CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THE HERMIT
Locke lay like a dead man at full length on the hermit's table, lighted by a fire in the fireplace. The hermit wore a brown habit with a frilly rope for a belt and was bald except for a crown of gray. He worked tirelessly at dressing the wound in Locke's ribs and sewing it up. He was a kind man, Terra surmised.
After the hermit did what he could for him, giving him medicine and rum to help him sleep, Locke fell into a deep slumber.
"You can call me Brother Francis, my friends," said the hermit.
"I'm Sabin," said Edgar, "And this is—"
"Elle," said Terra.
Brother Francis laughed. "That's all right. You don't have to tell me your names. That way I won't have to lie if I'm questioned."
"Forgive us, Brother Francis," said Terra. "We have had to be suspicious."
"There's nothing to forgive, child. May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I give my allegiance to the Empire, or betray guests in need of sanctuary."
Edgar and Terra spoke together and decided that the hermit could be trusted.
"Thank you, Father, for your hospitality," said Edgar. "We wonder if it wouldn't be too much of a burden on you to put us up for the night?"
"Of course," said Brother Francis with a benign smile. "You will stay until your friend is healed. Then I will give you provisions—such as I have—and swift Chocobo, for I wager that the adventure God has sent you requires speed."
"You're too kind, Father," said Edgar, bowing (for he had risen to his feet). "But we have birds and supplies already. I must retrieve them now. May I borrow your spade?"
"Certainly," replied the hermit.
Terra guessed that the spade was for the dead soldier, for if they were going to stay so close to the city for any amount of time, they would need to bury him.
Over the next several days, Terra spent a tolerable—indeed, a peaceful time in the hermit's little house. She was comforted that she and her friends slept in cool, underground caves reached by a trap door in the floor, and by the hermit's vigilant night watches. As far as Terra knew, Brother Francis never slept. At night he would pray and keep watch for enemies and change Locke's bandages, and when Terra awoke he was already up, making breakfast for them. She had never seen such discipline before. If she had lived with him long enough, she might have known the time of day by his chores and prayers.
Locke recovered faster than expected, which was fortunate, because the party was getting nervous with every passing day. They spent more time underground now, cleaned up after themselves after every meal so that it didn't look like Brother Francis had company, and kept the extra Chocobo hidden.
"How is it that you've managed to be overlooked for so long?" Locke said to the hermit when he was well enough to talk.
"Most imperial soldiers are foreigners from Vector on the Southern Continent," said Brother Francis, "and the Figaroäns resent their presence here. Few stumble upon my little house by accident; you have to know where to look."
One day, when the hermit was in his vegetable garden and Edgar was outside smoking his pipe, Terra and Locke had a chance to talk. Locke could sit up without difficulty now, though it still caused him pain. He would soon be ready to ride. But he had not yet gained back his characteristic vivacity.
"Did you hear what I said…back at the wall?" said Terra.
"Yeah," said Locke. "Hey look, kid, don't worry about it. I was just being a woman."
"'A woman'? What the hell's that supposed to mean!"
"You know what I mean," said Locke, answering her mock anger with his mischievous grin. He gently pushed her cheek with his fist. In return Terra punched him in the arm, on the wound-side. Locke howled in pain.
"Oh God, I'm so sorry!" said Terra, but in the end they both dissolved into laughter.
At last it was time to go.
"Godspeed you on your way," said the hermit in blessing, petting the heads of the Chocobo of the three mounted travelers. Brother Francis stopped at Terra's bird and held its reins, suddenly fixing her with an intense (though not alarming) look. "Take courage, my child. Blessed are you above all women, Death-wedded One, you who must suffer death for the world, which is Death's rightful bride." Terra was at a loss for words, so she kept silent, but she kept his words in her heart long afterwards. They did not seem to be the words of a madman, but those of a man with knowledge she knew nothing about.
They were eager to set off, for they had lost a few weeks in South Figaro due to Terra's illness and Locke's injury. Even the Chocobo seemed restless, chomping their bits and preening themselves. They waved goodbye and steered the birds' heads north. They had packed as heavily as they could without having to take a fourth bird for baggage. When their supplies ran out, they would have to resort to hunting their food, for they expected to pass through no more towns or cities on their journey to the Returners' Hideout in the Sabil Mountains. "But before we get there," said Locke, "we have to climb the pass of Mount Kolts to the northeast. After that it is a straight shot north through the valley to Mount Sabil."
They were more wary than ever now, and anticipated spies on every road. They expected every open space to be watched and every narrow pass to be an ambush. So they made their way through dense and difficult forests, hot and muggy—which made everyone irritable.
Terra tied up her hair and rolled up her sleeves and pant legs, until her legs got scratched brushing against thorn bushes and the sun burnt her fair skin. It was better to be hot, she decided. Unfortunately not a breath of wind broke through the trees to cool her face.
Moreover, the travelers had to deal with hordes of mosquitoes and biting flies, which attacked their Chocobo. They had to be diligent in swatting the insects, lest the latter spook the birds. Moreover, the path they cut through the trees was often blocked by cliff walls and sudden drops and unfordable rivers, frustrating their progress.
Days and weeks of this shortened everyone's temper. Terra was snappy and Locke was taciturn. Even Edgar hardly managed to contain his annoyance, which manifested itself in his disagreements with Locke about the quickest way around some unforeseen obstacle. Each would yell at the other, Terra would yell at them, then one would yell at her, the other yell at him, then all would fall silent. After a few minutes there would be a round of apologies, and then some time later the whole thing would start up again. It surprised Terra how much hot weather and miserable conditions had an effect on the general mood, even though they all knew it was no reason to be short with one another.
It seemed to Terra to be weeks before the peaks of Mt. Kolts came into view. The party had been walking their Chocobo when they chanced upon a freshwater stream, clear as glass, tumbling down its stony bed. After a refreshing drink which raised everyone's spirit, Terra with renewed vigor climbed a steep hill to try to get the lay of the land. Standing against the trunk of the solitary tree at the top, she saw for miles in every direction: miles of rolling green treetops, and in the distance, gray and hazy, Mt. Kolts.
Terra turned and saw Edgar coming up the hill. He had taken his shirt off earlier due to the heat, and no doubt thought this gave him an advantage over Locke, who was not as muscular and broad-shouldered (but by no means scrawny) as he, and was reluctant to take his shirt off around Terra, no matter the necessity. But in fact, Edgar had no advantage, for none was to be had.
The wind had risen and blew unhindered at the top of the hill. Terra let it blow her hair back; she liked this feeling. It was exhilarating.
By this time Edgar had reached the top. He now stood beside her on the other side of the tree. She didn't mind his presence—indeed, when he wasn't trying to seduce her it was even enjoyable, but she suspected this silence was part of some new tack.
But it seemed that her fears were unfounded. Perhaps he had finally given up. He just went on looking out towards Mt. Kolts, deep in thought. Finally he spoke:
"I'm thinking of going on ahead, my dear. The fewer in our company the less likely we are to be caught. Besides, if I reach Banon, I can inform him of your route and arrange an armed escort. I trust that you wouldn't be opposed to going alone with Locke?"
Terra suspected there was a bit of sulkiness and an admission of defeat in this, though there seemed also to be something else on his mind, an increasing gravity that she had noticed since the sighting of his mysterious twin. It was with this gravity that he stared at Mt. Kolts. Nevertheless, she feared that she had perhaps been too strong with him, and that he had taken her rejection of his sexual advances as a rejection of him altogether.
"Don't go, Edgar," said Terra, "we need your skill and your sword."
"Just my sword?" said Edgar with a smile.
"And your friendship."
"Just my friendship?"
"Just your friendship."
Edgar laughed and together they turned and descended the hill.
