Setzer's Christmas

by excessivelyperky

The child of Doom Gaze and Phunbaba threatens the land. Setzer must lead the others against it.

SETZER'S CHRISTMAS

by Jean Lamb

Chapter 1

            Setzer gazed out over the rail of the Falcon. He loosely held the wheel with one hand and sipped at a glass of wine he held with the other. It was hard to believe that less than a year ago he was rotting away in Kohlingen, ready to give up. Burying Daryl had been hard, and coming back from the wreck of the Blackjack to find that her tomb had become a lair of monsters was even worse. He'd tried to fight his way down to her resting place several times, and had barely escaped with his life. Then he'd lost all hope. Only when he'd had the help of his friends had he been able to reach the crypt where her broken bones had been laid, and from there to the sanctuary of her rebuilt airship.

            The struggle was over. Kefka was gone, finally defeated during the battles of the spring and summer. Fall was already gone and the winds of winter whipped snow through the sky.

            Setzer suddenly smashed the empty glass against the railing. The dregs of the wine looked like blood against the whiteness of the ice beginning to coat the airship. And what had he to show for it? Oh, yes, he was lord of the sky once more. The dragons were gone, and Doom Gaze along with them. The Light of Judgement no longer struck the innocent.

            Yes, the sky was empty once more. And so was he.

            He sighed. When he felt like this, he needed to be on the ground and around other people. When he held cards or dice in his hand and stood next to others who sweated over every number as if it were life or death, then he felt truly alive. Or at least as close as he could ever come.

            He sent the airship west, towards Jidoor. That town was as rich as ever, with no shortage of fools who thought their luck was better than his. Setzer gazed down at the scudding waves. He would probably have to make landfall before he got that far. If he tried to rise above the clouds, their vapor would freeze around the turbines and possibly send him plummeting into the sea. Below them, though, he was at the wind's mercy.

            He caught a glimpse of a rocky island beneath him. Then he smiled as he saw the lights among the tall turrets of Doma Castle. Cyan Garamonde had done his best to bring life back to the place, and had at last persuaded the beautiful Lola to leave Maranda to join him. Setzer brought a lamp out from his cabin and waved it back and forth, in case they'd missed his running lights. The castle's courtyard was just big enough for him to set down in, but it wasn't worth the risk so close to sunset.

            The airship bounced a little on the rocks outside the castle, but settled down. He was going to have to put in a decent pad sometime. Cyan and the few survivors who had settled here had enough to do just keeping themselves alive.

            Setzer got out, made sure the Falcon was tied down for the night, and waved at the solitary guard at the gate. Even Cyan knew there was little left to be worried about here, especially at night when the gate was closed.

            At first everything looked fine when he walked in. Cyan and his lady kept a formal court at dinner, though the number of people at the table was pathetically few. Setzer remembered when Doma was as thickly populated as an ant-heap. He was certain that Cyan did, too. Setzer tried to cheer them both up by telling them all the news, which they seemed desperate for on this isolated island kingdom.

            "King Edgar is building his own airship fleet," he said. "Both Figaro and South Figaro are rebuilding like mad. A lot of the people hid up in the mountains when the Empire moved in, and are just now coming back down again. Locke and Celes--well, you were at the wedding, too, you know how happy they are--they've moved to Kohlingen, repaired Rachel's old house, and are settling down there nicely. No one has seen Gau for a while, I'm sorry to say. The last I heard of Sabin is that he left Figaro Castle and was living with his old master Duncan and his wife."

            "What about Shadow?" Cyan asked. "Did he go back to the Colosseum?"

            "No one's seen much of him, either," Setzer said, then bit into an apple. For all of Doma's apparent desolation, everyone seemed to be eating well. He hoped it wasn't just an effort to be hospitable to him. "Terra, of course, is still caring for all those children in Mobliz, while Strago and Relm are back in Thamasa. Strange town. They're having a struggle there learning how to do without magic. They never had to before."

            Everyone ate in silence. The atmosphere in the hall pressed down on Setzer like a brewing storm. He got an idea. "Of course, Doma Castle is the only place where there's room," he said.

            "Room for what?" said Lola, who looked ready to grasp at any hope.

            "Room for a proper Christmas party," the gambler said. "We haven't really gotten together since that last time at Figaro Castle. The world is changing, and we should at least get together to celebrate it properly."

            Cyan looked gloomy, but that was fairly normal. "Why Christmas?"

            "Why not?" Setzer shrugged. "Besides, it should be fairly soon. The Lady Celes probably won't want to travel much in a few months--oh dear, I did forget to tell you that part, didn't I?"

            Cyan took Lola's hand. "Well, we forgot to tell you our own news, so I suppose that's only fair," he grumbled.

            "It's still a little early yet," Lola murmured.

            "I see congratulations are in order!" Setzer said gladly. Cyan would always ache from the deaths of his wife and son, Elayne and Owain, but this would help heal that wound, or at least give him joy enough to endure it better.

            "Also," Setzer continued, "Strago isn't getting any younger. With no more magic in the world, he can't fight off the years much longer."

            "Well," said Lola, "then I suppose I had better start making preparations."

            Cyan looked taken aback to have this decision made for him, then smiled a little. "You see who the true ruler of Doma is these days!"

            Setzer smiled back. "And a wise one she is, too! Do you need--is there anything I should bring to help, since it was my idea?"

            "No. We have enough food stored away to withstand a year-long siege. It was never eaten--" Cyan's face fell at the reminder. Then he pulled himself together. "And we've dug till we found a source of water that can't be reached from the outside. We practiced with harmless dyes till we found some that no one can meddle with. NO ONE!"

            Lola gently took Cyan's hand and patted it. "We all know how much you worry about our safety," she said soothingly. The swordsman calmed down. "But this will be wonderful to have you all together again!" she added to Setzer.

            "Yes, I plan to try to bring everyone," he said.

            When he left the next morning, Lola was directing everyone and making lists. He foresaw an extremely busy time for Doma Castle...

Chapter 2

            Setzer landed first at Figaro Castle, currently in its position east of the high mountains that separated its normal territory from Kohlingen. The castle was surrounded by a vast desert that made it quite difficult to get from there to South Figaro these days.

            King Edgar greeted him cheerfully, and showed off his rapidly growing fleet of airships that Setzer had helped design. "A party? Wonderful idea! I have a bit of news of my own," he said happily as he guided the gambler through the halls. They walked to the guest-room where many of them had often rested when too weary to fight. The woman who Setzer remembered as being in charge of the place flew into Edgar's arms and tickled the king's new beard. "Ah, there you are!" she said with a laugh. "Through playing with your machines for the day?"

            Setzer was taken aback. The last time he'd seen the woman she was shaking her head ominously and warning the other ladies not to take King Edgar seriously when it came to his compliments. Judging by the matching gold rings on their fingers, it was quite serious this time.

            Edgar tossed the woman up in the air a bit, caught her, then set her down. "Alisa, really! Show some dignity!"

            "Why? Well, I suppose..." She kissed him on the mouth and walked off, though her pout looked rather fake.

            Later that night, Setzer and Edgar sat down in a quiet room over a glass of wine. "You know, I always wondered why you hadn't married," Setzer said. "Kings often must, whether they really want to or not."

            "And that was the problem," Edgar said. "When my father died, I found out what the price was for keeping Figaro independent of the Empire. You see, Emperor Gestahl had to approve of my choice of bride. If I chose three different times and he didn't care for them, he had the right to choose one for me. By the time Kefka showed up on my doorstep, I had already chosen twice." His face was like stone. "I knew the Emperor wouldn't approve of Alisa. I suppose it was only fair, since Alisa didn't approve of him either! But I'd heard that the Emperor had picked out some cold-blooded general with a heart of stone to sit by my side, you see, and after seeing how much my mother and father loved each other..."

            "Just as well," Setzer said. "I don't think Locke would have approved of that either!"

            "I nearly kicked myself for being a fool when I finally met the fair Celes, of course. And then I'd think of Alisa and knew I wasn't one at all. We had to hide what we felt, of course. I had to play the fickle, heartless ladies' man who couldn't make a choice, while she had to scorn me in public. Or I am certain the late, unlamented Kefka would have made sure that she died. That's what happened to the other ones, though I have no proof," Edgar said calmly, then ruined his pose by spilling his wine. "Sabin was the only one who knew. He was the only one I could trust before I met the rest of you."

            "Ah." Setzer thought of his own lost love. Did he have anyone that he could trust? "So you'll be at the party, then?"

            "Of course! We'll travel there in our own airship. Don't worry, we've practiced a lot. If the weather looks bad, we may be a bit late, but we won't take any chances." Edgar looked happy now. "I'm glad you came here first, though. If you like, we'll bring Celes and Locke along with us."

            "That would probably be easier," Setzer said. "It's going to be interesting trying to find several of them. But I'll fly to Kohlingen and let them know they're invited. I need to drop by the Colosseum just in case anyone's heard where Shadow might be. He hasn't been in South Figaro, has he?"

            Edgar shook his head, his smile fading. "I have someone watching for him if he does, just to let him know he's welcome here. Speaking of missing people, did you know that Lone Wolf is still alive?"

            "What?"

            "Yes, he was hiding out in the basement all along. How he survived I have no idea. I pay him a bounty for every monster he kills, plus he gets to keep anything he can steal from them. But if he wants to eat, he has to behave himself whenever he's up here, or I tell him that I'm going to invite Mog over so our little moogle can discuss what happened earlier."

            Setzer laughed. He wouldn't care to face the brave moogle in battle, and he was certain Mog could easily dispose of his former captor. "Well, if he's useful, keep him on," he said.

            "I plan to. There's a lot of er, people in South Figaro that I have to pretend not to recognize whenever I visit one of their town meetings. Including a few former Imperial soldiers who seem to have lost their uniforms," Edgar said. "But the metal from some of the abandoned tek units came in useful for the airships. And some of the ships now have beams and lasers that we were able to salvage from the suits as well."

            Setzer raised an eyebrow. "And what is it all for?" he asked. King Edgar might have only the best of ambitions, but who knew what his heirs would have in mind?

            "Not what you think! We spend most of our time hunting down wildlife and keeping them out of the fields so they won't ruin the harvest," Edgar said. "But what if some of the Imperials have survived and are hiding out somewhere? I'd hate to be easy pickings for them. YOU try being King sometime!"

            "It's never easy," Setzer murmured. "Old legends die hard, though. Just...just don't ever call them the Red Wings, all right?"

            Edgar shuddered. "Matron used to tell me horror stories about them, too. But I wonder if Baron ever really existed. I don't know what the answer is, old friend. I can't leave my people vulnerable, and you were the one who helped me build them. A little late in the day for doubts, don't you think?"

            "True. But don't be surprised if I teach others, too." Setzer realized that was probably the only answer. Cyan would be less isolated if he had his own airships as well. Doma was an island now, and even though it was a big one, it was far away from everybody else.

            A few days later he waved at Edgar and the rest as he took off for Kohlingen. Setzer gazed down at the high mountains between Figaro and Kohlingen, as always, even though he knew he'd never find that place after all these years. He circled once around the mound crowned with high trees that marked Daryl's resting place, then sped towards the home of Locke and Celes.

Chapter 3: Kohlingen

            Pigeons chirped in the back, lending a peaceful background to their talk. Locke and Celes bred them as messenger birds in honor of the seagull that had given Celes hope when her heart was in despair over Cid's death.

            Locke bustled about with dishes and tea-things while Celes watched him with amusement. "I'm only two months along," she said, radiant as always, "but he treats me like an invalid. I'm not bored with it yet, but I probably will be soon."

            Setzer sipped his tea, as always stunned by the former General's beauty. She was more glorious than ever at this beginning of motherhood. If only he had guessed she'd had a two-headed coin! Of course, if she hadn't been pleased with him, it wouldn't have mattered anyway. He'd seen her in battle, and very much doubted he would have survived the honeymoon if he'd tried to collect on that bet. *Ah...but what a way to die!* he thought, then sternly reminded himself that she was the wife of another man, a man she clearly cared for greatly.

            Locke 'accidentally' spilled some of his own hot tea on Setzer's knee, then apologized profusely. Accident--not hardly! Locke never dropped anything unless he meant to. Setzer supposed he was lucky the hot liquid had hit his knee rather than anything else.

            Setzer offered the Christmas invitation to Doma Castle. "The whole place is so gloomy, it needs livening up. You've cleared the ghosts from this place so well, perhaps you can help Cyan with his. Oh, it's not as bad as it used to be. He actually smiled once or twice! But Lola needs some help with the place. The few people there just rattle around inside those walls."

            Locke appeared to think it over, then asked, "I'm not sure Celes should travel such a long distance. Would it be safe?"

            Setzer knew exactly what the little treasure-hunter was REALLY asking. "King Edgar has airships of his own now, and said he would be glad to bring you when he and his party go. He certainly wouldn't bring Alisa if he thought there was any danger."

            Locke relaxed. "I had trouble believing someone finally caught the elusive King, especially that sharp-tongued wench, but they both seem to be happy."

            Celes yawned. "One thing I hate about being pregnant is that I have to go to sleep so early," she said. Setzer forced himself to not stare. Even with puffy eyes and small shadows beneath them she was still so beautiful. He wondered how he could have ever mistaken her for the singer Maria.

            He forestalled Locke. "No need to spill any more tea, my friend. She loves you, you idiot, and sees me only as a friend, if that much. And think about it. If that was the only way you could ever have her, wouldn't YOU kidnap her?"

            Locke laughed. "She is the greatest treasure I have ever found," he said a moment later, turning serious. "Forgive me if I seem a bit possessive."

            "I don't blame you. The only thing that she and I have in common is that we both knew Cid, though at different times. I had no idea about how she felt till we visited his grave on the island." He had never told anyone but Daryl about that part of his life.

            "I remember the Magitek factory," Locke said, shaking his head. "Those horrible glass tubes...and then thinking she'd betrayed us. I'm surprised she ever forgave me."

            "That was one part I was glad to miss," Setzer said. He'd already known about the tubes, one reason he hadn't been able to bring himself to go in with the others.

            "I have a couple of questions, though," Locke said.

            Setzer prepared himself for nearly anything.

            "I've heard rumors of other things in Daryl's Tomb besides what you and the others found. Apparently some thieves led by that lunatic Siegfried used it for a lair before they started running the Colosseum. In fact, the rumors say that's where they store a lot of the prizes. What do you know?"

            Setzer closed his eyes in pain. "It is not a place for someone alone," he said. "I nearly died several times trying to reach the Falcon by myself. While I expect Celes would look as lovely in black as she does anything else, I would not care to see her in it." *You idiot, you already have the greatest treasure on earth in your hands! How dare you risk her happiness!* he thought.

            Locke looked stunned, as if he heard Setzer's thoughts along with his words. "Oh," he said.

            "And what if Celes thinks you're in danger and goes after you? She would, you know. Do you want her to get hurt? Or your child? You had better hope you're dead if that happens, because I would kill you myself." Setzer was surprised. He hadn't expected to speak so frankly.

            The thief's face fell. "She would, too. Oh, God, that's how Rachel died..."

            Setzer felt bad about invoking one of Locke's worst memories, but preferred to do that rather than encourage the treasure-hunter to get himself killed. Celes deserved happiness, and if Locke meant it for her, it was up to him to help preserve the thief's life.

            Locke smiled ruefully. "Well, if you really meant to crowd my patch you would have filled my head with stories about the goodies you left behind. I supposed I can stop spilling tea on you whenever you look at her too much."

            "I'd appreciate that," Setzer said with a smile. "Doma at Christmas?"

            "We'll be there!" Locke said.

The Colosseum

            The next day, Setzer took off to visit the Colosseum, combining two favorite interests--trying to find Shadow and placing a few bets. He wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if Siegfried and Ultros had used Daryl's Tomb as a hiding place for some of their ill-gotten gains; parts of the place weren't all that dangerous, while he'd back Ultros and his friend Mr. Chupon against nearly any monster around.

            He spoke with the loathsome octopus over a cup of wine. "Shadow been here to fight lately?"

            "No, and I don't understand why. He's one of our top contenders and I can always get good odds. The last time he was here, though, he just turned away from his enemy and walked off the field. I had to return all the bets. Do you think I got any sympathy from him? He just laughed and said I was lucky he didn't put a ninja star through me. Said I'd already made plenty off his willingness to die, and that there wasn't enough money in the world to make him do it any more."

            "Sounds like he's finally coming to his senses!" Setzer said. He slapped away one of Ultros' tentacles as it slyly touched the pouch containing his darts and dice.

            "Well, he didn't have to do it here!" Ultros sniffed.

            "If you see him, though, tell him that I have a deal for him that I don't think he'll care to miss," Setzer said, then flipped a gold coin at the octopus, who caught it neatly. "There's plenty in it for you, too, if he says that you helped."

            "That's different. I'll be sure to pass on your message."

            "Good. Now you're showing good sense," Setzer said, then walked away. He'd rather sleep on the floor of the parlor of the Falcon than stay overnight inside. To think that idiot cephalopod had even thought once to pass himself off as Setzer! The Impresario still wanted to get his hands on the octopus--not for revenge, really, but for comic relief for his latest opera.

            Siegfried had nothing to say about Shadow's whereabouts, either. Mr. Chupon never had anything to say about anything. Setzer turned away in disgust after seeing the bout board. If he wanted to see weremice fighting leafs, he could do it for free near Narshe. Why, he could take the whole lot on himself...he dismissed that thought quickly. He didn't need the money and he wasn't _that_ bored. Besides, with his luck Mr. Chupon would take a hand, or the odds would be too uneven for good betting. And who knew--some of the more interesting fighters might well be living in hiding, waiting for a fool like him to think he was a great fighter!

            He set the airship on autopilot on a heading towards Narshe and went to sleep.

Chapter 4: Narshe

            The ghostly town was still empty, though a few people were beginning to come back. They mostly lived near the quiet inn out near the entrance, ready to duck inside after a day's fighting in the town. Setzer felt refreshed when he drank from the never-empty healing pot near the front desk. He must have been more tired than he thought, judging by how much better he felt now. True, he hadn't slept well for a long time. Too many of his own ghosts, perhaps. It was probably just his imagination that the place looked a trifle faded, as if it was starting to disappear.

            He found the secret entrance to the tunnels and began walking up to the realm of the moogles. Setzer had never liked caves, or much of anything else that closed him off from the open sky. He was attacked by the occasional pack of were-mice, but easily frightened them off with a toss of his cards. They looked more like real mice these days. Perhaps the evil influences that had changed them were now passing away.

            Setzer began to hear a lot of cheerful 'kupos!'--he must be getting close to their caves. He always had a hard time telling them apart. But he had to talk to Mog first, or he didn't have a chance of getting Umaro to join them. If they were going to get together for Christmas, it should be all of them.

            He was suddenly surrounded by small furballs that barely came up to his elbow. Setzer enjoyed being around them, though it was frustrating not being able to tell one kupo from another. Mog's conversation was somewhat less limited, though he obviously felt he was making allowances for idiot humans.

            Mog was happy to get the invitation, and gladly accompanied him through Narshe and up the hill to the top. Setzer wondered if he ought to tell the moogle that Lone Wolf was still around. He shivered as the chill wind swept down. Pity he didn't have a thick coat of fur like Mog or Umaro did!

            He gingerly stepped over the edge, hating it as always, once they reached the top. Setzer groaned when they hit--he'd wrenched his ankle again on the landing. Mog passed him a healing potion and stifled a quiet laugh. The moogle didn't laugh, though, when the healing potion only worked part of the way and Setzer had to ask for another. Did losing magic from the world affect the healing potions, too?

            They quickly reached the bone club Umaro left out and beat on it to summon him forth. Umaro seemed glad to see them both, and quickly showed them the short cut out and back to town. With the three of them together, even the red wolves kept clear, except for a few unfortunate or stupid ones who quickly became carrion.

            Setzer was glad to reach the inn, though; he was chilled clear through and it took him an hour in a hot bath to feel like his feet belonged to him again. Once warmed through and having drunk another bit from the healing pot, they were on their way again.

            Now he watched for a small island just north of Narshe, where the trees formed two crossing lines. Umaro spotted it first, and grunted to get his notice. Setzer landed the ship just outside the yard surrounding Duncan's house.

            "Setzer, you old cardsharp! How have you been?" Sabin leaped out of the door and picked his friend up roughly.

            "Aside from the three ribs you just cracked, pretty good," Setzer said. "Put me down!"

            "Oh, all right. Come on in, all of you! Duncan and his wife will be glad to see you!"

            Sabin was enthusiastic about everything, Setzer thought. His spirit would breathe new life into Doma Castle, if only for a little while. Once they were all in out of the weather, he extended the invitation to Sabin, Duncan and his wife, and let them know who else was coming.

            Edgar's twin looked five years younger than his brother, Setzer observed. No doubt the combination of an excessively healthy lifestyle and the lack of worry that came from not being king helped a great deal.

            "Well, you've certainly come at the right time. Duncan says the weather's never been this bad before. He...well, he doesn't think it'd be a good idea to stay here this winter. Even when the earth shook so much it wasn't this cold and windy here, he says. Do you think...do you think Lord Cyan would mind if he and his wife moved in? I mean, if it wouldn't work out, I know my brother would find room somewhere..."

            Setzer cocked his head. "Actually, I think Lord Cyan would consider it an honor to offer hospitality for any length of time for such a warrior and his family. He has quite a dojo to practice in, and I think he'd enjoy matching wits or swords or whatever with the great Duncan. And his wife Lola seems lonely. I think she would like to have an older woman to talk to. She misses her mother, I think." The old woman in Maranda had refused to move when her daughter had left, preferring to live with her memories.

            Duncan's wife smiled. Drat--if only he could remember her name! Setzer didn't like showing any lack of courtesy to any lady, even if people accused him of being more of a womanizer than King Edgar. Any woman who could cope with Umaro's typical table manners without batting an eye was a lady who deserved respect.

            Everyone seemed to agree about what should be done. Setzer, seeing the conversation was doing well without him, wandered out back and had a nice chat with the chocobos Duncan had in a covered pen behind his house. He had always liked the clumsy, flightless birds, who made up with their speed on the ground for what they lacked in the air. He thought he understood how they felt, never able to fulfil their true destiny in flight.

            In return, a small herd would sometimes appear when he called upon them in battle, strike a blow against all his enemies, and then run off. He scooped up a handful of grain and let them feed from his hand. Their quiet chirping soothed his nerves, always rattled by Umaro's rather large and inarticulate presence. He shouldn't really let the huge monster bother him. Setzer vaguely recalled being carried once to a tent spot, when a demon in the Lost Castle had gotten a lucky hit. Edgar had told him later that Umaro had first trampled the monster into the dust, then gently cradled an unconscious Setzer in his huge forearms. Umaro knew who his friends were.

            A lot of things rattled him these days, to be honest. Something was wrong, and the Christmas party probably wasn't going to fix it. It'd been his idea, though, so he'd best see it through. Setzer sighed, and returned to the house.

            The next day they headed directly towards Doma. The ship was a trifle crowded, since Setzer couldn't bring himself to leave the chocobos, either. Once he thought about it, he knew Duncan was right about the weather. It really was changing, and if he'd been thinking about it, he would have realized it long ago. Who else but he was in it the most?

            But then, he was never in any place long enough to see the changes from year to year. Still, the wind was colder than normal this time of year no matter where he went. Setzer was thoughtful. What could be causing it? There was no lack of candidates. Losing a chunk of earth that created the Floating Island. He shuddered, remembering it. Then the statues of the Goddess being pushed out of balance by that maniac Kefka. Over half of all living beings had perished in the earth-shaking terror that had followed it. He still wasn't sure how he'd survived. His only thought for a long time had been to find Daryl's Tomb. He was lucky he'd fallen somehow on the right side of the mountains, and lived long enough to heal from many broken bones.

            They landed at Cyan's castle, though the winds were so bad it took him three tries to set it down properly. And it was a good thing Umaro was with them--at one gust Setzer was torn loose of the tiller, and if the huge beast hadn't grabbed him, he would have gone over the rail when they were still a hundred feet up.

            When Setzer saw the storm the next morning, he didn't want to go up. But if he was going to bring everyone together, he needed to get on his way soon. For some reason, he knew they had to be together at Christmas. It wasn't just the party now, it was something else.

            Cyan was worried, and wanted to come along. "No," Setzer said, "You're needed here. I need someone who's strong and can stand the cold better. I need Umaro." The other locations might be warmer, except possibly Thamasa, but Gogo was underground. Umaro never got lost in caves. And Gau might be in the caves near the Veldt.

            Setzer stocked up on food first. If he remembered anything, Gau was always hungry. He and Umaro took off. He put on as much altitude as he could to rise above the shrieking winds, and headed south.

            He calmed down once he got their course properly set. In this weather he'd still have to keep them on it by hand, since the heavy winds tended to blow them off, but it was easier to hold on the right path with the automatics on. Each night he had to set down on land, though. Navigating at night over the empty sea was nearly impossible in a storm without someone as expert as Daryl to spell him, and they could lose their way without any landmarks to guide them.

            Three days later they landed on the Veldt. Monsters and beasts were still common on the grassy lands, though nothing he and Umaro couldn't handle together. For some reason, Setzer felt anxious about getting out of sight of the airship. Things were different now than before the death of Kefka. No matter how deadly matters had been then, he'd had a feeling that it would all somehow work out--or if not, at least they were all together as a team. He'd also gotten used to having powerful magic at his command. The powerful thrill of an Ultima spell...well, he didn't know how it affected the ladies, but he knew what it had done to him. No wonder there were so many stories about wizards, at least till they became old and respectable!

            Suddenly a group of Beakors attacked, only to scatter when a young, cheerful young man bounced among them and sent them running. "Gau!" Setzer shouted, and held out a handful of dried meat. Umaro jumped up and down. Gau, smelling as horrible as ever, first embraced the furry monster, and then Setzer. The older man sighed, and hoped Gau remembered a few of his manners once the boy was around people again.

            The next morning they took off in the airship again. Setzer tried to lay in a course for Mobliz, but ran into a nasty rainstorm. Gau helped him this time, since Umaro smelled even worse when wet than when he was dry. The boy complained about getting wet, but Setzer just smiled and said, "Gau, you need a bath anyway!" So did he, for that matter.

            Setzer thought he was making headway when a sudden gust blew so hard the airship nearly tumbled them both off the side. A good thing he'd had both of them wear their safety straps! One of these days he was going to have to put in one strong enough to hold Umaro...

            They spun away towards the east for over half a day. Setzer had no idea where they were, and went as low as he dared to in order to find landfall somewhere. They ended up flying all night before they found someplace to land that looked safe. He gasped in shock when he recognized the odd shape of Gogo's island below them just after sunrise.

            He landed and had all of them rest before they went looking for Gogo. The others must have been as tired as he was, or they'd just let him sleep the clock around--it was sunrise again by the time he awoke, and there was a distinct hole in the pile of food he'd brought. Well, that was what he'd brought it for. If Umaro preferred to stand guard than hunt for his own, it was only right to make sure there was enough for him, too.

            The three of them tied down the airship and began walking towards the cave. It was amusing to find one's way by being swallowed--once. After that, the procedure lost its charm. Umaro took the lead over the rickety-looking bridges. Those wretched little men or gnomes or whatever were still there, unfortunately. Setzer jumped and dodged along with the rest and wished he was in better shape. Umaro and Gau managed the obstacle course with ease and tactfully waited for him to catch up.

            He really hated the part where sections of the landscape hammered their path except for small sections where they could stand in safety. At least this time they weren't trying to grab any of the treasure at the same time, and could just run for it. Locke thought this kind of thing was fun, but Setzer's idea of treasure-hunting involved little more exertion than the strength required to set a roulette wheel going. They had to be more careful than usual, too--if healing potions were losing their usefulness, any injuries might have to be endured till they could recover naturally.

            At last they were past that part and down below where they only had to jump a bit. Gogo waited in his or her room, swathed in veils as always. Once Setzer got his breath back, he issued his invitation. Then he added, "Something tells me that all of us need to be together soon. Ever since...ever since Kefka died I've had these feelings. Most of the time they're right. There's something wrong with the weather, and we need to find out what it is."

            Gogo nodded, then spoke in its odd, muffled voice. "I can hear the groaning of the earth above me. Many beasts are taking refuge here that have never done so before. I didn't know what to do. I tried sending one of the messenger birds the thief and the General are breeding, but I never heard from any of you."

            "Nobody saw it. At least, neither Locke nor Celes said anything about a message from you when I saw them last. In fact, I haven't seen many birds in the air at all." As Setzer said that, he knew something was terribly wrong. Where had they all gone?

            "That is wrong. They are not hiding here, either," Gogo said matter-of-factly. "We need to go to Thamasa and find out what old Strago knows."

            Gogo was right. Strago was a loremaster as well as a former mage. The next day they made the short trip to Thamasa. When they landed, Gau went bouncing out to look around, and soon came back carrying an enormous feather, nearly as long as he was. It was beautiful--bright blue with red highlights along the edge, and iridescent in the sunlight. "Put it in the airship, Gau," Setzer said. "We'll have Strago look at it once we're on our way."

            They all went into the village. There were fewer people than before, and they all looked unhappy, with good reason. Half the houses had damaged roofs, probably from the huge fallen branches down on the ground. The only cheerful place was Strago's house where they heard a young girl singing. Setzer smiled. Relm could brighten a dungeon. Then again, a number of small black puppies who tumbled over one's feet livened things up, too. Judging by their looks, Interceptor had definitely been to this village in the past few months.

            Strago greeted them without rising. That wasn't a good sign. Setzer hurried over, and was horrified at how the elderly mage had changed. All his hair and beard were white now, and thinning rapidly, while he looked truly ancient now.

            "Ah...I see how surprised you are from your face. You're losing your ability to bluff, Setzer. Better not play cards any more," said the old man with a laugh.

            "I wish that was our only problem," Setzer said. "We are all having Christmas together at Doma Castle this year, and of course you and Relm are invited. Are...are you well enough to travel?"

            "Oh, yes. Just very, very old. The potions don't work the way they used to. Of course, I don't think you know quite how old..." Strago began a laugh which turned into a racking cough.

            "It's not going to be an easy trip," Setzer warned.

            "Nothing is easy these days," Strago said, once he'd drunk something.

            They both listened as the sound of young voices floated through the doorway. Relm and Gau were talking excitedly about something. "She needs to be someplace else, Setzer," Strago said. "This village is dying. Nobody knows how to do anything without magic, and now that it's gone they're giving up. If we lived closer to normal people we could learn from them, but we don't. I can't last much longer, and I don't know what's going to happen to Relm if she's trapped here. Is Owzer still in business?"

            "Of course he is, though he's a lot more careful about what pictures he hangs!" Setzer reassured the old mage. He saw where this was leading. "But you've got a lot more years in you yet. You'll see her married off yet!"

            Strago grimaced painfully. "I hope so," he sighed. "Still, how much room do you have on the airship? I can pack light, but Relm should bring everything."

            "Doma has a lot," Setzer said. "If you don't mind her using things that had a previous owner. At most she should bring whatever she can't do without."

            "And we'll have to be careful how we pack, or she'll suspect..."

            "Oh, she'll pick it up anyway, but hopefully not till we get there," Setzer said. "I think we can keep her busy bossing Gau before she figures it out." Trying to civilize the boy was always easier with Relm around. "But you should choose what you need, too. She won't go if you don't. We've been through that before!"

            Strago nodded. "Perhaps I won't pack as lightly as I thought...how many books can you take? I fear they may end up in someone's fire for the winter the way things are going here."

            Setzer took a look at the full shelves and gritted his teeth. Well, he'd certainly have plenty of ballast this trip. It was a really good thing he'd brought Umaro along!

            On one of the trips to the airship with an Umaro-load of books, they were attacked by three Achenovars. Setzer felled one with a Doom Dart, while Umaro threw a couple of the books with lethal effect. The third one fell all by itself, or so Setzer thought till he found the ninja star. He had Umaro retrieve the books, only a bit worse for wear, and load them into the airship.

            No one seemed to be around. Setzer leaned against a tree and announced to the empty air, "Shadow, you're invited, too. I know you're around. I know you just want to protect them. Come with us, and you can protect them at Doma, too. Just tell your dog that my ankle is not a chew toy, and we'll get along just fine."

            There was no response, but he didn't expect one. So he added, "I'll leave the back hatch unlocked. What you do about it is your business. There's always room for one more. And by the way, Doma has some excellent preserved apples. I'm sure Cyan will save some for you."

            A leaf rustled, against the direction of the light breeze. Setzer smiled. That was all he needed to see. He went back inside the airship to make sure Umaro distributed the books properly for balance, and left the rest up to Shadow.

            They took off in less than a week. Relm, as it turned out, had much less to pack than Strago once the books were figured in, though three puppies took up more room than he thought possible for such small beasts. Somehow a small black satchel and a dish for dogfood ended up near the engine room, though otherwise Shadow kept himself hidden. Setzer set course for Mobliz. It certainly wasn't going to be a proper Christmas party without Terra. None of them would still be here without her gallantry and grace.

            Things seemed to going well for the moment. Once he showed Gogo what needed to be done, he went below and brought Strago the feather. The old man gasped in shock. "I think...I think I know what it might be, but I thought it was impossible with no more magic...would you bring me the book with the red seal on the front?"

            "Of course," Setzer said, though he mentally cursed--naturally, that one was near the bottom in the ballast chamber and it'd take him three hours to dig it out again.

            Once he found it, Strago disappeared into it--metaphorically, anyway, though Setzer would not have been surprised even now to see the old man do it for real.

            As they worked their way west, once more a storm blew up. This was getting annoying. One almost thought that something was keeping them from Terra and Mobliz on purpose. Once more they were forced to land at Doma Castle.

Chapter 5 Doma/Mobliz

            Snow blew all the time now. Cyan had the castle gates opened so the airship could be anchored in the courtyard, though it was a tight fit--Edgar's airship with the royal arms of Figaro blazoned on the gondola was also tied down inside.

            Everyone tried to talk him out of leaving for yet a third time. Setzer shook his head. "The houses in Mobliz were never in good shape," he said. "I'm forever helping Duane fix them whenever I drop by, while the children still have to stay in the cellar, because that's the only place they know for sure is safe," he said.

            "And they'll be safe there this winter," Lola argued. "If they were able to survive the earth cracking apart there, just this wind shouldn't cause too much trouble."

            "If the house falls down on them and buries them inside, I don't know if any of them are strong enough to dig themselves out," Setzer said. He thought of Terra and her 'children' trapped forever in the hideous little hole they called home, and shuddered.

            Locke, who had arrived along with Edgar, objected as well. "Wait till this storm dies down, then. It's got to stop sometime."

            "Why? Why does it have to stop? Let's face it, we don't know!" Setzer shouted.

            Celes stepped in. "I think what we're all trying to say is that you've already risked your life enough to get us all together."

            "It's my life to risk. And where would be all be without her, I ask you? Edgar, you'd still be worrying about Emperor Gestahl, even if Kefka hadn't attacked you before now just for the fun of it, the way he did Doma."

            The king grimaced. "True. And Celes would have been executed for treason by now for daring to speak the truth."

            The treasure hunter bowed his head, then took his wife's hand. "I still think you could wait a little bit," he grumbled.

            "It won't get any better," said Strago. Everyone turned their heads towards the old man. He lifted up one trembling hand and pointed at a page of the book on his lap. "This is no ordinary storm," he said. "There's a reason why we see no birds in the sky any more, and why the chocobos stay under cover even when it's not raining or snowing. I will have to see it to be sure, but I don't think it will be long before we all do."

            "What on earth are you talking about?" asked Sabin.

            "Nothing on earth. You see, some of the dragons may have lived long enough to spawn. Even though magic is gone, some of their children may have survived while still in the egg, and have hatched. If they are large enough, their passage could cause these storms, which will not pass until they are destroyed. Setzer was wise to bring us all together. But he's right. We need Terra, even without her magic. Without her, we are only a part of what we once were."

            "Dragons? With feathers?" Cyan asked.

            "One kind, called a quetzal, terrorized Thamasa two thousand years ago. Or perhaps the Espers have finally decided to clean us out now that Kefka has gone. We must have Terra to speak with them if that's the case, or we're doomed."

            After that, of course, Setzer was overwhelmed with volunteers. Once more, he chose Umaro for his strength. Besides, he'd taken the beast with him before to Mobliz. The children loved him. And if digging needed to be done, Umaro was the one to do it. Even Mog raised a paw, though he hated the way the orphans considered him an oversized fuzzy doll. Setzer chose Edgar, though he disliked taking the king away from his other responsibilities, not to mention Alisa--but Sabin's twin brother was the only one who really understood airships. Cyan tried, but his idea of getting machinery to work involved threats. That worked on occasion, as Setzer had seen, but under these circumstances he needed someone to help who could take over for him if necessary.

            On Strago's advice, they left before sunrise one morning when the air was relatively still. The airbag had been painted a combination of green and gray to mimic either the land or the sea, and they were to fly at a very low altitude all the way. Strago thought that way they could both avoid the notice of any evil creature of the air, as well as lessen the impact of the storms.

            Setzer hated that kind of thing, but saw the necessity. They crept south and west. The gambler was very happy he'd brought Edgar, since many nights found them nowhere near land. Umaro helped to hold the rudder steady for hours on end.

            At last they approached Mobliz, or what was left of it. If Thamasa had been damaged, Mobliz was ruined. It looked worse than Sabin had said it looked when they'd first met Phunbaba. "Damn," Setzer said. "All those hours I spent putting up roofing tile with Duane down the pipe!"

            "I take you've been here a lot?"

            "Oh, just once a month or so. Duane's only a boy, though don't tell him that. Terra and Katrin are pretty busy with the children and all," Setzer said, grinding his teeth at seeing his handiwork smashed to the ground.

            Edgar looked sad. "Oh, don't worry about it," Setzer said. "You have enough responsibilities. It kept me amused when I was bored."

            He had begun to look forward to these visits, he had to admit. He looked for a safe place to land. It was actually hard to tell where the houses had been. Once down, he decided to pile brush around the ship to hide its profile from the sky. He took the lead. He was the lightest of the three, and least likely to fall down any holes, as he probed the ground with a stick.

            Then he heard voices. He leaned down and called out. His heart rose when he heard Terra's reply. Umaro and Edgar cleared away a lot of debris, and revealed an entrance to the orphan's cellar hideaway. The children ran away as Setzer dropped down into it.

            "Oh, don't be silly, it's only me," he said, and fumbled in his pocket. "I forgot the candy this time, but I still have my cards." A few rays of feeble sunlight helped him see well enough to perform a simple cascade. The orphans came closer, as always enthralled by this minor trick.

            Then Terra walked up, her hair turning into green flame as the light from above lit it. "I hoped somebody would come..." she whispered, then she fainted.

            Setzer barely caught her in time. The poor thing must be exhausted. Duane led him to Terra's tiny cubicle, now crowded with nearly all the little ones. Katrin sat by the side of the wall, her baby in her arms. The gambler laid the girl down on the bed and covered her.

            "When did this happen?" Edgar asked, after he and Umaro had come down. The little ones climbed all over the huge beast as if he were a large, furry toy and demanded rides.

            "About a week ago...we think. It was like Phunbaba all over again, except its shadow was bigger," Duane said. His face was white and frightened. "We...we were moving into the houses, and then the wind blew so hard the roof started coming off. We barely made it down here in time..." Then the boy began sobbing. Katrin's face was dull and lifeless, as if she had already gone past tears. "Terra kept us going, like she did the last time...we pretended not to hear her crying sometimes at night. She hates not being able to fight back any more..." Duane said through his tears. "Katrin's sick, and so is the baby. We don't have any heal potions..."

            Setzer hoped the few they carried would be enough till they got to Doma, where there was still a stockpile. "Well, then, we shall all spend Christmas at Doma Castle! There's plenty to eat, and lots of soft beds, and high walls that won't blow down for anything!" If Kefka couldn't bring them down, he thought, he doubted that anything could.

            He immediately organized a relay to get them all into the airship and out of here as soon as possible. Umaro lifted them up out of the ground, while Edgar and Duane helped them to the airship. Setzer found them a place inside according to weight and balance, once he'd made up a soft bed inside the parlor for Terra, Katrin, and the baby. He'd slept in a hammock before!

            Once everyone was inside, Setzer kept everyone who was still awake amused with card tricks, a little juggling, and stories about what waited for them at Doma. Relm would be glad to have someone her own age to play with, while there were at least three puppies who desperately needed someone to pet them. No doubt Cyan and Lola would be a little surprised at their new guests, but Doma Castle was so empty that Setzer didn't think they'd mind very much.

            They waited till just before sunrise the next day to lift off.

Chapter 7 Terra

            Terra was stunned to find herself in the parlor of the Falcon once more. She'd thought it was just a bizarre dream of the past. Katrin slept on, exhausted by her illness and grief over the small infant who had died in her arms just a day or so ago from the head wound the child had suffered when the house had fallen over.

            She gently took the baby from Katrin's arms. This was the first time the girl had been too tired to fight it. Terra wrapped the baby in one of the blankets and began looking for someone to help her figure out what to do. Katrin must not have Dru back--she had to accept her child's death. Duane was too grief-stricken himself to be much help.

            Terra almost stumbled into Setzer as she walked down the hall.

            "Need help?" he asked cheerfully, though there were shadows under his eyes, too.

            She wondered how long it'd been since he'd slept. He occasionally nodded off on some of his visits to the orphanage even when one or two of the children were still in his lap, so she was sure they weren't bothering him.

            Terra sighed. "Katrin's baby is dead, Setzer. She wouldn't give her little girl up till just now, when she was too asleep to know what I was doing. We've got--we've got to do something."

            Setzer stood and thought a moment. "Can it possibly wait till we get to Doma? We shouldn't land till we get there. I don't know if we'd ever get going again."

            "Over...over the side then?"

            "No!" he half-shouted. "I mean, that wouldn't be right. Look, I have a few small compartments that nobody can find but me. I helped Daryl put them in when she built this ship. When we get to Doma, then we can have a proper burial."

            Terra nodded reluctantly, unable to come up with anything better. Then she heard Katrin screaming, and thrust the bundle at Setzer. "I have to go back--I'm sorry to do this to you, but I have to go help her..."

            "It's quite all right, my dear. Don't forget to get some rest yourself."

            It was strange. The people she most relied on were those considered unstable by all the rest--Locke, whose grabby hands concealed a noble soul, Shadow, who constantly spoke about how evil he was in order to hide the little good left, and Setzer, who swore he risked his life only because he was bored. None of them had ever failed her.

            She went back to the parlor to do what she could to comfort Katrin. Everyone depended on her. She was lucky she had at least one person that didn't mind her depending on him.

            ***

            Setzer hurried along the corridor. This was not the first body he'd had to help dispose of, but it would be one of the most difficult to explain. So naturally one of the little orphans popped right out and asked him what he was doing.

            Lying was no good. These children had seen far too much. He sighed, and said, "Your mother told me what happened to Katrin's baby. I can't make her any better." The tiny body was as cold as ice--he'd checked just to be sure. "I have to put her someplace where she'll be safe till we can bury her."

            "So Phunbaba won't get her!" the little girl said. Anys, he thought her name was.

            "That's right. Phunbaba won't get you, either, dear," Setzer said, patting the child on her head with his spare hand. He hoped. "Now, remember, stay off the upper deck."

            "Hate the sky!" the girl cried, then ran off.

            Setzer walked briskly towards one of the secret compartments, tucked the small body inside, then slammed it shut angrily. Nobody should hate the sky...

            He went up to relieve Edgar. The king was having a hard time keeping the airship as close to the ground as they needed to be. Setzer didn't blame him. That kind of flying was difficult and tired anybody out fast.

            It was a sunny, though extremely windy day. A huge shadow suddenly blanketed the land near them. The wind gusted and nearly heeled them. Setzer glanced upwards and screamed.

            A monstrous, feathered flying thing nearly blotted out the sun above them. It didn't look like a dragon--Setzer still had hideous memories of Doom Gaze--but like an enormous bird. Edgar's mouth hung open in shock.   

            "Oh God, what is that?"

            "Don't know. Umaro!" Setzer called down below. "Come up here and hold the tiller! Edgar, get your Tools--I know damn good and well you brought them!" Without any other word he began checking the cannon. Good thing he'd kept it in decent condition as well. He opened the back and began loading the powder, hoping like anything it hadn't sat too long to be any good. "Everybody hang on!" he shouted down the hatch. If nothing else, the cannon should increase the airship's speed immensely--Daryl had used it that way once to win a race.

            He opened a compartment to the side and hauled out a cannonball. Damn, they were heavy! His back was going to hurt for weeks after this, but he'd deal with that then. Edgar puffed up the stairs with Umaro just behind him, both of them loaded down with an astounding array of mechanical items. "Autocrossbow first," Setzer said. "If we can scare it off we may not need the others." He hoped. Just in case, he set out his pouch with the Doom Darts and Fixed Dice. A good thing they always returned on their own after every throw!

            At last the cannon was ready. Umaro locked the tiller into place, and then helped Setzer swivel the cannon upwards, but still away from the airbag. The giant bird followed them, pretty much in the same position Mr. Chupon had been before they'd landed on the Floating Island. Setzer devoutly hoped this bird had no allergies!

            "Ready, aim....fire!" Setzer lit the fuse, while Edgar took aim. The autocrossbow and the cannon went at the same time, sending the iron ball and a fistful of steel bolts towards the bird's eyes. The giant feathered thing wheeled up and then dove again at them, only this time the airship was not where it was supposed to be--the cannon shot had pushed the Falcon faster and further away. Setzer hoped that nobody below had gotten hurt, and began loading the cannon again for the second round.

            The bird approached more carefully, as if a little surprised its prey had such a sharp set of claws. Umaro got the cannonball in this time, for which Setzer was extremely grateful. He charged and tamped the cannon again, while Edgar got off a few extra shots between just to keep the bird respectful.

            Once more the cannon roared--once more an iron ball shot towards the menacing bird. Once more the airship shook and kicked towards the north. This time the bird looked almost puzzled, and wheeled away. They all waited to see if it would come back, but it was apparently gone, at least for now.

            At least they were that much closer to Doma. Setzer could see the outlines of the castle towers near the horizon. He panted with exhaustion, and promised himself that he'd sleep for a week once they'd made landfall. Edgar looked white and strained himself.

            Setzer opened the cabinet by the tiller and poured a tot of rum for all three of them, though he made a it double for Umaro. The amber liquid made him gasp for a moment, but curled down warmly in his stomach in less than a minute. "I really thought we were going to die that time," he said weakly.

            "So did I."

            Umaro just held out his glass, tiny in his enormous fist, for more rum. Setzer was glad to give it to him.

            Setzer was about to raise a second dose to his own lips when he glanced upward. "Oh, God, no," he whispered. A high dot up in the sky was coming closer. "It's making a dive. Umaro, put another ball in the cannon." They had to change their course radically or the bird would smash them into the ground like a falcon sometimes did its prey.

            They were so close to Doma! He bent to charge the cannon again, this time with more than usual in order to give them speed. He hoped the mold on the cover didn't mean the bottom layer had gone bad.

            The bird began to get bigger and bigger. They had to delay the shot until just the right moment, or the thing would be able to change its course enough to get them anyway. Setzer's heart hammered like a blacksmith's anvil as he waited for just the right moment and prayed the powder was still good.

            He could see the bird's talons clearly, too damn clearly, and they were about to rip the airbag into shreds when he lit the fuse. The cannon went off with a shattering roar. Setzer felt something large and furry knock him down, and then a muffled, huge explosion.

            The airship began sinking. Setzer struggled out from under Umaro, who wasn't moving, and saw what happened. The cannon had exploded and sent pieces of metal everywhere, including into the huge beast's body. He yanked out a couple of the big ones, hoped his friend wasn't planning on bleeding too much, and tried to find Edgar. He didn't see the King of Figaro anywhere. Setzer hurried below. The airbag was in tatters and losing gas fast.

            Edgar was sitting stunned in one of the hallways, while the light streaming into it from the broken decking above explained his current position. Setzer took a quick look, decided his friend would live, and moved below. He quickly reached the smuggling compartments and began hauling out bags of gold. Somehow Terra was by his side helping him. "Throw them over the side," he said. "Ballast. Must stay above the water till we get to the shore of Doma's island."

            Terra looked shocked, but got moving. She lined up some of the orphans with more curiosity than good sense, and let them help. They thought it was some kind of game and almost looked gleeful.

            Once that was set up, he hurried back above. Umaro was sitting up--looking a bit groggy, but still alive--and Setzer just handed him the bottle. He was going to be busy. He set the trim to keep them on course for the Castle as long as the Falcon stayed in the air at all.

            He almost slipped in some blood while trying to adjust the line, then saw some of the metal had gotten in his leg. Well, there wasn't much he could do about it now. Umaro, poor fellow, had gotten most of it. At least the bird seemed to be retreating, judging by the decreasing size of the dot headed over the horizon.

            The airship almost made it to Doma Island. As soon as the hull touched down into the water, he called down for everyone to get up on deck. Terra and Duane carried Katrin out, while the other children helped each other. Edgar staggered out under his own power. Fortunately the tide carried them to shore, even though Setzer winced at every crunch that meant the hull was hitting rock.

            Terra got off the airship and onto shore first, with a little help from the others. She took one end of a rope with her, so the rest could make it out easier. Edgar helped Umaro, though the King staggered under the fellow's weight. Setzer secured their end of the rope around one of the posts that was still holding pretty well, and helped Katrin into a makeshift harness on a pulley. Duane went over with her, and took her up onto shore, where Terra and Edgar met her. The children actually had an easier time, though they still glanced fearfully up at the sky. Setzer didn't blame them.

            Finally, they were all off but him. He tied himself into the harness and began pulling himself to shore hand over hand. Dark spots danced before his eyes, and he swore that he saw some bizarre shapes on the horizon...just as pain in his chest squeezed him so tightly he could have sworn that Sabin was trying to crack his ribs again...

Chapter 7 Doma

            Terra saw the riders on chocobos approach just as Setzer went limp halfway between the rapidly sinking airship and the shore. Edgar and Duane were in a heap on the ground, while Umaro was asleep or unconscious. She recognized the riders right off. "Locke! Come here with your boomerang!"

            The treasure-hunter leaped off his riding-bird and ran up. "What do you need--oh, my God!" he swore, and tied a line onto his weapon. He threw it swiftly. The boomerang wrapped itself around Setzer and came back to Locke. Locke and Terra hauled on it, making some progress, when Sabin came up and added his strength to the effort.

            Soon they had the white-haired gambler on shore, and cut the rope just as the airship went under. Setzer groaned, and unconsciously pressed his hand to his chest. Terra told Locke and Sabin what had happened, while all the children were crying, Edgar was trying to get to his feet, and Umaro was snoring.

            Locke gave Setzer the first healing potion, though he had to be careful so the gambler wouldn't choke on it. That seemed to help a little. Then he gave the rest of them to Umaro after pulling out some more metal fragments, on the grounds that the huge yeti would be the hardest one to move.

            Edgar stared at the trailing end of rope still headed into the ocean and shook his head. "Let's get going," he said. Umaro was able to walk, though clearly wasn't happy about it. Terra wondered if Doma Castle had enough healing potions for the big lug! Setzer and Katrin were loaded onto the chocobos and they set off.

***

            Setzer slowly opened his eyes. It felt good to lie in a soft bed and not hurt. Strago's worn face looked down on him. "First, it's been four days," the old man said. "Second, everyone's still alive. Third, the airship sank. The Falcon's gone. Fourth, I was right about the healing potions not working as well. We're trying to make more, but not having much success. So you'll have to heal naturally for a while. We ended up using most of them on Umaro, I'm afraid."

            "He saved me..." Setzer murmured.

            "King Edgar, I think, is trying to make a new cannon from all the metal they picked out of our big friend. He has enough for a small one, anyway. Plus a few choice pieces from your own hide. And I believe you've overstrained your heart from doing too much. The days when we could cure that with a simple spell are over, I'm afraid."

            "The magic pot just outside Narshe still works," Setzer said.

            "I don't understand that. But alas, we're not in Narshe, nor are we likely to get there any time soon. King Edgar's hidden his airship, and a good thing, too. We were visited by that thing just this morning. For some reason it doesn't seem to like us much."

            "What is it?"

            "Now that I've seen it for myself, I know. It's a Garuda Bird. A fullgrown one can cover half the sky. One like it was said to have caused an Age of Ice that lasted a thousand years from blocking out the sun. The only people that lived through it ended up taking shelter with the dwarves where the earth gives heat of its own."

            Setzer certainly didn't want to spend the rest of his life going 'lali-ho'! "Have to kill it now, I suppose," he said quietly. "Can if we get it on the ground..."

            "But you're not going to do anything for the next several days except lie there and get well," Strago said.

            "Make Terra rest, too," Setzer said. "She does too much..."

            "Coming from an expert like you, I daresay you're correct. Now go to sleep."

            Setzer didn't find it hard to obey this time. The next time he awoke, it seemed like it was much later. Oddly enough, he'd heard singing--not just Celes, but someone else.

            Shadow was sitting at his bedside this time, munching on one of the famous preserved apples. Setzer had never known anyone but Shadow who could eat them so quietly.

            The assassin grunted quietly, his eyes noting Setzer was awake, then went back to eating his apple. Setzer knew better than to try to force a conversation. In a few moments, Shadow pocketed the core and said, "Never believe who's down there."

            "I heard someone whose voice I didn't recognize."

            "She'll be mad if she hears that. Some woman from Jidoor named Maria, supposed to be famous. Thinks she is, anyway."

            "What?" Setzer sat straight up, and wished he'd hadn't. "How'd she get here?"

            "Came with King Edgar. Didn't he tell you?"

            "No. He kept trying to tell me something about a surprise I missed by leaving so quickly when we went to Mobliz, but he never got it out. On the way back we were too busy."

            "She pretends to be upset about you trying to kidnap her."

            "I'm glad I got Celes instead, though I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention it to Locke. He's a little sensitive yet about that." Setzer felt uneasy. He'd only met Maria once, at a party the Impresario had thrown. She had openly dared him to take her for his own, a dare he had been only too happy to take up. Still, had she really been attracted to him or to his money? "Someone probably better tell her I'm broke."

            "Not as long as you've got cards or dice," Shadow said. "Saw you and Locke playing poker once. If there was an honest shuffle in there by either one of you I never saw it. You still won, though."

            "Locke certainly understands how to deal, but he still needs work on adding up points," Setzer said, his mind only half on that subject. He wasn't ready for this. "I think I am going to be too ill for most visitors yet," he finally said.

            "Coward."

            "Got it in one. Bring on that blasted bird, but not her!"

            Shadow quietly snorted. "Don't blame you. She tried to hire me once. Had to point out that not being kidnapped was stupid to get upset about. Also, I work for cash in advance, and never take pay in trade. Did think about it, though." His eyes flashed in a way that meant he hadn't, really, but that any man would be a fool not to think about Maria.

            "I think I am definitely too ill."

            "I should be so smart."

            Why, Setzer believed that Shadow was actually confessing to some personal feelings. There was hope for the man yet. "Feel free--she's a grown woman. Just watch your back."

            "Or other parts!"

            "Met a few of those myself. Barely got away with everything still attached, but they were still worth it." Setzer remembered a few of those women rather fondly. They had been extremely educational. "Well, enough on that. How is everyone else?"

            "King's got a broken arm. Should heal fast. Umaro still stands up to eat. That girl--Katrin?--is sick, but getting better. Cyan's teaching the older boy how to hold a sword right. Kid's got a good eye--not as sharp as Gau's, but not bad, either. Terra's been asking to see you, but old Strago's making her rest. Relm's in charge of kids and puppies, bosses Gau around too. Mog disappears when he's tired of being their toy. Sabin runs them all around, says exercise is good for them. Good for someone, I guess. Interceptor tries to keep up with them, poor thing. Sleeps like a rock at my feet." The dog he mentioned raised his head, took a look at Setzer, then sank back down. "Good dog." Shadow bent down to pet the beast.

            Setzer had never heard Shadow say so much all together. Yes, the assassin was really changing. Now if they only lived long enough for it to be worth all the trouble. He closed his eyes and slept again.

Chapter 8 Doma

            In a few days, he felt well enough to dress and go down for dinner, rather than having it brought up to him. Sabin came out of nowhere and escorted him down. It was just as well, considering how weak he felt.

            That day he noticed that the decorations Lola had planned for the party were only half up. Christmas was coming soon. Garuda Bird or not, they were here all together. When he brought the subject up, everyone looked grim. "Look," he said. "Christmas is coming. We're safe so far. Not having a party isn't going to do that much to help. After all," he said, blatantly invoking the one thing he knew would work, "the children would miss it so much. It wouldn't be fair to them." Of course, he had no idea what he was going to give anyone for presents, with his airship currently breathing seawater, but he was certain he could improvise something.

            They all looked thoughtful. Even Gogo nodded through his/her veils.

            Preparations began. Setzer began to organize the games as his strength came back, though he sometimes got breathless for no reason. He missed the open air a lot, but understood why no one even so much as went near a window these days.

            Still, it took little effort for him to turn tissue paper into decorative flowers, though they weren't nearly as beautiful as Cyan's silk ones. The swordsman became more serene in the next few days as those talents were called upon instead of his skill in death. Soon the entire front balustrade was lined in the glorious blooms. One day Cyan threw open one of the lesser treasure rooms and told everyone to have what they would to give as gifts. "What good is this if it is always hidden away?" he said. Setzer thought Maria was going to faint. The woman had clearly never seen such wealth before in her life. He still avoided her, though, especially since the night when it became clear that both Sabin and Shadow were very much attracted to her. Sabin had taken to lifting obscenely heavy objects just to get her attention, and then Shadow would do something bizarre with one of his knives--usually to the lifted object--so she'd look back at him. It wasn't safe to be around any of them these days.

            No, these days Setzer spent as much time as he could with Terra, who seemed glad just to rest for a change. Being in charge of so many others as young as she was had clearly been too much for her. She seemed happy that others were helping for now. One afternoon he made her a tissue-paper necklace, twisted into false emeralds the color of her hair, and tossed it over her neck just to see how pretty she'd look in it.

            Later, in the evening, he walked into the main dining hall. Maria called to him to come over and keep Sabin and Shadow from bothering her. He took two steps towards her, then looked back and saw Terra's face looking sad and pale. "No, you can manage them yourself," he said, then walked over to Terra. "You mustn't mind her, my dear. She is used to making all the men run to her. I got over her long ago."

            Terra smiled uncertainly. "It's just...I don't know much about parties."

            "Well, then, you'd better stay with me. I was one of the Empire's greatest experts." He held out his arm for her to take. Someone started playing some music on a phonograph."This dance is easy as long as we go slowly. I'll be glad when we're both feeling better."

            She missed several steps and trampled on his toes at least twice, but he didn't mind. He'd rather teach her than have the prima ballerina of Gestahl's court in his arms. Setzer briefly allowed himself to dream of what it might be like to have someone so innocent care for him, the way Daryl had for such a short time. Oh, it was too late for him--Terra would certainly fall in love with someone much closer to her own age--but it was soothing to imagine that it could happen.

            ***

            Maria waved at both her suitors and retired to the privy for just a moment. There was certainly no lack of wine here! If it weren't for these people's bizarre companions, she could imagine she was back in Jidoor getting ready for the New Year's Party at the Opera.

            She nearly stumbled into Lady Celes. "Pardon me, my lady, you may certainly go first!" she said. Pregnant women were always allowed to break into a line--it was said the child within made the need ferocious on occasion.

            "Why, thank you. It'll be just a moment." Celes went inside with a look of gratitude.

            It was really odd how alike they looked. There had been rumors that one of Gestahl's most victorious generals had been artificially created to be both beautiful and deadly. The beautiful part Maria knew about. It was like looking into a mirror to see Lady Celes walk by. She had trouble with the deadly bit, though. She was surprised to hear that Celes had been slated for execution for treason. Maria knew that slime like Gestahl and Kefka would undoubtedly have found another use for the woman, just like most men generally found a use for her.

            Celes came out, looking blissful and much less agitated. "I would like to have a little talk with you, my dear..."

            "What about, my lady?"

            "The idiotic way you're behaving out there. Sabin and Shadow are both grown men. Take one, take both, I don't care! But don't pit them against each other for your amusement. I find that extremely illbred. It reminds me of Gestahl's Court, actually, and if there's anything worse than that I would hate to become acquainted with it."

            "Then try Zozo! I was dumped as an infant there with no parents, and sold to a merchant as soon as I was old enough to be interesting. Then he sold me to the Impresario. It wasn't till last year that I owned my own contract!" How dare this high-nosed bitch tell her what to do?

            Celes turned pale. "Try being owned by Gestahl sometime. You never own your own contract then, believe me. Or being touched by Kefka. That'd make Umaro throw up."

            Maria shivered. Even she had heard stories about them. "Well, in thirty years I've seen a lot that made me throw up without that. What's wrong with having a little fun?"

            "If that's all there is to it, don't let me stop you. But these men--all of us--we had to fight together and trust each other with our lives. If you ruin it for any of us--" Celes' hand shot around Maria's throat--"you'll never sing again."

            Maria nodded wordlessly. Celes let go. Then she looked at Maria speculatively. "Zozo, huh. Rough town. Strangely enough, I'm just about thirty myself. Let me check a few things out before you leave us."

            "If that stupid bird will ever let any of us leave," Maria blurted out.

            "Well, there is that," Celes said, and walked off.

***

            Sabin paced up and down the hall, so restless he wanted to run. A knife suddenly appeared in the wall next to him. "Oh, Shadow, I hate it when you do that," Sabin said as he pulled it out and flung it back without looking, certain the assassin would catch it.

            Shadow walked out of his latest hiding-place and smiled in a way that showed his white teeth. "That woman."

            They both knew who he meant. "I've never thought about them that much before. Not like my brother who lived, breathed, and sighed over them since he was ten. Even once when just Celes and I were traveling together, she was just my friend. Where have my brains gone?"

            Shadow snorted. "Where mine are."

            "And the hell of it, all the time we're showing off for her she's watching Setzer."

            "He only looks at Terra."

            "I thought he was just being nice to her. She is a little shy."

            "When a man like him acts like that, is more than just nice. Stories about him all over the Empire. Remember the Blackjack?"

            "Do I! Why, he practically cried the first time it went down, until he figured out how to fix it. I don't blame him. It was a great ship."

            "All the beds in back fit and locked together. Story about a party where he showed how it worked. With three women at the same time."

            "You don't mean he'd do anything bad to Terra, do you?" Sabin was upset. Setzer had never made a move on any of the women that he'd ever seen.

            "Don't mean that. When an older man turns down someone like Maria to play patty-cake with someone a daughter's age, sometimes it means he's ready to hand his heart to her and let her cut it up for her dinner."

            "Terra wouldn't do that."

            "No. But she may not know what to do with it, either."

            "Damn. I've never thought of Setzer as old, even with that white hair."

            "This war makes us all old," Shadow said. "Without healing magic, we'll all die sooner than maybe we thought."

            "If we hadn't killed Kefka we'd all been dead anyway," Sabin said with a shrug.

            "True. Me first of all!" Shadow snorted in laughter.

            "So, what do we do about Maria?"

            "Oh, give her a little surprise..." Shadow whispered something into Sabin's ear. They both laughed out loud, then went their separate ways.

Chapter 9 Christmas Eve

            A few nights later, it was Christmas Eve. Gogo, of all people, called them all together. "There is a custom among my people that no great joy can truly be celebrated until the heart is released of sorrow. For this night, I can be whoever you wished. Weep and mourn until your eyes are finally dry, and then you can give all your heart to the joy of the season unburdened of grief." The veils began to come down.

            At first Gogo's face shimmered. Then the changeling faced Cyan. "Lord Cyan, your grief is not as great as it once was, but it still shadows your heart," Gogo whispered. At first the face changed into that of a fair young woman. "Elayne..." Cyan murmured, while tears dropped from his eyes. Lola took his hand. Then the face transformed into that of a young boy. "Owain..." said the swordsman, till at last he was forced to wipe his face.

            Then Gogo turned to Lola. "He is at peace. Now you." The visage faded into that of a young soldier. "I died in Mobliz, but my last thought was of you," came the whisper. Now it was Lola's turn to let Cyan comfort her.

            Gogo turned to the orphans who were sitting down on the floor by the adults. "This will be hard, and I am sorry, but it must be done." The mimic then changed into many different faces, just long enough for each child to remember and mourn. Terra glared at Gogo fiercely. Then her own face crumpled as Gogo showed her General Leo for one last time. Duane and Katrin wept when they saw their little Dru again.

            The being faced Mog and Umaro. The changes here were more radical. Mog groaned when Gogo turned into a moogle that none recognized but Mog, while Umaro sobbed as Gogo swelled to the dimensions of another sasquatch.

            Gogo said, "Oh, this is hard to do it for so many! I feel your sorrow as if it were my own." Again Gogo changed. When facing Edgar and Sabin, the face of a tired old king made the twins grasp each other's hands for comfort. "Father," they both said. Then the face changed to that of a gentle young woman with long, reddish hair. "Arronwe!" cried not two, but three different voices. Relm left her grandfather's lap and held Shadow's hand as tears ran unchecked down the assasin's face. Interceptor nuzzled Shadow's knee, trying to bring comfort. Gau turned pale and ducked his head when Gogo turned into a sad-faced brownhaired woman who reached out to him.

            Gogo faced Locke and Celes, so close together they were nearly one person. When the mimic's face became that of an old engineer, not one, but two voices whispered, "Cid." Locke whipped around and was surprised to see grief on Setzer's face as well. Then Locke was too busy trying to hold back his own tears when he saw his beloved Rachel one more time. Setzer experienced only joy at seeing Daryl's face again, though he had to hold on to a post for support when Gogo briefly became a pale-haired winged figure that only he knew.

            Maria waited, then asked, "Is there no one for me?"

            "I am sorry. They broke your heart when you were so young, you were never able to grow one back." Then Gogo turned into a perfect replica of Maria. "You have a right to mourn for yourself, though..."

            Maria turned and ran, though everyone could hear her weeping. Gogo put up the veils. Terra raised her head. "Is there someone for whom you would like to mourn, Gogo?"

            "Nobody has ever asked me that..." Gogo said with a catch in its breath. Suddenly light flared up on the wall in wings of flame.

            "Maduin!" Terra shouted. "Gogo, who are you? Who are you, really?"

            "It doesn't matter any more. He chose a human woman to love, but I...I had already given my heart and could not take it back. I promised to watch over his partly-human child, but I failed to keep her out of Gestahl's hands. Yet I am hers to summon and command, and always have been."

            Now it finally made sense. Gogo was the last Esper that walked upon this earth, with abilities that didn't depend on the Goddesses' existence, yet were cruelly limited by the actions of those around him or her. Setzer shuddered. Gogo was lucky to have escaped the horrible glass tubes of the Magitek Factory.

            Terra shook with pain. He went to her side, in case he could provide some comfort. "Isn't there any joy for us?" she cried.

            "Humans find joy in keeping each other close,"Gogo said. "It seems to help them. Even those of you who are not have learned this trick."

            Indeed, it looked as if the group had become closer. Sabin and Edgar, as always, drew strength from each other, though Alisa was on the King's other hand as well. Relm and Gau sat at Strago's feet, while Locke and Cole were in each other's arms. Duane and Katrin had their laps full of orphans. Maria was gone, but so was Shadow. Mog was patting Umaro's back. Cyan and Lola sat half-hidden by the shadows, but no doubt they helped each other. Setzer gave into the temptation to hold Terra and tried to remind himself that she was still really a child.

            Once she felt better and withdrew, he held out a hand to Gogo as well. They all mourned the dead, and no one should feel left out. He knew what it was like to be so terribly alone. Why, he'd kidnapped Celes, thinking she was Maria, because his life had been so horribly empty.

            The mimic paused a moment, then extended a gloved hand. "It is always hard to be the last of your kind," Gogo said. His/her voice choked up when Terra embraced the veils.

            Then Gogo appeared to recovered and stepped to the front again. "After the sorrow, comes the joy. New life comes to replace that which is gone. The voices of children echo in this castle, where before there was silence. Christmas is a time to celebrate these beginnings. You are alive and here today because you have all risked your lives for each other, not once but many times. You are so much stronger together than you could ever be apart, and have the wisdom to see it. I--I am more when I am with you than I ever could be alone. Even though a menace hangs from the sky, we shall somehow triumph over it together."

            "Remember how strong and joyous you are together!" Gogo shouted. Light blossomed behind the mimic and formed a brilliant star up in the window. "Remember the promise..." the veiled figure whispered.

            When the lamps were lit again, they all felt shaken, but somehow better. Lola escorted them into the feasting room. Setzer gazed up at the high, vaulted ceiling and swore that if he had anything to say about it, that none of them would spend their lives cowering under cover.

            No one should hate the sky.

Chapter 10 Wings

            Late that night, Strago flipped through book after book. He'd seen the winged figure that Gogo had briefly become somewhere before, but couldn't remember quite where. How interesting that it had appeared just after a face that Setzer clearly recognized.

            He'd never wondered about the gambler's origins before. Some people were pale and gray eyed like Setzer, while others were darker, like Shadow or Cyan. Celes' and Maria's coloring was quite light as well, but in a different way than Setzer's. Given his head for heights, Setzer probably came from a mountainous area.

            There were some legends...Strago picked up a different book, but still couldn't find what he sought.

            He heard Relm cough. "Little one, what are you doing up this late?"

            "Bringing you some tea, Grandpa. What are you doing up this late?"

            "Just trying to find something out. Hmm, let's see, "The people of the Angoul Mountains are tall, brave and fond of gaming..."

            "Oh, about Uncle Setzer?"

            "You've never called him that before," Strago said.

            "All the little kids do. He dropped by the orphanage at least once a month and brought candy and stuff. Then he'd act silly to make them laugh." Relm yawned. "One of the girls found a fairy-tale book with pictures of winged people in it. She pointed at one of them and said it was him. I told her that Setzer didn't have wings, unless you count the airship."

            Strago snorted. Fairy tales! Then he stroked his beard, lost in thought, and barely noticed when Relm went back to bed. His tea got cold, but he drank it anyway. Wait a minute. Both Celes and Setzer recognized Cid. They had all met the engineer at the Emperor's palace in Vector, but only those two were affected by seeing his face again. Where and when had Setzer met the man?

            He turned towards a stack of notebooks Celes had salvaged from the hideaway on the island. She'd never be able to look at them, she'd said. Some of them were older than she was, though. Had there been other experiments before Celes' birth? Strago began flipping through the books, trying to decipher the crabbed notes and numbers.

***

            Everyone awoke that morning at the sound of a huge crash. Setzer threw on a robe and looked out a window. A dark shadow blocked off the sun, but became smaller as the great bird flew away.

            They gathered for breakfast. "Something has to be done," Edgar said, his face grim. "If the Garuda Bird decides to destroy this castle, there might not be much we can do about it."

            Setzer thought they would never be able to live above the ground again if the Garuda bird decided to drop rocks on everyone. They'd once broken an entire Imperial camp all by themselves by having Umaro drop a couple of cannonballs on them while Edgar strafed them with the Autocrossbow when they were in the old Blackjack. "We've got to lure the bird down to the ground in order to destroy it," he said. "We may have hurt it some with the cannon on the Falcon, but I doubt we'd be able to kill it, even with the weapons on the Figaro ships." Besides, it might be impossible for Edgar to reach Figaro and bring the rest over the way things were now.

            "How can we lure it down?" Terra asked.

            "Give it something to attack," Shadow said. "The way you say it took after the Falcon, maybe it doesn't want any rivals in the air."

            Edgar's eyes were calculating. "If we could get it to land in the courtyard after we've had time to prepare everything, and if I could get some help...Setzer, you'll have to fly the Eagle," he said regretfully, and stared down at his arm, still in a sling. "I can work the weapons if I have an assistant, though."

            Setzer smiled. "No problem. I'll try not to wreck it this time."

            Edgar looked around the table. "We'll have to pool our weapons this afternoon and discover what we've got. I'm sure Lord Cyan still has all his items!"

            The swordsman nodded, looking as if he were counting over the castle's inventory in his head already. Locke and Celes left the table, no doubt to check their own goods. Setzer looked in his pouch. Amazing it'd survived this long! It still contained his Doom Darts, the Trumps, and the Dice, though, along with a couple of other items too precious to have left anywhere else. A good thing, too, since he'd had to borrow clothes from Cyan and Shadow, as they were the closest to him in build. Everything else he owned had gone down with the Falcon.

            Terra looked unhappy. Setzer reassured her. "It's possible that Celes can still use the Atma Weapon. That would leave the Graedus for you, if they can find it, and you were quite good with that," he said, glad to see it cheered her up a bit.

            Edgar had left the table and was talking with Duane. Gau, Sabin, and Mog were loosening up, as most of their fighting abilities didn't depend on weapons. Relm was pouting. No doubt her grandfather had informed her that she wasn't going to be involved and she was trying to think of an argument against it. Setzer shook his head. Without magic, the girl was far too vulnerable. The same went for Strago. Shadow had already disappeared, no doubt to practice tossing his knives and whatnot in one of the upper halls. Umaro was stuffing himself while no one else was paying attention to the food on the table, while Gogo seemed to be asleep.

            Setzer wandered over a window and loosened a shutter. He had to see what was going on. "Edgar," he said, "come over here, please." The King of Figaro walked over. "Where did you say you hid the Eagle?"

            "Right up against the courtyard, with a net over it...oh, no!"

            They both gazed on the bits of wood, canvas, and wire scattered on the cobblestones. One gigantic rock sat on top of the remains of the airbag and hull. "It'll take months to put it back together again!" Edgar said, his voice full of despair.

            "We'd have to do all the repairs underground, and then bring it out somehow to fly," Setzer said. Caves again!

            "If that's what it takes, then that's what we'll do," Edgar said grimly, and began walking away, his shoulders slumped in gloom.

            "Wait. I thought of something," Setzer said. "Do we--did anybody bring any Cherub Downs?" He and Locke usually ended up drawing cards to see who got to wear it.

            Edgar turned back. "Yes, but they only make you float off the ground a little bit."

            "What if somebody wore two of them at the same time?"

            The King blinked. "Never thought of that. It'd have to be someone who could fight as well as fly, though, since the bird might try to attack...we'll have to try that out."

            After breakfast was over, everyone assembled in the great hall to discover if Setzer's idea would work. Locke had brought one of them with him, while Cyan had had the other one. The first volunteer was the treasure-hunter, who strapped on the Downs and immediately shot straight up. Setzer looked up at him enviously. The thief kept his head in the air, but was having trouble maneuvering. Then Locke seemed to get the hang of it, and squeezed one side or the other to change direction. He nearly smacked into the wall, and barely pushed off with his feet in time. He finally landed by detaching one of the Downs and gently floating down till he was only a couple of inches above the ground, then taking off the second one.

            A scattering of applause came from everyone else. Cyan grimly tried it out, but accidentally turned himself upside down. One of his swords fell out and clattered on the stone. He turned a truly hideous shade of green, somehow mastered himself, and came down jerkily. Edgar quietly shook his head. Even if he could manage the Downs with only one hand, his weight combined with that of his tools would probably be too much. Mog was next. The moogle spun around and danced in the air till a golden glow surrounded him. He had trouble stopping himself, though, while he dropped the spear he'd taken up with him. Everyone backed up a little bit more. Mog slowly let himself down, and staggered once he touched ground.

            Celes was next. She gracefully held the Atma Weapon with one hand and switched back and forth between the two Downs with the other. Then she glided down as if she'd done it all her life. Locke looked unhappy. Umaro tried next, but even two Cherub Downs couldn't lift him. Gogo just shook hir head, while Gau looked terrified. Sabin boldly strapped them on, pushed into the floor, and immediately rammed himself into the ceiling. Shadow had to throw a line to bring him back down again. The assassin attempted to use the Downs next, though he looked as if he were dying of embarrassment, and quickly came back down. Strago was clearly laying down the law to Relm this time, and shook his head. Terra tried it, and seemed to have no trouble in the air, but looked glum. She clearly missed her magic.

            Then Setzer had his turn. The gambler strapped the devices on, which looked like puffs of cotton. He smoothly launched himself into the air and practiced maneuvering till he could gently guide himself around the chandelier. Then he dove, pressing the Downs with one hand, and accurately tossing one of his darts into a wall panel with the other. As he rose back up, the dart returned to his hand, and he spun about and threw it again, this time snuffing the bottom candle of the chandelier.

            "Showoff!" Locke said with a laugh.

            Setzer didn't want to come down. The draggy feeling he'd had in his chest ever since the Falcon had crashed was gone when he was up in the air like this. After a bit of practice, he could control his path as if he'd done it all his life. Even a space as small in comparison to the outside as the great hall of Doma had its own little set of currents, and it was easy to use them to help reduce the amount of work he needed to do.

            He reluctantly came back down to earth. Edgar said, "All right, Setzer will be the primary lure, with Locke for backup." Celes began to step forward in protest. Edgar grimaced, and said, "Celes for backup after them." The General looked a bit more satisfied, though not entirely so.

            Once everyone else had dispered to begin their preparations, Edgar motioned Setzer over. "Are you going be all right? I remember how badly you got hurt when the Falcon crashed."

            "It's better when I'm up in the air, my lord King," Setzer said. "It's not strength, though that's part of it. It's making the air do what you want, instead of what it wants. It's...it's like drawing a royal flush, or throwing ten sevens in a row...I think for you it was like the time you discovered a suit of Tek armor in perfect condition. How long did it take us to get you to stop playing with it? I don't think you ever took it apart, did you?"

            "Only to find out how it worked!" Edgar said with a grin. "But seriously, we'd really miss you if you got yourself killed."

            "As I said before, it's my life to risk," Setzer said softly. "I seem to recall hearing about a certain Gerad who hoped like anything a band of thieves wouldn't figure out who he was. That could have been fatal, too. Besides, Locke has responsibilities these days."

            Edgar sighed. "Terrible how a person's past catches up with one! I wish Cyan had an easier stomach, though. He'd be a great fighter up there."

            "He's never been terribly happy on the airship, either. Being down by the engines helped him, but you never saw him at the rail unless he had to be there." Setzer tried to think where the others could do their best in this battle, but all he wanted to do was to fly again. *Cid, you did what you thought was right to save my life, but this is my destiny...* he thought, remembering the past.

***

            Locke pretended to be all right till he got out of everyone's way, then leaned against the wall and wiped cold sweat off his forehead.

            Shadow stepped out of somewhere or other and handed him a handkerchief. "Just like old times, eh?"

            "Oh, yeah. Just like that damn freighter out of Albrook. But I have to practice, or Celes will be the Birdman's backup. No way will I let that happen. Your discretion will once more be sincerely appreciated, O shrouded one..."

            Shadow laughed. "I don't mind making a big jump, but just hanging up there was horrible. I finally found the one thing that actually frightened me."

            "You mean Maria doesn't? Brave man!"

            "Or a stupid one. Don't you be stupid, either. If Celes is better, let her do it."

            "That's not gonna happen. I'll stand guard over Setzer myself to keep him in good health."

            "Or help Strago make healing potions that work," Shadow said. He had a few thoughts along that line himself. An assassin's work often included drugs and potions. Most of them didn't involve magic, which was much too chancy to depend on. Some of them could heal in the right proportions instead of harm, but he'd have to talk to Strago to find out what would work.

Chapter 11 Preparations

            Edgar supervised the work party to clear the courtyard of some of the wreckage, always with one eye out for shadows from the air. He'd station Shadow in the high tower that overlooked this side. If Setzer could bring the bird anywhere close, the assassin could throw accurately enough to injure the Garuda and perhaps force it to land. He'd adjusted one of his crossbows for extreme range, and set it up on a tripod so he could aim and shoot one-handed, as long as Duane held it steady. Once the bird was down, the others could use their own attacks. Mog was going to use Wind Slash as his dance. Even though his attacks might actually help the bird, his Sun Dance was far too valuable to do without. They would all need its healing power before this battle was over, Edgar feared.

            "Strago!" the King called the old loremaster over. "You and Relm need to find all the Rods you can throw. I want you two up in the second story window."

            "I thought so. I won't have much luck convincing Relm, though."

            "You can tell her to set up her easel. There won't be room in the courtyard. I don't know if her paintings will work any more, but it's a good way to keep her out of danger."

            "That might do it." Strago glanced up at Setzer, who could be seen flying in the dining room again through one of the windows where the shutter was open.

            "You didn't seem surprised when Setzer did so well yesterday," Edgar said, who had learned at an early age to watch faces as well as actions.

            "No...no, I wasn't. Cid had some interesting experiments besides Celes. I have a notebook I must show you sometime." Strago walked away.

            Edgar shook his head. There wasn't time to check on that now. He made sure enough of the wrecked airship was left to make it look as if nothing had changed in the courtyard, and had the workers carefully draped scraps of canvas over the crossbow emplacements. He'd also salvaged some of the beam weapons from the Eagle and set them up, though they desperately needed to be recharged. They'd only be good for a couple of shots at the most.

            At last they were ready. Tomorrow would be the day. They were all eager to start the battle now, but it would be best if they all got a good night's sleep. Or some rest, anyway. He wasn't going to sleep well till all this was over.

***

            Setzer paced back and forth in his room. Edgar had forbidden him to fly outside, though how he was supposed to learn how to cope with strong winds without doing so was beyond him. Granted, he had an instinctive feel for it, but practice didn't hurt either.

            He couldn't blame the King for being so anxious, though. This was going to be their last chance for months if it didn't work. He was still wound up tighter than that one clock in Zozo! Setzer smiled to himself. The last time he'd felt like this was just before he'd tried to kidnap Maria. The only things that had relaxed him then was a good card game or a lady's company. Well, he wasn't going to find either one here tonight. His only real opponents in cards here were Edgar, Locke, and Strago--the old man had trouble shuffling these days, but still never missed turning a trick--and they were all probably busy taking care of their loved ones. And the ladies here were generally taken already. Even Maria was usually seen on Shadow's arm these days. He sighed, and laid out a hand of solitaire. A hour or two of Klondike, keeping track of imaginary wins and losses, ought to slow him down long enough so he could sleep without drinking too much wine.

            Even as he matched red cards to black, though, he couldn't stop thinking about the battle to come. Oddly enough, he wasn't frightened at all. He would be flying. Really flying, not just an airship driver. Daryl had shared his dream in that way. He thought it'd been taken away from him forever. How odd to find it now, after all these years.

            He heard a quiet knock at the door. Terra stood there, with a tea-tray and some cakes. "Thank you, my dear," he said as he took it from her. "You should be asleep. It's quite late."

            "So should you. But I could hear you pacing--I'm in the room below you."

            "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep you awake."

            Terra came in the room and sat down. She fidgeted. "I couldn't sleep anyway. It...it was really amazing watching you fly like that. Aren't you ever afraid of anything?"

            Setzer set the tray down, poured two cups, and took one over to Terra. "Lots of things, my dear. I hate caves, for one thing. I feel so horribly closed in. And I always get lost in them. Kefka's Tower was the worst. Caves and steel tunnels..." He shuddered just remembering it.

            "And Daryl's Tomb."

            "Yes. Especially when the water began rising. I am glad you missed that one," he said.

            "I feel safer in them now. Before Phunbaba was killed, we only went outdoors when we absolutely had to. It was better for a while, but then the Garuda bird came and buried us." Tears trickled down her face.

            Setzer leaned over and held her until her shoulders stopped shaking. "It's going to be all right now, my dear. I've seen how the children stay away from the windows here. They won't be afraid any more after this. You know how fast they recover."

            "I don't know...I don't think I've ever been a child. For a while, I thought Gestahl was my father. He came to the nursery to visit and brought me candy sometimes. And then...the first time I accidentally started a fire, he told me I had to wear a special crown he'd made just for me so I wouldn't hurt anybody...then I found out later that everyone hated me because I was the Imperial Witch who'd killed so many others."

            "It wasn't you. It was never, never you. The Emperor used you as a tool, just like the King does with his crossbow. You might as well blame the Falcon for wrecking the grass wherever it lands," Setzer said. Terra and he were on the wide chair together now. Her head lay on his shoulder. How he wished he could keep her safe forever!

            "How can you be so happy when you've lost everything? You were so rich, but now you don't have anything..." Terra asked.

            "I have so much, I can't add it up any more," Setzer said softly. "Before I met any of you, I was turning into someone even I didn't like very much. I didn't care what I did, or who I hurt. I should have had more respect for Maria than to consider kidnapping her, even if she teased me about it. I did not behave as a man ought to, my dear, but even then my luck held out. I found all of you instead, and that is the greatest jackpot I've ever hauled in."

            Terra lifted up her lips and kissed him. "Be careful tomorrow. I couldn't bear it if you were killed. When the Falcon went down, when I saw you on the line and you couldn't move, I thought I'd die too."

            Setzer felt dizzy, as if he'd lost his balance. The touch of her soft lips on his nearly drove all thought from his mind of anything else. His heart beat quickly. "Oh my dear, you are so young to feel this way. I am old enough to be your father..."

            "It doesn't matter! I didn't tell General Leo how I felt, and then he died! I have to tell you before it's too late for you, too!"

            She buried her face in his shoulder. The perfume from her hair nearly drove him mad. His hands shook as he stroked the silky green strands. Didn't she have any idea how beautiful she was? "Oh, my dear, are you certain? There are so many others who think so well of you..."

            "I want to know what love is!" She lifted up her head again and looked into his eyes. "None of those others ever came to Mobliz after Kefka died. If...if you don't care, I'll go away...I know I'm not really human...:

            "No!" he said, unable to hide his own feelings any longer. "If...if you like, we can sit here and kiss for as long as you want. I love you, Terra. I came to Mobliz because I couldn't stand not seeing you, but I didn't know how you felt." Yes, he'd sit here and just hold her if that was all she wanted, even though it was driving him mad with desire already being this close to her.

            They didn't speak for a while. Terra was happy simply being in his embrace. Then she ran her hand down his body. He shook with the strength of his feelings, and said, "My dear, I really must warn you...if you do that again, I may not be able to restrain myself. I want to love you as a man does a woman, but I'm not sure you're ready for that yet."

            Terra looked at him, seemed to think for a moment, then caressed him again. "I want to be a woman, Setzer..."

            He vaguely remembered removing his clothes and taking Terra to his bed. Then they were together beneath the covers. There was certainly nothing odd about her body that he noticed! Her small, yet swelling breasts, her trim waist and belly--why, all of her looked quite like an extraordinarily beautiful woman. He found her green hair immensely attractive next to her white skin wherever he found it.

            Setzer did his best to make sure she found the experience as pleasurable as he did. Judging by her small, breathless gasps of excitement, he was apparently doing something right. She bit her lip when he first found her portal, but was sighing with joy as soon as he'd made sure her Pearl of Delight was properly cared for.

            Then he was flying, flying, even though his body was on the bed...

            Afterwards they kissed. He sleepily ran his fingers through her hair, so like silken emeralds. "Let me rub your back," Terra said, who looked bright-eyed and happy. He rolled over without thinking, and hoped he wouldn't fall asleep on her.

            She let her fingertips trail down his muscles. He took a deep breath and let it out again, so content he never wanted to move again. "Your hair's like soft down," she murmured, and continued the massasge.

            "What are these scars?" she asked after a minute or two.

            "Which ones?" he said, half into the pillow. "I got some of them when the Blackjack fell..."

            "These two straight ones, that go down your shoulder, like someone cut them or something. Are they from the harness?"

            He wanted to say yes, but it wouldn't be right to lie to her after all the truths she'd told him. Truths that had hurt her to speak. "No. I wish they had been. Have you ever heard of the People of the Sky?"

            "Yes, the orphans had me tell stories about them. One or two of the older ones remembered the ones their parents had told them before Mobliz was destroyed. But they're just make-believe."

            "They were real until about forty years ago. The Emperor was looking for Espers even back then. Because the People of the Sky were born with wings, he and his thugs thought we were Espers, too. They got nothing from us...ask Locke or Celes about the tubes in the Magitek Factory sometime." He rolled over and looked up at the ceiling, unable to shake the memory. "I was in one...I don't know for how long. Cid took me out after everyone else was dead." For one horrible moment he was trapped, trapped behind the glass again, screaming and screaming and nobody cared, except for his mother who tried to smile at him even as she died...

            Terra brought him back with a caress. "But what about the scars?"

            "Cid did it to save my life. Even though he told the Emperor what he thought of Kefka's incompetence, he was afraid that Gestahl wouldn't do anything to stop the slime. The wings don't come all the way in at first, you see...and I look quite human without them. He taught me how to build my first airship...and then I ran. I ran as far and fast and as long as I could. Nobody was ever going to keep me prisoner again..." He remembered how much it'd hurt, even with all the potions Cid had given him. It'd taken him a year to make his shoulders work right, because the engineer had had to cut deep to take out the root-buds. "And then when Daryl wanted to marry me, I had to tell her no...I was afraid that our children would be hunted down, too."

            "That's why the ones in our group who are...different don't bother you, like they do some of the others," Terra said.

            "My dear, once you've played Texas Hold'em with Ultros--he's a sucker for trying to draw to an inside straight, I must say--a little thing like Umaro's eating habits would hardly throw anybody off."

            "No, I can tell the difference," Terra said. "Trust me. King Edgar is always polite, but he always has an odd look on his face, like he's about to flirt with me like he does all the other girls, but doesn't really dare. He's like that with Celes, too."

            "Doesn't want Locke's boomerang up his...ahem, well, I think you understand. When it comes to Celes, that's only quite sensible. I think he just believes you're too young, myself."

            "No. It's different. Believe me, I know," Terra said.

***

            She did. Once Setzer was finally asleep, she dressed again and walked back to her room. After the Espers had all disappeared, she had never thought of having children of her own, or why the orphans of Mobliz were doubly dear to her. Setzer treated them like they were his own, too.

            She felt so different now. Despite her fear, her skin nearly tingled with being so alive. Even more than the pleasure he'd given her, was the closeness. Only the children ever hugged her, and even they had been a little afraid of her the first time she had morphed into her true form. Setzer wasn't afraid of anything, except his own past.

            No wonder he'd do anything to have the chance to fly again. As much as she hated the thought, there was nothing she could do to keep him from going up tomorrow and doing battle with the Garuda Bird.

            Terra found a corner, leaned into it and began sobbing.

            Shadow coughed, and stepped away. "Anything I can do to help?"

            "You've got to make sure he doesn't die tomorrow!" she cried. "Every time I love someone he dies!"

            "I'll keep that in mind. Er...we are talking about Setzer?"

            Terra nodded, then blew her nose. "At least this time I wasn't too afraid to say something," she said.

            "Well, good. Ah. Hadn't you better get some sleep?"

            "Oh, yes, you're right." Terra hurried down the hall to her own room.

            Shadow turned to his companion, who had remained hidden. "I'm afraid I have to leave now, too. Big battle tomorrow. And you heard the girl. I've got to keep our flyboy alive."

            "I thought you didn't take pay in trade." Maria's voice was unhappy.

            "That young girl has saved my life several times," Shadow said. "Now that's a trade I'll accept any day. Don't make the mistake of underestimating her." He kissed her hand. "Ta!"

Chapter 12 The Battle

            Setzer arose, dressed, and found himself whistling as he sauntered down the stairs. Today was the day. He'd chosen a crystal helm and a diamond vest for his armor. More than that would add too much weight. Then he remembered one small matter he needed to take care of first.

            He filled up a tray and took it over to Terra, who sat away from the table and looked glum. "Eat up, my dear, you'll need your strength." He'd already had as much as he should.

            She tried to smile at him. "It'll sit like a rock."

            "Not if you eat it slowly and drink some tea with it. Remember that morning before the final battle with Kefka?" They both did, and Setzer knew it. He sat down beside her to make sure she got something down.

            She began to take a few bites. Setzer fumbled in his pouch for the ring. "Would you wear this, my dear? I got it a while ago, and just left it in my pouch. Knowing you have it..." It had a gold band, with a stone in it of pale, pale green, as though an emerald had been mixed with white paint and set to dry.

            "Oh!" Terra said, and cradled it in her hands. "How long have you had this?" She thought about what Setzer said the night before. If they ever had a child, he or she might have hair that color.

            "It doesn't really matter," Setzer said.

            "I suppose it doesn't," Terra said. "Is it this finger I hold out?" She'd been one of Celes' attendants when the General had married Locke, but her eyes had been too blurred with tears to see properly during most of it.

            "This one..." Setzer lifted up her hand and slid the ring down her finger. "There isn't time for the ceremony you deserve, but we can always have it later."

            "Yes. But I know what it means," Terra said breathlessly. "Forever and forever."

            Setzer liked that phrase rather better than 'till death do us part' and decided not to correct her. He gently kissed the hand with the ring on it.

            "I don't have anything to give you," Terra said.

            "You already have. More than I could ever ask for," the gambler said.

            Terra took the knife by her plate and cut a lock of hair. "Take this with you," she said. "It doesn't weigh very much..."

            Setzer kissed the hair, then put it in his pouch. "I shall fly all the higher knowing I have this with me," he said.

            "Don't try for the stars," Terra said. "I want you to come back."

            The gambler smiled. "I hear and obey."

            Edgar called them all together and saw to it they had all their proper armor and weapons. Even though the weather was freezing, Gau stripped back down to animal skins. The boy never felt the cold in battle anyway, and they'd be close enough to the castle to get him warmed up once it was over.

            Setzer strapped on the Cherub Downs and soared up into the air. Shadow had seen the Garuda Bird high above them the day before. It was a cold, clear day with no clouds. The wind was brisk, but not changeable as far as he could tell. That would make it easier for him to calculate his own movements.

            He shivered with the cold. Diamond vests were light, but not terribly warm.

            Then he saw it. At first he thought it was just an ordinary bird, or a carrier pigeon in answer to one that Locke or Celes had sent. Perhaps even an airship from Figaro looking for their King. Then it got bigger. A lot bigger.

            HOW DARE YOU INVADE MY REALM!

            "I dare anything," Setzer said out loud. "Who are you to invade mine?"

            I AM THE CHILD OF PHUNBABA AND DOOM GAZE. I SEARCH FOR THE EVIL ONES WHO DESTROYED MY PARENTS.

            Setzer winced as he led the Garuda bird through the air. Large, sharp-beaked, and noisy, too. "Your parents destroyed the innocent along with the guilty. Frankly, they had to go."

            YOU PATHETIC GROUNDLINGS. NEVER CONTENT WITH THE EARTH.

            "Why should we be?" Setzer quickly dodged a talon. The damn thing was faster than it looked. "Where are the other birds, whose realm this also is? Do you hate them, too?"

            The Garuda suddenly soared upwards. Setzer knew better than to try to follow, no matter how tempting it was. His best bet was to wait until the bird was set on its dive, then dodge it at the last moment as he'd done in the Falcon.

            But then, he always loved a long shot. Setzer suddenly flew upwards as well. The Garuda apparently hesitated, then started a dive, but too soon. Setzer threw his first dart at the enemy's eyes. It missed, but the Garuda tumbled and took a moment to recover. Setzer dove then, and threw one of the Fixed Dice directly at the back of the Garuda's neck. It hit, but got stuck, while the bird screamed in pain but flew on.

            WHERE ARE YOUR CLAWS? WHERE IS YOUR BEAK?

            "In my hands!" Setzer shouted, and dumped more altitude. He was feeling out of breath even while flying, as high as he was now. The air was too cold, and cut through his chest like a knife. It got better a bit lower down.

            The Garuda pursued. Setzer stayed barely ahead of the grasping talons. Whenever he got a chance, he'd toss another dart. A second one stuck, and failed to return to his hand. He had one Fixed dice, and his Trumps left. Unfortunately the darts no longer cast Doom, even randomly.

            They approached Doma Castle. Setzer threw one or two of the steel-edged cards, just to keep the bird enraged.

            WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? YOU ARE MORE LIKE ME THAN YOU ARE LIKE THEM.

            "I care for them," Setzer said. "One is to be my mate. I would not have her live in fear of you, or of anything." The Garuda Bird was fearsome, but also beautiful. "Why can't you share the sky? Isn't it big enough for everyone?"

            WHERE ELSE AM I TO GO? I AM TO RULE THE SKY, YOU TO RULE THE EARTH.

            "I don't rule anything," Setzer said, "and I don't let anybody rule me unless it is my will that they do so."

            THIS IS WRONG. THERE IS RULER AND THE RULED.

            "No, that's wrong. Kefka thought that, and Kefka's dead!" Setzer threw another Trump. This one sliced into the bird's beak.

            The Garuda screamed its fury and struck with a claw. Setzer barely dodged it, and then twisted away to drag it down even further. At last he was near the tower where Shadow waited with his knives. Setzer deliberately slowed to give the bird hope that it could get him, and thus distract the Garuda from whatever the assassin might do.

            Setzer screamed as the talons gripped his body, but still noticed one of Shadow's ninja stars had gone into the Garuda's throat. Steel bolts whizzed past both of them, though one of Edgar's arrows slammed through the bird's claws and into his leg. With his last strength, he seized the remaining Fixed Dice, its sharp edges wrapped in Terra's hair, and made his final throw in this game...

***

            Terra stood down below, gripping the Graedus. Celes looked as calm as ever, though Terra didn't see how. Edgar and Duane were checking all the machinery, ready to deal death at the touch of a fingertip. Cyan paced back and forth, while Locke nervously tossed his Hawkeye up and down in one hand. Gau, Mog, and Umaro were on the other side of the courtyard. Relm and Strago watched from their window. Relm still looked unhappy. Terra couldn't see Gogo.

            Shadow shouted down from his tower. "Here they come!"

            Terra looked up and saw a large speck chasing a small one. *Setzer, come home to me...* she thought and prayed.

            Then they came close enough to see clearly. Her heart froze within her. It was like when Phunbaba attacked and she wasn't able to do anything...then she saw the ring on her finger. She was going to do whatever she could, however little that was. She readied the sword.

            Edgar had Duane aim the crossbow on its pivot, then the King of Figaro fired a series of steel bolts up into the air. Some of them hit the bird, but Terra was afraid a few of them were getting the gambler.

            A second Setzer suddenly arose from behind the Garuda bird as it approached the courtyard. The bird turned around and around, confused for a moment. It must be Gogo! One of the Setzers threw something, then slowed down. Shadow leaned out of the tower and let loose one of his throwing stars. The bird grasped one of the flyers. Something red flashed from Setzer's hand into the bird's eye. The Garuda fell. So did the other Setzer.

            Edgar let go of the crossbow trigger and had Duane hold the Drill while he aimed it. Terra jumped as the Garuda slammed into Shadow's tower and slid down into the courtyard. The bird's wings were flapping furiously, and knocked Sabin over. Terra couldn't see Mog. The Atma Weapon flashed at one side, while the Hawkeye flew toward the Garuda's head. Gau leaped and disappeared.

            Bolts of ice streamed from the second-story window, while Relm painted furiously. Terra sliced at one of the wing-tips with her sword and spat out the blood that gushed into her face. The Garuda Bird was trying to get up.

            Suddenly another vast shape appeared, just above the first. This Garuda stooped and dove, beak and talons ready to strike. The second one hit the first in the back of the neck. After that, the monster shuddered, then lay still.

            The second bird faded away and became Gau, standing on top of the bird. Relm jumped up and down and shouted, "It worked! It worked!"

            Terra looked up and saw Shadow hanging onto the remains of the tower with one hand. Then the woman who could have been Celes' twin edged out of a window and tore a long, thick strip of cloth from her skirt. She threw one end to Shadow, who desperately grasped it.

            Terra realized what had happened and ran to the bird's body. She saw a booted foot sticking out from one side of the Garuda's body. Umaro pulled it out, and the body attached to it, as Terra and Edgar held up one part. It was Gogo, clearly unconscious and sounding rather liquid inside the cloth. "Get a bucket!" Edgar shouted. "A big one!" Cyan, covered with what Terra hoped was Garuda blood, fetched a large wooden trough. Umaro laid Gogo in it.

            But where was Setzer? For some reason she glanced at her ring. It had gone dark green. She gulped, and began hacking at the bird despite how sick it made her to do so. Celes and Cyan joined her, while the others pulled away pieces as they came loose.

            Umaro found him. What was left. Setzer's face was still intact, but when the sasquatch lifted the body, its limpness and the dark stains underneath left no doubt as to his fate. The Cherub Downs were nothing but rags now, with no power left. A streak of dried blood ran from his mouth, and his eyes were closed. His skull was still intact, but the rest of him had been crushed. Several wounds on the bird's head showed where he'd struck back.

            The sasquatch howled in a way none of them had ever heard before. Terra reached up to push the hair off his forehead. Setzer always hated looking untidy...then she collapsed, weeping. His face was cold, it wasn't supposed to be cold, Setzer had warm skin and clever hands, he couldn't be dead, he couldn't be!

            Celes led her away. "You aren't the only one who'll miss him," the General whispered. "I always wanted to know when he was friends with Cid..."

            Terra didn't know if she would ever dare to love someone again.

Chapter 13 Christmas

            Relm worked on a painting, quietly and furiously. Such concentration looked odd on such a young girl. Her subject lay peacefully in front of her. He looked very natural. She was almost done with the background. Soon she would begin on its main subject.

            Strago walked into the high, vaulted room. All the windows were open. Terra had insisted on it. "He can't stand being closed in," she had said. So they put up with the cold. And, to be honest, it helped preserve the body a little longer from its inevitable rot.

            "You've got to rest," Strago told his granddaughter. "I don't know what you've got in mind, but I doubt very much it will work."

            "Let me paint, Grandpa."

            "I've tried every potion I know, and some that Shadow told me about, dear. He's dead."

            "Please let me paint..."

            "It won't do him any good if you make yourself sick, Relm."

            "I want to remember him, Grandpa. I'm going to paint."

            "Please get some rest, Relm."

            "Later."

            Strago left, not willing to physically lift her and take her to bed. Not yet. To be honest, in his heart of hearts he hoped for a miracle, too. Oh, why couldn't it have been him? He had lived so long already.

            When the afternoon light dimmed, Shadow brought a rack of candles. Relm never even noticed him. She did open her mouth for the soup he brought and fed her, but never missed a stroke. The assassin saw that Terra was there, kneeling by the padded bier. She'd probably been there all this time. Amazing he hadn't noticed before.

            Then again, the pile of silken flowers nearly covered her. Cyan hadn't said a word when they'd carried Setzer's corpse in, but the swordsman had deliberately ripped every decoration from the balustrades and put them all on the bier to cover the broken body.

            He had to help! If he'd thrown just a second or so sooner, Setzer would have been able to dodge the claws. Instead, the gambler had deliberately slowed down to give the assassin a better shot. Shadow stared down at Setzer's rapidly stiffening body. Terra had told Celes where the gambler had come from, and Celes had told everyone else. Well, the flyer had finally gotten what he'd always missed. No wonder the man had had such a hard time in caves and tunnels.

            Even Maria was sad. "I can't bear to see him like this, Shadow! He was always more alive than all the rest of us!" she'd said, then wept. Apparently the woman was growing a heart after all.

            Relm painted. Her face seemed to grow thinner by the hour. Shadow easily recognized the gambler from her rendition, except that she'd adjusted the light behind him so it looked as if he had wings, if one was looking for it.

            It was a good picture, though Shadow was no critic. Why, he could even tell the card that Setzer held out was the Ace of Diamonds.

            Relm painted. Then she peered closely at the picture, made a couple of corrections, and stopped. She swayed for a moment, then began to fall.

            Shadow caught her. "Little one, it's been two days. You did all you could." Setzer had been cut away from his family and from the hope of one by the Empire. Shadow looked down at his daughter and knew that he himself had been a fool. "You need to rest now. It's done."

            Relm looked down at the bier. "I tried....I tried so hard..." then burst into tears.

            Shadow patted her back and knelt down. Well, a prayer from him would probably bounce and whack him on the head, but it was worth it. *Don't let this girl's work go to waste, whoever's in charge up there. A rotten Christmas this will be if she's got this to remember!*

            Relm kept on weeping, as much from weariness as from grief. Terra got up from her corner, and took out a short knife. Shadow set Relm down a moment and moved closer, in case he had to prevent a suicide. Terra, fortunately for his own nerves, simply cut off a lock of hair, then put the blade away. She took the lock and folded it in one of Setzer's broken hands. Then she began to sob as well, though Shadow could have sworn she'd wept so long already that she had no tears left.

            "Don't...cry..." came a whisper.

Chapter 14 Healing

            "It's going to hurt like hell," Shadow said.

            "Better...than dead," Setzer gasped out.

            "You might not think so in a couple of months. It's going to take at least that long for you to heal enough to be moved. Even if the inn at Narshe is still there, you aren't going anywhere till Edgar gets his airship put back together."

            Shadow paced grimly around the room. It made Setzer dizzy to watch him. "...Strago?"

            "He knows a lot, but most of it's magic. I don't think anybody knows how to treat this kind of injury without it. The last time I saw anyone this badly hurt, he asked me for my knife's mercy. I gave it."

            "Relm...work too hard. Not give up."

            "All right. I used to have nightmares about being like you! My friend, I will do whatever you ask." Shadow left the room.

            Setzer knew what Shadow was talking about. The pain was only beginning to set in, and he knew it would get worse. For now every breath cost him agony. What would be like once he could feel his legs again? But it didn't matter. Terra would be at his side through all of it.

***

            One month later, an airship arrived from Figaro. Setzer was able to feed himself by then, but still had to be carried everywhere. Broken spines mended slowly, even with fresh potions brewed by Strago that seemed to work better than some of the older ones. He'd been tempted by Shadow's offer a few times, though Terra had always been there for the worst of it. Umaro took him aboard the airship as gently as if he were carrying a basket of eggs, as Edgar directed the ship towards Narshe. Setzer felt every jolt, but distracted himself by shaking down most of the crew at cards. Even though his hands had lost their cunning, he could still keep track of points well enough. He was going to have a family to provide for later this year, if Terra was right about what she believed had happened. She wasn't sure, what with her being part Esper, but she was certain something was causing her to sneeze every time she turned around.

            They approached the ruins of Narshe. The little place in front was still there, but appeared nearly transparent. Edgar looked worried--he'd somehow rebroken his arm during the fight, and would like it to heal straight instead of crooked, the way it looked now.

            Umaro kept walking. Setzer knew that he was never going to be the same, even with the magical healing pot in the front room of the inn, but he didn't want to burden his wife with the care of a helpless cripple no matter how often she said she didn't care. Edgar stepped forward and scooped the liquid out of the pot with a cup. Suddenly it all disappeared, leaving them standing before the gates of the ruins of Narsh with the King of Figaro holding a cup--though apparently still full.

            "Flip you for it?" Setzer joked. "Oh, no, not that coin!" he said as Edgar fished around in his pocket.

            The King of Figaro threw it up into the sky. "Tails," he said.

            "Heads, then. And thank you." Setzer drank the last potion as Edgar retrieved the coin once it fell on the ground. Strength flowed through his limbs once more, though it hurt like the devil as once-severed nerves complained about what they heard. The bones knit about as well as they ever would, though some of them that had healed already would stay off-center forever, probably.

            He was incredibly lucky. Shadow's assassin poisons had been turned into healing medications when put together with Strago's knowledge. Umaro had been his legs for weeks, and was apparently content to do so forever. He was alive.

***

            Two months later, he could walk by leaning on two sticks. Edgar had made them, so they were strong and had a switch so he could extend a claw out one end and reach things. Sabin and Edgar escorted him down to the end of the hall. He leaned on Umaro when his legs began to get tired. Cyan and Lola waited at the top of the dais.

            Gau began to play music on the organ. Setzer ground his teeth only a little bit at the occasional wrong note. The boy was much better now. The children, all in their best, danced down the aisle created by placing the benches just right.

            The gambler looked down at the ring in his hand. Today he would place it on Terra's finger again, this time in front of everyone.

            Celes and Maria walked down the aisle in long gowns and carried flowers, the first blooms of spring. Mog followed them, doing a little dance of joy on the way. Gogo became a second moogle and imitated the dance. Katrin and Duane led the youngest children with them, and made them all sit down on the benches. Shadow took up his customary station up by the stairs. Strago was in an easy chair of honor near the dais, with Edgar's fiance Alisa nearby.

            Then everyone stood as Terra, all covered with light green silk veils and carrying a bouquet that could have supported an entire hive of bees, began her procession to the front. Relm carried her train. Setzer almost couldn't breathe.

            They took their vows in front of everyone. Setzer knew he had probably given up gambling forever. That was only for people who had no obligations. Instead he had started a brilliant new career as a designer and builder of airships. His first contract was for a small fleet for the King of Doma Castle. After all, he and Terra still had to take care of the orphans of Mobliz, now formally taken into the kingdom by decree of King Cyan. Terra was radiant.

            He put the ring on her finger. The stone blazed brilliantly. She had found a golden band to fit him in Cyan's treasure store, now inlaid with bits of bone from the remains of the Garuda bird.

            "May we never be parted," Terra said, then lifted up her face for the final kiss that would seal their marriage.

            "Never," he said. Their arms went around each other. "My dear," he whispered, hoping no one else heard, "while your fingers are there, would you mind scratching my shoulders? They itch like anything..."

            She murmured something about Relm painting better than she knew, and complied. Setzer had an uneasy feeling that the interesting part of his life was just beginning!