Chapter 3:
The same day.
Eiko sat in her room, hunched over the piece of paper. She read it over and over until she finally crunched it in her fist and through it across the room into her garbage bin. Her face was still filled with fury.
Princess Dagger shared the adjoining room, but she tried not to get in Eiko's way. Everyone knew that the new queen of Lindblum had a terrible temper, and it was better to stay out of her way when she was in a rage than to try and calm her down. Dagger figured that it would subside eventually… at least from a pot of rapidly boiling pitch to a low simmer.
Beatrix, who had come with Garnet and Zidane to Lindblum, knocked cautiously on Eiko's door. After Eiko gave her grudging approval to enter, she came in with a lovely young lady behind her. Beatrix and Steiner's daughter, Cahira, was the same age as Princess Dagger, and followed swiftly in her parents' footsteps. She had the same blonde hair as Beatrix, and had also gained her beauty, but her disposition faltered between her two parents. She was as stiff as Steiner, but when the time called for it, she could change her mind on matters of importance. Being female, she was also a little more understanding.
"I know that you are not under the rules of Alexandria," Beatrix began, "But Zidane and Garnet would like for Cahira to accompany you on your quest. I know that you will not stop at the Black Mage Village, and that you and Dagger will search the whole world to find the killer of your parents."
"Respectfully, Beatrix, I don't need protection," Eiko said, her blue eyes still glowing with fury.
Cahira's soft voice piped up. "We didn't think that you did, Queen Eiko. We are worried about Princess Dagger. It is my responsibility to watch over the Princess, as it was my parents' responsibility to watch over her Majesty, Queen Garnet. We are not giving you a choice in this matter. I am coming with you."
Eiko studied the young woman for a moment and then sighed. "Fine. You may come, but only because I think that we might need your help. You are a powerful fighter, Cahira, and I respect that."
Cahira bowed sardonically. "When do we leave, your Majesty?"
"Stop that!" Eiko admonished. "Please, just call me Eiko. We leave tomorrow morning for the Black Mage Village. And from there… well, wherever this assassin takes us."
The next morning, Dagger hugged her parents goodbye. Zidane still looked unsure of letting them go, but he seemed more confident now that he knew Cahira would be accompanying them. Garnet kissed her daughter on the cheek. "Be a good girl, Dagger. And stay out of trouble as much as possible."
Dagger grinned wickedly. "You know me, mother."
"Indeed."
Cahira's departing was a little more formal. She saluted both her parents, and they gave her last minute instructions on caring for Princess Dagger. Then Beatrix pulled her into a rough embrace, and she was on her way.
Eiko didn't say any goodbyes. She was quiet and withdrawn, but she nodded curtly to her friends before she boarded the airship.
As she stepped forward, she saw another familiar face, leaning against the captain's wheel. Brushing his red hair back with his hand, Blank said, "Didn't think you were just going to fly the ship yourself, did you? Besides, Tantulus has got to have spies on their Queen's airships, don't they?"
Eiko couldn't make herself be angry at Blank for interfering. In fact, in some ways she was just relieved. She knew that the Tantulus group was supportive of her, and they showed their affection and patriotism in odd ways. She was sure that this was one of those ways. "You did leave Ruby and the little one behind, right?"
"You think I was going to let them get involved in murder and mayhem?" Blank asked.
"Of course not!" Eiko snapped.
"Then you already knew the answer before you asked."
It took them about a week to get to the forest where the Black Mage Village resided. As the airship landed, Eiko instructed Dagger and Cahira to equip themselves. The forest was full of monsters, and who knew what enemies could possibly be blocking their path?
With flute in hand, Eiko stepped down the boarding ramp, followed by Dagger, and then Cahira taking up the end. Blank promised to stay and watch the airship, trusting the women to be able to take care of themselves.
They walked carefully through the forest, following the signs to the place where there were no owls, and continued towards the Village. The black mages had long ago taken down their boarder that kept humans out of the village, on Vivi's instruction, Eiko was sure, and they had accepted the genomes into their society easily. They traded with the humans and dwarves, and everyone seemed to be at harmony. The enmity between people and the mages was long forgotten.
After a few brief fights with some strange owls and mushroom-like creatures, Dagger pointed toward the village. "I think I see it. If we hurry, we can make it before nightfall."
The three women picked up their pace, and hurried toward the village. Vivi was waiting for them at the entrance.
Eiko and Dagger hugged him, but Cahira stood back. She didn't know Vivi as well as they did, and she was fairly reserved anyway. Vivi looked at them, his yellow eyes glowing brightly. "We've been expecting you."
"Do you know what's going on?" Eiko asked him, hoping that he could give them some clue to the deaths of her parents and to the name of her "Admirer".
"No, but the mages have been able to sense something in the air, and I figured that their would be some emissary from Alexandria and Lindblum in the future with questions regarding its origin."
Cahira nodded solemnly. "There is more to it than that."
Dagger and Eiko quickly briefed him on everything that happened, from the strange melody at Alexandria, to the deaths of Regent Cid and Hilda, along with the note in Lindblum. Vivi listened silently through the whole story.
"As I thought, there is evil stirring in the world again. I had hoped that after destroying Kuja, we had finished it off, but as you know, that is too much to wish for. Come, you will stay the night here, and in the morning, I will tell you my story, for strange things have been happening on this continent, too. And then, tomorrow, we will continue our journey and see if we can find out what exactly is going on."
"We?" Dagger asked expectantly.
"You didn't think I was going to let you go alone, did you?"