The Wedding party lasted long into the night, a large fire was built in the marketplace and the dwarves danced the night away around it. Thunderchild and Domino joined in, dancing until neither of them could walk let alone dance from exhaustion.
They both sat down on one of the benches that had been laid out around the marketplace, hand in hand.
"Well…I'm just about danced out…" said Thunderchild
"Me too…I didn't know dancing could be so tiring." Agreed Domino
Thunderchild laughed and put his arm around Dominos shoulders, she smiled and leaned against him.
"This is so perfect…Thank you."
Thunderchild smiled again…he'd hardly stopped smiling since the vows had finished being read.
"Hey…it takes two to tango Dom…I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."
"What do you mean?"
"Well…I was going to jump ship at Lindblum…try and make me way back to the Disc…alone, I doubt if I would have made it…on this alien world. You gave me a direction, a sense of familiarity on this planet and also a new home."
"You mean…you won't be staying on the Disc?"
Thunderchild shook his head
"No…it's not my home anymore…I have to help them you understand. The people I know there have done a lot for me…for a time I thought it really was home but now I know otherwise I can't live there. One day, I'll have to go back to Terra. I don't know how but I have to go back there sometime."
Domino looked at him
"There would be a way…but only from Gaia."
"Well…one day…one day. For now, lets enjoy what we have."
They sat there…watching the stars and the dance for a long time. Then they both got up and walked back to their room. Steiner saw them go and smiled slowly before helping himself to another round of food.
The next morning dawned bright with clear skies. Thunderchild awoke first and got dressed in his customary armour, after a while he walked over to the bed and sat down next to Domino. Leaning over her he kissed her gently on the lips, she stirred and opened her eyes.
"Mmm…good morning sweetheart." She said
"Good morning, you'd better get up. We really should carry on with our quest, we're already a day behind as it is."
Domino nodded and rubbed her eyes
"Ok…I'll get up in a minute." She said turning back over and closing her eyes
Thunderchild laughed quietly and walked outside.
Steiner was already up but looking a little worse for wear, he walked a little gingerly and winced when Thunderchild shouted out.
"Steiner! Good morning!"
Steiner raised his hand in acknowledgement as Thunderchild walked over.
"Dwarf beer stronger than it tastes?" he asked
"Oh yes," said Steiner "I didn't think I'd drunk that much."
They both walked over to some crates and sat down
"Know the feeling Steiner, Ankh scumble is just like that…you forget everything after the third glass and wake up on your back in the river Ankh wondering how the hell you got there."
"In the river? Wouldn't you drown?"
Thunderchild laughed again
"What? In the Ankh? Suffocate more like…the surface of the Ankh is this crust about oh…eight foot deep maybe more, it's from the cities advanced sewage system."
"Which is?"
"Dump the sewage in the Ankh"
"Ah"
Thunderchild nodded
"Ankh-Morpork has its own breed of smell…I'm looking forward to seeing Zidanes face when we first arrive there. He won't have smelt anything like it before."
"I'll remember to watch out for the smell."
"What do you mean Steiner?"
Steiner frowned slightly
"Well…I'm coming with you aren't I?"
Thunderchild shook his head
"No Steiner…I need you to get the Cleyra crewmen home…we're a long way from Lindblum and you know the area around here better than most."
Steiner nodded, he was a bit disappointed, and he'd been looking forward to seeing this Ankh-Morpork for himself.
"I'm sorry Steiner," continued Thunderchild "I'll only be taking Domino and Zidane with me. Thank you nevertheless…for helping us at the Cleyra crash site, for helping us on the Cleyra and for helping me walk with my injury."
"Yes…what exactly happened to that?"
"Long story Steiner and I'm sworn to secrecy about it."
Steiner nodded
"I understand."
Then Steiner had his own request to make.
"Look after Zidane will you? He means a lot to the Queen and she'd be devastated to hear something had happened to him."
Thunderchild nodded
"I understand and I will…and when I get back," If I get back he thought "I would like to meet this queen."
Steiner nodded
"I think she'd be interested to meet you too. She's been to Terra before and I'm sure she'd like to meet an original Terran."
"Wait a minute…She's been to Terra! When!"
"Oh…about…all of a year ago now."
"A year! How!"
"Well…it's a long story but they were on the trail of an arms dealer called Kuja who, by selling advanced weapons to the previous ruler of Alexandria…"
"Brahne?"
"Yes…Queen Brahne…by selling her advanced weaponry, he began the Alexandrian wars. It turns out he was a genome too…"
"Yes…I remember that much…he was at the laboratory when Domino was still with Lawrence."
"Yes…he was an "Angel of Death" sent to Gaia to create war and destruction and to disrupt the flow of souls so that one day Gaia would be absorbed by the Terran souls and Terra would be…reborn."
Thunderchild raised his eyebrows
"Sheesh…that sounds too similar to what Jara is doing."
Steiner raised his eyebrows too
"It is possible that she has discovered Garlands old plans."
"Garland?"
"He was left by the people of Terra to oversee the rebirth of their world. It was he who sent Kuja to Gaia."
Thunderchild shook his head
"Bloody hell…I didn't know all of this was happening…it must have been created by the government…I never knew…the public never knew. So…surely that means that somewhere on that planet there is a record of my soul too?"
"It's possible…"
"That is not a good thing….not a good thing at all."
Just then Domino walked out of their room, she was wearing her usual clothes, blue trousers, blue top and a leather waistcoat. Thunderchild smiled at her and stood up.
"Thank you for telling me this Steiner…it looks like I may have more surprises in store for me than I first realised. Thank you for all your help too…I doubt we could have made it this far without it."
"Hey Thunderchild…catch!" called Domino from nearby…she threw an apple over to him
Turning Thunderchild felt time slow again, knew he had time to react…and decided to do something fancy, drawing his sword he cut the apple in two during mid flight and sheathing the sword again caught both sides of the apple before they hit the ground. He then turning and handed one half to Steiner as time returned to normal pace.
Both Domino and Steiner just stared at him.
"Erm…Thu…what the hell just happened there?" asked Domino
"What?" asked Thunderchild with a perfectly straight face
"You just turned into a blur of movement….I've never seen anyone move so fast before and so accurately!"
Thunderchild smiled and shrugged
"Another special ability I guess." He said, smiling slyly.
Domino just gave him a strange look and shook her head.
"You're a strange person Thunderchild." She said
"I know, you wouldn't have me any other way" he replied
Both laughed and hugged each other tightly. Over Dominos shoulder Thunderchild saw Zidane walk out of his room, he also looked a little worse for wear.
"Zidane," called Thunderchild "I didn't know you drunk!"
Zidane grimaced, as Steiner had but mustered a reply of
"I didn't drink much!"
Thunderchild laughed again and smiled at Domino who explained
"Genomes have a low alcoholic tolerance…we get drunk get easily."
Thunderchild laughed again and nearly had a coughing fit. Once he'd finished he looked at Domino again and realised something was missing, something they hadn't had before but should have now.
"Damn," he cursed "Dom, we don't have any rings."
Domino looked confused
"You know," he said "Wedding rings!"
Domino still looked confused, so Thunderchild decided they mustn't have wedding rings on this planet.
"Well," he began "When two people get married on the Disc…and I believe on Terra as well. It is customary for the husband and wife to wear a wedding ring as a sign that they are married."
"Oh, I see," said Domino nodding "I know a place in the market where we can get some."
Thunderchild nodded and smiled
"Ok then…and then we'd better leave for Black Mage Village."
Domino agreed and then they both walked over in the morning sunlight to the marketplace where the stall owners were just setting up for the day. She led Thunderchild to a stall which sold jewellery and they both picked a ring they liked and paid for it.
"Well….Mrs Domino, here's to being married." Said Thunderchild sliding the ring onto his finger
"Forever." She confirmed putting the ring on her finger.
They both kissed then, making the stall owner smile.
Right…we'd better get going thought Thunderchild
Yes…it's a bit of a walk to Magdalene Forest and then we've got to get to Black Mage Village which is on the other side of it.
There's no shorter route?
No…the forest itself is fenced in with valley walls on one side and a mountain on the other. Domino thought
Thunderchild sighed
Oh well…we'd better be prepared for a long walk then.
They walked back to where Steiner and Zidane were waiting. They collected their equipment and prepared for the journey ahead. After a hour they were ready and Zidane, Domino and Thunderchild made their way out of the village, bidding farewell to Steiner who promised that he would take good care of the Cleyra survivors and get them home.
And then they were on their way, walking through the desert and occasional fields of the Outer continent…the mist was not so prevalent here but it was still present and occasionally they came across a mist monster…usually a Griffin, but the fighting ability of these monsters was far lower than the party's and the monsters were usually despatch with ease. Thunderchild tried to hold back from using his special powers as he didn't want Domino to know he had them for now…just in case his terrible vision came true, he wanted some surprises should he have to fight her.
By the time the sun started to slide from the sky they had reached the outer edges of the Magdalene Forest and they prepared to journey through the forest in the darkness that was soon to arrive.
The first thing Thunderchild did was light his sword in preparation for lighting the way…but he suddenly felt a sense of wrongness.
Fire…fear…fire…fear pounded into him, he looked around at the trees, they seemed to retreat from the flame. Fire…burns!….fear!
Thunderchild quickly put the flame out and sheathed his sword
"Thunderchild…why'd you do that, we could have done with that light." Asked Zidane
"It was wrong." replied Thunderchild mysteriously, looking about at the trees.
"Wrong!"
"Yeah" he said and left it at that.
They walked on in the gathering darkness, mysterious creatures hooted in the trees around them and every now and then the undergrowth rustled near the path…making Thunderchild want to draw his sword but he refused to just in case he scared the trees.
He could free their group presence, the trees…they were watching them but there was no hate or malice targeted towards them and Thunderchild knew that as long as it stayed that way then they stood a good chance of getting to Black Mage Village unharmed and possibly before the dawn.
Walking next to him was Domino…Zidane walked further ahead, Thunderchild could just see him in the gloom.
Why won't you light your sword? asked Domino
I don't want to scare the trees. he answered
The trees! she asked with a strong hint of disbelief in her voice.
Yeah…they're watching us now, can't you feel them? Watching…listening
Are you sure you didn't have any of that drink at Conde Petite?
Thunderchild laughed and shook his head
No…trust me…I can feel them, hear them
They walked on some more in silence, Domino wondering about her lovers mental stability but then again she thought there is much about him I do not and never will know.
Thunderchild watched the trees around them…studying them for movement but he couldn't find any and after a while he began to wander if his mind was playing tricks on him…he was still wandering that when he walked straight into the back of Zidane who had suddenly stopped.
"What the…? Zidane, what are you doing!" he asked, but there was no reply.
Zidane had frozen in time, in mid-step he had suddenly stopped and as Thunderchild turned and looked around he could see leaves frozen in mid fall.
Another vision? He pondered and waited for it to begin.
He saw Domino stop too but she was still moving.
What the hell's going on? she asked him
I…I don't know, isn't this one of my visions? he asked back, equally confused as Domino
Do I look like I'm in one of your visions!
Well…you haven't killed me so that's always a good sign.
Bad joke
Alright sorry…well…I can't feel any malice on behalf of the trees and surely if we were going to be attacked it would have happened now…
"I AM SORRY FOR THE INTERRUPTION." said a feminine voice from around them, something in that voice sounded familiar to both Thunderchild and Domino.
"Who are you?" asked Domino
"YOU SHOULD KNOW WHO I AM….BOTH OF YOU. I AM SORRY FOR HAVING TO DO THIS…BUT THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE…I NEED YOUR HELP."
"Reiganna!" asked Thunderchild, finally recognising the voice
"YES IT IS I…I NEED TO BRING YOU TO MY WORLD. PLEASE, STEP INTO THE LIGHT WHEN IT APPEARS, AND BE QUICK, TIME IS LIMITED."
Are you sure this isn't a trap? asked Domino
Well…it sounds like Reiganna said Thunderchild, moving towards the small circle of light that had just appeared on the ground.
You're right…hey…hang on, how the hell do you know Reiganna! asked Domino but it was too late as Thunderchild had stepped into the circle and with a small flash of light had disappeared.
She took a deep breath and walked onto the circle…the forest around her seemed to glow with a bright light that intensified until it blinded her and then as quickly as it became bright it faded again so she could see. What she saw took her breath away.
She had never actually been to Reigannas world before and so was unprepared for the sheer beauty of it. It was a dark forest…but not completely dark, it was in a perpetual twilight, just enough light to see by and here and there in the ground lay a clump of glowing crystals which also helped her eyesight. She looked around but she couldn't see anything of Thunderchild…or in fact a way out.
"Reiganna?" she shouted
"I AM SORRY…SOMETHING WENT WRONG DURING THE TELEPORTATION PROCESS…FOLLOW THE RED CRYSTALS." Came the voice of Reiganna from through the trees.
Surely enough a long section of crystals to her left turned a dark red and they indicated a path which Domino followed.
After a short time of travelling through the darkened trees she came to a clearing in which there was a bright light in the centre.
"STEP INTO THE LIGHT AGAIN PLEASE."
Domino stepped into the light and felt the same sensations of transport as she had on the way to the forest.
She materialised in a cave this time, a brightened crystal cave, standing in the middle of it on a small crystal pedestal was Thunderchild and Reiganna, they appeared to be looking at a screen of sorts in a wall.
"There…I think that's done it." She heard Thunderchild say. As he said it, Reiganna turned around and saw Domino.
"Sister!" she cried and ran over to Domino, arms open wide to welcome her.
"It's good to see you again Reiganna." Said Domino returning the embrace.
"Yes, it is," agreed Thunderchild "But this isn't very good timing."
Reiganna nodded
"I know," she said "And if there was any way I could have done without your help I would of…but I'm afraid I need your assistance and so had to bring you here."
"Help? What help could you possibly need from us? Your abilities are far beyond us!" exclaimed Thunderchild
"Well, there is knowledge you have that is invaluable to me. I'm afraid you come to me in dark times…my home, the Twilight Forest, in which Domino was just accidentally placed, is under attack."
"Attack? By who?" asked Thunderchild although he already knew the answer.
"That's where you come in," confirmed Reiganna "It's Jara."