Melmond Harbor, Twenty-four Years Ago
The breeze that blew in from the south no longer smelled of Rot. Men bustled about the ship, about the narrow temporary docks below, lengths of wood tied together with ropes until the new ones could be constructed. Redden watched from the ship's railing as the men loaded the last of the cargo. The white mages and soldiers didn't have much luggage, and the ship had come with plenty of provisions, but the people of Melmond had still pressed gifts on their Cornelian heroes, gifts of food and goods that Melmond could scarcely spare.
Redden watched them down there, the people of Melmond. They crowded the harbor, seeing the ship off. They smiled at the Cornelians, shouting praises and thanks. Every now and then, Redden would catch one of his countrymen staring up at him, though their faces were far less friendly toward him. He tried to ignore those hateful eyes, searching the crowd for one person, even one, who looked sorry to see him go.
He was surprised when he found one, even more surprised that it was Jayne. Lord Westen hadn't come to the docks, had said his goodbyes back at the house, but Jayne hadn't come out of her room. Westen had told her his decision regarding her marriage. She'd been in her room ever since, refusing all meals and all company.
She looked up at Redden now, eyes brimming, and for a moment, Redden felt bad about leaving her. They weren't friends, not really. They'd never really got along. But they'd both loved Cid. She's hurting too, Redden thought, knowing he could have been there for her, could have done a better job of being a brother to her. She would have been his sister, after all. No more.
He waved to her. She waved back, giving him a small, haggard-looking smile, but suddenly she grimaced and turned away, walking through the crowd back toward the city's west gate. Redden looked to his left, where Cascius had joined him at the railing.
The prince seemed embarrassed as he watched Jayne go, but Redden saw the longing in his eyes, the admiration.
"She's certainly stubborn enough to be a queen," Redden said.
Cascius chuckled. "It's a good match. Politically, I mean. Father's been after Melmond for years." He shrugged.
Redden nodded. He understood. Nobility came with certain obligations.
Below, the men finished loading their goods. A pair of the Cornelian white mages, administering to the people on the docks, bid the people farewell and made their way to the ship.
"What am I getting into?" Redden asked, quietly.
Cascius patted his shoulder. "Third council lord's only a title. I can promise you neither wealth nor privilege."
Redden snorted. "I had those here. I've never felt like I earned either."
Cascius laughed. "Well, whatever you get in Cornelia will be earned. I can promise you that, at least."
The last passengers finished boarding. The men pulled up the gangplank.
Cascius sighed. "Are you sure about this? This is your home."
Redden shook his head. "I can't stay here. I know that. There's too much of Cid wrapped up in this place."
Cascius nodded. "Surely his soul will rest easy now."
The ship began to move. Redden turned from the docks, looking at the men around the deck. All of their white mages had come out alive, but there were far fewer soldiers than they had started with. Redden's hand came to rest on the sword at his belt, Cid's sword. "I don't think mine will. It doesn't feel like it's over."
The Earth Cave, Present Day
The men stood about, stunned, an absence of all emotion as their fear slowly transformed into cautious optimism. They were alive... the dead were defeated... the vampire was defeated... It seemed to take a moment to sink in. In that absence, that quiet space, that calm, Redden's grief hit Lena like a fist, stealing her breath. She grunted at the impact as Redden's knees hit the floor.
Then Thad whooped, a joyful cry, and the men joined him. The optimism became happiness. Such happiness, enough that Redden's sadness was buried beneath it. She nearly fell as Thadius slammed into her, wrapping her up in a hug, joyful, confident, buoyed up by their victory. She couldn't stop her own smile as she returned his embrace. "You were so brave!" she said.
"I wasn't!" he said. "I was scared! It was so dark! But then I thought you guys might die, and that was scarier, and I told the crew we had to help."
"I'm so proud of you!" Lena said, patting his back.
She squeaked as someone grabbed her roughly by the shoulders, twirling her around, pulling her from Thad's arms, and she found herself facing Jack. "Look at me," he said, his fingers digging in.
She squirmed. "Jack? What…?"
He reached up, holding her by the chin, peering into her eyes. His red scarf hung loose around his neck, and she could see his lips pressed into a tight line. He gripped her shoulder so tightly it hurt. She started to shake him off, but when she felt how worried he was, she stilled. His eyes held hers a moment longer, looking into them rather than at them, but then he changed focus, looking at her face. "That spell didn't hurt you, did it? I've never seen white magic like that before."
"What spell?" Thad said. "Was there a spell?"
"I'm fine," Lena said, rolling her shoulder, trying to get Jack to loosen his hold. "Really, I'm alright! Can you let go, please?"
Jack frowned, but he did let her go, stepping back.
Lena noticed then how red his eyes were, like he'd got something in them. His worry, the men's jubilation, Redden's grief... they were too much - she couldn't think. She shook her head again, as if she could shake the emotions loose like water from her ears, but she couldn't shake her own concern when she saw what looked like blood in Jack's eyes. She reached up, touching his face. "Are you hurt?"
He tilted his head back, but he was still looking at her with that worried expression and Lena knew he'd moved his face away from her reflexively, unused to being touched. "Lena, please. I have a bad feeling about that spell. Don't use it again until I get a chance to study it further. Promise me. Please?"
So worried. Jack didn't often let his emotions free. It must be important, but… "I… can't..." she said, withdrawing her hand. "I can't promise that, Jack. That spell saved lives today."
He began to argue, but whatever he might have said was cut off by Gabriel calling her name. She could hear the young sergeant's concern.
"Sounds like you get to save some more," Thad said.
Lena nodded. She hurried toward Gabriel with Jack and Thad close behind. Gabriel held Harvey up, helping him walk toward her. The young lordling grimaced as he hunched in on himself. One arm hung at his side, wrenched out of joint at the shoulder. "Sit!" Lena ordered. "Stop moving!" She looked closely at the wound through Harvey's aura, preparing to pop the joint back in, but then she saw that the shoulder was actually broken. "Sweet Leviathan! What happened?"
"That bastard hit me!" Harvey whimpered, sinking down to sit as she'd commanded him.
"With what? A boulder?" Lena knelt beside him, running her hands over the breaks, three of them. She sighed. Bones were not her specialty.
"A sword," Gabriel said.
Lena paused, looking up at Gabriel for confirmation.
"A sword," Gabriel repeated. "It should have cut him in two."
"Yes, well," Harvey said, cringing, "it didn't. I'm fine. Go care for my sister." With his good hand, he gestured farther along the cave wall to where Ruby slumped on the floor. Sarda knelt beside her, and some of the inspectors stood nearby. One of them fumbled with the manacles that still circled her wrists, though the chains no longer held her to the wall.
Lena shook her head. She suspected she knew Ruby's condition. She doubted she could do anything to change it. "At least let me check that you aren't dying first!" she protested.
"Listen to her, Harvey!" Gabriel snapped. "If not for her Protect spells, you'd be dead already!"
Lena froze. "Protect spells?"
"And if not for me, Kane would have died," Harvey said. He tried a casual shrug, immediately wincing at the movement.
"How is that an excuse?" Gabriel roared, gesturing with his hands. "You're the future Lord of Melmond! You can't just sacrifice your life for-"
"A friend," Harvey said, gasping through his pain. "What kind of Lord of Melmond would I be if I wasn't willing to sacrifice my life for a friend?"
Gabriel knelt beside Lena, gripping Harvey by his uninjured arm. "A live one," he said. He looked at Lena. "Thank you. For saving him."
"But I didn't," she said, surprising herself. "I… I didn't even think to… It all happened so fast."
Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "But…"
Jack squatted down, looking at Harvey through his aether-tinted eyes. He mumbled to himself, a Leifenish phrase, then shook his head. "Thad, look here." The boy obediently stepped closer. "What do you see?"
"In the aether?" Thad asked.
Jack nodded.
Thad looked at Harvey, head cocked, brow furrowed. "Um…"
"Yes?" Jack prompted.
"I'm not sure. The Protect spell looks like… Did he… Did he cast it on himself?"
Jack stood straight again, patting Thad on the back. "He cast it on himself."
Both Gabriel and Harvey stared at him. Lena laughed at their matched expressions. "Of course!" She patted Harvey's cheek affectionately. "Of course! You're a white mage too! You and Ruby both."
Harvey's eyes widened. "What? Me?"
Lena nodded. "It makes sense! White magic comes from love. Anyone who loves his friends enough to die for them-"
"Oh gods," Gabriel said, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Gods, you're friends with everybody! If you keep this up, you'll be dead within a week!"
Lena smiled at that. She concentrated on Harvey, focusing on his aura, analyzing the breaks, but Harvey waved her off. "I'm fine here!" he lied. She could feel his pain. "Really! I can wait." He pointed to where the inspectors still struggled against Ruby's bonds.
"I'm on it!" Thad said, digging in his pockets as he hurried that way.
"I'll heal Ruby," Lena said. "I will. But let me help you first."
Harvey nodded slightly, which seemed all he could manage. His lips pressed into a thin line as Lena continued her examination, his face drenched in pain sweat.
When she'd finished, she sat back on her heels with a sigh. The shoulder had snapped at the joint, but the break was clean. The larger bone that made up the shoulder blade was cracked in two places; it surely hurt, but wasn't life threatening. "You'll be alright," she said, patting Harvey's cheek again. "It will take a few healing spells but..." She looked within herself, surprised at how much of her power remained. She'd cast dozens of spells in the battle, both Protect and the Cure for the dead, but her reserves seemed high. I could do it all again, she realized. I could heal him now. Still, she didn't know how much of her power the sealing spell would take. "When we get out of here, I'll see to it properly. Until then, try not to move that arm too much."
"That won't be a problem," Harvey said, grimacing so much that Lena cringed in sympathy.
Jack helped her to her feet and, hand in hand, they walked to where Sarda held Ruby, who still hadn't moved. She stared numbly at nothing, knees folded under her, as Thad worked at one of the locks that held her wrist. The first manacle sat open and empty beside him, but the second seemed to be giving him trouble. He muttered at it in frustration, a Leifenish curse, and Lena prepared to chastise him for his language when she noticed he was crying. "Thadius, what's wrong?" she asked, hurrying to him.
He shook his head, jerking his chin to one side, indicating one of the other bodies chained to the wall, a boy about Thad's age, several days dead.
"Your friend from town?" Jack asked.
Thad nodded. "Noah."
"Oh," Lena said. "The apprentice! Oh, Thadius. I'm sorry."
Thad shrugged, but he didn't look up from his task. The lock clicked, the manacle fell open, and Thad pulled it off Ruby's wrist. Ruby didn't move.
The girl didn't respond when Lena knelt in front of her. Lena looked at Ruby's aura using her soul sight, and she gasped at the damage. Outwardly, Ruby bore only scrapes and bruises, but on the inside, it was as if she'd been bludgeoned half to death.
Lena prepared a Cure, unable to bear the sight of so much pain, but a hand grabbed her wrist, making her cry out in alarm.
Redden stooped over her, though she hadn't sensed him coming. His face was an emotionless mask as he shook his head at her. "I'll do it. You need to perform the other spell," he said in a monotone, matter-of-fact way, as if he were giving directions to a stranger on the street.
So cold. Lena shuddered. It was like Jack, the way the black mage shut his emotions away, or tried to. Now Lena could see that Jack had never mastered that particular skill. Redden was much better at it, frighteningly so. Inhumanly so. Could a man with no emotions perform white magic? Lena didn't know. "She's very hurt, Redden," she said.
"And it will all be for nothing if you don't seal this cave," Redden said, his voice like steel. Lena could hear the knife-edge of his grief, but he kept it all inside, away, shut up tight.
He's just lost his brother again, Lena thought. A normal man would be catatonic in the floor beside Ruby. The girl still hadn't moved except to flinch when she saw Kane standing over Redden's shoulder. Redden looked at his son, and Lena felt sure she saw him flinch too, confronted once more by Kane's resemblance to Cid, but the moment passed quickly and Redden impassively waved Kane back, away from the disturbed girl. Kane nodded understanding, though Lena felt his disappointment as he retreated from them.
Then Redden waved Lena away too. "The altar," he said. "Cast it there."
"Redden," she started to argue as the red mage knelt beside Sarda and put his hands on Ruby's shoulders, the glow of his white magic faint and weak. "You're in no-"
Jack's hand tightened on hers. She looked at him, and he shook his head. "Come," he said. He reached down and touched Thad's shoulder, motioning the boy to follow, then he looked at Lena again, blue eyes glowing in the dim light. "Come. Let's finish this."
"It isn't finished," Sarda said from the floor. "It's barely started."
Redden paused, mid-Cure. "Cid's dead," he said gruffly. "What else is there?"
"His master," Sarda said.
Ruby whimpered, a high-pitched cry from deep in her belly. She trembled as it grew, until the whimper became a sob. Then she broke down and her heart-wrenching cries echoed through the room.
Lena tried to go to her, to kneel beside her and embrace her, but Jack beat her to it, bending over the hysterical girl and catching her in his arms. He muttered a spell, then her body went still, her cries quieting as the Sleep took hold. Jack lowered Ruby gently to the floor, then he stood. Lena felt his unease, and then it vanished, cut off. When he spoke, his voice was as hollow as Redden's. "Well," he said, reaching for Lena's hand once more, "then let it begin."
He forced back the grief. He would not break down. Not here. Not until his son was safe. Redden looked over his shoulder again, finding Kane at the back of the cave. Still there. He wanted to leave. He wanted Kane to leave. He needed both of them to walk out of that cave and never once look back.
What in Bahamut's name is taking her so long? he thought. He stood apart from Lena, near the cavern's exit so that the inspectors could find him, could easily report to him. Those who were still in fighting shape had taken it in turns to patrol the sprawling caves behind them, seeking enemies, clearing their path back to the surface. Redden felt them. He half-listened to Killian's report as he focused on the cave. Senses open to the aether, he scanned the cave for movement, enemies, but he felt only the living, and among them, only Lena worked any spells.
Redden could feel her casting the spell again, that convoluted design Jack had cooked up from Bram's and Pollendina's notes. He'd felt her attempt it dozens of times now. Redden could feel the core of it taking shape, could feel it building like a wave, cresting like one, and then - again, like a wave - collapsing. A water mage, he thought, remembering, all those years ago, how Bram had told him to find a white mage with strong ties to earth.
Lena growled in frustration, covering her face in her hands as Jack comforted her. Sarda, who stood with them, said something that was likely meant to be encouraging though Redden was too far away to hear it. Judging from the way Jack rolled his eyes, however, it had probably been something nonsensical.
"My lord?"
Redden turned away from the mages, pulling his attention back to the man speaking beside him, the only one of his West Hills men who still lived. Cid's blow had broken several of Killian's teeth, and the young soldier kept having to spit out gobs of blood, but that seemed to be the only injury he'd suffered.
"Sorry. Continue," Redden said.
"From what Jack said, she'll sleep a few hours," Killian said, his swollen jaw slurring his words. "We haven't the supplies for another litter, but that big pirate said he could carry her."
Redden nodded. The pirates had come out of the fight well enough, having only joined them at the end, but Gus had taken a blow to the head that had nearly cost him an eye. He stood with the other wounded, a large bandage covering most of his face. The other pirates were off to one side of the massive cavern, working to lay out the bodies of the fallen: eleven inspectors, the other West Hills men, and the dead - the pawns of the necromancer - who had attacked them. Redden had ordered the pirates to crush the heads, all of them. That grim chore seemed to be taking them longer than it should have. They're not as numb to it as you are, Redden thought.
Killian spat before he continued. "The inspectors say there's one branch of the cave left to explore, but unless it's deeper than the others, it shouldn't take long. We'll be ready to move out as soon as the spell is finished."
Redden shook his head. "Call them back. Take the wounded and head out now."
"My lord?" Killian said. "We should stay together. It's unwise to split our-"
"The cave is empty," Redden said. "I can feel that much. Whatever beasts the necromancer had to send at us, we've defeated them. We've enough able bodied men left to stand guard."
"But with respect, my lord, if the necromancer himself should appear-"
"Then the last thing we want is to give him more bodies to work with," Redden said. "They're no good to me if they can't fight."
"I can still fight, my lord," Killian said, his serious expression ruined by the darkening bruise that covered half his face.
He would, too, Redden thought. A loyal man. Loyal without cause. He'd fight and die for me. "Aye, but you won't," he said. "Take the wounded, take the Leidens, and wait for us on the ship. That's an order, soldier. If we're not there within an hour, sail for Melmond."
"And what then, my lord?"
"Then..." Redden said. "Tell Arthur he's out of options. And send word to White Hall."
Killian was silent a moment. He spat again, mouth twisted in distaste, though Redden was sure it had nothing to do with the blood. "One hour?"
Redden nodded.
Killian turned away, calling orders to the men who treated the wounded. Within moments, they began to file out. Four of the inspectors carried litters, two men too wounded to walk. Gus carried Ruby, while Harvey shuffled along behind them, his arm in a rudimentary sling. Other inspectors followed, some limping, or leaning on their comrades, but there were three who appeared fit enough save for the haunted looks in their eyes. Their courage had given out.
Let them run, Redden thought. He wouldn't lead cowards. He scowled at them as they passed. One of them made eye contact briefly, a young man who couldn't have been much older than Kane, but when he caught Redden's expression, he looked away, ashamed.
Kane. Redden looked for his son again. He wouldn't run, Redden was sure, but perhaps Redden could send him away? He was at the back of the cave still. As the last of the wounded filed out, Redden walked along the outer wall, avoiding the altar in the center, avoiding Lena and her deficient spellwork, and that was where he found Thad. The boy squatted beside a dessicated body, one of the captured white mages, and he muttered a string of curses to himself as he worked methodically on the lock that held the corpse's wrist.
"What exactly are you doing, lad?"
"They're dead," Thad said, sniffling, wiping his nose on his sleeve. "They shouldn't be prisoners if they're dead. They should get to be free."
Redden nodded. It made a childlike sense. "I understand. But, as you say, they're dead. Chains can't hold them anymore."
"I don't care," the boy said brusquely, still fiddling with the lock.
Redden sighed again, leaving him to it. He walked farther on, stepping around a trio of inspectors. Under Bayard's command, they were studying each corpse, trying to identify them from their clothing and possessions, though it was obvious they would need to be taken to the surface for a more thorough examination. The bodies were free from the wall now, their chains cut down by Kane's sword. As he walked, Redden counted them - Thad would be at those shackles for awhile - and he noted their various states of decay, how old some of them seemed, and others, how recent.
He heard Kane ahead of him, saying, "There. Hold it," and he looked up just as Kane sliced another chain from the wall, his blade cleaving not only the metal but the stone that held it. Gabriel, holding the chains, carefully lowered the corpse to the ground. The sergeant knelt over the body, reciting Titan's prayer as Kane pulled his sword free. Kane turned, watching Redden approach. He looked so much like Cid that Redden's grief scratched at him anew. He pushed it away, along with a stab of shame at the thought that his brother's death could ever change how he felt for his own child.
"I've ordered the wounded out," Redden said. "You should go with them."
"I'm not wounded," Kane said simply, turning his attention to Gabriel's makeshift funeral, bowing his head in respect.
"You're not needed, either," Redden said.
Kane looked up again, staring daggers at his father.
"The fighting's done," Redden said, shaking his head. "All that remains is the ritual, and you're no mage."
"No, but they are," Kane said, gesturing with his sword, pointing at the altar where Lena and Jack stood with their heads together over one of Jack's diagrams. Jack pointed at it, speaking quietly - instructing, Redden assumed, though he couldn't hear Jack's quiet voice from this distance.
"I fail to see how that's relevant," Redden said.
Gabriel finished his prayer and stood. He and Kane exchanged a glance then wordlessly stepped toward the next set of chains. Redden stepped forward after them.
"Lot of mages in this room," Kane said, nodding to Gabriel. The young sergeant held the chains taut, giving Kane a clean strike at the anchor that held them to the wall. Kane made the cut, sending bits of stone and a few links of chain flying as Gabriel set the body, a young woman, on the cave floor and recited his prayer again. "This one," Kane said, pointing at her sunken face. "Where do you think she'd be now if she'd had me to guard her?"
"Still dead," Redden said without hesitation. "And you with her."
Kane glared.
"You're a good soldier," Redden said, "but you're only one soldier. Do you know how many soldiers I led into this cave when I was your age? How many joined the ranks of the dead?"
"Right, so every man counts," Kane said, turning back to Gabriel.
"Look," Redden said, gritting his teeth. "Your friends are safe enough. Every man still capable of holding a sword is still here. The wounded are vulnerable. Just go with them and see that they're-"
"Send someone else," Kane said, stepping toward the next body, though he had to skirt around Redden to do it. Sword in one hand, he pointed toward the altar with the other. "My place is with them. I'll leave when they do."
"Kane," Redden said, temper rising despite his best efforts to quell it. He grabbed his son's shoulder, pulling him back, turning him around so forcefully that Kane dropped his sword. It clanged against the cave floor like a tolling funeral bell. "I need you safe, son."
Kane took a deep breath before speaking quietly, calmly. "Then stay with me. But I'm staying with them." He cocked his head toward the altar, then he reached up and gently but firmly pried Redden's hand from his shoulder. He stepped away, bending to retrieve his sword. He nodded to Gabriel. They moved down the line. The sergeant held the next set of chains.
"Kane!" Redden growled. "Look at me, damn it!"
Kane turned. He'd readied his sword but he lowered it again. His glare softened, and Redden thought he detected a trace of pity. "I'm sorry," the young man said, before turning to strike the chains from the wall. He kept his back to Redden as Gabriel recited his prayer once more.
Redden cursed, turning his back on Kane. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, to stay logical. It wasn't as if he could force the boy out. Kane was too strong. Why then couldn't Redden forget the little boy Kane had been? Because he's still that boy, Redden thought. Brave and headstrong and loyal to his friends. No, Kane wouldn't leave without the mages.
He opened his eyes and there they were ahead of him, Lena and Jack with Sarda hovering nearby. Lena's hands were outstretched over the altar, not touching it but glowing nonetheless. Jack stood behind her with his hand on her back, but despite that supportive touch, Lena faltered and cried out in dismay, the glow fading as she covered her face in her hands. Redden felt the spell disperse into the aether, unfinished.
Stomping toward them, he was at the altar before he realized it. "What in Titan's name is wrong with you, girl?" he barked.
Lena jumped, dropping her hands, and looked up at him, wide-eyed.
"Nothing's wrong," Sarda said. "It just isn't time yet."
"You shut up," Redden demanded, pointing first at Sarda and then at Lena. "I was speaking to her."
"Redden, step back, please," Jack said, wedging himself between Redden and Lena.
Redden hadn't realized how close he was, crowding the cowering white mage. The soul reader would be picking up on his negative emotions. He bit back another curse, lowering his hand, clenching his fist tightly enough that he could distract himself with the pain. "Sorry," he grumbled, stuffing his anger, his worry, away with his grief.
Jack regarded him critically, then nodded, stepping aside so that Lena could speak.
"I'm sorry," she said, trembling. "I'm trying."
"It's a simple ward!" Redden said, spitting out the words through a jaw gone tense. "You've warded things before! You've warded half the ship!"
"It isn't simple," Jack said patiently. He started as though he'd heard a noise, looking out into the dimly lit cavern. Redden looked over his shoulder and saw Kane pulling his sword free of the cave wall again as Gabriel knelt over another body. Jack continued, "Those wards were based on Protect. This," he gestured to the diagram in Lena's hand, "whatever this is, it's not Protect. It's something new. We don't even know if it's possible."
"Oh, it's possible," Sarda said. "It's just not time yet."
"We were able to do it before," Redden said. "The mages from White Hall warded that very stone."
"Yes, and look how well that's held up," Jack said, throwing Redden a withering look.
"Mind your tone!" Redden hissed.
"Jack," Lena said, shaking her head, then she sighed. "But he's right, Redden. Protect can be anchored to an object or a person. This spell, it needs to be anchored to the aether. And the aether here is… There's something wrong with it. It's like trying to carry water in a cloth sack."
"Stagnant," Sarda said. "Aether is a life force. Through it, white magic brings life, but it needs life as well. This cave has seen more death than life for far too long."
"What do you know of white magic?" Redden snapped, rounding on the madman. "You've never seen this spell before. You can't even draw the aether."
Sarda looked at him. His eyes were clear, piercing, pitying. In them, Redden saw a calm clarity, a knowing, that reminded him Sarda was not mad. "I don't know white magic," Sarda said. "But I do know about time. Forwards and backwards. She will cast this spell. I've seen it. And when she does, she'll cast it perfectly." He looked at Lena, smiling encouragingly. "I just can't tell you when that will be."
Lena smiled weakly back at him then turned to Redden. "Can you show me? Show me how you did it before?"
Redden almost snapped at her, too, but he stopped short, confused by the request. "Why?"
Lena met his eyes briefly, then looked away. Even in the dim lantern light, Redden could tell she was blushing. "Begging your pardon, Redden, but... if this spell is anything like what they were casting back then, I... I need to know why it didn't work."
She cringed, and for a moment Redden didn't realize it was because of him, because his temper had flared sharp and hot. There'd been nothing accusatory in her tone, but still her words stung deeply. She's right though, he told himself. It didn't work. That's why I'm back.
"I…" he hesitated. Could he? He'd been stronger back then. But that was twenty years ago, and in all that time he'd done nothing more complicated than Cure. He remembered Bram's ritual, though. He would never forget it. "I'll try."
He motioned the others back and knelt beside the altar. He'd never cast it here before - that had been the mages of White Hall. His own wards had gone into the cave itself, an invisible prison to hold the corrupted aether inside. Hands to the stone, he could feel the old wards still, now overpowered, like a dam with the flood waters flowing over it. Just as Bram described it, he thought. And then he began the spell just as Bram had done, just as he himself had done all those years ago.
Yes, he knew this spell. Every fold, every detail. He could have drawn the diagram in his sleep. He had done it before. He knew he had done it before. So it was all the more frustrating when he felt himself losing his grip on the barrier, felt the aether tearing it down. He growled, starting over, frustrations mounting as it happened again.
No, he thought, remembering what it had been like to be young, to have the hopes of his homeland riding on his shoulders. He could do this. He had done this. He tried again, and again, and again, roaring in frustration as again he failed.
Lena rested a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright," she said. "You don't have to-"
"No," he snapped, shaking her off. "I do. I just need a minute." He rose to his feet, turning his back on the altar, and walked a few paces. He noticed Thad sitting near the wall, no longer picking locks but watching him. When the boy saw he'd been noticed, he looked down at his hands, as if suddenly preoccupied with the state of his nails.
"He was studying your spell," Sarda said from beside him.
"I'm sure he was."
"Fascinated with spells," Sarda said, nodding. "A natural talent for them. He can already draw an aether diagram - that's no small feat for a mage of his skill level. He'd be a great wizard someday if the world weren't ending."
Redden smiled ruefully. "A shame he doesn't have more time to study. Maybe he could tell us what's wrong with that spell." He looked back at the altar, where Lena and Jack stood with their heads bowed over the rumpled diagram for the spell Lena had failed to perform. As Redden watched, Jack started, looking up and out into the cave, eyes glowing and alert. Redden surveyed the cave, but there was nothing there, only Kane and Gabriel still at their funeral rites. A couple of the inspectors had caught up with them and were joining in the prayers.
"There's nothing wrong with that spell," Sarda said. "I've told you - it's just not time." He patted Redden's back. "And there was nothing wrong with Bram's spell either. You need to know that, Redden. In the right place and time, it would have worked. But it was never meant for this. You did nothing wrong."
Redden breathed deeply, still trying to calm himself. I did nothing wrong, his thoughts echoed. But Cid still died. He stepped back toward the altar.
"You really needn't do that, Redden," Lena said. "I think I've seen enough."
"One more time," he said. "For me."
Lena nodded understanding. Beside her, Jack looked over his shoulder again, staring at the row of bodies at the back of the cave.
"And quit doing that, lad! You're wearing on my nerves."
"Sorry," Jack said, turning to the front. "I just keep hearing something."
"The dead?" Lena asked, looking back, frightened.
"No, like... like a humming. Don't you hear that?" Head cocked, he closed his eyes, listening, and when he opened them again, they glowed an intense blue-green in the darkness. "Kane?" he called.
"What?"
"Come here, please."
"Sort of busy," Kane answered.
"Sort of important," Jack said, annoyed.
Grumbling, Kane stomped up to them. "What?" Kane said again.
Jack reached out, grabbing the hilt of Kane's sword, pulling it from Kane's hand. He held it raised in front of him, staring at the jeweled pommel. The layer of paint they'd used to obscure the orb's glow was beginning to chip and crack. Holding the sword in one hand, Jack reached the other up to his face. His scarf was down. He used his teeth to tug his glove off, showing his scarred and wrinkled right hand, then he began to pick at the chipped paint with his thumbnail.
When the first flake fell away, Redden heard it, the humming Jack had mentioned. It wasn't a sound, but a sensation. The orb was responding to the corrupted aether in this place. Perhaps that was why the glow had increased. It had been noticeable before, enough to cause comment - that was why Kane had covered it up - but now, it shone. It burned with a soft, golden light that rivaled that of the lanterns despite its smaller size, growing brighter still as Jack continued to scrape the paint away.
Near the wall where they examined the bodies of the white mages, the inspectors ceased their whispering. Everyone had turned to see what had caused that unearthly light.
"Can you feel that?" Thad asked, appearing suddenly at Redden's side. "It's like I can feel the whole cave!"
Jack spit out his glove. "Not just the cave," he said. "The earth itself."
"The earth rod!" Sarda said. "You found it!"
"Earth rod?" Kane said. "But… it's just a sword - my sword!"
"Metal," Sarda said, nodding. "Mined from the earth, bound to the aether the day it was forged. It opens the way. It's the key."
Redden stepped forward, grabbing Sarda by his collar, turning the madman to face him. "The key to what?" Redden demanded.
Sarda blinked rapidly, his eyes glassy and unfocused, no longer seeing the present. "I don't know. I can't see it. I…" He shook his head. "I can't see it."
"No," Kane said. "But I can feel it."
"Not an altar," Jack muttered. "A door."
Jack exchanged a glance with Kane. Together, they stepped up to the altar, then Jack lowered the sword, touching the point of the blade to that heavy stone. His eyes took on the same golden glow as the orb of the earth, and then, with a rumble like the groan of a dying beast, the massive slab slid aside, revealing a steep staircase descending into darkness.
Kane stepped forward, but Redden's hand shot out, grabbing his son's shoulder, pulling him back. Kane didn't even lift his eyes, only kept staring downward.
Jack turned, handing Kane his sword. The mage's eyes continued to glow the same color as the jewel in the sword's hilt, and they seemed fixed on the darkness as well.
"It's a prison," Lena said, her voice a whispered echo in the suddenly silent cavern. She stepped between them, grabbing Jack's bare hand on one side and Kane's on the other.
"I... I feel it..." Kane said. He looked to his side, where Redden still stood with a hand on his shoulder. "Can you feel it, father?"
Redden shook his head. "I don't feel anything."
"I do," Jack said. He looked behind him, where Thad stood gripping his own little sword, face set in terror-fueled fury. "You feel it too?"
Thad nodded.
"Yes," Lena said, voice small. "But what is it?"
"Let's find out," Kane said. He squeezed Lena's hand once, then he let her go, placing both hands on his sword, holding it up so that the light of the orb shone on the steps leading down.
Redden felt it then, something deep in his gut, a wrongness. Kane started to step forward, but Redden held on. Kane looked back at him once more, his face void of expression. Somehow, Kane's lack of fear only worried Redden more. "Don't, Kane. Don't go down there."
"I have to," Kane said. "Right?" He looked to his friends, who nodded.
"I don't want to," Thad said, his voice small and shaky, but his hands gripped his sword firmly, the blade surprisingly steady. "But… something's pulling. It's too strong. I don't think we have a choice."
"Choice…" Kane said slowly, wonderingly. "No. 'Just because this thing must be done, and must be done by you, doesn't mean you don't have a choice.'" He chuckled, shaking his head. "Matoya said that." He looked at Redden again. The light of the orb reflected in his eyes, a pale imitation of a corona, and the sight so shocked Redden that he drew his hand back, releasing Kane's shoulder before he realized it was only a trick of the light. "I'm going," Kane said.
Redden shook his head, the beginnings of an argument rising to his lips, but Sarda patted his arm. "Let him go, Redden," Sarda said gently. "This is his task. Theirs. The warriors of light. Let him go."
"No," Redden said, a harsh whisper, his voice overwhelmed by fear and love and shame.
Kane looked back at the remaining soldiers. "You don't have to go with us. You can go back to the ship."
"Not a chance," Gabriel said, sword drawn. Beside him, Bayard nodded. His inspectors hesitated, still hovering in the darkness at the edge of the room with the dead white mages. On the room's other side, the pirates who had been dealing with the bodies of the fallen soldiers lingered uncertainly.
"Go back," Kane told them.
The men ran. Within moments, only eight of them remained: Redden, Sarda, Gabriel, Bayard, and the four warriors of light.
"Destiny," Sarda mumbled for Redden's ears alone. "You thought this was your destiny once, yours and Cid's. It wasn't." He bent down, picking up one of the lanterns that sat on the cave floor. "It wasn't time then," he said loud enough for all to hear. "But… soon. And when the time comes, you'll cast your spells. You'll cast them perfectly. I see it." Then he bowed his head in farewell and turned away, tottering back the way they'd come, out of the cave.
"Alright," Kane said when he was gone. "Let's go."
The dark seemed to close in around Lena. She walked in the middle of their group, carrying a lantern that spat and flickered but did very little to light the way ahead. Her heart pounded, but still, that force pulled her on. She wasn't used to feeling the aether in this way. It flowed here, but only in one direction: down. Like the earth was swallowing it, like the cave was some great gullet eating the very aether itself, and Lena with it. The same force that pulled the aether pulled at her, so that even in her terror she felt compelled to move forward, powerless to turn away.
The stairs speared straight down into the earth without turning. Kane led them down those steps, the light of his sword piercing the darkness ahead of them by only a few feet, enough to show more stairs. Jack held his staff in one hand, fire in the other, while Redden walked beside him holding his flaming sword. Beside Lena, Thad walked with his own sword drawn, but his other hand clung to Lena's, his fear mingling with hers. The other two men brought up the rear, holding more lanterns. Why did all that light not seem to make a difference?
Darkness ahead, Lena thought. Darkness behind.
And still, that force, that pull, called them onward.
They came to the bottom at last. The stairway widened, and then opened up into a room much like the one they'd left behind, only there was no altar stone in the center. Instead, along the back wall where the corpses of the white mage prisoners had been chained in the last room, this room contained only one corpse: a desiccated skeleton on a throne of stone.
That was where the aether was going. That was what pulled Lena forward, pulled all of them forward. Kane stepped closer to the thing.
And then it moved. It had no soul, it wasn't alive, but the skeleton stood, bones scraping together as it rose to a height taller than Jack, taller than any man Lena had ever seen. A mage's robe draped its frame, hanging in loose tatters. Its empty eye sockets glowed with a golden corona, by which light Lena could see that its teeth had been filed down to points. Lena felt amusement from the thing, a frightening sensation that told her it would have been smiling cruelly if it had had a face.
It spoke to Kane, its voice reverberating through the cavern. "Ah, Cid, who have you brought to see me?"
Kane stopped. Lena felt his surprise. But the surprise faded quickly. He charged.
And then she felt the creature's surprise - the necromancer - in the moment he realized this young man wasn't Cid. The surprise morphed into rage. The thing roared, a deep, bestial roar like the quaking of continents.
Kane struck, his sword striking the fleshless skeleton with a sharp crack that only seemed to enrage the thing further. It roared again, laying about it with its clawed hands of bone, knocking Kane back like poorly stacked kindling. Redden surged forward, with Bayard shoving past Lena to join him, but the creature focused on Kane, rushing him as he struggled to regain his feet. A blast of fire hit the thing in the chest - Jack's magic - and then another as Thad snatched the lantern from Lena's hands and threw it with unerring aim at the creature's face.
"Do something!" Thad yelled, shoving her to get her moving before he circled around to attack the thing with the others.
She tried to steady her breath, preparing her Cure for the dead, but her breath caught in her throat as pain seared her whole body. Something wrong with that spell, she remembered Jack saying. But how? I did it before. She watched, helpless, as the necromancer grabbed Kane by the shoulder, digging his claws in as he lifted the young guardsman off the ground. Kane screamed.
That scream spurred Lena into action. She shoved past her pain, reforming the spell within her to cast Protect. The spell flashed into being around Kane like a bolt of lightning. The creature shrieked, dropping him.
Kane scrambled to his feet again. "It hurts him!" he called over his shoulder. "White magic hurts him!"
"That's it!" Jack said. "Cure it! Lena, Cure it!"
"I can't!" she said. "It's not alive!"
"Then..." Gabriel said behind her. "Me! Cure me!" The sergeant ran forward with a shout.
"Sergeant!" Lena called, barely getting a Protect up on him before he ran straight into the necromancer's reach.
"Idiot!" Jack spat.
"He's right!" Redden said, running in beside Jack. He shoved the hilt of his flaming sword into Jack's hands, catching Jack's staff as Jack fumbled it. "Go, lad! I'll cover you!"
The spellblade sputtered, nearly going out, but then Jack's eyes flared as he took hold of the spell and the flame burned brighter than it had in Redden's hands. "Can you even heal all of us at once?" Jack yelled over the beast's roaring.
"Get in there and find out!" Redden yelled back. His hands began to glow around the staff as he used it to aid his spells. Lena saw the Protect forming, settling over Jack. Jack cursed then ran into the fray.
Lena very nearly followed him, Cure at the ready, but Redden grabbed her by the hood. "No! I'll heal them! You have to do the ritual!"
"But I can't!" she said. "What if I can't?"
"You have to!" Redden said. "Lena, if that thing gets out of here…" He shook his head, then he pushed her back to the staircase. "You can't let that happen." He turned from her, casting Cure out into the melee. She watched as the spell flew toward Jack and Kane, keeping them safe. The beast screamed as the boys closed in on it, hacking at its arms and legs as though they were chopping wood. It tried to knock them back as it had before, but its own blows slammed into their Protect spells.
Please, be strong enough, she begged the spells, begged her friends, begged herself. Please. Then she turned her back on the fighting and attempted the ritual again.
Thad dodged the beast's claws, whipping his sword into the thing's legs. Hamstrings, he thought. It doesn't have any hamstrings. Indeed, his sword slammed into the leg bones with a solid thwack, but the blade bounced off, reverberating through Thad's hands all the way up to his elbows. A normal bone would have broken under a blow like that, but against this unnatural fleshless creature, their swords were no better than sticks.
Gabriel and Bayard circled around, coming at the thing from behind as Thad had. Thad zipped back to give them an opening, willing the two men to go faster, his head aching as he concentrated on the magic he still didn't fully understand. He tried to boost Kane and Jack as well, but couldn't manage all of them. Try! he ordered himself, speeding Jack along, then Kane. He lost his grip on Bayard, and growled in frustration. Too many fighters.
But... only one enemy. Could he make the thing slower?
He turned his attention to the monster, trying to do the same he'd done to his friends, only in reverse. As he did so, the monster focused on the men behind it, closest to Thad. While their blows were ineffectual against the bones, they'd shredded the ancient robe to tatters. The creature swept its claws left and right, growling fiercely, but Thad scrambled between its long legs, throwing a spell out as he reached the other side.
The creature raised its hand to strike at Bayard, but the strike fell so slowly that the captain side-stepped it with ease, bringing his own sword down on the creature's bony wrist. The creature roared, a long, drawn-out roar, the sound coming out an octave lower than it had before.
The creature turned its head, and those glowing eyes locked on Thad. Then it... pulled. It pulled the aether out of Thad's grasp, drawing the spell into itself. Thad watched it flow into the thing, watched the bright glow of it corrupt and turn dark, strengthening the beast. It flung up a hand and a powerful blast like a thunderclap surged out from it, knocking all of them backwards.
Kane landed beside him in a crouch, sword ready. "Why doesn't it die?" Kane asked.
Jack struggled to his feet beside them. "It's already dead!" he answered, eyes glowing with flame. He reached out, grabbing Kane's sword with his gloved hand, and fire sprang up around his fingers as the spellblade spread. "Go!" Jack said.
Thad focused on making them faster as Jack and Kane ran forward. It was all he could manage. He couldn't speed Gabriel and Bayard too. He didn't dare try to slow the beast again, not after what it had done to…
What had it done? It hadn't drawn from him, like a dark mage - Thad still had aether inside him - but it had drawn the aether, had plucked his spell right out of the air. It shouldn't be able to do that, drawing the aether he'd already used, but it had. And then? The thing had grown stronger.
Thad watched. Jack and Kane rained blows on the skeletal arms, the legs. Thad watched as Kane leaped, helped along by the extra speed from Thad's own magic, and landed a well-placed blow to the skull, knocking the creature sideways. The creature roared in displeasure, but it kept its footing. It glared at Kane with its eyeless sockets…
The flame on Kane's sword flickered and went out. And Thad watched as the creature absorbed the aether.
The creature screamed. It bellowed in pain and rage, but still it fought on. Swords rained blows on it but did no damage. Lena could feel its hatred like a crushing weight. She heard Kane cry out, felt a burst of pain from him. She fought the urge to turn around, to heal him, focusing instead on the ritual.
She raised her hands, forming the spell's first passage inside herself, but it was the second passage that had to be tied to the aether, the aether that felt sick and twisted. She cast it anyway, willing it to stand in the stairway, sealing the cave. She lost sight of it as soon as it left her aura - she had no aether sight to aid her - but she could feel it. She could feel the pressure of the aether flowing down the stairs into it. She could feel the spell folding over and collapsing like a sheet in the wind.
"No!" she cried, immediately trying again.
"Lena! Lena!" Thad shouted, appearing beside her all at once.
She screamed in alarm, clutching her hands to her heart. "Thad!"
"Lena! Turn around! You need to turn around!"
"I can't!" she said. "I have to seal this cave!"
"No! I mean, yes! But do it over there!"
She turned to look where he was pointing, toward the fighting, and she cried out as she saw Gabriel slammed to the ground by a vicious kick. She healed him without thinking twice.
"No!" Thad said, tugging her sleeve. "It's eating the aether! It's using it to stay alive! You have to put the seal over there! Seal the monster!"
"But the spell has to be…" Her protest died on her lips. Tied to the aether… She turned, facing the creature once more, studying it with her soul sight. She saw nothing. It had no aura, but it did have aether, aether she could feel, aether that didn't belong to it, aether it had stolen. From the earth, Lena thought. And without aether, the earth rots. "Oh…"
Forming the first passage again, she faced the beast, expanding her senses out to it, feeling its hatred for her, for all life. She could do this. She had done this. She'd practiced it on the ship, casting and Dispelling it over and over, casting it on... on herself. On people... Pollendina had said it was impossible. She clutched the paper in her pocket, the design Jack had scribbled in haste. "This piece... it's reversed," he said. Could it be that simple?
She formed the second passage, tying it to the aether inside that grinning skull, aether of earth. Living aether, corrupted by the dead.
No more, she thought, finishing the spell. She didn't seal the beast in. She sealed the aether out.
The flow of aether reversed. What had been a futile tug-of-war suddenly came to Jack freely and easily. He staggered at the mental backlash, falling to one knee, propped up by the sword he held. The fire on the sword went out as he lost the spellblade.
"Jack!" Kane called.
The beast stood over him, hand poised to strike, but Jack was too stunned to move. The creature looked down at Jack with its glowing golden eyes, mouth open in a silent scream...
And then the glow of its eyes faded...
The beast roared. The hand came down, claws flexed, but Kane pulled Jack out of the way. "Idiot!" Kane hissed.
"Something's changed!" Jack said, shaking his head.
"It's cut off!" Thad shouted. He zipped past them, impossibly fast, striking out with his little sword. The blade hit the creature's skeletal leg, shattering it. The creature's roar became a shrill screech as it toppled sideways.
Kane pulled Jack to his feet. The two exchanged a glance, then Kane nodded, charging the fallen beast. Jack charged with him. They raised their swords in unison, screaming as they brought them down.
Bones shattered. The creature screamed. Kane struck again, and then again. The scream faded to a rattle, to the sound of shards of bone hitting the stone floor. The bones seemed to twitch one last time, like a dying insect kicking its legs in the air, and then even those collapsed into dust.
Jack faced Kane, both of them breathing heavily. Jack's heart pounded in his ears. There was no other sound.
The others gathered around. Lena moved in close to him, propping him up, and only then did Jack realize how tired he was, how weak he felt. He let himself lean on her. No one spoke, no one moved, as they all stared down at the remains of the fiend.
"Is it over?" Gabriel asked, a mere whisper.
Kane kicked at the pile of bone dust, scattering it. "It's over," he said.
But even as he said it, the humming started again, the same humming Jack had heard that day in Cornelia when the four of them met, when their orbs had come to life again. The humming rose to a painful pitch. Jack could feel the vibrations in the fire orb he carried in his pocket. He could see Lena's orb glowing blue in its woven bracelet at her wrist. He could sense Thad's orb on its chain around the boy's neck.
And beside him, in Kane's hands, the orb of the earth, set into the pommel of Kane's sword, glowed like the sun, eclipsing them all.
And then the humming faded, and they could hear the earth rumbling around them.
Author's Note: 9/6/19 - Sorry for the long delay, but shoutout to reader Zachariah for the wellness check! I promise I'm not dead! I just knew the chapter could be better, so I kept working on it. Like Shigeru Miyamoto said, "A delayed game is eventually good, a bad game is bad forever."
If you're fan of the original Final Fantasy (and if you're not, why are you here? Seriously, comment and tell me), then you'll have noticed the liberties I took with this section. In the game, killing the vampire leads to a dead end, but it grants you a Ruby (see what I did there?). You take the ruby to a cave where Titan blocks the way and you trade the ruby for passage. This lets you reach Sarda, who gives you the earth rod. You then fight your way back to the vampire's room and use the rod to open the passage to the Lich. My version? Much simpler. And, guys, I'm inordinately pleased with the ruby/Ruby thing. You have no idea.
Also, fun fact, in the Dawn of Souls version of FF1, when you select a white mage, one of the default name suggestions is "Ruby". Another is "Noah".