Rhuna, The Star Child

  Rhuna,

  The Star Child

  BookFunnel Edition

  Copyright © 2016 Barbara Underwood

  Barbara Underwood asserts the moral rights to be identified as the author of this work.

  While some of the events are based loosely on historical incidents, this novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters, businesses, organisations and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author.

  Table of Contents

  Rhuna, The Star Child

  About the Author

  More Books by the Author

  In memory of Frank Giese

  The Story so far…

  Rhuna’s unhappy childhood on the small and isolated island of Chinza came to a dramatic end when she met a man from the fabled land of Atlán who recognized her Atlan heritage. She had grown up without a father, mocked by her mother’s brown-skinned people for being pale-skinned and strange. Now, this mysterious man from Atlán answered all the questions that had plagued her, and told her about the special abilities unique to the Atlan people.

  He showed Rhuna how Atlans can transform elements, such as sand to stone and metal to gold by the power of their minds, and then demonstrated the summoning of visions by means of the Gazing of the Waters. But the native people of Chinza harboured great fear and hatred of the pale Atlans with uncanny powers, and before long, Rhuna was forced to flee for her life.

  Tozar, the man from Atlán, took her away from the island one climactic night, bringing her to safety on an island where Atlan ways were accepted, and where she attended an Atlan school. Rhuna spent her adolescence on this tropical island of Medíz, taking in the wealth of Atlan knowledge and developing her inherent Atlan powers. When she matured to adulthood, she journeyed to the greatly anticipated land of Atlán where Tozar awaited her.

  In the majestic capital city of Atlán, Rhuna found happiness as Tozar’s wife, and continued her studies to become an Atlan Master. She regularly attended the meetings at the High Council building where Tozar was a member of the governing body, and where citizens brought their problems to be discussed and solved.

  Rhuna’s idyllic life was marred only by the return of an infamous and dreaded former Atlan Master who misused his Atlan powers, causing fear and suffering for many across the entire Atlan Empire. Exchanging his traditionally white Atlan Master’s Robe for a black one to express his defiance and opposition to Atlan principles, he became known as The Dark Master.

  During her studies, it became apparent that Rhuna’s powers transcended those of even the most skilled Atlan Masters, especially with regard to summoning visions. At first without intention, Rhuna received mental visions of the Dark Master’s activities which other Atlan Masters were unable to summon by means of the Gazing of the Waters. Her special skills were needed to entrap the Dark Master and end his reign of terror among the citizens of Atlán.

  Although the Dark Master died inside an inescapable pyramid, he threatened to return in some way. Many years later, when Rhuna and Tozar have a teenage daughter named Lozira, strange events in the faraway Atlan colony of Safu remind them of the Dark Master. The reports heard by the High Council of Atlán, of which Rhuna had also become a member alongside Tozar, prompted Rhuna to volunteer for a special assignment. Leaving Tozar behind, she journeyed to Safu with Lozira, expecting a pleasant cultural and recreational experience while attending to formalities on behalf of the High Council of Atlán.

  Rhuna quickly discovered that the Dark Master had many followers who operated in secrecy, even avoiding detection by the Gazing of the Waters in certain cases. A second group of Atlans called ‘The Observers’ also worked in secret to spy on the Dark One’s followers in an attempt to thwart their plans. One of The Observers called Aradin approaches Rhuna to reveal everything to her, thereby drawing her into a complicated web of secrets.

  Rhuna’s plight over keeping The Observers’ secrets by not reporting her findings accurately to Tozar and the High Council of Atlán was complicated further when she fell in love with Aradin. Enduring deep anguish over this personal matter, she nevertheless continued to find ways to stop the Dark Master’s followers from harming the most vulnerable people of Safu. Using her Atlan powers, she also helped these poor people in practical ways, while working secretly with The Observers.

  In a secret chamber of a pyramid, Rhuna becomes charged with extra cosmic energy, making her Atlan powers grow tenfold, and completely beyond her control at first. This leads to the unintentional killing of one of the Dark One’s followers who led a double life as an upstanding citizen. Tozar and the High Council of Atlán, lacking information and revealing visions of events in Safu, are forced to believe that Rhuna has lost her mind and must come home.

  As dramatic events unravel, Rhuna sends her daughter home to Atlán while she remains in Safu with Aradin. The Dark One’s followers were defeated, and Rhuna received a visit from her father who she had believed was killed by the Dark Master after he met her mother on the island of Chinza. Happy and fulfilled, she began a new life with Aradin in a beautiful home in Safu…

  Part One

  (Damell)

  Rhuna looked out onto the courtyard garden of her beautiful home, listening to the gentle rain on the paving stones and letting the moist air soothe her parched spirit. She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes, and for the first time since she had arrived in Safu, only peaceful darkness caressed her mind. She focused on the soft patter of rainfall, letting the sound lull her Consciousness into a free-floating state, just as her father had taught her.

  “Rhu-u-u-na!” came the melodious sound of her small daughter’s voice, bringing her back into a fully awake and present state with happy anticipation.

  “Shandi!” Rhuna called and opened her arms to hug her excited young daughter. “What did you do today, My Little Honey Cake?”

  “Gardens…saw birds!” gushed the little girl, her big round eyes full of awe and wonder. Rhuna kissed her rosy cheek, and then looked up to see Faleesh enter the house with Aradin right behind her. Rhuna noticed their damp clothes and flushed faces from rushing home to shelter as the long-awaited rain finally began to fall.

  “We walked in the Sanctuary Gardens,” said Faleesh airily, and Rhuna noticed the serene happiness in her face. Seeing the gentle woman so happy with Shandi confirmed to Rhuna that she had made the right decision in asking her former maid servant to help take care of Shandi.

  “Yellow cat!” piped Shandi, and Rhuna raised her eyebrows at the little girl in mock surprise.

  “You mean the lions?” Rhuna asked, gently stroking her daughter’s silky soft cheek.

  “No. Yellow cat!” Shandi insisted with a firm shake of her head, and Rhuna looked questioningly at Faleesh.

  “No cats in the Gardens today, Little One,” Faleesh said, looking fondly at the child. “Sometimes she says strange things,” she said to Rhuna, shaking her head with a smile.

  Rhuna glanced past Faleesh at her husband, who had come home at the same time as Faleesh returned with Shandi from their outing. She immediately noticed the tension in his face which had extinguished his usual cheerful glow.

  “Rhuna, we have to talk!” he said in an urgent tone. Rhuna stood up quickly, nodding a silent request to Faleesh, who was already taking Shandi’s hand to lead her into the adjoining room.

 
“Yellow cat!” Shandi called back to her mother as she left the room with Faleesh.

  “We have to talk about your father,” Aradin said sternly, ignoring his daughter and giving Rhuna a piercing glance.

  “Again? I’ve already told you all I know,” Rhuna insisted.

  “This is something new,” Aradin said in a tone that sent a chill up Rhuna’s spine. “Come, sit down here,” he said, directing her to the comfortable seating cushions in front of the glass doorway. Rhuna slowly eased herself onto the cushions facing the courtyard garden and waited silently with bated breath.

  “Divider of Fortunes summoned a vision by means of the Gazing of the Waters earlier today,” Aradin began slowly. Rhuna nodded, indicating that she was aware that Divider of Fortunes was proficient in summoning many delicate nuances of visions by means of the Gazing of the Waters, outshining many of his Atlan peers in this traditional Atlan skill. “Images of The Reigning One at his residence,” Aradin continued.

  “Is something wrong with The Reigning One?” Rhuna asked with alarm. She had become very fond of the enigmatic leader of the Benshi people in Safu.

  “No, no,” said Aradin hastily as he shook his head. “It’s about…you. You and your father,” he finally said.

  “What about us?” asked Rhuna, feeling perplexed.

  Aradin hesitated, looked intensely into Rhuna’s eyes, and then took a deep breath. “In the images there’s only you. Not your father, just you.”

  “What do you mean, just me?” Rhuna shook her head, baffled.

  “I mean… the images show you sitting and talking, but there’s no one else there!” Aradin said, getting agitated.

  “I still don’t understand,” said Rhuna, searching Aradin’s face but finding no answer. “How can there be no one else there?”

  “In the visions there’s only you, and it looks like you’re talking to an invisible person!” Aradin spat out, almost trembling with emotion. She stared at him as she tried to understand his words.

  “But…but you know I’ve been going to The Reigning One’s residence to visit my father for three solar cycles now!” she protested. “I always tell you all about my visits!”

  “But why doesn’t he want to see anyone else? Why doesn’t he want to meet me, your husband? And why doesn’t he want to see his grandchild?” Aradin spluttered, his face turning deep red with distress.

  “He has reasons…I told you!” said Rhuna defensively.

  “But he hasn’t really explained those reasons to you, has he?” Aradin retorted.

  “No, but…” Words began to fail Rhuna and she shook her head in disbelief. “What does this mean, Aradin? I’m really scared all of a sudden,” she said as an icy chill wrapped around her. Aradin took her into his arms and held her.

  “I don’t know…I really don’t. But we’ll find out! And whatever it is, everything will be all right,” he said in a soothing voice. Rhuna felt the usual warmth of emotions flood through her body whenever Aradin held her, and she was relieved that nothing had changed in this respect. Then she became aware of how truly disturbing Aradin’s words were, and that his descriptions of summoned visions had deeply frightened her.

  “It’s almost time for the meeting of The Observers,” Aradin said after a while. “Maybe they can help us understand this.” Rhuna felt distressed anew at the thought of talking about her father with their friends.

  “Are they also going to tell me that I’m talking to an illusion?” asked Rhuna angrily, and before Aradin could reply, she called Faleesh. “Faleesh still works for The Reigning One and knows all the guests staying at his residence,” she said, confident of resolving this matter before their friends arrived.

  “Faleesh,” Rhuna said as the woman quickly responded to being called. “My father - the traveller who is a guest of The Reigning One - tell my husband that you’ve seen him, spoken to him!”

  Faleesh stared at Rhuna for a moment, an odd blank look passing across her face. “Your father? A guest of The Reigning One?” she asked puzzled. “I didn’t know your father was here!” she said surprised and delighted.

  “Yes, yes!” said Rhuna excitedly. “You must have seen him many times. He has been staying at the Residence for more than three solar cycles already!”

  “That long?” Faleesh said as her eyes widened in alarm and then confusion.

  “You know him!” insisted Rhuna. “He is tall and slender, with a grey beard…and I come to visit him all the time!”

  “Oh?” Faleesh seemed to be thinking hard. “I have seen you visit The Reigning One, but I didn’t know your father was a guest there,” she said, looking perplexed.

  “You must have seen my father – Avenger of Justice is his Atlan name…” Rhuna stopped when Faleesh began shaking her head. “He’s a guest! You always tend to guests, don’t you?” asked Rhuna, getting frustrated.

  “Yes, of course,” replied Faleesh, still looking worried. “But The Reigning One often has guests, sometimes many at a time…I cannot remember…”

  “Faleesh! What’s wrong with you? You must have seen my father there many times!” Rhuna shouted, and then regretted her tone when Faleesh looked as if she would cry.

  “Leave it now,” interjected Aradin. “Faleesh, please take care of Shandi while we meet with some friends,” he said in a kindly manner. The woman smiled gratefully as she was dismissed.

  “I can’t believe that in all this time she’s never seen my father!” Rhuna said, shaking her head with exasperation.

  “We’ll sort this out soon,” Aradin said as he placed a comforting hand on Rhuna’s shoulder. “Look, our friends are arriving.”

  Rhuna quickly composed herself as the members of the group calling themselves The Observers began to arrive, pretending to come on a purely social visit with friends. They placed their damp cloaks and collapsible rain shelters in the paved entrance way before stepping inside and onto the many exotic and colourful floor rugs Aradin had acquired from his merchant clients.

  Four of the seven Atlan men and women wore Masters Robes, identifying them as qualified and proficient in the traditional Atlan skills of transforming elements and summoning visions by means of the Gazing of the Waters. Rhuna greeted each one with a handshake in the customary Atlan manner and welcomed them inside where she offered them fruit nectar delicately seasoned with spices.

  “Dark storm clouds gather on the far horizon,” said Divider of Fortunes in his usual deep and rumbly voice, and Rhuna remarked that everyone in Safu will welcome a good downpour after several hot and dry lunar cycles.

  Roses of the Field, whose very long and pale hair fascinated Rhuna, smiled kindly at her and asked politely how she and her small daughter were faring.

  After some more casual exchanges and comments about the weather, the group of friends began to enter the special windowless room where they could conduct their meetings in private. The soft light and comfortable seating cushions made the room very inviting, but its special feature was the unusual set of receptacles, one in each corner of the room. Designer of Works had constructed them to prevent the followers of the Dark Master from summoning visions of their meetings. Rhuna was constantly in awe of this remarkable invention which looked like decorative urns but contained certain metals and chemicals which created a magnetic energy field.

  Rhuna always felt safe when she heard the low buzz of the magnetic energy current circulating around them, but today, Rhuna reluctantly lowered herself onto a seating cushion in the middle of the room alongside The Observers, then waited in silence for Aradin to move the lever near the door which activated the protective force field around them.

  “A storm is looming on the horizon,” said Divider of Fortunes again, and Rhuna realized he meant it in a figurative sense as well as literal.

  “We have been seriously negligent!” continued Designer of Works with dismay as he shook his head and tugged at his long bushy beard. “We dismissed the activities we observed in recent solar
cycles as meaningless, yet our latest hallucination-induced visions reveal disturbing activities by the Dark Ones.”

  Rhuna recalled how horrified she had been when she first learned of the hallucinatory herbs used by some Atlans in Safu, in violation of the principles followed in Atlán. Since then, she had come to understand and even admire The Observers’ noble quest to stop the followers of the Dark Master by observing their hidden activities. The Dark Ones performed strange rituals in secret rooms under the pyramids, visions of which could not be summoned by means of the Gazing of the Waters. The Observers, however, had discovered that inhaling certain hallucinatory herbs enabled them to experience visions of the Dark Ones’ hidden activities.

  “The Dark Master has left a formidable legacy,” said Revealer of Truths, who wore a Masters’ robe. Rhuna found that her long red hair looked even more striking against the white of her robe. “Despite his demise almost twenty solar cycles past, his followers not only continue in their master’s path, they even extend and enhance the Dark Knowledge and activities established by that One,” she said with a pout of her sensuous lips.

  “The followers of the Dark One have resumed their abhorrent behavior of several solar cycles past?” asked one of the Observers aghast. “Taking animals and even small children at night from the Commoners’ part of the city to kill….as if the spilled blood increased their powers and pleased their leader, the Dark Master?”

  Rhuna sensed a shiver of abhorrence ripple through the entire group as each one remembered the events of several solar cycles past.

  “Much less direct and obvious, since they were exposed by The Star Child,” said Revealer of Truths nodding towards Rhuna. “Their Dark Activities continue in a much more subtle manner to avoid detection and possible reprisals at the hand of The Reigning One’s army,” she explained. Rhuna shuddered as she recalled how The Reigning One’s army had executed the Dark Ones who had so blatantly pursued their Dark Ways among the unsuspecting Benshi people.