Page 27 of The Space Traveller's Lover
“Shaillah, Shaillah.” She repeats her new name as if trying to get used to it, encouraged by Zula-Or’s warm and uplifting gaze.
“Yes, correct. Perfect!” Zula-Or holds Shaillah’s shoulders, energizing Shaillah’s body with her all-pervasive vigour. “You will soon get used to it. With every passing moment, you will become one of us—the most advanced civilisation in our universe.”
Zula-Or’s vibrant tone and revitalizing aura slowly help Shaillah let go of her vanishing past and embrace her inevitable future. The more she dwells on it, the more she comes to accept her heritage and her new life.
Shaillah’s eyes glisten with profound confidence as her newly found identity and sense of belonging lifts her spirits.
“What about you? Who created you?” Shaillah brazenly asks.
Zula-Or smiles widely before bursting into ecstatic laughter. She straightens up her body in a self-satisfied and flaunting posture.
“I am one of theOi Renski” (Originals), “my dear child,” she announces pompously, but then she adds in a sombre tone, “Although … I was once mortally wounded by a human.”
Zula-Or composes herself while looking defiantly into the distance. “I managed to survive. Our experts worked tirelessly on me. They regenerated every cell in my body from its original fragments, copying and reloading them into new ones. So I survived with all my features and thoughts intact.
“There is a distinguished race of originals, those who have lived for aeons. We are revered for our wisdom. We append the -Or to our names, but you can call me Zula.” The lady talks to Shaillah in a mellow voice while hugging her tightly.
Then Zula-Or takes off her dazzling pink diamond necklace and places it around Shaillah’s neck. “Here! My sweet child, my gift to you. Wear it always. It’ll give you energy, help you on your journey.”
Shaillah clutches the brilliant pink diamond now hanging on her chest, feeling its radiating energy enter through her palms and run through her body. “Thank you, dear Zula. And however hard to believe, thank you for showing me who I am.” Shaillah gratefully smiles and then puts her hands together, bowing to the wise lady.
“I am your shelter, your guardian. Come to me whenever you need me,” Zula-Or reassures her.
As Shaillah looks back into Zula-Or’s radiant pupils, they share a deep connection, as if a long-time separated mother and daughter have suddenly found each other.
“What about Rothwen?” Shaillah abruptly asks as if her words have escaped from her mouth unintentionally.
“What about him?” Zula-Or snaps, looking inquisitively at Shaillah.
“Oh, I can hear your desperate fluttering heart! There’s one thing you can never do, my dear child. You can never hide your feelings from me. I know all about this attraction between you two and a mighty one at that. It has disrupted all our plans. We tried to stop him, but he would not relent. While you were growing up among the humans, he would not lose sight of you. And he would keep visiting your place more often than he would want to admit.”
“I feel so different when I’m with him,” she confesses, unable to control her quivering voice or stop her cheeks from blushing. “He makes me feel special. Is he a replica too?”
“What he is—and you should never forget it—is an elite space warrior, a tireless invincible soldier. He never settles anywhere. For him, thismission is a mere insignificant chapter in his unending list of victories and adventures.” Zula-Or raises her long arched eyebrows in a warning gesture.
“Then I may also be a small adventure for him,” Shaillah ponders, an uneasy glare flashing through her face.
“Hard to tell. He is unpredictable. He can be alluring, but he can also be as icy and unforgiving as a dead star. Don’t be fooled by his charm.”
“I won’t!” she says firmly, holding her head high and stroking her diamond to absorb its uplifting energy.
“My advice for you, my dear child—be yourself.” Zula-Or’s cautionary words fade into a distant echo as Shaillah’s body starts spinning.
She extends her arms, trying in vain to stop the whirling motion that is inexorably and progressively pulling her back as she is sucked into a cold all-absorbing vacuum.
CHAPTER 12
LONG-LOST PASSION
Tell me how you feel, Shaillah. Do you feel your skin burning?
Shaillah closes her eyes firmly, counting down the seconds as the powerful suction force takes hold of her. Suddenly, she feels a warm breeze bringing a sweet, calming fragrance. As she slowly opens her eyes, she’s relieved to find herself back in the same quiet purple-lit room, her body resting flat on the polished floor. The memories of her passage into the dreamlike landscape where she met Zula-Or spin inside her head like a far-fetched fuzzy illusion.
As she tries to get up, she hears a tinkling rattle under her chest. She fumbles around with her fingers until she feels the edges of her gilded pendant.
“Oh, it was real!” She rejoices as she contemplates the brilliant shafts of lights reflecting on her hands.
“How was Zula, the wisest lady in our vast Rom-Ghenshar empire?”
