Terra Read online

  75 yards.

  "Edgar," she sobbed in a rough voice. "Edgar, where am I? What's going on--" She broke off with a shudder and Edgar picked up speed. "It hurts. . . My head is on fire, Edgar--" Terra breathed in sharply and shuddered so hard Edgar's teeth were nearly jolted from his head.

  "Hold on," he whispered between deep puffs. "Hold on, Terra. We're almost out of here."

  50 yards.

  "Why is this h-happening?" She convulsed, throwing Edgar off-balance, and a sharp cry was ripped from Terra's throat.

  "I'm sorry," he said through clenched teeth as he regained his footing. "Did I hurt you?"

  "N-no. It's m-my--"

  Terra broke off with a strangled scream as she began to claw at her face and ears. Panic made Edgar's heart skip a beat, and he began to run toward the exit of the dark city with her wails of agony ringing in his ears. When she went limp in his arms, Edgar could feel the blood drain from his face.

  "Terra?" She didn't stir. When he jostled her slightly, her head and arms fell back with no resistance. "Terra? Terra, do you hear me?" His voice sounded panicked as his mind somehow forced himself to continue forward. "No," he said sharply as his eyes drifted to her body again and again. "Don't you die on me, Terra Branford. Not now, blast it all! Not now!"

  6: A Fading Light

  Locke looked over his shoulder again, shaking his head with a deep breath. The group headed for Jidoor, much to Locke's surprise, leaving the airship near the entrance of Zozo for Edgar when he found Terra. Setzer hadn't been too thrilled with the idea of leaving it, but had given in to the common sense of the situation. After all, Interceptor was a miraculous beast, but he couldn't follow a trail on the ground when he was in the air. Not only that, Locke had wanted to leave Edgar a quick way to Figaro Castle in case Terra was hurt or dying.

  "Cole, what's wrong?" Setzer asked.

  "I don't like leaving them."

  "The rest of us don't like it either. But we didn't have a choice."

  Interceptor grumbled at Shadow about the noise. Shadow stroked the beast's head. "The trail is stronger. Prepare yourself for the unexpected," he warned.

  "If it's unexpected," Setzer countered, "how are we to prepare ourselves?"

  Shadow ignored him.

  "Are you sure this is the place?" Interceptor sent Locke a dirty look, and he raised his hands. "No offense. It's just that when we came here before, Terra was positive the guy wasn't here."

  Shadow glanced at Locke sharply. "Terra?"

  Locke examined Shadow's expression before answering. "Yeah. She took one look at the place and said it was too quiet for anything to have happened recently. She also brought up a good point: why would the slaver bring his business here when they don't use slaves?"

  Shadow refocused his haunted eyes on the town of Jidoor. "Ledo is no slaver, Locke Cole. His one desire is power, and that is what he wishes to receive from Terra."

  "But what about her kids?"

  "They are still at home."

  "What?" Locke turned Shadow around with a hand on his arm. "What are you talking about?"

  "I suspect the urgency of her children's disappearance was a ploy to lure her from the safety of her home."

  "Are you telling me Terra wouldn't notice her kids still at home before leaving to get us?" Locke asked doubtfully.

  "If Ledo is involved, many things will not be as they appear. He is an expert at deception."

  "So you've said."

  Setzer came up to the two, giving them an incredulous stare. "Are you hinting at brain-washing?"

  Shadow turned and began walking for Jidoor once again. "I mean mind-control."

  Locke and Setzer exchanged a glance before hurrying after him.

  "Mind-control? Are you crazy? How? When could he have gotten to her?" Locke made a move to grab Shadow's arm, but the ninja turned sharply with a dagger at the ready. Interceptor growled with a snap of his teeth. Locke backed off with raised hands and shocked gray eyes. "Easy, Shadow. Easy."

  "Don't doubt my words and knowledge so easily, Locke Cole," the ninja said in tight tones. "I know this demon Ledo, and I know what he's capable of. I know he was once an Imperial dog who would have sold his own nation's soul to Hades for power. I know that Technology is his mistress, and he is fully aware of what it can do. I know that he can toy with a person's mind using tools we cannot understand and thinks nothing of killing children and babies. I know all these things and more."

  Locke examined Shadow's face as he lowered the dagger. "This woman Ledo mentioned. . ."

  Shadow turned away without an answer, and Locke sent Setzer a look. "What do you think?" he asked. "Should we ask for an explanation now or later?"

  "Either time would be a risk to our lives," Setzer told him. "He's like that, and you know it."

  "We need answers, gambler. Stumbling along blindly is not my idea of a well-thought-out plan. Neither is trusting Shadow's twisted sense of justice. This whole thing stinks to high heaven. You know it. I know it. Hell, Interceptor even knows it! We can't fight as a team if we don't act like one."

  Setzer absently nodded as he pulled out his cards and began to shuffle them. "What do you suggest? Shadow isn't a force to be reckoned with."

  Locke turned to stride after Shadow. "Don't be too sure," he tossed over his shoulder.

  Setzer stared after him in surprise before following. "What do you mean by that?"

  "I guess you don't find it the least bit strange that good-old-Shadow took time out of his busy schedule to track Terra down by himself?" Setzer remained silent, so Locke continued. "Sure, he said Interceptor smelled trouble, but wouldn't they have needed to be at Terra's home in the first place in order for the beast to smell at all? Wouldn't that explain him knowing the kids are safe?"

  Setzer watched the ninja and his dog as they carefully examined a shack outside of Jidoor. "Go on."

  "Didn't you notice Shadow's change of mood when he suggested we leave Zozo to follow this trail? That man cares what happens to Terra just like the rest of us."

  "So?"

  "So?" Locke pressed his lips together. "So? What are you, gambler, a blasted ignoramus or something? If he has a soft-spot for Terra, that means we might be able to get the guy to see he's not doing her any favors by keeping the information a mystery. He'll start talking."

  Setzer shrugged. "I doubt it, but I dare say it's worth a try."

  The two strode up to the dark pair. Interceptor bared his teeth. Shadow didn't even pass them a glance.

  "Shadow," Locke began, "if you know so much, why are you keeping it to yourself? Teamwork's needed to beat this guy and, right now, we've anything but."

  Shadow sent them one of his infamous guarded looks. Setzer picked up where Locke dropped off. "We understand your obsessive desire for privacy, but Terra's life is at stake here. How do you expect to save her by yourself--"

  "I have defeated Ledo before," he said coolly.

  Setzer and Locke released an exasperated breath.

  "Well he's back again, isn't he?" Interceptor snapped with a dangerous growl. "Stay out of this," Locke ordered. He turned back to Shadow. "So you've got a score to settle. So it's a pride issue. Join the club, Shadow. Terra is our friend and this blasted techno-freak got to her through us. You can't get all the vengeance. Give us some information, Shadow. Trust us for once in your life!"

  Shadow faced the two men with a cold stare, his presence distanced from them even though he stepped closer. A chilled breeze ruffled a dark embroidered sash at his waist. "Don't try to understand what you couldn't possibly comprehend. My life is my own." Shadow paused, barely. "Terra is my friend, yes. I won't deny it. She's risked her life for mine many times, as I've done for her. I do this for the honor she showed me and for the welcome she always offered."

  "Let us help, Shadow," Locke pressed. "We agree with everything you just said, so quit making us stumble around in the dark! Give us a clue!"

  Shadow pulled out a dagger and turned, slicing several snake-li
ke wires that trailed from the side of the shack to a mansion on the outskirts of Jidoor. Locke sighed with clenched teeth and glared over at Setzer.

  "Now what?" Setzer asked.

  "I've no idea." Locke shook his head and released a deep breath. "I guess I knew it would never work. Shadow exists. Period. No one knows anything about him, and he never offers any inside information."

  "But what of that Relm connection?"

  Locke shrugged again. "Who knows? We can't ask her because she'd have been too young to remember anything. We can't ask Strago because he never gives us a straight answer. And we certainly can't ask Shadow because. . . because he just doesn't talk about it. We've just got to go with the flow, gambler. There's no other way."

  "That doesn't help. Not a bit."

  "I never said it would," Locke shook his head and strode toward Jidoor with a glare. "If he doesn't start giving us a clue as to what the plan is, I'm going to kill him myself."

  "Setzer thinks Locke is crazy."

  "Right now, I don't care what you think," Locke said. "If he wants to save Terra so bad, he can trust us with some info. You see him doing that?"

  "You never know, Cole, he may be doing just that in his own way."

  Locke let out an exasperated breath. "Yeah. Yeah, I know. It just pisses me off to know that he doesn't trust us after all we've been through."

  "For someone like Shadow, trust is a hard thing to earn. Or give." Setzer squinted in the distance. "What the--"

  Locke looked up and followed Setzer's gaze. An eerie glow of gloomy purple radiated from one of the houses. "That's not good. It's the same light that was in Zozo."

  "Did you notice it here before?"

  Locke shook his head. "No. No, I didn't. Do you think it could've been here when. . . you know. When Terra said the guy wasn't here? Do you think that same light had something to do with this mind-control Shadow was talking about?"

  Setzer nodded slowly. "I think it does. Coincidences don't happen to me."

  They entered Jidoor at the back and caught sight of Shadow gesturing to them from behind another small shack similar to the one outside the city. They rushed over to him, skidding to a halt at the smiling faces that greeted them.

  "Sabin! Celes!" Locke's face broke out in a grin. "What are you doing here?"

  "We came to help," Sabin stated the obvious in his usual get-down-to-business way and gestured to Celes. "She got your note and had some pretty good ideas of what to do."

  "Locke," Celes said carefully. "Locke, Terra's kids are still at home."

  "Yeah, so Shadow just told us," Locke said somberly. "And when we saw the purple light outside. . . We think someone's putting thoughts in Terra's head."

  "Like the thought about her kids being missing?" Sabin asked the question with a nod. "It makes sense. We don't really know what they did to her while she was with the Empire."

  "Well. . ." Celes dropped her gaze. "I have an idea."

  Setzer smirked. "Why does this not surprise me?"

  Celes stepped forward suddenly, pulling Locke aside as Sabin went into further details of how the duo had tracked them to Jidoor. "Locke, don't leave me behind when something like this comes up. Okay? I'm anything but a helpless woman, and I think I deserve to be included. Besides, Terra is my friend too."

  Locke flushed and glanced over his shoulder to the others. "Sorry, princess. I lost my head."

  Celes smiled and caressed his cheek. "I'm not mad, a little annoyed, but the fact you sent me a note helped me get over that fast enough. You never thought you'd be doing that, I bet."

  "Doing what?"

  "Checking in with the 'misses' before running off on some glorious adventure."

  Locke chuckled and planted a kiss on her upturned lips before grabbing her hand and leading her back to the group. "Hey, you're not the old battle-axe yet. Besides, there's nothing wrong with that. And the benefits are worth the change."

  It was Celes' turn to flush, and she smacked him upside the head. "Not in front of everyone, Locke."

  Setzer chuckled and shook his head. "Now that the lovers are reunited, can we get back to the business at hand?"

  Shadow knelt and sketched a rough outline of the city of Jidoor, as well as the shack positioned on the outside of the city. "The lines from this shack run to this house here," He drew an 'x' on a square that represented the building across from them and then placed his palm on the shack they were using as cover. "This shack holds a power source, as well as the connecting lines from an additional power source in the shack outside Jidoor to Ledo's house there." Shadow gestured to the same house.

  "Power source," Sabin repeated. "What power source? Like in Narshe?"

  "No. Not steam," Shadow said.

  "Then what?"

  Locke looked over at Celes and noticed her faraway expression. "What's wrong?"

  Celes faded back into the conversation with a start. "Hmm? Oh. I'm sorry. I was thinking."

  "About what?"

  "You mention a power source, but the only ones we've ever seen have taken up rooms. Like the generator for the engine of Figaro Castle. Or the multiple steam-generators in Narshe."

  "Okay."

  Celes looked over at Setzer. "You have an ear for news, Setzer. Don't you remember hearing about some new type of power they'd been using in Vector? Something that took up less space than what had ever been done before."

  Setzer frowned and stroked his chin. "Now that you mention it, I do recall something about that. What did they call it. . .? Some kind of new liquid fuel."

  Celes nodded and looked down at Shadow. "If this is the power source, then we've got to make sure we know who we're dealing with. Only the Empire knew about this new fuel, and I'm talking the high-ranking officials like Kefka, Leo, and Gestahl."

  "And you," Sabin reminded with a grin.

  Celes smiled. "I kept my ears open. One never knew when their usefulness would be over in the Empire."

  Shadow continued to stare down at his rough map. "I know whom we are coming against," he said darkly. "Ledo is the inventor of this new power."

  "I didn't think any of the Imperialists survived," Celes stated.

  "Ledo survives all things." Shadow's voice was different from its usual calm detachment. "Fire, disease, famine, disasters. Evil survives evil."

  "Do stop being such a doomsayer, Shadow," Setzer complained. "Just get on with it."

  "I cut his main power source."

  "So we noticed," Locke said.

  "One of you must remain outside, ready to cut his backup power source as a diversion."

  "Diversion. Good idea. Who's going to stay?" Sabin asked slowly.

  Locke looked at Celes, and she scowled at him. "Don't even think of asking me, Locke Cole. I've already missed out on the trip to Zozo."

  "Celes, it's going to be dangerous--"

  "Of course it's going to be dangerous. That's why I'm going. I was a General in the Imperial army, you know. I can handle myself as well as any others that get in my way. The last thing I need is an overzealous man telling me when it's too dangerous for me to do what I do best."

  Setzer and Sabin chuckled under their breath.

  "But you can't use magic--" Locke began.

  "Is that the best you can do?" Celes' face hardened and she put her fists on her hips. "Locke Cole, I was a soldier first and foremost. Just because I can't use magic now doesn't mean I've forgotten how to swing a sword. I'm going, and that's the end of it."

  Setzer put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Locke, you had best stop protesting or she's liable to leave you at the altar. And you. . ." He looked at Celes with a wide smile. "You should appreciate his concern. You mean a lot to him, Celes, and he's only protecting what he loves."

  Celes smiled mischievously. "Setzer, for a lady's man you certainly don't know much about women." Setzer raised an eyebrow, and she continued in a lower tone as she leaned toward him. "Locke and I enjoy the make-up after a. . . disagreement."

  Sabin threw back his
head and laughed, slapping Setzer on the back. Setzer simply shook his head with a chuckle. Shadow sent Sabin a hard look, which made him quiet down, and Locke shrugged Setzer's arm from his shoulder.

  "Fine. Fine. You can go. Setzer can stay behind, since he thinks he knows so much."

  "It will be my pleasure," Setzer said between chuckles.

  ~~~

  When Edgar cleared Zozo, he immediately knelt and set Terra down. He bent over her, placing an ear close to her mouth to listen for breathing as he watched for the rise and fall of her chest. There was nothing. Edgar clenched his jaw and tilted her head back, pinching off her nose and covering her mouth with his. Once, twice he breathed air into her lungs. Then he watched for the rise and fall of her chest once more before beginning again. Edgar could feel the beat of her heart through the fingers he placed on the pulse at her throat. She simply wasn't breathing.

  "Terra," he whispered as he again bent close to her mouth. "Don't let this devil win. Fight."

  Edgar tried to ignore the rising panic, but with each passing moment it became more difficult. Especially when he noticed the bleeding from her ears and nose. Blast! What did that man do to you? Again and again he breathed air into her lungs with no response. Edgar didn't know what else to do. He couldn't let her die. He couldn't give up and let her slip away from him.

  Edgar pulled her into his arms to rock her back and forth. "No," he said harshly. "No, Terra, do not die. Do not leave me alone. Not now. Not when I have not yet told you I love you." He struggled to his feet, determination hurrying his steps toward the airship. When he boarded, he paused for the briefest moment before placing Terra beside the wheel. "Cyan?"

  The Doma swordsman straightened with a grim look at Terra. "Does she live?"

  "Her heart beats, but she doesn't breathe."

  Cyan knelt beside her and placed his fingers on her throat. "Hurry, highness. Time is of great import. Fly us to Kohlingen, the home of the alchemist."

  "The one who assisted Locke with Rachel?"

  Cyan nodded and gently positioned Terra on her side before carefully prying her mouth open, two fingers disappearing inside. "The very one. Be quick, highness. Her life is dependent upon thy speed."

  7: Traps, Villains, & the Card of Death

  Shadow led the three around the back of the house and knelt, touching the ground with his fingers as Interceptor searched the path ahead. The ninja searched the area with his eyes before pointing at a small object with a red glowing center.