Chapter 24, Part 2 of 2
Just over an hour later, Ellone stood with the others at the fringes of what was commonly known as the Sleeping Forest. Towering oaks, their branches gnarled and spindly like the fingers of a withered old man, loomed impassively overhead, silent guardians of the path before her. A different sort of quiet hung over this wood, as though all within it lay shrouded in the deepest slumber. It was like walking into a dream, Ellone thought, one shared by the entire forest.
Although there were many passes through the northern mountains, this was the only one that led to the canyon where the Cetra had once dwelt long ago. They had crafted and grown the Sleeping Forest to serve as a way to deter outsiders from entering their homeland uninvited. Anyone traveling through the wood without the aid of the Cetra would fall into a deep, dreamless sleep, never to wake again.
"So do we need to use the Lunar Harp?" Reeve asked quietly.
"No," Cloud shook his head. "Not this time. Ellone?"
She nodded, knowing what she had to do. "I'm ready. All of you, stay back until I tell you it's safe."
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Ellone moved a few yards ahead of the others until she stood just inside the edge of the forest. She let the quiet of the wood fill her, took solace in its peaceful silence and in the gentle whisper of wind that lightly caressed her cheek. Letting her eyes slide closed, Ellone held her arms out before her, palms upward, and began to sing.
It began slowly, a soft murmur of sound that escaped her lips in the lyrical, bittersweet words of a language that was at the same time both strange and familiar. It was the tongue of her people, and as her voice gradually rose higher and the melody began to swell, Ellone immersed herself in the music and for the first time felt like the Cetra she was supposed to somehow be.
The tingling in her blood intensified as her power rose up within her, and she felt the forest stir around her. Furtive whispers passed among the leaves and branches as an invisible wind swept through them and pulled the trees from their long slumber with gentle, probing fingers. Ellone could almost make out a voice in that soft breeze, although it might have just been her imagination.
As she finished the song, its haunting melody lingering in the air, Ellone opened her eyes as her arms dropped to her sides. She swayed on her feet, weariness filling her very bones, and felt her legs turn to jelly and give way beneath her like a house of cards whose foundation had been suddenly swept away.
Strong arms caught her, however, and Ellone knew without looking that Vincent was already there. "Thank you. I didn't… didn't think it would take that much… out of me…"
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"I'll be fine, I just… I just need to rest for a minute."
He nodded, and the companions gathered in a small clearing just a few yards away. Ellone sat down on a fallen log to compose herself while the others busied themselves preparing for the upcoming journey. Vincent, his dark hair spilling down the back of his crimson cape, stood on the perimeter of the clearing, gazing deeper into the forest.
Certain nothing would escape her friend's notice, Ellone sighed wearily. She would need perhaps all her power and more to get herself and her companions through the storm and into the lower city, and already the use of even this small amount of her power was taxing her much more than she had expected. Perhaps after using so much of it the other night, it was finally starting to catch up to her.
When she felt strong enough to continue, Ellone rose from the log and motioned for the others to gather near her. "Before we go on, there are a few things you all should know."
"What do you mean?" Reeve wondered.
"That storm ahead of us, it's not normal. We can't just walk through it like it was a heavy downpour or something. It would be like trying to walk through a hurricane, I think, only a lot stronger. It's like a rip or tear in the boundary between your world and mine, or something like that."
Red frowned pensively. "As if the very fabric of the Planet is unraveling. I too feel a foreboding about this storm, Ellone. There is something else about it, however, although I don't know quite what."
"I can use my power to shield us from the storm, but you'll have to stay close to me. It takes a lot of energy and concentration to use it even for a short time, and as big as that storm is, I'm sure it'll take us a while to get to where we're going."
"In that case," Cloud replied, "we'll have to be ready. I'm sure your hooded friend will show up at some point, so the rest of us will do what we can to keep it away from you, Ellone. You stay in the middle of the group as much as you can. It'll be hard for us to protect you if you're anywhere else."
Ellone nodded. "I understand."
"Red, scout on ahead of us, but as soon as we start getting close to the storm, get back as soon as you can. Vincent and I will take point. Cid, you watch the rear, and the rest of you stay in the middle with Ellone. We can't get to the ruins without her, and there's no telling what we might run into on the way there. Somehow I don't think this demon of hers is going to be alone."
"Don't worry, Cloud," Reeve patted one of the two kukri daggers hanging from either hip. "We won't let anything get through."
"Since when have you ever done any fighting, Reeve?" Reno snickered. "Outside of that ridiculous stuffed cat of yours, that is."
In less than the blink of an eye, Reeve was standing toe to toe with the lanky Turk, his kukris crossed over Reno's throat. "You might be surprised. Now do us all a favor and shut up."
Reno did just that as Reeve sheathed his blades and stepped away. Without further incident, Ellone and the others gathered up their equipment and started the long march through the forest. Though surrounded by her companions on all sides, Ellone couldn't shake the sense of unease that gripped her. Maybe it was the storm. It seemed to have everyone on edge, not that it surprised her all that much.
"Alright, everyone, let's move out," Cloud ordered, adjusting his shoulder guard even as Red padded swiftly away through the trees with hardly a sound.
Kneeling briefly to retie one of the soft leather hiking boots Cloud and Tifa had given her for the journey, Ellone straightened a moment later and fell into position in the middle of the group. Reeve smiled reassuringly at her from her left, while to her right, Yuffie muttered something under her breath and cast suspicious glances at Reno, who trailed along lazily behind the three of them.
Ellone glanced up for a moment as a low rumble of thunder echoed through the trees, then she settled her eyes on Barret's broad back just a few yards ahead of her and followed him wordlessly through the trees. Vincent and Cloud kept watch farther ahead on either side, leading the way as the group began the long journey to the ruined Cetra capital.
Tifa paced restlessly back and forth on the bridge of the Highwind and tried not to look at the ugly black clouds massing to the north in a murky haze that obscured most of the horizon. Cloud and the others were out there somewhere, maybe even inside that hellish storm even now, though Tifa figured they hadn't quite reached it just yet.
Everything was in hand, yet in spite of the relative calm hovering aboard the airship, Tifa couldn't shake the sense of foreboding that gnawed at her like a particularly nasty rodent. Something wasn't right, or maybe it was just nerves. Goodness knows she had every right to feel unsettled, given her brush with death in the recent attack back at the house.
Nevertheless, her sense of unease remained, deepening even as the billowing ebony storm clouds stretched out from the north with clammy, eager tendrils. Occasionally a burst of lightning would streak through the gloomy skies in a sudden spear of cold light, though from the airship Tifa could hear no sound, no accompanying thunder. She wasn't quite sure what to make of that.
"Something the matter, ma'am?" asked Jenkins, the ship's pilot.
Tifa folded her arms in thought. Was there? "I'm not sure. About how fast do you think you can get us to the Cetra ruins over the mountains?"
"But the Captain—"
"—isn't here, Tom," Tifa interrupted, "I know what he said. Now, can you answer my question?"
Tom Jenkins, who besides Cid had the most flight time at the ship's helm ever since the days of pursuing Sephiroth across half the world, sighed and scratched idly at his chin. "I suppose about four or five hours, more or less. But that's not including however long that monster out there might hold us up, if we even manage to break free of it once we go in."
"Cid's got more in those engines than he lets on, doesn't he?" Tifa pressed him. "If we opened up the engines all the way, do you think that would get us there faster?"
"Yeah, but the Captain's new enhancements haven't been tested yet. Not in actual flight, that is. The new engines could tear us apart if we push them as hard as you're thinking."
Tifa raised an eyebrow, her hands on her hips. "The storm could do the same thing, so what are you worried about? I know Cid said for us to stay here, but something tells me he and the others are going to need us down there, and soon."
"I don't know, the Captain's orders were pretty clear," Jenkins replied, raking his fingers through his short straw-colored hair. "Besides, your husband would kill me if anything were to happen to you."
Knowing Cloud as she did, Tifa didn't doubt the accuracy of the pilot's words. "Listen, Tom. Like it or not, we're going, and I'll fly this ship there myself if I have to. Understand?"
"Yes, ma'am," he sighed.
Moments later there was a deep thrumming from below as the airship's secondary thrusters roared to life, and Tifa had to cling to the guardrail next to the steering yoke as the Highwind shot forward through the gloomy skies. Her gaze fixed on the ominous patch of blackness looming over the mountains, Tifa could only hope she had made the right choice.
Vincent held up a hand in warning as his highly sensitive ears caught a faint rustling in the underbrush a few dozen yards ahead. Bringing the Death Penalty up, he gazed down its dark barrel into the maze of trees and shrubs covering the mountainside. He met Cloud's eyes and nodded as his friend readied his own weapon. The wind gusted like a banshee, whipping through the branches overhead and carrying with it the first sprinkles of rain.
A lean, lupine form covered in brilliant orange fur emerged from the cover of the undergrowth, and Vincent relaxed. It was only Red, returning from his forward position. He padded over to the others, and as he drew closer, Vincent noticed that Red's fur was damp with the coming rain. The group had been traveling for several hours now and were just starting to descend the far side of the mountain, with the skies growing blacker and more ominous with every mile they walked.
"What's it like up there, Red?" Cloud asked.
Red grimaced. "The weather grows fouler not much farther on. You can see that the rain is already starting to come down. It's time, I think, for Ellone to do what she must to shield us from the storm. I don't believe we will have another chance later."
"Are you sure?" Reeve wondered. He, like the others, had donned a cloak to keep out the weather. His was dark blue like the crisp two-piece business suits he normally wore.
"Not three miles from here the gloom grows so dark even I find it hard to see anything. The rain will be coming down much harder, too, I imagine, and the wind becomes much rougher."
Ellone nodded. "Okay, then. I need you all to stay close, everyone, because I don't think I can extend the shield very far. And… I have to really concentrate, or I'll lose it. So if something comes at us, do what you can to keep it away, alright?"
"Nothing will touch you," Vincent promised, fingering the trigger of his weapon.
Giving him a small, grateful smile, Ellone backed up a few steps to give herself some space, held out her arms to either side, and let her eyes close. Vincent watched, his gaze lingering on her petite frame, as she strove to call upon her powers.
A faint dome of translucent whiteness gradually began to expand from Ellone's outstretched fingers until it encompassed the whole group. As it passed through him on its way outward, Vincent blinked in wonderment as the fatigue of the last four hours' travel seemed to melt away like a dull weight sliding from his shoulders. A quick glance at the others told him they had experienced a similar reaction.
Opening her eyes, Ellone gazed at the others with a renewed sense of strength. "Let's go."
They set out at once, moving without a word ever closer to the brewing black heart of the storm. Vincent scanned the thinning trees for signs of danger, but as yet none presented themselves. A quick glance back at Ellone showed her walking forward with the others, her hands clenched in tight fists out to either side of her body as though she were literally holding the shield in place.
An hour later, they had cleared the upper reaches of the forest and begun climbing through the narrow pass in the mountains. Rocky outcroppings stuck out everywhere, and the trees gave way to scrub brush and odd, coral-shaped formations of different colored stone. Vincent wondered briefly whether this region had once lain beneath the sea in ages past, but shrugged the matter off as irrelevant.
The farther they went, the more difficult it became to see anything as the blackness of the storm slowly engulfed them. The wind howled, but Vincent found its mournful keening oddly muffled, as though he were hearing it with cotton stuffed in his ears. He realized that Ellone's power must already be at work. It didn't block the rain, however, as he noted when the first spatters started coming down. Vincent had just wiped some out of his eyes when he saw movement in the darkness ahead.
"Cloud," he hissed. "We have company."
The words were barely out of his mouth when the billowing storm clouds seemed to ripple and tear, spilling inky tendrils of blackness all around Vincent and the others. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cloud bring up his sword, which had shifted from its customary purplish glow to pure white. Red growled low in his throat, and Vincent brought up the Death Penalty as unseen foes slid toward himself and the others. The shield flickered but did not fall.
Vincent's eyes darted into the gloom, trying to find a target, but nothing showed itself. They must be closing around them, but so far the shield was keeping them at bay. Whatever they were, they dared not even show themselves yet. Or were they waiting for something? Vincent's suspicions were confirmed when, not a moment later, an eerie screeching cry split the air, followed by another and still one more. He whirled, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound, and blinked as not one, but three hooded and masked forms converged on the group from all sides.
"Oh, shit…" Cid gaped.