CHAPTER IX

Kidnapped by the Al Bhed

Whiping away my final tears I stood up from the bed and grabbed my staf from the floor. When I turned Audax stroke through my hair. "You must know this, Jentl. You can always go back, no matter what happens. You can." I closed my eyes and laid my hand on his. No matter how far we would get, no matter what we would or what would happen. I knew he would always try to talk me out of it. And yet, somehow, he was failing. Knowing he cared so much about me made me stand up straight and continue fighting. He was my strength, my faith, my everything.

He pulled his hand away and our eyes met. "I'm sorry I keep doing that, I know you won't stop, no matter what." I nodded and he as well closed his eyes. "I'm sorry." "Don't appologise," I smiled. "It's my fault you keep doing that, not yours. Please, forgive me." All he did was smile.

The hymn of the Fayth calmed me. It was somehow comforting. "You know what I heard some Al Bhed saying?" I said as Audax replaced a glyph sphere. "What?" he said puzzled and approached the other side of the room taking another sphere from it's place and putting it back again, irritated. "They said Kinoc was behind Operation Mi'ihen."

He turned to me. "Maester Kinoc?" "That's what they said." "How could a Maester of Yevon do this?" I took the glyph sphere he had just returned into the hole. "The machina were forbidden by the teachings, right? So, it would've been a very easy way to get rid of the, hem, traitors." "That's what this was all about? Killing those who didn't obey the teachings?" "It does seem so." I sighed and inserted the sphere in another hole, opening the door leading to the chamber of fayth.

As I walked op the stairs, Audax once again stopped me. "Is it just me? Or have you too lost respect for Yevon?" "Yeah, kinda. But even more for the maesters." I breathed in deeply and all of the sudden I noticed the empty sensation deep inside. I could not quite tell what it was, so, assuming I was just hungry, I slid the door open and walked inside.

The next morning, we left Djose temple at day brake. Audax bought a map at the agency and was now studying it while we were walking. Pyrefly trotted happily behind us. "So as soon as we reach the Moonflow we ought to turn left and cross it to reach Guadosalam." I was stroding over the path and Audax had trouble keeping up. "Hey, slow down!" he said after folding up the map. He handed it over and I tucked it away. "We mist four days, to be precisely, four days. All because of that idiot Operation Mi'ihen." "Idiot that's new," he smiled and started sumarizing everything I had called it already. "Pountless, useless, terrible, awful, dreadful..." I stabbed him hard with my elbow. "Stop it, it's not funny. If we had gone straight along we were at the Thunder Plains already!" "I don't mind," he smiled and slowed down.

"Well I do," I snapped hasting even more. He stopped. I did as well. "That's not funny," I said, grabbing my staf. I opened my mouth but he was way quicker. "STOP!" I froze on the spot. I saw Audax bursting into laughter and Pyrefly running up to me, sniffling my pants and yelping quietly. "She's fine Pyrefly," Audax smiled and approached me. "You're in a foul situation, right now, aren't you?" he mumbled. "I could just leave you here as a pray for some hungry fiends." I wanned to glare at him but couldn't, the surprised look remained on my face. He raised his hand. "Esuna."

I felt a short cold running through my veins then shocked and stumbled backwards. I was mad but he couldn't keep smiling. Pyrefly started barking loudly but I only looked daggers at Audax. "You had no right to do it," I whispered bitterly. "It was self-defence. I did nothing wrong." I wanted to object, once again, but then all of the sudden, the earth started rumbling and quaking.

"What's that?" I asked panicked. Pyrefly barked even louder. Audax stood close to me, holding my hand. I clasped my other around my staf. The earth bursted open and Audax and I flew into the air, me screaming loudly. Our hands let go and we both fell to different side of the colossal machina, which had emerged from the ground. It was a great metal cockpit, supporting on six limber matal paws. The cockpit turned looking at me. "AUDAX!" I cried crawling backwards, realising I had lost my staf. I turned around and found it lying a couple of feet away from me. I stretched, my fingers touched the cold iron. Something strong, cold, hard grabbed my waist and pulled me up into the air. In barely a couple of seconds I was hanging at least 30 feet into the air.

I grabbed the iron claw cluthed around my waist, tried to pull it open, failed. I heard loud bangs onto the heard ground and realised we were moving, at an incredible speed, back the way we came. I looked over my shoulder and saw Audax running after me, Pyrefly at his side, my staf clamped tightly between his jaws. Looking ahead of me again, I saw the beach. "No, no let go!" I turned to the cockpit and saw a blonde Al Bhed driving the machina. "Mad sa ku!" I cried but he ignored me. His with goggles covered eyes were focused on the ocean.

I heard grumbling way below me and as I looked down I saw Pyrefly sprinting along with the machina. "Pyrefly! My staf!" I screamed. He threw up my staf and I could just grab it with my righthand. "Thanks!" "JENTL!" I saw Audax in a far distance, ending his persuit on the shoreline. I turned my head and saw only the wide ocean. The machina had somehow transformed itself into a raft. "AUDAX!" I screamed, before he was out of reach. "STAY AT DJOSE TEMPLE! I'LL COME BACK TO YOU!" I surveyed the Al Bhed and saw he had raised his hand, mumbling something. Then I fell asleep.