AN: And the cliffhanger is resolved :)

momba_night_Advenger: LOL! But cliffhangers make sure you keep reading - and inspire you to review ;p Thanks for commenting!

Book Three of the Sorcerer Arc ~ Battle Lines ~ Chapter Ten ~ Stormclouds Gathering

The night passed restlessly for the upper echelon of SeeD, and especially so for Quistis and Zell. One moment Seifer had been reassuring them both that Squall would be back, because he, Seifer, was still there. The next, Seifer had been gone. It was the shock of his sudden disappearance as much as the implications the disappearance held that kept them awake.

For Zell it was concern. Although he would never admit it out loud, he had come to think of Seifer as a friend, even approving of his relationship with Squall after seeing how the brunette had become more open. Of course, Squall was still Squall, and he was still quiet and cold, but he would actually go as far as laughing if a joke was particularly amusing. Now though, he was gone, Hyne knew where - although he had a pretty good idea - and Zell had no idea if the brunette were in trouble or not. It was hard to go rushing to someone's aid when you didn't know if they needed it. He just had to hope that Seifer would be enough backup for the brunette, and promise to himself that if anything happened to Squall, Seifer had better be dead, or Zell would see that he was.

For Quistis it was the realisation that Squall and Seifer were gone, and likely not returning. She was faced with the prospect of landing with Squall's job. Once upon a time, before Ultemecia, when she had gained her Instructor's licence and realised she ~could~ rise through the ranks, she might have jumped for joy at the situation. But now... She had seen the amount of work that Squall had to do each day, and she had wondered just how the brunette managed to cope with it all, and still find time to eat, sleep, train and, surreptitiously, manage to say hi to his closer friends.

No doubt some of the work could be delegated, and, Quistis decided, staring at the darkened ceiling of her and Zell's room, most of it would have to be. There was no way she could deal with all the messages - still pouring in - ~and~ deal with everyday Garden affairs. Not to mention that she would have to announce Squall's departure to the Garden, deal with the aftermath of that, and then inform Galbadia Garden of the situation. Mulling over names in her mind, Quistis began to make a mental list of the SeeDs available to help, and the tasks for which they would be best suited.

***

However the rumours started, by breakfast it was known throughout Balamb Garden that both Seifer and Squall had vanished. Fortunately the fact that they were unlikely to return remained unknown, or at least unspoken. It was clear that an announcement was needed, but with Quistis eyeball deep in diplomatic responses to the stacks of messages received, that task fell to Zell. Disdaining the tannoy system, the blond instead calmly announced a meeting in the second floor ballroom - the only room in Garden large enough to hold, although it would be a tight fit, all of the SeeDs and students in Garden.

The turnout was complete. Well, almost. The SeeDs in the top two ranks had already been briefed the evening before, and they were currently covering such vital tasks as monitoring communications.

"Ahem." The feedback from the microphone made Zell wince and curse inwardly, but it attracted the attention of the gathered crowd far more effectively than his tentative cough. The murmur of conversation ceased, and Zell, like Kylari when she had faced Tieren Deling, felt the force of over a hundred attentive stares. Wondering again how Quistis had gotten him to agree to it, Zell cleared his throat - genuinely this time - and addressed the crowd.

"I'm sure by now most of you have heard the rumours." There were a few mutters of assent, nods and quick whispers of speculation between the groups standing together. "Yes, Commander Leonhart," and how weird did it feel calling Squall that, "has left Garden, along with Seifer Almasy." Uncertain mutters at that, some glad to have Seifer gone, others not so sure. With the rumours of Squall being a sorcerer, of course people had stopped and re-examined the relationship between him and Seifer, a confirmed ex-knight. It was no surprise that the two had been paired together, especially after the truth about Squall's sexual orientation had come out in that argument between the two. An argument that was two years in the past, and yet vividly fresh in his memory.

"Yes, it is also true that Commander Leonhart is a sorcerer, and that Seifer Almasy is his knight." That was a bit of an ad lib, straying from the script as usual when his mind wandered. Not that it mattered too much. The Garden had suspected for long enough that anyone uncomfortable, beyond the point of being able to deal with the idea of Squall being a sorcerer, should already have left. That Seifer was his knight, well, it was only fair that they be told now, rather than having it sprung on them later, when lack of time to absorb the fact might make a crucial difference.

"Until they return..." Don't let them know we think they've gone for good, Quistis had warned him sternly. She had no need to iterate the possible consequences. It would be hard enough holding Garden and SeeD together without Squall present, nigh on impossible if there wasn't the hope of the brunette returning to cling to. "Until they return, Quistis Trepe and myself will be in charge. If you have any problems, any questions, you can ask any SeeD rank 30 or A - they know as much as we do." Which wasn't, Zell thought to himself, a hell of a lot. The only thing they ~didn't~ know, was that neither Zell nor Quistis expected Squall back anytime soon.

"What about the White SeeD?" The question was shouted from the anonymity of the back of the crowd, the questioner known only to those around him. It was the question that Zell wasn't sure he'd wanted asked or not. Certainly it made the topic of the White SeeD easier to broach, but the topic in itself wasn't an easy one. That was probably why Quistis had shrugged, trusting him to wing it if the question ~was~ asked.

"You all know about Ellone Loire, how she and Commander Leonhart are half-siblings." He paused, letting that information sink in, letting those who ~didn't~ know about Ellone be brought up to speed by their more knowledgeable neighbours. When the room finally quietened again, he continued. "We discovered yesterday evening that the White SeeD were a semi-independent branch of a cult dedicated to the eradication of sorcerers, and anyone related to them." The silence deepened, most jumping to the correct conclusion before it was stated. "And we also discovered that they had Ellone, and knew she was related to a sorcerer." The silence broke as angry murmurs spread across the room. Straining his ears to catch the conversations closest to him, Zell was relieved to find that the general sentiment seemed to fully support Squall in his actions.

"Has this got anything to do with the attack on Trabia?" The room suddenly stilled, as did Zell. He'd expected someone to, maybe, connect the cult with rumours of Laguna's death, or for someone to ask about the attacks on Esthar and Deling. He'd forgotten, in the midst of unfolding events, that Balamb Garden was, for the first time, running at full capacity, and that all those previously empty spaces had been filled by the survivors of the attack on Trabia Garden. So how to answer? Squall, undoubtedly, knew why Kylari had attacked Trabia - fortunately, in a bizarre twist of events, inflicting minimum casualties, although still too many - but Squall wasn't there. Seifer might also have known, but again, he wasn't there.

"Uh, well..." He fumbled for words, an explanation that made sense without raising too many more questions. "We know the attack on Trabia was carried out by a sorceress, the same sorceress that took control of Galbadia yesterday. We don't know for certain, but we suspect she may have had links with the cult. Whether the attack on Trabia was a part of the sorceress's plans or the cult's plans, we don't know." Barely refraining from crossing his fingers, Zell prayed that the silence would last long enough for him to call an end and dismiss everyone.

"Why haven't we done anything about the sorceress?" An angry female voice called, startling murmurs of agreement from the assembly and dismissing his hopes of ending the meeting. At least this question he could answer honestly, and brutally.

"We have. All fifteen of SeeD's top ranking snipers were to aid Tieren Deling when the sorceress confronted him last night. There were no survivors." Zell let his gaze sweep across the room, noticing those areas where people suddenly realised that their friends, called away on an urgent mission only days before, were not returning. But there was more, and he didn't give the crowd time to regain their balance before striking the hardest blow. "One of those fifteen betrayed SeeD and joined the sorceress. He assassinated Tieren Deling, and was then publicly executed by the sorceress this morning." Horribly executed, in fact. But there was no need to go into details, not with the junior classmen present. He let them mutter for a while, waited until quiet began to fall again. He had their full attention now, had raised their protectiveness and empathy for Squall's position, and had both cautioned and threatened them with the horrible reality of Kylari's threat. Now was the most important moment, because whatever he said next, they would not forget. They could not ~afford~ to forget - for Garden's sake.

"As far as the rest of the world is concerned, yes, Commander Leonhart is a sorcerer. ~But~ we ~did not~ discover until he had left. There is no evidence linking him to the White SeeD, and until there is, Garden has no opinion ~either~ way as to what happened. ~Officially~ we are arguing in support of the Commander, but with an open mind - Galbadia will not be swayed as long as the sorceress is in control, but the remaining nations must be reassured." He waited a moment, letting that sink in, knowing that most of the SeeDs would automatically have memorised his words. For those that hadn't however... "If ~anyone~ asks you a question, and you're not sure how much you can say, say you know ~nothing~. That applies to you junior classmen especially." The murmurs of dissent he'd been expecting didn't materialise, apparently even the youngest realising that the situation was ~that~ serious. "Dismissed."

The ballroom emptied in silence, a fact that made Zell shiver. He glanced at his watch, astonished to find that he'd been talking for almost an hour. An hour...that made it almost lunch! Perking up slightly, Zell headed for the cafeteria. A hotdog was just the cure- all and general pick-me-up he needed...

***

Quistis had finally bitten the bullet and placed a call to Galbadia Garden. To be honest, she was surprised that Xu hadn't already called Balamb, since Galbadia Garden had probably heard Kylari's announcement first. Then again, Xu was probably attempting to keep the Garden's profile as low as possible...

"Quistis?" Or maybe she simply hadn't wanted to risk calling Squall for herself. Quistis realised, belatedly, that the messages from the night before, and that morning, were still being replied to. Apparently Galbadia Garden hadn't yet heard of Squall and Seifer's disappearance.

"Xu." She responded neutrally, trying to think how to break into the topic at hand. It was somewhat awkward, considering that Xu had first been her SeeD Instructor, then a co-worker of the same rank, albeit senior. Now they were both, temporarily, of equal rank, but Quistis, in Balamb, had the greater power as the leader of the more prestigious Garden.

"I...I expected Squall would have made an official announcement by now." Quistis grimaced, slightly surprised by the hesitation in Xu's words.

"I'll be making an official announcement early this afternoon. Squall and Seifer left Garden with Ellone after Kylari's announcement. We're still trying to trace them." The brunette in charge of Galbadia Garden sucked in a surprised hiss of air.

"It's true then, what she said about Squall being a sorcerer." Quistis nodded.

"I need to know what Galbadia Garden's stance is going to be over this. I doubt the sorceress will, publicly, believe that Squall has left the Garden." The warning was clear. The sorceress ~was~ going to push Galbadia into a war against Garden, and Galbadia Garden would have to make their allegiance clear, one way or another. Xu's face hardened.

"Don't worry, the G-Garden is already on the move. We're heading to FH for now, but we're with Balamb Garden, and Squall, on this one." Quistis's surprise must have shown on her face, because the brunette sighed and launched into an explanation. "Kylari has some sort of a witch hunt going on - for sorceresses. The last we heard, the Card Queen had been captured in Winhill - the town was burnt to the ground and its inhabitants slaughtered because they tried to hide her." Xu shrugged. "Now she's got a militia with her, and is working her way across Galbadia, searching for another sorceress at my guess. The only thing is, she's leaving nothing alive behind her."

"So why the hell aren't the Galbadians fighting back?" Quistis asked, shocked by Xu's news. The brunette looked at her sadly.

"Because they've seen what happens when they oppose her." She shuddered. "We have a few refugees in the Garden, people who lived on the coast North of where Deling City used to be. Kylari is working from the East to the West, probably so whoever she's looking for can't escape with any ease."

"What about the Garden? How will you avoid her?" Xu grinned.

"We're just off the point of the Island Closest to Hell - an apt name at the minute. Our next destination will be the Humphrey Archipelago, and from there we'll run the gauntlet between Galbadia and Centra to Nanchucket Island. That'll be the riskiest part of the journey, but it should be doable. From there we'll head to FH." Quistis thought about arguing that heading for Esthar - and then the long journey around the North of Esthar and Trabia, through the narrow pass between Trabia and Winter Island, picking up the Galbadian Garden Fleet as an escort South to Balamb - would be safer. But really, if Kylari decided to go after Galbadia Garden, as she had Trabia Garden, nowhere was safe. And by Xu's route the Garden might pick up a few more survivors...

"All right. Well, good luck." Quistis wished she didn't feel like this was the last time the two of them would talk.

"Oh, wait!" Xu looked startled for a moment, suddenly remembering something. "I've ordered the Fleet to head for Balamb - they should be there in a couple of hours. You'll need them if Galbadia launches an invasion force towards you." Quistis nodded, making a note on the pad of paper nearby.

"Thanks Xu. Good fortune and a sure aim go with you." She saluted, the feeling that they would never talk again growing as Xu grinned, the expression almost manic.

"And if they don't, by Hyne we'll go down fighting!" The brunette returned, saluting even as she cut the connection.

***

Quistis kept the official announcement short and to the point. Yes, Squall was a sorcerer, but he was no longer at Garden, and they had not discovered that he was a sorcerer until he had left. They had seen, however, no evidence that Squall was responsible for the deaths of the White SeeD. Slyly, Quistis paused at that point, and then, oh so casually, mentioned the destruction of Timber and Dollet, whom Galbadia had declared war against. The intimation that Kylari was attempting to pass off her own destruction onto others was clear. No mention was made of Seifer being Squall's knight - too many people still harboured resentment against the blond for the events during Ultemecia's rule of Galbadia - and no mention of Trabia and Galbadia Garden, currently the only two factions who had pledged their wholehearted support.

Announcement made, the whole of Balamb Garden could only sit back and wait, hoping that it would be enough, that the still-neutral areas would realise what was really going on, the stakes really involved, and would join them against the sorceress...

***

The first, and most obvious, statement of support came from Balamb Town. Whilst the Mayor had wavered between support and neutrality, the Galbadian Garden Fleet had arrived offshore, prompting a fervent display of support from the townspeople that really left the Mayor with no other choice but to officially support Garden.

The second, slightly surprising and also most grudging, statement of support came from Fisherman's Horizon, late in the afternoon. Galbadia Garden had, apparently, made a surprisingly fast journey, and their arrival at FH had, like the Fleet's arrival off Balamb, left the Mayor of FH with little choice but to support Garden's cause. Of course, they had included the proviso that their support was purely pacifistic - they would repair the Gardens, supply them with whatever items and food were needed, and the town could provide, but they would not fight.

Trabia and Galbadia Garden's support was merely official confirmation of what Balamb Garden already knew.

As for the Shumi and Esthar... The communications SeeDs were certain that the Shumi were listening to the officially broadcast messages, and also commented that they would be surprised if Esthar wasn't. But neither the Shumi nor Esthar made any response. Esthar, of course, were also, if they ~were~ receiving incoming messages, ignoring all of Garden's repeated queries about Squall, Seifer and Ellone.

And that was how the situation remained as Garden settled down for, in many cases, another restless night. A line of allied resistance stretched thin before a very tangible enemy, and with a large question mark at their backs.

***

"I've got it!" Zell exclaimed, dropping a hotdog back onto his plate in his excitement, still staring at the table where two SeeDs had just exchanged GF orbs. Quistis groaned and took another long swallow of her black coffee. She, by her own estimates, had gotten just over four hours sleep the night before, what with worrying about how to contact Squall or Seifer, or even Esthar, and worrying about what should be done next. Zell, again by her estimates, hadn't even got that - maybe three, three and a half hours at the most. There was no way ~anyone~ could convince her that his having such energy was right, or fair. And there was no way she was getting involved in whatever harebrained scheme her husband had cooked up now.

"Quis! Quis?" An already-gloved hand was waved before her face. Quistis looked up, knowing that she'd probably regret it forever... A wide grin bloomed across her husband's face as she looked at him. "C'mon! I think I figured out..." He trailed off, glancing around the cafeteria, suddenly wary of being overheard. "How to contact...~them~." He finished, exuberance no less, but volume much diminished. The world, still foggy as her sleep-deprived mind attempted to decide whether it was awake or still asleep, snapped into focus as she realised who Zell meant.

"You're sure?" She hissed, placing the cup of coffee back on the tray. He nodded, already half out of his seat, gesturing for her to hurry up. With a regretful frown at her, as yet untouched, breakfast, Quistis stood, following at a more dignified pace as Zell bolted from the cafeteria.

Not entirely to her surprise, she caught up with him outside the cafeteria, where he'd paused to finish the hotdog he'd snatched from his plate. Ruefully she realised that she ~could~ have brought a piece of fruit with her, but it was too late now. Given Zell's determination to drag her Hyne knew where, he was unlikely to pause long enough for her to go back, if the serving staff hadn't already descended on their table and cleared it.

"Come ~on~." He muttered impatiently, as if it wasn't him who'd held them up by stopping to eat a hotdog. Grabbing her hand, Zell broke into a jog, forcing her to match his pace or be dragged through the Garden in front of the student body. Refraining from comment, Quistis lengthened her stride, breaking into a lope, and praising the stretchy material of her skirt.

"~Where~ are we going? And ~why~?" She demanded, once Zell had steered them into the elevator and punched in the code for the third floor.

"Outer office terminal." Zell answered succinctly. "I think we might be able to use the GFs to contact Squall or Seifer." Quistis blinked. She hadn't considered using the GFs as messengers, but now she did it made a kind of sense. After all, if it was possible to have a GF materialise and fight, as Seifer had done with Cerberus - she couldn't hold back the smirk remembering that, the 'shortest fight against a GF on record', imagine, a GF with a phobia of whips! - then it might be possible to have a GF carry a message. They could, and did, talk with their owners and amongst themselves.

"So we need someone with perfect compatibility." Zell nodded, waiting impatiently for the doors to open. "But hardly anyone uses GFs with enough regularity to have that." Quistis frowned. Compatibility statistics were kept on record, but they could easily be out of date. GFs could be notoriously fickle like that. Ifrit had fallen out with Seifer for a week after being summoned on a mission in Trabia.

"I think..." Zell admitted hesitantly. "That one of the Trabian students has Carbuncle." He paused, typing in his SeeD ID and password on the terminal. "You remember, the one who collared Squall and told him to make sure Selphie was OK or else..." His voice faded as the memories of Selphie, and that moment, were overwhelmed by the stark knowledge that Selphie was now dead. In the end, Squall hadn't been able to make sure she was OK. Quistis's hand on his shoulder was comforting, supporting, but it also drew him back to the task at hand.

***

"You want me to do ~what~?" The Trabian girl's face screwed up in confusion. Zell sighed in the background, glad Quistis had taken the lead in attempting to explain what had to be done. She was only a cadet really, and shouldn't even have had Carbuncle, but apparently in all the confusion, no one had done anything about it. Fortunate, considering the circumstances, since she was the only person on record with perfect compatibility with their GF.

"You know how to summon a GF, correct?" The girl nodded. "All you have to do to talk to the GF is to catch it's attention - which you do before summoning, right?" The confusion began to clear.

"So, I catch his attention, and then what?"

"Then you ask if he would carry a message for us. To Commander Leonhart." The girl paled, suddenly realising that she was being involved in something that was most likely top-secret.

"O-okay..." She stammered, looking more scared than confused now.

"It's alright." Quistis reassured her. "Consider this your SeeD Exam." The blonde had taken the time to review the girl's file, discovering that she had been one of those who had been completing their prerequisite when Trabia had been attacked. There was no reason the girl shouldn't be given a SeeD rank, especially considering the likelihood that most of the cadets would be given SeeD rank to fill the empty positions of casualties in any fighting that took place. Determination now showing clearly, the girl saluted, and then reached out for her GF...

***

Seifer felt the mental push before the tortured cry, neither aimed at him this time, but at another presence, hovering nearby. He reached out himself, gaining the impression of a GF and hurt/scared feelings, then it was gone, fled before Squall could attack again.

Seifer called, feeling the GF hovering slightly further away, presumably just outside Squall's personal space, as he was. The draconic GF snorted in his mind.

The GF sniffed, slightly pompously. Seifer blinked.

The blond frowned, wondering who had Carbuncle if they had perfect compatibility. A Trabian cadet if he remembered right. The frown deepened. But who were they to have such compatibility with Selphie's old GF?

Hades interrupted Seifer's thoughts. Hades statement was all the warning Seifer had.

Instantly Seifer knew the conversation was going to be a strain. Along with the single word question were a barrage of images of himself and things that represented him. Hyperion, the ruins of the first Trabia Garden, Edea possessed by Ultemecia, Adel with Rinoa partially absorbed into her...

Concentrating, Seifer managed to send back the more positive images, Hyperion, himself with Squall. He sent an image of a formless person holding a GF orb, the orb with a glowing link to the GF's presence.

The response was mainly images, all suffused with a feeling of belonging and companionship, a short Trabian girl with long brown hair, the same girl talking to someone Seifer recognised all too well. Selphie Tilmett. So, the cadet was, or had been, Selphie's friend. That explained the compatibility. But surely she hadn't decided to contact Squall through Carbuncle on her own. It wasn't until you'd achieved SeeD rank and taken advanced GF control lessons - or a brief spell as a knight - that you learned about talking to them, using them as messengers or summoning them to appear and lie in wait for an enemy.

The imagery was complex, and Seifer was suddenly grateful to Ultemecia for making him practise and practise until he could almost hold a conversation with images alone. He sent a series of images, placing the GF's own image of its owner into his query image for the owner's identity, expanding that image within a formless room and adding different numbers of formless people. He didn't think there would be more than four or five, but it depended on where they were.

An odd description to come back, and ambiguous as well. Friends of the GF, or friends of its owner? Seifer stared at the image accompanying the word. Only two people, in a office - the third floor office, Quistis and Zell. Well, well, well. Either Quistis had remembered her training in GF use, or Zell had randomly thought up something that was plausible enough to be tried.

He dismissed Carbuncle, colouring the words with gratitude. The GF's presence faded. Seifer began to explain what he wanted the GF to do, feeling the dragon's amusement as his plans unfolded.

AN: heh, cutting an already-long chapter short ;) Several things gained a life of their own and ran off in this chapter, mainly Zell doing the briefing, and Seifer talking to Carbuncle *growls* - just because I didn't want the little blighter going completely Japanese on me (Seifer-sama etc.), didn't mean I wanted him to stop speaking almost completely *glares at muses*