Last chapter for a while. I said that I would give you a chapter before Christmas break was over, and, by God, here it is. You know me; after a break, I disappear for a long time.
Now then, let's go back to Black Tower for a minute... The war is about to begin!
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Chapter 9: Waging War
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Obsidian opened one golden eye ever so slightly and let it adjust to the light. He opened the other eye and looked around at the black room. He lifted his head, feeling pain shoot through his neck like a bolt of lightening. He remembered the two knives lodged in his shoulder and slowly tilted his head to look. The blades had sunk in to the hilt, and blood had dripped down his shoulder and dried in streaks on his scales.
Painfully, he reached his other claw over to pull the blades out. Just touching one of the hilts sent flames careening up and down his arm, hand, and even into his upper back. He gave up trying to ease the blades from his flesh and seized the closest hilt. He ripped it out. The pain wasn't as great as before, but it was still great enough that he left out a roar of pain. He felt acidic hot tears come to his eyes but blinked them back; pain could sometimes jerk tears, but he refused to shed them for any reason.
The knowledge that he would have to do the same thing again hit him like a ton of bricks. He hesitated slightly, not wanting to feel the same discomfort twice in the same minute, but ripped it out as quickly as he could. He was tired, confused, in a lot of pain; he couldn't even remember what had happened before he fainted.
A large rock stood in the corner of his vision, one that he hadn't remembered being there before. He strained his eyes to see and realized that there was something beneath it.
It was a body.
Suddenly, everything came back to him: the rescue party, the freed ninjas, the attack by the invisible monsters which had left him pinned to the floor, the girl falling over the side and into the volcano, throwing the boulder at the prisoner and his apparent girlfriend, and...
Nothing. What had happened?
Well, apparently, the party had gotten out of the room; doubtless they had escaped the tower with the small percentage of the hoard that had been freed. And, from what he could tell from his still limited vision, it seemed that his dark skinned traitor-girl hadn't been killed by the boulder, for he could only see one body beneath it.
Stiffly, the bahamut rose up on his weak legs, his shoulder still blazing if not recovering quickly. He found that he could even move his head a little bit now. He flapped his wings, feeling all stiffness flaking off of them. His head felt foggy and blurry; how many days had he been asleep? And what time was it now, anyway?
He pushed himself up on his hind legs, sending harsh twinges into his shoulder, and began to shuffle towards the door. He clutched the wound, which had begun to bleed, as he struggled to the gaping bronze door. As he lumbered along, unaccustomed to walking on his back feet, he felt his breath begin to shorten, coming in quick, steaming puffs. He had so many questions; most of them dealing with where his erstwhile little brave hearts had gone off to.
How long ago did they leave? How many ninjas left with them? How many airships did they take? So many rebel cities on this blasted planet; which one did they head for? Will those paladins be there? It was a mistake, letting those two live; what did I get: a party of thrill-seekers who beat me to a stand-still!
Well, at least I killed the hostages; not the way I had in mind, but I did kill them and the others did seem upset about it. Maybe it wasn't a total loss after all…
But still! What am I saying! A loss is a loss, and I've suffered a big one. Those humans will pay for this outrage, I swear!
Slowly he climbed down the stairs to the floor below. When he arrived, he found most of the ninjas on that level passed out on the few pieces of furniture around; the rest of them were on the floor. Whether they were drunk or sleeping he wasn't sure. All that he knew was that they weren't supposed to be sleeping at this time of day.
"Wake up! All of you!" he thundered, and all the ninjas jumped awake, startled. When they saw who was addressing them, they all cringed.
"How many days has it been since they left here?" Obsidian demanded.
"Three days," one ninja stammered. "They left three days ago with almost three fourths of the ninjas in this quarter of the tower."
"You've got quite a head for numbers and such, young man," Obsidian observed, leaning his head closer to the speaker. The man backed against the wall, sweating bullets. "Do you fight well?"
"I—I do."
"Very well. That monk from Eblan was the leader of the upper quadrant for his wit and fighting skill; he has betrayed us. You're smart enough to use a sentence full of numbers, you're a good fighter: you're the new leader."
"I—I am?"
"Go get a medic to fix up my shoulder. When you're done, mobilize the other ninjas. We're all teleporting."
"Where to, sir?" the new leader asked.
"Do you know where the others went to?"
"From the tracers in the ships, they seem to be heading for Baron Castle."
"Very well. We're teleporting there."
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Every fighter in Baron and most of the known world was in Baron and the surrounding land. The citizens had remained in Mysidia after the ninjas had been fought back, and others had been relocated to out of the way places, such as Troia and Kaipo.
Every royal person stood inside the castle; most of them, at any rate: Edge, Edward, Red, and Sefi hadn't returned yet. Their absence was disturbing to those present, for their fates were uncertain and their skills in battle couldn't be utilized today.
While they were alone, planning the attack, Kain asked Cecil, "What makes you all so sure the attack is going to be today? You haven't felt any vibes or seen any visions yet."
"It's not a vibe this time," Cecil informed his friend. "This time, it's a raw instinct. We all just know. Obsidian can cloak his vibes, remember?"
Kain nodded, remembering what had happened when Obsidian first appeared. "I wish he'd just come, then. He won't kill me, the waiting will!"
Meanwhile, Angel was standing in the room at the top of a tower, looking out the window at the horizon for something; anything. A red dragon, an airship, an unexpected miracle of some kind.
The room she had found had proven to be a library. Other than several shelves of dusty books and an old chair of brown leather, (which she, herself, would have had red velvet) it was fairly empty. But the vantage point was excellent. And it was quiet, so far above everything else; quiet was something that she really needed right now.
Her paladin senses began to tingle and she caught a vibe nearby; it felt like a mix of worry, tension, and curiosity, so she guessed that someone must be ascending the stairs to the library, looking for her. In her own nervous state, she couldn't find a visual vibe at all.
The door opened and she turned to see who it was. Somehow, she wasn't so surprised to see Odin walk into the room. He blushed, slightly embarrassed to see that she alone.
"I, I was wondering where you went. You disappeared, and I wanted to know if you needed company."
Angel smiled tiredly, touched and amused. "That's nice of you, Odin, but I really need be alone for a while. I haven't had any solitude for several days, and I'm worried."
"About your sister, you mean?" Odin asked.
Angel nodded. "She's never gone so far away so suddenly. And never on such a dangerous mission either. I haven't gotten a good night's sleep in days." As if on que, she yawned and rubbed her sore eyes.
"Not to put more pressure on you," Odin began, "but your father believes that Obsidian will attack today. A lot of people are scared to admit that he's right, but I think it would be foolish to think that he's wrong."
"Daddy's usually right about stuff," Angel agreed.
"I don't want to worsen your condition before the battle starts, but what are you going to do? You're hardly in shape to fight the bahamut," Odin pointed out.
Angel yawned again and said, "I'll pull through somehow. I've had worse, believe me."
Odin lowered his head, whether out of respect or embarrassment she couldn't say. "I want to believe that. I hope that you're right."
Someone called Odin's name from somewhere far away, a voice which Angel thought must be her mother's. The prince paused in the door, as if deciding whether to go or not. Angel couldn't read his mind, but it seemed like he had just made a decision to do something.
"Why don't you answer them?" she asked.
Odin took a deep breath, searching for a way to articulate what he had to say. "I... might not see you again, after I leave to go see who wants me," he explained slowly. "So I've made up my mind to do something quite insane."
"You're not going to jump out the window, are you?"
"No, more insane than that," Odin corrected.
Angel peered out the window and down to the ground. The drop was pretty far; the sight was slightly nauseating and made her head spin. What could he possibly be planning to do?
When she looked back up she found that Odin had come to stand beside her while she wasn't paying attention.
"What are going to do, that's crazier than jumping out of a 26 story tower?" she asked, thinking that she might have already guessed what he had in mind.
He took a step toward her so that there was hardly any space left between them. He blushed again and said, "I admit, I was confused and angry with everyone, including you, when I found out that my family had plotted to engage me to someone behind my back. But I'll also admit that, in the past few days, I've grown very fond of you."
Now Angel blushed, turning her head shyly away. All her senses had melted; she knew not what might be ahead of her now, though the feeling that she knew what would happen was growing stronger every second.
Odin put his hand to her face and directed her gaze back to him. He continued, "You're a good person. You're smart and brave, you're kind and funny, you have all the qualities of a leader. You're an amazing person."
"Would you be here saying these things even if I wasn't so pretty?" Angel asked.
"I don't look for beauty," Odin informed. "I look for a leader."
Angel looked away again, her face burning brighter every second. She'd never felt this pleasantly awkward before.
"I realized something when we escaped from Mysidia's tower."
"What did you realize?" Angel still didn't look up.
Prepared as she was for it, she felt her heart leap when Odin drew her closer and kissed her on the cheek.
"I realized how much I love you."
Angel looked back up, feeling somehow invigorated.
"I think I've just realized the same thing about you," she answered, feeling a bit dizzy. Even though her head was spinning, it felt like her tiredness was filling up just by being held by him.
Once again, though she had braced herself for it, she thought her heart had jumped into her mouth when he kissed her.
I called it; I knew this was coming.
Someone shouted for Odin again, ending their romantic interlude abruptly. He hugged her and reluctantly released her with a rueful smirk.
"I told you it was more insane than jumping out the window."
Angel nodded. "It was; but I'm glad you made that choice. It was a revelation that I need to make."
"So, our parents have their answer?"
"Yes. Definitely."
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Rosa tapped her foot impatiently on the floor, wondering where Odin could be. She had called to him five times and he still hadn't come. She had taken everyone's advice and not bothered to call for Angel ("Leave her for a while," they had urged), but she needed Odin; now.
Alara sighed behind her. "He'll be along shortly," she said impatiently. "Now tell us about the vibe you claim to have found."
Rosa turned back to her audience, comprised of all but two of the royals and a few soldiers. Their gazes were all fixed excitedly upon her, waiting for her to explain herself. She nodded to the other white mage, knowing that she was right.
"I've found our first real vibe," she announced. "A red blur and a bunch of ninjas, the ninjas much clearer, are mobilizing. I can even hear some of them, saying things about teleporting here. They still look a mess, so I suspect they won't be due here for some time yet, if they're teleporting."
"But Obsidian cloaks his vibes from our senses," Cecil pointed out. "How did you see this?"
"He might be weaker than when we last saw him," Rosa suggested. "If he's been weakened, that could lower his ability to put up a good cloaking spell."
"Some of us disappeared and went after him," Rydia noted. "Do you think they had anything to do with his weakening?"
"Perhaps," Porom answered dryly from a corner, still angry with her brother. "Rosa, did you catch any vibes about our families? Do you know if they're alright?" she asked.
"I've been looking for them, but I can't find them anywhere. It's quite possible they've cloaked themselves somehow, to keep Obsidian from finding them," Rosa answered with a shrug.
Despite how mad she was, Porom looked worried.
"Don't worry, Porom," Rosa said, reading her mind. "If they were dead, I would know it."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Odin burst through the door, out of breath, and skidded to a halt.
"Sorry I'm late," he panted.
"Where have you been? We waited for you for twenty minutes," Yang asked.
"I'm sorry," Odin apologized again. "This castle is very big and unfamiliar to me."
"Well, long story short, Rosa's found a vibe about Obsidian," Rydia informed. "She say's they're teleporting here sometime very soon."
"And news of our guys? And the two he took?"
"No news yet," Rosa answered, shaking her head.
"So what do we plan to do when He gets here?" Odin asked, pushing his immediate disappointment out of the way.
"Let's talk about that," Cecil suggested.
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Angel was still looking out the window in the library, watching for something on the horizon. She had to admit that, since Odin had showed up, she had begun to feel a lot better. She was in love; it felt wonderful!
Her fingers tingled and her vision suddenly went fuzzy, and a picture swept across her eyes. Instead of the scene outside the window, which faced east onto the coast, she saw one of the castle walls; it faced south, onto the one desert in the kingdom. As the scene cleared and the tingling stopped, Angel shook her head to clear it.
The vibes she'd seen had never been wrong before. She decided not to ignore this one and left the library, turning her feet toward the southern wall.
I hope that everything will be okay…
When she arrived at the wall about 20 minutes later, nothing was happening. All the guards were standing at attention, even though there was nothing there. They all gasped when they heard footsteps and turned to see their captain. Recovering from their initial surprise, they all nodded respectfully to her.
"What brings you here?" one guard asked.
"I've had a vibe; it told me to come over here," Angel answered.
"Nothing has happened here," the guard told her.
"Let's wait a bit," Angel suggested. "If anything happens, hold your ground, no matter what."
They waited there for a long time; perhaps an hour. The landscape remained devoid of anything unusual or suspect. Angel began to wonder if her vibes were failing her for the first time. She also wondered what her friends and family were up to, in whichever part of the castle or the world.
Perhaps I should go find the others and see what they're doing, she thought.
Just as she was about to turn and leave, the far-off desert seemed to explode, the sand flying up like something big and heavy had fallen on it. The guards automatically reached for their weapons and Angel stood ridged, trying to send her parents a vibe of her own. The sand began to settle, falling to earth once again; as it fell it revealed a huge red dragon with eyes like the sun. Even from the distance, Angel could tell that he could see her, and was grinning evilly at her. The dust finally cleared away, and now she could see an army of yellow-clad ninjas bearing all kinds of sharp, pointy weapons at Obsidian's feet.
The guards shivered around her, most of them probably feeling faint and fighting strong urges to flee for their lives.
"Are any of you ready to fight this monster?" Angel asked. She turned to look at her men, who all stood dumbfounded behind her.
"Come on, tell me. It's alright if you say no," Angel assured them. "I'm not ready to fight him, really."
"Will you fight him anyway?" one guard asked.
Angel bowed her head, feeling more unprepared than she ever had before.
"I will. There is no other option for me."
The guards around her murmured agreement, seeming calmer now.
"You will not fight or die alone, Captain," another guard said steadily. "Baron's army is behind you."
Once again, Angel's spirit lifted. Though she still felt like running away, she raised her head back up and drew her sword.
"Go find my parents and tell them that another war has begun."
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Another day, another war. But that's just life, now isn't it?
I'm sorry this one took me so long. I was away for most of the break, and then school started, and then I got a five-day weekend. Sweetness! Yesterday and today are teacher workdays, then the regular weekend, and then Monday is Martin Luther King Junior Day, so I've had plenty of time to catch up on this chapter. It's like this every January, so I don't really think that the second semester really starts until February.
I'm sure that the love scene was icky. If you have any suggestions for bettering it, please let me know. I have to admit, the love scenes from the last chapter were probably the best I've ever done…
And so, off I go to write the next chapter! As you know, it will probably take most of the next nine-week grading period to write, so bear with me.
Frieda