Chapter 10, Plans for the battle
The Returners didn't dare to stop as darkness fell, stumbling onwards through the fields and following the ocean towards the south. Even if they kept themselves invisible and didn't touch the ground, taking turns on renewing the invisible and floating spells, they didn't dare to leave the grass for the beach. Their tracks could be seen in the sand if the magic that let them fly wore off suddenly.
It seemed like the soldiers still were searching the immediate area around the Coliseum as the fugitives so far hadn't seen anyone coming their way, but they didn't dare to hope that Gestahl would give up.
Just about half an hour after sunset they almost crashed, however. The fuel from the fear of getting caught had finally run out.
"I'm sorry… can't go… on…" Edgar gasped and heavily slumped down in the darkness, still floating a few inches from the ground.
With exhausted groans the rest of the group stopped and fell/sat down.
"How far… are we?" Setzer panted as he followed suite, looking around towards the place they had escaped from.
The lights in the north seemed far enough off, but none of them felt safe yet.
"Not sure, a couple, three miles maybe," Sabin growled between the heavy intakes of breath, trying to support his brother, "come on guys! We can go on a bit more…!"
"Gau can too…" the wild boy murmured, batting Relm's arm lightly with his hand in an attempt to give her more strength.
"We're not in top shape… I'm sorry, Gau."
Relm rolled over on her back with a heavy sigh.
"We're not safe yet, we won't be until we can get to Figaro castle," Edgar heavily said, still working on his breath, "we'll need to get to the remains of Kohlingen and find a ship…"
"Is there no chance that they're lurking under the Kohlingen desert?" Locke asked, trying to be optimistic.
Edgar shook his head, but in the newborn night nobody could see him do it.
"No, too dangerous. There are more ruffians and supporters of the tyranny in this area than in the east. And I gave strict orders that there would be no attempts to free me in case I got captured, so we won't meet any allies around here I'm afraid."
"Sometimes you plan too well for the worst case scenario, bro," Sabin grunted.
"All we have to worry about is to get to Kohlingen," Setzer spoke up with a grim smile in his voice, "once we get there I'll bring out my last remaining ace."
"What do you mean?" Celes asked, absentmindedly stretching.
As she did so her left leg brushed against Locke's, who was sitting beside her. They both froze for a second in unsure embarrassment and didn't hear Setzer's first few words.
"I lost my wings when we lost by the floating continent," the gambler said, "however I might be able to borrow new ones from an old friend."
"A new airship?" several voices spoke simultaneously, a lot of new hope within them.
"Yes," Setzer grinned.
He was silent for a moment, and when he spoke again the triumph was replaced by seriousness.
"However, we're not there yet so we can't celebrate now."
The Returners nodded and muttered their assent.
"So," Strago said, "let's rest for about ten more minutes, then we try to move on again. Now while we're able to think again, Edgar, Celes, you're not dressed well for this. One of you can have my cloak."
"Edgar, you're in worse shape…" the magitek knight began.
But Edgar cut her off with what everybody had expected him to say.
"Not another word, Celes, never would I be so rude that I'd take a cloak from a freezing woman."
"I'm not freezing that much," she protested, "at least I've got cloth covering most of me, you don't have a shirt."
Strago dared to lit a very small blue flame in his hand, just so he could see well enough to drop his torn and fairly repaired piece of clothing in Locke's hands.
"No use arguing with him about this and you know it, Celes," the treasure hunter said.
Everyone turned dead silent as the light went out again. It seemed like all Returners except two held their breath to the sound of moving cloth as Locke draped the light cloak around the blond woman's shoulders.
Celes was suddenly very glad that it was so dark, because she had a bad feeling she was blushing for the first time in a very long while. Her war-hardened mind scoffed the tender task that Locke had chosen, but for once it didn't get the usual attention.
"There," he smiled in the shadows.
"Thanks…" she mumbled as his hands remained on her shoulders, maybe for a second more than really necessary.
They both suddenly noticed the silence and clenched their teeth.
"Thanks guys," Celes clarified.
"You're welcome," Strago smirked.
"What are we going to do for Edgar then?" Locke almost growled.
One could almost feel the smiles that the night hid.
Then Setzer managed to get a grip of himself.
"Well, my jacket isn't really meant to keep cold away but it's better than nothing," he said.
"Thank you, Setzer," Edgar gratefully said as he accepted the black cloth in the brief illumination.
As he got into the long jacket he spoke again, more practically.
"Alright, we're resting for a few more minutes. Try to relax without falling asleep."
"Will do."
Grass rustled as the refuges straightened out. The floating spell still worked, but they did shift the tall straws around when moving. A mutter of low conversations began, since they all sought ways of staying awake despite their fatigue.
Celes draped the cloak tighter around herself as she laid down, unable to shake off the strange feeling caused by the knowledge that Locke sat just behind her as she did so. The memory of his touch still lingered on her shoulders.
"Idiots…" he muttered, making her turn at him with raised eyebrows.
Her move was more careful this time and she avoided touching his crossed legs.
"That's not like you, Locke," she commented, almost chastising.
"Heh…"
He scratched his hair.
"It was embarrassing enough in your room, they don't have to make it worse," he whispered so silently that Celes hardly heard him.
She reached up and pushed at him where she deemed it safe, hitting his chest with a snort.
"Don't give me that now," she muttered.
"Sorry."
But there was a snicker in his voice, due to her uncharacteristically playful disciplining.
"By the way…" he mumbled, the smirk melting into a smile, "thanks."
Celes gently smiled, even if he couldn't see it he heard it when she spoke.
"The same to you, Locke."
There was no need to ask what either of them meant.
Somehow, they didn't notice it until it was done, Locke's hand intertwined with Celes' fingers that had fallen to the ground by his knee after the use.
He hesitated a little, but as she didn't protest or try to free herself Locke dared to add his other hand to the two. Her fingers felt softer than his, but the poetic description that female skin was like silk didn't fit in. Celes' hand was the one of a warrior and it had strength that was felt throughout it.
"Really, thank you," he whispered, "nobody else could have gotten me out of that."
Celes didn't say anything, because her mind wasn't able to come up with any words that were good enough. Instead she sat up without taking her hand back, instead adding her last one.
"Locke…" she finally said in a low voice, but wasn't sure how to continue.
'I don't know where to go with this…' she thought, irritated with herself due to the indecisiveness.
She hated not having what it took to move forwards.
Even more when she didn't know in which direction forwards was.
Maybe it was enough just like this… but it felt as if something more needed to be done, or else they'd be locked in this state of hesitation.
Locke had more luck with words.
"I swear, Celes," he muttered with a suddenly harsh edge in his voice, "that was the last time they took you away from… us."
She wasn't sure if he really hesitated before the last word but somehow that uncertainty encouraged her to find out. Since the tender gratefulness had failed her before she tried another path.
"Well, I'll have to stop doing those all-out attacks then, I guess," she said with a hint of sarcastic humor.
Locke chuckled a bit and his hands squeezed hers a little.
"Yeah, I think we'd all appreciate that… they work, but the pay is too high."
Celes found herself smiling at the hidden compliment.
"If you say so," she said, hearing her voice being much softer than she had planned.
For a moment Locke didn't say nor do anything. Then he slowly moved his hands and hers moved with them. His warm breath tingled against her skin and she squeezed his grip in surprise as she suddenly felt his lips briefly touching the back of her fingers. The stubble on his chin itched her hand a little.
It was nothing more than a short touch, but it was powerful in its own right.
"We shouldn't have to talk like this in this damn crowded place," Locke whispered, his breath flowing over their hands.
Celes swallowed a sudden lump in her throat, unable to deny the sparkling feeling deep within herself.
"Will we do it when we are safe then?" she heard herself mumble.
"I wish, but at the same time I don't want to risk not getting to finish what I want to say because of those rats."
The magitek knight's freer hand left the collection and found Locke's cheek. He snorted almost unnoticeably, a bit surprised despite the warm situation.
Far back in her mind Celes made a note that she hadn't noticed that the treasure hunter's face was rather rough with lack of shaving back in the palace. Well, there had been more urgent matters…
It wasn't important.
In the darkness the feeling of his cheek against her hand sent warm streams down through her arm, spreading throughout the young warrior.
"They'd have to kill me before that," she said in a low voice.
It definitely wasn't like her, but she was helplessly brought along in the emotions that she herself had lit with Locke.
"Before what?" he whispered, smiling softly and moving his hand to the back of hers.
Before what… what…
Celes pinched her eyes shut.
'This isn't my area!' a part of her mind screamed, on the verge of panic.
But it drowned in the golden stream.
"Before I leave you again," her voice said.
She bit her lower lip as the words hopped out, they hadn't received her full consent.
And in a way, she was glad for it. But it also scared her.
Locke's fingers stroke the back of hers.
"Leave us, or me?" he whispered.
He became just as shocked as her, since that hadn't been what he had planned to say.
On the other hand, he wasn't able to plan on saying anything at all; his head was glued onto the feeling of the blond woman's touch.
"You, Locke," she breathed, swallowing hard, "I… won't have it again."
He let out a deep breath, letting his hand slide down her arm to her shoulder. Over her bare arm.
Celes didn't have enough mind left to bother about the goose bumps appearing as the soft fingertips stroke her skin.
"Don't worry, Celes, I won't either," Locke whispered in a bit of a strange voice.
If he really did make a small movement that gave her the courage to move forwards, or if she managed on her own, the magitek knight neither knew for sure nor cared. She slipped her arms around Locke's neck and leaned forward into his responding embrace.
'Finally…' some other part of her mind sighed relief.
'Yes… finally,' Celes agreed to herself, smiling softly as she rested her head on Locke's shoulder.
'Finally…' the treasure hunter silently agreed as well, even though he didn't know that Celes had thought the same.
But in a way, maybe he did.
Meanwhile Sabin left Edgar's side and turned his head in the darkness, trying to see through it. The moon wasn't giving enough light and the – blessed – distant fires in the north hardly helped his eyes. He gave up after a few moments.
"Terra, are you alright?" he murmured in the direction he thought she was.
There was a sharper sound of whispering grass slightly to the right of where he was experimentally looking; he had startled her.
"I'm fine," she replied in a low voice from the dark, "why?"
"Dunno, I just noticed you were silent all the while," Sabin said, somewhat goofily.
She sighed and edged a bit closer, led by his voice.
"I'm just worried about Gogo and Siren," she sadly mumbled, "father is trying to reach her but it seems like it's too far away."
"Oh…"
Sabin wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't in all honesty think of any reassurance in that case.
"I just can't see…" Terra sighed and shook her head, "he refused to accept that Kerr is insane."
"Kerr?" Sabin blankly said.
"It's Kefka… Gogo's real name is Kefka, but Kerr took his place."
The bodybuilder shook his head with raised eyebrows.
"That's crazy. Then again, it's Kefka," he grunted.
For a few moments they were silent. Then Terra spoke again, hesitantly.
"Sabin, would you do what he did?"
"What?"
"If Edgar was insane, would you refuse to give up the hope for him?"
Sabin flinched at the mental image of Edgar killing innocents, murdering with pleasure, set civilian homes on fire… and just laugh.
His mind roared in disgust at the mere thought, it was absolutely incomprehensive.
And for a second even the brave warrior from Figaro shuddered as he realized just a small piece of what Gogo must have felt when he saw his brother's madness.
"Sabin?" Terra said, concerned as she heard that her friend's breath sounded strange for a moment.
He had to clear his throat before he could speak.
"I'm fine," he reassured her, "the thought is just… well, I don't know what I'd do. It's Edgar, I can't see how…"
Very slowly Sabin let out a deep breath.
"I guess I understand that strange fellow, when it comes down to that…"
"What are you talking about?" Edgar's voice came from the dusk.
"About twins," Terra clarified.
"Ah, I see."
They both heard him come closer.
"Well, what about it?" he wondered, "if you allow."
"Of course, bro," Sabin said with a somewhat forced smile as he was still uneasy, "we were trying to understand why Kefka's brother stayed behind."
Edgar was silent for a moment.
"So that was what you meant about me going mad?" he finally said with a faint smile.
"Yes," Terra nodded.
"It's impossible to say for sure," the king said with a less soft voice, "but I doubt I'd be the first to give up if it was Sabin being insane. I guess that staying was just what this Gogo had to do."
"You twins really must have a strong bond," the half-esper said, with a mix of gentleness and sadness.
The two men smiled in the darkness.
"Yeah, it's good to know you have a big bro to come in and help out… when he's not being bossy of course," Sabin said.
"Why I never…" Edgar protested.
Despite her worry, Terra managed to chuckle along a little. But it quickly died on her lips and she sighed a bit.
"I guess there was nothing we could do to get him to come with us if Clyde didn't manage…"
"Terra…" Edgar said, trying to sound comforting even if he suddenly felt bad for chuckling in front of her concern.
Sabin shared the same feeling and dared to reach out even if he didn't see her. Luckily he managed to find her shoulder without any trouble.
"Don't worry too much, Terra," he said, "who knows, Gogo did know Kefka well, he might actually have managed something."
"Precisely," Edgar smiled, "don't give up yet."
Terra couldn't honestly said she believed them – since they probably didn't either – but she did feel better just with the two of them trying to cheer her up.
"I'll do my best," she smiled.
Sabin started to say something but he and everyone else turned silent in fearful surprise as there was a sudden sound in the darkness.
It was still a bit distant and low, but it was definitely a running chocobo.
They didn't have to say anything.
It did come from the south and there was only one, but that didn't mean it couldn't be a dangerous enemy. And it was coming straight at them, in the night it would be dangerous to just try moving out of the way.
As it came closer by the second a small, greenish light was seen from the area that the sound came from, moving with it.
A magic user.
"Confront?" Clyde hissed.
Silence for a few seconds.
"Yes," Edgar said in a hushed voice, "we could use that chocobo in any case."
"Got it," the ex-assassin growled, "get ready!"
Grass whispered as people stood.
It came closer… closer…
Hardly ten yards away. Five…
"Who goes there?" Sabin shouted in his most threatening voice.
The light swirled to the sound of stomping claw feet and the giant bird's protesting kwehing as it was suddenly held in.
Silence ruled the world for a couple of tormenting seconds.
Then suddenly:
"Dost my ears decieveth me?"
"Kupo! Sabin?!"
There was another, very short silence.
"Cyan? Mog?!"
Feet hurried towards the eerie light that grew to reveal its place between the moogle's hands.
Somehow Terra reminded to dispel the magic that kept them invisible not to confuse their friends.
Mog sat in front of Cyan on the chocobo's saddle, both of them looking rather taken by the world crisis – as the rest of the heroes – but smiling widely in surprise.
"What are all you guys doing here, kupo?" the white teddy bear asked, jumping down on the ground.
"We're fleeing from the empire, turn the light down," Terra warned.
"Oops, sorry!"
The green flame shrunk down, leaving enough light to see Mog as a greenish, ghastly shadow in the night.
"Sabin, Gau, Celes, Setzer and myself had been captured by the empire," Edgar informed the two returning warriors, "the others managed to get us out but we don't know how safe we are here. Gestahl's scouting parties might start coming our way any time."
"My heart aches for not having been able to help thee in thy need earlier," Cyan grimly said, "now we must make haste then."
"Yes," Strago said, "but what the heck are you doing here then?"
"We thought all of you were dead," Mog explained, "so we were going to the coliseum to see if there was any way we could do something about this kupopo tyranny."
"Explanations will have to wait if those devils art on thy trail," Cyan pointed out.
According to the sound he leaped off his chocobo.
"The bird may carry two or three of thee, who is in the most dire need of rest?"
"Hang on a sec…" Locke piped up as the discussion almost started, "are there chocobo stables in the remains of Kohlingen?"
"I believe so, but why?" Cyan asked.
Locke glared towards the north. The lights were still distant, but for how long? He thought they already seemed a little closer.
"In broad daylight a chocobo could make it there and back here in about an hour, now it might take a little longer," the treasure hunter said, "if somebody rode there and got us more birds we'd be home free."
"Yes, if we make it to Kohlingen we'll be able to find another airship," Setzer nodded, "I could go there alone and get it to pick you all up, however finding you in the night would be very hard. Better we risk getting there together."
"Very well," Cyan nodded, "who will go then? A lighter load than myself will make the quest easier for the bird. And I fear I cannot supply enough gold to hire as many birds as we need, hast thee?"
There was only negative answers to that. Prisoners and refugees are seldom rich, and these heroes were no exception.
"I guess it's me or Locke then," Clyde stated with the hint of a cold smirk.
"You've got the better hand with animals," the treasure hunter said.
In reality he didn't have any troubles with chocobos, but he felt very unwilling to leave the group due to a promise he had just made.
"Yeah, you better go, dad," Relm said with a somewhat suspicious voice.
Celes and Locke both glared in the girl's direction.
So much for hoping that nobody had heard them talk…
"Alright then," Clyde said and mounted the giant bird in the light of Mog's flame, "you better keep moving southwards even while I'm gone, to make the distance greater. Keep in a straight line and we'll be able to find each other when I get back."
"Godspeed," Cyan grimly said as Strago lit another bluish flame.
Somehow the old man managed to attach the magic sparkle to his son-in-law's hand, providing him with light.
"Just command it to rise or lower its light," Relm's grandfather instructed, "and you better not get caught."
"I won't."
Clyde turned the bird and set off, followed by his friends' best wishes.
"Alright, let's get moving again!" Sabin ordered while they still could hear the chocobo and see the rider's light clearly.
Grimly nodding, the Returners recast their spells of invisibility and floating, starting to walk towards their hope again.
"That really was pathetic, letting them get away," Kefka said with a roll of his eyes, leaning back in his chair.
"Well, we didn't have much of a choice than to be desperate," Gogo commented, sipping on his wine.
"Very cute, that," his brother said, coldly chuckling a bit, "and just what will you do if they get caught?"
Gogo closed his eyes and shook his head.
"I can only hope they won't," he finally said.
"You're not gonna try anything if they are," Kefka stated, smirking faintly and watching the red liquid in his glass swirl as he moved his hand, "that's something I simply can't allow, bro."
"Figures…" Gogo grunted and grimaced at his brother, who sent hoarse chuckles piercing through the air due to the face the mimic made.
'What would you do in such a situation?' Siren asked in his mind.
'In that case, I guess I'd have to choose them before him. I owe Clyde and the others too much to just let them die without trying.'
Gogo cringed in his mind.
'But I don't want to chose…'
Soft harp tones stroke their way through his soul and made him forget everything for a moment before he caught himself again. The mental pain washed away like sand in a stream of water.
'Sorry, I didn't mean to torment you,' Siren mumbled, gently.
'It's alright… thank you, I feel much better.'
"What figures?" Kefka asked, but the threat in his voice was hardly worth mentioning.
"Considering all, I didn't exactly expect you to go with me on this one," Gogo clarified.
"My heart is practically bleeding for you, but it's also all giddy to roast Returners."
Gogo held back a wish to confront his brother further on the matter, but choose not to challenge fate. He didn't, in all honesty, want to know what his twin could think of in order to stop the mimic from aiding the warriors.
Instead of dwelling on the subject he tried to change it into something less morbid.
"Speaking of them, Celes' armband…" he said, "why did you use that equation for it?"
Kefka drained his glass of wine and frowned at it.
"Couldn't think of any better," he muttered, idly somehow.
"What, you?" Gogo said before he could stop himself.
To late he remembered that his brother really tried to be Kefka in a twisted way, but it still seemed twisted to him.
'He lived for math, for the goddesses sake!'
'Be careful, Gogo!' Siren nervously warned, 'something is moving in his mind…'
The mimic clenched his teeth, seeing the empty glass spin between Kefka's fingers. A single red drop moved on the bottom of it, sparkling slightly in the strange illumination.
"That's irritating…" Kefka murmured, his eyebrows crouching.
"What is?" Gogo carefully asked.
"That equation, I like it but I could have done better…"
The glass stopped spinning.
"I just can't seem to be able to calculate them as well anymore… it's just…"
His voice trailed off and he blinked at the glass. The frown melted a bit, then came back as Kefka looked up at his brother. He blinked again, looking confusedly at the mimic.
Gogo remained silent, waiting. He hardly dared to breathe, unsure of what was about to happen.
Kefka raised his hand to his forehead but let it fall.
"Who… am I again?" he muttered, disoriented.
"You are Kefka, bro," Gogo assured.
He didn't dare to take a risk, even if he had seen more of the true Kerr in his brother for a moment it was too weak to pull at. Kefka wasn't ready yet.
The man with the makeup rubbed his forehead and shrugged.
"Yes, of course…"
As he straightened up again the confusion was gone, but he looked a little uneasy.
Gogo managed to smile.
"It's late, Kefka, maybe you should get some sleep?" he said.
"Yeah… you're right, Kerr."
There was a minor emphasis on the name.
Yes, something was definitely moving in his mind. But it could very well be deadly, as he would deny it in every way he could.
"Will the couch do for you?" Kefka muttered as he crossed the floor, not looking around.
"Don't worry, it'll be very comfortable in compare to how I've slept in the past two decades," Gogo replied.
"Good… good night."
"Sleep well, Kefka."
Gestahl's helper waved a little over his shoulder before more or less crashing on his bed. The magical light in the room began to fade, so Gogo moved over to the sofa.
'You have to agree that something isn't right,' he thought, aiming it at Siren.
'He's insane, what do you expect?' she replied, somewhat gruffly.
Gogo sighed and laid down, moving a pillow into a pleasant position against his helmet. His protecting gear had a wadded inside that kept its shape thanks to the care the mimic had given it through the years, thus he could keep it on and sleep. It had always been an insurance since the inside of the zone eater never had been the safest.
'He's not as insane as he could be,' Gogo stubbornly commented, 'and he hasn't killed me yet.'
'But you don't feel safe, do you?' the esper gently asked.
The mimic sighed in the dusk.
'No, I suppose not. But I won't give up.'
He glanced down the room towards the wardrobe.
'Can you keep your light down all night, by the way?' he wondered, concerned.
'Don't worry, I'll manage. He won't notice me. Now, you need to sleep, my strange friend.'
The harp sang its soothing song inside Gogo's mind once again, softly waving any and all troubling thoughts away from its core.
'Thanks…' the mimic gratefully thought, smiling a bit as his eyes closed.
Siren withdrew from his mind and returned towards her magicite. She halted for a moment and glared at Kefka, as she was a spirit the darkness couldn't hide anything for her.
He had fallen asleep quickly, without any help.
'You damn murderer…'
She glanced back at Gogo, hesitatingly.
'And still… somebody cares for you… bastard.'
With a sigh she floated into the remains of her body, trying to settle and dearly wishing she could lull herself to sleep just like she had done with Gogo. But even though her harp was soothing it wouldn't work on her like that.
Still, worth a try…
'How in Tiamat's name did I get into this mess…?' she glumly thought as her fingers stroke the golden strings.
When she finally managed to fall asleep it was an uneasy slumber, but it was better than watching in worry.
