Chapter 25
Quistis paced up and down the infirmary corridor impatiently. Eventually, Kadowaki appeared. Quistis almost pounced on the doctor.
"How is he? Is he gonna be alright?"
"Yes, yes, he's getting ready now. His injuries were not serious, mostly magical. Nothing a few esunas and elixirs can't fix."
"Can I see him?" Kadowaki nodded and motioned toward the door. Squall was sat up in bed, hurriedly putting his boots on. Quistis hugged him, but stopped immediately, as she could sense Squall's awkwardness. "How are you?" she asked.
"Never mind about me, we've got to rescue Cid."
"Tell me what happened. You mentioned something about Rinoa. Does this sorceress know anything about her?" Squall laughed out loud. Quistis failed to get the joke.
"You don't get it do you Quistis?" he shouted out. "This new sorceress knows all about Rinoa. She knows every intimate detail of her very being!" Quistis was stunned. This was the first time she had seen Squall act like this. "From the moment she was born till the moment she died, she knows it all."
"Rinoa? Dead?" Quistis felt like someone had swung a sledgehammer at her heart.
"No, well, yes, and no."
"Squall, what are you talking about?" Squall continued tying his shoes.
"The Rinoa we know is gone. Only the sorceress survives. Those were her words Quistis, not mine."
"You mean, this sorceress, is…? No I can't believe it." another sledgehammer to Quistis's heart.
"You better start, because it's true."
"How do you know? Could you have not been mistaken?" Squall gave her a piercing stare.
"I saw the Griever necklace. I saw it in her eyes. Its her!" Quistis almost fell into one of the chairs.
"What does she want?"
"I don't know."
"She attacked us?" Quistis was stuck for words. "Why?"
"I said I don't know!" Squall grabbed his Gunblade from the side of the bed, and fitted it onto his belt. "Ask her!"
"Where is she?"
"For the last time, I don't know!"
"I wonder why she wants Cid?" Quistis pondered for a moment. "You don't think…" she paused.
"What?"
"Remember why she got kicked out of Garden in the first place?" They shouted in unison.
"Yannie!" Squall thought for a moment.
"We have to find out where she is. We find her, we find Rinoa, we find Cid."
******************
Cid had been badly beaten. He was blindfolded, gagged, and tied to a chair. A slow trickle of blood ran from his nose, most probably broken, and his ribs ached, also, broken. Still, he held his head up high, refusing to admit defeat against the men who had done this to him.
He was in a room aboard the Battle cruiser. He could sense they were moving. His heightened sense of hearing picked up the faint noise of a key in the door. The door flew open, crashing against the side of wall. Cool air rushed into the room, quickly replacing the stale air Cid had been forced to breathe.
"The sorceress wants to see you." A gruff voice said. He heard footsteps, and felt movements behind him as his hands were untied. "Don't you dare try anything fishy." Said another voice. Cid tried to speak, but the duct tape around his mouth muffled his voice.
"Ah, I think he wants to talk. What do you say? Shall we let him talk?" the other soldier laughed in agreement, and ripped of the duct tape quickly. Searing pain tore though his lower jaw, as it effectively removed any stubble.
"Ah…" he mummered before recovering. "Well I guess I won't have to shave for a while." He had been making light of the situation since he had been forced aboard. Not only did it annoy the guards, but also it concealed his worries over the immense seriousness of current events. He also felt that by joking, could show them that he had control over the situation. They could beat him, they could torture him, but they would never break his spirit. Behind his placid façade, lay a will of steal.
One soldier kicked the chair forward. Still blinded, Cid fell to the floor, and winced at the pain in his ribs.
"Get up!"
"Well, seeing… as you asked so…so nicely…" Cid climbed to his feet, having difficulties in breathing.
"Come with us. The two soldiers grabbed his arms and pushed him forward. Blindfolded, he was forced to climb up a flight of stairs. The soldiers laughed as he fell on the last one. "This is the sorceress's chamber. You better pay her some respect!" they threw him forward, and he landed face first on the marble floor. He stood up with as much grace as he could, and untied the blindfold. Sat on a high throne was the Sorceress.
"Ah, Mr Kramer. What a nice surprise."
"Surprise! You ordered me aboard! You dragged me up here!" she chuckled to her self.
"Hmm, quite. Anyway, I think you know the reason you are here."
"If your stooges can't get it out of me, don't think you will."
"What makes you so sure?" she leaned forward. "What makes you think I don't already know."
"You don't know!" Cid mocked.
"Oh really?" she pressed a button on the armrest. "General, set a course to the Orphanage on the Cape of Good Hope."
"You bitch! You knew all along! How did you know?"
"I'm a sorceress. I can read your mind." She momentarily disappeared, only to reappear seconds later behind him. "I know all about you. I know your childhood, your love for your wife, the so called fated children." She leaned right up next to his ear and whispered. "The hatred you are feeling right now, for me." She stood back. "Go on, take your best shot. I dare you. Let it go." His fist clenched. "Yes, good. Hate me." His hand relaxed. He looked her in the eyes.
"I forgive you."
"What!" she was stunned.
"I said, you are forgiven. The attack on garden, the attack on me. I know its not you. You were a good person once. The sorceress power. It has made you into what you are." The sorceress raised her hand.
"I don't need forgiveness." With one swift movement, she sent him flying across the floor. He hit the door, and fell onto the floor unconscious, passed out from the pain. "Guards!" she shouted. Two timid men came running in. "Take the prisoner away. Continue to question him." The guards dragged the body of Cid Kramer out into the hallway, and the doors closed behind.
The sorceress looked at the scenery flying past below. "Forgiveness…I don't need forgiveness."
Quistis paced up and down the infirmary corridor impatiently. Eventually, Kadowaki appeared. Quistis almost pounced on the doctor.
"How is he? Is he gonna be alright?"
"Yes, yes, he's getting ready now. His injuries were not serious, mostly magical. Nothing a few esunas and elixirs can't fix."
"Can I see him?" Kadowaki nodded and motioned toward the door. Squall was sat up in bed, hurriedly putting his boots on. Quistis hugged him, but stopped immediately, as she could sense Squall's awkwardness. "How are you?" she asked.
"Never mind about me, we've got to rescue Cid."
"Tell me what happened. You mentioned something about Rinoa. Does this sorceress know anything about her?" Squall laughed out loud. Quistis failed to get the joke.
"You don't get it do you Quistis?" he shouted out. "This new sorceress knows all about Rinoa. She knows every intimate detail of her very being!" Quistis was stunned. This was the first time she had seen Squall act like this. "From the moment she was born till the moment she died, she knows it all."
"Rinoa? Dead?" Quistis felt like someone had swung a sledgehammer at her heart.
"No, well, yes, and no."
"Squall, what are you talking about?" Squall continued tying his shoes.
"The Rinoa we know is gone. Only the sorceress survives. Those were her words Quistis, not mine."
"You mean, this sorceress, is…? No I can't believe it." another sledgehammer to Quistis's heart.
"You better start, because it's true."
"How do you know? Could you have not been mistaken?" Squall gave her a piercing stare.
"I saw the Griever necklace. I saw it in her eyes. Its her!" Quistis almost fell into one of the chairs.
"What does she want?"
"I don't know."
"She attacked us?" Quistis was stuck for words. "Why?"
"I said I don't know!" Squall grabbed his Gunblade from the side of the bed, and fitted it onto his belt. "Ask her!"
"Where is she?"
"For the last time, I don't know!"
"I wonder why she wants Cid?" Quistis pondered for a moment. "You don't think…" she paused.
"What?"
"Remember why she got kicked out of Garden in the first place?" They shouted in unison.
"Yannie!" Squall thought for a moment.
"We have to find out where she is. We find her, we find Rinoa, we find Cid."
******************
Cid had been badly beaten. He was blindfolded, gagged, and tied to a chair. A slow trickle of blood ran from his nose, most probably broken, and his ribs ached, also, broken. Still, he held his head up high, refusing to admit defeat against the men who had done this to him.
He was in a room aboard the Battle cruiser. He could sense they were moving. His heightened sense of hearing picked up the faint noise of a key in the door. The door flew open, crashing against the side of wall. Cool air rushed into the room, quickly replacing the stale air Cid had been forced to breathe.
"The sorceress wants to see you." A gruff voice said. He heard footsteps, and felt movements behind him as his hands were untied. "Don't you dare try anything fishy." Said another voice. Cid tried to speak, but the duct tape around his mouth muffled his voice.
"Ah, I think he wants to talk. What do you say? Shall we let him talk?" the other soldier laughed in agreement, and ripped of the duct tape quickly. Searing pain tore though his lower jaw, as it effectively removed any stubble.
"Ah…" he mummered before recovering. "Well I guess I won't have to shave for a while." He had been making light of the situation since he had been forced aboard. Not only did it annoy the guards, but also it concealed his worries over the immense seriousness of current events. He also felt that by joking, could show them that he had control over the situation. They could beat him, they could torture him, but they would never break his spirit. Behind his placid façade, lay a will of steal.
One soldier kicked the chair forward. Still blinded, Cid fell to the floor, and winced at the pain in his ribs.
"Get up!"
"Well, seeing… as you asked so…so nicely…" Cid climbed to his feet, having difficulties in breathing.
"Come with us. The two soldiers grabbed his arms and pushed him forward. Blindfolded, he was forced to climb up a flight of stairs. The soldiers laughed as he fell on the last one. "This is the sorceress's chamber. You better pay her some respect!" they threw him forward, and he landed face first on the marble floor. He stood up with as much grace as he could, and untied the blindfold. Sat on a high throne was the Sorceress.
"Ah, Mr Kramer. What a nice surprise."
"Surprise! You ordered me aboard! You dragged me up here!" she chuckled to her self.
"Hmm, quite. Anyway, I think you know the reason you are here."
"If your stooges can't get it out of me, don't think you will."
"What makes you so sure?" she leaned forward. "What makes you think I don't already know."
"You don't know!" Cid mocked.
"Oh really?" she pressed a button on the armrest. "General, set a course to the Orphanage on the Cape of Good Hope."
"You bitch! You knew all along! How did you know?"
"I'm a sorceress. I can read your mind." She momentarily disappeared, only to reappear seconds later behind him. "I know all about you. I know your childhood, your love for your wife, the so called fated children." She leaned right up next to his ear and whispered. "The hatred you are feeling right now, for me." She stood back. "Go on, take your best shot. I dare you. Let it go." His fist clenched. "Yes, good. Hate me." His hand relaxed. He looked her in the eyes.
"I forgive you."
"What!" she was stunned.
"I said, you are forgiven. The attack on garden, the attack on me. I know its not you. You were a good person once. The sorceress power. It has made you into what you are." The sorceress raised her hand.
"I don't need forgiveness." With one swift movement, she sent him flying across the floor. He hit the door, and fell onto the floor unconscious, passed out from the pain. "Guards!" she shouted. Two timid men came running in. "Take the prisoner away. Continue to question him." The guards dragged the body of Cid Kramer out into the hallway, and the doors closed behind.
The sorceress looked at the scenery flying past below. "Forgiveness…I don't need forgiveness."