Chapter 4

*~*Chapter 4*~*

They arrived in Eshtar in very good time. Selphie had pushed the Ragnarok to its limits, eager to find out what was going on. Quistis stood on the cliff over looking the strange city. It was a place of mixed emotions for her. She felt strangely comfortable within it's walls, though the memories associated with the place were anything but good. She stepped up into the invisible elevator, Zell and Selphie close behind. She felt her stomach flutter as they dropped down into the city at a dizzying speed, and then stop abruptly. Hopefully Laguna knows where Ellone is. She thought, and headed down the bridge-like pathways of the city, Selphie and Zell trailing along behind.

They only had to wait for a short time for Laguna. He had been tending to some political matter, and was all too happy for the distraction. He greeted Quistis with a charming grin.

"How lovely to see you, my dear!" He said taking here hands. "But from the look on your face, I can see this is not a casual visit, now is it?"

"No, it's not. We are looking for Ellone. Last we heard she was here with you." Quistis replied. Laguna's brow furrowed momentarily.

"Ellone's been living in Winhill, but I believe she recently left to visit Edea. Why? Is something wrong?"

"Squall believes she is sending him dreams again." Quistis answered, not really wanting to delve into the details. Laguna eyed her suspiciously.

"Now, I may be old, but I'm not stupid. You kids hardly would pay me a visit for something as trivial as a few strange dreams." Quistis brushed a few hairs behind her ear impatiently.

"Sorceress Rinoa is.... sick. We think Ellone might know something we don't."

"Well, if it's Sorceress problems, then it's a good thing you came here. Doctor Odine's studies may have some answers for you as well." Before Quistis could respond, Laguna turned to one of the guards at the door. "Gregory, Please go to Doc Odine's lab and get that big thick, dusty old book of his... you know, the compilation of his sorceress studies." The guard nodded sharply and left, Laguna turned back to Quistis. "Now I know you're probably in a hurry, but if the book doesn't have the answers you need, feel free to send someone on back here and bug that funny little old man for some answers." Quistis smiled sweetly and nodded.

"Thank you, sir."

** * *

...We have successfully captured all but a few of the remaining Daughters of Hyne. All have proven to be interesting subjects of study, with a range of powers, though none possess the level of power that Adel had expected. After letting me study them briefly, Adel sucked the powers from them and hungered for more. Several key Daughters still elude the soldiers and scouts, namely Edea. We had her and the remaining Daughters of Hyne cornered, only to have them slip right through our hands. Edea's young knight has proven to be quite the adversary, and Edea herself posses great power, which makes her all the more appealing to Adel...

Quistis readjusted her glasses and flipped back a few pages. Who exactly are these 'Daughters of Hyne'? She wondered. Apparently it has to do with the sorceress, and Edea... She found a page titled 'Known members of the Daughters of Hyne.' Ahh... here we are...

...Edea Kramer

Husband: Cid Kramer, white knight

This young woman possess a great aptitude for magic, her mind capable of withstanding the overwhelming power of Magic without the aid of Guardian Forces.

Saree Trepe...

Quistis paused, stunned. Trepe? A relative of mine? She read on, not wanting to jump to conclusions.

...Also shows great potential and mental capabilities. The Trepe line is the most pure of the Daughters of Hyne. The women in this family are born with inherent natural powers, needing neither to pass on their powers or receive powers from another sorceress. Though when they do receive powers from anther sorceress, the chances of Magical contamination is rare...

Magical contamination? What's that? Like the memory loss caused by the GFs? Quistis marked her place in the text and shuffled through the pages, looking for any information about this Magical Contamination.

...Magical Contamination

A fairly common side effect of inheritance of Sorceress powers. Women who inherit the sorceress powers without proper preparation and mental strength are often troubled by dementia and depression. Because the powers are passed on from sorceress to sorceress, pieces of each woman's personality and thoughts are passed on as well. The more times the power is passed, the more stress is put on the recipient's mental facilities. Adel suffers from a level of dementia, but wields it as strength, not a weakness. Other women simply go mad. When this happens, often the woman is often suicidal, and dies an excruciating death, because she is unable to pass on the powers that troubled her...

"Um... Quistis?" Quistis took off her glasses and looked up at Zell. She had been so completely engrossed in her reading that she hadn't even noticed Zell standing over her... let alone the fact they had landed. "We're here at the orphanage."

"Thanks Zell." She said absently and marked her place in the text. She had uncovered more information of use that she had expected. She hated to stop in the middle of what she was doing; afraid she'd lose her train of thought. She felt sure that the answers to the cure to Rinoa's ailment were just around the corner. She stood wearily, her back ached from sitting bent over the text for so long. Zell waited for her.

"Selphie is already outside, so Edea will probably meet us. Hopefully Ellone is here."  Zell told her, Quistis nodded. The sun blinded her momentarily as she stepped out of the aircraft. She looked out over the familiar scenery, relieved to find four figures in the distance. Selphie, bouncing excitedly from foot to foot; Edea absently playing with a long lock of her silken ebony hair as she listened to Selphie's excited chatter; Cid smiling and nodding, his little glasses glinting with the movement; and Ellone watching the Ragnarok.  Ellone noticed Quistis and waved.

"I miss this place..." Quistis said absently.

"Yeah..." Zell added.

****


"I haven't used my powers in ages." Ellone said, and sipped her tea. "Can't change the past. The Past and Future are set in stone. I've come to realize that. All that really matters is today. Why do you ask?"

"Squall is having dreams... dreams where he goes into Rinoa's head. Squall thought for sure you were sending them." Quisits answered.

"no..." Ellone and Edea exchanged glances. Edea met Quistis' eyes.

"That's not all, is it?" Edea asked. Quistis bowed her head.

"Rinoa is hearing voices... she attempted suicide. No one knows what to make of it..." Quistis watched Edea's reaction carefully. The older woman nodded solemnly and waited for Quistis to continue. "We visited Eshtar before coming here, and Laguna gave us a compilation of Odine's studies. I found some very interesting facts there... and lots of questions. Questions I think you can answer, Edea, regarding the Daughters of Hyne." Edea and Ellone exchanged glances. "How long were you going to wait before you did anything? You knew Rinoa couldn't handle the stress of the Sorceress powers!"

"Quisty... you must realize, we had no way of knowing wether or not Rinoa could handle the Sorceress power." Edea reasoned softly. "There wasn't much we could do."

"But something has to be done now…Rinoa is definitely not handling the Sorceress power anymore." Quistis stated. Edea and Ellone nodded. Ellone spoke up.

"We should take Rinoa to Eshtar. If there is anyone who can help her, Uncle Laguna can find them..."

* * * *