Chapter the Fourteenth - The Last Hope
"He knows you're watching him," Locke remarked.Sabin grinned. "That's fine."
In front of them, Celes and Shadow were conversing quietly. They had once again come to an impasse, lost in the vast forests that sat at the base of tall forbidding peaks. The expanse of green foliage covered treacherous ground beneath, trees of varying heights hiding the dips, gullies and ridges. Even Setzer was at a loss, and he saw everything from the sky.
"Over there!" Celes' raised voice caught their attention -- she was pointing at one of the tallest mountains.
Shadow threw his arms up in disgust. The two returned to their hushed banter.
"I don't trust him," Sabin decided. "He doesn't know these mountains any better than we do; if I had a week, I could bumble my way to that peak too. She's lying to us: this guy isn't a mercenary or a guide."
"Now you're sounding like Edgar," Locke grinned when he saw Sabin's angry glare. "Anyways, who could memorize this maze?"
"I could," Sabin huffed.
Locke sighed. "Did your brother mention anything yesterday?"
"Nothing interesting, at least the folks in Thamasa like him though. He said he's going back, apparently he thinks he's on to something."
"Probably just keeping busy," Celes remarked as she joined them. "Locke, help me with the water-skins. Our brilliant guide's finally moving."
---
Four days later, they were finally scaling up the mountainside above the treeline. Wild grasses and loose pebbles made travelling slow and arduous; it wasn't steep enough to utilize ropes, but easy enough to slip on the bed of gravel.
Shadow and Sabin were far ahead of Celes and Locke. They were in an unofficial race, starting when Sabin teased Shadow's survival skills. Now the two men charged up the mountain with precision and speed, intent on reaching an imaginary finish line before the other.
Celes wiped the sweat off her brow. Her long hair had been tied into a ponytail, her cloak wrapped around her waist and leather armor stowed away.
Locke waited once more, eyeing the way her tunic clung to her skin. "You want a break?"
"I'm not tired," she snapped. To prove her point, Celes marched past Locke.
With a sigh, Locke followed wordlessly. He decided to trail behind but after a few minutes, sweat dripped off his forehead and into his eyes -- he realized he had little choice in the matter. By the time Locke caught up, he was gasping for air.
Celes knelt in a bed of gravel, picking up a flower by the stem. The bulb was an odd shade -- it was white at first glance, but as Locke's eyes roved, it seemed to shimmer with all the colours of the rainbow.
"What's that?"
Celes seemed lost in her own world. She sniffed the flower and sighed wistfully.
"Celes?"
"They're called Censants. My father loved them," she answered in a friendly voice, eyes still focused on the white blossom. "It's a good sign."
Locke swallowed, thoroughly unnerved by her good mood. He reached for one of the flowers, half-hoping it was a hallucination and Celes wasn't actually enjoying herself. The moment his hand brushed a frosty pedal, the blossom crumbled.
The flower was made entirely out of ice.
When he glanced up again, Celes was watching him intently.
"What?" Locke rubbed his hands guiltily.
Her arms were folded around her waist. "Why did you save my life?"
A chilly breeze passed between them.
"I wanted to," Locke answered at last.
Celes brushed back a wispy strand of hair. She pressed her pale lips tightly together.
"That's it?"
Locke bit his tongue. "That's it."
She seemed to have more to say, but instead sighed and turned away.
Awkward silence accompanied the pair until they reached the odd rock formations near the top. Sabin and Shadow were waiting for them, the latter hooded yet sweatless.
Locke ignored the goofy grin on Sabin's face. "What are those?" he pointed at a strange trio of statues. Time had worn away all the details.
"Relics from another age," Celes answered calmly. Her hands rested on her hips. "Which way?"
Shadow pointed. Ahead of them, a ruined bridge stretched over the dip in the mountainside. It was barely intact enough for them to cross, but in its glory days, Locke had no doubts it supported thousands at once.
The two mountaineers surged onward, leaving them alone once more.
---
Locke glanced around the inside of the cave. Light streamed through cracks in the ceiling, illuminating the large chamber better than their lanterns. Black stone sparkled from the sunlight, causing Locke to flinch from the glare.
Sabin and Shadow stayed by the entrance, neither willing to follow Celes as she strolled through the field of white flowers. Neither wished to test the patience of Espers.
Locke stayed two paces behind Celes; her skin already milky-white. His head was pounding from all the Censants, shimmering with a different colour every second. It was odd. Despite their beauty, never in his travels had anyone spoken of these flowers. Yet here was a vast field of them and legendary beings in the midst of it all.
Coincidence? He glared suspiciously at the field of shimmering flowers growing out of solid rock.
If Celes was worried, she did not show it. She unbound her hair -- now an icy blue -- and stood in front of the largest of the Espers, one of the few that stood upright and looked vaguely human.
"I am Terra."
"Welcome, daughter of Maduin. I am called Yura."
There were at least a dozen of all shapes and sizes. Most looked like mundane animals, but they were much larger and their vividly-coloured furs as unnatural as the flowers Celes loved.
"Your human-form keeps you hidden and safe. Why reveal yourself after all this time?"
"Ramuh is dead," Celes declared.
Murmurs spread throughout the gathered Espers, their voices accompanied by a rumbling in the mountain.
"The others?" Yura asked.
"Everyone was killed by the Empire; the very same humans who broke into our realm eighteen years ago. They will not rest until they have destroyed us all."
The mountains were definitely trembling now. As the field of flowers swayed back and forth, Locke's eyes were assaulted by a cacophony of colours.
"Such arrogance!" Yura growled.
"I resisted, but they are too powerful. The Emperor killed even Tritoch."
"Tritoch? He survived the war?" asked a cat standing upright.
"Yes, and he sacrificed himself to save me. I need your help. We must kill the Emperor before he is strong enough to assault our realm once more."
Locke suppressed the compulsion to tell them the truth, that Celes wanted to rule the Empire herself. They needed the Espers to help them kill Gestahl, and if they had to lie in order to do so...
Well, he had already done much worse.
"We came to help you, to rescue those we have lost," Yura declared. "For our departed brethren, we shall help you destroy this human empire."
With a sigh of relief, Celes' hair and skin returned to their proper colour. "Thank you. Are all of you here?"
"Those willing to fight. Others came, but they have dispersed themselves around this world searching for our friends. It will take time to find them, and more time to convince them."
Celes frowned. "What about those back home?"
"They-"
Suddenly, all the Espers looked up.
"What's wrong?" Celes glanced back at Locke, who quickly exchanged hand-signals with Sabin. Both Returners shook their heads.
"They are doomed," Yura growled angrily. "We are too late."
A burst of static came from Celes' pack. She grabbed the speaker of her radio.
"We've got company!" Setzer screamed frantically.
"Air Force?"
"Are you blind? Look west!"
Celes charged out of the cavern. In sky to their west...
"Is that an island?" Sabin's mouth dropped open.
"Yeah. That looks like a flying island," Locke whispered. "And there must be at least two-dozen airships out there. I didn't think there were that many."
"The humans have stolen the power of the Goddesses," Yura's voice boomed.
"I don't get it," Celes growled. "The old man's anything but stupid. He can't possibly think he's sneaking up on-"
Her eyes widened.
"Setzer! Get out of Thamasa, now!"
---
East of the village, on the opposite coast from which the Floating Continent was approaching, an armada skimmed just over the ocean surface.
"Enough waiting," Kefka's voice crackled over the radio. "Exterminate them!"
Admiral Jake of the 1st Airborne, pride of the Empire, marched to his quarterdeck. "Alright men!" he shouted. "Enough of this cloak and dagger bullshit, prepare for battle!"
A cheer rose from the deck.
"Lieutenant! Signals to fleet: interpose and intercept the Blackjack," Jake ordered.
With a spray of sea-water, six airships peeled away and rose into the clouds. Sky Armors launched from their decks as they blazed a trail across the sky, encircling the island from the north and south.
"First Officer!" the Admiral folded his arms. "Prepare for bombing run!"
Three more airships blasted off the ocean surface, at their lead the re-christened flagship of the 1st Airborne: the Leo Christophe. Imperial flags flapped proudly in the wind as they bore down on their target.
Thamasa.