Chapter 2

Locke awoke to a chilly breeze and the muted light filtering into his little cave. He had slept so hard that he was having a problem remembering where he was and what he was doing. As he rubbed the sleep away from his eyes, his mind began to clear and he remembered that he was in the mountains and his course was toward the desert and Figaro Castle.

He opened his sleeping bag and scooted over to the fire pit. The fire was out and there appeared to be nothing left but black coals. Locke suppressed a shiver as he gently blew on the coals and saw the red sparks come to life. At the small sign of life coming from the embers, he began to load the fire pit with sticks and twigs. Blowing on the coals caused smoke to rise from the twigs as they slowly caught fire. In a few scant minutes, he had a roaring flame to chase the chill out of the cave.

The cold mountain air had dried out his throat at some point in the night. Deciding that a cup of hot tea was the way to go, Locke slid down the passage and headed outside to get some water. When he reached the entrance, he was a little surprised to find that the cloud line had descended into the pass. As he made his way to the runoff stream, he watched wisps of clouds drift by like oddly shaped phantoms on a stroll through the mountains. The prospect of traveling in the cover of the clouds gave him a bit of comfort, and he hurried back to make his tea and fold up camp.

The rest of the day was spent hiking across the cloud-covered trail. Though it made the journey slower, Locke was very thankful for the thick white blankets. On more than one occasion, he had heard the sound of aerial vehicles flying over the mountains, and he could only assume that they were part of this new Imperial Air Force that the Returners had been hearing about. With visibility not more than 20 feet, he was hoping that some of them would fly into the mountainside. One less imperial soldier was always a good thing.

By the end of the day, Locke had started his decent toward Figaro Desert. He began to move more cautiously along the trails to avoid being seen or heard by any troops that might be stationed on the western side of the Willowman. As he quietly moved forward, a shadow in the mist caught his attention and he froze stock-still. Locke's breath caught in his throat as his heart hammered mercilessly in his ears. He stood, listening. After what seemed like hours of waiting, there were still no sounds to give away the soldiers that might be hiding up ahead. He let out the breath he'd been holding, and with his eyes fixed on the white fog in front of him he took a step forward.

CRACK! Echoed along the walls of the pass before and behind him as Locke tripped over the rocks he'd forgotten to watch for. He stumbled left and thrust his hand out toward the wall of the pass only to have it give away in a shower of rocks and debris. He steadied himself and looked at the gaping hole before him and then quickly up the path to see if his fumbling would bring the Imperial army down on him. After a few tense minutes of watching and waiting, he decided that no one else was in the vicinity and turned his attention back to the tunnel he was now standing in. Locke was sure that there was never a cave in this location on the trail, but even more unsettling was the way the walls looked. They were very uniform in shape, almost as if a great beast had clawed its way into the mountainside. The floor of the passage was littered with crushed rock that was pealed from the ceiling of the tunnel. The sight was enough to set his hackles on end.

He hurriedly backed out of the entrance to the tunnel and headed on down the path toward the desert. When he came to a fork, Locke forsook the most direct route and took the trail that headed northward. Weird things had been happening on this mountain, and he felt it would be a good idea to get on a different trail before he descended out of the cloud cover. Again, more time added to the trip, but better safe than sorry.

Darkness had closed in before his feet finally hit the desert sand. Locke would have given about anything for a chocobo at this point, but since that wasn't an option, on foot would have to do. The sky had cleared up on his way out of the mountains, and Locke took a quick read of the stars to get his bearings. After a swig of water, he turned his course to the northwest and set off to walk the few remaining miles.

With the castle in safety mode, the only thing above the sand would be a small platform that was actually the top of the tallest tower. The watchman's fire would make the castle a little easier to find at night since the light would carry a great distance into the desert. Thankfully, it took less than a couple of hours for Locke to spot the light out in the distance and then about another hour to actually stomp through the sand to the guard stationed on the platform.

As he stepped into the ring of light cast by the fire, the command from atop the platform rang out across the desert, "Halt! Who goes there?"

Weary as he was, Locke decided it would be better to put up with the inconvenience of standing still and stating his name than with the inconvenience of having a dozen or so arrows sticking out of his chest. He opened his mouth to respond, but the guard cut him off before he had a chance to say a single word.

"Oh, its you!" The guard then snapped to attention and gave him a crisp salute.

Locke stared, bemusedly, at what had just taken place. "What are you doing? Has the desert heat infected your brain?"

The guards striking pose began to slowly sag as he dropped his hand and looked toward Locke. "But, Mr. Cole, we were given strict orders that in the King's absence, you would have the office of steward," the soldier stated in a pleading manner.

Locke stood there stunned until the guard's question shook him back to reality.

"Is the king well, sir? Or do you bring ill news?"

"The king is quite well," he replied after a moment, "But we have much to do. Wake the Chancellor and have him meet me in the throne room as soon as possible. Have the kitchen bring me something to eat and have a room prepared for me. I'll stand guard here until you send someone else to take your place."

"Aye, sir!" The guard saluted him and took off to perform his tasks, stopping first to send another sentry out to relieve the beleaguered traveler.