The Search for Zeal Chapter 1
The Sleeping Prophetess
By The Game God
*HELP US!!*
Schala sat up quickly, her face drenched with a cold sweat. “Spirits help me!” she gasped.
Her husband, Sir Glenn woke up and turned to her, “Is everything alright, Jewel?”
“Just a dream…” Schala said, “just a dream…” She reached over for the glass of water she kept near the bed and took a long drink.
“What was this dream about?” Glenn asked, sitting up and putting his arm around his clearly shaken wife.
“I’m not sure, Kaeru,” Schala said, “It is almost as if someone were asking me for help.” She shook her head, “But there was something blocking the voice…”
“What was it Jewel?”
“The Black Wind.” Schala whispered.
< The Search for Zeal: Chapter I >
Schala was afraid to go back to sleep. Nothing scared her like the Black Wind. She used to sense the Black Wind back in Zeal, it was a like a presence of unparalleled evil. Ever since she had settled in her new home, the beautiful and serene Kingdom of Guardia, and married her strong, courageous husband, she had not sensed the Black Wind. Schala thought that she had left the dark enigma behind forever… but she was wrong.
For several weeks now, she had been tormented by puzzling dreams with cryptic cries for help. She felt as though there was a connection to her former home, the seemingly utopian land of Zeal. But Zeal was long since destroyed, torn asunder in a cataclysm nearly 13000 years past. Except for a precious few, the people of Zeal had been dead for many millennia.
Schala sat by her window and watched the sun rise slowly over the ocean to the east. The golden rays of the sun bathed Schala in warmth, a nice change to the cold of the Black Wind. She sighed and draped her long, white cloak around her body. Glenn was still asleep. Schala kissed him lightly on the forehead and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” a sleepy voice asked.
Schala turned back to see Glenn sitting up in bed. “I just need some time to think… I will be back in a while.” Schala walked through the castle, the stone floor cold beneath her bare feet. She passed the art gallery and entered the empty music room. She sat down next to her Mysticaharp and softly plucked the whisper-thin strings, filling the room with soft music and beautiful, rainbow-colored light.
Schala sensed the presence of another and looked to the doorway. There she saw Leene, 21st Queen of Guardia. Leene was cradling her sleeping infant daughter, Djané, in her arms. “Did I wake you?” Schala asked, still softly playing her harp.
Leene smiled, “No… Djané did.” Leene sat down next to Schala. “Are you all right? You look a bit… beleaguered.”
Schala stopped playing, “I have been having some very disturbing dreams…” she sighed, “I don’t know what to do.”
“I won’t pretend to know what you’re going through, Schala, but I can give you some advice.” Schala looked up at her. “Let your heart guide you and you will always triumph.”
< The Search for Zeal: Chapter I >
Schala returned to her and Glenn’s rooms to find them empty. She swiftly changed into her silvery robes she wore when she traveled the countryside. As she headed for the door, she ran into a tall, verdant-haired man in black. “Where are you going?” Glenn asked.
“I don’t know.” Schala asked.
“When will you be back?”
Schala shrugged, “I don’t know.”
“I understand.” Glenn said, putting his hands on her shoulders, “All I ask is that you be careful.” He leaned down slightly and kissed her softly on the lips.
Schala walked down the stairs and out the front gates of the castle. She put her hand over her pendant, “Protect me…” she whispered.
< The Search for Zeal: Chapter I >
Schala came to the easternmost coast of the Truce Lands. She was watching the soft rippling of the water on the shore. The afternoon sun set a soft sparkle of light across the gently rolling waves. Schala looked into the deep blue stone of her pendant, “Now what do I do?” she asked herself.
Suddenly, a voice flooded Schala’s head, *HELP US*!!
Schala looked up, “How can I help you?” she asked.
*Come to us… save us!*
Schala held out her hand, her fingers surrounded by swirling white light. In an instant, the dappling sea foam at Schala’s feet parted as she walked into the dry seabed. She continued on, parting the water before her with her magic. Soon, the former Zealian Princess vanished beneath the waves of the Kuuraia Sea.
.