Rhuna- New Horizons

by Barbara Underwood

  “But there are problems right now,” she said somberly as she reflected on the most recent developments. “The Dark Master is alive and still active in Varappa right now! His Consciousness survived the pyramid tomb, and he has been gaining followers everywhere. I’ve been trying to defeat them, but there are only a few of us and many of them.”

  Rhuna decided not to relate further details as she remembered her father’s stern reminder not to tell anyone about The Infinite, and especially about how she restored her mother’s life.

  “I’ve learned to operate the Rapid Transport Enclosure,” she told Guardian of Harmony. “So my friend and I are going to Chinza, where I was born, to see my mother…” she said, hoping this statement would satisfactorily explain her location in the land of Atlán at this time.

  “That big crowd is coming up this hillside now,” Kitlamu said when Rhuna had finished speaking her message to Guardian of Harmony. “We should leave before they get near.”

  Kitlamu had been studying the map, and had already adjusted the new directions. “My calculations show that we should approach Chinza by the setting of the sun,” Kitlamu said.

  Rhuna looked down through the floor window as the RTE lifted from the ground, and as they began to move laterally, she saw the crowd of people that had been walking towards them. They waved their arms wildly as they looked up at Rhuna and the RTE, and she wondered once more who they were and where they had come from.

  “We should try to meet with those people on the way back,” Rhuna said, but Kitlamu was busy adjusting the controls and did not respond.

  “Tell me about your mother,” said Kitlamu after a while, when she relaxed to enjoy the journey. “She is in danger, you said?”

  Rhuna once again recalled Damell’s forceful words about not telling anyone about how she had restored her mother’s life. “Yes, she’s in danger from some people, and she can’t get away – it’s such a small island.”

  “How do you know this?” Kitlamu asked. “By means similar to the Gazing of the Waters?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ah,” Kitlamu said nodding briefly. Rhuna felt relieved that Kitlamu appeared to be satisfied with this simple answer.

  During the day, both Kitlamu and Rhuna shared the duties of checking the controls and confirming that the RTE was still moving in the right direction. Now and then, Rhuna felt awed by the constant and endless blue of the vast ocean below them, and she began to eagerly await their arrival at Chinza.

  “Commence searching the entire area for Chinza,” Kitlamu instructed as the sunlight began to fade. “We should see it soon!” Rhuna moved back and forth in the RTE to look out each window, including the one in the floor, but there was only more deep blue water everywhere.

  Rhuna felt worried when the sunlight disappeared and she saw only black out of each window. She looked at Kitlamu and recognized the tension in her stiff back and neck.

  “Are we lost?” Rhuna asked.

  “No, not lost,” said Kitlamu. “My instruments cannot measure distances of such a small scale, and I am accustomed to navigating mainly by sight, in familiar areas with landmarks. There is nothing but water below!” Kitlamu’s uncharacteristic nervous prattling confirmed Rhuna’s fears.

  “So, the Caretaker was right,” Rhuna said nervously.

  “No! No, he was not!” Kitlamu said with excessive force. “We shall find it – I assure you!”

  Rhuna looked through the windows again and felt frightened by the blackness all around them. “I can’t see a single thing!” she said with despair.

  “The clouds are blocking any light from moon and stars,” Kitlamu said.

  “How do you know? I can’t see anything!”

  “I have some experience journeying by night,” Kitlamu answered, and Rhuna remembered that Kitlamu avoided operating the RTE at night, even in the familiar areas around Judharo.

  “When the clouds move, we can see by moonlight,” Kitlamu answered with a strained voice. “Then we shall be able to see the lights of Chinza from afar.”

  Rhuna recalled her childhood on the small island and told Kitlamu that the only light the Zao people would have at night would be a fire.

  “Fire is good,” Kitlamu said nodding.

  A long silence followed as Rhuna strained her eyes to see a tiny yellow-orange fleck in the black expanse below them. Kitlamu had extinguished the lamps inside the RTE to assist in seeing any small flicker of light outside.

  “Which direction are we going?” asked Rhuna, more for the sake of conversation.

  “I have been circling the area where Chinza should be,” she answered stiffly.

  The long dark night felt suffocating, and Rhuna was relieved when Kitlamu ceased all lateral movement and suggested that they continue their search in the morning. She prepared her cushions and a blanket, but their situation made Rhuna too uneasy to sleep.

  After an indeterminable passing of time in complete darkness, Rhuna sensed that Kitlamu was also unable to sleep.

  “It’s a bit scary,” Rhuna began. “Being up here above the huge ocean in the dark.”

  Kitlamu grunted in response.

  “Isn’t there any other way to find Chinza?” Rhuna asked after a while.

  “Maybe,” Kitlamu answered curtly.

  Rhuna thought about Goram’s ability to locate the earth’s energy currents and the convergence of such lines on land, and wondered whether something similar existed across the oceans.

  “I’ll try to do something mentally…” Rhuna said as she sat up in the Inside Focussing position.

  “What can you do with your mind that would help us find the island?” Kitlamu asked.

  “I’m sure Chinza lies on a current of earth energy,” Rhuna explained excitedly. “And I think I’m able to feel where they are.”

  “Is that enough to find a very small island?” Kitlamu asked skeptically.

  “I don’t know exactly, but I have to try!”

  Rhuna breathed deeply a few times to still her mind and make her senses receptive to currents of earth energy. She sensed nothing at all for a while, and she struggled to suppress a rising panic as she thought of the endless mass of water below her.

  Suddenly, she sensed a current pulling her, as if something solid was exerting a magnetic force.

  “I sense a mass of land in that direction!” Rhuna exclaimed as she pointed, and Kitlamu grabbed a lamp to see where to direct the RTE. After a moment Kitlamu announced that she had steered the RTE to progress slowly in that direction.

  “Do it again after a short while to make sure we are still on the correct course!” Kitlamu said, excitement creeping into her voice.

  Rhuna closed her eyes again and focussed on the magnetic pull of the land, and gave Kitlamu two more course directions.

  “I feel we are getting very close!” Rhuna said as she stood up and looked out of the windows of the RTE. She was relieved to see that the sun had begun to disperse the heavy gloom of the night, and there was just enough light to recognize a land mass below.

  “Ah!” Kitlamu said triumphantly. “I assured you we would find it!”

  Rhuna tingled all over with anticipation as she looked through several windows to find the best view. “It’s good that it’s so early – I hope everyone is still asleep and won’t see us!” Rhuna said, and then directed Kitlamu to the area of rocky cliffs where her mother was hiding.

  Kitlamu gently lowered the RTE on a soft patch of grass that appeared level, and Rhuna hurried to open the hatch as soon as the craft was stationary. She ran towards the area of the caves and entered slowly, arms reaching out into the darkness above and ahead.

  “Mother!” she called out in her native Zao tongue, the word unfamiliar and awkward in her throat. Rhuna heard a faint sound of movement ahead, and continued to walk, crouching with her arms outstretched. When she realized that the darkness was too great, she reached inside her pouch bag for the small wooden sticks covered with dried sticky matter. Rhuna focused her mental power b
riefly onto the tip of the wooden utensil and in an instant it erupted in a flash of fire. As soon as the initial blaze settled, Rhuna held the little torch ahead of her and immediately saw the form of a person huddled in a corner.

  “Mother?” she whispered again, but the human form in the shadows did not move. Rhuna carefully approached and watched as her small torch revealed two bare feet with blots of dried blood. Rhuna remembered the sharp lava stones in the caves and around the island which had often cut her feet when she explored the island as a child.

  Rhuna moved even closer until she saw dirty and bruised legs, then a torn tunic covering part of her upper legs. She raised the torch and the flickering flame illuminated a forlorn and pathetic face, wide-eyed with terror and confusion. Dark hair with strands of grey hung unevenly around her shoulders, and two calloused hands suddenly thrust out at Rhuna.

  “Don’t be afraid – it’s me, Rhuna!” she said, realizing that her mother would probably not recognize her.

  “You must leave this island before they kill you!” Rhuna said urgently as she tugged at her arm to coax her to her feet and out of the cave.

  Rhuna’s mother kept staring with wide and startled eyes, then shook her head as she refused to move.

  “Mother, you must come with me!” Rhuna repeated with urgency, and then gave the woman’s arm another hefty tug. Finally she moved, stiff and awkward, stumbling out of the cave while constantly staring at Rhuna.

  “What is wrong with her?” Kitlamu asked when they reached the RTE just outside the cavern area.

  “I think it’s just the shock of seeing me again,” Rhuna answered as she guided her mother towards the hatch. Her mother suddenly resisted and looked alarmed at Kitlamu, then back at Rhuna, her eyes expressing extreme fear and confusion.

  Kitlamu stepped inside and coaxed Rhuna’s mother to enter the RTE while Rhuna urged her mother on from behind. As soon as they were inside, Rhuna quickly closed the hatch and turned to Kitlamu who started the operations of the RTE. She quickly put on her ear protection and sat on the seating mat which surrounded the floor window. She gestured for her mother to sit as well, and she slowly obeyed. Rhuna heard the comforting sound of the deep and penetrating vibration as the RTE began to function, and as they rose off the ground, Rhuna felt a surge of both relief and great accomplishment.

  Rhuna’s mother panicked as she looked down through the glass window in the floor and realized they were high above the island. Arms and legs flailing about, she let out a muffled screech and groped for something to hold.

  “Keep her away from the controls!” shouted Kitlamu.

  Rhuna tried to calm her mother and hold her hands firmly, keeping them away from any operating devices and controls.

  “We’re going to my home – and Damell’s home!” Rhuna said firmly, hoping to calm her mother. At the mention of Damell’s name, Rhuna’s mother became still and stared at Rhuna again. “Yes, Damell, my father, is alive!”

  When Rhuna’s mother did not react but simply continued to stare with awe and astonishment at Rhuna and her surroundings, Rhuna thought she should keep talking to reassure her.

  “You thought he was dead, too, didn’t you?”

  Rhuna reached for a blanket and other personal items to make her mother more comfortable.

  “When we get home, you can have a bath – a real bath with scented soaps and…” Rhuna stopped when her mother’s expression became quizzical, and Rhuna realized with slight horror that her mother had never had a luxurious bath. Before speaking again, Rhuna quickly recalled her early childhood on the island of Chinza where people lived a very simple and primitive life, and how she had reacted when Tozar took her away and introduced her to life in the Atlan Empire.

  “Your life will be much better from now on,” she said soothingly to her mother, who continued to stare at Rhuna with wide and uncomprehending eyes. “Here, you should eat and drink!”

  Rhuna unpacked the supplies and laid them out on the floor in front of her mother. She had to hold a piece of food up to her face before she slowly reacted and took it in her hand.

  “She does not know our food,” Kitlamu offered as she looked around from the control panel of the RTE.

  Rhuna took a bite of the flat bread with goat cheese, chewed and smiled. Finally, Rhuna’s mother slowly looked away from Rhuna’s face and down at the food in front of her. She sampled each small piece of food that Rhuna gave her, at first with little interest. After several mouthfuls, Rhuna’s mother began to examine each piece of food visually and by smelling it before eating.

  When almost all the food had been consumed, Rhuna prepared the cushions and motioned for her mother to lie down and rest. She was relieved to see her mother understand and obey, and before long, her mother had fallen asleep.

  “She must be exhausted,” whispered Kitlamu, and Rhuna nodded.

  As the day progressed, Rhuna took over checking the controls and instruments of the RTE. “We should stop at the same place as before,” she told Kitlamu, who merely shrugged in response.

  The sunlight had begun to fade slightly when Rhuna saw land ahead. “Whereabouts are we now?” she asked Kitlamu as she turned to look at the textile map. Kitlamu shrugged again.

  “The land of Atlán,” she said after a while as she laid her head down on a cushion.

  “But is that enough?” asked Rhuna, perplexed. “We need more precise calculations to return the way we came, don’t we?”

  “Yes, yes,” Kitlamu grumbled.

  Rhuna realized that Kitlamu did not know exactly where they were, and that it might be necessary for her to use her mental powers again to find and follow an earth energy current. Sitting in front of the controls, Rhuna closed her eyes and began to concentrate, focussing on energy lines and remembering the extraordinary animal designs in the earth.

  Before long, Rhuna sensed a pull in a certain direction, and without telling Kitlamu, she altered the lateral directions of the RTE. The sensation of being pulled continued as Rhuna operated the controls of the Rapid Transport Enclosure, and as the feeling intensified, she adjusted the output of magnetic energy to slow down the RTE.

  “Look,” Rhuna said, pointing at the ground through the window in the floor. “We’re at the same place! There’s another animal drawing on the ground.”

  Kitlamu sat up, startled. Rhuna’s mother also began to stir.

  “I’ll set the RTE down on the same flat hilltop, over there,” Rhuna continued. She carefully operated the controls as she had been taught, and placed the RTE gently on the ground.

  “Good,” Kitlamu said as she stood up and gathered one of her bags. “We should rest and refresh ourselves here a while.”

  Kitlamu opened the hatch, and Rhuna was surprised to feel warm, dry air brush her face. Then she remembered that they had arrived early in the morning on their first visit, and now it was late in the day.

  “Those people are still here!” Kitlamu said with alarm. “They appeared from behind those rocks, as if they had been waiting for us!”

  “Maybe they did,” Rhuna replied, and moved forward to look at the crowd outside.

  “They could be dangerous!” Kitlamu warned.

  “They look harmless,” Rhuna observed, quickly noting that they held no weapons and did not appear angry or upset. “Look! They’re waving and smiling. I’m sure they’re friendly,” Rhuna said.

  Kitlamu grumbled behind her as Rhuna stepped away from the RTE’s hatch and waved back at the approaching crowd. As they neared her, Rhuna noticed that the people were of various skin and hair colours, and they wore colourful robes and cloaks. They reminded her of Wanderer of Plains, the Atlan scout who accompanied her to Safu after presenting ominous reports about Safu to the High Council of Atlán.

  “I’ll speak to them,” Rhuna volunteered, and waited for the people to come within speaking distance. Suddenly, the group stopped and Rhuna saw slight fear and awe on their faces. Only one of them continued walking slowly towards her and stopped when Rhuna could
see his face clearly.

  “You don’t look like Atlans,” said the man who stood in front of the huddling group of awe-struck onlookers.

  “No, we’re not pure Atlan,” Rhuna said, quickly looking behind at Kitlamu’s scruffy appearance and then at her brown-skinned mother. “But I am half-Atlan, and have lived in the city of Atlán most of my life.”

  “You have?” asked the man with raised eyebrows. “Why didn’t they come back? We’ve been waiting for so many generations!” he said passionately.

  Rhuna felt perplexed by the man’s strong emotions.

  “Who are you waiting for?” Rhuna asked.

  “The Atlans, of course! The ones who came in a flying house like yours, only much bigger!”

  Rhuna looked around at Kitlamu who merely shrugged.

  “I don’t know why they didn’t come back,” Rhuna said after a while, hoping her answer would be satisfactory.

  “They came to teach us, but then they left and never came back,” said a woman who had been standing right behind the man. “We drew their names in the earth to make them come,” she added.

  “You mean the drawings of the bird, the spider?” Rhuna asked, astonished.

  They nodded solemnly.

  “But they never came…until now. But you are not…” the woman wavered.

  “You are not the Great Ones who come from the sky to help mankind,” continued the man in the lead.

  “Yes, yes, we are,” Rhuna quickly replied. “We Atlans still help everyone!”

  “You can still make things change with your thoughts?”

  “Yes,” Rhuna answered. “Many of us can transform and summon visions by means of the Gazing of the Waters, and…”

  “Can you make weather? Make more rain for our food?” asked the woman.

  “Weather?” Rhuna asked perplexed.

  “Make it rain at last!” the woman said in a pleading voice.

  “I’ve never tried that,” Rhuna admitted as her mind raced to understand what these people wanted.