It does not take long for Axel himself to arrive with the same intention that I came with. The old, yellowing map, which I can see, in the bright daylight, is exceedingly fragile, is in his hand, folded up into a square. Toran and Zane trail behind him, as usual; the three of them are as much an inseparable trio as Pyra, Emi, Liseth and I are a quartet.
Axel comes up short when he sees my face, which I am sure must look miserable after that conversation with Saïx; he makes no comment on it, though. Instead, he just asks, "Is Sai in there?"
"Yeah," I say quietly. "He's in there."
"Zane, Toran, will you go find the girls? We need to have a meeting." Axel shoots looks at both of the other young men.
"No problem," Toran says hastily, gripping Zane's wrist and dragging his protesting friend behind him as he walks away.
As soon as they are gone, Axel comes up beside me, one hand descending onto my shoulder in a comforting but firm grip.
"You okay?" he asks.
There's danger in that 'you okay;' it's a question after my wellbeing, but there's also an undercurrent of steel that seems to say 'whoever made my little sister cry is gonna get punched.'
Again, the idea of Axel as a big brother flashes through my mind, and the thought makes me sniffle and smile at the same time.
"I'm okay," I say, nodding my head slowly. "Just trying to work through some things."
"Life's tough, isn't it?" he says sympathetically. "You make the hard choices and then work with 'em when you can."
"Yeah," I sigh.
He pats my shoulder a little bit, giving me a half-smile. "Don't worry, Nax. We'll make all of this right, somehow. Life won't be like this forever."
I glance up at him and meet his eyes, but I have no response for him, because who actually knows if we'll all make it through this alive? Even the Elder Diviners have no answer for that.
At that moment, Toran and Zane return with my sister, Pyra, and Emi in tow, all three of whom look perplexed and curious.
"What's going on?" Pyra asks, with a glance at Axel.
Axel returns his cousin's look. "Roxas and Ward sneaked into the city without permission."
Pyra's eyes go wide. "They what?!"
"They're alive, thank Kingdom Hearts, although that's an achievement even having made it back out," Axel says grimly. "But that's not what I called you guys here for. They found this inside one of the city libraries." He holds up the small piece of paper for them to see.
Emi squints at it, puzzled. "What's that?"
"It's a map," Axel says. "A map of the city."
"A map?" Liseth sounds puzzled. "I mean, that's great, but why did we need a meeting for that? Everyone already knows where things are in the city; it's not like a map is going to make getting back inside any easier."
"Well, maybe a normal map," Axel says. "This map is weird, though."
"Weird how?" Liseth asks.
In answer, Axel unfolds the small piece of paper out to its full size, turning it around so that the illustrated side faces toward them.
Liseth squints at the diagrams, her cobalt eyes intent and pensive. "What are all the little boxes for?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Axel says. "I feel like they're important somehow, but I just don't know what they're supposed to be. And I feel like if we could figure that out, then we might have some kind of information that maybe the Assassins don't."
"And you want to ask Saïx because…?" Liseth tilts her head.
This time, I reply before Axel can do so. "Diviners can use their Sight to look at the future, but also at objects. Sight allows us to see what's underneath the surface of things; intention, true meaning, and things like that. So if Saïx uses his Sight to look at it, then he might be able to figure out why the original mapmaker put the boxes there."
Liseth glances around at Pyra, Emi and me. "Why can't one of you three do it?"
Pyra snorts. "Nax and I are initiates. Our Sight only actually works when it wants to. We still haven't mastered total control of it yet."
"I'm only second year," Emi says, raising her hands. "That stuff's still too advanced for me."
"Will Sai still be able to tell what's on the map even though he can't… you know…" Liseth waves her hands vaguely around her face, and I can tell what she's asking, even though she's too decent a person to actually say it. Her uncomfortable expression is a good enough indicator by itself.
"I will still be able to tell." Saïx's voice answers her question from within his tent, breaking into the conversation without warning.
Liseth shrieks and covers her mouth, her face reddening all the way out into her ears. "Holy Kingdom Hearts! I didn't know you could hear me, Sai! I'm sorry!"
Saïx pushes aside the tent flap with a faintly amused expression. He is still sitting on his pallet, but apparently, the canvas tents are thinner than they would seem.
"I took no offense, Thexsil," he says calmly. "It was a perfectly honest, innocent question. As to the answer, Diviner Sight operates on a plane apart from the human sense of sight. I may not be able to see with my eyes, but my Sight operates at full capacity. If there is intention behind the marks on that map, then I will be able to detect it."
"Good," Axel says. "Will you?"
In response, Saïx reaches his hand out to Axel, palm upturned. Axel places the folded paper into his hand, and the seven of us outside all crowd into the tent, sitting in a semi-huddle on the floor.
Saïx puts the paper onto the floor in front of him, unfolding it and smoothing it out so that the map is revealed in all its detail. He lays one hand against the paper's yellowed surface, fingers just barely brushing the page, and closes his eyes, sitting so still that anyone watching for that moment would think him a statue rather than a man.
We all look at him intensely as he sits in silence, as if our aggressive staring will somehow speed up the process. It doesn't, however, and we sit for minutes that stretch out like pulled candy, quickly wearing thin. Emi and Pyra both look curious, Zane looks bored, and Toran, Axel, and Liseth wear serious, grave expressions which reflect the level at which their minds are furiously churning with thoughts.
Finally, Saïx's pale eyes open, blink once, and then open again, his hand rising slowly off of the map.
"Well?" Axel asks. "Did you find anything?"
Saïx looks vaguely disoriented for a moment, but then he seems to snap back to reality all at once, nodding his head quickly and turning in the direction of the sound of Axel's voice.
"I did," he says. "It took some searching, but I was able to uncover the true meaning behind your strange markings."
"And?" Zane prompts him.
"They are tunnels," Saïx says simply. "Tunnels beneath and through the city, which lead up to entrances within it."
All seven of us are immediately somewhere close to shell-shocked; I see six other mouths open into the same surprised 'O' that I know my own is forming.
What are the odds of finding the perfect strategic tool at just the time when we need it the most? With a map like this, we could infiltrate the city within days, and the Assassins would be none the wiser. We could veritably orchestrate a victory for ourselves, and greatly diminish the risk of losing lives.
In other words, it's far too perfect an opportunity to be true. Which means that it must be a trap of some sort.
I can see that at least some of the others are following my exact train of thought; Axel, Toran, and Liseth are all shaking their heads.
"I don't like it," Axel says. "This piece of paper just turned up randomly in the exact place where we needed it? It's too suspicious. I say it's a trap."
"I second that," Toran says. "I think we should burn it and keep thinking."
"Whoa, whoa, hold on," Pyra says, raising her hands. "Saïx just proved that this map is a real map. Which means there are real tunnels. Even if it is a trick, how can we not take this opportunity? There's way more than one of these passageways, which means we can turn this to our advantage and surprise them anyway!"
"Unless they're all guarded," Axel points out to his cousin.
"Well…" Pyra folds her arms, crossing her eyes as she struggles to come up with a suitable retort.
"There's no way that this wasn't a set-up," Toran says. "We need to get rid of this paper in case it's carrying a plague or a curse or some other kind of nasty little gift."
"It's a piece of paper, Toran," Liseth says, rolling her eyes. "I doubt that someone would go to the trouble of cursing an old piece of paper, even if the directions are a trap."
"You know," Emi cuts in, "there's a perfectly easy way to find out whether or not it's actually a trap."
Immediately, everyone's attention is fixed on Emi, their eyes drawn to her like an animal's to a bright torchlight.
She seems completely unfazed by the sudden attention, continuing on with her train of thought. "We just need to get all the Elder and high-ranked Diviners to scry on this particular piece of paper and on the future concerning it if we follow this map. If they say that there's danger coming, we know it's a trap and we burn the paper. If they say there's not, then we lucked out by some really choice coincidences, and we now have a secret weapon that the Assassins will never anticipate."
Glances and whispers are exchanged, and after some low muttering and unintelligible grunts, Axel says, "All right, Emi; that seems like a good plan. How likely are the Elders to be able to predict accurately?"
Emi's expression is completely neutral and serious when she says, "They never miss."
Axel's eyebrows rise, and he whistles slightly. "That's quite the recommendation. What say everyone else?" He glances around the circle.
I can't really argue with Emi's plan; it's a sound strategy, and the Elder Diviners are more than capable of scrying the details on such a small object. Besides, despite my reservations and suspicions, there still remains the underlying hope, however faint, that this map might be the real thing, and that we might have just gained a huge and unexpected advantage over the Assassins' Guild.
Beside me, the others are nodding and voicing their assents, so I follow their lead and cast my own vote in favor of the new strategy.
"We're decided, then," Axel says, nodding. "When should we take this to the Elders?"
"Is there a better time than now?" Pyra asks frankly. "It's not like we're really busy."
Axel gives a faint smirk at his cousin's remark, but his expression soon fades, replaced by a calm seriousness unusual in someone of his particular disposition. "Okay; let's go."
One by one, we stand and exit, until only Saïx and I remain.
Being alone with him makes me feel a little bit sad and a little bit guilty and a little bit awkward, so I just shuffle my feet and ask him, "Are you coming?"
He nods, but he doesn't move, so I turn and exit back into the chilly air outside. He'll follow if he intends to come; if not, then he'll know what happens sooner or later.
We find the Elders in the exact position that they have taken to occupying as the weather grows warmer: seated in a ring around the fire pit that heats the congregated Diviner tents. Elder Itachi looks up as we approach, and his mouth twists into an amused smile.
"They have arrived at last," he says mildly.
"Goodness gracious, dears; we thought you might never show up," Elder Michiko remarks. "How embarrassing that would have been!"
Axel, Zane, and Toran immediately look a little unsettled by the remarks; they aren't really used to the Elders' finely developed use of their Sight. Even Liseth, who has spoken to them before, looks slightly cowed and off-balance.
"Where's the Master?" Elder Itachi asks curiously. "There were eight in the party we saw, weren't there, Michiko?"
"Oh, he'll be along," the older woman says dreamily. "That young man has a lot on his shoulders right now."
Elder Itachi gives a shrug; neither of them seem really concerned about Saïx's absence.
"You've come with something for us, haven't you?" Elder Michiko says.
Axel nods. "We have, actually." He holds up the small map, folded neatly back into its square conformation.
"May I see it?" she asks.
"Oh, here he comes," Elder Itachi cuts in.
Sure enough, Saïx walks up slowly from the direction of his tent, coming to stand beside Axel. He greets the Elders with a nod and a small smile.
"Good morning, Master," says Elder Itachi, with a smile of his own.
"Good morning to you all," Saïx says quietly. "I trust that you find yourselves well."
"Well enough," the older man replies. "Well enough, indeed."
"Hush, now, Itachi," says Elder Michiko. "These children need us to do something, and I am certain now that it is important."
"Yes, of course," Elder Itachi says, nodding and turning to Axel.
Axel holds the map out to Elder Michiko, who takes it and unfolds it slowly, wrinkled fingers gently smoothing out the creases in the paper. Her green eyes study it keenly, slightly narrowed in concentration. All of the other Elders crowd around her in order to see it for themselves, leaning in from both sides.
"It's a map," Axel says, as if they can't see that for themselves. I roll my eyes a little, but keep silent.
"A map it is," one of the male Elders says. "A map of the city. And look here; these are tunnels, aren't they?"
Another Elder, a woman, nods in assent. "That they are."
"How in the name of Kingdom Hearts are they doing all of that so fast?!" Toran hisses, shooting a look around at Pyra, Emi, and me. "It's freaking me out!"
"Don't be a baby," Pyra whispers back to him, sticking her tongue out. "They've been doing this longer than you've been alive."
Toran makes a face at her, but he quickly turns around as the Elders begin to speak again.
"I am assuming that there are details surrounding this map that you would like us to clarify for you," Elder Itachi says, looking at Axel.
Axel nods. "The circumstances are too perfect. How did we manage to just find this laying around in a library, right when we need a secret entrance the most? I don't believe it can be a coincidence, but we just want to make sure before we take any definite action."
"We need you to perform a scrying," Emi speaks up.
Elder Itachi holds up one hand, turning around and facing the rest of the Elders. They all lean in and begin speaking in whispers, their hushed voices overlapping one another in a confusing, slightly unsettling babble.
Axel turns around as well, casually raising one hand and delivering a glancing punch to Toran's shoulder.
"Ow! Hey, what in the worlds was that for?!" Toran complains.
"Next time we need to ask someone for a favor, don't loudly whisper that their abilities freak you out when you're standing right in front of them," Axel admonishes him. "The Diviners got enough of that stupidity back when things were normal; they don't need it from their allies."
I see Saïx giving a quiet, approving nod that neither Toran nor Axel notice. I myself feel even warmer toward Axel than usual; no one else in the history of my life has ever stood up for the Diviners' Guild like that.
"Sorry," Toran mumbles, looking abashed. "I didn't mean to offend anyone."
"From now on, either think before you talk, or keep your mouth shut," Axel says, his breath huffing out in an exasperated sigh.
Toran falls into sheepish silence just as the Elders turn back to face us, all of them looking grave and serious.
"We will help you," Elder Itachi announces.
"Thank you," Axel says, sounding greatly relieved. "We appreciate all that you're doing, and all you've already done."
"Does anyone have a bowl?" Elder Michiko asks.
"I believe there is one on the other side of the fire pit," one of the male Elders replies.
"I'll get it," Liseth says, immediately jogging to the other side of the round pit. For a moment, the banked sticks and logs obscure her from view, but then she comes back around the ashen mound with a small bowl in her hand. She holds the bowl out to Elder Michiko, who takes it with a kind smile.
"Thank you, dear," the older woman says.
"Now, does anyone have water?" another one of the Elders speaks up.
"There is a flask of it in my tent," Saïx says. "I will return in a moment." He turns and walks back the way he came, returning within minutes with a small flask in his hands, which he offers to Elder Itachi. The other man takes it, voicing a gracious thanks as he does so.
As we watch all of the Elders stand in a circle surrounding the small bowl, almost shoulder to shoulder. One of them unties the mouth of the flask, pulling out the stop and upending it over the small bowl. The clear water flows out in a smooth stream, filling the bowl nearly to the top before the stream slowly diminishes to a trickle, and then to nothing.
The Elder sets the flask aside and shuffles away slightly, allowing Elder Michiko to approach the bowl with the map held delicately in both hands. With the caution of a weaving spider, she lowers the map carefully over the bowl, stretching it out so that it covers the water completely, the paper hanging off of the edges like a tablecloth over a round table.
With that done, she steps back into the circle, which spreads out slowly, all the Elders joining hands until they have formed a tightly bound ring. They begin to circle around the bowl, chanting quietly in an unfamiliar language that leaves a faint ache growing behind my eyes. I can tell that it's bothering my friends, too; the Assassins especially put hands to their temples, their eyes squinted closed against the gentle throbbing in their heads. Only Saïx seems completely undisturbed by the ritual, which doesn't surprise me in the slightest.
A faint shimmer begins to surround the bowl; as I watch, the map rises up into the air, as if borne by an unseen breeze. It hovers about two feet off of the ground, its corners flapping serenely. Just after it reaches a stable stillness, the water in the bowl follows it into the air; first in a slight trickle, and then in a rush that sends the map spinning again as the liquid blasts by. The water bubbles for just a moment before coalescing into a round, globular orb which totally encompasses the paper, its surface gleaming in the bright sunlight. My friends and I all voice murmurs of wonder, despite our growing headaches.
The Elders continue to circle and chant, and the globe of water begins to glow; not just with reflected sunlight, but with its own light, first dimly, and then brighter and brighter as the chanting grows in volume and intensity. Soon, it becomes blinding, as if a miniature sun has descended to the earth; I am forced to look away, shielding my eyes with one hand.
Suddenly, there is an earsplitting crack, followed by the sound of splashing. Then the light fades away, and everything is silent; even the chanting has stopped.
Slowly, I raise my hand, peering back at the circle of Elders. To my utter awe, all the water has splashed back into the bowl, without even a drop hitting the ground around it. The paper now rests on the ground, fluttering gently in the real breeze.
The Elders all let go of one another's hands, stepping backward with heavy sighs and taking their seats beside the fire pit. Axel kneels down and picks up the map, and we are all silent for a long moment, allowing the older Diviners to reclaim their breath.
Finally, Elder Itachi looks up at Axel. He looks tired, but beneath the weariness, there is a smile on his face.
"Fortune appears to have smiled on your endeavors," he says with a chuckle. "You need not fear the map; it truly was a gift from the heavens."
"You mean… it was actually a coincidence?" Axel sounds thunderstruck, his mouth hanging open in shock. "It's not a trap?"
"Not as far as our Sight can tell us, boy," the Elder responds, "and that hasn't failed us yet, has it?" He glances around at the other Elders, all of whom indicate their agreement.
"Kingdom Hearts," Axel breathes, staring down at the map like it's a rare and priceless gem. "Kingdom Hearts."
Elder Itachi chuckles at him. "Use your advantage well. It may not last you long."
Axel glances up immediately. "Why not? Did you see something else?"
At that, Elder Itachi gives a long, resounding laugh, his hands resting on his knees as his chest shakes with it. When he has finished laughing, he shakes his head at Axel, merriment glimmering in his eyes. "No, boy, we didn't see anything else."
"Then what did you say that for?" Axel asks warily.
"That, my son, was just good advice," Elder Itachi says, wiping away the remaining tears of mirth.
"Oh." Axel lets out a breath. "Well, thank you, then. We'll be sure to use caution and discretion. And thank you for your help."
"Anytime," Elder Michiko says, smiling.
"Come on, you all," Axel says, turning back to us with a grin big enough to split his entire face. "We've got plans to make."
