Chapter 10

Genis tugged at Raine's thoughts, but not nearly as much as the confusion back at Kaitzur Border. She was sure those men were talking about her and Genis, but the more she thought about it, she realized Van actually interrogated Tear…. The two of them even looked similar, like herself and Genis. What she remembered of the conversation made just as much sense with Tear, and Van's reaction, well….

"Tear, are you and Van related?" Raine asked as they walked the path away from Kaitzur.

"He's my brother." She didn't seem very excited to admit it, not that Raine blamed her.

So that was it. Raine closed her eyes and exhaled. In that case, of course Van didn't know anything about Genis. He wasn't looking for her, he was looking for his own sister. Something was amiss between them, though. They didn't act much like siblings earlier. She blushed and fell to the back of the party where Guy watched Anise skipping along the path, nearly circling Ion, Luke, and the young cheagle floating between them. Jade walked just behind Tear.

"Speaking of which, why do you think Van had something to do with Genis?" Guy asked.

"I was mistaken. Van was actually looking for Tear."

"Ah. Well, I'm sure Genis is fine."

"I hope so. I taught him everything I know," Raine said. "So long as he's with Lloyd and Sheena, he has everything he needs."

"What about your parents?" Jade asked. "Didn't they teach him?"

"No. I raised him."

"Hmm… That must have been difficult, raising your younger brother without your parents."

Where was he going with this? Raine raised her chin. "We were unwanted. So I took care of him. I didn't want him to feel the same shame I felt." She continued walking. No one would see her cry about it either, she'd make sure of that.

"Shame?" Guy asked, surprised. "Why would she feel ashamed?" He shared frowns with Jade. Apparently he didn't understand any better than Guy did.

A sign stood at a fork in the road. For once, Raine ran ahead of everyone else to see it. The first two symbols matched the "k" sound of Chesedonia. Other symbols were unfamiliar still, but when she pulled out her map, something clicked. She made a quick note on the map in her own familiar writing. She'd decipher the other symbols later.

"Choral Castle..." She muttered as she glanced to the left. Luke came up behind her.

"What's down that way?"

Raine couldn't hide the longing in her voice. "Those are ruins."

"Yeah, that's Choral Castle." Guy said, "Duke Fabre's vacation home. I heard it was abandoned because of the war."

"Really? I didn't know Father owned any property out here."

"Come on, Luke!" Guy said, exasperated. "That's where they found you when you were kidnapped." Really? Raine's excitement soared as she surveyed Luke with interest.

Luke's face soured. "I told you, I don't remember anything from back then."

"Oh, yeah..."

Glenn McGovern had asked her if she was researching there, and oh, how she wanted to. Technically, she was in Kimlasca and she could travel anywhere by herself now, but Genis was waiting for her at Belkend.

A part of her deflated. They weren't likely going to head that way. Raine stared at her map as she walked and Ion approached her. "You seem really confused about something."

At first, she didn't answer but to bring her fists together, scrunching the map in half. But then she asked a question that had been bothering her for a while. "Is there a reason we're going to Kaitzur first? What happened to taking the other bridge?" What had Elder McGovern called it again? Rortello Bridge? She checked the map again.

"You mean the Rotelro Bridge?"

"Yes, that one." Ah, right. She saw the spelling now.

"I'm afraid it's no longer there," Ion said. "Jade told me the Dark Wings blew it up."

"Yes, not many people know they were responsible," Jade added. "I'm not surprised Field Marshal McGovern thought we could still go that way."

"Of course..." She very much preferred a bridge over sailing in a ship. Fate just had it out for her, didn't it?

"Not looking forward to sailing?" Jade asked. Annoyed, she shook her head no. "But the salty breeze against your face is simply delightful."

"The salty breeze is more welcome than a sinking ship," Raine said.

"Oh but think of the fun clinging to a mast while waiting to be rescued." He grinned at her.

"It's a good thing you're so tall, Jade," she said flatly. "You'll buy me some time while we're waiting."

"Until we reach Baticul, I am at your service." He bowed to her, obviously teasing.

"Don't make promises you're not willing to keep." She couldn't help but smile. Even so, who would want to save her, a half-elf, over saving themselves? If it came right down to it, Jade would let her drown.

"Are you coming?" Tear asked. The others had already started for Kaitzur, except Guy who smiled and shook his head before following the path.

Now that he met Anise, Guy understood. That girl was definitely scary. Enough that he left a wider berth than usual between himself and Luke, who she seemed to spend a lot of time around, trying to win his favor. That was fine with Guy. As long as she stayed over there. Natalia, however, might look at this a little differently. He smiled when he thought about her reaction. No way would the princess herself put up with Luke's betrayal, not when they're supposed to be married someday.

Not that Luke showed any interest in Anise, but still.

He followed Luke, Ion, and Tear down the path towards Kaitzur Port. He hadn't noticed Jade and Raine didn't join them until Jade spoke.

"My, they're persistent, aren't they?"

"Huh?" Guy looked around but didn't see anything until he followed Jade's line of sight behind them to the east where yet again, Arietta bounded towards them on a liger's back, one of several. Even a giant bird flapped towards them.

Raine stepped back, the horrified expression on her face hiding the longing to head for Choral Castle. She pushed her way through the group to stand behind them so she wouldn't be the first point of contact with them.

"What are they doing over there?" Tear asked. "Is there more than just Choral Castle that way?"

"Not that I know of," Guy said, "but if it has something to do with God-Generals..." If that's where Luke was found, maybe it's worth investigating what happened. The only other person interested in going that way was Raine and besides, he had a job to do. He had to bring Luke back home to Baticul.

"So what are we doing?" Raine asked from behind Ion. "Are we fighting or hurrying on to Kaitzur?"

"Suddenly the sinking ship is appealing?" Jade casually walked to the back, too. "We won't be able to outrun her."

Raine moved to stand behind Jade and Ion stood close to her as well. Guy drew his sword and held his scabbard in his left hand.

Luke and Guy took the front, but Anise ran out of ahead of them. As soon as Arietta was within earshot, Anise raised her fist and shouted, "What are you doing here, Gloomietta?"

"Don't call me that!" Arietta screamed back. "You're mean, Anise. I'm here to avenge Mommy. Now die."

"What are you talking about?" But Arietta didn't answer. The battle had begun.

The ligers bounded forward, one of them facing off against Guy. It panted as it crouched low to the ground in a prowl. Guy prepared for an attack from the bared fangs…

But then it stopped. The liger turned its head towards a new, easier target, stalking forward. Guy followed its line of sight to Raine, who stood with her staff in front of her, her eyes closed in concentration. He didn't feel any fonons gathering around her and she didn't have a glyph beneath her to show her magic was working. She was in trouble and didn't know it. The liger jumped.

"Raine, look out!" Guy shouted.

She opened her eyes and jumped back, away from the liger's paw. She swung her staff, smacking it across the face.

So it was true... she really couldn't use fonons. Her liger stumbled, only slightly dazed and she tried again as Jade raced to kill the liger with his spear. Did he know, too? He had to, Guy realized.

"H-hey! Let go of me!" Luke rose into the air within the grips of one of Arietta's giant birds, an arm clasped within each hind claw. He struggled, but the blue and white bird was clearly stronger than he was.

"Luke!" Guy rushed towards them, leaving behind another liger that roared at his back. He swung his sword as he leapt, hoping to clip a wing. The bird flew too high to reach. Ugh, if they had someone with archery skills, they could drop it to the ground. Even Anise, sitting atop her doll's back couldn't quite reach him.

Arietta commanded to her friends to pull back.

"What are you doing, Arietta?" Ion asked. "Please, let him go!"

"I can't..."

"Where are you taking him?" Ion asked.

Arietta hesitated and glanced at Luke who flailed his arms in his avian prison. "I'm... not allowed to..." she tried to make herself smaller and scrunched her eyebrows, worried.

"Stop this, Gloomietta!" Arietta jumped down from her doll and it returned to its smaller size.

"Please, Arietta! Don't hurt him."

She seemed torn, glancing back behind her and then back to Ion. "But Asch..."

"Arietta!" Ion demanded with more force. Startled, she jumped. Her anxiety mounted, and desperate for a solution, she turned the bird back towards Choral Castle.

"Wait!" Guy sheathed his sword and followed, running as far as he could across the open grassy plains. The distance between him and the monsters grew too vast, however, and he leaned on his knees, out of breath. He watched the birds fade into the sky and the ligers vanished into the distant trees. Yet again, Luke disappeared in front of him. "Damn." Frustrated, he punched the ground. As much as Luke was a brat, he was still Guy's responsibility.

"Well, that's not confusing at all," Raine said, planting her staff in the dirt just behind him. "Saying she wants to kill us and then she kidnaps Luke instead?"

"I don't understand it, either," Ion said. "I thought they just wanted me."

"Yes, why him?" No one answered her.

Jade sighed. "Well, we'd better hurry for Choral Castle before they decide to kill him after all. We don't have much time."

"It's cruel to leave him in Arietta's hands," Ion said. He sounded a bit stung. "Besides, we need his help."

Everyone seemed resigned, except Raine who threw a confused glance to each party member. Guy felt a flash of anger. Didn't she care that one of them was taken? "I suppose you're right. We can't just leave him there, even if he is a bit sour." Then she noticed Guy's expression, but he turned his back to her before she could acknowledge him.

"I imagine this is a happy turn of events for you, Raine." Jade said brightly. "Weren't you wishing to head that way moments ago?"

"Under better circumstances, I assure you," but the smile on her face said it all.

Guy, however, led the pack with Tear just behind him, both nearly strolling the trail to Choral Castle. His chest hurt from breathing so hard. No, there were other reasons, too. Seeing Arietta hadn't bothered him as much as hearing the God-Generals were now interested in Luke, especially since they wanted to take him back to the very place where he was found after being taken from Baticul. Originally, it was Malkuth who had been the rumored perpetrators of Luke's kidnapping...

He just couldn't decide whether Van told them the truth at the Kaitzur border. Did he truly not know what was going on with his God-Generals? Van did have plans for taking revenge for Hod's destruction. Hod, the island where both Van and Guy had been born, fell when Kimlasca attacked, and both he and Van still harbored anger about it. Guy didn't know everything about Van's plan, and indeed Guy had one of his own for a long time. One thing had changed Guy's mind about seeking the revenge he came to Kimlasca to get:

Luke.

Taking care of him since he lost his memories had somehow softened him. He remembered the time they spent in Baticul, when Luke could recall the first ten years of his life. He had been so different back then. So involved in politics and world issues and didn't require so much supervision. Back then, he actually loved Natalia.

What had changed? What had Malkuth done to him? Guy had no knowledge of Malkuth technology that could degenerate a human back to practical infancy, yet that was exactly what happened.

So if the God-Generals really wanted to kill Luke that badly, they wouldn't bother to just take him. Even if they did kill him, King Ingobert and Duke Fabre would retaliate against the Order. Surely, Asch and Arietta knew that.

No, Guy decided. They wouldn't kill him right away, no matter what Jade said.

After a while, his worry ceded, and his thoughts turned to the battle. The mystery surrounding Raine deepened. It was definitely true that she couldn't use fonons. He wasn't sure what to think when Elder McGovern told them she seemed to know so little about the world's geography, even as an itinerant, but now... What was going on? She didn't even seem to know the basics of the world like Luke hadn't.

Was there a connection there? Was Raine degenerated, too?

That would explain her weird reaction at Saint Binah and listening to Jade's lesson on using fonons, he realized. Luke lost his memory, though. Why was Raine so different? Did she have memory lapses, too? Just where was this woman from? She obviously wasn't from Sheridan….

A/N: Yeah, I like to make changes to stuff even after it's posted. I did some minor changes in chapter 9, but... they won't affect understanding this chapter too much. :)