Chapter 34
The morning was peaceful as the sun began to rise over drenched cliffs. Birds woke from slumber, welcoming the new morning as the sea mist began to rise over the land.
Roused by their song Adia stirred from her deep sleep. Her mind still groggy and full of strange dreams the girl slowly pulled herself up, gazing around the room she'd been placed in. Twice the size of the last its walls were garnished in gold's and reds. Fit for nothing less than royalty as even the sheets on her bed looked to have made of the finest silk.
Adia stared at her nightgown. It was a light blue, exactly like the ones her mother used to wear.
A ray of sunshine burst into the room immediately drawing the girl to its source.
The door to a balcony was open, letting a cool, sea breeze into the room.
Adia smiled, letting the light warm her face and silently pulled away the bed sheets. The sound of snoring broke Adia from her trance as she suddenly noticed she was not alone. To one corner Julian slept, draped over a chair. Adia smirked, wondering if he ever slept in a bed.
The girl glided over to his side, lightly kissing him on the cheek before continuing her descent to the balcony.
The smell of the ocean immediately filled her nostrils as from below its mist rose and dampened her clothes. To either side of her the high towers of a castle ascended into the mist as she heard the mighty roar of ocean below.
Adia needed only wait a few moments more before the mist finally cleared to reveal the ocean's true beauty. The waters sparkled reflecting a blue sky with puffy, white clouds that lazily floated across it.
There were cliffs where Adia could see a vast township; its inhabitants busy at work.
Then the girl stopped short. She saw them, the pink skinned figures working alongside the Gungans.
"Humans." She whispered, squinting.
"They live along side us."
Julian's voice made Adia jump. She hadn't heard him approach.
"Sorry." The Gungan apologized, joining her on the balcony. "Gungan and Human societies became one many years ago, thus combining our cultures." Julian shrugged, "It is because of this that our very own names sound so human to other Gungan cultures."
"That Naboo family we visited, are they from here too?" Adia asked.
Julian shook his head.
"Only Philist. He is a close friend of my father because they grew up together. Philist moved to the Naboo later on, only to meet Obed."
Adia nodded, gazing out across the people.
"They seem, so peaceful."
"Beautiful, isn't it."
The girl nodded, her mouth hanging open in nothing but awe.
"Beautiful? This is amazing! This unity is unheard of among the Otollas."
Julian smirked, sliding his hand into hers.
"Welcome home."
"A total of twelve were unfortunate enough to lose their lives in the destruction of the Temple. All where guards and died in service to the Shul by the hand of this mysterious warrior. Their families will be informed that they died with honour."
Prince Sei'ghier gazed out through the massive windows of the meeting chamber. Barely paying attention to the reports of the night before, he let his mind drift, in attempt to forget the horrible events of the night before.
"Highness?"
His visor broke him from his thoughts.
"What?" the prince snapped, noticing the prophets silently enter the chamber.
"Highness, would you like to hear the medical report of the Guardian Er Shua?"
The prince blinked shaking away his daydream.
"Why not."
"Well." The visor continued. "As I said I have just received a report on his present condition. As you know he was involved in defending the Shul from the Warrior-"
"Just get on with it!" The prince growled, cutting the visor short.
"Yes sir." He mumbled. "Sir Shua is recovering. He suffered quite extensive injuries to his chest and head but his condition is not critical. The medic says that he'll be on his feet soon."
"Good." Sei'ghier said absently, staring back at the window.
"We have just received a report from our scouts at the planet core, highness." Lord Yah broke in. "They've detected tremors and earthquakes across the entire planet. The worst hit was the southern border which is mostly made up of small islands and ocean."
The prince turned to the prophet.
"What about here, we have felt nothing?"
"Actually even we suffered a slight tremor but it was quick to pass and barely felt."
"Ah," the prince nodded. "And what of the Temple itself?"
The Lord sighed. "It has been completely destroyed."
Prince Sei'ghier blinked, rubbing his weary eyes. He'd barely slept a wink and he could see that the prophets hadn't either. They all seemed to stare into space, unable to fully grasp the impact of the night before. A place that had been in existence since before the beginning of time was gone. Destroyed in one night. It would take months, perhaps years for them to adjust.
The prince allowed the prophet to continue but it wasn't long before the chamber door slowly opened again and the Guardian, Julian stepped in.
"How is Adia?"
Lord Yah immediately dropped the report relaying.
Julian opened the door further to reveal a meek looking Lady Yah. Sei'ghier swallowed, the poor girl had faced death itself, he had doubted that she would rise this morning.
The girl quietly stepped in where her father relayed questions to her on her wellbeing. She shrugged unsure what she should have been feeling.
"I can feel it." Her voice was almost that of a whisper. "The sphere's force, it's inside of me. And the warrior, I can feel him too. I can see into his past, I have his memories. He gave me his life force and now he seems to linger in my thoughts like a ghost."
Lord Yah placed a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder.
"It will pass. It just takes time."
Lady Yah nodded, accepting his assurance she then let her eyes trail across the room.
"What is this place?" she asked, then she spotted Sei'ghier's visor. "You're Human." She stated blankly.
Instinctively, the visor puffed out his chest in defence but the prince gave him a glare to stay at bay.
"This is the city of Mesul, your birthplace. Human or Gungan, we are all considered Mesulan here."
The girl seemed fascinated by this and Sei'ghier could see that she was tempted to ask more but her father ushered the topic away.
"Because the temple has been destroyed, Adia, we are forced to reside here to complete your training."
"Oh," the girl said though it was clear that her interest was on the prince's visor. The prince grinned; perhaps sometime later he could find the opportunity to introduce her to some more Human associates.
Just then a prophet stepped into the chamber carrying a giant, old book that he placed carefully down on a table before the assembly. The book was made of some kind of hard leather and covered in dust.
"This is the book of records." The prophet signalled to Adia to come over and have a look.
The girl did just so, watching with fascination as the Gungan pulled open the giant cover to reveal old, brown pages that crackled when turned. They were covered in what Adia recognized as the writing of the ancients and painted portraits of important looking Gungans.
"This book contains the life details of every Shul we've known to have had. You'll go in this book also Adia."
"Really?" Adia whispered, watching as with the turn of each page the writing slowly changed. As if to morph over time until they reached the Shul before her. There the writing style looked much like what she'd seen among these people of today.
"Your language has descended from the ancients." The girl marvelled. "No one is said to be able to read it, can you?"
The prophet smiled, nodding. "Yes."
He pointed to the page, drawing the girl's attention to the portrait of a face that she could not deny.
"That is him. That's the warrior."
"Shal'lum of the Yah line of the Be'zek line." The prophet read. "Your grandfather of three generations ago. He was a fighter of the Shadows, restorer of the Sphere when the Shadow people took it. He was the only Shul known to have entered the Shadow realm and come out alive. Though he was never the same after that. Shal'lum became subdued and lived a solitary existence, only allowing his Guardian mistress into his life until she died of an illness. That was when he disappeared, believed to have died somewhere alone." The prophet sighed. "No one even thought that he'd gone back to the Shadow people."
"Why would he do that though?" Adia asked. "What is the Shadow realm?"
The prophet paused, as the room fell silent.
"No one can be sure." Her father finally spoke. "All we know is that a powerful force controls the Shadow people. A force we only know as 'Mersai'. This force must have done something to Shal'lum when he entered into Shadow territory. No one knows what happened to him, he never gave that away. In fact no one can even be sure how he knew where the Shadow realm was to begin with." The Lord sighed. "But because of this the Shul line was poisoned and somehow the Shadow people knew of your birth. That is why they attacked the city and you had to go into hiding."
Adia rocked back.
"You mean to say the Shadow people know my whereabouts? They can come and kill me at any time?"
The prophet shrugged. "My Lady I honestly have no answer to that. I can't be sure what they know."
The girl swallowed. "And what about the sphere, why didn't Shal'lum take that with him when he went to the Shadow people?"
The Lord shrugged again. "Only the gods themselves know the answer."
Adia stared down into the face of her ancestor. Running her hand across the page, asking him why. But with all the memories of his she possessed, all the thoughts and feelings, the answer she could not find.
Adia turned the page where she found the next one empty.
"This is your page Adia." Lord Yah said. "You'll go down as Lady Shul, Adia of the Shua line, of the Yah line, of the Naphi'ta line. This indicates your allegiance with Julian, the line of your father as well as the line of your mother."
The girl gazed up at her father. "My mother was of the Naphi'ta line?"
He nodded. "Yes, before she was bonded with myself."
Adia gazed at the page wondering what her mother's life must have been like before she married Lord Yah. Was Adia much like her? She liked to think so.
Adia turned to the next page to find that there was only half of it and then the book ended.
"Why is it like this?" Adia asked. "What is to happen to the Shul after me?"
"No one can answer that." Lord Yah replied. "The time is not right for it to be revealed. It will be revealed when the next Shul comes."
Adia huffed. She was curious and hated being left in suspense.
"What do you think will happen then?"
Lord Yah hummed in thought. "I believe that that three generations after your child the next Shul will come. Perhaps it will have something to do with the sphere's force now being inside you Adia. Perhaps you have some influence on the future and probably you have planted a seed for the next major fulfilment." The Lord chuckled. "But only time will provide the true answer. I shouldn't worry about it Adia, chances are it won't even happen in your lifetime. But whatever the reason is, you yourself will make history because you will be the first Shul to bear a child that is not fully Mesulan because of Julian's half heritage with the Otollas."
Adia stepped back, giving Julian a startled stare. His face flushed as he immediately looked to the floor, biting his lip in embarrassment.
Adia's father smirked. "I'm afraid when it comes to choosing your marriage alliance you have no say in the matter. Before you even came into existence you have been betrothed to young Shua. He is your Guardian, the only one compatible with your..." The prophet paused. "Unique physiology."
Adia coughed, reaching for the nearest chair.
"Unique physiology?"
"Physically you are Gungan but you have mental aspects that state otherwise. It is these certain differences that allow you not only control the sphere's force but they also allow you to be able to communicate with the Orban when we cannot."
Prince Sei'ghier coughed impatiently, quickly butting in he addressed the assembly.
"It is a new day and I expect you all are hungry. Would all you care to join me in the dining area for the morning meal? This discussion, I am sure, can be continued later."
Adia almost leapt at the prospect of a bite to eat as she realized for the first time that morning that her stomach was screaming at her for food.
"This way." The prince announced taking the lead to the dining area.
