Scene 1 – Shams al-Duhur and His Palace
The majestic sheikh, Shams al-Duhur, sat upon his grand chair inside his magnificent palace.
He could see Miranda at Hadeel and Nadeem’s house, and Hussein, the Pope, and the deacons inside the church, and he sensed that the awakening of faith had begun, with every corner of the city holding its breath. The storm of blood and fire had not yet subsided, but faith was stirring—quiet and fragile, yet strong enough to move mountains.
Shams al-Duhur sat alone, his eyes half-open as if staring through time itself, carrying burdens on his shoulders as heavy as mountains. Then he stood, leaving his chair, and stepped out of the palace, standing in front of it, alone under the illuminated quarter moon.
The cold wind from the void toyed with his hair, as i
