Chapter 9
The Kaitzur border had the largest wall Raine had ever seen. Even Hakonesia Peak shamed itself lacking such a massive stone wall stretching from one horizon to the other. The archway steered them into Kaitzur where white sandstone buildings sat capped with rooves of Malkuth blue. Water marched through brick ditches where vines overhung, as if begging for a drink. Barriers of wood stakes and barbed wire added to the tension Raine noted in the air. As would be expected of a border between two tense countries.
She supposed there were a few citizens here, but most of the people outside were soldiers dressed in peon uniforms of light blue and leather. The kind of uniforms that didn't make the chinking sounds of a full suit of armor.
Raine arrested.
As a small girl, she'd heard that sound before. Every time she'd heard it, daddy disappeared for a day or two, playing a red herring.
"Virginia," Kloitz whispered. "It's them." Every time she heard those words, Raine feared this would be the time he wouldn't arrive at the designated meeting spot. He dowsed the fire while Raine's mother took her hand.
"Come along, dear," Virginia said with a soft sense of urgency, "It's time to go." Virginia always led away from the sound, skirting around bushes and trees as if to put as many between them and the armor as possible. Raine watched over her shoulder for those who made the sound, and sometimes saw the metal glint of armor that covered from head to foot. They always carried fire with them. Always.
Such a figure walked nearby.
Raine had stopped, listening for the direction the suit of armor came from. It was definitely behind her, having emerged from one of the sandstone buildings. She turned to see the figure in full armor flanked by two other Malkuth soldiers, both in the blue uniforms and leather, and approaching the guards at the gate. Instead of a torch, he carried a spear.
For a moment, she was mesmerized. One of the people she'd run away from as a child, though she hadn't seen them well enough, was standing over there. Was she afraid? Her heart did beat a lot faster, but she pursed her lips, watching them. Her hands balled into fists. No, she wasn't afraid anymore. But she was going to find out who they were. Why they wanted her. She plodded towards them until she could hear their speech.
"—possibly into Malkuth. He's not sure where his sister is, but if she did end up there, she might pass through here."
One Malkuth guard held his chin in his hands. "How will we know her? What does she look like?" Were they talking about Raine? The knights in full armor had been looking for her since she was a young girl. Had they really been looking for her all this time? Or was Genis the one now looking for her? From what they were saying, she wasn't sure.
"Like him, I suppose. She'd be a bit conspicuous, don't you think?" Conspicuous... She and Genis were certainly that. Raine stepped back and reached up to ensure her hair suppressed her ears. Elves stood out quite plainly in any human crowd, not to mention that she hadn't seen many since her family left her mother's village, but any hint of her rounded ears and she'd be pegged for exactly what she was.
But then the Malkuth solder lifted his visor and asked, "Yeah, okay. What do we do if we see her?" He glanced down the road and she turned her back to them. Just in case, she wanted to be sure of their motives before allowing them to find her. What she heard next shook her breath into rapid, shallow beats.
"Bring her in. Van wants to interrogate her himself." The authoritative tone in the man's voice alarmed her. Van... The Commandant.
"Understood."
Raine hurried away from them and back towards the others who hadn't noticed she broke away from them. The fear she didn't feel defied her in Genis's favor. With Van looking for her, it must have meant that he met Genis. What had happened to him? Should she be worried? Did Van do something to him? "Interrogate" could only indicate something bad.
Was it because he knew they were half-elves? No, Genis wouldn't let on that he was a half-elf. They would learn he was from Sylvarant first, especially because he came back with Sheena, so it wasn't likely they knew their true race. She caught up to the others and hung closer than usual to Ion, the second from the rear of the group.
Unfortunately, he noticed her distress. "Are you okay, Raine?" Ahead of him, Guy peered over his shoulder.
"Y-yes. I'm fine." She didn't have to look at him to know he didn't believe her. "Let's just get going before the God-Generals catch up to us."
At the other end of Kaitzur, two guards stood in front of another arch that led the way to a no-man's land and the path to Kimlasca. She saw another massive wall, but it was too far to see the Kimlascan gate clearly. In front of the guards was a young girl with black pig-tails and a white cape with a purple symbol that echoed of a winged cross.
She begged for the guard to let her through, but he turned her away. Finally giving up, the girl turned back to them and muttered, "you'd better watch your—"
"Anise," Ion said. "You might want to be careful. Luke is here."
Immediately, the girl's attitude changed and she squealed with delight upon seeing Luke. She ran up to him and Guy dove for cover as she wrapped her arms around Luke's torso. Raine raised an eyebrow as Anise wagged her tail end. This was Anise? For a guardian of the Fon Master, she seemed way too small and immature.
"Oh, Luke, I missed you. Were you worried about me?"
"Why would I worry about you?"
She giggled. "Oh, my... do you trust me that much?"
"Anise?" Jade said. "The letter is safe, I take it?"
"Yup! It's right here with Tokunaga." Anise pointed at the doll on her back, much like the one Arietta had, but different. It clung to her shoulders like an infant passenger. Satisfied, Jade carried on, but Anise, noticing Raine at the back, tugged at his arm. "Wait, who is she? And who is that guy?"
"Guy," Jade said simply. "He is Luke's servant."
"Servant, huh?" A devious expression spread across her face, one that Raine suddenly distrusted. It was enough to make Guy nervous, too. She saw the fear in his face and the step back clearly indicated he wasn't about to shake hands with her. The girl had an agenda, whatever it was, and she eyed Luke with a desire Raine had seen in thieves.
She approached Anise and held out her hand to shake. "I'm Raine. I was found outside St. Binah." Anise brightened and took it.
"Oh, you're the one they were talking about on the flying machine, right?"
Raine's eyes widened. "How did you know about that?"
Anise smiled. "How could I not? You were the talk of St. Binah." She had a lot of little girl attitude, much like Chocolat, a teenager Raine had met in Sylvarant. Anise definitely was one to take full advantage of her own cuteness. Raine smiled. She liked her already, if only because boisterous people like her tended to let you know what they're thinking, not to mention the girl's expressiveness made her easy to read. "I didn't know you'd be coming with us."
It was a fish for information, Raine knew, but she indulged her anyway. "Jade promised to take me home."
"To Baticul," he corrected her.
"Anyway, I am Anise Tatlin, Fon Master Ion's personal guard!" She held her fingers up in a practiced pose.
"Personal guard?" Raine had known that Anise was the one who dropped off the letter with the McGoverns, but it really puzzled her. She was Genis's age. Why such a young child? "I expected someone a little older." For someone so important, she would've thought someone with more experience would've been better. Then again, Ion was really young himself.
"Of course," then Anise's face turned darker, "what you don't think I'm talented enough?" Anise must be a fearsome person indeed. Especially since she came all this way by herself.
On second thought, Raine knew what Genis was capable of. Perhaps Anise was no different from him. "No, they wouldn't put his life in the hands of an amateur," she said. "He's too important." The young girl smiled then, and perked up, hovering too close to Luke for his comfort. He leaned far enough away from her that Tear, who stood behind him, held her hand in front of her, just in case.
"Shall we be going?" Jade asked.
They approached the guards, both wearing swords at their hips, though their hands weren't hovering over them. Anise clung close to Luke at the front as if hoping he'd push them both through the checkpoint without passports.
"Who are you?" the soldier asked. "Produce your passports, please." Raine could only see his mouth, and he didn't look happy. She stood behind Jade.
Tear stepped back, too. Stressed, Raine pled to Jade in a whisper. "I don't have a passport..."
"Luke and I don't either," Tear said as Jade held up his passport.
"Don't worry, Raine. Elder McGovern made sure I had one for you. He seemed to think you'd need one since you entered Malkuth illegally." Elder McGovern... Raine felt a rush of gratitude only slightly eclipsed by Jade's snarky comment. He handed it to her and then turned to Tear. "The two of you, however..."
"You won't need them once you're dead!"
Raine raised her staff as a man in black and red jumped down in front of Luke and Anise. He pointed his sword at them, and Luke drew his own blade just as the man thundered towards him. Luke tried to deflect the man's sword and faltered. The man raised his sword for another strike, but it was blocked by another man who Raine thought came out of nowhere. He certainly wasn't there a second ago.
"Stand down, Asch!"
"Get out of my way, Van!"
Van?! Raine clenched.
"What are you doing? I didn't give orders like this. Stand down!"
Asch growled, sheathed his sword, and turned down the path to no man's land. He disappeared through the gate and was gone before anyone could get a good look at his face. Raine didn't set her staff down, so swiftly had Asch come and gone. The man in front of them wore the regal uniform of a man in power, though he, too, put his sword away. The fan fronds at his shoulders splayed in a clothing style she'd never seen before, though that didn't surprise her. Would someone like that allow any elves or half-elves to get close to him? She took another step back even as he turned to face them, obviously surprised to see them.
"Master! You came for me." Luke ran on ahead, shoving Anise aside. She had tried to play rescued maiden, to no avail.
"Luke. That parry was pathetic."
Ah, Raine's eyes widened. That's right... he was the sword trainer who didn't teach Luke about fonons. Something in her mind prickled at the thought of it. Why would he limit his teachings of a student and yet be so high ranking?
"After everything that's happened, that's the first thing you say to me?" Before Van could answer, Tear pulled her spear and pointed it at his chest.
"Van!" Tear ran for him. Everyone started, with Ion's surprised gasp, Raine held a fist to her chest, Luke's holler, and Guy reaching forward with a halting cry, all except Jade, who reacted as if nothing surprised him. Mieu sought refuge in Ion's clothes, a single ear tuft poking out. Van, unconcerned, held up his hand.
"Tear, put that away. You're the victim of a misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding?"
Jade stepped closer to her and leaned near her shoulder. "Let's not cause a scene here, shall we?" The guards at the gate already whispered among themselves with their hands grasping their swords. Raine's grip on her staff tightened.
"Tear, let's just talk about this," Van said.
"We should listen to what Van has to say." Ion said. "I think we shouldn't ignore an opportunity to communicate." Mieu popped his whole head out of Ion's robes. Raine's anxiety rose, however. The opportunity to communicate might help Van's objectives, but how could Raine hide her identity from him?
"Very well." Tear lowered her spear. Privately, Raine agreed with her. However, this might be a good opportunity to find out what happened to Genis... Maybe Van wouldn't dare do anything to her with the present company around, right? The highest ranking member of the group was likely Van's boss, and Jade was talented in his own right, the latter having promised to bring her safely to Baticul. Still, she felt uneasy.
"Yeah, seriously. How bloodthirsty are you?" Luke asked. Raine glanced at him. Most humans are bloodthirsty. Just you wait until you find out about me. But for now, she appreciated his overarching value of life.
She followed the others into a bunker where they could sit around a conference table. The room had sparse furnishings with only a few paintings on the wall and a potted plant on a small table near the door. With only enough chairs for six, Raine chose a place farther from Van and ended up standing next to Jade who sat at the opposing end of the table. Tear stood at the window while Luke and Guy sat across from Anise and Ion. Raine wished she could be just as relaxed as Guy, leaning back in his chair. Mieu sat on Luke's shoulder.
"Are you ready to talk?" Van asked. He didn't look at Raine, whose heart worried in her chest.
Tear nodded, but her frown betrayed her unwillingness to agree with what he had to say. Despite her anxiety, Raine grew more curious about who was right. After all, Van looked like someone important. If she had to guess, based on Tear and Van's similar features and how she had corrected himself when she mentioned him, this man was somehow related to her.
"Why are you trying to interfere with Fon Master Ion's efforts for peace?" Tear asked. She never relaxed her stance at the window.
"Are you still saying things like that?"
"She's wrong, isn't she, Master?" Luke sat at the edge of his seat and spoke like a child seeking assurance, rather than an adult seeking verification. Strange, considering he was only a sword-master.
"How can I be wrong? Your God-Generals are trying to kidnap Ion." Luke glared at her.
"Calm down, Tear. I have no idea why the Fon Master is even here to begin with. All I've heard from the Order is that Ion vanished from the cathedral in Daath."
"I'm sorry, Van." Ion said, "I did that of my own volition."
Van frowned. "I'd appreciate it if you'd fill me in on what's happened up until now."
Jade spoke up then. "I'm the one who took Ion away. Allow me to explain."
Raine listened to Jade's explanation of how he and Ion came to travel together. The peace treaty between Emperor Peony and Kimlasca had certainly been threatened by Mohs, as much as Tear refused to admit it. Raine kept silent and to herself. It puzzled her that there was no mention of what they planned to do about Sylvarant's chosen. It must be true, then, that the Renegades only worked with the king of Kimlasca. Perhaps this was part of the reason for the divide between Kimlasca and Malkuth. Or maybe the divide was the reason only the king worked to save Tethe'alla. By the sounds of it, Malkuth didn't even know about the plan to kill Sylvarant's Chosen. Back in Sylvarant, the Desian Magnius had mentioned being deceived by his allies. Was something similar happening here? And were the God-generals also deceiving their Commandant?
When Jade finished, Van took on a thoughtful expression. "I do command the Six God-Generals, but they are part of the Grand Maestro faction. It's likely they are under orders from Grand Maestro Mohs."
"Ah, so they might've wanted you to steal Ion back from the Malkuth military." Guy said.
"Yes, perhaps so." Van said, but Raine wasn't sure she believed him. Someone of his standing, commanding so many people called "God-Generals" surely would've known something was up, especially when his God-Generals disappeared all at once.
"You claim not to know that they're after us?" Raine asked.
"I had not heard anything about this before now. The one who attacked you earlier, Asch, is also one of the Six God-Generals. But even I didn't know he was involved in this matter."
"So you had nothing to do with any of this?" Tear asked.
Van shook his head. "No, considering I was unaware of what my own troops were doing, I must take some responsibility. But I don't side with the Grand Maestro faction."
"That's news to me, Commandant," Anise said.
"I'm the leader of the Six God-Generals, so people tend to assume I side with the Grand Maestro. For that matter, Tear, you're part of the intelligence division under the Grand Maestro's command. Why are you here?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Raine asked. Surprised, Tear gasped. "She's taking Luke home." Tear turned back to the window. Van knew better.
"That's not her only motive for leaving Daath."
Luke stood up and pointed a finger at Tear. "She came after Master Van! She attacked us at the manor."
"On the Grand Maestro's command?" Van asked.
"Of course not." Tear said, addressing her own reflection. "I acted on my own."
Conflicting factions... Van losing control of the God-Generals, and now Tear ignoring orders from her own superiors? What was going on in the Order of Lorelei? The fractured state of the organization made Raine wonder how new this order actually was, and yet they seemed to be more prominent than the Church of Martel? What was going on? And yet... something else was strange with Van.
"So you were only looking for Luke and Fon Master Ion?" Raine asked, incredulous.
Van frowned. "What's so unbelievable about that?"
Unsettled, Raine moved to Jade's other side. He was looking for her, wasn't he? "You work with King Ingobert, right?"
"As the Commandant of the Oracle Knights, my work impacts both King Ingobert VI and Emperor Peony IX along with the Order. It's only natural that I would meet with them in their home cities."
"I find it strange that a Commandant's duties would extend to training the son of a duke when clearly you're losing control of your God-Generals." Not to mention that he avoided teaching Luke how to use fonons, but she didn't even whisper that much.
Luke tensed with a note of hurt. "But..."
"I've been training Luke for years even before becoming a Commandant. That's not unusual."
Raine wondered about that. It may not be unusual that Van taught Luke the sword, but it certainly should've seemed unusual that he limited what he taught. But she didn't think it wise to mention knowing about that. Something felt off, but she couldn't quite figure out what. "Do you spend much time in Baticul, then?"
"I travel where I am needed. I just happened to be in Baticul when Tear showed up." He looked at her again. "On the Maestro's orders or against them."
She ignored him and continued pressing Van. "You must know Sheena."
"No."
Liar, she thought, angrily. How could he not?
"What's with this line of questioning, Raine?" Guy asked. "You've been acting strange since we got here." Damn that Guy. He had noticed her distress, too.
"I'm looking for my brother."
"Your brother?" Anise asked.
"His name is Genis and he looks like me." This was the moment. Raine watched Van closely. When he didn't respond, she continued, though slightly puzzled. "He was headed to Belkend with Sheena."
"I don't know anything about him."
"Nothing?" Raine uncrossed her arms. How could that be? Was it his men telling the local guards to bring her in once they saw her? Were they talking about someone else?
Van sighed, frustrated. "No, now, I must insist." He turned to Tear. "What does the Grand Maestro think you're doing?"
"But you gave orders," Raine said, desperate for comprehension. "I heard your men talking about us."
He ignored her. "Tear."
Tear shrugged. "I'm following his orders. Right now my mission is to take Luke home. Are you sure you have nothing to say about Genis?" Van eyed Raine who stared right back, her distrust echoed by her own frown and hard eyes, daring him to interrogate her. His frown deepened. Raine's resolve stiffened and she smirked. Unless he was going to talk about his orders regarding herself and Genis, Raine wouldn't let him get away with asking about Tear's mission. He apparently knew this, turned away, and sighed.
"There's nothing to be said on that matter," he said. Raine felt the anger rise in her chest. "In any case, perhaps it'll be better if I head off to the port. Clearly, we're still not able to communicate rationally. We can reconvene there after everyone's had a chance to calm down." He stared pointedly at Raine.
They all stood except Tear and Luke who leaned forward on the table, looking dejected. Guy tapped him on his shoulder. Tear wore an expression Raine couldn't quite read. Frustration, maybe?
Raine followed Van outside and watched him walk the path into no-man's land between the two countries. He never once looked back. He knew the king and Sheena and he refused to say anything about Genis or the others.
She scowled. "You've spent time in Baticul training Luke," she said, her voice loud enough to carry. Van stopped but didn't look over his shoulder at her. "And to claim you knowing nothing about what's going on, you must really be out of touch. You don't look that incompetent to me."
He continued walking. Every step he took was a fresh barb prickling her skin. The nerve of him!
"You know," Guy said, approaching her. "When you said you never settled down, I didn't realize it meant you never relax either."
"I've learned to be cautious." Raine became aware that Guy wasn't the only one listening. She felt someone else at her back and she turned enough to see Jade and Ion standing with them.
"What was that about with Genis?" Ion asked politely.
"I just want to know where he is now, and I thought Van knew."
"Why would he?" Luke asked. "If Genis is going to Belkend, he wouldn't come through here."
"Van left Baticul the same time I did," Guy said. "I doubt Van's been in Belkend recently."
"Baticul is the capital, right? Where King Ingobert reigns?"
"Yeah, so what?" Luke asked. "There's still no reason to think they've crossed paths." Should she be worried? Still, she turned back to face the field outside Kaitzur and worried all over again. Was Genis really still safe? What was that about then, the armored man back at the entrance?
"Sheena knows the king. She'd want to make her report." Wouldn't she? Raine hesitated.
"Why did you think something was wrong?" Jade asked. "I would assume they simply haven't arrived in Baticul yet."
Raine sighed. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
The soldier looked over the passports and handed them back. "Everything seems in order. Please, head on through." The soldiers stepped aside and saluted while the others passed. Jade looked around as if half-expecting to see something. Raine just hung close to him in case the soldiers changed their minds about letting her pass.
No-man's land was barren with only wild grass and a stone pathway cutting through to the Kimlascan side. Further in the distance, the mountains towered over trees at their bases. Even if one wanted to go around the wall, they'd have the mountains to contend with. The closer they walked to Kimlasca, the more nervous Raine felt.
They approached the gate and she couldn't help but notice massive difference in the two countries.
Kimlasca favored their military. Far more soldiers stood waiting, and they looked more hostile. Maybe it was just the red armor or that each of them held up a spear at the ready. The facilities looked more worn down, though, as if nearly everything was in disrepair. The metal barriers felt more like prison. Even the bunkers wore metal roofs and drapes of sharp banners. The insignia bore a sword in the middle of intricate winged pattern. Something about Kimlasca put her one edge, right down to the wooden planks they used to cross the dry ditches that separated the pieces of land throughout the border town. Was this country really friendlier with half-elves? Or was that why her parents always ran away from the humans?
"Maybe we should stay here for the night," Guy suggested. "It's a long ways to Kaitzur port from here, and I wouldn't mind a bed for once."
"Yeah, I hate sleeping on the ground," Luke added. As anxious as she felt, Raine nodded. Allowing Van more time to arrive ahead of them might not be a bad idea.
The Border Fortress, Kaitzur
When we reached Kaitzur, Anise was stopped at the border because she didn't have a passport, so we were finally able to catch up to her. She kept the letter from Malkuth about the peace treaty safe, so that's a relief. But then we were suddenly attacked by Asch, one of the Six God-Generals. I got taken by surprise, but then Master Van appeared-he'd been looking for me!
I guess Asch must've been afraid of Van, because he ran away, but then Tear looked like she was going to kill him. When are things finally going to calm down?!
Anyway, Master Van convinced Tear to put her weapon down, and we decided to go to the inn to hear from Master Van about what's going on.
Tear seems to think Master Van's trying to start a war and that the Oracle Knights came and attacked because Van told them to. But Master Van says the Six God-Generals have taken the side of Grand Maestro Mohs and that they're moving under his orders instead of Van's.
Obviously I believe Master Van over Tear. He came to look for me, after all, and he saved me from Asch, too.
Master Van was surprised to see Ion here after having been looking for him. When he found out that Ion was trying to negotiate a peace treaty, Master Van even said that he'd tell the Six God-Generals to stay out of our way. He said he didn't know whether they'd listen, but he is Master Van, after all!
Master Van asked Tear what she was doing out here, but then Raine asked Master Van about her brother Genis. It sounded like something happened to him and she accused Master Van of being behind it! Of course he had nothing to do with it and he told her as much, but she didn't seem to believe him. I wonder what really happened to him?
Anyway, so Master Van brought some passports for us so we could cross the border and head for the Kaitzur military port further to the south. Man we still have that long a way to go?