“They must be killed, of course – like the High Council of Atlán killed the One known as The Dark Master!” answered the red-nosed judge as the rest of his face turned red with strong emotions.
“Proper procedures must be followed first,” insisted Damell, looking sternly at the judges.
“When our lives are directly threatened, there is no time for procedures!” spat Sword of Justice, his eyes aflame with passion.
“So this is the reason for the wall?” Aradin asked looking back at the structure behind them.
“Oh no!” Rustle of the Leaves said with a short burst of laughter. “Such walls would not shield us from the uncanny powers of the conjurers!”
“The walls were built to protect us from the savages in the not-too-distant past,” answered the red-faced judge. Rhuna remembered that she had heard this explanation before, when she asked about the great wall surrounding the city of Judharo.
“Who are these savages?” Damell asked in a suspicious tone as if he already knew the answer.
“The ones with strange slit eyes and dark hair…” began Rustle of the Leaves, and Rhuna immediately thought of Hari Tal and his unusual eyes. “They thought we had mistreated them, so they sent more of their people to punish us!”
“What did you do to them?” Aradin asked.
“”We utilized them to grow crops and vegetables for us,” replied one of the judges.
“They were unwilling at first, until some discipline was enforced,” added Rustle of the Leaves.
Rhuna felt an unpleasant heaviness in the pit of her stomach as she listened and observed the judges’ innocent faces.
“But this is not the Atlan way!” Rhuna protested with more outrage in her voice than she intended to express. “You can’t force people to do the work that we Atlans do willingly ourselves!” she continued.
“They are inferior to us! We have superiority and authority over them,” said Sword of Justice decisively.
“You made slaves out of them, and treated them very badly,” she said, remembering the slaves of the Benshi people and thinking that even they must have enjoyed better living conditions than the ones called savages.
“In the city of Atlán, we all take turns preparing meals which everyone eats in the various central dining halls. No one is disciplined or forced to do any kind of work!”
“Of course not!” retorted Sword of Justice angrily. “Not among Atlans! We speak of inferior peoples in this case.”
Rhuna quickly glanced at Aradin and Damell before responding. “We do not treat any people like that,” she said slowly and deliberately. “The people inferior to Atlans in terms of knowledge, skills and special Atlan powers are taught and helped by us, not used as slaves!”
“This is so,” said Aradin firmly, and Rhuna heard the tension in his voice.
“You have indeed been deeply separated from the true ways of Atlán,” said Damell gravely.
The judges looked genuinely perplexed and disconcerted by their words.
“We must have a serious discussion,” said Sword of Justice after a long silence. “Enter our High Council building and be seated, that our deliberations may be formal and proper!” he said with determined strides towards an elaborate building ahead of them. Rhuna looked up at the arched doorway and the intricate carvings in the stone which were so different from the style of buildings in Atlán. Inside, she admired the carved woodwork of doors and furniture which was not unlike the elaborate trellis and verandah of her own Varappan home.
“Be seated, be seated!” said the red-nosed judge as his open arms gestured towards large seating cushions on a colourful rug. “Sit betwixt your father and husband,” he said to Rhuna, showing her the plush red cushion in the middle.
Rhuna obeyed, and wondered about the judge’s use of an old word no longer in common use in Atlán. Before she could say anything, the beverages and a plate of dried fruit and nuts were offered. Rhuna took a handful, and then relished the exotic flavour of the juice mixed with grain broth and spice.
“Relate to us the story of conquering the Dark One. We have only heard snippets relayed many times by lone travelers,” began Rustle of the Leaves when they had finished their refreshments.
Rhuna summarized the events of many solar cycles past when her exceptional ability to summon mental visions of the Dark Master assisted in containing him in the chamber of a small pyramid.
“All the stone blocks used in the construction of this pyramid had been transformed from sand, and as you know…”
“Once transformed, it is not possible to transform them again!” interjected the red-nosed judge as he slapped his thigh with triumphant joy.
“Otherwise, he could have easily transformed the stone block to sand or even water and made an escape,” added Aradin. “The blocks used in the fortifying walls of Judharo and Suchinda, are they…”
“Only partially,” responded Sword of Justice, anticipating Aradin’s question. “The Wall of Judharo was first built to protect against rising waters of the Great River, and later it was fortified to resist the savages’ attacks.”
“What happened to the savages?” Rhuna asked.
“Why, we conquered them with our superior Atlan powers, of course!” answered Sword of Justice.
“How, exactly?” Rhuna wondered.
“Those of us with transforming abilities focused our mental energies collectively on their blood and caused it to boil – the same as igniting wood or straw!” said the red-nosed judge with triumphant delight.
“This is considered most detestable and reprehensible in Atlán!” Damell said severely.
“Is it?” asked Sword of Justice with raised eyebrows. “What other method do you suggest to defeat a deadly enemy? Did you not kill the Dark Master in such a way both possible for you and impossible for him to resist?”
“The Atlan way is not to kill if at all possible,” Rhuna responded quickly. “The demise of the Dark Master is the only instance of a deliberate killing in Atlán, in all time!”
“Is that so?” asked Rustle of the Leaves skeptically.
“Most certainly it is!” said Damell emphatically. “It appears to us that you have gone astray of the true Atlan Way.
“Gone astray?” Sword of Justice repeated incredulously. “May I suggest that it is you who has gone astray of the true Atlan ways?”
“We have lived in Atlán, lived in Atlan colonies, and are thoroughly familiar with the Atlan Way, while you are completely isolated here in Varappa, without means to contact or summon visions by means of the Gazing of the Waters,” Damell argued. “You are in no position to determine what is the true Atlan Way and what is not!
“That is your perception of the matter,” nodded Sword of Justice, and Rhuna felt that they had already reached an impasse in their discussions.
“Your way of speaking sounds odd to me – it’s not the way Atlans speak in the city of Atlán,” Rhuna said after a brief silence.
“It is not?” asked Sword of Justice, turning his raised eyebrows towards Rhuna.
“No one says ‘betwixt’ anymore, but I know it used to be said that way from listening to songs that go back to the time of the First Atlans,” Rhuna explained.
The judges looked at each other briefly.
“We are descended from a group of Atlans who were direct descendants of the First Atlans,” said the red-nosed judge.
“We constantly endeavour to keep strictly to the ways of our early forbearers in every way, including our language, as you have deduced,” explained Rustle of the Leaves.
“Our ancestral tradition therefore, being that of direct descent of the First Atlans, is that we do kill under certain circumstances: self-protection being one of the foremost reasons which requires no justification; or would you disagree?” Rhuna felt that Sword of Justice was challenging her with his words and piercing gaze.
“No, not when everything else has been tried first,” Rhuna answered.
“Ah, should one have the time to
attempt various methods, but in a situation of direct attack by savages, this would be extremely unlikely, would you not agree?”
“Of course you took the only action possible,” Damell interrupted. “Yet your attitude towards the preservation of life, or perhaps your attitude to…killing, appears to differ from the way of Atlán in the present day.”
Sword of Justice considered Damell’s words for a while.
“Atlán…Atlán…the place of our childhood stories, our youthful, idyllic dreams, our guiding light in adulthood…is it really such a place of tranquil harmony, peaceful co-existence and utmost ethical standards, supported by the highest intelligence, wisdom and knowledge in the known universe?”
“It is so,” nodded Rhuna, and then heard a muffled cough from Aradin behind her.
“It is a fact, to the best of our knowledge, that the First Atlans killed many people of the inferior kind when they opposed the establishment of an Atlan colony in their land,” said Rustle of the Leaves.
Rhuna felt a wave of fear undermine her confidence.
“I don’t know anything about that,” she said, trying to hide her unease.
“What, then, do you know about the First Atlans, may we ask?”
Rhuna had to admit that she knew very little, and Aradin nodded in agreement.
“Many skilled Atlans have tried to summon visions of the First Atlans by means of the Gazing of the Waters, without any success,” Aradin said, surprising Rhuna with his knowledge of such matters.
“In my longer lifetime, I have heard from various sources, yet I have no precise knowledge,” Damell said.
“Precise knowledge of the past – this is the issue here, is it not? You claim the true Atlan way is the sanctity and protection of all life with very few exceptions, while the First Atlans lived by quite another code,” said Sword of Justice decisively.
“Perhaps the circumstances determined the code; namely when the First Atlans ventured out into the world on their quest to establish an advanced society, provide advanced knowledge, to others less…fortunate…it was often necessary to combat aggressive and primitive natives,” added Rustle of the Leaves.
“Yet in the peaceful land of Atlán where Atlans know no enemies, the code has changed and adapted to the peaceful conditions and the harmonious way of life,” added the red-nosed judge, nodding his head firmly.
“Yes, perhaps you are right,” said Damell as his eyes momentarily gazed into the far distance.
Rustle of the Leaves cleared her throat during an awkward silence, and then raised the subject of the Dark Master’s demise in the pyramid.
“We are contemplating putting some of the most dangerous Conjurers in such a bond,” she said.
“Yes, it may become necessary, I agree,” said Aradin.
“We humbly request your assistance in defeating these vile followers of the Dark One!” said the red-nosed judge.
“I don’t know exactly what we can do, but of course we are all dedicated to the same cause,” she said, and Aradin nodded in agreement.
“What do you suggest should be our first plan of action?” Sword of Justice asked eagerly.
“I suggest observation first, to ascertain what their abilities, their strengths and weaknesses are so that we know how to execute our plan,” Aradin answered. The judges nodded and mumbled agreement.
“We have the utmost confidence in you, Avenger of Justice, Keeper of Wisdom and Keeper of Justice,” he said to Damell, Rhuna and Aradin, using their formal Atlan names according to the Atlan custom.
“How do we observe them without the Gazing of the Waters?” asked Rustle of the Leaves.
Rhuna thought of the hallucinatory herbs she and The Observers had used in Safu to watch the activities of the Dark Master’s followers.
“There are other means, although far from as efficient, of course,” Aradin answered, frowning, and Rhuna wondered if he was considering suggesting the use of the herbs.
“We must leave!” interjected Damell, and Rhuna felt that he was urging them to end the conversation immediately before Aradin revealed too much information.
After the formal words of farewell by the Suchinda judges, Rhuna walked in silence until they had passed through the gate in the protective wall and were on the forest path. Finally, Rhuna had to express the disturbing thoughts she had carried with her since the last discussion with the Suchinda Atlans.
“I didn’t know that it’s not possible to observe the First Atlans by means of the Gazing of the Waters!”
“It’s not something people talk about much,” said Aradin.
“Father, you said that you don’t know much about them either?” she asked, wondering whether it was possible to access information about the First Atlans in The Infinite.
“It is difficult…” he said hesitantly.
“How are we going to observe the Conjurers without the Gazing of the Waters?” Aradin interjected to change the subject. “With the help of the hallucinatory herbs?”
“Be cautious!” Damell shot back. “The Suchinda Atlans are very particular, and they would certainly condemn intoxicating, mild-altering herbs as much as the High Council of Atlán!”
“Yes, I thought as much,” said Aradin gravely. “It will be difficult to work with them if we can’t tell them how we can observe the Dark Ones and Conjurers.”
As they waited for Kitlamu and her RTE to return to the arranged site, Rhuna decided that one day, when she was ready to know the truth, she would find out what the First Atlans really did, and why it was not possible to summon anything about them by means of the Gazing of the Waters.
The sun had begun its final arc when Kitlamu returned, and she was pleased to learn that Rhuna and her family would spend the night in Judharo.
“Good! Navigating to Cha’al in the dark is quite a challenge!” she chuckled, as if remembering an amusing past experience. As they approached Judharo, Rhuna saw many lights from houses and open areas where people gathered, and she understood why Kitlamu preferred to navigate to a brightly-lit city at night.
As they disembarked Kitlamu’s RTE, Rhuna felt the pinch of cold air on her cheeks, and she rubbed her bare arms to ward off the evening chill. They walked briskly to Damell’s house, and Rhuna realized how eager she was to be indoors and rest after a long day. Her father’s house was particularly welcoming due to an open fire in the hearth, and Rhuna thought it made the house extremely cozy and comfortable.
Hari Tal had prepared the evening meal already, and the rest of Rhuna’s family had gathered near the fire to wait.
“Rhu-una!” Shandi called when she saw her mother enter the room. “Din-Din!”
Aradin laughed at the name Shandi had begun to call him, and snatched the little girl off her feet, tickling and cuddling her at the same time.
“Shandi made this painting,” Lozira told Rhuna, opening up a folded piece of cloth canvas. “She said it’s your mother.”
“My mother?” Rhuna asked surprised, and then remembered that Shandi had said something about her mother recently.
“Maybe she saw her in a vision?” Lozira suggested.
“Yes, but she died not long ago...”
Both Lozira and Rhuna shrugged shoulders the same time, and then laughed simultaneously.
“There is much to learn about the child’s amazing ability,” Goram said as he took the canvas and appraised the child’s painting.
Rhuna relished the delicious morsels of food Hari Tal had cooked for their evening meal, and between mouthfuls she helped Aradin and Damell relate the events at Suchinda to the others at the food table.
“Interesting,” stated Goram with a mouthful of delicious pheasant cooked in sesame seed sauce.
“It is a war?” Panapu asked excitedly. “War I know about!” he said nodding his big head.
“Not a war with weapons,” explained Aradin.
“We are only going to watch what the Conjurers are doing,” added Rhuna.
“Ah,” said Panapu as his eyes lit
up. “The recon…reconnaissance before the war!”
Rhuna was surprised that Panapu knew such a word, but then reminded herself that he spent most of his life as a soldier in The Reigning One’s army in Safu.
“Find out weak and strong things,” Panapu added with a confident nod. “Most important step to defeat enemy!”
“He is right,” said Damell. “We must observe as much as possible to learn of the Conjurers’ abilities and plans, if any.”
“Should we use the hallucinatory herbs to observe, like we did in Safu?” asked Aradin.
“I don’t know if I can get all the necessary herbs here,” Rhuna said.
“You most certainly can,” Damell said. “In fact, I have a stash of such herbs in one of my upper chambers.”
Rhuna looked up at her father in surprise, and then saw the familiar twinkle in his bright blue eyes.
“May I also take part?” asked Goram, his unusual green eyes exuding intense curiosity and enthusiasm. Rhuna remembered the previous occasions she had observed Goram’s fiery interest in such matters, and with some hesitation she realized that she would not be able to prevent him from learning about the hallucinatory herbs.
Rhuna waited until Shandi had fallen asleep in her crib, and then entered one of the other chambers on the upper level of her father’s grand home. She arranged the seating cushions in a circle on the floor, and then looked up at Lozira.
“I only want to watch,” she said with slight apprehension.
Aradin produced the smoking pipe he had been carrying with him in a garment pocket since leaving Safu.
“I’ve missed having the special insight the hallucinatory herbs help us to gain,” he said as he took the herb pouch Damell had given him.
“Without the Gazing of the Waters we are almost blind!” spat Goram with annoyance.
“The people here appear to live normal lives without it,” observed Lozira.
“Of course. They have grown accustomed to its absence, and the younger generations are probably not even familiar with the Gazing of the Waters.”
“How sad,” said Lozira quietly.
Rhuna saw the disquiet in her daughter’s face and thought of the traumas she had already experienced in her young life. She took the pipe from Aradin and hoped that what she would see in hallucinatory visions would not be disturbing as it had been in the past.
Rhuna- New Horizons Page 11