“My name is Rhuna,” she said to the woman. After the dark woman had touched the fabric and looked at it on both sides, she looked up and said that her name was Ono.
Rhuna untied the ribbon around the cloth bundle containing sewing instruments, and let both the woman and her child look at them. She noticed Ono’s startled reaction when she saw the shiny metallic objects, mostly various sized needles and a few cutting tools. She had seven different needles ranging from a small and fine embroidery needle, to a very large one for thick yarns to stitch rugs and blankets. Rhuna took a medium-sized needle from its cushion, and then set a piece of chalk and cutting knife aside.
Then she laid the cloth out onto a level surface, and showed Ono how to draw the outline of a garment on the fabric. Ono watched silently, and Rhuna saw a hint of fear in her eyes. When she had cut out the simple shape, she began to thread the needle with the brownish yarn and showed Ono how to sew. Both mother and daughter watched in silence with wide eyes fixed on Rhuna’s hands. When the tunic was finished, Rhuna held it up against the small girl. Neither of them moved, so Rhuna carefully moved forward and pulled the tunic over the child’s head. At first the girl looked startled, but when she looked down at her new dress, a quick smile crossed her face. Rhuna stepped back and smiled at them both.
“Are you a Priestess, too?” asked Ono.
“No.”
“But you can make things out of nothing, just like the Black Priest,” said Ono.
Rhuna assumed she meant the Dark Master, and thought carefully about her reply. “Everyone can make things, and you can make a dress just like I showed you.”
Ono shook her head.
“Yes, you can!” said Rhuna cheerfully. “I used to live just like you, and wear a dress exactly like yours. And then the Atlans taught me how to make clothes and blankets and lots of other things. You can learn them, too. I can show you how.”
Ono’s face had brightened, and her daughter had moved and stepped closer to Rhuna. The child reached out to touch Rhuna’s white robe. She let the girl feel the robe, and then Ono did the same.
“What do I have to do to learn to make things?” asked Ono uncertainly.
“Do?”
“Yes. We had to do things for the Black Priest so he would make us what we needed,” said Ono.
“You don’t have to do anything for us,” said Rhuna firmly. “Just learn from us, that’s all.” Ono still looked slightly apprehensive, but nodded and then looked down at the remaining fabric. When Rhuna looked up, she noticed with surprise that a large gathering of Arawana had assembled around them to watch. “Would you like to make a new dress for you to wear?”
“Yes,” said Ono quietly.
Rhuna then began to show Ono how to make a similar sleeveless tunic for herself, and let Ono carefully hold the needle and push it through the fabric. The small girl sat close by and continually stroked Rhuna’s robe.
When Rhuna had helped Ono make the simple dress, she took her instruments and returned to the higher tiers where an afternoon meal was being prepared. She looked back and saw Ono show everyone the garment she had made, while others followed Rhuna with their wary eyes.
“You are making exceptional progress with the people!” said Shelter of the Forest with a huge smile.
“I think it’s because they can relate to me more easily due to my darker skin, and because I used to be like them,” answered Rhuna.
The young man’s eyebrows shot up. “Is this so? Which is your land of origin?”
Rhuna quickly told him about her childhood on the island of Chinza, and that her father was a Master who lived there a while, then how she met Tozar there.
“What a remarkable story!” said Shelter of the Forest with a genuine look of amazement. Rhuna was suddenly reminded of Beacon of the Night and hesitated to pursue the conversation. Instead, she asked the young man where Tozar was, and he answered that he had gone to their house.
When Rhuna arrived at their cottage door, she heard Tozar speaking a message, so she waited until he had finished. Tozar’s face lit up when he saw her enter, and told her he had informed Revealer of Brightness of various matters. He remained seated on the cushion, and Rhuna sat down beside him.
“You look tense,” she told him as she put her hand on his arm.
Tozar sighed. “The welfare of this small community is my responsibility,” he said. Then he shook his head and gave a bitter laugh. “Whenever I propose a journey for your benefit, clouds of darkness overshadow our pleasure.”
“It’s because of me and the visions I receive,” said Rhuna. “If not for these visions, we wouldn’t even know that the Dark One is still alive, and we wouldn’t have all these worries and you wouldn’t be in such an anxious state.”
Tozar turned to her in surprise. “You are not to blame! Despite the difficulties, it is best we know the truth!” He took her hand and changed the subject. “You attracted the attention of the Arawana and quickly gained their confidence. You have achieved more important work in one day than those of us building houses and making plans. Well done,” he said, squeezing her hand.
Then Rhuna began to tell him about her conversation with Ono and what she taught her, and Tozar told her about his day’s work and the message he spoke to Revealer of Brightness. He suggested they summon messages by the Gazing of the Waters soon, and Rhuna said she would attempt Inside Focussing again. Tozar nodded gloomily, and let her take position for the practice.
This time Rhuna received a longer vision with more images. She saw the Dark Master carefully walking through dense shrubs and grass, and another image showed that his trek bypassed a large visitor’s inn along the road.
“This was a revealing vision,” said Tozar after Rhuna had described it to him. “He is cautious to avoid recognition by Atlans using the road and inn. Therefore, it is a main road he traverses… perhaps the road to the northern colonies,” he said with a frown.
Rhuna remembered the charts she had seen of the isthmus connecting the two large land masses, and agreed he could have been walking northwards these past lunar cycles. She sighed relief that he was not coming to Chipka.
“We should be vigilant, nevertheless. His recent actions reveal our vulnerability and his unpredictable actions,” said Tozar. “I shall inform Revealer of Brightness.”
Rhuna said she would summon messages meanwhile, expecting Seer of Worlds to have responded to her earlier message. She went to the washing area where they had been that morning, and found the secluded area still peaceful. Without the use of powder, she quickly summoned a message and recognized the usual dark brooding look of Seer of Worlds.
“Be warmly greeted, Keeper of Wisdom! My initial joy of receiving your message was quickly replaced by dread on learning of the Dark One’s journey along Atlan roads! It is a most significant vision, although deeply disturbing. During the entire night, I attempted to summon various visions, in particular the route to Chipka. I came across no impediment nor any other suspicious subject, and therefore believe the Dark One’s destination may be in another direction. I shall continue searching by means of the Gazing of the Waters, and request your further support and information, as you receive further enlightening visions.”
Rhuna was glad that Seer of Worlds had thoroughly checked everything concerning Chipka’s safety, and she felt even more reassured. She decided to quickly speak a message to Seer of Worlds telling him of the revealing vision of the Dark Master avoiding a large visitors’ inn along the main Atlan road, and that Tozar believed it was the road heading to the northern colonies.
When the busy day drew to an end, and a warm meal of maize broth and cooked vegetables had been dispensed among all the Arawana, Rhuna relaxed inside the cozy cottage with Tozar and told him of her further plans for helping the poor people. She had thought about Ono and her daughter during the day, and decided she would like to make a small cloth doll for the girl.
“Toys and games are most beneficial for mental and emotional health,” said To
zar supportively, then reached into his carry bag to produce his own metal puzzles.
“Some orange solar light would also help you right now,” said Rhuna, “and the Arawana need violet light. All of them.”
Then Rhuna decided to start plans for the doll she wanted to make. It became a peaceful and pleasant evening, and during the night, Rhuna listened to the comforting patter of soft rain on their roof.
The next morning, Rhuna showed Ono and several other Arawana who had gathered around them some of the other textiles they had brought from Atlán, and she began instructing two other Arawana women in making clothes. When she was in the cottage, she worked on the small cloth doll she wanted to present to Ono’s daughter. She made it out of thick whitish linen material, using brown wool for its long hair and coloured threads to embroider a face. For the filling, she used small dried leaves, and made a tan-coloured tunic for the doll to resemble the Arawana’s clothing.
The following days brought rapid progress in the building of a stone house with two rooms and a small bathroom with a roof of wood and plant materials. All building stones were transformed from water carried from the reservoir on the summit, and only the upper layers of stones were made lighter by concentrated thought energies in order to lift them in place with ease. To produce a tight fit, the joints were sealed with concentrated solar heat. On a few occasions, Rhuna volunteered to also transform a few stones, and managed it with considerable ease. Tozar assisted by making some top layer stones lighter in weight, then restored their original weight once they were correctly placed. Sand to transform into glass was not readily found on the summit and had to be brought in with supplies, so until that time, the windows remained open, but a wooden panel could be inserted into the frame to protect against rain and wind.
Most of the seeds for food plants were sown in irrigated fields which were arranged in many tiers conforming to the slope of the mountainside. Rhuna was shown the field most suitable for many herbs, where she and several other Atlan men and women assisted her in the planting of the herbs. She arranged the prepared tinctures in a corner of the storehouse out of direct sunlight. Tozar had asked Rhuna what she deemed as necessary supplies from Atlán, and she told him that mainly fabrics of all kinds and some sewing instruments would be required, as more and more Arawana men and women showed interest in learning to make clothes. She also requested materials for making soap, and intended to show Ono how to make her own scented soaps soon. Tozar said that the next supplies would arrive within a lunar cycle, and that they would also bring more blankets and rugs, as well as sand for transforming into glass for windows.
Two or three times a day, Rhuna practiced Inside Focussing and received visions of the Dark Master, each time walking at the usual fast and angry pace on the well-constructed Atlan road in a hot, wet climate. One time she saw him walking in the rain without the use of an umbrella, and another time she saw him gathering food a short distance from the road. Seer of Worlds continued to consult the Gazing of the Waters, but without significant revelations.
Revealer of Brightness had told them that the news of the Dark Master’s presence in Altan territory put the High Council in a dilemma, because it was not possible to warn the Atlans in those northern areas without revealing the fact that the Dark Master was still alive and active. Revealer of Brightness preferred the Atlan Empire to remain in a state of peace and contentment, unless it became absolutely necessary or unavoidable to shatter that blissful peace. He explained that the emotional distress caused by the mere knowledge of the Dark One’s activities had caused such a deep and near-mortal wound to Atlan civilization twenty-five solar cycles past, that he believed another such assault on the Atlan people was worth preventing as far as reasonably possible. Tozar agreed and recalled those dark days, but was deeply disconcerted about the entire matter, and feared what intentions the Dark Master bore in the northern territories.
“It’s time for you to receive some healing solar light,” Rhuna told him one sunny morning. She prepared the box she used for gathering solar energy, and walked outside to find a suitable site. She took Tozar by the hand and led him through a forested area to a plateau where several new clearings had been made, and where she had deemed to be a very suitable site by the rules of Plant and Earth Harmony. The sun’s rays reached the pleasant clearing among trees and green shrubs, and she prepared to concentrate on extracting and projecting orange light from the white solar light.
Rhuna thought it took her a little longer than usual to produce the orange ray that dispersed evenly and covered Tozar for a short period.
“I feel comfortable,” said Tozar when the orange light had vanished. “I am grateful.”
Rhuna said she was happy that he felt better, but that the process was slightly difficult this time.
“It appeared to function with great ease,” said Tozar.
“Yes, but I performed better and faster when I had harnessed lunar or cosmic energies,” said Rhuna. “This clearing would be ideal for a small pyramid that I could use to strengthen my concentration powers.”
“A pyramid? It is not necessary to heighten your abilities! Furthermore, it may lead to undesired side-effects. Recall the broken stone table,” he said sternly.
“Only when I was upset, and I have more control and stability within myself now,” she argued gently. “I’ll need much more power to produce violet light, which the Arawana need, and I want to heal as many as possible. And I know how to construct the pyramid myself, so when I have spare time…”
“No,” interrupted Tozar. “I shall construct your pyramid,” he said decisively.
When Rhuna had finished making the doll, she presented it to Ono’s daughter while they were watching the construction work on a lower tier of the mountain summit. The girl’s eyes widened and she touched the doll with initial caution, then gripped it firmly around its middle.
“What is it?” asked Ono.
“A doll. Children like to play with them, so I made one for your daughter.”
Ono looked uncertainly at Rhuna and the small child, but when she saw the girl’s eager grip on the doll and her excited stare, she changed her expression. Then the child scurried back to the large crowd to show the doll to others.
Ono returned her attention to the building work.
“Where do the stones come from?” she asked Rhuna.
“They are transformed from water. It’s a special Atlan skill, and not everyone can do it,” she explained.
“Can you do those things?”
“Yes, I can do most things like that,” admitted Rhuna.
“You’re like the Black Priest. He can do many things like that,” said Ono in her usual flat tone.
“I have the same abilities he has, but I’m not like him at all,” said Rhuna, feeling her heart beat harder.
Rhuna saw a changed expression on Ono’s face. “He won’t come here after us, will he?” she asked feebly.
“No,” said Rhuna firmly. “And if he did come, we would fight him off!” she said forcefully. Ono looked surprised, then reassured.
When four stone houses had been finished, Shelter of the Forest led several of the oldest or sickest Arawana inside them and explained that the houses were their new homes. Rhuna accompanied him and looked at the very sick ones, hoping she could soon communicate better with them in order to give them the appropriate healing treatment. Even though the Arawana’s faces showed little expression, Rhuna recognized their happiness and relief. They looked at the rugs and cushions on the floor, then examined the bathroom. Shelter of the Forest said that they would need a demonstration in the use of the bathroom later, and be taught how to wash their new clothes as well.
As she left the new houses with Shelter of the Forest, a young Atlan woman approached them.
“Keeper of Wisdom, it appears the doll you made is causing unrest among some of the Arawana,” she said. Then she smiled and explained that other children wanted to take the doll from Ono’s daughter, thus causing a commotion.
“Perhaps you are required to make dolls for each one of the children?”
“I should have thought of that,” said Rhuna. I already intended all children to receive toys, but I can start making more dolls right away,” she said, and immediately walked to the storehouse to find more materials.
Rhuna worked quickly during one afternoon, and finished another doll which she planned to give to a similar small girl like Ono’s daughter. When she spotted one such small child standing alone watching other children playing in the dirt, Rhuna carefully approached her, holding out the doll. The small child looked wide-eyed and let Rhuna come closer.
“This is for you,” said Rhuna in her sweetest voice in order not to frighten the child. The girl took the doll with both hands and stared at it, just as Ono’s daughter had done. Then she looked up at Rhuna, who nodded eagerly with a big smile.
“Rhuna!” piped the small girl, then scampered away to her family group, holding the doll in front of her and excitedly repeating Rhuna’s name several times.
That evening, Rhuna summoned messages in the Gazing of the Waters in the secluded washing area by the reservoir, and was surprised to see the familiar face of a healer she had accompanied in Atlán during her study period. He was a serious man with thinning hair, and his expression made Rhuna apprehensive of his news.
“Discerner of Works is in my care,” he said after his introduction and well wishes, “and it is evident to me that his condition warranted the immediate action taken by you during the journey to Chipka. Should he have continued the ascent another day, in all likelihood a fatal seizure of the heart would have resulted. Therefore, I wish to praise your qualities of discernment and judgment in this matter. Discerner of Works wishes to express his deep gratitude to you in person, on your return to Atlán. May the monumental undertaking of healing the Arawana bring you many rewards and satisfaction, Keeper of Wisdom!”
Rhuna, Keeper of Wisdom Page 31