For the first time in his infamous career, Tremath was at a loss of what to do.
It had been difficult enough to kill Lady Yuna when that Tidus boy had been trailing around behind her. Unreasonably difficult. Now he had to contend with the legendary Sir Auron, an advanced dark magic priestess, an Al Bhed fighter, and another Yevonite Warrior? There was no assassin on the face of the planet that could single-handedly battle such people, no matter how stealthy and experienced he was. And they were heading into the Gagazet Mountain Range, a territory so swathed in mystery and danger that not even the bravest of men dared to venture close.
The entire mission was not only senseless and impossible, but also suicidal.
Tremath glared silently into the desert, perched on a vigilant rock under the moonlight. His cloak concealed every part of his body, and only his pale eyes remained visible, gleaming from the depths of his hood. Earlier that evening, while the party was setting up camp, he had watched closely from a hiding spot behind a cluster of scattered bushes and trembled with outrage. His misfortunes had increased dramatically.
He had known Yuna was traveling with four more companions, as he had calculated from the tracks they left in the sand, but he had not assumed for a second that they would turn out to be such worthy adversaries. He had believed that he could slit their throats in the dark with ease and Braska's daughter would be left all alone for him to do away with. But he knew all too well how mistaken he was when he caught sight of Sir Auron, the world-renowned guardian that was rumoured to be unconquerable.
The black mage looked powerfully intimidating even while she slept peacefully, and even the most mundane of minds could sense a great aura surrounding her.
The redheaded Yevonite was a giant of a man, and his training in the army made him an extremely formidable opponent; he would not be easy to sneak up on and even less easy to defeat.
The Al Bhed girl, although small in stature and seemingly clueless, was no less deadly. The long curved daggers at her sides looked exceptionally lethal. And even though she looked quite young, perhaps even younger than Yuna, the blonde girl seemed to possess honed senses. While he had been spying on them, he was certain he had frequently caught her glancing in his direction, a slightly suspicious look on her face. It was as if she knew something was out of place but couldn't quite bring herself to bother with it. Luckily for him, she seemed to have decided to push her fears out of mind and chose not to investigate his hiding place.
It contradicted Tremath's very nature to go back and admit to Seymour that he was walking away from the mission, but he was just as reluctant to continue pursuing Lady Yuna and her guardians.
The assassin closed his eyes in thought. He risked being flayed within an inch of his life should he decide to test the limits of Seymour's wrath, perhaps even murdered out of rage. On the other hand, facing a group of fearsome guardians was just as daunting.
He sighed inaudibly through his nostrils and decided then and there to continue doing what he did best. Remain undetected, and follow at a safe but watchful distance. Wait for the right moment. Let Lady Yuna to stray too far from the protective group's reach. Strike her down, and disappear. Collect ridiculous sum of money in return.
A true hitman never backs out of a deal before the job is done.
The black and silver-maned horse stamped her hoof nervously, tethered closely to a hefty rock. She had 'wandered' into his clutches not too long ago, and, having recognized her lofty appearance, Tremath wisely decided to keep her close at hand. It was much more enjoyable to ride than to walk, after all.
His mood had just improved significantly, and he went to sleep with a grim anticipating smile on his face. The mare nickered softly into the night.
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Yuna did not sleep very well that night. She tossed and turned next to Tidus, troubled by visions of Sin rising up from a gaping chasm to wrap its dark ethereal tentacles around her, pulling her into the black void. She dreamed of her father lying on the sacrificial table, struggling against the demon monster's advance. Did he scream? Did he feel pain? Did he face his death bravely? Did he die cursing Seymour's name?
The closer the party came to reaching their destination, the more fitful her rest became each evening, and it was starting to weigh down on her. Not only that, but she could feel her magical energy growing stronger, more restless inside. It pulsated inside her core with a gradually intensifying force that she had never felt before. It seemed like the farther away she was from the temple, the more her powers were growing. Perhaps the mounting tension on her heart was partly responsible for snapping at Lulu by the campfire earlier. It made her insides squirm with guilt at the memory of raising her voice to the older woman, even though she had apologized solemnly for her outburst. But she could not help but feel a wave of despair at Lulu's words. Yuna couldn't help but consider them in her mind over and over again. Was it true? Was there really no hope for them in succeeding? If they were to fail . . . no, if she were to fail . . . so much could be lost. They would all be killed and have their names erased from Spira's memory, their efforts completely in vain. The conspiracy would carry on in secret until Lord Seymour had enough power to wrap an iron fist around the world and unleash Sin among many nameless evils for the sake of his insatiable lust for supremacy.
A world lost to darkness, hovering between complete destruction and a future of uncertainty. It made her skin cold simply imagining it.
"You're shifting around a lot," a sleepy voice murmured. Yuna froze for a moment before glancing towards Tidus' face. One eye was open, peering drowsily down at her; the other remained stubbornly closed. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," she whispered back, offering him a sheepish smile. "Sorry to wake you. I'll lie still from now on."
He wrapped one strong arm around her waist and pulled her against him, positioning his chin above her so that her forehead leaned against his neck. She sighed and closed her eyes, feeling instant solace in the warm security of his embrace. Across the dying fire, Wakka had fallen asleep at his post, and not too far away, Auron and Lulu were asleep next to each other. Rikku was curled up on her side, snoring quietly with her head leaning on her elbow. Kyrida had gone missing earlier that evening, shortly after they had set up camp, and had not yet returned. Fortunately, they had removed all the saddlebags and haversacks from her before she disappeared, so none of their supplies went missing. Still, Yuna could not help but wonder where the normally faithful animal had gone off to. Normally the horse never left their sight if she could help it.
"Yuna," Tidus said softly, his words resonating in his throat and chest, "I promise I will get us through this. You were right. There is always a way, and I'll do everything in my power to find it. I won't let anything happen to you."
Biting her lip, Yuna pressed herself to him even closer and looped her arms around his body in a silent token of understanding. She did not trust her voice to keep from quavering.
For a long time they simply lay quietly together, each staring off into empty spaces of thought, drawing some measure of comfort from one another. Soon, however, Yuna became aware of Tidus' breath easing in and out rhythmically, and his grip slackened somewhat as sleep came over him.
She did not join him until the silver light of dawn began to appear on the horizon a few hours later.
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In the late afternoon, Yuna discovered that she was the last one awake. The rest of the party had been moving silently around her to allow her more time to sleep, quietly disassembling the camp. Sitting up on her sleeping furs, Yuna frowned thoughtfully. She found that she could not remember when she had fallen asleep, only that it had been sometime around daybreak. She was still exhausted; dark purple shadows haunted the flesh beneath her eyes, and she blinked at the world around her slowly as if in a perpetual daze.
After eating a rushed breakfast of bread and cheese with a few sips of wine, Yuna hurried off to bathe at a spring that Wakka had found the night before. It was located beyond the far bend away from the campsite, a brittle hedge of desert sage partially screening it from sight. The water formed a hole in the sandy terrain, just large enough for a few people to sit in a tight circle, but fortunately Yuna was alone.
She slipped out of her clothes, grateful to feel the hot sunlight on her back. It would not be easy to reclaim such warmth when they reached the Gagazet Mountains, so Yuna wisely savoured it.
After emerging freshly scrubbed and cleansed, she was tying her bodice strings when a pair of familiar arms circled around her waist and a warm breath tickled her ear.
"Not so fast, Lady Yuna."
She smiled and let her head fall back against his shoulder, her fatigue starting to abate a little. Tidus began planting small, butterfly-soft kisses on her neck, and very quickly found a way to get Yuna's gown off once more.
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A nervous quiet seemed to hover over the group as they made their way up into the Range. The air was tense, charged with an uneasiness that no one was quick to address. The path that took them from the desert floor up a sharply inclined pass had been a very difficult trek, as everyone had to be weighed down the party's supplies. Kyrida was still nowhere to be seen, and Auron had not wanted to waste time looking for her. He reasoned that she had probably gone back to the Al Bhed encampment of her own will. Rikku especially seemed to miss the creature's company, while Wakka only grumbled about having to carry bags through the mountains.
The path was wide enough only to allow a single-file procession. Auron walked in front, with Lulu and Wakka following close behind. The older guardian seemed oblivious to the demanding vertical march, but his remaining eye darted to and fro, ever alert to any sign of danger. Lulu, lifting her skirt up in both hands, kept her eyes fixed on Auron's broad back as if willing herself to empty her mind of any complaints. Wakka, like Auron, was keeping a close eye on their surroundings, and his hand remained on the hilt of his sword in preparation. Tidus followed close behind his friend, but his mind seemed to be wandering. He was staring ahead blankly, occasionally frowning as if something puzzling entered his thoughts. Rikku was in the rear, unusually subdued and in awe of the looming Gagazet Mountains.
Yuna pulled her fur-lined cloak tightly around her shoulders, blinking drowsily at the back of Tidus' calves, which were right in her line of vision. After her little liaison with him, her weariness had returned with full-force and she walked with slow, wobbling steps. Her eyelids drooped continuously, and it proved to be a difficult battle keeping them open. Her already tired body was protesting at the uphill march, dimly wondering what had happened to the nice, relatively flat desert they left behind.
"This place is full of evil, ya?" Wakka murmured suddenly, breaking the silence. His voice echoed in a faint hiss around them, bouncing off the stone pass. Lulu shook her head at his observation.
"No, not evil. A warning, yes, and a darkness that I cannot name, but . . . it is not malevolence we are sensing," she replied enigmatically, letting her claret eyes roam the massive rock walls.
Rikku shivered at these words and moved closer to Yuna.
"Keep moving," Auron commanded, "and try not to speak unless you absolutely must. Our voices will carry."
"Yuna," Rikku whispered suddenly, touching her cousin's shoulder. "Yuna, I think we're being followed."
"What makes you say that?" Yuna replied, frowning as she kept her gaze ahead.
"I'm not sure," the blonde girl replied with a small sigh. "But . . . it feels like there's something hounding us, you know? It's been bothering me since last night, but I thought I was just imagining things."
Yuna felt a tremor of foreboding run through her. She had almost forgotten about the assassin that had been pursuing her and Tidus. Could he still be after them? Had he not given up on them after the incident at the river?
Swallowing, Yuna leaned forward and repeated Rikku's hushed message to Tidus. He tensed at her words before giving her a quick knowing look over his shoulder. She gazed back earnestly, and he turned his attention back to the front. Without fully realizing how, Yuna knew that he planned on discussing the matter with Auron and Lulu later on.
Auron came to a halt at the front of the line as the group crested the hill, but Yuna was unaware of it, as her focus had been elsewhere. She walked right into his backpack and grunted with surprise.
"You awake back there?" Tidus asked her with a slightly teasing smile. Then he stopped when he took in her worn out appearance. "Did you get any sleep at all last night?"
Instead of replying, Yuna's eyes drifted upward to see what had caused the line to stop, and abruptly widened.
A towering cliff face stood before them, reaching so far up that Yuna had to crane her neck to see the top, where it seemed to slope back down on the other side. The path had widened into a broad flat shelf of earth, angling up towards the sheer barrier of rock. The stone was lined with cracks and fissures, forming an incalculable web of patterns all along the cliff face. It looked completely vertical. On either side, a thick line of vegetation formed a bushy frame, concealing the other mountainsides from view.
"Are you sure we went through the Gale Pass?" Lulu questioned Auron sharply. "I don't believe a massive rock wall in the middle of the path qualifies as a 'pass'."
"This cliff was not marked on the map," Auron replied, pulling the parchment out to offer the woman proof. "There is no question that we walked on the right trail." She snatched it away and her eyes roamed the map hastily before narrowing into scarlet slits.
"Ridiculous," she snapped, her fingers tightening around the paper dangerously. "Why would such an obstacle not be noted on the map clearly?"
"Oh no."
All eyes turned to land on Rikku, who had fallen somewhat behind. She stood stiffly at the mouth of the path, gripping the dagger at her hip so that her knuckles went white.
"This can't be the place . . ." the Al Bhed teenager whispered fearfully, her complexion remarkably paler than usual. "Oh, this can't be the place!"
"Speak, girl!" Auron ordered snappishly, taking a few commanding steps towards her.
"I-I think I know what this is," she began shakily, staring at the guardian through wide eyes. "My father told me about certain paths that lead to no where in the mountains . . . travelers wind up completely lost, sometimes even t-trapped. The maps around here don't mark these areas because they're hidden, or tampered with, and . . . and . . ."
"Don't tell me the Ronso are involved in this," Tidus broke in, a sick look passing over his face. "Rikku, please don't say it."
"N-nobody ever escapes from these places," she replied in a quavering voice. "Once, some of our foragers wandered too far into the cliffs and . . . we didn't find them until a few months later. Or . . . at least, what was left of them."
"Why would the Ronso do this?" Lulu demanded, her face a mask of pure anger. "Why would they lure travelers into their midst?"
"We don't know it was the Ronso!" Yuna cut in, slightly indignant at everybody's accusations. She briefly envisioned her old caretaker Kimahri, and remembered how patient and gentle he had been, how kind and wise he was. How could such an advanced race be so bloodthirsty and cold? She could not believe it of them.
"There are plenty of wild creatures living here, it is entirely likely that-"
"What wild creatures know to make deceitful maps?" Wakka demanded almost shrilly, glancing around anxiously.
"They are not 'wild creatures', and for all we know it could be a mistake," Yuna said defensively. "Maybe the mapmakers simply overlooked it. You said it yourself, Sir Auron, that not many people venture too far into the Range. It would be easy to make such an error."
Her words brought a swift calm over the party, although their expressions were still cautious.
"It doesn't matter," Auron said gruffly. "Let's just find a way out of here."
"We don't have time," Rikku said sadly, looking up to the sky. "It will be dark soon. Every night the Ronso send scouts throughout the Range to look for intruders. We need to find cover before they find us wandering around."
"Well, we can't stay here, ya?" Wakka pointed out.
"Check the map," Tidus suggested, a thought coming to him. "Does it say what lies behind the cliff face?"
"What are you implying?" Lulu asked, raising an eyebrow at him. She looked anyway, however, and her face drew into a look of surprise. "The trail seems to continue as if undisturbed, and there is a cluster of caves not far up ahead."
"I say we climb over," Tidus said with such an air of confidence that it nearly made Yuna smack her head in disbelief. "It will take much less time if we move without stopping, and I for one would like to get out of this place before nightfall."
"Yeah, I think we can do this," Wakka supplied, stroking his chin thoughtfully as a light of hope began to stir in his eyes. "We can help each other along the way too, right?"
"We have rope," Rikku added, reaching into one of the bags and pulling out a long thick coil. "And there's more where that came from!"
Lulu exchanged an uncertain look with Auron before turning to include Yuna. Hesitating, Yuna glanced at Tidus, Rikku, and Wakka in turn before slowly bringing her gaze back to the guardian black mage.
"Let's do it," she said firmly, lifting her chin up determinedly.
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Not long after her bold decision, Yuna found herself sorely regretting it. Numerous times she found herself losing her grip on the rope and rock face as the group slowly made their way up the rock face. She was growing ever conscious of her mounting exhaustion, and her strength seemed to be draining slowly from her limbs against her will. Often she had to rely on Auron's strength above her to guide her along, and the fact that she was weighed down with two large travel bags did not make the situation much easier.
The party was connected by a long rope, tied around everybody's waist to keep them lashed together for safety. Rikku scrambled up the cliff face with relative ease, as her lithe build made climbing a rather simple task. She was particularly good at finding easy foot and handholds in the otherwise unforgiving smooth surface. Tidus came in second. Lulu was behind him, her cumbersome skirt hitched up at her knees to make the ascent easier. She was silent and moved stoically onward in front of Wakka, who appeared to even be enjoying himself. Auron climbed in front of Yuna, who had been content to take the rear.
Clinging precariously to her current hold, she let her eyes move up the line to catch sight of Tidus, wanting to feel the familiar rush of warmth he created in her. She knew he was afraid of heights, at least more so than she was, but he had not said a word of complaint and seemed to be doing fine. Though he was the one who had suggested making the climb, he did not appear to be in any sort of discomfort, as long as he kept his eyes from straying downwards.
They were making good progress, too. At halfway up the rock face, the summit did not seem so strikingly far from reach. Still, flat ground was a long way down. Should anyone fall, it would surely mean instant death.
Gritting her teeth, Yuna forced herself to get a grip and keep moving. She began to pull her body up when she heard Auron hiss, "Look out!"
Instinctively she ducked her head and felt an unseen force of wind ruffle her hair.
Yuna's startled gaze shot back up and saw just how close Sir Auron's katana had come to swinging across her head. The older man gave her an uncharacteristically abashed look over his shoulder.
"My apologies," he said. "The sword strap was a little loose. I didn't hit you, did I?"
"No, I'm all right," she replied, slightly shaken as she eyed the impressive sword. Auron reached an arm back to readjust the strap that held it against his back and kept moving. Taking a deep breath to calm down, Yuna reached up once more to haul herself upright.
Her palm came into contact with something strangely unfamiliar. Frowning at yet another delay, Yuna pulled her hand back to examine the rope, where a fresh and unfamiliar sight greeted her. It appeared that the rope fibres had somehow developed a split.
She felt her heart leap into her throat.
Sir Auron's katana must have hit the rope material when it missed her head.
Frozen with horror, Yuna watched as the last few threads came undone. Before she knew what was happening, she found herself falling as the rope gave away. Dimly she saw Auron's head whip around to see her drop from the line, growing smaller by each passing second, and he gave a loud alarmed shout that echoed painfully all around.
The cold wind battered her as she plummeted downwards, her companions rapidly shrinking from sight.
She heard Tidus shout her name, and she closed her eyes. The world was disappearing all around her. Time was slowing down, yet rushed by too quickly. There was no reason to fear or think or cry out, because any second now she would hit the ground and there would only be silence and oblivion.
Something warm and strong lashed out of nowhere and wrapped itself around her ankle, halting the fall. Yuna sucked in a breath everything came to a crashing stop, her insides writhing at the sudden reverse. Blindly her eyes searched the impending darkness around her as she swung from side to side, dangling wrong way up from whatever it was that had caught her.
She was wrenched off to the side so violently that she nearly vomited at the harsh motion. Leaves, twigs, and thorns scratched her face and body as she entered the brambly hedges that lined the cliff face. She could still hear everyone shouting her name from high above, but they were completely out of sight.
The vice-liked grip around her ankle tightened and Yuna felt herself be jerked up higher, so that her upside down face came only inches away from another. Her head was swimming.
Blue fur?