fear as she realized that at least one of the Atlan Masters in her close proximity was a Dark One involved in making curses and amulets.
“Permit me to introduce ourselves,” said the animated man whose pink cheeks gave the
impression of having partaken of intoxicating beverages. “My name is Ruler of Numbers, and as
my name suggests, I am learned and skilled in the art of Mathematics.”
“Mathematics?” Rhuna repeated the new word carefully. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of
that. You studied this in Atlán?” she asked, baffled.
“Most certainly so!” he said proudly. “It is a New Knowledge which expresses everything in
numerical values. I am self-taught, as a matter of fact,” he said proudly. Then he gestured to the
man opposite, whom Rhuna had already recognized as a member of the Dark Ones. “May I
introduce you toProgress of the Wind.”
Rhuna greeted the man she had seen in her visions, observing how the daylight removed
any sinister qualities, and his white Master’s Robe gave him a pure and honest appearance. She
quickly surveyed his face, concluding that his fair hair and beard, along with clear blue eyes, made
him fit in with the average Atlan man.
“He is also self-taught in the study of Natural Forces,” added Ruler of Numbers.
Rhuna was too surprised by these words to hide her identity any longer. “In all the time I
was in Atlán, I never heard of this New Knowledge. It must have only come about in recent solar
cycles, since I’ve been here in Safu,” she said.
“You have lived in Atlán?” asked the woman with a frown of suspicion. “You appear to be a
native of Safu…or some other place…” she said, scrutinizing Rhuna intensely.
“Indeed!” said Progress of the Wind. “Your appearance is unconventional for someone
from Atlán.”
“I am half Atlan,” Rhuna responded. “I grew up on Chinza, but I was brought to Atlán where
I learned all the traditional skills.”
A flash of recognition passed from one face to the next like a ripple in a pond.
“Oh!” said the pink-faced mathematician, wide-eyed and excited. “Are you…are you not
Keeper of Wisdom?” he stammered.
Rhuna answered yes and waited with bated breath for their reaction. One of the men who
had been seated with them rose to his feet and walked away without a word.
“Ah! It was not unexpected that we may encounter you here in Safu,” said the woman with
formal politeness, and after slight hesitation, introduced herself as Roaming the Hills.
“My area of expertise is the nature of sounds, such as frequencies and harmonies,” she said,
and Rhuna sensed an air of self-importance about the lean woman with deep-set eyes.
“Prior to our departure from Atlán, we were instructed to avoid you, even shun you,” said
Ruler of Numbers.
“I know…’ said Rhuna flatly.
“We consider ourselves to be New Atlans, pioneering the new ways, not only in Knowledge,
but also in matters of social relationships and behavior,” said Roaming the Hills. “Unfortunately,
our colleague who has departed struggles with the old bonds,” she added, referring to the man who
had left them and taken a seat in a nearby tent.
“Old bonds?” Rhuna asked, getting very curious. “It sounds like you have broken away from
the traditional Atlan ways,” she said, and then looked at Progress of the Wind whom she knew to
be far removed from Atlan ways.
“It is indeed so,” said Ruler of Numbers, his head wobbling with exaggerated nods. “It has
come to our attention that increasingly fewer Atlans inherit their forefathers’ traditional Atlan
powers,” he explained, and Rhuna raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Yes,” he continued. “For this
reason, my colleagues and I have studied the New Knowledge in order to reproduce the great
works of our forefathers by other means within our capabilities.”
“So…”Rhuna thought for a moment. “The things I heard you talking about: LightningForce,
new energy resources…this is the New Knowledge that can reproduce the works of the traditional
Atlan Masters? How?”
“As an example, if I may,” began Progress of the Wind with sudden enthusiasm. “We are
planning the building of complex devices empowered by the energy of the pyramids that can cut
Rhuna saw the sincere passion for his project in his glowing face, and tried to reconcile this
with the vision she had seen of him with the other Dark Ones.
“One of the energy resources is Lightning Force!” he continued eagerly. “The dynamic
energy of a lightning bolt in the sky can be created by other means, and once it is harnessed, the
lightning can be distributed to operate devices!”
“But what are these devices?” she asked, struggling to keep up with the new words and
expressions. “And how can anything replace or do the same things as the Atlan powers of
transforming elements with the mind?”
“You must come and see for yourself, Keeper of Wisdom!” gushed Ruler of Numbers with a
grand gesture of arms and hands. “May we invite you to our work station and show you the stone-
cutting machine?”
Rhuna said she would be very interested to see it, and thanked them for the invitation. The
men described the location of their work site, and suggested she visit in the first part of the sun’s
daily arc. After some more casual conversation, Rhuna returned to Possessor of Discernment who
was still playing with Shandi, and appeared not to be aware that she had left them for a while.
“Possessor of Discernment, I must ask you some questions!”
“Most certainly, Keeper of Wisdom!” he said happily, and moved into a proper seating
position. Rhuna sat down beside him, lifting Shandi onto her lap, and began to describe her
encounter with the New Arrivals.
Possessor of Discernment nodded slowly and then asked whether Rhuna remembered
their last conversation several solar cycles in the past.
“You mean about the old saying that Atlans would disappear one day?”
“Yes, Keeper of Wisdom,” began the white-headed old man as he inhaled loudly. “The
Ancient Wisdom of the Atlans predicted this event precisely, namely that it is the Atlan powers
which shall disappear from this world, not the Atlan people. The descendants of present-day Atlans
shall continue to prosper and multiply, only without the powers Atlans have come to take for
granted,” he explained.
“I can’t imagine that,” said Rhuna, deep in thought.
“Yet you are seeing these events unfold before your very eyes, Keeper of Wisdom,” said
Possessor of Discernment as he gestured in the direction of the New Arrivals. “They are the first
generation of Atlans without powers, yet this lack impels them to pioneer new ways which will be
essential for the future of Atlán, indeed the entire world of humankind!”
The elderly Atlan’s words filled Rhuna with an odd mixture of fear and awe.
“This will be a big change and adjustment for Atlán,” she said, trying to express her feelings.
“An upheaval and revolution of immense proportions such as have never occurred, nor
shall occur ever again,” Possessor of Discernment said with a quiver of awe in his voice, and
Rhuna felt a tingle race up her spine.
For a fleeting moment, Rhuna wanted t
o tell him about her father, whom Possessor of
Discernment had instructed in traditional Atlan ways, as well as revealing the secret chamber in
the pyramid which had enhanced Rhuna’s abilities. Instead, she said that she would like to come
to the pyramids more often, now that Shandi was no longer a small infant.
“There’s so much I want to ask you all of a sudden!” Rhuna said with excitement over the
old man’s far-reaching knowledge of matters no one else appeared to possess.
“Come, by all means! You must ask, and I shall impart to you all the vital knowledge you
require,” he said smiling, and then looked down at Shandi. “Bring the child with you!”
Shandi perked up, raising her arm to reach the old man’s white beard. “White hair!” she
giggled with delight, and then held up her new toy again.
“Precious Child!” Possessor of Discernment said warmly as he patted Shandi’s head. Rhuna
saw the bond between them, and asked whether the Atlan had any children and grandchildren.
“No, I have none,” he answered flatly.
Rhuna took Shandi’s hand and motioned to the attendants that she was ready to return
home. Before dismissing them, she asked the bald attendant to take some herbal medicines she
kept in the house and deliver them to the woman she had examined. She gave him further detailed
instructions on how to take the herbal tinctures, and asked him to repeat them. When he
confidently repeated the instructions word for word, Rhuna was satisfied and thanked the
attendant for running this special errand.
The rain continued to splatter on the paving stones of the garden courtyard as Rhuna
prepared the evening meal and let Shandi take a nap. After telling Aradin about her day, and then
listening to his account of his business transactions, Rhuna said that she wanted to summon
visions of Lozira by means of the Gazing of the Waters.
Rhuna entered her own small chamber where she practiced Inside Focussing, and where a
dark corner held another water basin. She lowered herself on the seating cushion in front of the
basin and began her usual routine of first summoning for any messages. She closed her eyes to
focus her mental energy for a brief time, then watched the swirling colours in the water. When the
water cleared to show only clean water, she let out a sigh and realized that she missed the regular
communication with other Atlans which she used to enjoy in solar cycles past.
Taking a deep breath, she re-focussed intently on her first daughter in Atlán, summoning
visions of her recent activity. Rhuna’s chest tightened every time she saw visions of Lozira, and
she was reminded of the intense pain she felt when Tozar ordered her to return home to him and
then the even deeper pain when he forbade her from communicating with her. The water in the
basin promptly responded with the usual swirls of changing colours which then turned opaque
before clearing to reveal the visions.
Rhuna saw the tall and slender figure of a young woman whose hair was always in a different
arrangement, and who wore a variety of accessories in complementary colours. Rhuna fondly
remembered how Lozira’s passion for colours and clothing, as wel as hair arrangements, had
helped her to choose garments and accessories when she stopped wearing the Atlan Master’s
robe.
In the vision of the Gazing of the Waters, Rhuna saw Lozira with some friends during a break
at school discussing lessons and then making plans for a get-together outdoors that evening.
Rhuna took note of her general happy appearance, and how her daughter had become confident
and sensitive to other people’s wishes and opinions.
A second vision formed in the water, and Rhuna watched Lozira choose textiles and discuss
with an older woman what style of attire she would like to make out of it. After a third vision
showing Lozira at home, practicing Inside Focussing and then doing general daily chores, Rhuna
concluded that her first daughter’s life was still going wel , and that there were no foreseeable
changes or problems.
Rhuna returned to her own daily chores and routine, and then entered the dimly-lit special
room where Aradin was already waiting. He slid the switch at the door in place and then opened
the hidden compartment under a floor rug where the hallucinatory herbs were kept.
“You go first,” Aradin said, as he carefully measured the correct amount and inserted the
herbs into the smoking tube. Rhuna took it from him without a word, and then focussed her mind
intensely on the open end. Almost instantly, the dried herbs began to smoulder and then turn into
a small fire.
“What exactly should I try to summon in my visions?” she asked Aradin as she took the
smoking pipe to her mouth.
“You’ve always been most successful summoning visions concerning the Dark Master,” he
said. “We should find out whether the Dark Ones still believe they are communicating with him,
or just what kind of influence he has over them,” Aradin suggested.
Rhuna nodded, and then with slight hesitation, closed her eyes as she began to drag on the
smoking pipe.
Before she had finished the second deep inhalation, Rhuna felt a cold dampness on her skin,
and as she looked around at her dimly-lit surroundings, she realized she was no longer in the
special room. Across the spacious room which Rhuna realized was made of large stone blocks, she
saw the shadowy figures of some people clad in dark robes. The scene was already very familiar to
her, and she approached the huddled group while further examining her surroundings.
“Psst!” came a hissing sound like a cold wind rustling through dead leaves. Rhuna
recognized the unearthly voice from previous visions, and her skin began to prickle with fear.
“Come over here, Rhuna, so that I may show you what you seek!” whispered the crackly
disembodied voice.Rhuna knew she had to obey, and reminded herself that it was only a vision
enhanced by hallucinatory herbs which enabled her and her fellow-Observers to glean more details
and information about the subjects they summoned.
“Look here, Rhuna!” The images before her began to transform, and soon she was in a
sunlit room with wooden furniture and a smooth, polished floor. A disembodied hand pointed at
some items on the floor, and Rhuna stepped forward to have a better look.
“They look like figurines and other little toys,” Rhuna said.
“Yesssss,” said the voice, which Rhuna believed to be a representation of the Dark Master.
“Yet much more than mere toys, Rhuna! See, here!” he hissed and pointed to a particular figure
next to some clay animals. “A trader with his pack animals, bringing his wares to Safu.”
Rhuna focussed on the figures and saw that they were quite realistic,made out of clay, wood
and materials like cotton and linen cloth. She noticed that some sacks were tied to the donkeys’
backs, and Rhuna assumed that these were the wares that the trader was bringing to Safu.
“Observe, Rhuna!” said the eerie voice with a loud crackle. A hammer appeared above the
miniatures, and Rhuna watched it smash the trader several times until the doll-like figure was
broken in several places. Suddenly, Rhuna felt sick all over, and for a moment it was as if she felt the pain of many broken bones in her own body.
“An unfortunate accident has befallen this tra
velling trader!” cackled the ugly voice, and
Rhuna understood that whatever happened to this trader was caused by the Dark Ones when they
destroyed the figure.
“But how can that be?” asked Rhuna. Her voice sounded distant and high-pitched, like a
frightened little girl.
“Ah, Rhuna! So much to learn! Listen and be attentive, little girl,” he said with a snicker.
“My fol owers have access to my powers! As long as they continue to do my work, they are able to
do magnificent things!”
“But how? You’re dead!” protested Rhuna.
“Am I?” The bodiless voice said mockingly, with a chilling laugh. “Ask Damell!” he said, and
then laughed some more.
Rhuna felt paralyzed for a moment as her mind struggled to comprehend what she had
heard, and why it had instinctively set off distress and panic throughout her body.
“Oh!” she cried, and opened her eyes to see Aradin looking directly at her. She took a deep
breath to compose herself, and then reflected on the vision she had experienced. As she began to
tel Aradin about it, she noticed that her voice was shaky, and Aradin reached across to hold both
her hands in his.
“He knew my father’s personal name!” Rhuna exclaimed as horror rippled through her
body. “The Dark Master knows my father’s personal name, and told me to ask him whether he,
the Dark One, is still alive!” Rhuna took a few more deep breaths to calm herself.
“Rhuna, it was only a vision!” Aradin said firmly as he squeezed her hands. “They always
upset you because they’re so real, but they’re distorted due to the hallucinatory herbs,
remember!”
Rhuna nodded as she remembered her past visions induced by hallucinatory herbs in
which the Dark Master also spoke to her, and how the facts had been disguised in unreal images.
“The Dark Master is dead and can’t talk to you,” Aradin continued to reassure her, and
Rhuna agreed that those parts of her visions were obviously not real. She finished describing the
rest of her vision to Aradin, and then watched as Aradin sat back and inhaled the hal ucinatory
herbs.
The vision she had experienced continued to replay in Rhuna’s mind as she sat in silence,
waiting for Aradin to awake from his hallucination-induced visions. She determined to visit