Terra could still feel her body shaking long after their encounter with the strange octopus and the loss of Sabin. Whether it was from fright or the cold she could not tell, but her body seemed to have been overcome with exhaustion, yet her mind refused to let her let go of the stark reality around her.
Edgar had not spoken a word since the loss of his brother and his mouth seemed to be set in a permanat line. He guided the raft along the river glaring at the surrounding wilderness. When a pair of pterdactyls circled curiously ahead he looked as though he longed they would come down and pick a fight, but they merely flew off and disapperaed behind the cliffs.
Banon sat on top of a box of supplies deep in thought and mumbling to himself. When Terra stole glances at him hoping for comfort he ignored her completely. On the few times she did catch his eyes he seemed to only just realize she was there and then would shake his head angrily as though upset with himself for allowing himself to be distracted.
With the silence and the tense mood the trip seemed to go on for an indecent amount of time in which Terra stared vacantly at the towering cliffs. When they finally landed the raft it was dusk and Edgar finally broke the spell of silence that had so bothered Terra.
"It would probably be better to go in the morning." He was saying to Banon. "Narshe's bound to be on edge after the attack. It's hardly been a week. If we go in at night its highly unlikely they'll let us pass. I wouldn't be surprised if they attacked us." Banon nodded his head in agreement though he still seemed to be lost in thoughts of his own. Terra busied herself with helping Edgar set up camp, but he brushed her off.
"If we set up camp here someone will spot us. We're going to have to spend the night in the forest, and I don't think its wise to start a fire." Edgar said to Banon completely ignoring Terra while he unloaded the supplies from the raft.
"Yes, Yes," Banon replied. "Do you think they'll let us see the Esper without a fight, though?"
Edgar shrugged. "I'd say it would be in their best interests to. They ought to know the Empire's going to come after it again. The Elders can't possibly believe they won't at least send another investigative team. But they may also have decided that joining that cooperating with the Empire is the best course of action, and in that case we may be quite unwelcome." Edgar heaved the last box off of the raft and then looked at Terra for the first time.
"I don't imagine having her with us is going to help either. Locke told me some guard went beserk just at the sight of her." Edgar had said it flippantly, but to Terra it almost felt like an accusation. The words had caused more of a hurt that she had been expecting, and, when Banon agreed, she felt tears that she fought hard not to show. The dull ache of lonliness in her chest lurched into full pangs of heartache and before she even knew what was happening she found herself walking straight up to Edgar and slapping him hard against the face.
"Do you honestly think for one second that I like the situation I am in. Do you really think I did this just to put you out!?" She whispered tears brimming on her eyelids as she tried to control the burning rage that had erupted inside her. Edgar looked taken aback and just stared at her.
"I don't know what's going on here. I don't even know what an Esper is. I don't know who I am or what's happened to me." She had started to yell at no one in particular then wheeled onto Edgar again. "And you! You and your snide comments about what a terrible burden I am to you, how you sacrificed your life and kingdom for worthless nobody. How I'm such a freak! I didn't ask you to do anything. I didn't ask for any of this." She waved her hands for emphasis and realized, to her horror, that they had burst into flames. Edgar had put up his own hands in defense, certain that she was going to hurl the flames at him, but she had suddenly stopped her raving and was now staring at her hands with a mixture of fear and hate on her face. She let out a strangled scream and ran to the water and dropped to her hands and knees extinguishing the flames in her hands. Edgar looked to Banon who was watching her with an unreadable expression upon his face. Then he turned angrily to Edgar and snapped.
"This is your mess! Clean it up." And then stomped into the forest.
Edgar tried to compose himself so as to appear calm, but he couldn't stop the pounding of his heart as he walked out into the water. She had not moved from her spot. She had only lifted her now flameless hands to her face and cried big heaving sobs. Her body was shaking, undoubtedly from the cold waters of the river, but he imagined from fright as well.
"I'm sorry." Was the only thing he could think to say, and it seemed lame to him even as he said it.
"I never wanted to hurt anybody." She said her words muffled by her crying and her hands. "I'm so scared… I'm so…scared."
Edgar sighed and then kneeled next to her.
"I'm scared too. We're all scared Terra. My fear has made me act like a total brute to you, and I'm sorry. Please, let's get out of this freezing water. You're going to catch cold." Terra complied sniffing and snuffling the whole way. He led her onto the beach and then wrapped his cloak around her.
"Thank you" she said her voice still muffled. Edgar brushed off her gratitude.
"Look, things aren't that bad really. We're just going to go into Narshe tomorrow. Chances are they won't let us through the first time, but we'll just try again, ok? I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you. I have some authority, being a king after all, so things won't be that bad. And then we'll find a nice, safe place to stay. It'll be nice and warm with decent food and warm beds and we can just relax and try to figure things out while we wait for Locke to come back and report on what's going on in South Figaro."
"Locke? When will he be back?" She asked.
"I'm not sure, but he'll be back. Believe me, he's gotten out of worse." Terra sniffed and smiled wanly.
"What about the Esper? I don't know what you guys want me to do."
"I don't really know about that either, Terra. We have to talk the Elders of Narshe into letting us see it in the first place. Let's just worry about getting into Narshe and finding a place to stay, ok?" Edgar asked. Terra nodded and then looked down.
"I'm sorry for losing my temper. For…for losing control. I'd never attack you, not on purpose anyways." She wiped her eyes with her hands, but didn't look up.
"Of course you wouldn't. I knew that." Edgar lied. He had been sure she was going to immolate him five minutes ago. Terra nodded and then heaved a great sigh.
"Come on. Let's go find Banon and get some rest. It's been a long week for both of us, and there's still more left to do." He said heading into the forest. Terra nodded but said nothing else for the rest of the night.
The entrance into Narshe was, as Edgar had predicted, heavily guarded. He was equally right about them not being pleased to see Terra. No less than 10 guards strode out to them, and none of them looked very friendly.
"You have a lot of nerve bringing her back here." The captain said looking at Banon. He was an older soldier with a lean frame and a gaunt face. The men behind him looked just as grim. He glared at Edgar and then Terra with a murderous stare.
"Be rational. If she were guilty for any of her crimes, which she is not as you well know from the remains of the slave crown, would you really think we would bring her back here." Banon said evenly. The captain snorted.
"Slave crown? You mean the bits a metal that fool Arvis keeps showing to the Elders to try and excuse himself for allowing that girl to escape?" He lowered his hands to his sword menancingly. "No, if I had my way I'd slit her throat right now." He said softly. "Unfortunantly doing that would only bring the Empire back to our doorstep. We want nothing to do with her. Get her out of my sight." He spat on the ground narrowly missing Edgar's boots.
"The Empire's never going to stop until it gets that Esper. You know this. I'm the King of Figaro. South Figaro has been taken by the Empire already. They're probably mobilizing a force as we speak. My castle is the only thing that stands between you and them. I promise you, if you help us, you will have the full support of my forces." Edgar said. The captain laughed.
"You mean the King who abandoned his own people? The King who did nothing to protect South Figaro? And we're supposed to get help from a nation that buries its head in the sand?" The captain jeered and the men behind him laughed.
"You think you're doing anything different?" Banon accused angrily. Staying nuetral while the Empire crushes city after city. You think that your sacred neutrality is going to keep you free from the Empire's wrath? You are the ones who are cowards!"
The captain swung his fist at Banon and his nose erupted with blood. Terra screamed and backed away while Edgar stepped forward only to receive a blow to the stomach and face.
"You keep your little Imperial whore away from here." The captain said then turned smartly on his heel into the town.
"This is all my fault." Terra moaned as she looked at Edgar's swollen lip and with glowing hands fixed it.
"These guys aren't going to listen. There's got to be another way in though. Terra, how did you and Locke escape? He never mentioned it to me."
"I… I woke up inside a cave. He tapped something on the wall and an entrance opened. I don't remember much else, because that's when the guard attacked us." Her voice trailed off, but Edgar ignored it.
"Do you remember where the wall was?" He asked. Terra nodded and pointed to the west where a heavy glade of trees were. "Right. Let's backtrack. We're still being watched, but knowing Locke there's a secret switch in that wall that will lead us into the mines. We should be able to find a way to Arvis's house. With any luck, Terra might be able to help guide us." They all agreed and headed back down the trail till the guards were out of sight.
When they arrived at the stony wall Edgar immediately began pressing his hands against it. He paused a moment and then turned a jutting piece of rock sideways. There was the sound of clicking gears and slowly a large boulder turned enough to allow a person to enter inside of the cave. Edgar motioned them to follow as he slid into the opening.
Terra immediately recognized the cavern. She could almost see Locke's kind face looking down at her, and offering his hand to her. It was definantly the cavern, but as they walked further into the cave Terra's memory faded. This was where he carried me. She thought to herself, and the thought of him holding her in his arms made her flush with a feeling she wasn't quite able to explain. She only knew that she would give anything to be in those arms again.
A dead torch with a flint next to it hung in a brazier on the wall. Edgar took it up and flicked the flint causing it to burst into flame. He looked expectantly at Terra.
"I was unconcsious when he brought me here." She said in reply. Edgar nodded and led the way.
"I think if we follow the tracks," Edgar said pointing to some mining cart tracks, "we'll be able to find our way into the city." Banon nodded and gestured for Edgar to lead the way. The firelight flickered on the cavern walls casting long shadows that Terra found to be very unsettling. Water dripped monotonously from somewhere deeper in the mines, and their breathing seemed to be loud and harsh in the silence. Terra was waiting for guards to jump them at any minute.
They turned a corner and entered a large spacious cavern that was harshly lit by numerous shafts of sunlight issuing from openings that looked like tiny white dots in the ceiling. Edgar stopped and surveryed the room. A door stood at the other end of the large space and between them and the door was a dozen or so boulders littered across the ground. Mirrors had been placed into them and light from the sun glittered hapharzardly off their reflective surfaces.
"What is this place?" Terra asked.
"I think it's…" Edgar paused to think. "Yes, I've heard of these before. It's a security system employed in Narshe. A tests of sorts, to protect intruders from entering the city from the mines. All we have to do is follow the path of boulders that have mirrors set into them. Some sort of alarm system must go off if we don't follow the right path." Edgar squinted at the boulders as they continued to flash off light from the mirrors.
"It's really hard to get through becase the mirrors reflect light onto the walls which also have mirros. The light scatters all over the place making it hard to tell which boulders have the mirror's set into place. I imagine most Narshe miners memorize the path." Edgar crossed his arms and stared at the puzzle ahead of him.
"Is it possible to pass by guessing?" Banon asked.
"Possible, but not likely. Fortunantly for us," Edgar said as he leaned down to look at the first boulder, "Our adventourous friend has marked a path." Edgar said pointing at the boulder in front of them. Chiseled discreetly into the rock underneath the mirror was an arrow pointing to the left.
Banon peered at the carving. "You mean Locke did this?" he asked.
"Who else?" Edgar answered. "A narshe miner would never need to mark his way, and the arrow is light enough that most of the miners would not notice it." Edgar made a tentative step towards the left, and then, hearing no alarm, walked to the next mirror. Sure enough, the entire pathway had been marked previously by Locke, and following the arrows they soon found themselves at the end of the room.
"We should be close now." Edgar said as he walked into a well lit corridor. A set of stone steps descended downwards and there was suddenly a clear, well-used path in front of them.
"I remember this place." Terra said. She looked to her right and saw a hole in the cavern floor. "That was where I fell…" She said absently and then continued down the path. "Up here is an exit and outside is a bridge. I crossed it from the old man's house, but some guards spotted me." She said.
"We shall have to be careful about that, but if it's true, we're very close to Arvis's home, and therefore very close to safety." Banon said looking at Edgar who nodded. They followed the path to the exit and into the fresh sunlit air. The wind seemed biting cold compared to the stifling air of the mines. Checking for guards and seeing none they crossed the bridge and found themselves in an alley between a house and a cliff wall. A door was set in the back of the house which they entered quietly.
The house was warm and cozy and Terra felt a great surge of relief. She knew this place. The very first place she remembered. She lowered the hood to her cloak and gave a sigh of relief.
They were in a small room that had a bed in the corner and a desk on the opposite wall. A comfortable fire was burning in the small fireplace and a cheery yellow light issued from the oil lamps. The handle to the door turned and a middle aged man came into the room dropping the books from his hands at the sight of the three strangers in his house.
"Sir Banon! Sir Edgar!" He said in surprise. I just heard from the Elder that you had tried to enter the town.
"Arvis, what is the situation here?" Banon said brusquely. Arvis picked up his books and set them onto the desk, smiling at Terra as he pushed a odd assortment of metal out of the way.
"The town is still refusing to ally with the Returners or the Empire. I've tried to persuade the leaders to side with the Returners, but they won't listen. But, enough about that. Why have you come here. It's extremely dangerous to be wandering around and with Terra too!" He said and he looked truly concerned for Terra's well being.
"How have the residents responded to the Esper, arvis?" Edgar asked a hint of urgency in his voice.
"We moved it out of the mineshaft since the people are so uneasy about it. It higher up in the mountains now."
"Arvis, the time has come for us to stop hiding. The empire is massing to take this Esper by force. Why else the push to take over South Figaro so quickly. It's only a matter of time before they come, we brought Terra here to see if she could possibly solve this riddle." Arvis looked warily from Banon to Terra.
"Many of the townspeople are curious to know more about the Esper. I know Terra has some sort of… er… connection with it, but are you sure that's wise, Banon?" Arvis asked.
"We have no time to wonder Arvis. What matters now is preparing Narshe for an attack. I need you to grant Edgar and I an audience with the Elders. We must convince them that there is no more time to pick sides. The empire has already picked for them. I have men waiting by the Lete River to come to our aid, but what we really need is the Elder's cooperation with the Espers." Arvis nodded.
"I'll see what I can do, but it may take a while. Forgive us, but the people of Narshe are set in their ways. I can't promise they'll agree to meet with you."
"We have time for now. We will wait here. I daresay we could use some rest. Locke should be returning with us soon with news from South Figaro. Please, Arvis, some food, and a bed for the girl. She could do with some rest." Banon said. He motioned for Edgar to follow him and exited the room.
Arvis left with them but soon returned with a bowl of warm soup and a dressing gown for Terra. Terra thanked him awkwardly, but he only smiled and collected the pieces of metal from the desk. Terra ate the soup after he left and slid gratefully into the comfortable dressing gown. She slipped into the covers after making sure the door to the back was firmly locked. The house was quiet as she lay there feeling her tired body drift. Banon and Edgar's voices drifted through the wall and she listened to the bits and pieces of their conversation that she could. Her mind snapped to attention when she heard Edgar tell Banon, "This Esper's either going to save us… or dig us an early grave…" Fear struck deep into her heart, and she closed her eyes wishing with all her might that Locke would return to her soon.