Thief (6)
Thief
A Strange Old Man
Ven took them south, through alleys and winding little streets that took them further away from the Heartless swarm to the north and east. “But the southern warding gate is still locked,” Aqua said. “We cannot get out this way.”
“Don’t worry, Princess. I’m taking you to Gramps. He’ll know what to do.”
Aqua had never imagined that Ven might have family. He seemed the very picture of a gutter orphan. But she doubted his grandfather would know what to do in this disaster, when Aqua’s own father clearly hadn’t. . . Aqua wiped her eyes clean. There would be time later for that.
Though there were no enormous mobs of Heartless in that part of the city, Terra still never bothered to vanish the Empire Key. He had to destroy a handful of Heartless every block or so. He was an amazing swordsman, Aqua noticed grudgingly. Without her father, without his men, he still had the strength and the temerity to save her life, as easily and silently as a man slicing bread.
But even Terra couldn’t be in two places at once. It was Ven who spotted the Heartless coming up behind them, while Terra was busy in the front. “Princess!” Ven shouted. He started running to put himself between her and them, but there was no weapon where his left hand was reaching. He’d lost his dagger to Terra months ago. Terra’s head snapped around when he heard Ven shout, but he wouldn’t get there in time. So Aqua held out her hands, palms first.
“Thunder.” And there was thunder, shockingly loud, as a stroke of lightning blasted the lead Heartless into nothing. Aqua hesitated for a moment, then focused again. “Thunder.” Another lightning bolt, another destroyed Heartless. “Thunder!” Several bolts came at once, now, with a noise so profound it struck Aqua like a club to the forehead. But when she opened her eyes, all the Heartless in sight were gone, even Terra’s.
Ven blinked, and grinned. “Way to go, Princess!” Terra just looked at her, surprise somehow showing on the blank visor of his helmet.
“A princess of the Empire,” Aqua said, trying not to shout over the ringing in her ears, “does more than sit in the garden all day.” In fact, she’d never tried war magic before. It was shockingly easy, turning her power to destruction. It really was a dark world.
“Good,” Terra said. “It will make keeping you alive much easier. Which way, rat?”
“Left, ape,” Ven answered. “And keeping her alive will be easier if you keep your damn eyes open next time. Come on, we’re almost there.” He led them up the street, to a narrow, immaculately clean house that looked like it was built four or five emperors ago. “Unlock the door.”
Terra turned to Aqua. “What is your command, your Majesty?” he asked formally.
“There is no time for this, Chaser. Do as he. . .”
The door opened on its own. Standing inside was an old man, who reminded Aqua at once of a senator. His back was bent, and there was something grandfatherly about his face and his neat beard, but his eyes were brilliant with age and power. Aqua was instantly, automatically wary.
Ven, though, brightened at once. “Gramps!”
“Ventus. Give me your hand.” He took Ven’s wrist, pressing two fingers below the base of his thumb. Ven did the same to him. “Good,” the old man said. “Come inside, quickly.” Aqua went to follow Ven in, but the old man stepped in her way. “Your hand, please.”
“If you harm her. . .” Terra began.
“It is a simple test,” the old man said. “Powerful Heartless and Nobodies can appear much like their original selves, but Heartless have no solid flesh, and Nobodies have no heartbeat.”
What in the world was a Nobody? But this wasn’t the time for questions; Aqua just held out her hand. The old man touched her wrist for the merest moment. “My apologies,” he said, and let her pass. “Now you, soldier. And show me your eyes.” Terra glared for a moment, then vanished his keyblade and pulled off his helmet and one gauntlet. The old man quickly passed him through.
“I was beginning to fear you’d lost your heart, Ventus,” the old man said.
Ven scuffed his foot on the carpet. “I know it was dangerous, Gramps, but I couldn’t just leave her in there!”
“No, you did exactly right.” He looked at Aqua. “The Princess Aqua, I presume.”
“The Empress,” Aqua corrected quietly.
The man glanced at Terra. The chainless Empire Key was vanished now, but he’d seen it. “Of course,” he said. He gave her a perfect court bow. “My deepest condolences, your Majesty. And so you, I imagine,” he turned to Terra, “are called. . . Chaser Terra?”
“Yes.”
“You are Ven’s grandfather?” Aqua asked.
“We are not kin, despite his rude form of address.” Ven only grinned at the criticism. “I am something like a mentor to him. A fellow traveler, from another turn of the wheel. My name is Urth. Please, sit down. There is much to discuss, and we have some time. Heartless will not enter a closed house until they swarm much thicker than they do now.”
Aqua supposed the furniture was attractive, by common standards, but it was deceptively uncomfortable. She almost envied Terra, who couldn’t sit in his armor anyway. “Something went wrong, Gramps,” Ven said. “Brotherhood’s Chaser went down almost right away, and I think Ragnarok's lost now, too. The palace is totally trashed.”
“The city is lost,” Urth said. “Perhaps all thirteen remaining Chasers together could defeat the Heartless host, but by the time they gather there will be no humans left to save from them.”
“Twelve,” Terra said. Urth looked at him. “There are twelve Chasers remaining. Three at the palace, eight outside the city, and me.”
“Ah, yes,” Urth said after a moment. “One always forgets to subtract the Traitor’s Key.”
“This cannot be allowed,” Aqua said. “If we found Chaser Prime, perhaps we could. . .”
“You could not,” Urth said. “I have seen this too many times. It happens in every turn of the wheel; it cannot be prevented. Fate remembers the breaking of the World That Was. The only hope is to win our way to Kingdom Hearts. With that power, all that has been lost can be restored.”
“Kingdom Hearts. . .” Ven breathed. His eyes were bright, as though he recognized the phrase from a story Aqua didn’t know.
“I don’t understand,” Aqua said.
“This world is doomed, your Majesty,” Urth said. “If you are to have any hope of saving it, you must fly from it.”
“It’s real,” Ven whispered. “It’s all true.”
“It is all, true, Ventus,” Urth agreed. “Hidden nearby is my ship, carved from the heart of a fallen star. It can take us to other worlds. I would have told you before, but I could not be sure until I saw the three of you together.”
“Who are you, old man?” Terra asked harshly. “How do you know so much?”
Urth’s eyes became shadowed. “I have been traveling the worlds for a long time. I have seen all this before. Destiny cannot continue in its course while the World That Was remains broken. It repeats the same story, over and over, different each time but always the same story. I have seen it happen a hundred times, the story of the Hero and the Princess and the Fool of Fate, the story of the keyblades and Kingdom Hearts.”
Terra snorted. “Fairy tales. Why should we believe. . .”
“Look into my eyes!” Urth snapped. “They cannot lie to you, for they are your same eyes. I tell you again, I have seen this happen before. I have seen it happen to me.” His voice became low, and sad, and angry. “We were like you, Skye and Loch and I, and now they are long dead, and I remain. I would see this cycle ended, or burn my soul away in trying.”
Aqua could hear the truth in his voice. She could also hear the rage, and it terrified her. She swallowed, and said, “In any event, if this place is safe from the Heartless for a time, then I must sleep, and perform the Dive to the Heart. I am the Empress, and there must be a new Empire Key.”
Ven looked at the floor. When Aqua had completed the Dive, he would be the only one of the three of them without a keyblade. “Yes,” Urth said after a moment. “Another keyblade would be invaluable. There are beds upstairs; you have an hour. I will prepare the ship.”
She left, and Terra followed her, obviously meaning to guard her as she slept. For once, she didn’t mind. “I mistrust that man,” she whispered.
“So do I.”
Aqua gave him a sidelong look. “Yes, but you mistrust him only because he’s Ven’s friend.”
“He slipped,” Terra whispered, “and included the Traitor’s Key in his count. A suspicious thing, just as we find out that the rat’s full name is Ventus.”
“That is incredible,” Aqua said. “You are grasping at straws. There must be five thousand men named Ventus in the city; I know two others myself. And Ven is thirty years too young. He cannot have even been born when Chaser Ventus vanished.” Terra opened his mouth to argue, and Aqua spoke right over him. “You’re being ridiculous. Ven saved our lives tonight. Concentrate on keeping me safe, and leave him alone.”
Terra bowed his head. “Majesty.” Aqua lifted her chin, and went into the bedroom to sleep. As she closed the door, she heard Terra’s armor clank as he took his silent post.
Chapter 7
A Strange Old Man
Ven took them south, through alleys and winding little streets that took them further away from the Heartless swarm to the north and east. “But the southern warding gate is still locked,” Aqua said. “We cannot get out this way.”
“Don’t worry, Princess. I’m taking you to Gramps. He’ll know what to do.”
Aqua had never imagined that Ven might have family. He seemed the very picture of a gutter orphan. But she doubted his grandfather would know what to do in this disaster, when Aqua’s own father clearly hadn’t. . . Aqua wiped her eyes clean. There would be time later for that.
Though there were no enormous mobs of Heartless in that part of the city, Terra still never bothered to vanish the Empire Key. He had to destroy a handful of Heartless every block or so. He was an amazing swordsman, Aqua noticed grudgingly. Without her father, without his men, he still had the strength and the temerity to save her life, as easily and silently as a man slicing bread.
But even Terra couldn’t be in two places at once. It was Ven who spotted the Heartless coming up behind them, while Terra was busy in the front. “Princess!” Ven shouted. He started running to put himself between her and them, but there was no weapon where his left hand was reaching. He’d lost his dagger to Terra months ago. Terra’s head snapped around when he heard Ven shout, but he wouldn’t get there in time. So Aqua held out her hands, palms first.
“Thunder.” And there was thunder, shockingly loud, as a stroke of lightning blasted the lead Heartless into nothing. Aqua hesitated for a moment, then focused again. “Thunder.” Another lightning bolt, another destroyed Heartless. “Thunder!” Several bolts came at once, now, with a noise so profound it struck Aqua like a club to the forehead. But when she opened her eyes, all the Heartless in sight were gone, even Terra’s.
Ven blinked, and grinned. “Way to go, Princess!” Terra just looked at her, surprise somehow showing on the blank visor of his helmet.
“A princess of the Empire,” Aqua said, trying not to shout over the ringing in her ears, “does more than sit in the garden all day.” In fact, she’d never tried war magic before. It was shockingly easy, turning her power to destruction. It really was a dark world.
“Good,” Terra said. “It will make keeping you alive much easier. Which way, rat?”
“Left, ape,” Ven answered. “And keeping her alive will be easier if you keep your damn eyes open next time. Come on, we’re almost there.” He led them up the street, to a narrow, immaculately clean house that looked like it was built four or five emperors ago. “Unlock the door.”
Terra turned to Aqua. “What is your command, your Majesty?” he asked formally.
“There is no time for this, Chaser. Do as he. . .”
The door opened on its own. Standing inside was an old man, who reminded Aqua at once of a senator. His back was bent, and there was something grandfatherly about his face and his neat beard, but his eyes were brilliant with age and power. Aqua was instantly, automatically wary.
Ven, though, brightened at once. “Gramps!”
“Ventus. Give me your hand.” He took Ven’s wrist, pressing two fingers below the base of his thumb. Ven did the same to him. “Good,” the old man said. “Come inside, quickly.” Aqua went to follow Ven in, but the old man stepped in her way. “Your hand, please.”
“If you harm her. . .” Terra began.
“It is a simple test,” the old man said. “Powerful Heartless and Nobodies can appear much like their original selves, but Heartless have no solid flesh, and Nobodies have no heartbeat.”
What in the world was a Nobody? But this wasn’t the time for questions; Aqua just held out her hand. The old man touched her wrist for the merest moment. “My apologies,” he said, and let her pass. “Now you, soldier. And show me your eyes.” Terra glared for a moment, then vanished his keyblade and pulled off his helmet and one gauntlet. The old man quickly passed him through.
“I was beginning to fear you’d lost your heart, Ventus,” the old man said.
Ven scuffed his foot on the carpet. “I know it was dangerous, Gramps, but I couldn’t just leave her in there!”
“No, you did exactly right.” He looked at Aqua. “The Princess Aqua, I presume.”
“The Empress,” Aqua corrected quietly.
The man glanced at Terra. The chainless Empire Key was vanished now, but he’d seen it. “Of course,” he said. He gave her a perfect court bow. “My deepest condolences, your Majesty. And so you, I imagine,” he turned to Terra, “are called. . . Chaser Terra?”
“Yes.”
“You are Ven’s grandfather?” Aqua asked.
“We are not kin, despite his rude form of address.” Ven only grinned at the criticism. “I am something like a mentor to him. A fellow traveler, from another turn of the wheel. My name is Urth. Please, sit down. There is much to discuss, and we have some time. Heartless will not enter a closed house until they swarm much thicker than they do now.”
Aqua supposed the furniture was attractive, by common standards, but it was deceptively uncomfortable. She almost envied Terra, who couldn’t sit in his armor anyway. “Something went wrong, Gramps,” Ven said. “Brotherhood’s Chaser went down almost right away, and I think Ragnarok's lost now, too. The palace is totally trashed.”
“The city is lost,” Urth said. “Perhaps all thirteen remaining Chasers together could defeat the Heartless host, but by the time they gather there will be no humans left to save from them.”
“Twelve,” Terra said. Urth looked at him. “There are twelve Chasers remaining. Three at the palace, eight outside the city, and me.”
“Ah, yes,” Urth said after a moment. “One always forgets to subtract the Traitor’s Key.”
“This cannot be allowed,” Aqua said. “If we found Chaser Prime, perhaps we could. . .”
“You could not,” Urth said. “I have seen this too many times. It happens in every turn of the wheel; it cannot be prevented. Fate remembers the breaking of the World That Was. The only hope is to win our way to Kingdom Hearts. With that power, all that has been lost can be restored.”
“Kingdom Hearts. . .” Ven breathed. His eyes were bright, as though he recognized the phrase from a story Aqua didn’t know.
“I don’t understand,” Aqua said.
“This world is doomed, your Majesty,” Urth said. “If you are to have any hope of saving it, you must fly from it.”
“It’s real,” Ven whispered. “It’s all true.”
“It is all, true, Ventus,” Urth agreed. “Hidden nearby is my ship, carved from the heart of a fallen star. It can take us to other worlds. I would have told you before, but I could not be sure until I saw the three of you together.”
“Who are you, old man?” Terra asked harshly. “How do you know so much?”
Urth’s eyes became shadowed. “I have been traveling the worlds for a long time. I have seen all this before. Destiny cannot continue in its course while the World That Was remains broken. It repeats the same story, over and over, different each time but always the same story. I have seen it happen a hundred times, the story of the Hero and the Princess and the Fool of Fate, the story of the keyblades and Kingdom Hearts.”
Terra snorted. “Fairy tales. Why should we believe. . .”
“Look into my eyes!” Urth snapped. “They cannot lie to you, for they are your same eyes. I tell you again, I have seen this happen before. I have seen it happen to me.” His voice became low, and sad, and angry. “We were like you, Skye and Loch and I, and now they are long dead, and I remain. I would see this cycle ended, or burn my soul away in trying.”
Aqua could hear the truth in his voice. She could also hear the rage, and it terrified her. She swallowed, and said, “In any event, if this place is safe from the Heartless for a time, then I must sleep, and perform the Dive to the Heart. I am the Empress, and there must be a new Empire Key.”
Ven looked at the floor. When Aqua had completed the Dive, he would be the only one of the three of them without a keyblade. “Yes,” Urth said after a moment. “Another keyblade would be invaluable. There are beds upstairs; you have an hour. I will prepare the ship.”
She left, and Terra followed her, obviously meaning to guard her as she slept. For once, she didn’t mind. “I mistrust that man,” she whispered.
“So do I.”
Aqua gave him a sidelong look. “Yes, but you mistrust him only because he’s Ven’s friend.”
“He slipped,” Terra whispered, “and included the Traitor’s Key in his count. A suspicious thing, just as we find out that the rat’s full name is Ventus.”
“That is incredible,” Aqua said. “You are grasping at straws. There must be five thousand men named Ventus in the city; I know two others myself. And Ven is thirty years too young. He cannot have even been born when Chaser Ventus vanished.” Terra opened his mouth to argue, and Aqua spoke right over him. “You’re being ridiculous. Ven saved our lives tonight. Concentrate on keeping me safe, and leave him alone.”
Terra bowed his head. “Majesty.” Aqua lifted her chin, and went into the bedroom to sleep. As she closed the door, she heard Terra’s armor clank as he took his silent post.
Chapter 7