“The only Dark Master known to us,” Aradin corrected.
“What are you saying, Aradin?” A cold shiver ran up Rhuna’s spine.
“People who are as powerful as the Dark Master was, with the extraordinary abilities your
father has, are in much greater danger of giving in to selfishness or other weaknesses of
character. They have to keep their mind strictly disciplined so that they never use their powers to
cause harm of any sort. You understand?”
Rhuna nodded slowly, and agreed that other people from the Land at the Top of the World
could have given in to weaknesses and done something wrong. “But not my father!” she insisted,
but when Aradin continued to frown, she asked him to tell her exactly what was on his mind.
“For one thing,” he began with a heavy sigh, “your father said that he stayed in hiding so
that the Dark Master would keep thinking that he was dead. But don’t you remember, Rhuna?
That message you got from the Dark Master himself not long before his demise in which he said
that he knew your father was still alive?”
Rhuna shook her head. “What message? I don’t remember…and besides, his messages
were all lies and only meant to taunt and upset me!”
“Let’s go summon the message by means of the Gazing of the Waters to hear what his exact
words were,” stated Aradin as he stood up. Rhuna followed him into the special room where the
basin of water stood on a small pedestal in the middle of the room. Aradin closed the door and
moved the switch that activated the protective energy field.
“Let me think,” said Rhuna, as her shaky fingers opened the pouch of coloured powders
that always lay next to the basin. Powders and words of incantation were commonly used by most
Atlans to assist them in the summoning of visions by means of the Gazing of the Waters, but
Rhuna’s skills were already so enhanced from a young age that she hardly used any powders at all.
“Ah yes, a summon of a message in the past,” Aradin said with a nod. “Such summons are
only used by members of the Council to ascertain the facts in a matter of judgement.”
Rhuna flinched at the thought of the Atlan High Council of which she had been a member
for many solar cycles, often summoning visions and messages to confirm the facts of a matter in
dispute which had come before the Council. Rhuna recalled that it was necessary, not because
many people lied about what was said or done, but because people’s memories easily became
distorted, and their differing perceptions led to misunderstandings.
“I know,” Rhuna said, taking the green and yellow powders, then sprinkling them over the
water in the basin as she spoke the words of incantation to summon a message in the past. Her
mind focussed exclusively on a message from the Dark Master to her, in which he mentioned
Rhuna’s father.
Rhuna watched with bated breath as the green and yellow swirls slowly turned opaque,
and then suddenly cleared.
Rhuna gasped. The sight of the Dark Master always shocked her and filled her with horror,
even though the face that appeared in the Gazing of the Waters was not ugly or repulsive. The
long and narrow face was unmistakably Atlan, but his long grey hair was unkempt and hung wildly
down to his shoulders. Dark rings accentuated his unsettling bright eyes, and Rhuna tensed as the
man in the vision began to speak.
“Rhu-u-na! It is I! Gatherer of Sage. Do you not know my name, Rhuna? You have
observed me, as I have also observed you, and with great delight, I may add! Your powers are
impressive, Rhuna! I know what you can do, and I am enthralled and delighted! No other but your
father showed such great skills, and he has gone forth from where no one can hold him back! Yes,
he lives and prospers; free to exercise his powers as he wishes! You are the same, Rhuna. Do not
let them hold you down like a bird with clipped wings! They fear you; they fear your greatness,
your power and your strength! Your vulnerable husband fears you most of all because he cannot
control you when you become so powerful, so much stronger than he. Husbands long to be
superior to their wives, this is evident by the way he dominates you in bed. Did you not know,
Rhuna? Do not be a slave to your husband and his fellows. Your destiny reaches far beyond the
realms they offer you. Remember this, Rhuna! Remember!”
The vision ended and Rhuna let go of her breath, hearing Aradin also release his as he sat
silently next to her.
“It’s like a different message altogether,” Rhuna said after a moment of disturbing silence as
the Dark Master’s words sunk in. “How can that be?”
“Your perception has changed,” Aradin answered. “Back then, you firmly believed your
father was dead, and that the Dark Master was just taunting you.”
“He was taunting me!” Rhuna said angrily. “You can’t believe anything he says!”
“But don’t you think it strange what he said about your father?” Aradin persisted. “He lives
and prospers, free to exercise his powers as he wishes. And those words about the heights you
could reach if Tozar and others didn’t hold you back like a bird with clipped wings!”
“But he must be lying!” insisted Rhuna. “If he really did know that my father was still alive,
then he would have followed him, tried to kill him again…”
“Would he? How can we really know for sure…unless we summon further exact visions…?”
“No, not tonight!” said Rhuna, distraught. “I’ll ask Damell next time I see him.”
“Yes, do that,” said Aradin as he put his arms around her. “Let’s not think about this
anymore tonight, he said soothingly as he stroked her hair.
“I know Damell will be able to explain everything!” she continued, and Aradin put his arm
around her as he guided her back to their sleeping chamber.
“I believe he will,” said Aradin with conviction, and Rhuna looked up into his face.
“You really believe that?” she asked, seeking some reassurance and faith from her
husband.
“I’m certain,” he said with a nod and smile, and then guided Rhuna to their bed as he began
kissing her face and neck with slow and gentle movements. Her feeling of unease soon lifted, and
she responded eagerly to Aradin’s kisses. His teasingly slow kisses gradually released all of
Rhuna’s pent-up tensions of the day, and far into the dark and wet night she finally fell into a deep
sleep.
Part Two(The Benshi)
Rhuna awoke in the morning with the tingle of expectation coursing through her body. She
sprang out of bed and quickly refreshed her face at the wash basin, and then applied the face
cream Aradin had given her. She looked at the array of scented body oils, soaps, hair accessories
and face paint she had acquired in the time she had been in Safu. Many of them were made in
Safu, but her favourite ones were the exotic scents and unusual cosmetic productsfrom faraway
lands which Aradinhad procured in exchange for his services of recording trade agreements,
purchases and other business transactions.
As she combed her hair and chose a clasp from the large tray of hair adornments, she
thought of her life before coming to Safu, when she wore only the white robe identifying her as an
Atlan Master, and never used face paint, hair accessories or scented body oils. A few soaps and
personal items, such as the orrichalcum necklace Tozar had given her, were all the luxuries she
ever wanted. Tozar and other Atlan Masters would surely think that she was living an extravagant
lifestyle, she thought to herself as she arranged her hair.
“You look beautiful,” said Aradin, rubbing his eyes awake and stepping out of bed. He
walked towards her and welcomed her into his embrace, and Rhuna felt the familiar hot thrill
pulse through her. “Last night was wonderful,” he whispered teasingly in her ear.
“My life has never been more wonderful,” she said softly in his ear as he held her firmly
against him. “I don’t want to lose it after only a few short solar cycles.”
Aradin’s head jerked back and he searched Rhuna’s face. “What makes you say something
like that?” he asked, trying to laugh.
Rhuna managed a light laugh and said that she had just been reminded of her old life. “It
feels like I was someone else before I came here, and that I only started living since I’ve been here,
with you,” she said. Aradin looked deeply into her eyes for a moment and then kissed her.
Rhuna heard the unmistakable noises of their small daughter in the adjoining room, and
quickly finished dressing.
“I want to take Shandi with me to see the Benshi today,” she told Aradin. “Faleesh can have
the day for herself,” she added, and then promptly went into another part of the house to inform
Faleesh of the plans.
“I will visit my daughter,” Faleesh said with a tender smile, and Rhuna remembered the
woman’s deep love for the quiet young woman who was in The Reigning One’s employ at his
residence.
“The rain is cold today. Take your wool cape and some warm, water-resistant footwear,”
Aradin suggested, and then told Rhuna about his schedule for the day involving several clients who
required official trade agreements.
Holding the portable rain shelters, Rhuna and Faleesh walked the familiar road to The
Reigning One’s residence with Shandi between them, holding their hands as she dance-stepped
around little puddles.
Remembering that Faleesh had a sister who lived in the Commoners’ part of Safu, Rhuna
decided to start her search for more information by asking her questions as they walked.
“Have you heard anything about curses making people sick or causing accidents?” she
asked Faleesh. “Or amulets to protect them from such curses?”
“Amulets?” Faleesh asked with a frown. Rhuna explained that an amulet could look like an
unusual piece of jewellery, such as a pendant on a necklace, or perhaps a ring of some kind.
Faleesh shook her head as she thought hard. “If you hear people talking about such things, try to
find out more and then tell me about it,” she instructed Faleesh, who nodded obediently.
After a lengthy silence with only the splatter of raindrops on their rain shelters, Rhuna
thought she should make polite conversion and ask about Faleesh’s daughter. She answered
eagerly, glad to be able to talk about matters close to her heart.
“But your daughter…” Faleesh said carefully, and Rhuna immediately knew she was
referring to her first daughter, Lozira. Faleesh had been deeply distressed and cried many tears
when Tozar had ordered their daughter to return to Atlán by herself, leaving Rhuna alone in Safu.
“She’s doing well,” said Rhuna, trying to sound cheerful. “I’ve been watching her grow up
by means of the Gazing of the Waters, and from everything I can see, she is happy and learning all
the traditional Atlan skills at the same school I attended. She has many friends, and she still loves
music and dancing, and of course all the Arts such as doing paintings, and now she will soon be
ready to qualify as an Atlan Master…” she prattled on, knowing that Faleesh sensed her underlying
feelings, despite her best efforts to sound happy.
“But she is not permitted to communicate with you,” Faleesh stated bluntly, and Rhuna felt
the façade she had put up crumble away in an instant.
“That’s right,” Rhuna confirmed with reluctance. “Harbinger of Solace still forbids it,” she
said, hearing more bitterness in her own voice than she realized she was feeling.
“I cannot understand that man,” Faleesh said outspokenly, and then turned to Rhuna,afraid
that she had trespassed invisible boundaries.
“It’s all right,” Rhuna said with a forced smile. “You can say exactly what you think,
Faleesh. I always tell you not to treat me as your superior, so I like it when you tell me your
opinions outright,” she told the older woman. Faleesh’s expression melted into a gentle smile, and
then she began to frown.
“Why does he do such a terrible thing to you? And to his own daughter! I saw the bond
between you and Melody of the Dawn,” Faleesh continued, using Lozira’s formal Atlan name. “I am
sorry to say this, but I really detest that man!” she spat.
Despite what Rhuna had just told Faleesh, she was taken aback by these words, and she
needed a moment to think. She looked down at Shandi, who appeared to be more interestedin her
new footwear and watching the rain drops plop onto the smooth stone paving.
“I don’t think anyone has ever dared to say such a thing about him!” she said, and then
managed a strangled laugh. “Everyone thinks so highly of him, especially as he is a senior member
“Pah!” said Faleesh, her face contorted as if she had eaten sour fruit. “It means nothing. If
a man cannot be a good father and family member, he is worth nothing at all!”
Rhuna realized she had never seen Faleesh so adamant and forthright, but their exchange
had made her feel better, and she felt her steps lighten as they approached the gates of The
Reigning One’s residence.
After wishing Faleesh a pleasant visit with her daughter, she told Abu-Malech what she
planned to do, and he immediately signalled to nearby attendants who went their way to follow
orders. They returned promptly with a carry-seat similar to the one that had carried Rhuna from
the port on her arrival at Safu. Four solid men, whom Rhuna surmised also acted as soldiers in
The Reigning One’s Army, carried the new and large carry-seat which had four posts and a thick
canvas roof. Rhuna took Shandi in her arms and stepped into the carry-seat when it was lowered,
and she was surprised by the softness of the large, thick cushions.She sat on the seating cushions
with her legs crossed, and held Shandi in her lap facing the front. The four robust men lifted the
carry-seat with ease, and began a comfortable walking pace in the direction Rhuna had indicated.
Shandi let out a happy giggle as they were lifted up on top of the shoulders of four solid attendants
and the carry-seat began to sway with the movements of their strides.
Rhuna noticed that the man to the front left side of her appeared older than the others. He
was completely bald, and Rhuna thought it looked as if he had muscles even on his head. The
rainwater glistened on his bald head as muscles rippled underneath the skin.
From this height, Shandi could see and comment on everything around them as they
progressed down the road and into the residential areas of Safu where mostly Benshi resided. The
bald attendant turned his head several times to smile at Shandi, an
d Rhuna immediately sensed his
kind nature and love for children.
“Kagu-Hina!” Rhuna heard someone from nearby houses call out, and before long, she
observed a throng of dark heads and brown faces filling the road ahead of her. As she looked
around, Rhuna noticed how much this part of Safu had changed since The Reigning One regularly
sent tradesmen and other professionals in his employ to improve roads and houses. Most homes
now had solid doors and glass windows, and Rhuna assumed that most of them also had running
water or at least a hygienic arrangement for washing and disposing of refuse.
“Kagu-Hina! Kagu-Hina!” the people began to chant, and Rhuna was reminded of the
meaning of this Benshi name. Her arrival in Safu several solar cycles past had coincided with the
appearance of a bright star that the Benshi had not seen before. The Benshi people were in awe of
Rhuna’s powers which she demonstrated on various occasions to assist the vulnerable and
neglected people, and they believed she must have come down from the bright new star in the
heavens, hence the name, Kagu-Hina, which means The Star Child.
Despite the rainfall, people stepped outside their houses to stand and watch Rhuna be
carried past them. Some went to their neighbours to tell them that she was passing by, and
others cautiously approached her with gifts. Rhuna tried to refuse politely, but when she saw the
shattered disappointment on one woman’s face, she realized it was wrong to refuse their humble
offerings.
“I have this problem every time I come here,” Rhuna said to the bald attendant.
“They seen your powers,” he replied. “They love and respect you,” he said in his limited
knowledge of Rhuna’s language.
A few people wanted to give Shandi some gifts, such as wildflowers growing nearby. One
woman brought a small handful of red berries for Shandi, and then she returned holding a small
child. She spoke to Rhuna in her Benshi language, and Rhuna assumed that she was telling her
that she also was the mother of a small daughter the same age as Shandi. Rhuna smiled and
nodded, gestured with her hands, and nodded and smiled some more as she was slowly carried
along the road through what was known as the Commoners’ part of Safu.