UnShaekable (FFXII)

XIV) Crumbling Down

I wince as a grain of sand crunches between my teeth, the scorching metal I sit on burning my skin through my thin clothing. The shade hardly provides enough shelter from the heat, not that that's my biggest issue at the moment. I can handle some dry desert weather. However, the snarky remarks about sky pirates from our newly-acquired Vossler, the bickering of Vaan and Penelo, and the muttering between Balthier and Fran all have me on edge.

Basch leans against the wall beside me, watching Ashe talk to Vossler from a distance with rueful eyes. When Vossler first found us resting on a bridge, having chased us down unexpectedly, he half-lectured Basch about associating himself and the princess with sky pirates and failing "Her Majesty." After that, the knights avoided each other. Balthier and Fran spotted an incoming tribe of Urutan-Yensa riding across the waves of the sand sea and we bolted. From that point, we killed each little creature that stood in our path, as they were the utmost unfriendly of beings. The desert tends to be as unforgiving as its sun.

"What's up?" Vaan asks dryly, slouching beside me and taking a lazy drink from his water bag. Swiping a drop off his chin with the back of his hand, he offers the bag. I accept it, taking a long drink of the warm water.

"Just regaining my strength," I sigh, leaning my head against the rusted iron wall behind me and watching Balthier pace restlessly. "Though, it's really not necessary. I could continue for hours at this rate."

"Used to hoofing it?"

"I suppose you could say that."

"Huh," Vaan huffs, pushing his sweaty hair out of his tanned face. "I've lived here my whole life and I'm still dying. Just a little bit, though," he adds with a sheepish grin. I smile, handing his water back.

"I don't blame you. This isn't my... preferred climate, but," I shrug, "it's what we've got to do to get to Raithwall's, isn't it?"

"Unless we had your partner's stone," he nods, crossing his arms behind his head. "But he's not here." His eyes brighten and he turns to me with a hopeful face. "Hey, is it still on your ship?"

"No," I mutter, noticing the slight change in Balthier's walk as he listens in. "It's a long story, however..." I shake my head. "To put it short, an old friend of mine stole it." Suppressing bitter memories, I scowl up at the sky pirate. "You could be a little less obvious."

"I wasn't trying to hide anything," Balthier counters, coming to a stop and looping his thumbs through his belt loops. "Your friend... The same gentleman who stopped you in Rabanastre, by chance?"

"Yeah," I breathe, eyes flickering to Basch's intrigued face. "The name's Jonan. He wasn't always like that, you know. I knew him when he was about Lord Larsa's age."

"No one remains the same for that long," the pirate murmurs, tossing a glance toward Ashe. "Are you ready to depart? We should be nearing it soon."

Vaan groans, dragging himself up. He offers me a hand and I take it, pulling myself to my feet. Penelo skips past me, grabbing her friend's arm defensively and shooting me a weary look. I roll my eyes, cringing as another grain of sand scrapes my teeth.

It's another long dredging drag through the sand before we cross from the complete darkness of a small cave and into the light of a massive, towering temple. Awed, I step into the light, watching the sun reflect off of polished, preserved pillars of sandstone. Eight aligned perfectly lead up to a domed square tomb decorated with spikes and towers and bars. The massive walls of a hidden, rocky valley rise up around us, hiding us from the view of the world. A secret haven.

I reach out a hand and my fingers brush against one of the massive pillars; I shudder. I can practically hear the power emitting from this place. Ashe sticks close to Vossler and the knight eyes me with distrust. Penelo cries out, pointing toward something in the sky.