*~*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..."
* * * *