Rhuna- New Horizons

by Barbara Underwood

  “Almost everyone is active in at least one such discussion forum,” said Eraldun, and then turned to Rhuna as she prepared to leave them. “You may find me at the Forum of Higher Thought during the sun’s first arc in the sky every day.”

  They walked through the Forum Plaza and along another impressive avenue boasting a variety of matching buildings all painted in harmonizing colours.

  “The Market, where all manner of goods are exchanged,” Damell stated as he stopped to admire the bustling scene.

  “Oh, look at the clothes, Rhuna!” said Lozira as she grabbed her mother’s arm.

  “We can get new clothes at last!” Rhuna replied happily. In that moment, her cheerful mood was snatched from her when she recognized the Commander walking towards them.

  “How fortuitous to meet you like this!” he said beaming. “My intention was to seek you out this very day to inform you of arrangements I have made earlier on your behalf.”

  Rhuna felt her body become rigid despite her attempts to dismiss the negative sensations she felt in his presence.

  “A charming house stands vacant, complete with furnishings, in the Chala Valley, and in my eagerness to provide accommodation for you, my guests, I assured the overseer of Cha’al that you would accept the dwelling. The house is familiar to me, and therefore I am able to give it my highest recommendation!” beamed the Commander.

  Rhuna looked at Aradin for his reaction, and when his eyes lit up in eager anticipation, Rhuna smiled and expressed gratitude for the Commander’s foresight and action on their behalf.

  “How do we get there?” she asked.

  “You can wait for a ship that departs in several days, or take a Rapid Transport Enclosure,” the Commander answered.

  “Oh!” Rhuna couldn’t contain her excitement at the thought of not only seeing but actually going somewhere in a Rapid Transport Enclosure.

  “I think we’ll have to try the RTE, said Aradin, giving Rhuna a playful squeeze.

  “But how does it stay up in the air?” asked Lozira, her brow in furrows.

  “Ah, there is someone who can explain it to you better than I,” laughed the Commander. “Seek out a woman named Kitlamu.”

  “She is familiar to me,” nodded Damell, and after exchanging a few more words, the Commander went on his way. Rhuna watched him walk away, and once again she felt that his stride was strangely familiar.

  “That was nice of him,” remarked Lozira.

  “Yes, but I still don’t like him,” Rhuna responded, suppressing a cold shudder caused by the Commander’s close proximity.

  “Come! Let me show you some more wonderful places!” Damell said cheerfully as he placed his arm around Rhuna’s shoulders. She suddenly felt very grateful for the warm and close relationship she had developed with her father in past solar cycles, and gave him an affectionate squeeze.

  As the sun began to set, Rhuna and her family dressed in their newest and finest garments to attend the evening celebration at the home of the finely-dressed man in burgundy and gold. Panapu said that he did not enjoy gatherings or feasts, and that he would prefer to stay in the house with Hari Tal and watch over Shandi. Damell led the way through Judharo’s streets which took on a celebratory atmosphere in the evenings, with coloured lights, music, dancing and an abundance of food everywhere.

  “You may call me Pirem,” said the finely-dressed man as he welcomed Rhuna and her family inside his illustrious home. “My full name is Patu-Pirem Samona of Dukhal-Aram, Son of King Kesh of Aram, but everyone calls me Pirem,” he said as he waved his arms to usher his guests into the main rooms and courtyard area.

  Rhuna noticed that he was wearing a shiny dark blue garment with silver embroidery, and she guessed that the material was silk. His curly black hair had been arranged in an unusual but flattering style, and he wore several gold bands on his fingers, wrists and arms.

  Pirem introduced Rhuna and Aradin to several of his guests, and then returned to the entrance way to welcome more guests.

  “So many different people!” Rhuna said to Aradin as she looked back and forth across the large courtyard. She saw people with hair and skin colours ranging from very light to very dark, and their choice of clothes and hair arrangements also varied greatly.

  “Yes, Varappa has always had a mixture of many different people from all over,” Aradin said proudly. “Many Varappans even speak several different languages,” he added.

  Rhuna spoke to several different people, realizing that not everyone spoke the same way, and she was once again struck by the strong contrast between Varappa and the land of Atlán.

  Pirem returned to mingle with his guests, and Rhuna admired his social skills in remembering everyone’s name, and how to entertain each one with different musicians, storytellers, dancers and jesters.

  “My wife is an excellent dancer of drum music,” Pirem said, indicating a fair-haired woman in a flowing red gown who dazzled many observers on a nearby dance floor.

  “I thought your wife was the woman in the blue gown over there,” Rhuna said.

  “Yes, yes, that’s Maruta, my second wife. Anashta here, the dancer, is the fourth.”

  “You have four wives?” asked Rhuna aghast.

  “No, five, actually,” Pirem answered casually.

  “But…but isn’t that…difficult?” stammered Rhuna, still astonished.

  “No, not at all,” Pirem laughed at Rhuna’s reaction. “Why should it be? We here in Varappa are free from restraints, expectations, traditions and judgements. We do as we please, and allow everyone else the same freedom as we ourselves enjoy.”

  “Well…” said Rhuna thinking quickly. “…if everyone is happy, then there’s no problem.

  “Exactly so!” Pirem responded with a broad smile. “Now come and feast with us – here, have you sampled the rich sweet fruit distillation?”

  “No, I don’t drink intoxicating beverages,” Rhuna explained.

  “No? How sad for you!” Pirem said, and then turned around to show Rhuna the long table covered in dishes of delicious food. “Then at least enjoy the lamb boiled in sweet milk, the crisp greenery from my own garden, and the oven-baked bread with spices!”

  Rhuna assured her generous host that she would enjoy the food and all the entertainment, and Aradin expressed gratitude for the invitation to his feast. Before choosing her food, Rhuna looked for Goram and Lozira, and was happy to see them enjoying pleasant conversation with several people while eating small savory food from a large plate.

  After sampling as many new foods and delicacies she could eat, Rhuna relaxed on one of the many seating cushions to enjoy the happy rhythms the musicians played. The feast was still fully attended when all the food had been eaten, and Rhuna struggled to stay awake. When they finally returned to Damell’s home, Rhuna fell onto the soft and fragrant bed that Hari Tal had prepared for her and her family. Shandi had already been put in her crib much earlier, and stirred slightly as her parents entered the room to undress and prepare for sleep.

  Rhuna slept deeply and awoke feeling better than she had in the many lunar cycles since being forced to leave her beautiful home in Safu. She felt that her night’s rest was full of vivid dreams, yet she could not recall any of them as she dressed and prepared herself for the day ahead.

  Aradin grabbed Rhuna before she finished dressing, and they both tumbled back onto the bed together with happy laughter. Shandi echoed their happy laughter as she bounced on her soft pillows.

  “Ah…Damell has a wonderful home, but…”

  “We want our own home!” Rhuna chimed, finishing Aradin’s sentence. Lifting Shandi above his head, Aradin repeated the exciting phrase and then carried their daughter downstairs to enjoy the morning meal.

  “We want our own home!” Shandi repeated articulately as they entered the room where Damell already stood awaiting his house guests.

  “Yes, of course you do,” Damell answered Shandi, kissing the top of her head. Rhuna looked around and caught a glimpse of Hari Ta
l as he silently slinked back and forth, setting dishes of food on the table and tending to everyone’s needs.

  “Possessor of Discernment wishes to see the Pyramids today,” Damell announced as they gathered at the eating table for the morning meal. Rhuna looked around and was glad to see that the white-haired man had a healthy glow in his eyes and cheeks.

  “It is a special privilege for me to visit another pyramid site other than the Great One of Safu,” he said with reverence as he approached the table.

  “I didn’t know it was so special,” Rhuna said as they were seated.

  “Any site built in imitation of the Pyramids of the First Atlans is venerable, and should be profoundly honoured,” the ageing Atlan Master said in a solemn tone.

  Rhuna looked up from the table to see Panapu arriving from the food preparation area carrying a heavy ewer of beverage.

  “He cannot stand around and do nothing!” chuckled Hari Tal who seemed to appear out of nowhere and quickly placed several more plates on the table in front of Rhuna.

  “You need not do chores while you are a guest in my home,” Damell said cheerfully, and then gave him a good-natured slap on his meaty back. The former soldier nodded and smiled, then carefully placed the ewer on the table. In that moment, Goram and Lozira appeared, and Rhuna observed how they held hands and frequently gazed at each other.

  The sunny morning added to Rhuna’s exuberant mood as they all marched along one of the broad avenues of Judharo, with Damell pointing the way towards the pyramids in the distance.

  “The Pyramids are white!” exclaimed Lozira when the tips emerged from behind a group of tall buildings. “And so small!”

  “The Great Pyramids of Safu have no equal in size, nor any other aspect,” said Possessor of Discernment nodding. “These pyramids consist of other types of stone containing more sand and elements of mica, which is almost white in appearance.”

  “Oh, and the top of the main pyramid?” Rhuna asked, looking up at the unusual tip. “It looks like glass!”

  “Crystal,” replied the old Atlan Master. “Very conductive, very powerful,” he nodded sagely.

  “Big loud cloud!” screeched Shandi, tearing Rhuna from her state of amazement at the crystal pyramid cap. She hastily turned around to search the sky for the big cloud, and then looked down at her small daughter.

  “The sky is clear, Shandi. No clouds anywhere,” Rhuna said comfortingly, puzzled by her daughter’s distress.

  “Big loud cloud, very bad,” Shandi repeated with emphasis as her chubby face distorted in frustration.

  “I don’t know what you mean, Honey Cakes,” said Rhuna feeling horribly helpless.

  “You saw a vision of the future, didn’t you, Sweet Bun,” said Aradin as he kneeled down alongside Shandi. The little girl nodded and let herself be comforted by her father’s embrace and loving pat.

  After admiring the perfect shape and startling clean colour of the pyramids, Rhuna and her group proceeded to walk closer to the pyramids and then around the perimeter which was marked by a low fence.

  “I feel strange all of a sudden!” Rhuna exclaimed as she stopped and held her head in her hands. “A loud hum and vibration in my ears!”

  “Ah, it is the harmonic oscillation chambers within the pyramids,” Possessor of Discernment said urgently as he ushered Rhuna further away from the pyramids. “You are particularly sensitive to all manner of vibrations, and therefore you should keep a safe distance.”

  “A safe distance?” repeated Goram with horror.

  “Indeed,” interjected Damell. “The Pyramids can be dangerous to some due to their immense power.”

  “Is it the earth energies they are collecting and amplifying?” Goram asked as he looked admiringly at the white pyramids.

  “Much more, my young friend,” answered Possessor of Discernment. “The crystal capstone attracts solar, lunar and cosmic energies as well, and in combination with other earthly elements, various sources of dynamic power can be produced inside the chambers of the pyramids.”

  “And this power is dispersed to everyone in Judharo?” asked Lozira with wonder.

  “Everyone in Varappa!” exclaimed Possessor of Discernment proudly. “The power is transmitted through the airspace first to the crystal towers which relay the dynamic energy to all receptors. At the reception point, the power is then transformed to a source of light, heat or other operational force.”

  “A most impressive feat by the First Atlans!” said Goram with pride.

  “But it wasn’t like that in Safu,” said Rhuna with a frown as she remembered her time of residence in the famous former Atlan colony. “When the Atlan Masters left, due to the Benshi people moving in, they de-activated certain features of the Pyramids,” explained Damell, and Possessor of Discernment nodded in agreement.

  Rhuna turned around and saw one of the crystal towers Possessor of Discernment mentioned, and felt slightly horrified by its immense height. The massive shaft was a solid piece of dense stone, and looming above the city of Judharo, on top of the stone pillar, a brilliant crystal appeared to pulsate with energy.

  “That one is enormous!” she exclaimed, and turned to Possessor of Discernment as he approached to stand beside her.

  “This colossal tower transmits the pyramid’s accumulated and amplified energy to the furthest reaches of Varappa,” the old Atlan Master said.

  “It must be especially powerful because I never saw such tall towers in the land of Atlán!” Rhuna remarked.

  “Indeed,” replied Possessor of Discernment with a nod. “The people of Varappa endeavored to improve upon the works of the First Atlans, despite the futility of such a goal.”

  “Go to see Mother,” Shandi said, tugging at Rhuna’s dress.

  “What?” Rhuna asked, feeling slightly anxious as she realized her daughter once again told her something she could not comprehend. “Whose mother? Who goes where?” she asked, hoping that her young daughter could elaborate on the simple statement.

  “Go through big door to see Mother,” Shandi stated firmly, gesturing with her arms to indicate an arched doorway.

  “But my mother died not long ago,” she told her little daughter. Shandi merely held Rhuna’s gaze a while.

  When silence fell upon the group, Rhuna walked silently and deep in thought towards an area where food was served, and where Damell proposed they rest and enjoy the midday meal. She savored the unfamiliar dishes of Varappa as she continued to admire the pyramids nearby.

  “Let us seek out Kitlamu and arrange a visit to the house in Cha’al,” Damell suggested when they had finished their food, and Rhuna felt her heart skip a beat in excited anticipation. “Possessor of Discernment is fatigued and desires to remain at the pyramids all day,” he added as he turned to the elderly white-haired man.

  “Hari Tal shall come and escort you back home,” Damell told him, and Rhuna watched as the ageing Atlan Master smiled and nodded with gratitude.

  As they walked down another one of the fine wide avenues of Judharo towards the upper far end of the city, Rhuna recognized the Dark Ones and realized that an encounter on the street was unavoidable. The two men and Yarqi greeted them cheerfully and began to relate their meeting with other followers of the Dark Master.

  “Brother Goram, you must join us!” Yarqi urged persistently.

  “They are eager to meet you and have you join them!” interjected Charmer of Snakes.

  “Your great conjuring feat to dispel the Ubanti army is well known among them all,” added Progress of the Wind.

  “How can it be known already?” Goram wondered, and then looked at Rhuna and then at Lozira. “Inform them of my intention to settle quietly with my new wife, and that perhaps, in due course, I shall make their acquaintance,” he added.

  “Why not meet them now?” Yarqi grumbled.

  “I do not wish it,” Goram answered bluntly.

  “They wish to learn from you and in turn share their discoveries in the Art of Conjuration with you! How
can you decline such an offer?” Yarqi persisted.

  “It is called an Art?” asked Lozira surprised.

  “Of course!” Yarqi answered, frowning at Lozira. “It is the greatest of all the Arts! An Art for which no sacrifice is too big!” she said glowering at Lozira.

  “Come! I see Kitlamu ahead – let us hurry to greet her!” interrupted Damell, ushering Rhuna, Goram and Lozira away from the Dark Ones.

  Rhuna quickened her steps as they approached an elevated platform on which a strange contraption stood on thin metal legs. Next to it stood a tall, slender woman whose appearance surprised Rhuna. Her long greying hair hung messily, and her skin looked like worn and wrinkled leather which contrasted sharply with her shiny bright eyes.

  “I am Kitlamu of Bithanu-Ran,” she said to all of them, and Rhuna stepped forward to introduce herself and then her family. “You are visitors to Varappa, inquiring about the RTEs?”

  Damell explained that he was a regular citizen of Judharo, while Rhuna and the others had come from Safu, and were planning to settle in the Chala Valley. Kitlamu greeted each one in the customary fashion, but hesitated when Panapu bowed his head in greeting.

  “He…is your guard?” she asked uncertainly.

  “Papa-nu! Papa-nu keep us safe!” Shandi piped up, and Rhuna corrected Panapu’s name, explaining that he was simply a member of her group nowadays.

  “This strange-looking contraption is a Rapid Transport Enclosure?” asked Goram skeptically as he examined the dull metal object. Rhuna stopped to look at it a while, thinking that the shape reminded her of an up-turned bowl.

  “They are all different in appearance,” Kitlamu said. “Everyone makes one according to his or her own preference. This one is made from a very light metal alloy, but others have utilized leather stretched over a wooden frame. Inside, the functioning parts are all similar, of course.”

  Kitlamu then led the way through the narrow hatch door into the spacious interior, and Rhuna was surprised to see comfortable seating mats on the metal floor, and only a few objects around the inner round wall of the craft, all of which Rhuna assumed were instruments to operate the RTE.