare some herbal scents when I was in Medíz,” said Rhuna.

  “Is this so?” said Flower of the Field somewhat surprised. “Your past experience is a solid base for further studies of the healing arts, should you so desire.”

  Rhuna remembered that Tamer of the Storm had asked her whether she knew any of the healing arts, and that she had an agreement to meet this teacher to discuss Solar Light Healing.

  “I’ll have to think about it,” said Rhuna, and decided to keep the agreement with Tamer of the Storm.

  That evening, Rhuna told Tozar about her lesson with Flower of the Field, and that she would soon be ready to transform the plant matter into the proper robe material. Tozar asked if she was happy about getting her robe now, and she answered yes. Then he told her about a report from the people who had fled from the southern Xoratán region, and it made Rhuna sit up and think. The High Council had received a report from the new Atlan settlement saying that a group of about fifteen men and women wanted to return to the area beyond Xoratán in order to help the rest of their people there. Their aim was to tell them of the new and better life they had found in Atlan territories, and they hoped the entire people would eventually make the journey to the Atlan settlement.

  “That shows how much they appreciate the Atlan way of life, doesn’t it?” said Rhuna.

  “It is a most honourable deed, however not without peril,” said Tozar. “These individuals were warned of the dangers, however their racial bonds are strong and they desire to bring their entire people out of enslavement to ignorance and… to their High Priest.”

  “But he won’t let them leave,” said Rhuna sullenly.

  “He shall use more persuasion… however, once he has lost control over a person, he may perhaps abandon those attempts and seek other ignorant ones,” said Tozar thoughtfully.

  Rhuna moved closer to Tozar’s side on their big soft bed. “Do you think the Dark One has given up on me because I didn’t believe his lies?”

  “With certainty he has observed your resistance to his assault and therefore it is unlikely he will attempt it once more,” said Tozar reassuringly. Rhuna nodded and wondered what would happen to those people still under the Dark Master’s control once they heard about a much better life with the Atlans.

  “Do you think those people feel as bad as I did after I got the Dark One’s message?”

  “Oh, infinitely worse, for a certainty!” exclaimed Tozar. “You have the benefit of knowledge to overcome the personal assault, while those in ignorance and enslavement to him suffer severe emotional harm.”

  Rhuna remembered the stories she had heard from Mala Mahuni, and how some people were even afraid to tell those stories. “Will they heal when they’ve been in Atlan society for a while?” she asked.

  “It is most desired, however such deeply ingrained suffering is difficult to heal completely,” he said, then pulled her close and kissed her head.

  When Rhuna had learned to prepare the plant fibres in the correct dimensions for her robe, she was instructed in the gradual transformation of the entire garment, which would require most of the day. Flower of the Field had become very talkative with Rhuna, and often talked about unusual ailments and her methods to heal them. These stories intrigued Rhuna and she felt very comfortable with this friendly teacher. When Rhuna had transformed the plant fibre satisfactorily, she was allowed to leave and rest, then commence the next lesson of making seamless joins in several days’ time.

  Before leaving the school building, Rhuna decided to visit Tamer of the Storm and request a meeting. The tall woman with the strong voice remembered Rhuna and invited her inside her rooms. She immediately noticed the bright light and many coloured panels along the walls of this teacher’s rooms.

  “Solar light is essential for emotional and mental health,” proclaimed Tamer of the Storm. “We must maintain a balance of light and colour in our surroundings. Examine the different colours and designs, Keeper of Wisdom. Which appeal to you?”

  Rhuna looked at them all carefully and then pointed to a heavy dark purple fabric embroidered with silver and other fine metallic threads in unsymmetrical designs.

  “This is your choice?” asked Tamer of the Storm surprised. “Your choice indicates an emotional burden weighing upon you,” she said in her clear, crisp voice.

  Rhuna was dumbfounded. “You know how I feel just by the colours I like?” she asked astonished.

  “By the colours and patterns that appeal most in your present state. By examining your second choice, I may further evaluate your emotional condition.”

  “Oh,” said Rhuna feeling very impressed by the woman’s skills. She turned around to make her second choice of coloured fabric or tapestry. Rhuna chose a reddish cloth with less complicated patterns and stitches.

  “This indicates you are recovering from your emotional injury,” said the teacher. Rhuna laughed happily and said that she was fascinated by this subject, and Tamer of the Storm asked her to sit down and talk.

  That afternoon, Rhuna stood outside the High Council building as Tozar emerged, and greeted him excitedly.

  “I want to
study the healing arts and Solar Light Healing,” said Rhuna happily.

  “Yes?” Tozar looked surprised and delighted. Rhuna told him about her meeting with Tamer of the Storm, and that she had already asked Flower of the Field if she could study the other healing arts with her. She said that she felt comfortable with these studies because both teachers were women, and Tozar gave her a brief solemn look. Then he gave her a quick hug and said that he was thrilled.

  Rhuna finished her robe by also transforming the joins with concentrated thought energies, making the garment completely seamless, and containing several inner pockets and clasps. It wrapped around her snugly, and she was surprised by the weightlessness of the robe on her body. She told Flower of the Field that she felt naked and free inside the robe, and the teacher laughed happily.

  Thereafter, Rhuna wore her Master’s robe with pride, and immediately began her lessons with Flower of the Field with much enthusiasm and joy. First, her eager teacher gave Rhuna an overview of the three basic healing methods: by food, by herbal tinctures and by cosmic and earth energies. This last subject intrigued Rhuna, and she asked her teacher many questions about harnessing the appropriate energies to heal certain conditions. She remembered her experiences with lunar energy harnessing, and the occasion she stood on the small pyramid.

  “It is similar,” explained Flower of the Field, “however when harnessing pure solar or lunar energy, it serves to temporarily strengthen one’s concentrated thought energies, while healing energies must be carefully contained and apportioned. The correct elements, usually conductive stones, serve most purposes best.”

  Rhuna asked if the stones could be transformed from other elements, or whether they had to be pure, and her teacher explained that either one would serve the purpose. It was more important for the ailing person to sit or lie on the conductive stone for a certain period, or else to stand in the flow between two stones, in order to absorb the correct amount of energy. Most electro-magnetic earth energies sufficed to stimulate poor circulation, dissolve growths and assist in the healing of wounds. Rhuna also learnt that a thorough knowledge of Plant and Earth Harmony was important when choosing the best location for such healing stone sites because many of the healing earth energies flowed in streams across the landscape and underground.