Chapter 23
Outside on the battlefield, a great cheer rose as the Galbadian soldiers withdrew in numbers.
"Yeah! And you stay out!" shouted Selphie.
"We did it! We showed them!" shouted an equally happy Zell. Medical staff and specially trained SeeDs went around issuing potions and phoenix-downs to the injured. Those seriously injured were taken to the medical bay. These people were thankfully few in numbers.
"Where's Squall?" asked Nida to Quistis. Quistis shrugged.
"I thought he was with you."
"We thought he was with you." He replied. Quistis walked over to Zell Irvine and Selphie who were stood in a group with some battle-weary SeeDs, still on a high from their victory.
"Have any of you seen Squall?" she asked. They all shook their heads.
"I haven't seen him since we left for Balamb." Said Selphie. Quistis had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her common sense was telling her that Squall was the most experienced fighter in garden. Her instinct said something terrible had happened.
"I'm gonna go look for him." She told them, and left them to bask in their well deserved victory.
After searching half of Garden, Quistis went to the quad. There on the floor, she found Squall's crumpled body. Quistis held her hands up to her mouth and gasped. She ran over to him, and knelt down.
"Squall?" she said lightly patting his face. "Squall?" her voice was strained as she held back the tears. "Talk to me. What happened." He slowly opened his eyes.
"She was here…"
"Who?"
"…Rinoa." Quistis dismissed his words as delusions.
"Squall, we are going to get some help, ok?" she looked around for help. The only person she saw was a junior classman. "You!" she shouted out. "Get the Doctor, now!" the young boy ran of to carry out his new assignment.
"Quisty…I let her down. I'm…I can't be…I was the sorceresses knight…but…"
"Shhh, save your energy." He grabbed her collar.
"I broke my promise. It's all my fault. All of this!"
"Don't be stupid. It's not your fault." Quistis looked up for signs of help arriving.
"The boy in Deling…if I kept my promise…sorceresses turn bad without a knight!" she didn't fully understand what he was talking about, but she nodded her head in agreement anyway.
"Help will be here soon."
"She took Cid." This grabbed Quistis's attention.
"What? Who took Cid?"
"The sorceress! Rinoa!" he shouted out.
"Squall, I don't understand!" it was at this point that three SeeD medics arrived carrying a stretcher. "Over here!" Quistis shouted. The three medics, dressed in white SeeD uniforms with a red cross on the back ran over. They lifted Squall up onto the stretcher and carried him away. Quistis held Squall's hand as they ran along the corridor to the infirmary.
"I'm sorry, you will have to wait outside for now." Said one medic as he placed a hand on Quistis's shoulder. She nodded, and he entered the infirmary shutting the door behind him.
"Better go find the others." She said to herself.
Outside, Irvine, Selphie and Zell were helping with the clean up. Xu and Nida had taken charge and were issuing jobs for every SeeD. Some of the junior classmen had come down when they heard of the Galbadian retreat, and had got roped into collecting items and weapons left behind by the vanquished army. Everyone was busy restoring Garden to its original state.
"Irvine, Selphie, Zell," said Quistis when she saw the three. "Come with me, I have to talk to you."
"Aw, Quisty," said Zell, "Can it wait."
"I'm afraid not." The three followed her. They reached the Garden foyer, and were assembled in front of the directory. Selphie noticed how pale Quistis looked.
"Are you ok? You look real pale. And where is Squall."
"That's what I want to talk to you about. I found Squall. He was barley conscious on the floor of the quad." The others were stunned into silence for a few moments. Irvine spoke.
"Who did it?"
"I couldn't get much sense out of him." She began, "But he went on about a sorceress, and Rinoa. I think there's a new sorceress, and from what I can gather, she had kidnapped Rinoa."
"No…"
"I'm afraid so. Although, I couldn't make out much from what he was saying, so I could be mistaken."
"That's terrible." Said Selphie.
"There's more." Quistis paused. "This same sorceress has kidnapped Cid. This much I know to be true, as I have searched everywhere, and cant find him, and he is not answering his radio."
"Get rid of one sorceress, and another one comes along!" Zell said, his cheeks turning a bright shade of red. "I'll kill her when I see her!" he punched the screen of the directory. The only thing he managed to damage was his fist. Quistis gave him a 'calm down' look, and handed over a potion, which he rubbed into his knuckles.
"Until Squall can talk to us, there's nothing we can do but wait." Selphie sat down on the small step that preceded the directory.
"Poor, Rinoa, poor Cid. And poor Squall." She said quietly. She looked up. "Is there nothing we can do?"
"Until we know what this sorceress wants, and why she needs Cid, we are at the mercy of fate."
Outside on the battlefield, a great cheer rose as the Galbadian soldiers withdrew in numbers.
"Yeah! And you stay out!" shouted Selphie.
"We did it! We showed them!" shouted an equally happy Zell. Medical staff and specially trained SeeDs went around issuing potions and phoenix-downs to the injured. Those seriously injured were taken to the medical bay. These people were thankfully few in numbers.
"Where's Squall?" asked Nida to Quistis. Quistis shrugged.
"I thought he was with you."
"We thought he was with you." He replied. Quistis walked over to Zell Irvine and Selphie who were stood in a group with some battle-weary SeeDs, still on a high from their victory.
"Have any of you seen Squall?" she asked. They all shook their heads.
"I haven't seen him since we left for Balamb." Said Selphie. Quistis had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her common sense was telling her that Squall was the most experienced fighter in garden. Her instinct said something terrible had happened.
"I'm gonna go look for him." She told them, and left them to bask in their well deserved victory.
After searching half of Garden, Quistis went to the quad. There on the floor, she found Squall's crumpled body. Quistis held her hands up to her mouth and gasped. She ran over to him, and knelt down.
"Squall?" she said lightly patting his face. "Squall?" her voice was strained as she held back the tears. "Talk to me. What happened." He slowly opened his eyes.
"She was here…"
"Who?"
"…Rinoa." Quistis dismissed his words as delusions.
"Squall, we are going to get some help, ok?" she looked around for help. The only person she saw was a junior classman. "You!" she shouted out. "Get the Doctor, now!" the young boy ran of to carry out his new assignment.
"Quisty…I let her down. I'm…I can't be…I was the sorceresses knight…but…"
"Shhh, save your energy." He grabbed her collar.
"I broke my promise. It's all my fault. All of this!"
"Don't be stupid. It's not your fault." Quistis looked up for signs of help arriving.
"The boy in Deling…if I kept my promise…sorceresses turn bad without a knight!" she didn't fully understand what he was talking about, but she nodded her head in agreement anyway.
"Help will be here soon."
"She took Cid." This grabbed Quistis's attention.
"What? Who took Cid?"
"The sorceress! Rinoa!" he shouted out.
"Squall, I don't understand!" it was at this point that three SeeD medics arrived carrying a stretcher. "Over here!" Quistis shouted. The three medics, dressed in white SeeD uniforms with a red cross on the back ran over. They lifted Squall up onto the stretcher and carried him away. Quistis held Squall's hand as they ran along the corridor to the infirmary.
"I'm sorry, you will have to wait outside for now." Said one medic as he placed a hand on Quistis's shoulder. She nodded, and he entered the infirmary shutting the door behind him.
"Better go find the others." She said to herself.
Outside, Irvine, Selphie and Zell were helping with the clean up. Xu and Nida had taken charge and were issuing jobs for every SeeD. Some of the junior classmen had come down when they heard of the Galbadian retreat, and had got roped into collecting items and weapons left behind by the vanquished army. Everyone was busy restoring Garden to its original state.
"Irvine, Selphie, Zell," said Quistis when she saw the three. "Come with me, I have to talk to you."
"Aw, Quisty," said Zell, "Can it wait."
"I'm afraid not." The three followed her. They reached the Garden foyer, and were assembled in front of the directory. Selphie noticed how pale Quistis looked.
"Are you ok? You look real pale. And where is Squall."
"That's what I want to talk to you about. I found Squall. He was barley conscious on the floor of the quad." The others were stunned into silence for a few moments. Irvine spoke.
"Who did it?"
"I couldn't get much sense out of him." She began, "But he went on about a sorceress, and Rinoa. I think there's a new sorceress, and from what I can gather, she had kidnapped Rinoa."
"No…"
"I'm afraid so. Although, I couldn't make out much from what he was saying, so I could be mistaken."
"That's terrible." Said Selphie.
"There's more." Quistis paused. "This same sorceress has kidnapped Cid. This much I know to be true, as I have searched everywhere, and cant find him, and he is not answering his radio."
"Get rid of one sorceress, and another one comes along!" Zell said, his cheeks turning a bright shade of red. "I'll kill her when I see her!" he punched the screen of the directory. The only thing he managed to damage was his fist. Quistis gave him a 'calm down' look, and handed over a potion, which he rubbed into his knuckles.
"Until Squall can talk to us, there's nothing we can do but wait." Selphie sat down on the small step that preceded the directory.
"Poor, Rinoa, poor Cid. And poor Squall." She said quietly. She looked up. "Is there nothing we can do?"
"Until we know what this sorceress wants, and why she needs Cid, we are at the mercy of fate."