Cry of the Lost: A Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Tale

Chapter 39

Several hours had passed since Hamilton left the cell, and although Mark had been sitting calmly on the bench the entire time, he now got up and began to pace. After a few minutes, Mark heard the airship's engine rev to a start, and he stopped pacing. Moments later, he felt a rising sensation and realized that the airship had begun to take off. Mark ran to the cell door and began to pound on it, yelling for John at the same time. After no one responded for several minutes, Mark gave up and sat back down on the bench. Suddenly, the door opened and Hamilton entered with a smile on his face.

"Where's Shara?" Mark demanded.

"Guarding the myrrh tree like she was ordered to. I told you, Mark, I wasn't going to harm her. I'm not a monster. I simply asked her if there was going to be any problem with her fulfilling her duties. She said no, and so I allowed her to continue her task. I guess you must have broken her heart pretty bad," Hamilton said with a chuckle.

"You can keep your commentary to yourself, but thanks for not hurting her," Mark said.

"If she does try anything silly though, I told the boys to put her out of her misery. But enough about Shara's fate...let's talk about yours. In case you haven't noticed, I simply cannot bring myself to kill you. Unfortunately, I need to get rid of you somehow. Now there is no way I'm going to let some dog of a soldier do you in while your hands are tied and your eyes are blindfolded. That is no way for a dragon knight to die. But I do know someone who would love to have the chance to get some honorable revenge...you know who I'm talking about?" Hamilton asked.

"Felix..." Mark said.

"Correct! He's up in the Jorgian Mountains collecting myrrh. We're heading there now. We'll make it a fair fight, and hopefully he'll win so I can be rid of you. Otherwise, I might just have to take you to Richter," Hamilton stated.

"Whatever, John. Just leave me alone...please," Mark said quietly.

"As you wish. Rest up...you're gonna need it," Hamilton said as he left and locked the cell.

Mark stretched out on the bench and closed his eyes. He could not stop thinking about Shara, and his mind began to wander through years of memories they had shared. Just as Mark began to fade off to sleep, he was awoken by the sound of the door opening. He slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. There in the doorway stood Curt.

"It took you long enough," Mark said.

"Yeah, well we don't have long. The guard will be back any moment. Come on," Curt whispered.

"How many soldiers are on board?" Mark asked.

"Just one...that jerk that locked you in here," Curt answered as he handed Mark his sword and dagger.

"He must have left the others with Shara," Mark said.

"Yeah...and your brother must really trust Captain Ren," Curt added. "I told you he'd come through for us."

Curt and Mark quietly left the cell and locked it shut. Then they hid behind some nearby crates and waited for the soldier to return. Eventually, the soldier returned and looked into the cell door's window. Not seeing his prisoner inside, the soldier drew his sword and slowly opened the door. After peering inside for a few moments, he turned and scanned the surrounding area. The soldier then locked the cell, turned, and began to make his way back to the bridge to inform Hamilton. He had only taken a few steps when he suddenly felt a hand cover his mouth while a dagger swiftly slit his throat. The soldier dropped to the floor, his blood pooling at Mark's feet.

"Where's everyone else?" Mark asked.

"Still hiding in the crates," Curt replied.

"Well let's get them out! We gotta get John and stop this boat before it gets to the Jorgian Mountains," Mark said.

Curt led the way to a storage room filled with crates. He knocked on two of the crates, and out popped Autumn and Paul.

"It's about dang time! I nearly dozed off in there," Paul said.

"Shut up and come on! We don't have time for lollygagging," Curt chided.

The four friends cautiously made their way to the bridge where they found Ren and the crew. Hamilton was nowhere in sight.

"Captain Ren, where's Hamilton?" Curt asked.

"Glad to see you are all safe! Hamilton went to rest in his cabin," Ren replied.

"Captain Ren, please stop the airship. Keep us aloft in place. That should get his attention," Mark said.

"You're not going to hurt him, are you?" Ren asked.

"No, we won't hurt him. You've been such a great help to us, so you may as well know...Hamilton is my brother," Mark replied.

"Really? Well, now that you mention it, I guess there is some slight resemblance," Ren observed. "Ok. Jimmy, full hover!"

Everyone felt the airship come to halt and hover in place.

"Ok. Curt, Autumn, and Paul...you all hide out on the deck somewhere. Everyone else, just act natural...please," Mark instructed.

Everyone did as instructed, and Mark hid behind an instrumentation panel that was near the doorway that led to the cabin areas. Just as Mark predicted, Hamilton walked into the bridge with a puzzled look on his face.

"Ren, why have we..." Hamilton stopped mid-sentence as he suddenly felt a sharp object lightly press against his back.

"Change of plans, John," Mark said, giving his dagger a little nudge.

"Ren, why did you betray me?" Hamilton asked.

"He hasn't completely betrayed you yet. He's like us...he just wants to know the truth," Curt stated as he entered the bridge with Autumn and Paul.

"And that worthless weasel of a soldier?" Hamilton inquired.

"You should probably just call him worthless now," Mark replied.

"So what now, Mark?" Hamilton asked.

"Now we lock you up until we get some answers," Mark stated.

Mark, Curt, and Paul all escorted Hamilton back to the cell where Mark had been locked up. Several minutes later, Paul returned to the bridge alone.

"The other guys stay to guard Hamilton?" Autumn asked.

"No. They're just cleaning up a little mess they made earlier," Paul said with a slight smile.

"Paul!" Autumn chastised.

"Sorry, sorry," Paul said sheepishly. "Anyway, Captain Ren, Mark asked if you would kindly set a course for Costa Mira please."

"Costa Mira it is," Ren returned.