Chapter 48, Bow, blade and magick

Fran barely had time to finish her sentence before the musical twang of bowstrings rang through the trees. She leaped faster than Vaan's eye could follow and a dozen arrows appeared in her place still quivering from their flight. Dropping on all fours she cast away the travelling cloak she wore and bounded up a tree trunk all the time harrowed by bolts from her pursuers, the Viera were quick to give chase drawing small knives and blades that seemed to be made of wood scurrying up the tree after her but Fran was ready for them. She back flipped off her perch while muttering under her breath, as the Viera watched their prey pass over them they failed to notice the tree was moving. In one movement the tree used on of its enormous limbs to pin Fran's pursuers to its body where the struggled and screeched in unearthly voices. Fran landed gracefully and took a moment to admire her handiwork when Jote leapt into the fray.

"Flaugrim blestar glaisretar!" She bellowed as a giant serpent of fire was conjured and charged but Fran was ready.

A flick of her wrist and it became water which surged round back at its caster in the shape of a dragon. Jote raised her arms above her head and a solid block of wood from the path beneath rose up between her and her attacker, with a roar the dragon crashed into the barrier which held for a few seconds then collapsed under the force. But that few seconds was all Jote needed.

"Aestevar mactume stratu." Her hands were suddenly buzzing with power, glowing brightly even in the daylight. Fran circled her hands and the air appeared to solidify around her as Jote hurled what looked like a bolt of lightning at her which exploded in a shower of sparks a foot or two away. It couldn't pass through the shield Fran had conjured but she grimaced as the impact struck, her opponent strode confidently forward throwing lightning bolt after lightning bolt forcing her onto the defensive.

Penelo was in awe. "Is that what a battle between mages looks like?" She breathed.

"Even among mages..." Basch said quietly. "I think you would be hard pressed to find this kind of skill."

Something else was rattling against Fran's shield now, she glared up at another group of Viera who had appeared in the treetops and open fired on her. She pointed one hand at them, to immobilise them all from this distance would be hard. Suddenly Jote threw another bolt at her and without the support of her second hand it shattered, she was lifted into the air and thrown against a hut. She winced as all the breath was knocked out of her, Jote raised her hand once more a look of savage triumph on her face.

Bang!

Jote shrieked as a hole was neatly punched through her hand, the power surging through it flickered and died.

Fran's head snapped up to see Balthier who had broken free from his distracted guards and recovered his gun. He relocked and fired again but Jote brought up a second wooden slab to defend her which she then threw at the lone gunman, instead of dodging Balthier twisted the barrel of his gun to bring a wider, longer and altogether larger chamber in line with the hammer. He took aim at the advancing block of wood and fired, the projectile exploded as if shot by a cannon. In the sawdust and confusion he ran to Fran's side.

"What do you think you're doing?" She spat as he helped her to her feet.

"They're hardly fighting you one on one." He grinned. "It's only fair you have some support."

She looked down at the floor. "You shouldn't have to fight for my problem." She muttered.

Balthier smiled and turned her chin up. "Let's make a deal." He said gently. "If I help you with your problem, you help me with mine when the time comes."

She didn't get the chance to answer because at that moment another block of wood shot through the dust towards them, Balthier hastily brought his weapon to bear and the second block exploded as easily as the first.

"The queen is all yours." He grunted, pulling a foot long splinter from his shoulder. "I'll keep her little foot soldiers off your back."

She nodded curtly then set off at a run, seconds later Balthier was also on his feet firing at the Viera in the trees. As long as they were focused on him they could not bother Fran.

Jote was surveying the cloud of dust, her large ears twitching for the slightest sound. Then without warning a gash appeared out of nowhere across her torso, she staggered backwards looking for her attacker, she didn't need to wait too long. Fran flew up over the dust cloud, riding on the wind. She touched down delicately a few feet away, Jote cocked an eyebrow.

"Where did you find the strength to do that?" She panted. "After so many high level spells at once you still have the energy to slice me with the wind."

Fran grinned savagely. "If you think this is the extent of my power Jote you are wrong, I have been training since I left and I can do things you could never dream of. In fact from the look of you, it is you who needs respite."

Jote could not deny she was weakening. Fran had gained immense magickal stamina during her time away and it was clear who was going to last longer, but she was not beaten yet.

"Do you think your little hume friend will last long?" She hissed. "He would have spent the rest of his days in considerable comfort, now he will die painfully."

Fran was unfazed, this was a ploy to encourage her to attack. "If you think your little games will work on me..." She spat.

Before she could finish Jote leaped up at her, aiming a kick at her head. Fran's body bend back to avoid it and drew her blade, surging back up for a counter attack but Jote was prepared. She had created a shield similar to Fran's around herself and the short sword struck harmlessly against it.

"Estias ne porma tere." Jote hissed through gritted teeth.

Before Fran could react the wood in the path began to react, but not in large blocks this time. Instead it began to grow in gnarled, tough branches that wound their way around Fran's ankles before she could move. She cried out as the branches wrapped tightly around her torso compressing her lungs but before they could crush the life out of her they stopped. Fran looked down to see Jote on her knees gasping for breath. If she could have sighed with relief she would have, life magick was difficult and required a lot of stamina to perform. Jote had run out of energy before she could finish her. With a single word mouthed from her lips the wood restraining her shattered and she walked over to her fallen opponent.

"Nice try." She muttered, holding her blade to Jote's throat. She was distracted momentarily by the sound of battle growing more intense behind her. "Call them off." She hissed, pressing her blade a little more firmly against Jote's neck.

Her captive merely smiled. "Why should I, if I die the priestess replaces me."

Fran was taken aback. "The priestess? What about Mjrn? Will she not succeed you?"

For the first time, Jote seemed to deflate a little. She said nothing but Fran knew what she meant.

"How long ago?" She asked quietly.

Jote stared at the floor. "A single cycle of the moon."

"Call off your hunters and I will present you with a solution." Fran insisted.

Jote laughed. "Ha, and outcast? Helping us?"

"I ask only to say what I want to say, after that you may do what you will with all of us." She removed the sword from Jote's neck and sheathed it.

The Viera queen thought for a moment, then called out in the Viera tongue and at once the sounds of battle behind Fran ceased.

"Thank you." Fran said quietly.

"Don't thank me yet." Jote grumbled, hoisting herself upright. "This had better be good."

"She left the village one moon ago." Jote said solemnly. "We don't know exactly where or when but she knew enough to slip past the sentinels."

Fran listened patiently, surprisingly calm considering the bows pointed at her. A state of mind not shared by her comrades.

"I think I preferred our previous welcome." Said Balthier gloomily eying his guard.

"Will you shut up." Basch growled. "Now's not the time for humour."

"Actually I agree with Balthier." Vaan put in. "I think the first attitude was better than this."

"Need I remind both of you." Ashe hissed. "The first plan involved shooting me."

"Half the appeal." Balthier muttered

Jote continued her tale while Ashe struggled against her captors to get at the pirate.

"I cannot spare hunters or spell weavers to go in search of her, and besides It is not the first time this has happened. I will survive."

Fran looked incredulous. "You would give up your only remaining sister for your own pride? Remember when I left, how you argued and fought me? Does she not deserve the same courtesy?"

"I won if I remember right." Jote sniggered

Fran smiled reluctantly. "Then I have improved, but why did you not search for her?"

"You want to know?" Jote shot. "Ask the wood, I'm sure she knows where Mjrn has gone. Or can you not hear her?" Fran's silence was all she needed. "You cannot. You're ears are dull from hearing their harsh speech I think." She sneered gesturing to the humes behind them. "Viera who have abandoned the wood are Viera no longer, Mjrn too has left her embrace..."

"I do not need to hear your lecture." Fran hissed. "She has not yet forsaken the wood, she could still be recovered."

Jote stared down for a moment. "It is the will of the village." She said finally. "Viera must live always with the wood, so is the green word, so is our law."

"You worry about keeping your laws."

Fran spun round to see Vaan who had broken free of his guards and had run to her side

"Say nothing about which you don't understand." She hissed through clenched teeth, but Vaan was not deterred.

"If you left this place then those rules don't mean anything to you now. If you've given up on your sister that's fine but Fran hasn't. Now do us all a favour and stay out of our way, we'll find her ourselves."

Jote stared at the young hume as if halfway between smiling and snarling.

"You chose your companions well." She said finally. "A shame really. He has much fire in his heart, he would have made a fine mate.."

She stepped back and shut her eyes, raising her hands slightly she took several deep breaths. In, out, in, out. As her chest slowly rose and fell Vaan became aware of the other Viera copying her, together they breathed in perfect sync with one another. Until the sound was not unlike wind blowing through the leaves, then quite suddenly, Jote began to sing. The other Viera in the trees began to sway in time to her ghostly tune, and one by one they joined in with their own ghostly harmony. Fran jerked her head left and right as if trying to hear something over the noise, but whatever the problem was she could not glean what she wanted. Then one by one the strange chorus faded and died until only Jote was left singing. As her song came to a close her eyes fluttered open and she sighed as if waking from a deep slumber, only then did she direct her attention back to her guests.

"Our sister has left the wood and gone west, she wanders warrens among men who hide themselves in clothes of cold iron. Thus to me has the wood spoken."

She turned to leave but Fran interrupted her exit. "The Viera may begin as part of the wood, but it is not the only end we may choose."

Jote froze, she did not turn back but Fran sensed she was smiling. "The same words I heard 50 years ago."

The Viera let their captives go and parted to let them out of the village.

"So they're just letting us go?" Vaan said suspiciously.

Fran nodded. "They may even grant us passage if we find Mjrn."

"Who's Mjrn anyway?"

"That is not for you to know."

"I disagree." Ashe said irritably. "For whatever reason your past has landed us in this situation and I will hear the truth to it before we go another step with you."

Fran drew herself up to her full height. "My business is my own, and none of your."

Balthier sidled up to her, he had sustained a few wounds from the fight and was struggling to be his jovial self. "Actually I agree with the princess, I think we all have a right to know after what we've been through."

Fran thought for a minute. "Very well, but let us leave this jungle first, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

Ha ha ha ha, am I not evil? Making you wait this long. No but in all honesty I'm sorry for the wait, as usual life threw me a curve ball I wasn't ready for and I sort of lost track but I'm back and kicking. I even made this chapter extra long. The next one won't take as long. Honest!