Chapter 8

Deserved price

"So - you are a caller, too?" Rydia asked curiously, her green eyes sparkling with fascination.. She was sitting next to Kieran on the deck of the airship, which was about to return on Baron. Edge was standing on the reeling and was watching the two, frowning.

"Yes. I am a caller," Kieran replied smiling, his eyes sparkling like hers.

"But you're a man..." Rydia stated with an important look.

Kieran had to laugh. "Yes, that's true, but I am no caller in the ordinary sense. Did you know the monster I summoned?"

Rydia denied. "I've never seen a monster as this before, and I've lived quite some time in the land of the summoned monsters..."

"That is because it's not from there, but from another dimension..."

The caller started at him wide-eyed :"Another... dimension?"

"It's hard to explain... Only few people have this gift and these do not likely talk about it. That's why I reacted so evasively as we meet in Agart. The thing I was concentrating on was a monster for training reasons... You yourself may have noticed now and then how people react when meeting a caller..." he said, a serious look in his eyes.

"Yes - that's true... They just don't understand you..." Rydia glared at Edge. "But still it's great to have met another caller! I thought I was the only one!" she exclaimed happily, but suddenly got sad again "Although I can't seem to be able to call at the moment..."

"Ah...don't feel down - I am sure that you are only too tensed... In a few days everything will be alright again..." He gave her a supporting smile, which lightened up Rydia's spirits at once.

"Hey, tell me again about the tower of Bab-il and what it has to do with the earthquake. I find your theory quite interesting..."

Kieran started to explain, trying to ignore Edge's muttering.

Rosa had been watching the three for quite some time now. "Hey, Cecil..." she said to her husband who was standing next to her "It seems Rydia is making new friends very fast these days. First Diana and now Kieran as well. Maybe it will help her getting over the homesickness..."

"Mmmm..."

"Cecil you're not listening again...!" She sighed. "It's about Golbez; isn't it?"

She had already noticed that the paladin was staring thoughtfully at the dark clad man; who stood with his back to them at the reeling of the airship and was watching the landscape below, his long black hair flowing in the wind like an endless, dark stream. He had stood there this way since the airship had started at midday.

Cecil sighed. "I do not understand him... Neither his behaviour nor his words..." He had already told his wife about the discussion he has had with Golbez the night before, but Rosa couldn't get more sense in it than he.

"Yes - he's a strange person... But at least you could convince him to go to Baron with us..."

"Yeah... I hope he and Kain will get along..."

Rosa got a doubting look on her pretty face. "I hope so... He still does not seem so... stable as he used to be. It will probably be a shock for him to see the man who partly manoeuvred him in the situation he is now. And how will your brother react?"

Cecil nodded. "So many problems... And we still must find a way to the underground..." He laid an arm around his wife. "I am just glad that you're here..."

Rosa smiled. "Hey - we'll go through this all together. By the way, have you already told Golbez about the broken shrine on Mt. Ordeals?"

"No... I didn't want to shock him anymore. Maybe I'll tell him that now... I wanted to speak with him anyway..." He released his wife and walked over to the reeling.

"Hey Rydia! Look at this!" Edge shouted. He'd been trying for some time now to direct the attention of the girl from Kieran to himself.

"Edge! I am listening to Kieran..." the caller hissed.

"Please! Just one look!"

Rydia sighed and turned her head. "Alright! One look!" Kieran watched the ninja, too, looking amused.

"Great! So this is my double- ninja somersault!"

"She always liked this trick!"

Edge started to run, jumped; but landed with a loud crash on the wooden planks of the airship after what could hardly could get called a somersault... He slid against Cecil who lost his balance.

"Edge!" the paladin exclaimed angrily. In this moment the airship made a turn and he fell backwards towards the reeling. Rosa uttered a loud scream. "Cecil!"

"Got you!" a calm voice said. Golbez had gripped his brothers with a strong arm, thus preventing him from getting to close to the edge of the ship.

Cecil gasped. "Thank you... That was close... Edge! How often have I told "No running and acrobatics when being on the deck of an airship! You'll kill us all someday..." he told the ninja.

Edge looked embarrassed. "Sorry Cecil... I won't do it again..."

At the far end of the ship, Rydia sighed desperately....

Golbez grinned. "Seems I am of some use after all..."

"Yeah... Sometimes Edge can be very trying, but otherwise he's just a nice guy..."

"If you say so..."

Cecil decided to skip this remark "Golbez... There's something I must tell you..."

"Oh - seems to be something unpleasant by the sound of it..." Golbez chuckled.

Cecil frowned. "Yes... You see the shrine on Mt. Ordeals where I met father is... destroyed..."

His brother showed no reaction.

"It seems to have shocked him - maybe I should console him a bit..."

"It doesn't mean anything I guess, but it will be problem to get in contact with him aga--"

"Why would you believe that I wanted to get in contact with him?!" his brother asked suddenly with a sharp voice.

Cecil backed away due to Golbez's reaction. "I was just presuming..."

"Then stop presuming thing!. Why should I probably want to talk with my father? And about the shrine - serves the old man right..." He grunted.

"What? This "old man" is our father!!" Cecil stared at him in disbelief.

Golbez fixed him intensively -- his eyes had lost any warm glow completely. "And what has this father of ours done for us?" As he saw his brother opening his mouth, he interrupted him with a bitter laugh. "Oh I forgot - he made you a paladin and gave you this nifty sword - what a strenous action to tell someone "Now you're a paladin" or whatever he said to you. Do you really think that you would be someone different as you are now, if he hadn't said it to you? It was you who decided to be a paladin, not he!"

Cecil stared at Golbez aghast, totally surprised by his brother's reaction.

"Let me tell you something brother..." Golbez continued in a low voice "You can thank him for having to fight your own brother and seeing him again just now and for all the sacrifices you had to make.. And I can thank him as well: For killing hundreds of people and frightening them like I did with your wife and then waking up in cave full of sleeping old lunarians and not knowing what the heck is going on! As... As he separated us after his birth, as he decided to give me away, and as he never in all these years helped any one of us!"

Cecil felt anger rising within him due to these words "Golbez! You can't possibly blame our father for the things that have happened! He's helping us in any way he can..."

Golbez smiled bitterly. "And where is he now? Where was he back then as I nearly killed you in the tower of Bab- Il?"

"His spirit was there! Or you would have killed me!" Cecil repeated angrily.

Golbez leaned closer to his brother's face. "Then pray that he will be there again when I lose my senses the next time..." he whispered. He straightened himself and added a quick grin "what won't happen, I hope and if, you surely will do the right thing..." He laughed again, turned around and continued watching the landscape.

"You can't be serious..." Cecil had problems to stay calm.

"Hey darling..." Rosa asked softly. She knew from the posture of her husband that he was angry and had rushed to him immediately. "What's the matter?"

"Tell it to her, Cecil...Maybe you even want to get me of the ship..." Golbez chuckled again.

"Does he want to provoke me?"

The paladin breathed in deeply. "It... it seems that our friend Golbez here is a bit... nervous..." A slight smile crept across his face "Maybe he has some emotions at all..." Golbez seemed to stiff a bit. "Come Rosa... Let's ask Cid how long the voyage will take..." With a last look at his brother, the paladin and his wife walked away.

Golbez raised an eyebrow "Well done, little brother... It's just what I deserve... although... I'd rather like it if you would hate me..." he whispered.