Rhuna, Keeper of Wisdom

by Barbara Underwood

  Several more uneventful days followed during which Rhuna continued to find satisfaction in the healing of patients, either by food diet, herbal tinctures or Solar Light Healing , and Tozar gave her special attention in those days due to the terror she had felt after the last High Council meeting. She summoned only one more vision of the Dark Master in those days, and saw yet another image of him standing on his pyramid and calling out to the prostrated people beneath him.

  It was late afternoon, when Rhuna and Tozar prepared for the evening meal, that they heard an urgent thumping on their door. Revealer of Brightness told them to accompany them immediately to the small chamber because he had received a most disturbing report. Tozar asked what it was, but the old man remained silent as he walked down the corridor and outside towards the High Council building. Tozar took Rhuna’s hand and they followed him in gloomy silence.

  Seer of Worlds had also been requested to attend this urgent meeting, and when everyone had once more gathered in the small chamber, Revealer of Brightness breathed in deeply.

  “I have received a message by means of the Gazing of the Waters from an Atlan Master fleeing the Piruquán colony,” he began slowly. “She was in extreme distress and spoke of a violent revolt by the native Piruquán people under the Dark One’s domination. They took up stones and any other weaponry they could find, and slaughtered at least fifty Atlans in the vicinity of the center and pyramid of the Dark One.” Several members gasped and breathed heavily. “Her account indicates that the Dark One they know as Reaper of the Harvest, who was leading the display of domination at the time of the revolt, fled inside his pyramid where the pursuing insurgents released the mechanism of the giant sliding stone to entrap the Dark One inside the inner chamber of the pyramid.”

  “What is this?” spat Seer of Worlds as his whole body trembled. “The Dark One is permanently trapped within his pyramid?”

  “According to this report,” said Revealer of Brightness calmly. Then he turned to Rhuna. “May we request you to attempt summoning a vision of the Dark One to verify the woman’s account of events?”

  Rhuna nodded silently, then looked at Tozar as she released her grip on his hand. She moved aside so that she could concentrate on her Inside Focussing. She summoned the vision as usual, but saw only blackness and sensed only silence.

  “I see darkness, and there’s no sound at all,” she said as she opened her eyes.

  “Could it be so?” asked the stout woman whose entire face had become red meanwhile. “He cannot escape from this chamber he himself proposed?”

  “Should the stone be immovable, even when lightened in weight…and several layers of stone lay above and around him…” said one of the older men slowly.

  A long and heavy silence followed as everyone looked at the floor in the center of the circle.

  “Let us not be complacent!” said Revealer of Brightness as his words shattered the paralyzing stillness in the room. “A grave situation enfolds! A violent revolt killed many Atlan men and women, and I foresee this people’s anger and hatred shall lead to further killings of Atlans! Let us act hastily to warn the surrounding colonies and settlements. Either a protective wall should be erected, or the settlements abandoned to these violent ones, should they approach. We may establish new settlements northwards in uninhabited areas. This people presents the most immediate and mortal threat at present,” he said decisively.

  Seer of Worlds stood up and said he would attempt to summon visions of the Dark Master by means of the Gazing of the Waters, and then hastened to leave.

  Somber discussions continued for a while, but Rhuna kept thinking about the darkness she saw in her vision, and the strange inner chamber which permanently entombed the Dark Master.

  “The impediment no longer exists!” blurted Seer of Worlds as he stormed into the small chamber again. “He is dead! The Dark One is dead most certainty!” he stated loudly. He sat down and breathed heavily, and Rhuna heard several others emit a sigh.

  “I also summoned visions of… the massacre,” continued Seer of Worlds when he had caught his breath. “It is a gruesome sight, however, many Atlans are safe in inner chambers of the buildings, while others are fleeing in various directions. The Piruquán inhabitants travel in two separate groups without apparent destinations. At this moment, I see no immediate danger to any other Atlans, and perhaps the enraged people shall become weary and return to their forest homes,” he said.

  “You are uncharacteristically optimistic, Seer of Worlds!” said Revealer of Brightness. “Your desired outcome may prove to be correct, however, we shall take all precautionary action.”

  When the meeting finally ended, darkness had set over the city of Atlán, and outside, Rhuna felt the first warm breeze of the new season and the peaceful still of night. Her steps felt much lighter as they walked home, and when they were inside their comfortable rooms, she embraced Tozar and asked if the Atlan Empire would be safe now. He assured her that it would be, and that by his actions, the Dark Master had brought the counteraction directly upon himself.

  The following day brought further reports of the massacre in Piruquán by the fleeing Atlans who requested help and protection, but such news was reserved for only High Council members and those individuals immediately concerned, in order to maintain the peaceful freedom and contentment of the Atlan Empire. Seer of Worlds had observed by means of the Gazing of the Waters that the Piruquán inhabitants angrily roamed the forests and terrain around the colony, and the High Council agreed to direct the neighbouring colonies to abandon their settlements and either return southwards by ship, or explore regions further northwards. When the day’s High Council meeting concluded, Rhuna saw relieved faces and a shine return to many eyes. Revealer of Brightness reminded the members that diligent work was required to stem the flow of poison caused by the Dark One’s subversion of the Piruquán colony, but everyone felt confident that it could be detained due to the revolt of the Piruquán inhabitants which served as a final statement in answer to the issues the Dark One had raised and which had plagued the Atlan Empire.

  At home, Rhuna and Tozar relaxed and talked about a different and brighter future for Atlán and for them personally, and when the day drew to a close, Rhuna entered the room of the Gazing of the Waters to summon messages.

  The opaque clouds in the water revealed a black image with a small flame in the middle. The burning stick shed a deep orange glow onto two angry eyes.

  “It is done, Rhuna! People near and far have seen my power and heard my words! Many Atlans shall continue in my course throughout the Atlan colonies and pass on their ways to newer generations! They have erected statues and made dolls in my image, and the ignorant, primitive tribes of the world shall continue to observe the rituals I ordained to call upon the sun, moon and stars. To call on my name and make sacrifices to me! I have attained immortality!” The small flame extinguished and left complete blackness. “For all eternity, the statues on Chinza shall declare my name! Remember this, Rhuna! Remember!”

  ***

  Rhuna’s adventures continue in Rhuna: Crossroads

  Click here to visit Rhuna Crossroads (Book 2) Amazon Page

  This thrilling sequel to Rhuna: Crossroads is set in mystical Ancient Egypt where Black Magic was developed by the followers of the legendary villain, The Dark Master. As strange and frightening curses plague the population, Rhuna discovers the underground organization that performs this uncanny new magic, but she can only combat it with the help of her long-lost father. Having learned from her father amazing new skills to empower her on the Astral Plane, Rhuna once again strives to preserve peace and harmony in the idyllic Atlan civilization.

  Far more challenging than fighting powerful Dark Forces, however, is Rhuna’s personal anguish when her daughter becomes involved with the leader of the Black Magic movement, and the once-perfect Atlan society based on utopian principles begins to crumble all around her. Shocking events escalate Rhuna’s world to a breathless climax as she and her fa
mily undergo a momentous upheaval, and she is forced to make great personal sacrifices for her loved ones.

  Read on for an excerpt from Rhuna: Crossroads (Book 2)

  Excerpt - Rhuna: Crossroads (Book 2)

  (Rhuna: Paranormal Urban Fantasy Series)

  Lozira had already found a comfortable, shady place to sit, when Rhuna heard a raspy voice from behind her.

  “Hey!”

  Rhuna turned and saw an unusually dark-skinned Benshi man whose smile showed that he was missing quite a few teeth. He approached Rhuna with a walk that reminded her of a scuttling crab.

  “You want guide?” he croaked.

  Rhuna saw that the whites of his eyes were reddened, and his thick lips were purple. She shook her head and politely said no.

  “Me best pyramid guide!” the man persisted. “You Atlan, but me know more than you. About pyramid. Secret door!” His ugly wide smile repelled Rhuna, but his words grabbed her attention.

  “You know about a secret doorway? The one that the Atlans use?” she asked. The man nodded confidently. “You know what they do inside?” Again the man nodded with the same wide and ugly grin. “You can show me where they go, what they do?”

  “Show you everything,” he said still grinning.

  Rhuna turned to Lozira and told her that she had to investigate something important first before they could explore the pyramids together.

  “Wait for me right here. Eat your meal and don’t go anywhere until I come back!”

  “All right, all right,” said Lozira annoyed.

  Rhuna gestured to the ugly guide that she would follow him, and he quickly turned on one leg and began his funny crab-like walk. She was surprised how quickly his awkward gait could carry him, and she wondered whether he had been born crippled, or if he had suffered some injury.

  “Secret door,” he said when they approached an ordinary part of the lodging and supply buildings. Rhuna was surprised.

  “Go under,” said the man, then stooped, and with his back towards Rhuna, made a movement which snapped open a metal door within a wall panel. She marvelled at the clever camouflage because she had not seen a door in the wall panel design until it opened.

  “Take rope,” he told Rhuna. She had to wait until her eyes adjusted to the darkness behind the door, and then saw a thin yellowish rope hanging at the height of her waist.

  “Always hold rope,” said the guide as he disappeared into the thick darkness ahead of her.

  Rhuna understood that it was a guide rope through the dark tunnel, and she silently obeyed. She felt the smooth stone under her feet and began to stride more confidently, keeping her fingers curled around the rope and her other hand outstretched a short distance ahead of her. Soon the air began to feel thick and heavy around her, and the sound of her footsteps sounded strangely dull.

  “Feel okay?” asked the guide ahead of her.

  Rhuna answered yes. The darkness had become complete when she heard the guide’s footsteps come to a stop.

  “Go down,” he said. “Hold rope.”

  Rhuna placed her feet carefully until she became accustomed to the large and equal size of the steps.

  “Okay?”

  “Yes. Why are we going so far down?”

  “Secret room under pyramid,” croaked the guide dryly. Rhuna’s heart beat faster.

  After many more slow downward steps, Rhuna began to feel weak. She stopped and held the guiding rope tightly.

  “Okay?”

  “No, I don’t feel well,” said Rhuna.

  “Many people, often,” said the guide. “Feel better soon, in secret room!”

  “How much further?” she asked.

  “Soon, soon,” he said as his footsteps continued to scuttle along.

  Rhuna’s mouth began to feel dry, her legs wobbly and her chest tight, as if the pyramid above her was pressing down on her body. She was relieved when the guide’s footsteps came to a stop and she heard a scraping sound similar to the sound of the shifting stone that opened the metal door outside. Suddenly a warm light flooded into the tunnel.

  “Oh!” she said delighted.

  “Secret room!” hissed the guide, and scuttled inside. Rhuna’s eyes were immediately drawn to the warm colours inside the room which glowed in the mellow lamp light. The walls were completely covered in large wall hangings and tapestries, mostly with earthy colours of brown, red, yellow and dull green. On the floor, thick mats of various textiles and large seating cushions looked very inviting. The guide closed the metal door behind her, and Rhuna noticed that it barely made a sound.

  “Sit. Feel better now, eh?”

  “I’m thirsty and shaky,” said Rhuna as she carefully lowered herself onto a cushion. The guide moved to a corner of the room and produced a water sack made of animal skin.

  “Drink.”

  Rhuna closed her eyes as the liquid soothed her parched mouth and throat.

  “Better? No?” The guide moved around in his awkward way and produced something else from the corner of the room.

  “Feel scare?” he asked.

  “What? Do I feel scared?”

  “Scare. Pyramid big, deep, dark; people scare. This make people better,” he said as he fumbled with a pouch and a strange-looking thick rod.

  “What is it?” Rhuna asked, still feeling a little shaky.

  “Herbs. Make scare go away.”

  “Which herbs? I’m a Healer and I know all the herbs to treat stress and anxiety,” Rhuna said.

  “Yellowplains Weed, Dark Shadow Root, Birdsnest Leaf and Frogwater Moss,” he answered confidently. Rhuna was startled by the man’s knowledge and sudden command of words.

  “I know them all except Frogwater Moss. It must be what we call Shallowpond Growth.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” he replied, and Rhuna looked at the black holes in his wide smile. He handed her the thick rod he had prepared. “Make smoke.”

  “Make smoke? You mean only smell the aroma?” she asked, puzzled. “The usual procedure is to make a tincture to drink.”

  “Smoke. Take breath,” said the guide, still smiling. “Atlans and scare people take breath, feel better.”

  Rhuna reluctantly took the rod from the man and inspected it in the low light. One end gently oozed smoke, and as soon as Rhuna held it closer, she recognized the smell. It was the smell she had sensed when summoning the Gazing of the Waters for visions of the Atlan Council members’ activity inside the pyramid, and the smell that Wanderer of Plains also noticed.

  “It’s just to relieve anxiety while in here?” she asked.

  “For scare. Take breath, feel better,” he said as he pointed to the other end of the rod.

  Rhuna held the rod to her lips.

  “Take breath,” urged the guide. Rhuna sucked gently on the rod. “Big breath!” he said, then sucked in a deep, raspy breath of air to show her that she had to inhale deeply. Rhuna tried again and felt the warm air enter her throat and chest.

  “Again,” he said. “Feel better soon.”

  After taking three deep breaths, Rhuna’s tenseness suddenly vanished. She handed the smoking rod back to the guide, and as she moved her arm back down she noticed that it felt heavy and seemed to move slowly. She looked down at her body and suddenly wondered whether it was her own. She wanted to look up at the guide, but her eyes would not move. Instead, she felt her eyelids close and a warm wave of sleep washed over her.

  When she opened her eyes, she saw a tapestry of dark red, dull green and dark gold. She looked at it a while until she remembered that she was in the secret room under the pyramid. She tried to turn her head and realized she was lying on her back and the tapestry she was looking at was on the ceiling of the room. Alarmed and disoriented, she pushed herself off the big, soft cushions and looked around. The room was empty except for the water sack in the corner and the same earthen-coloured wall-hangings she had seen before.

  “Hey!” she shouted, knowing it was in vain. There was no place to hide in the small, square room. Anger and
alarm pulsed through her body as she sprung to her feet. The metal door opened easily and quietly, and she grabbed the guide rope on the side of the tunnel wall. For a short section the light from the room helped Rhuna to see the steps ahead of her, but the darkness soon engulfed her. She felt her heart pounding as she took the large steps as quickly as she could while making sure she kept a hold on the guide rope.

  She felt relief when the passageway reached level ground, and she could barely wait to reach the metal door to the outside. The guide rope ended and Rhuna reached out in front of her, feeling the cool metal door. She pushed gently, but nothing happened. Panic began to rise inside her as she fumbled to feel the entire door and its edge, wondering if there was a latch to open it. In the grip of desperation, she pushed the door forcefully and it swung open, but instead of relief, a greater panic struck her. Ahead of her was only more darkness.

  Fearing that she had taken the wrong way, she was about to turn around and grope for the guide rope again when a flicker of light caught her eye. She looked and tried to focus. After a moment, Rhuna recognized several small dots of light in the distance, and a larger, dim light in the foreground. Then dark grey shadows slowly formed and she realized she was seeing low, square buildings and the lights of the city of Safu in the distance.

  “Oh!” she gasped. “Lozira! Lozira!” she shouted and ran to the open space ahead of her. She struggled to recognize it as the courtyard where they had stopped to trade for food.

  “Lozira! Is anyone here?!” she called loudly, turning several times on the same spot. “Oh!” Before she knew it, her feet had begun to run in the direction of the city lights. “Oh!” she kept crying out as she ran and gasped, trying to keep her panic under control. Shortly before reaching the first buildings of the city perimeter, she finally collapsed onto her knees and panted heavily. The nearness of the lights and houses comforted her a little, and she remained kneeling until her heartbeat and breathing steadied.