Greetings everyone! Another chapter for ya! I dashed this one off pretty quickly, so not sure if it's as polished as the others. Hope you don't mind. Thanks as always for reading and hope you enjoy.
Ardyn warped from balcony to balcony, cursing himself for not asking Donatella where this "cursed island" was. In his haste to rush to action to solve the new complication, he had forgotten to ask. His omission annoyed him. He tended to make things up as he went along (circumstances forced it far too often). However, he would usually know something at least that basic beforehand. One would almost think he was eager to rescue Eostre. Of course that wasn't it, he told himself too hastily. It was as he said—it was simply a complication he had to resolve ASAP.
Although, the thought of Eostre in the clutches of a person who would calmly and quietly garrote a guard within sight and hearing of a crowded ballroom made him uneasy. And the fact that she was being led to a man who disturbed even a savvy crime boss like Donatella made his skin crawl. Those villains didn't deserve her. Ardyn did not spare her from his own villainous clutches ten years ago just to have these, pretenders, harm her now.
There was no point in trying to trace them—Altissia was a maze of canals. And while logic told Ardyn his quarry would have taken a quiet, empty route, away from the revelry of the festival, there were far too many paths to choose from.
It would be a waste of time to ask any passersby if they had seen them. Human activity, and potential witnesses, congregated near the festival location, not spilling over much beyond the main canal. And what could he ask them? "Have you seen a gondola sail by with a pink haired woman in it," was too vague and would likely have been missed amid all the other traffic that occurred even this late at night during festival time.
Ardyn knew where they were going though. The so called, "cursed island". The island he should have had the forethought to ask Donatella about. Somebody at the festival should at least know where that was.
He made his way to the main canal, ignoring the brightly-colored striped canopied kiosks; the boisterous notes of accordions mellowed by the romantic notes of the accompanying mandolins; and focused on the crowd. What was left of them this late.
None were prepossessing, or even trustworthy enough, to give him what he sought. The honest folks, dazzled by the light and merriment, would have left for home hours ago. The only ones left were those looking for trouble, or making trouble. They staggered through the cool night air, obviously drunk, laughing raucously with their companions in vice.
Ardyn tried for the kiosk owners—at least they should be sober. However, as soon as he mentioned the cursed island, they quickly changed the topic and became even more aggressive in their sales pitches. After being forced to buy a glass of wine that he put right into the garbage can, followed by a teddy bear that he found himself wondering for one moment if he should keep for Lux before tossing it out too in disgust, he knew he would get nowhere like this. And the half hour or so head start Mystios had had was increasing.
He didn't care how late it was. Weskham had better be awake or Ardyn would shove him out of bed himself.
It looked like it might be necessary. The bar was closed for the night when Ardyn reached it. The archway where the gondolas would sail in was sealed off by an iron grate. However, he could see Weskham behind the gate, scrubbing glasses at the bar.
Ardyn strummed the iron slats like a harp, making a grating sound that set his, and probably Weskham's, teeth on edge. It was enough to get the man's attention at any rate. He glanced up sharply towards the gate.
"No need to let me in, Weskham," Ardyn called out. "Just tell me where the cursed island is, and I'll be on my way."
To Ardyn's annoyance, Weskham returned to the gate, undid the padlock with his ring of iron keys, and rose the gate just high enough for Ardyn to enter.
"I don't have time to chat with you," Ardyn said sharply. "I need to know—"
"Shut up," Weskham said sharply. "Get in here."
It was enough to silence Ardyn for a second and get him to comply.
"This isn't a social call," Ardyn tried again as Weskham walked back to the bar, forcing Ardyn to follow.
"And discussions about the Cursed Island are not meant to be done on the street," Weskham replied. "It is said to even mention its name will doom you, and anyone within hearing, to one of the many deaths it is associated with."
Ardyn rolled his eyes. "Evidently Reynardo lives there. He must not have an issue with it being cursed."
"He lives there since he knows nobody else will bother him there. He runs it like his own kingdom, and is seeking to expand his borders here," Weskham returned.
"Not for long," Ardyn said darkly.
Weskham gave him a level look. "Why do you want to rile the snake in his lair?"
"Because he now has Eostre," Ardyn replied as though that explained everything.
It did—he saw Weskham's hands clench on the bar rail.
"I'm not sure how much about the island is superstition or not, but the fact remains that it has been the place of many deaths," Weskham explained. "Hundreds of years ago, a plague hit Altissia—perhaps it was a form of the Starscourge, I do not know. In any case, thousands were quarantined on that island to keep them away from here. Even healthy family members of the infected were sent there, or those who had symptoms mimicking the plague. They were literally dumped there to die, no food, no resources given. It was a place of anarchy—the healthy and the sick fought each other, turned to madness, and," Weskham's voice lowered, "even resorted to cannibalism before succumbing to death."
"It's an awful story indeed, but why avoid the place now," Ardyn replied.
"A place with a past that disturbing has its ghosts, either real or imagined," Weskham returned. "People don't want to associate with it. Whether it's residual guilt for what their ancestors did or avoidance of thinking about what their fellow human beings suffered, it's easier to forget the place, leave it cursed, than to deal with it."
"Well, I had nothing to do with it," Ardyn replied calmly. I was in fact imprisoned at Angelguard at the time, so those crimes cannot be laid at my door. I rather think I can handle it without a problem."
"Perhaps," Weskham replied pensively. "As long as the other rumors aren't true. Many who went there since that time have never returned. They vanished without a trace. Others who did return came back, changed. They went mad, turned violent, became shells of their former selves. I, do not know what to believe on those rumors—it could be coincidence or mass hysteria. However, I'd rather have nothing to do that place, or tell anyone how to reach it."
"If I have to make you tell me, I will do it," Ardyn threatened.
Weskham sighed. "Fine, fine. Don't say I didn't warn you. From here, sail to the Grand Canal, turn left and keep sailing past the North Harbor. It's seven miles out, so it's beyond the horizon. But if you keep on a due north course you will hit it eventually. You can take my gondola—it isn't the best for a voyage like this—the seas out that way are pretty choppy, but since you are in rush it's all I've got."
"I will make it work," Ardyn said flatly. "I thank you for your assistance. Even if it took you a bit to get to the point," he added snidely.
Weskham shrugged. "I hope for your sake that the rumors are wrong, and that you are able to rescue the lady. The thought of her there in Reynardo's power makes me sick."
Ardyn's face tightened. "I will rescue her," he said firmly, climbing into Weskham's gondola.
"I hope so," Weskham muttered in lieu of a farewell.
Despite the "chivalrous" reason behind Lux's escorting Luna to the Altar of the Tidemother, he couldn't help but be disappointed as they passed the festival activity without being able to stop for a closer look. He and Luna chose the populated main streets for safety purposes—wandering the back streets late at night was a mutually agreed to no no for both of them.
Still, Lux found himself uneasy by the crowd, taking Ardyn's dire warnings to heart. Were there any robbers in the crowd? Or worse, any of Cosmos's goons? It wasn't like the movies, where bad guys stood out a mile away with their sinister outfits or cliched behavior. This was real life—the threats could be anyone and come from anywhere.
He glanced warily at Luna to see if she was as worried as he was. She wove her way through the crowd confidently, a woman on a mission. He had to admit she was probably used to this. Her role as the Oracle, and now her status of Queen of Insomnia tended to have people flock to her wherever she went.
A woman this confident should have been able to take on the "zombies" in Besaid, Lux thought unbidden. How could a woman this brave leave Noctis to an uncertain fate and sail away on the first boat she saw? Lux, being the massive coward he knew he was, would have done such a thing, but not Luna. He banished the thought. He wasn't there, and there was no accounting for how one's mind worked in a crisis. He was the last one who would judge anyone for how they behaved in a disaster.
His thoughts returned to the crowds, currently too focused on their revelry to give a woman and child much attention. They made it through to the back streets approaching the lagoon unscathed. Lux's sigh of relief was short-lived though. It was empty and quiet here, which was almost worse than being in the crowds. The water where Leviathan was said to dwell was oily black in the moonlight, and sloshing against the quay with a quiet, subtly menacing, whisper.
Luna wasn't satisfied with the quay though. She needed the Alter of the Tidemother itself for her business, at the edge of long narrow stone pier that looked like it would crumble away the first time anyone set foot onto it.
"Maybe you should, use your float spell on this," Lux cautioned his companion. "It looks a little rickety."
Luna glanced down the pier and didn't like what she saw. "I agree with you, Lux, but I will need all my powers to commune with the Hydrean. I have to save my strength at this point."
"Ok. How about I warp you to the end," Lux asked. "I mean, you'd have to hold onto me real tight, but I think I could do it."
Luna glanced at him, then the expanse of crumbling stone they'd have to cross. "Ok. We can give it a try. It won't be like that time in the desert though where I floated and you warped at the same time. It would be just you. You up for it?"
"I can do it. Worst case, I take a break at something that looks sturdy. It's not like we're free falling or something." He remembered his free fall during his escape from the Citadel and involuntarily shivered.
With his approach agreed to, they put their arms around each other, and Lux successfully warped them to the end of the stony pier without needing a break.
"Your warping skills are improving," Luna said. "Great job!"
Lux was more relieved that the piece of the pier they were standing on seemed more solid than the others. He hoped it would withstand Leviathan—he met her once in Insomnia last year, and she was dangerous. Luckily she had been on their side then. But he knew full well she was a fair weather ally at best, and would wreck them if it suited her.
Remembering what a bit—er jerk, Leviathan was made Lux even more uneasy. He had the sinking feeling that something wouldn't go to plan, and he was right in its path. He shrugged it off. He had chosen to come for Luna's protection. Whatever consequences were on him. And when it came to it, he'd rather deal with whatever fell out here than with any guilt for having stayed behind and done nothing.
"Stand back, Lux," Luna ordered. "I need some space for the summoning."
Lux complied as he watched Luna perch at the very end of the pier, gaze down at the pitch black sea and begin waving her arms in a graceful dance.
"I call upon the Hydrean," she called out imperiously. "I implore you to speak to me, the Last Oracle." It was not a plea but a command.
Lux stiffened as the previously placid water became choppy. He couldn't see it, but he could hear the waves crashing more aggressively at the stones around them. The menacing whispers from earlier were now the hisses of a riled snake. He glanced warily to Luna. It didn't appear to faze her. She continued her weird dancing.
"I may not have the Trident this time, but I do not need it," Luna stated firmly. "I am stronger now than I ever was. I am more than a match for your will."
"Woah," Lux thought. It was almost like she was daring the Gods rather than giving them respect.
In response, a rogue wave, probably six feet high, approached the pier. Lux saw it silhouetted in the moonlight, and his blood ran cold. The fallout he feared was beginning.
The wave didn't inundate them though. It stood, hovering mere feet from where Luna was standing.
"What do you wish of me, Oracle," a wavering, gargling voice sounded from seemingly everywhere at once.
"Leviathan," Luna stated in relief. "Our Star is in danger once more. I trust you have seen it?"
"The danger may yet be averted," Leviathan replied. "If the Light One can be swayed from her course, she may yet be calmed."
Lux listened to the Goddess's response in rapt interest. This may be of use to them and anyone who wished to stop Cosmos.
"I greatly fear for the Little Goddess Agneya," Luna intoned. "Cosmos wants her. She must be kept safe."
Lux's gaze flew from the Leviathan wave thing to Luna. How did she know Cosmos's plans? She had said earlier she knew nothing about Cosmos. He shrugged—maybe she had found that out when visiting her brother or something.
"Agneya is here safe with me," Leviathan replied.
"Prove it," Luna ordered. "Let me see her."
Lux gaped at her audacity. Something seemed off about all of this. Granted he had never seen an Oracle summoning, but he thought they were to be respectful and not commanding.
Before he could think about it further, the rogue wave parted to show the child Goddess Agneya. She hovered over the water in defiance of gravity. Lux hadn't seen her since she had been an infant, daughter to Shiva and Ifrit. She looked to be maybe the human equivalent of six or seven. Her complexion was blue like Shiva's had been, amplified to look even more ethereal in the moonlight. Her hair, caught in whatever meager light there was, was fiery red like her father's had been. She was the goddess who was now in charge of the balance of heat and cold on the planet.
It was through her that Eos was kept from becoming a molten ruin or a lifeless block of ice.
Upon seeing the child goddess, Luna gasped and dropped to her knees as though in pain. Lux started forward to help her, but Luna rose to her feet instantly.
"I, remember now," she said as though finally recalling a great truth.
Lux had no way to clarify what she meant. With a suddenness that rendered Lux totally off guard, a trident of pure light manifested in Luna's hand and travelled like a javelin right into the tidal wave. There was a scream of pain that seemed to come from both the sea and sky. The reverberation of the sound was enough to make Lux almost lose his balance. He heard the ominous sound of rocks from the pier behind them crashing into the sea in the aftermath.
The rogue wave collapsed back into the water with a smattering of drops that left Lux soaked.
"Valefor wanted me to give you her regards," Luna said coldly, imperiously to the retreated waters.
Luna held out her hand, still glowing white with light, towards Agneya. "Come. Your Aunt Cosmos would like to see you," she said, gently.
Lux felt his blood freeze in his veins. Now he knew why things weren't making sense. Even if he didn't know who Valefor was, the other pieces fell into place with a sudden clarity and had no other way of fitting together. Despite all her affirmations, and her "passing" the "are you one of them" test, Luna had lied. She was Cosmos's pawn just like all the others. And she was coming for Agneya.
As all the facts and their corresponding implications filtered into Lux's mind. The only thing he could bluster out in response was, "oh, shit!"
"Language, Lux," Luna scolded gently, gliding up next to him hand in hand with Agneya. The girl Goddess seemed perfectly willing to go with her. Her tiny hand was trustingly clutched in Luna's.
Lux reached out to Agneya, to pull her away from Luna, or something, even he wasn't 100 percent sure why he did it. It availed him nothing though. He saw the flash of light emerge from Luna's hand—a slicing beam designed to corrupt him, or hurt him. He warped aside to dodge it, only to feel just air beneath his feet when he emerged from the warp. For one second it was like the cartoons. He had one moment to register that he was over the edge of the cliff before plummeting. In this case, he landed in the water with a graceless crash.
He couldn't see or hear anything except the blackness of the water and the roaring of the waves in his ears. He didn't know which way was up, trapped in the cold darkness. He was going to drown right here right now. Well, he thought in resigned despair, at least he would die as himself, not as a pawn of Cosmos…
The stone was cold and rough against his face. Just as he was cold. His clothes were soaked and sticking to him. He rose, stiffly, disoriented, and noticed he was back on the platform where Luna had performed her summoning ritual. Or, more like the Agneya abduction ritual. He was alive, with no clue how he had been pulled from the chilly waters.
There was nobody to ask. Luna and Agneya were gone, and there was no sign of Leviathan. Was she dead? Had Luna killed her? Would she do the same to Agneya? Lux had no answers—only more questions. He stood, alone on the pier, gazing at the sea, willing it to give him some type of clue, or some type of sign. There was only silence.