Chapter Nine My Captain does not answer; his lips are pale and still. My father does not feel my arm; he has no pulse nor will. The ship is anchored safe and sound, it's voyage closed and done. From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won. Exalt O' shores and ring O' bells, but I with mournful tread, walk the deck my captain lies, fallen cold and dead. -- Walt Whitman-- O' Captain, My Captain . . .And so I feel no fear of eath. If anything, my physical death would be, for me, a form of salvation, It would liberate me forever from this hopeless prison, this pain of being me." - Mamiya - Wind Up Bird Chronicles - Haruki Murakami Kyp woke up; the fog of his past slowly slipped out of his mind. 'Last night . . .' He sat up quickly and slid out of the bed. He slipped on his clothes and stepped over to the balcony for a breath of fresh air. He started to recall all the details of the night before. Kyp smiled to himself and could already, too easily picture everything outside; the blue sky touching the blue water would probably seem even more beautiful than the day before. Kyp pulled back the velvet curtains and stepped out onto the balcony. Looking down he gazed at the grassy cliff which fell down into the ocean. For the moment, things were perfect. He did not know when that would change, so he would enjoy this moment of complete silence and peacefulness as he lightly felt for Serena's presence in the adjoining room. He felt her jubilance easily and the fact that she was looking forward to seeing him was obvious. Kyp chuckled, she was also nervous. A cold breeze blew past him and into his room. The sky did not look like he had imagined it to be, but that did not bother Kyp in one bit. There was no sun out, and heavy clouds covered the sky. Small drops of rain began to fall softly, they then began to fall faster. Kyp backed up into his room and let the heavy curtains fall, blocking the wind and rain. Kyp walked over to a small table by the window and poured himself a glass of a gold liquid. For a moment he held his breath, something was wrong. Fear, from someone ripped through his chest like a blaster bolt, stealing his breath from him. He dropped the glass, and it shattered into a hundred small pieces on the floor. Kyp quickly walked out of his room, his hand resting on the tip of his lightsaber. "Serena?" He pounded on the door, until it was opened. "Kyp, what is it?" Serena asked, her cheeks turning pink. "I --" "Did you just feel something?" he asked, knowing now that it was not Serena who had been afraid. "What do you mean?" Serena asked, oblivious to what Kyp was feeling until her face paled and she stepped backwards, holding her hand against her breast. She looked up at Kyp, "What is that? It hurts so much." "Something just went wrong. I don't know what, but . . ." his voice trailed off. "Shal'lyindraa." he said, as he backed away from Serena. Kyp quickly walked past his room and began knocking on Shal'lyindraa's door. Just as Shal'lyindraa opened the door Serena walked up behind him. Her face was pale. "Kyp, its Jonnic, and my Uncle . . . " "I knew it, I knew something was wrong." Shal'lyindraa stepped aside, and let Kyp and Serena come in. "Shal, what happened, what's going on?" Serena asked, stepping beside her friend. Shal'lyindraa began to speak quickly, but quietly. "I overheard my cousin and uncle talking last night. Serena, they spied for the Empire, and the Empire owes them a bunch of money. Jonnic is in dept with some smugglers, so that's why he needed the money from the Empire." "Is that all?" "No, " Shal'lyindraa continued quickly. "Look outside, but make sure that no one sees you." Serena and Kyp stared at Shal'lyindraa for a moment, not knowing if she were crazy, or there was something really interesting outside. "Okay, I'll go take a look." Kyp said, stepping over to her window slightly pushing back the heavy curtain to look outside. It was still raining, harder than before, and the rain blew into the room. "Whoa, you have got to be kidding," Kyp mumbled. He backed away from the window, motioning for Serena to look out. He put his hand on her lower back, and pushed her slightly forward. She lifted back the heavy curtain and peered out. "Now look down and to the right," Kyp whispered to her. He was pressed up against her, looking out over her head. They were both slightly damp from the blowing rain, but not wet. Serena did as she was told and stifled a gasp as small droplets of rain beat upon her face. Climbing up the steep wall were five people in black. They had ropes strapped around their waists, and the ropes were hooked to the roof of the stone castle. "Sithspit," she whispered through clenched teeth. Kyp backed away as she did. "Can you believe it?" Serena shook her head. "What are they here for?" Shal'lyindraa grabbed her lightsaber out of her belt. "Does it matter? As far as I can tell, they're coming in Kyp's balcony. You two go in there, and I'll go get Jonnic and my uncle." Serena and Kyp nodded to Shal'lyindraa and watched her as she left, igniting her lightsaber on the way. Kyp and Serena walked over to Kyp's room. They stood on each side of the window that led out to the balcony. Serena pulled out her blaster and set it for kill. "Got an extra blaster, Serena?" Serena nodded, quickly pulled one out of her black, knee- high boot and threw it to Kyp. He caught it and set it for stun. "Remember, Kyp, set it for --" "Stun," Kyp interrupted her. "Stun?" "Yes, a Jedi never kills unless he has to, and I mean _has_to. A Jedi may only kill in self defense or for the security of other beings. You may kill, if by doing so, other life is retained," Kyp said neutrally, quoting his Jedi Master. Serena frowned, and set her blaster to stun. "Fine, but if they start shooting at us, I _am_ turning it to kill." "Agreed." Serena put her back against the wall and took a deep breath. She let it out slowly. Soon she was able to hear heavy breathing and soft talking. Heavy footsteps followed. After a few minutes the curtains were parted, letting rain and wind into the room. Serena pressed up against the wall, and lifted her blaster up to her face with the muzzle facing towards the roof of the stone room. She slowed down her breathing and watched as first one, then three, then five men came into the room. Kyp nodded to Serena, and they stepped out of the shadows. The five men still did not see them, so Serena coughed to clear her throat. The five men whirled around to see two blasters pointed in their faces. "I don't . . . think so," Serena said, pointing the blaster up to one of the men's' heads. Right as Serena finished talking, Jonnic and his uncle came in holding blasters, with Shal'lyindraa behind them, lightsaber on. Jonnic carefully walked to the leader in the group and sneered at him. "Well, well, well. Too bad you couldn't get me, eh, Adam?" The young white and blue haired man just stared at Jonnic with hatred in his eyes. Jonnic laughed. "You tell your boss the money's coming. If he kills me he'll never get it. So tell him to just be patient, like a Jedi. Okay?" Jonnic grinned at Adam. "Nice hair, by the way." "He wants the money now," Adam said stiffly, staring at Jonnic. "I'll have it as soon as Kayro gives it to me. You tell Sapht to complain to Kayro. It's not my fault." Jonnic widened his green eyes innocently. "Now," he patted his blaster on Adam's shoulder. "How about you and your pals drop off your weapons here. Then we can go out the front door, and you can leave without a scratch." The five men, including Adam dropped their blasters on the stone floor. Suddenly, one of the men yelled something out and swung around towards Kyp and Serena with a blaster pistol in his hand. He began shooting at them, but Serena and Kyp fell to the floor before any of the laser beams could hit them. The other four men grabbed for their blasters that had been thrown on the floor only moments before. By then Serena was standing back up with Kyp next to her. She quickly set her blaster for kill and shot the first man who had been shooting at them. The red beam hit him in the left shoulder and sent him flying back, hitting the man named Adam. They both fell down to the floor. The other three men began shooting at Dain and Jonnic, but Shal'lyindraa cut one down with her lightsaber. Jonnic shot another one with his blaster, and the young man fell back with a black, burnt hole in the center of his chest. Before the last man standing could react, Kyp had shot him in the back. The man fell to his knees and screamed in pain. He pulled back the trigger of his blaster and fell to the ground as laser beams showered around the group. Everyone ducked. No one was hit. After a moment of complete silence, Serena looked back up to find Adam pulling himself out from under the unconscious man and trying to get out of the room. Serena struggled back up, trying to see through the smoke that had formed in the room from the blaster shooting. She was leaving Kyp on the floor, yet no one but Serena had noticed Adam's departure. Serena ran down the stone hallway that was lit by candles. She followed the man down the stairs, almost tripping on the way. "Stop!" Serena yelled, regaining her balance. Without turning around the other man laughed, yelling, "Did you ever notice how no one stops when you tell them to? I mean, has anyone ever really stopped?" By then they had reached the large marble room in which she, Shal'lyindraa, and Kyp had entered the day before. Adam ran out the door that led to the outside and disappeared in the downpour of heavy rain. Without hesitating, Serena followed him outside. She ran after him as she was consumed by the rain; she felt as if she had stepped into a pit of fire. The heavy rain beat across her face, blurring her vision. Ahead, she saw her ship, and behind it another, smaller one. Serena picked up her speed, but already her breath was coming in short gasps. The thick rain had already soaked through her clothes and filled her boots, weighting her down and making it harder for her to run. Through her blurry vision and strings of hair that had fallen out of her braid, Serena saw a ramp descending from the smaller ship, and a man sprint up it. Serena tightened the grip on her blaster and ran harder, but already she knew she would not make it. When she saw the repulsorlift engines light up and the ship fly away, Serena finally stopped running. She tried to catch her breath as she let her hands fall to her side, and she watched as the small ship disappeared from view. Serena walked slowly back towards the building through the pouring rain, not wanting to run anymore. When she stepped inside, Kyp and Shal'lyindraa were running down the stairs and into the large marble room. The door slid shut behind Serena and she holstered her blaster. Kyp was the first one down the stairs. He ran up to her, putting his hands on her sodden shoulders. "What happened, Sere?" "He got away," Serena said, looking up into Kyp's dark blue eyes. They smiled at each other. He handed her the blaster that she had given him earlier with one of his hands and she slid it back into a holder in her boot. As she bent down, Kyp took his hands off her shoulders. When Serena straightened up she gave Shal'lyindraa a wry smile as water trickled down her face and neck. "That was fun, huh?" she asked as she squeezed water out her hair, adding to the puddle of water forming at her booted feet. Shal'lyindraa frowned, "Yeah, did you hear him, though, Kayro? Who is Kayro?" Kyp saw Serena pale slightly as she shrugged. "Someone who owes Jonnic money." "Is Kayro the Imperial? And, why does he owe Jonnic money? Who, or what did Jonnic spy on?" Serena slightly shrugged again, "Who knows. I don't believe, though, that Jonnic is going to be telling you anything." "I know. He will not tell me, but the least I can do is make sure he leaves safely. I don't care if he's spied for Imperials, he's my cousin, and I love him." Serena nodded jerkily, "I agree." Kyp walked to the doorway. "Come on, I have this feeling that we need to return to Yavin. I don't understand it, but I think we need to leave, _now_," As he spoke his voice and expression grew dark. As Kyp finished speaking, Jonnic entered the room. "Well, we got them, most of them at least. Thanks." "Wait, Jonnic, where's Uncle Dain?" "I don't know." He tried to turn around and head back up the stairs, but Shal'lyindraa stepped in front of him, with her back to the winding stairs. "Jonnic, look at me. Jonnic, I don't know what that was all about, and I'm not going to ask you one question about it. I just want you to leave this place. Get the money you owe, and pay it off. Don't come back here until you have paid your debt," Shal'lyindraa said sternly. Jonnic lifted his head up, and looked her straight in the eyes. "I will go. I'm going to find Kayro, and I'm going to get the money that damn man owes me." "Who's Kayro, Jonnic?" Jonnic smiled, "Remember? No questions." Jonnic stepped around Shal'lyindraa, he stopped, and turned around. "Until we meet again, my dear. Serena, Kyp." He nodded to each of them, and walked up the stairs, taking two at a time. Shal'lyindraa watched the stairs, half-expecting Jonnic to come back running to her, screaming out everything. When nothing happened, she turned around, hanging on to her skirt with both clenched hands. She placidly, but angrily walked towards the door leading to the outside. "Let's go, before some group of stormtroopers takes over this place," she said shortly. Kyp and Serena followed her out into the heavy rain. They quickly ran to the _Corellian Sunrise_, and stepped into it. Serena briskly walked to the cockpit of the ship, her clothes and hair soaked once again. She sat down in the pilot's seat, shivering. Kyp stepped in and sat in the copilot's seat beside Serena. "Let's go so I can change. I'm freezing." Kyp smiled as Serena sneezed. "I hope you don't get too sick." Serena lifted the _Corellian Sunrise_ off the twenty-ninth planet of Hander. "Get the coordinates to Yavin Four." She added with a smile and another sneeze, "I doubt I'll get too sick. Where's Shal, Kyp?" "In the back, changing I guess. She's really mad, Sere." Kyp said as the coordinates to Yavin Four scrolled up on Serena's screen. "Why?" "Jonnic, I guess. She's probably worried that he and his father aren't going to leave." "I've never seen Shal get even close to being mad, this must really upset her." * * * Darien stood, once again, on the bridge of the _Vengeance_. They would be out of hyperspace any minute; they would be right over the Jedi Academy. Darien was loyal to Kayro, but he just did not like the idea of attacking a place that could not defend itself. Maybe Khomm could not defend itself, but that had been its own choice. Most of the people at the Academy were just kids anyway. There was also another reason this would not be totally fair, they had a legion of battle droids. These droids were old, true, and Kayro had found them a few years back on some waste planet called Urit, but now they had been restored and brought back to life. Kayro, years ago, had come across a large dump far away from the main city on Urit. The only thing was, this dump was filled with droid parts and blaster rifles. The dying people of Urit had no idea that Kayro was there, or that he had found their storage of destroyed battle droids. Kayro stole the droids, and had them put back together. Now they had almost a hundred working battle droids, ready to kill the Jedi students. "Killeryer?" Darien motioned for him to come forward. "Yes, sir?" Killeryer stepped up behind him. "I want our ships to not touch the main temple. Only the land around it. The droids should take care of the temple" "Yes, sir. I'll have the message sent on to the hangar bays." "Good." Only attacking the land around the temple was the best he could do. The trainees would most likely hide in the temple, so attacking the land around the temple--maybe shooting the temple once or twice for good measure--would not hurt any of the trainees. Nevertheless, the droids were another problem, and one that Darien could not handle. The trainees would have to do their best to defend themselves against the droids. If any of them, although poorly trained, had lightsabers they would do well pitted against the droids. "And Killeryer . . ." "Yes, sir?" "Once we are out of hyperspace, I want to wait a few minutes before we attack. I'll give the order to attack on my own time." "Yes, sir." He also wanted to give them the time to hide. Maybe he was showing mercy, but he certainly did not agree to fighting without a reason. Kayro had told him time and time again that mercy was frailty, and frailty would one day mean a horrible death, but shedding children's blood for no reason was not something Darien would call being brave. This was the best he could do, but it was good enough for him. The _Vengeance_ came out of hyperspace, with the stars swirling together, then coming apart into small dots of light. Right before Darien was the planet of Yavin Four, the fourth planet of the gas giant Yavin. "You see Exana, the Force is in us all." The young Exana took Tionne's hand in hers. "I don't understand, so there's something in me?" Tionne slowly shook her head, her silver hair falling over her shoulders. No wonder Guy had wanted her to explain this to Exana. He had probably tried, and failed. "No, it's a -- a presence in each of us, part of our soul. It is in everyone, but in you, and other Jedi, it is stronger." "Tionne?" "Yes?" Exana pointed up to the sky as a huge shadow fell over the tall trees of Yavin Four, and passed over them. "Tionne, what's that? I don't like it, it's too big, it's not good." Tionne looked up at the sky, and staggered back in disbelief. She watched in horror as a Star Destroyer dropped out of space, directly over the Academy. Small ships, too large to be TIE fighters, flew out from it and headed towards the Great Temple. "Oh, my, ohhh, my . . . Guy! Guy!" She did not see Guy run out of the temple with four other trainees behind him. All she did was point up to the sky. The ships, nine of them, landed on Yavin Four, but no one came out. Tionne braced herself for the stormtroopers that would soon be pouring out, but she could not sense them. Instead, large doors on the ships flew open, and a large rack, ten feet off the ground, mechanically ground their way out. Tionne calculated about how long the racks were, and she figured they were seven or eight meters in length. Hanging off the racks were white and silver droids. The nine racks were lowered, showing three rows of droids hanging on each. Slowly, the droids' bodies, which were rolled up in tight balls, unfolded. With quick moving extensions and mechanical stealthiness, the droids unhooked from the racks, and quickly stood up, positioned for battle. Each one had a large blaster rifle in its hands. They all confronted the Jedi trainees in three straight rows. Tionne stumbled backwards, and watched out of the corner of her eye as Guy pulled out his newly constructed lightsaber. He had just made it, and that meant he did not know how to use it well enough. The other four trainees who had come out of the temple with Guy pulled out their lightsabers. Three of the four had had their lightsabers for a good month or so, maybe they had a chance . . . maybe they did not. "What are they?" Guy asked, as the droids with the slanted heads trained their blasters on the students. "Battle droids. They haven't been used since the days of the Old Republic, I don't know where they came from," Tionne said in a hushed, urgent whisper while keeping her eyes trained on them so she could study the white and silver bodies. Some of them had black marks on them from blaster shots. These droids had probably been reconstructed by someone. But how, and where had the Imperial found them? Taking her eyes off the battle droids for the moment, Tionne looked up at the sky where the huge Star Destroyer's shadow fell right over the small group and the surrounding area. Five other trainees ran out of the temple, with one pulling out his lightsaber. Tionne looked around and saw Guy, Kirana Ti, Kam Solusar, Streen, and a female Bothan ignite their lightsabers. Tionne risked one more glance up at the sky, and saw TIE fighters bursting forth from the Star Destroyer. Guy motioned for the trainees to follow him into the jungle. Kirana Ti, Kam, and Streen stayed behind to try and fight back the droids. Just as they entered the jungle, Tionne caught a glimpse of the small ships flying closer and closer towards them. Running further into the jungle, being pulled along with Guy and Exana, Tionne ignored the sky, and kept her eyes on the ground. Guy felt the air rush by as a TIE fighter swept over them shooting blasts of lasers around the group of trainees. Someone let out a scream. Tionne was pushed forward and up in the air as a blast hit close to them. She fell on the ground with Exana landing beside her. "Tionne, are you okay?" Guy asked her, as he pulled her up off the ground. He turned off his lightsaber, as did the female Bothan. Exana was stunned, unable to move. Guy picked her up and carried her in his arms. "Come on," he cried, "the farther we get into the jungle, the safer we'll be. They should be heading towards the Great Temple!" Tionne ran, stumbling and dazed beside Guy farther into the thickening jungle. The TIE fighters swept overhead as the other trainees ran deeper into the cover of the jungle. "Look!" One of them yelled, in a high pitched voice. "Another temple, let's get in there!" The others began running faster. Another laser blast hit behind Tionne and Guy. The blast knocked them forward. "I thought that they were supposed to be heading to the temple!" Tionne yelled over the blaster shots. "I don't know! I just don't understand!" "Guy," Tionne pulled back; laser fire had stopped for a few moments as the TIE fighters concentrated on the jungle area to the side of the Great Temple, only hitting the temple itself once or twice. "I'm scared," Tionne yelled over the noise of the laser fire starting up again, "I don't know what to do." "Just stay brave, keep up your courage," Guy shouted as he shoved Tionne towards the smaller temple. "We're not going to make it, Guy, we're just not." Tionne gasped as realization struck her, "The Empire wants us gone, they're going to get their wish. There are about ninety battle droids back there, and three of us against them!" "Look," Guy let Exana down on the ground annoyed from her constant squirming, "Look," he grabbed both of Tionne's hands, "my father once told me that true courage is about fighting back, especially when you are afraid." "How can we fight back, Guy?" "By not dying, Tionne. By not dying." Back in the clearing by the Great Temple, Kirana Ti, the Force-sensitive girl from Dathomir, readied herself for the attack. They were outnumbered, ninety to three, but the Force was her ally, and as Master Skywalker had told her, a powerful one at that. Kirana lifted her green lightsaber up and let out an old war cry she had used on Dathomir when they had been battling the Nightsisters a few years ago. She, Streen, and Kam Solusar ran towards the first line of droids. The droids mechanically raised their blasters and began firing. Kirana, concentrating, and letting the Force guide her actions, moved the lightsaber methodically from side to side blocking the blaster bolts and sending them straight back to the droids. The blaster bolts struck three droids destroying two. Kirana raced towards the third one and cut its metal body in half. She deflected another volley of blaster bolts, cutting down five more droids, three with her lightsaber and two with the blaster bolts. Kam stepped up beside her, as he cut down three droids that had been advancing behind her. Kirana, surrounded by droids, pressed her back to Kam's. In the center of a circle of nine droids, they turned around, clockwise, cutting down droids as they turned. Streen, glad that these were droids and not humans, easily fought the mechanical warriors; it was easier to kill something that had no soul than to kill a living being. With quick reflexes, despite his age, Streen cut down the droids two at a time. He spun in a circle, slashing at the droids, left and right. Mentally he counted there being only about fifty left, a big difference from the ninety that there once had been. Streen turned around, facing the jungle where the other trainees had run, and saw a group of seven battle droids following the tracks the trainees had made. Streen ran towards the droids and quickly caught up to them, taking all seven down in only a moment. A rush of wind knocked him down, and he fell, the lightsaber knocked out of his hands. Looking over him, he saw three TIE fighters flying over the jungle, shooting at what Streen figured to be the other trainees. Streen quickly scrambled up, and grabbed his lightsaber, the blue blade still on. The older man ran back towards Kirana and Kam who had dozens of droid parts scattered around them. Amazed at what he and the other two had done, Streen smiled to himself, despite the remaining forty droids. Streen blocked another bombardment of red laser fire, and the bolts were fended back towards the two droids that had shot them. The droids crumpled to the mossy ground, sizzling from the broken connections and wires. Back in the jungle the TIE fighters had returned to the where the students were. Nine of the twelve trainees reached the smaller temple, which had been hit by laser fire and was crumbling. The other trainees had run into it, all of them but Melisa, and the female Bothan, who was trying to decide whether to go into the temple or to go back and fight the battle droids with the others. Another TIE fighter flew overhead, hitting the top of the temple. Chunks of rock flew off, falling down around the five of them. Guy ran towards the female Bothan and pushed her away. The sharp stone that had almost hit the Bothan in the head fell with tremendous force, hitting Guy in the side of the head. Guy, stunned, staggered backward a few steps and then finally fell to the mossy ground. The TIE fighter flew out of the atmosphere followed by the other five that had been attacking the Academy. Tionne watched as the TIE fighters disappeared into the Star Destroyer. The huge ship disappeared as a shadow fell over the sky and black, rolling clouds, as if alive with their own dark fury, consumed the sun. Tionne did not understand; it had been so quick. There had only been six TIE fighters. Whoever had attacked had not really cared about killing them off. But, what about the battle droids, and the three Jedi that had stayed behind? Kirana Ti struck down an on-coming droid and turned to strike down yet another one, but there were none. All around her and the two men were destroyed droid parts, torn apart by blaster bolts and lightsaber blades. The three had done the impossible, they had totally destroyed a small army of droids. Tionne, Exana, the Bothan, and Melisa ran towards the fallen body of Guy. Exana fell down beside her brother; Tionne slid to a stop behind her and landed on her knees. A huge gash marked the side of Guy's head and blood was pouring out of it. Guy looked up at Exana as she put her arm around his neck, propping him up. Guy lightly held Exana's small, trembling hand. "I'm sorry, Exana." he whispered, hoarsely. "For . . . what?" Exana asked softly "I don't think . . . that we'll be able to become Jedi Knights together, I'm gonna have to break my promise." he weakly smiled at Exana, knowing already that he was dying. "Oh please," tears began to form in Exana's eyes; they slowly ran down her cheek. "My dear, Tionne, don't forget me. You are in my heart, you always were." Guy stretched his arm out to her, and opened his hand. Tionne slipped her pale hand into his shaking palm. If only there was something she could do. Yet, she knew very well there wasn't. Nothing could save Guy. The blood, it was pouring out too fast; the gash was too deep. "Guy, no, don't go." Exana began to cry harder, "We'll get a doctor, you'll be all right. Guy, hang on, I don't want you to go. Guy, no, don't leave me!" "By my last breath, I swear Exana, you will be happy again." Guy closed his eyes. Exana gently slid her arm from under his neck. His head fell to the ground. There was a peaceful look on Guy's face. Exana wept uncontrollably, she leaned over Guy's chest and pulled the top of his lifeless body up. She put her head against Guy's neck sobbing loudly. A light rain began to fall around the small group of trainees who were beginning to come out of the destroyed temple. All of them sadly and quietly faced Exana, heads bowed. Tionne wiped away the tears that were forming. "No . . ." she whispered. Tionne looked up, letting the fine droplets fall on her face. The tears began to stream down her pale face. "Nooo!" Tionne wailed, her voice going from a high to a low pitch. Exana buried her head into Guy's cold neck. She cried harder and harder, rocking the limp body of her brother back and forth. "No!" Tionne screamed, shutting her eyes, not wanting to ever open them again. The branches of the tall trees of Yavin Four swayed mournfully back and forth in the slight breeze that lifted the gray smoke off the ground and into the limbs of the towering trees. Small bits of rubble from the smaller temple littered the ground. Enormous trunks and branches were scattered around the trainees. The only thing left standing was the Great Temple. It was the only safe place that was left standing, the only place where no one had sought shelter.