Rhuna- New Horizons

by Barbara Underwood

  “There is an important forum over here which we should attend,” said Goram. “Let us attend the Forum for Personal Protection in order not to be in fear of attacks!”

  Rhuna followed Goram and Lozira to the Forum for Personal Protection, and continued to translate all the necessary conversation into the Zao language for her mother.

  “Friends, Residents of Judharo and beyond!” called the new speaker at the forum when they arrived. “We are faced with an unprecedented threat, a terrible threat against our very lives!”

  Rhuna stood on her toes so that she could see the speaker, and immediately recognized him as an inventor who had demonstrated his gadgets at various forums. She admired the man for his wealth of knowledge and skill at an age equal to her own.

  “The usual protection methods, such as door barriers to prevent intruders and carrying primitive defensive weapons such as clubs and whips are no longer adequate!” he continued. “And for those of us who have no Atlan powers of transforming, our lives are in greater danger than ever before!”

  “Yes, Friends and Neighbours,” another man interrupted as he stepped up behind the inventor to rouse interest. “Atlans can easily make their enemy’s blood and inner organs boil with a mere thought!” he said.

  “Not so easily,” grunted a man behind her who Rhuna recognized as being a Suchinda Atlan.

  “Nevertheless, this device shall serve to protect those of us with no other means to defend ourselves against this evil menace!” continued the inventor, and raised an object up above his head to show his audience.

  “Behold! We have a new device designed to effectively defend even the weakest among us!” he proudly announced. “A mere touch with one finger on this lever here,” he said, holding up the instrument and pointing to the lever with his free hand.

  “The horn emits a sonic frequency that alters the nature of bodily fluids, and when pointed directly at a person, the result is severe mental and physical incapacitation.”

  Rhuna thought that comparing it to a horn was very suitable because she had also thought of a strange musical instrument when she first saw it. The long metal tube which flared open like a flower at one end reminded her of a reed instrument she had heard once or twice. She recalled the squawking sound it made when the player blew into the other end.

  “No sound shall be audible,” the inventor continued, as if knowing Rhuna’s thoughts. “Yet the frequencies are so intense that it can incapacitate a strong man instantly, and prolonged exposure would most certainly be fatal!”

  “But that’s horrible!” shouted Rhuna, and waited for others to agree with her.

  “What exactly does it do?” asked someone from the other side of the growing crowd of interested listeners.

  “The frequency is such, that it causes compete discord in the brain, resulting in seizure, unconsciousness and, at longer exposure: death.”

  “How much longer exposure until death?” called out a man.

  “In the count of four to five, at most,” the inventor answered flatly.

  “It’s too dangerous!” protested Rhuna, but no one seemed to hear her.

  “How many have you made?” asked a woman.

  “What would you accept in exchange for one?” asked someone else.

  “We can finally rid ourselves of those Conjurers!” exclaimed a woman whose triumphant tone caused various other people to cheer in response.

  “Use them wisely!” said the inventor as he held up several more instruments, and then began to place them into outstretched hands. “Express your gratitude for the creation of this Horn of Incapacitation by giving some valuable items in exchange!”

  Rhuna felt deeply perturbed by people’s reactions and their lack of concern over the extreme danger of the Horn of Incapacitation. She watched in horror as people began to give him precious stones, lumps of gold and other valuable items that were commonly used in Varappa to trade.

  “We should procure one, also!” said Goram firmly.

  “No!” Rhuna protested.

  “Ptah!” Goram spat back. “Do as you please. This defensive weapon shall reassure Lozira!”

  Rhuna held her tongue and then looked away as Goram obtained a Horn of Incapacitation, and then explained to Kiana what had transpired.

  “I’ve been watching them. He really loves Lozira, eh?” Kiana said with an approving smile.

  Rhuna continued to attend the forums every day, paying attention to the death announcements in particular. Although she did not know any of the deceased persons, she learned enough about them to decide that most of them were not Conjurers. She decided to access The Infinite to determine how some of the recent deaths occurred, and by whom.

  When she had returned to her private chamber in her father’s house, she positioned herself on the cushions in preparation for releasing her Extended Consciousness and guiding it into recent past events in The Infinite. The time to fully relax her body and mind was longer each time, and she realized that distractions and emotional stress were sapping her mental energy.

  Rhuna directed her concentration to one dead individual at a time, floating through coloured haze on several planes of The Infinite until she began to clearly perceive the person in question. She saw a Varappan man in a violent rage shattering dishes and glass objects on the ground, and understood that he was the cause of the other man’s death. Rhuna focussed her mind on the man’s turbulent thoughts to determine his motive for killing the other man, and she quickly perceived that it was due to the searing pain of jealousy. She sensed the woman he loved had been secretly meeting another man, and the solution to this problem was simply to kill him by deeply cutting his flesh with one of the broken glass shards at his feet.

  Rhuna turned her attention to the second dead man reported at the forum that day, and she quickly perceived the simple situation in this instance as well. A man’s neighbour had been the cause of irritation and vexation for many solar cycles, and as the occurrences of violent deaths increased, the man realized that there was a simple solution to his annoying problem. He had obtained a Horn of Incapacitation earlier that day, and directed it at his neighbour until he expired.

  The next instance Rhuna observed was a dispute over a trade transaction and the value of some items, and the last death was a woman who was simply not liked by another woman. As Rhuna directed her Extended Consciousness to return to her body, she felt heavy with dismay at the petty reasons for taking another person’s life.

  Rhuna immediately went to tell her family about the things she had observed in The Infinite. They were sitting in the comfortable room listening to Damell play one of his stringed instruments, and stopped to look up at Rhuna as she burst in.

  “No one is doing anything about all these deaths!” said Rhuna outraged. “It’s as if no one cares and even accepts it as something normal!”

  “It is the nature of the Varappan mentality to accept everything as it is, without question,” Damell stated flatly.

  “They do not want any rules or control, like an Atlan Council,” added Goram.

  “So the result is this?” said Rhuna, outraged. “Can’t we do anything about it?”

  “We are,” answered Goram. “We have procured a Horn of Incapacitation for defensive purposes, and we have barred and secured lower level doors and windows.”

  “But that’s terrible!” Rhuna protested. “We shouldn’t have to live like this, in fear of being killed! This would never happen in Atlán!”

  After a long silence, Goram announced that he and Lozira would return to their home in Cha’al.

  “But what about the Dark Master’s mind control? My father is trying to free Lozira of it,” Rhuna said.

  “Her presence is not necessary,” interrupted Damell. “My endeavours are active on other planes, and she is safer in Cha’al, away from temptations to partake of more mind-altering substances.”

  “Good,” said Rhuna. “Then take Shandi with you.”

  The sun was weak during this lunar cycle,
and a cold wind blew frequently down from the snow-capped mountains so that Rhuna had to wear her new thick garments. She traded some jewellery for a thick cloak for Kiana as well, and then both of them entered Rhuna’s Rapid Transport Enclosure.

  Kiana started asking questions about everything around her, and Rhuna struggled to concentrate on operating the RTE while her mother chattered excitedly, going from one window to another.

  Before long, Rhuna lowered the RTE on level ground near Suchinda, and explained to her mother why she wanted to visit them again. They walked along the forest path which Rhuna disliked due to its heavy scent and dank darkness, and today it felt particularly unnerving.

  “What’s that?” Kiana gasped. Rhuna almost neglected to look or answer because her mother’s constant questions had worn her down.

  “It’s a big cat!” Kiana exclaimed. Rhuna’s skin prickled all over with fear as she saw two big yellow eyes staring at them from under thick foliage.

  “Oh!” Rhuna gasped as she stopped abruptly and grabbed her mother’s arm.

  “Is it dangerous?” Kiana asked.

  “Yes, I think so.”

  Rhuna stood motionless in front of the yellow-eyed beast and waited to see if it would attack. Suddenly, it lunged forward as it roared fiercely, and Rhuna reacted impulsively by projecting her mental energy towards the animal. As it leapt into the air in a gigantic pounce, the energy Rhuna emitted threw the beast backwards and far into the depths of the dense forest.

  “Run, quickly!” Rhuna said, pulling Kiana by the arm. They reached the city gate of Suchinda, and for a moment Rhuna wondered if she had come to the right place.

  “Everything looks different!” she told Kiana.

  “Let’s get inside, before that creature comes back!” said Kiana breathlessly.

  Rhuna shouted for assistance and banged her fist on the massive wooden gate until her hand hurt.

  “Who are you? Why do you come?” boomed a deep voice from behind the gate.

  “Keeper of Wisdom,” Rhuna answered. “Let us in, quickly! A ferocious beast attacked us!”

  “Why are you here?” the voice asked suspiciously.

  “I’d like to talk to Sword of Justice,” she said. “I came with my family some time ago and spoke to the judges,” she added with urgency.

  Rhuna heard agitated discussions behind the gate, and then saw a shadow pass over a small peep hole.

  “Who else is with you?” asked another voice, also with deep suspicion.

  “My mother! Hurry – let us in!” Rhuna cried.

  Finally, Rhuna heard the scrape of heavy metal objects being moved, and then the giant gate groaned open. Grabbing her mother’s wrist again, she tugged her along as she slipped into the narrow opening. Inside, she recognized Sword of Justice towering over her, and some of the judges standing behind him.

  The tall Atlan man looked warily at Rhuna and her mother.

  “You remember me, don’t you?” Rhuna asked.

  “Yes, of course!” he answered with a huff. “We must be on guard at all times. The Conjurers utilize many varied tricks to kill us.”

  “That’s why I’ve come,” Rhuna replied.

  “You told the guard that you were attacked by a ferocious beast?” Sword of Justice asked with a deep frown.

  Rhuna described the animal, and then watched the faces of the guards and judges pale with horror.

  “How…how d-did you avoid being torn apart and eaten alive?” stuttered the red-nosed judge.

  “My mental powers…they are different from most Atlans, and I can project intense energy for a very short time when I’m in danger…or someone else is in danger,” she added, recalling the events in Safu when she had to use such force.

  “Really?” asked the red-nosed judge.

  “Astonishing!” said Rustle of the Leaves.

  “Welcome! Do come in!” said Sword of Justice.

  The judges escorted Rhuna and Kiana to the building where Rhuna had been invited on her first visit, and where she was once again offered food and beverages. Sword of Justice babbled anxiously as they walked down the main street of Suchinda.

  “Everyone is terrified!” he began. “The Conjurers attempt many varied strategies to torment and kill all of us!”

  “Outside the city walls, our people have been torn apart by the feline beast and trampled to death by elephants which also tore down part of the wall!” Rustle of the Leaves said with a shaky voice. “All of Suchinda’s inhabitants were needed to transform sand to stone and use their Atlan powers to restore the protective walls and build new ones.”

  Rhuna said that she noticed the increased fortifications all around.

  “Yet they still torment us, even in the sanctity of our city and individual homes!” said the red-nosed judge desperately. “They caused an invasion of large spiders with long, sharp pincers – Oh, it was most horrendous, I tell you, most horrendous!”

  Rustle of the Leaves shuddered at the thought of the spiders, and then stepped forward to greet Rhuna properly. “It is so good to see you,” she said with sudden tears in her eyes. “We receive very few visitors nowadays.”

  “The conflict between us and the Conjurers has frightened people, and even turned many against us!” said Sword of Justice.

  “That’s partly why I’ve come. To try to stop this conflict between you and the Conjurers before many more people are killed!” Rhuna said.

  “Your concern is appreciated, Keeper of Wisdom,” Sword of Justice replied with a bow of his head. “Yet we must continue eradicating the Conjurers, regardless of deaths among us. It is a necessary sacrifice.”

  “But other people are also being killed – innocent ones, simply because violent deaths have become so commonplace in Varappa now!” Rhuna argued.

  “That is not our problem,” stated the red-nosed judge. “Our sole purpose is to destroy the seed of the Dark One.”

  “Do you disagree with our quest?” challenged Sword of Justice when Rhuna remained silent.

  “No,” Rhuna said, carefully at first. “No. The Conjurers must be stopped, I agree,” she said more firmly.

  “Then assist us!”

  “How, exactly?” Rhuna asked.

  “Protect us! The Conjurers want to kill all of us! Fifty-four residents of Suchinda have already succumbed to various devious devices!”

  “You have special powers; you could help defend Suchinda!” Rustle of the Leaves pleaded.

  “The most recent – and I must say - the most horrendous attack by the Conjurers has been by animated corpses. We cannot kill them in the usual way because they are already dead!” said the red-nosed judge with dismay.

  Rhuna remembered the emptied burial shrouds and holes she had seen when they took Possessor of Discernment to the burial place, and that Hari Tal knew the reason.

  “The Conjurers can bring the dead back to life?” Rhuna said, remembering Hari Tal’s words.

  “No,” replied Sword of Justice with an intensely gloomy expression. “They animate dead ones. Control them like puppets!”

  “Oh,” said Rhuna weakly as she tried to imagine the skill necessary for such a feat. “You can’t stop them, then?”

  “No, not by our usual means of mental energy to boil blood and flesh,” answered Sword of Justice. “We fortify our walls constantly to keep them out, but every day more dead arrive and dismantle our walls!”

  “We cannot leave Suchinda,” added Rustle of the Leaves. “They are hiding in the forests all around, and they have killed some of us with merely one swipe of their hand!”

  “They have excessive strength, then,” said Rhuna, and the judges nodded in unison.

  “We have to find a way to stop the Conjurers from animating dead people!” Rhuna stated.

  “We must eradicate the Conjurers!” the judges said in unison.

  Rhuna stood up abruptly saying that she and her mother had to leave immediately, and she was relieved when they did not question her sudden decision.

  “Bew
are, the flesh-tearing monstrosity!” warned Sword of Justice as Rhuna approached the gate.

  “We have to run fast,” Rhuna told her mother as the guard reluctantly opened the gate to allow Rhuna and Kiana to slip through.

  They reached the RTE without incident, and Rhuna quickly closed the hatch and began the procedure for ascent. Once they were safely above the ground, Rhuna began telling her mother what the Suchinda Atlans had said.

  “I don’t like those people,” Kiana stated simply.

  “Neither do I,” said Rhuna as she tried to evaluate the situation. “They caused this conflict by attacking the Conjurers,” she explained to her mother. “In Atlán, it would have been done differently.”

  “War happens all the time,” Kiana responded, and Rhuna recalled her childhood on the island of Chinza where extended families formed groups which fought other family groups.

  “A lot of people are being killed – more every day,” said Rhuna gloomily.

  “Death is always around us, everywhere,” Kiana stated casually. Rhuna remembered the difficult struggle for life on Chinza where she grew up also believing that death was a normal and regular occurrence among young and old alike.

  “Most of those deaths in Chinza could have been prevented,” Rhuna explained. “In Atlán people have knowledge about which foods are good to eat and what is poisonous, what to do when someone is sick or injured, and everyone lives by principles so that no one ever harms another person.”

  “Really?” Kiana asked wide-eyed. “Then why don’t we live there instead of here?”

  “I came to Varappa to be with Lozira,” Rhuna began. “She wouldn’t leave Goram, but he wouldn’t have been accepted in Atlán, so we all decided to come here instead.”

  “Why can’t he go to Atlán?” Kiana asked sharply. Rhuna noticed that her mother’s eyes had become clearer and more focused than they were in her first days in Varappa.

  “He used to be…one of the Dark One’s followers,” she said quietly.

  “He was bad?”

  “Not that bad…” Rhuna said awkwardly. “I tried everything to stop Lozira from being involved with him but…”