Chapter Twelve: The Road to Alexandria
We left for Alexandria early the next morning, our quest quickened by the absence of the genomes from Black Mage Village. We had left a message to Domino and Alex for them to set out after us as soon as they got back, I would have waited for them but I had to get back to my throne, a place where I knew that I could get information and results quickly, and at the rate at which things were changing I needed that information more than ever before.
Sadly the fleet had left yesterday and there was no way to get to Alexandria on foot other than Chocobo and I couldn’t hope to fit all four of us on any type of Chocobo so, it was by foot we headed for Alexandria, taking the road which would lead us around the Evil Forest, thus keeping us in safety.
Mikoto and I stood clothed as normal, Kuja had joined us in a cloak which concealed his facial features, after all, he wasn’t exactly a popular figure in Alexandria and could be at risk from revenge attacks by the population and not even myself, the king of Alexandria would be able to protect him.
Reiganna was a different story completely, she stood, barely, with a pained expression on her face and a very fragile stance. She had a bad hangover, a very bad hangover. It had been bad enough for me at Domino and Thunderchilds wedding party but for Reiganna, who had never drunk before in her life to down about 20 ales with the genomes low alcoholic capacity, well, I dreaded to think what she was going through.
But once again Kuja had surprised us by offering to support Reiganna until she had worked off some of her hang over, an offer she gratefully accepted, and so it was a rather mismatched and unusual party which left Dali that morning for Alexandria.
Restless I prowled the corridors of our castle, my tail swishing in agitation, my electrodes beginning to itch, we had been here for five days now, five days and nothing had happened. Sure, we had seen monsters of all shapes and sizes arrive here and technology beyond our wildest dreams but there had been no conquest, I had made up my mind to confront Fury with this fact.
I found him right at the top of the tallest tower of our castle, he was standing facing into the wind with his back turned to me, I saw to my astonishment that he was holding his mask in his hand, it was the first time I had ever seen Fury without him wearing his dragon mask.
“And how can I help you Ilvian?” he asked as I opened my mouth to announce my presence, that was the thing with Fury, he may not appear to be anything special, but deep inside of him lurked something which was extraordinary.
For a moment I was unsure what to say, that was another thing about Fury, whatever plans you made before you went to see him, whatever speech you had prepared, it fell to pieces as you spoke to him.
“I…err…I,” I stammered before getting it together and saying “I’m concerned we’re not making any progress.” Blurting it out before my mind could shut the sentence down.
Fury didn’t reply, he just stood, letting the wind blow his hair out of place and make his cloak flap behind him, then he nodded his head slowly and said
“Of course, to someone like yourself, it would appear things are stationary.”
I nodded, Fury had seemed to see my point but then again, he disagreed with me.
“But, this planet is moving at a rapid speed and yet to our eyes it remains still.” He continued.
“Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.” I deciphered
“Exactly Ilvian, I’m pleased that you understand.”
I paused, this conversation wasn’t going exactly how I had planned it, but then again, most of the conversations I had had with Fury didn’t go the way I planned them, it was always as though Fury had anticipated everything I had to say and had an answer for it, an answer which always reassured me while at the same time not answering my original question at all, it was infuriating but at the same time, futile. He was in command here, there was no question about that.
“So, what exactly is happening?” I asked
“It will become clear to you soon, as the morning sun appears from beyond the cloudy horizon.”
It was always riddles and rhymes with Fury, he supplied a cryptic answer which sounded right but was nearly always so incomplete and mysterious.
“There is, however, one thing I must ask of you.” Continued Fury, as he turned and gently placed his mask over his face, obscuring any facial features before I could see them.
“What?” I replied, my curiosity aroused.
“I will have to go away for a little while, I cannot trust Lawrence not to poke his nose in where it concerns him not, keep an eye on him and report to me what he does. I know I can trust you Ilvian.”
“Can’t you trust Rhiana?” I asked
Fury shrugged and gently shook his head
“I cannot tell, she is not as open to me as you are. She is less honest than you.”
He walked over to me and placed his hand on my shoulder, making me slightly flinch and cower under his imposing presence.
“Do not fail me Ilvian.” He warned before walking to the each of the tower and standing on the edge.
“What are you doing anyway?” I asked him as he looked down to the ground far, far below.
“Getting ready for my rule.” He answered before falling forward off the tower, his arms out either side of him, he fell like a stone out of my sight.
Running to the edge I went to look down to see his fate but my head was almost struck by a white blur of feathers which shot past from below the edge of the tower and up into the sky, as I looked up, blocking the morning sun with my hand I saw a silver dragon flying due east and on its back the form of Fury, looking as though he had ridden these wild beasts all his life.
Shaking my head in wonder I turned around and walked back down into the castle.
The journey had been uneventful for the most part, the occasional monster challenged us but Mikoto and I quickly despatched it before it could cause any harm, Kuja and Reiganna did not fight, Reiganna because she couldn’t walk properly let alone conduct battle and Kuja because he feared his own powers.
The weather began sunny and cheerful but towards the early afternoon a menacing black cloud swept in from the east with suprising speed and it wasn’t long before the first spots of rain began to fall on my face.
“Great, that’s all we need, a storm.” Muttered Mikoto bitterly, she was anxious to answer the mystery of the vanished genomes, she cared for them like a mother to her young, it wasn’t something she had been elected to do, it was something she did out of the kindness of her heart…of her soul.
Around us thunder rumbled as the rain grew heavier, I couldn’t see any shelter around us as the storm began in earnest, save the Evil forest to our north and that was one place I did not wish to use.
“We’ll just have to press on.” I said, gritting my teeth and walking into the rain.
The rain soon gave way to hail, which slammed into my body like a solid wall, it was no use, we couldn’t hope to make progress in this storm.
“Mikoto!” I shouted over the howling wind and crashing thunder “Try to set up a tent, we’ll have to take shelter!!”
Mikoto opened her bag and began to attempt to construct the tent but the wind prevented her from completing the task, even with my help she wasn’t able to put up the tent.
“It’s no use!! We’ll just have to try and bear it out!!” she shouted at me.
I nodded and walked over to Reiganna and Kuja, they seemed to have the right idea with their backs to the wind, which to my surprise, seemed to be abating.
“You picked a good time to go hiking!” complained Reiganna as she pressed one hand to her head, I dreaded to think what this weather had done to her hangover.
“Is it just me or is this storm passing?” asked Kuja
I looked around, sure enough, the wind was dying down and the rain was petering out.
“That was quick.” I said in surprise, the thunder and lightning still crashed and flickered about us but the rain was a lot lighter than before and the wind was almost non-existent now.
“I guess we’d better move on before it comes back!” suggested Mikoto and I nodded, tugging at Reigannas sleeve to indicate we were moving on.
So we walked on for a little way and then ran straight into trouble.
I had spent an uneasy nights sleep on the floor in Nagys house, Alex had slept like a plank, snoring throughout most of the night, but I couldn’t sleep and even when I did my dreams were full of Lawrence and that mystery man who seemed familiar to me the more I thought of it.
A knock on the door broke me out of my latest nightmare and as Snikity slowly entered I gathered that morning had arrived.
As if hearing my unspoken question Snikity smiled and said
“Good morning, did you sleep well?”
“Great…this bed is really comfortable.” Said a very sleepy Alex
“What about you Domino?” Snikity asked me
“Yeah, I slept alright.” I lied, not wishing to upset the generous hospitality of Snikity and Nagy.
“We’ll set out for the shades at about midday.” Said Snikity as she handed us a plate of toast each.
“I’ll be up long before then.” I promised
Snikity nodded and shut the door, leaving me and Alex alone.
“You know Dom, I had this really strange dream last night.” Alex said with a frown
“Oh yeah?” I ventured
“Yeah, you had turned evil, like you were before you stayed with the Bandits…but not…”
“I wasn’t evil,” I said, wishing to put the facts straight “I was confused.”
Alex nodded
“Yeah, but this time around you weren’t confused, you knew you were being evil but you couldn’t help it.”
I nodded and sighed, it was true sadly, being a mass-murdering weapon of destruction was in my genetic programming, it was who I am. ‘Domino the destroyer’ was my nickname and it was a well deserved one, I had done things in the past which I was not at all proud of, things which I had kept secret to all but my closest friends for they were the ones I could trust not to judge me harshly for my actions.
“I have dreams and nightmares too, it doesn’t mean they come true.” I said, dismissing the fear before it over took me.
Alex nodded and began eating her toast.
At least, I hope it doesn’t I thought with a quiet sigh.
The first energy blast had landed just in front of us, knocking us all flying backwards, a shape had then flown very low over us, I could feel the backwash from its wings as it swooped past.
I hadn’t seen our attacker approach and the only warning that we were being targeted was when the purple energy blast had struck home.
I scrambled back to my feet, noting with dismay that Reiganna didn’t get up.
Probably unconscious I thought
The culprit I could see clearly now, as could Mikoto
“It’s a Silver Dragon!!” she warned
“I see it Miki, question is, what’s a Silver Dragon doing here?” I wondered out loud
“Attacking us!!” she virtually screamed at me in reply
I couldn’t help but slightly smile, Mikotos straight forwardness often meant her comments came out the wrong way.
The dragon flew over on another pass, a purple energy blast now landing behind us, as if preventing our escape, and then the dragon gently landed on the road behind us.
Through the heat haze generated by the smoking road between us and the dragon, I saw someone approach, he seemed to be dressed all in black with a cloak obscuring his face. He walked through the heat haze, ignoring the high temperatures of the burning road and stood before me.
I shivered despite the warm of the flames for although I could not see him clearly, I could feel his anger, his hostility.
He raised his hand and I felt my legs give way, I toppled down to the ground, landing in a kneeling position, out of the corner of my eye I saw Mikoto and Kuja do the same thing at the same time.
Must be a sort of psychic attack I pondered, despite the situation.
“You are Zidane Tribal…King of Alexandria.” The man intoned, his voice sounding like a prophecy of doom.
“What…if…I…am?” I managed through gasps, my chest suddenly seemed so heavy, as though a weight had been placed on it, it became more difficult and energy consuming to breathe.
“My name is Fury. I have come to deliver a message to you to pass along to the leaders of this continent.”
I could not look up to his face, his lower legs and feet were all that I could make out, and even they seemed to radiate an evil of their own.
“Which…is?” I struggled, the effort required to breathe getting higher and higher.
“To surrender their thrones and their power to me, or face destruction. The choice is theirs, but I shall expect their answer within one week. If they fail to give an answer which pleases me, then they will die.” Snarled Fury, his voice hard and bitter.
He then kicked myself and Mikoto in the chest which made us double up and fall sideways onto the ground, lying down, weakened but with a good view of Fury as he walked over to Kuja, whispered something to him which Kuja didn’t react to, and then shaking his head in disgust, walk back to his beast.
The Silver Dragon roared at Fury and spread its wings open to receive its master, once Fury had climbed onto the dragons back, it swept its wings up to the sky and then down, taking off almost horizontally and then flying west into the heart of the storm.
My energy failed me, even as the weight released itself from my chest and I lapsed into a swift but blissful unconsciousness.
Dominos POV
We set out for the ‘Shades’ shortly after breakfast, Snikity had donned her armour and fetched her sword, as had Nagy.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.” Said Nagy as I recounted my nightmare experiences in the Shades, I wasn’t as convinced as Nagy but kept my doubts to myself.
So we walked out of Nagys house, Nagy staying behind for a moment to lock everything up and set up his anti-burglar system which consisted of many sharp pointed objects he said.
Then we walked out into Ankh-Morpork, Snikity and Mizrah taking the lead while Nagy walked behind them with us, he seemed interested to hear what Thunderchild had been up to since Nagy had left Gaia.
“It seems like years but it’s only been, what?”
“One year, it was precisely one year three days ago.” I said, well aware of how awkward Thunderchild had felt about the date although he hadn’t told me anything.
“Has it really been only one year? Dear me, so…what has he been up to?”
I sighed but continued without weeping, it was after all, things past. What had gone before had gone before and there was nothing I could do about it except live with the consequences.
“He became a captain in the Lindblum airship fleet, Regent Cid had seen his potential as an airship commander and invited him into the fleet, I can remember the day now. A ceremony, the splendour of which I had never seen before, even Thunderchild was impressed by it all. Then he became the commander of the Hildagarde III, one of Cids most prized airships. This week…today…he was due to leave the Lindblum fleet and transfer to the Alexandrian one to take control of their flagship.”
Nagy put his arm around my shoulder, clearly seeing my sorrow
“It’s ok Domino, he died a hero, it was the way he would have wanted it.”
“But I didn’t want him to go, I loved him, I still love him. Why did he have to leave me behind Nagy? Why did he have to leave me?!” I cried, a tear or two running down my face.
“No-one knows why fate picks such brave people to die, no-one knows the sorrow of those left behind. We just have to try and live life one day at a time, get on with it, get over it. It isn’t easy Domino, I never said it would be, but it’s the only thing you can do.”
I nodded, Nagy spoke the truth, and it sounded as though he was sadly only too aware of the mortality of those who we loved.
As we passed into a street called ‘The Street of Small Gods’, a street I remembered from the last time I was here, I had helped Mizrah take the comatose body of Thunderchild back to her house after he had fallen out of Dragon Trance while saving me.
There were two gentle thuds from behind us, something that went un-noticed by all but myself, I turned and saw Kitiara and Xola standing directly behind me.
“And where did you think you were going without us?” asked Xola
“I’m taking Mizrah, Nagy and Snikity back to Gaia to Thunderchilds funeral.” I said
Kitiara nodded
“We know, we want to join you.”
I wondered how the heck they knew when I only suggested it last night at Nagys house but dismissed it because of the sheer mysterious nature of the pair of Vampyres.
“Xola, Kitiara, what are you doing sneaking up on us. You know full well I had a sharpened wooden stake which I carry around with me.”
Both Vampyres backed off very slightly at the mention of the wooden stake.
“No need to get hasty Mr Nagy, we were just joining you for the ride. After all, we were good friends of Thunderchild.” Said Kitiara quickly
Nagy nodded and relented slightly
“Well, you’re right there, just no blood letting on Gaia, we’re supposed to be their friends.”
Xola relented but Kitiara seemed a little annoyed
“Not even one drop?” she asked with a disappointed tone
Nagy shook his head
“No, not even one.”
Kitiara opened her mouth to protest but Xola shot her a sharp look and she relented with a sigh and a frown.
“Very well, we will come with you.” Said Kitiara with a clearly disappointed look on her face.
As Nagy nodded and turned around again I heard Xola muttered to Kitiara
“It’s for Thunderchild.”
“I know, I know, It’s a good thing we feasted earlier though.”
So we headed on, through the ever narrowing streets of Ankh-Morpork, I couldn’t begin to fathom how Thunderchild knew his way around this place, it was like some kind of giant maze for me and I could see Alex was daunted by it all as well.
Xola and Kitiara moved quietly to either side of me, Kitiara walking between myself and Alex, suddenly I felt very vulnerable.
“Hello Domino,” said Xola in a voice which sent shivers down my spine “I’m glad to see that you’re okay.”
I just nodded, unsure what to say to the strange person.
“Kitiara and I were wondering…how exactly did you and Thunderchild meet?”
“It’s a long story, but the long and short of it is that after Thunderchild was teleported to Gaia, he landed up on the Prima Vista, the theatre ship of the Tantalus gang who I am with. We…we got into a fight…” I said, reminiscing back to the events of last year, the ups and the downs of the conflict with Jara Gedyen.
“You got into a fight?! I find that hard to believe.” Said Kitiara with a look on her face which matched her surprise.
“Yeah, well, he didn’t know of his past then, and my memories of Yissan Gojenta were long since buried. It was during this fight he discovered some of his powers, and we knocked each other out with a psychic blast, then we discovered our past and instantly fell back in love.”
Kitiara frowned and shook her head slightly
“I think I understand.” She said slowly
I stopped, noticing that Nagy, Snikity and Mizrah had stopped in front of us.
“This is the entrance to the Shades, are you all armed appropriately?” asked Snikity as she drew her sword.
“Well, I can try.” I said as I drew my own blade
Xola and Kitiara just grinned as Nagy nodded and we walked into the darkness of the Shades, with unknown dangers facing us.