Chapter IX

Chains

Jenna had thought that the night and day after fleeing Sol Sanctum had been hard. She now knew that there were far worse tortures one could be put through. The next few weeks of her life were a blur of exhaustion and resigned acceptance.

She felt humiliated by the chain around her neck, and that burdened her steps more than its actual weight.

If she fell behind, Menardi would give a sharp pull on her leash, to remind her to keep up. Her fatigue meant nothing to her captors - if she refused to walk, they would just drag her along.

And the scariest part was that she knew the chain wasn't even the worst thing they could do to her. She complied if only out of fear for what they would do if she didn't.

At night, once she was sure the others were asleep, she would find the sharpest rock she could and saw at the silver chain with it. The need to be quiet prevented her from bashing the rock against the chain, but it mattered little, as nothing she did seemed to so much as scratch it. It appeared to be made of some material she'd never heard of, because she knew a steel chain would eventually break if she wore at it long enough.

Eventually she gave it up, as she was just wasting her energy, which she needed more for the long days they spend marching without rest.

Kraden was her sole comfort, sitting beside her on the rare instance they would stop to rest, talking to her and doing what little he could to bring her comfort.

Jenna did not cry. She was too exhausted to cry. She had given up hope that Isaac and Garet would catch up with them and save her, if they were even coming at all. Not with the pace that Saturos drove them at.

She simply felt numb. Each day blended into the next. They trudged through empty farmlands, empty plains, empty mountains, empty forests.

They were headed for a town called Imil, which apparently stood at the foot of Mercury Lighthouse. It was the farthest north settlement in Angara. Alex warned them that they would be trudging through several feet of snow before they made it there.

Alex was clearly not looking forward to going there. His usual smile of self-satisfaction and his clever quips started to have a strained tension to them. He would slip off on his own from time to time, sometimes lasting only a few hours, and sometimes as long as two or three days. No one ever saw him leave, and he never said why he left, nor what he was doing. And nobody asked.

After passing through the Goma Mountain range through a long cavern, they walked right past the town of Bilibin without stopping. They made camp somewhere well away from it, and then Saturos sent Felix to the town for supplies.

The five of them waited at the edge of a forest. Saturos and Menardi were together, as usual, talking quietly amongst themselves. Alex sat alone, at the edge of their camp away from everyone else, staring off into the distance. Jenna collapsed on the ground as far from Menardi as the chain would allow her to be, and Kraden sat quietly beside her.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm making it," she replied in a quiet voice. "Somehow."

"Is there anything I could do for you?"

She scoffed. "Like what? What could you possibly do?"

Kraden looked away, hurt. Jenna immediately regretted snapping at him.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just so tired."

After a moment, Kraden rose hesitantly, and went over to Saturos and asked him something.

"We won't be stopping in Kolima, either," he said to Kraden. "As for Imil… we'll have to see."

"We'll see?" Alex said, rising from where he was sitting. "I thought we discussed this already."

"Yes, you've told us how cold winters in Imil can be," Saturos said. "If the weather is as bad as you say, we may not be capable of camping outside."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Two warriors from Prox are worried about the cold?"

Saturos glanced over at Jenna. "It won't do us any good for the girl to freeze to death. She can barely handle a journey across green fields."

Menardi scoffed.

Saturos turned to her, one eyebrow raised. "You have objections?"

"The girl can handle the cold. She has to. We cannot afford to slow our pace to accommodate her weakness."

"Well, we'll just have to see about that."

Alex looked over at Jenna with an odd frown.

Some time passed, and things were relatively quiet. Kraden made his bed and was asleep soon, and Saturos and Menardi sat at the fire, talking quietly as they always did. Alex alternated between sitting by himself, pacing around the camp, and kicking at rocks. He wore a frown the whole time, as though he were musing something over.

Despite how tired Jenna felt, she wasn't able to sleep the way Kraden was. She tossed and turned in her sleeping bag, uncomfortable and troubled. The sun slowly disappeared behind the horizon, and once nighttime came she had all but given up on getting any sleep.

It was then that she heard footsteps approaching her. She sat up and saw Alex drawing near.

"What do you want?" she muttered.

"I noticed you were having some trouble getting to sleep. I have some tonics on me that might help, if you want them…"

Jenna gave her best expression of disgust. "No thank you." She rolled her, turning her back on him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that even Saturos and Menardi had gone to sleep. They were essentially alone.

She could hear Alex chuckling softly to himself. "I had a feeling you might say something like that. I've been watching you, you know. And I think I've come to understand you pretty well."

She rolled back over at that and glared at the cerulean-haired man. "Oh yeah? Have you now?"

"I have," he answered with a wry smile. "And I want to talk to you about something."

"I have nothing to say to you."

"Then listen."

Jenna rolled her eyes. "What could you possibly have to say to me?"

"Plenty, if you would humour me." He took a seat beside her. "Just because the circumstances that led to this journey were unpleasant, that doesn't mean that things have to stay that way."

"You people kidnapped me," she spat.

"That wasn't my idea," Alex said, raising his hands in defence. "I would have voted against it, if that were the way Saturos did things. I have different methods; forcing people to comply with me through force is so barbaric. Things could be so much simpler, in a lot of ways. But the Proxians are… different. And not just because they have scales.

"Now I'm not suggesting that you'll end up on friendly terms with them. Even I don't like them much. But I know things about them and their culture that you don't. The Proxians come from the harsh north, even farther north than my home. The warrior caste of their society undergoes some very harsh training. Many do not survive it; the weak are left behind to die.

"Saturos was the leader of the group they sent solely because of his strength. That's how things are there; the warriors are the ones in charge because in such a harsh place only the strong survive."

"I guessed as much," Jenna said. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"Well, to put it simply, the weaker you look to them, the worse they're going to treat you. By meekly complying with them, you're making it worse on yourself."

Jenna sat up, glaring once more. "Are you saying this is my fault?"

"Not at all. You're very much the victim." Alex looked down at the chain trailing from Jenna's neck. "But something like this… Menardi didn't put that on you to keep you from running away, contrary to what they said. They reacted to your act of defiance with one of their own. And they're going to continue forcing you down until you show them that you can stand.

"There's fire in you. I can see that just from the way you're acting now - snapping and glaring at me. You need to show them that. When they push you, push back. Show them you're not weak."

Jenna scoffed, and sank back into her sleeping bag. "Why? Why should I do anything to make this easier for you. I didn't ask to be here. I didn't ask for any of this."

Alex stared at her for a moment, considering something. Eventually, he turned away with a swish of his blue robes.

"There will come a day when you'll be thankful for this," he said as he walked away. "I promise you that."

"So that's Lunpa," Garet said.

The wind blew around the three Adepts as they stared at the town in the distance. Several leagues from the hilltop they were stopped at, the town of Lunpa stood silent and peaceful.

Or so it seemed.

"That's an impressive wall around the town," Garet said. "Are they keeping something in, or keeping something out?"

"The latter," Ivan told them. "Lunpa is a town of thieves. And many years ago, that was a title that was spoken with respect. The town's founder, Lunpa, was an honourable man who stole from the corrupt and rich and gave back to the poor. After his mysterious disappearance, his son Donpa continued to run the town with those same values. But in recent years, leadership has passed to Lunpa's grandson Dodonpa, who by all accounts is a greedy man without an honourable bone in his body.

"There used to be trade between Kalay and Lunpa. But Master Hammet ended it some time ago when he heard certain… rumours about Dodonpa's practises. Lunpa's economy hasn't been as great since then, and it's unfortunately driven them farther into thievery."

"And Hammet just went there for help?" Isaac asked.

"I know," Ivan muttered. "But if Dodonpa has any sense in his greedy head he'll take the deal Master Hammet offers him. The alternative…"

"You don't think he'll hurt him, do you?"

Ivan shook his head. "If he killed Hammet, Kalay would send troops and wipe Lunpa off the face of Weyard. Even a man like Dodonpa isn't that foolish. No matter how much he hates Master Hammet, he wouldn't kill him when he can profit from it. No, more likely he'll hold Hammet hostage and try to extort a ransom from Kalay."

"And would they pay it?" Isaac asked.

"Lady Layana would do anything to get Hammet back safely," Ivan said with a frown. "But let's pray it doesn't come to that. There's always a chance that Dodonpa will take Hammet's offer to rebuild the bridge."

"You don't look very confident that'll happen," Garet observed.

"No, I'm not. It's more likely that Master Hammet is already in a cell in Lunpa's dungeons."

Ivan continued to stare at the walled-off town in the distance, with a troubled frown. No one said anything for a short while.

"So where does that leave you?" Isaac asked eventually.

"Nowhere," Ivan answered. His hand found the Shaman's Rod at his belt. "I have the rod back, which is what I was tasked to do. Master Hammet is either working out a deal with Dodonpa, or is captured. Either way, he wouldn't want me following him. He'd want me to return to Kalay. Which I will… when we pass through."

Ivan turned away from Lunpa and started off. "We should get moving if we want to catch those guys."

Isaac and Garet exchanged frowns before following after Ivan. "Are you sure, Ivan? We could at least get a little closer to Lunpa… Perhaps find out for sure what's happened…"

"I appreciate your concern," Ivan answered without turning around. "But there are more important things at stake now. Saving Master Hammet won't mean anything if the world ends, would it?"

"No, I suppose it wouldn't… But still…"

"We can't afford to waste any time," Ivan said. "Now according to the map there's a cave we have to pass through to get to the other side of the Goma mountain range. If we're lucky, we might reach it before nightfall."

Jenna stirred awake the next morning, her rest disturbed by the sounds of the others gathering up their things. She wasn't sure how, but somehow she'd managed to fall asleep last night. Exhaustion must have won in the end.

She wasted no time in drawing herself to her feet and collecting her own things. She knew from experience that if she didn't get ready quickly that things would get ugly.

She felt a small tug at the chain around her neck, and turned to see Menardi's back, shuffling around the camp. It wasn't an intentional tug; those were unmistakable.

While turned, she noticed Felix was back, sitting on a log by the extinguished campfire. He had a small pouch in his hands, which he turned over unconsciously while staring into the dying embers.

Jenna turned back around and finished rolling up her sleeping bag before he could notice her gaze.

A few minutes later they were back on the road. Jenna counted five in their group - Alex must have slipped off again at some point after their conversation that night.

Though no day had been pleasant in this journey, today was particularly miserable for Jenna. Her back ached from laying on the ground every night, her head hurt from lack of sleep, she needed a bath and a change of clothes, and her stomach growled. They had been surviving off a humble diet of bread and dried meat.

Jenna remembered the hot stews and soups her mother used to make, and the sugary sweets her father used to get for her from travelling merchants. She found herself smiling sadly as she remembered how her father used to sneak those sweets into the house, as her mother never approved of such things.

The bittersweet nostalgia faded, and anger took its place. She clenched her fists. It was these people who had taken everything from her. Her parents, her friends, her home…

And her brother.

She let herself glance up at Felix, who was walking a little further down the road. The small bag in his hand swayed with each step. She couldn't help but wonder what was in it.

When they stopped for lunch at midday, Felix approached her for the first time, almost as though he had picked up on her thoughts.

"Jenna," he said in greeting.

She hadn't noticed it before, but his voice had deepened considerably in three years. He sounded like their father now.

She didn't answer, only looking up at him.

After a tense, awkward moment where he waited for her to answer, he realised she wasn't going to. He extended his hand, offering her the small pouch.

"I got it for you," he said quietly.

Wordlessly, Jenna took the pouch and untied it, finding a small box inside.

"I had a few extra coins," he muttered awkwardly. "I remember you used to like those…"

Inside the box was a small chocolate rabbit.

"We should talk," he said. "There's a lot I need to tell you. A lot of things I have to explain."

Jenna's hand clenched around the box, crushing both it and the chocolate inside. In a second, she was on her feet. She threw the crumbled box at Felix's chest.

It bounced off him and fell in the grass. He had no visible reaction.

"What excuses could you possibly have for what you've done?!" she demanded. "If you wanted to talk so badly, why didn't you do so in the three years you were gone?!"

"Jenna…"

"Don't say my name. Don't even talk to me!"

"There is more to this than us. I didn't stay away from you by choice, but out of necessity."

"Necessity?! You left me all alone, thinking you were dead all this time! What was so important that you were okay with doing that to me? That you'd pick the people who killed our parents over your own sister?!"

Felix's expression changed very slightly at that last line, and he drew his mouth tight, as though he were forcing himself to stay silent.

After a tense silence, he then bowed his head, looking down at the rejected gift.

Jenna couldn't take the silence. "All that time I thought you'd died in that river. The truth of it… I wish I'd never found out. It would have been better if you actually had died."

Felix flinched. That one had struck home.

"You're not ready yet," he said very quietly, with just a hint of regret. "Perhaps in time, you'll understand."

"Understand what?"

"The lengths I'm willing to go for you."

She slapped him.

He must have been expecting it, because he took the strike with no reaction save for a slight turn of his head.

That just made her angrier, so she then punched him as hard as she could in the face.

This time he gave a pained cry and fell into the grass.

Jenna was then aware that the others were all watching this exchange.

Whatever. She didn't care anymore at that point. Spotting the crushed box on the grass, she kicked it over to her collapsed sibling's side.

"Next time you want to get me a gift, buy a knife so I can stick it in your lying bastard heart!"

Jenna stomped away, dragging her chain with her, and leaving Felix on the ground.

Kraden looked up at her in concern as she drew near, but she wasn't going to him. She walked right past the sage, and approached Saturos and Menardi.

"A family dispute?" Saturos asked, with the slightest hint of a smile.

She ignored him. She locked eyes with Menardi.

"Why don't you take this chain off me?" Jenna said.

Menardi raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Jenna said. "You're worried about getting to Mercury Lighthouse quickly? Well, we'll move a lot faster if we aren't dragging this damn thing along. You think I can't handle the cold? I'm a Mars Adept, just like you. Enough of these games. I'm tired of it, and I know you are, too. Take this chain off and let's go."

Menardi's eyes narrowed. For a moment, it looked like she was going to attack Jenna. She held her ground and did not flinch under that intense stare.

And then the Proxian woman chuckled. "Look at this, Saturos. The girl got tired of crying and feeling sorry for herself."

"So it would seem," Saturos answered.

Menardi stood up and took the chain in her hands. With Psynergy, she somehow undid the lock holding it around Jenna's neck, and it felt into the grass just like her brother had.

Jenna rubbed the sore skin where the chain had been, and let out a relieved breath.

"Of course, you know that if you try running again, I'll kill you myself, promises made to Felix be damned," Menardi told her with a wicked smile.

"You don't have to worry about that," Jenna answered, resolute. "I'm done running."

When the time was right, Jenna decided, she would make Menardi regret those words, along with every other threat she'd made to her. She would show them that she wasn't the weakling they thought she was.

And then she would end their lives herself.

It ended up taking a full three days for Isaac, Garet, and Ivan to make it through the Goma cavern. The underground passage was not nearly as straightforward as they'd been told, but the various wrong turns they took were only the start of their troubles. Between running out of torches, several monster attacks, low supplies, and a caved-in passage that Isaac had to carefully unblock, it was a miracle that they even survived, much less made it out the other side.

When they finally stepped out of the cavern mouth and saw sunlight for the first time in days, Garet ran ahead, laughing and skipping. He fell to his feet and literally kissed the ground.

"Next time, let's just hike over the mountains, okay?" he said when Isaac and Ivan eventually climbed down to join him.

Though exhausted after their treacherous trip through the cave, they nonetheless pushed themselves a bit more and spent the rest of the day marching across the nearly empty plains of the Bilibin region. It was near dark when they finally reached the surprisingly humble village built around the local lord's estate.

"There's a guard at the town entrance," Ivan observed. "Odd for such a small town."

"I'm sure they'll let a few tired travellers into the town," Isaac said.

"He'd better," Garet panted. "There's no way I'm sleeping on the ground after three days of rocks in my back."

But as they drew closer, it became apparent that the figure they had initially thought was a guard was not; in fact, it wasn't even a person. It was just a small tree.

Though on closer inspection, the mistake was understandable. Not only was the tree just the right height of a grown man, but it was shaped like one, too. It even had two branches right where a man's arms would be.

It even almost appeared to have a face - one twisted in pain.

"Creepy as hell," Garet muttered.

Isaac silently agreed. The more he stared at the tree, the more it looked like a person to him. Its twisted 'face' seemed to be staring into his - silently pleading for him to end its pain.

"Let's go, guys," Ivan said, breaking the reverie. "I see an inn not far away."

Unable to deny the appeal of a warm bath and a hot meal, the three weary Adepts entered Bilibin and quickly crossed the near-empty streets to the inn. The few villagers that were still out paid them little more attention than a quick glance.

Isaac was a bit confused at the villagers' lack of interest in travellers until they stepped into the inn and saw it was filled with them. At least two dozen men sat at the tables by the fire, feasting and drinking and making sounds of merriment. A young woman was standing over the shoulders of two cooks who were scrambling to keep up with the orders, and driving them like slaves. In the corner, a blond-haired bard was playing an atmospheric song on a lute.

"Uh, perhaps we should look for another inn-" Isaac started.

"Ah, more travellers," a bearded innkeeper all but shouted at the sight of them. He crossed the room in a flash, and looked them over. "And also warriors, by the looks of you. A bit young, but hey, I don't judge. There three of you?"

"Um, yeah," Isaac answered.

"Excellent! You're in luck, we've got one last room left. Only two beds, but I'm sure you can figure something out. My, it's been years since we've had a full house! Take a seat, supper should be done soon!"

The three Adepts were all but corralled over to one of the tables, and before Isaac knew what was happening, a mug of ale was shoved in front of him.

A huge man with arms as thick as Isaac's head sat next to him and was tearing into a turkey breast like it was the first meal he'd ever eaten. He noticed Isaac's staring and paused just long enough to give Isaac a huge grin before returning to his meal.

Suddenly, Isaac wasn't quite that hungry.

"It's very lively here," Garet pointed out with a smile.

"I doubt there's another inn in a town this small," Ivan said to Isaac as though he'd read his thoughts. Which he might have. But more likely he'd heard Isaac earlier before he was cut off.

"I'm just wondering what all these guys are doing here," he muttered in reply.

"Hmm? You don't know?!" the huge warrior beside Isaac said suddenly. How he'd heard Isaac when they were all but whispering in such a noisy room was a bigger mystery than the Lost Age.

"Er, no. Is there some kind of contest or something?"

"Hah, no! Although I'm no stranger to those! I'll be heading to Colosso in a few months with a friend of mine. No, we're all here for the reward Lord McCoy is offering. I'm surprised you're not too. Why else would you be in Bilibin?"

The three Adepts exchanged confused glances. "A reward?" Garet asked.

"Yeah, for breaking the curse of Kolima!"

They shook their heads, completely lost.

"Don't tell me you haven't even heard of that!"

"Isn't Kolima the town east of here?" Isaac asked.

"It is," Ivan said. To their warrior friend, he asked, "What sort of curse is Kolima under?"

The man chuckled in amusement, took a long swig from his mug, and then turned to give the three Adepts his full attention. It was story-time.

"So there's this evil tree-"

"Here's your meals!" the innkeepers interrupted, setting plates before each of the Adepts. They politely thanked him, and he left. The large warrior waited, perturbed, until he was gone before starting again.

"So there's this evil tree in the forests of Kolima. It came to life some time after the eruption of Mt. Aleph and when the people of Kolima tried to cut it down… it cursed them all! In the blink of an eye, the people of Kolima were transformed into trees themselves. Now Lord McCoy is looking for strong warriors to travel into those woods and defeat the evil tree."

"The people of Kolima were turned into… trees?" Isaac asked.

"That's right. I'm sure you noticed the tree by the gate outside?"

That was what he'd just been thinking. Noticing the expressions Ivan and Garet wore, they had, too.

"A few days after the eruption, that man came running to town, ranting about Kolima and the tree that had cursed them all. The townspeople watched helplessly as that man screamed and transformed into a tree before their very eyes. Or at least, that's what they say. There were enough witnesses that nobody doubts the story."

"So all these warriors here are going to go into Kolima forest to confront the tree that did this?" Ivan asked.

"That's right!" the man said with a proud smile. "Yours truly included! Fortune and glory await the hero who can undo this vile curse, and between you and me, these other blokes will have a tough time keeping up with me!"

"What's going to keep you all from turning into trees yourselves?" Ivan asked.

"Uh…"

Clearly he hadn't thought too hard about that part.

"I'm guessing the people in this room aren't the first ones sent on this mission," Ivan continued. "Has anyone who has gone into Kolima returned?"

"Ivan…" Isaac said quietly. The chatter in the room had grown quiet, as the occupants of the inn noticed Ivan.

But he ignored it.

The muscular warrior scratched his red hair. "Well, no… but…"

"You're just going to throw your lives away," Ivan said. "You should really reconsider this."

A few of the patrons didn't like this.

"I'll bet you just want that reward for yourself!"

"Dumb kid, trying to scare us away!"

"Enough!" the man beside them shouted. "He has a point. Just how were you planning to keep from getting cursed?"

"I have a magic amulet!" one warrior shouted. "I bought it today from a merchant in town! He assured me it would protect me from the curse!"

"Yeah, and how much did he charge for it?"

"Well… not much. It was a really good deal, actually-"

"Wow, what an idiot!"

Ivan sighed. "I'm not really hungry anymore."

"Me neither," Isaac said. "Let's just head up to our rooms."

As the bickering grew louder, they both glanced at Garet, who had a fork halfway to his mouth. He rolled his eyes.

"Alright, I'll finish it in the room."

"Go ahead, Ivan," Isaac urged.

It was night time now. They stood outside, by the town's entrance, where the human-shaped tree stood.

They had retired to their room for a bit, but an idea had struck them, and no one could rest until they tried it. So they had left the inn and returned to the gate.

The tree was unnaturally stiff, which was something Isaac hadn't noticed before, but was now painfully obvious. While the ordinary trees around the village swayed in a strong breeze, and their leaves shook, the transformed man did not so much as move an inch.

Yet despite this, it's pained expression seemed to grow each moment Isaac stared at it.

The thing was terrifying in a way Isaac couldn't put to words. Perhaps it was simply how unnatural it seemed. Or perhaps it was the knowledge that this was once a human being. A man trapped in a unmoving shell, unable to escape or even communicate.

Chained to one spot, unable to ever move again.

"Alright," Ivan said, looking just as disturbed by the tree as Isaac felt.

The small boy's Psynergy glowed, and he placed a hand on the firm trunk of the tree, where its shoulder would have been. After a moment his eyes widened and he took a step back.

Isaac didn't need to ask. He knew it had worked just from the look in Ivan's eyes.

"What was he thinking?" Garet asked.

"He's just thinking the same thing… over and over." Ivan took a deep breath and shook.

"'Help me… Somebody…'"

A/N: Hmm, not a lot to say on this one. The second part of the Isaac half was loads of fun to write. You can always tell when I'm having fun writing a section because I fill it with lots of little jokes. The Jenna sections were a little more difficult, but I'm pleased with how they turned out. Now that I've finally got Jenna out of her depressed phase, I can focus a little more on the other members of Felix's group, including Felix himself.

I was actually considering just skipping the entire Kolima arc, as I didn't feel anything of real importance to the story happens there, but I had included it in my outline, and it's still one of my favourite parts of the first game, so I stuck with it. I was kinda surprised by how eerie the humans-turned-into-trees thing is when you take out the humour that the arc had in the game. I have no mouth, and I must scream.

I think I can get the entire trip to Kolima Forest covered in the next chapter, so the chapter after that will introduce Imil and Mia. Anyone who's read my other Golden Sun stories will know I really like Mia, so I'm really eager to get to her parts. So at this rate we should be seeing her in like… eight months or something… maybe.

Next chapter: More Trees!