Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ The Legend of Zelda: Masquerade ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Link yawned as he relaxed against the inn roof. A cool night wind carried the first breaths of the coming Fall. Below him, he could hear the sounds of celebration; above, the stars twinkled peacefully. He sighed contentedly and closed his eyes. It was the soft footfalls near his head that alerted him to Sheik’s arrival. Opening one eye he looked up at the man in blue.

“All that work to draw out these people and you retreat to the roof during the party.” Sheik sank down next to him. “But I suppose you’ve earned a bit of peace and quiet.”

The corner of Link’s mouth twitched. “I’ve just been thinking about what Jasper said.”

Sheik stretched out beside him and began tracing constellations with his fingers. “To what end? You don’t know much about the goings on in the court – lucky bastard – and even I’ve never seen or heard of someone like he’s described.”

“You think he was confused?”

Sheik’s eyes roved the sky for a few minutes. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Hero, but we are kind of out in the sticks here. Anyone from a higher class could have looked like nobility to him.”

Link gave him a dry look. “Now why would that offend me?”

“I’m just saying we can’t take him absolutely at his word.”

Link pushed his breath out. “Which makes the odds of finding these guys a lot worse.” Sheik grunted in agreement. “So what do we do?”

“Nothing,” Sheik answered flatly.

“But–”

“Until we can find the guys who did this, there isn’t anything we can do. For now, let’s focus on that artifact.”

Link sighed again, this time in frustration. “You’re right.”

Sheik sat up and smiled. “I always am, Hero.” Link calmly shoved him. Sheik laughed as he tumbled a few feet away before settling on the roof again. As he opened his mouth to respond, he froze. Link bolted upright. Sheik turned and stared over his left shoulder with a horrified look like Link had never seen before. Creeping forward silently, Link saw what had caught his attention.
“Sweet merciful Faroru! What is that?”

Coming up the main street in a stilted stalk was a dog. Or at least it had been a dog once. Mostly bones, with only scraps of rotting skin clinging to the bleached bones, and empty eye sockets glowing with fierce pinpoints of red light, it moved quietly down the middle of the dirt road. Its jaw was slightly open in what might have been a snarl on a living creature.

Then the screaming started.

A young woman, only a summer or two younger than Link, was the first villager to spot the beast. Her terrified, high-pitched shriek made Link’s ears ring, even from on top of the roof. “So much for a few moments of quiet observation.”

Link lunged off the roof, rolling as he hit the ground and drew his sword in one smooth motion. The dog, such that it was, seemed unperturbed by all the activity, keeping its pace even as it stalked closer. Link waved his sword threateningly, but the thing was non-pulsed by the action.

A rock the size of an egg zipped over his shoulder and struck the dog in the skull. It rocked back from the impact and stopped for a moment, almost as if perplexed, then moved on. Link glanced back to see Sheik holding both swords in one hand, while bouncing another rock in the other. Sheik shrugged helplessly.

Curious, Link took several strides closer to the creature. He was about ten feet away when the head turned with a creak of bone on bone, and the red lights in the empty sockets grew larger and brighter. The dog opened its jaws in a silent roar and lunged. Automatically, Link brought his sword up and sliced the creature’s head off.

The dog collapsed into a heap of bones while the skull bounced down the street, the red lights gone from the eyes. Link skewered the skull on the Master Sword through the now truly empty sockets and lifted it for closer inspection. If he had not seen it walking around just moments ago, he would have thought it a perfectly normal skull of a long deceased beast.

Sheik took the skull from him with one of his own swords, also seemingly hesitant to touch the thing, and studied it as well. “Magic, it has to be.”

“But how?”

Sheik shook his head and let the skull slide from his blade and back to the ground. “I’m more concerned with the why, Hero. Holy Din!” The skull at his feet was abruptly covered by earth and vanished. All around them there was a creak and clatter of bones. Link and Sheik turned back to back, facing out into a small sea of skeletal beasts that rose from the ground around them. Most were like the one they had just seen, but a few in the back were as large as draft horses. All of them had eyes that glowed bright red.

“Everyone inside!” Link ordered as he raised his sword and shield. The beasts charged. Keeping their backs together, Link and Sheik met the attack. Bones broke as steel cut. Skulls tumbled to the ground and skeletons clattered into heaps. It took only fifteen minutes for them to lay the fleshless army to waste.

Both men stood among the scattered bones, panting. Sheik wiped his brow on the back of his blue-clothed arm. “That was odd.”

“Well, at least we don’t have to bathe again.” Link offered.

Sheik began to reply, but was interrupted as the bones around them vanished into the earth with a great clatter. Then the ground groaned and more skeletal dogs rose up. “Oh, shit.”

Link struck out with his sword, cutting down the first of the dogs. “How exactly do we beat something we can’t kill?”

“Magic?” Sheik suggested as he struck out with his foot, decapitating one of the beasts.

Link grunted as one of the horse-sized beasts rammed his shield. “What kind?”

Sheik did not answer as he was attacked by three skeletons at once. “Go with Light, it’s the trump card.”

Link nodded as he spun his sword and pushed magic into the blade. The mirror bright sword began to glow golden, lighting up the street and casting everything into sharp relief.  “LIGHT!” Link yelled, unleashing the power in all directions in a blaze that turned night into day. In the power’s wake, the skeletons had vanished.

Sheik tucked his twin swords away. “That’s how to show them, Hero.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, I’m the best. You may fall on your knees and worship me now,” Link laughed.

Sheik snorted. “I’ll worship your ass right after I kiss Meredith full on the mouth.” The ground rumbled underfoot. “Oh, for Din’s sake, you have got to be kidding me!” Skeletons again rose from the ground.

“What is this? A curse?” Link snapped as The Master Sword sang out of its sheath again.

Sheik glanced at him as the beasts closed in. “Maybe it is. Could you dispel it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Try. I’ll cover you.”

Link took a deep breath and nodded. Together they began to move, shifting towards a building that would guard their backs as Sheik took on the beasts full force. It had been a long time since he had witnessed Sheik in full battle form. He practically flew over the ground, his twin blades invisible as they slashed and blocked with graceful ease.

Pulling his mind away from the fight and focusing on the task at hand, Link raised his sword and closed his eyes. He could feel the warm hum of the sword, something he had grown so used to he only felt it now when he concentrated. Right now the hum was quick, agitated, anxious. He pushed past that, feeling for the part of the sword that reacted to the whole of Hyrule. It came to him as a low throb that was more of an echo in his bones then a vibration against his skin. The Master Sword suddenly felt very heavy.

The tip of the sword brushed the ground and he felt it, like a stone striking the blade, a darkness echoing up the metal and into his arm. He could feel it as it wrapped around his hand, crawling under his skin and seeping into his bones. The blade and his skin both turned black. Reflexively, he shoved back, fighting the darkness with light. His skin and the blade returned to normal, and where the blade touched, the ground began to glow. But as soon as he stopped, the darkness began to creep back in.

Link picked up his sword, then shoved it into the ground and put both hands on the pommel. Closing his eyes, he gathered all the magic he could find, pulling it from all around him. As he worked he felt the darkness reach the blade again. It slid up the blade like slime. Just as it reached the hilt, Link lashed out.

Light slammed down the blade and out into the earth, racing outward. As it passed under the beasts they collapsed to the ground. The light rushed on, racing across the land of Hyrule and beyond. When Link could no longer feel it moving away he opened his eyes. The world was a blur and his ears were ringing. He saw a brief image of Sheik walking towards him, then the ground rushed up at him.

Sheik swore as Link fainted, dropping his own swords to catch the younger man before he hit the ground. He grunted from the effort; the little farmboy had put on a lot of muscle recently. He set the other man on the ground and retrieved his own swords, but it quickly became apparent that the beasts would not rise again. He put his swords away and retrieved a scrap of thick wool from his pouch, wrapping it around his hand.

“I’m just going to put you away, so play nice,” he huffed and grabbed the Master Sword by the hilt. He yanked it from the ground and, after wiping it against his leg to removed the dirt, shoved it back into its sheath.

&&&

“You swoon like a schoolgirl.”

Link rolled over to see Sheik sitting on the windowsill, one leg hanging out into nothing, while he watched the sky and ate a biscuit. He was not sure how long he had been out, but the sun was already high in the sky. Stretching, he sat up and rubbed his stiff neck, a smile on his lips.

“It must be hard work, being the lowly sidekick of the Great Hero of Hyrule. I understand your jealousy.”

Sheik pulled up his mask as he turned towards the room, his eyes narrowed. “Careful, Hero. I can still kick your farmboy ass in thirty seconds flat.” Link chuckled as he climbed out of bed. “Good to see you can lift curses in a pinch, though.”

“I didn’t lift it,” Link admitted with a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know how.”

Sheik frowned. “Then what did you do?”

“Diluted it with Light.”

“I don’t follow,” Sheik said as he stepped to the floor and came to stand in front of Link.

Link stood and stretched his sore muscles. “Think of it like putting a drop of blood in a barrel of water, then stirring it around. The blood is still there, even though you can’t see it.”

“Crass, but I get your point.” Sheik shook his head. “Another thing to deal with at another time. Let’s get out of this town before something else happens.” He nodded towards their belongings that he had obviously packed while Link slept. “I’ve already made our goodbyes.”

It took a little more than an hour for them to get out to the village. Though they had been greeted with fear and silence, people came out of the woodwork to bid them farewell. By noon they had left the farmlands and were once again in the open spans of Hyrule Field. They found a grove of trees where they could stop for lunch. Link broke some cheese and bread from their supplies and leaned back against a tree.

“How far to Lake Hylia?” he asked lazily.

Sheik looked up at the sky, then scanned the horizon. “Before nightfall, if we ride hard. But I don’t think there is a good place to stop between here and there.”

Link shrugged. “We’ve slept in the open before.”

Sheik smiled. “It’s not that. There have just been reports of bandits in the area. Officially, if I tangle with them, I have to arrest them. And that is a pain in the ass.”

“What bandit in his right mind would attack us?” Link asked incredulously as he broke off a bite of bread. “Discreet we aren’t.” He put the bread in his mouth.
“True,” Sheik agreed. “But most people become bandits because they lack the brains for much else.”

Link chewed thoughtfully for a few minutes, then shrugged. “Then let’s head for the lake. Traveling in the dark hasn’t killed me yet and I’m not feeling the need to kill people if I don’t have to.”

“Works for me,” Sheik agreed, sitting down next to Link and pulling down his mask to enjoy his own lunch. Link noted that he sat so the scarred side of his face was out of view.

They sat in silence for several long minutes, watching the horses graze and enjoying their meal. Finally, Link heaved a sigh and turned to the other man. “Will you beat my ass if I ask about your face?”

Sheik glanced at him without turning, his lips curled up in a smile. “I never need an excuse to beat your ass, Hero.” The smile faded. “But I’d prefer you didn’t.”

Link looked back at the horses, licking his lips thoughtfully. “Did Meredith do it?”

It was Sheik’s turn to sigh. “You won’t let this go, will you.” It was not a question. “No, not Meredith.”

Link glanced at him again. “Ganon?”

Sheik snorted. “No, I’d be proud of it then.”

“Thorvald.” Link’s expression darkened.  Sheik nodded. “I should have let you kill him.”

Sheik let out a bark of laughter. “No, Hero, you had it right the first time. But I appreciate the sentiment.”

They finished their meal and collected their horses. The ride to Lake Hylia was peaceful and uneventful. The sun sank lower in the sky as they made their way into the canyon that would  lead them to the lakefront. The only river that fed into the lake crashed noisily beside them, sending up a chilling spray of fine mist. Overhead an evening storm rumbled and threatened to drench the land.

They took no notice of the small branch that snapped beneath the horses’ hooves, or the sudden rush of air behind them. They did, however, take note when the log hit them both from behind and sent them tumbling over the heads of their horses. Both equines panicked and bolted. There was another snap and another log fell from the cliffs above, dragging up the leaf-covered net they had landed on, and hit the water with a splash. Link and Sheik slammed against each other as the small net closed. Leaves spilled to the ground below in a quiet rustle unheard over the rushing water.

Link pushed off Sheik’s chest and grabbed a side of the net, bringing himself to a more upright position. Sheik grunted and rubbed his head as he righted himself as well. “I don’t care what happens, we never speak of this moment again.”

“Well, lookie at the pretty fish we caught in our net, boys.”

Link and Sheik looked down. About six feet below stood a group of over a dozen men in various states of filthy dress. They had threadbare pants and old boots. Some had tunics, some did not. All were armed with swords that appeared to be Royal guard castoffs, crudely made bows, and hand-crafted daggers. Two of the men in the back of the group were holding Blu and Nightfire.

“Looks like a couple of richies,” another man, with a large belly that overlapped his rope belt, laughed.

Sheik snorted. “All you caught in your net is a pair of tigers.”

The man who appeared to be the leader, with his relatively clean and nice clothes, gave a sharp laugh. “Aww, the riches think that they can use those swords of theirs. How about we make a deal, Richie. These be some nice horses you got here. We’ll be taking them and all the rupees in your purses, and you get to walk away without a scratch on your well polished swords.”

“Get your hands off my horse,” Link snarled.

“Now, now, Richie, it don’t have to be like that.” He made a motion to the man behind him and was given a battered pike. “Now, be good boys and tied your purses onto this, then we can talk about getting you down.”

Link and Sheik exchanged looks as the pike’s head poked through the net uncomfortably close to Link’s thigh. Sheik nodded and Link grabbed the spearhead and yanked, pulling the surprised bandit off balance. Then Link shoved, jamming the pole hard into the man’s gut. The bandit grunted in pain, then shoved back on the pike. Link went with the motion, using it to relieve the man of his weapon. He smiled at the cursing bandit.

The man snatched a second pike from one of the men and jabbed it viciously at Link. There was a flash of sunlight on steel and both pike and net were cut easily in two. Both men landed on their feet, weapons drawn.

“Let’s try a new deal,” Sheik offered with a smile. “You let the horses go and run away now, and we won’t chase you.”

“Aren’t you a little outnumbered to be so cocky, Richie?” the leader asked, unsheathing his battered sword. The other men did the same. Link and Sheik exchanged looks. “Kill them and take anything of value.” The group of men surged forward, weapons raised.

Link caught one man on his shield and blocked another man’s attack with his sword. He shoved hard, tumbling both men back into their companions. A sickle on a chain whipped past his head and then snapped back. Link ducked, but still lost his hat as it was neatly sliced in two. When the sickle made a return trip, he struck out with his sword, wrapping the chain around the blade and giving it a firm yank. The man wielding it stumbled forward in surprise, knocking two more men off their feet as he fell.

Shaking the chain off, Link caught a blow from a dagger on his shield as he made a swipe with his sword, cleaving the man’s arm off. Without hesitating, he spun on his heel and slammed the blade home through another man’s chest. Placing his foot against the man’s stomach he pulled his sword free, using the momentum to crush another attacker’s nose with his elbow.

There was a shout and the men scattered, leaving behind the horses and those who could not keep up. Link watched them go with a frown, then looked down at the man lying at his feet. His sword dripped blood onto the grass. The man looked back at him without seeing as he gasped for his final breaths; blood seeped between his lips and he made an odd gurgling sound. Link felt sick as he backed up a step.

Sheik looked up from wiping blood off his swords. “You okay, Hero?” Link only shook his head as he looked between his bloody sword and the dead man. Sheik sighed and tucked his sword away. “Not all monsters have fangs and claws, Link.”

“But...he...”

“Would have killed you given the chance.” He thrust a rag into Link’s hand as he walked over to the horses.

“We can’t leave them here...like this,” Link protested as he cleaned his sword.

Sheik rolled his shoulders as he mounted his horse. “Don’t worry; their friends will be back for them.”

Link hesitated. “How do you know?”

Sheik motioned for him to mount. “Because,” he went on as Link climbed onto his horse. “These men are like family. They have little but each other and will go to great lengths to protect that.” Link looked over his shoulder at the bodies still lying by the river and shuddered.

&&&

Link slowly twisted his sword in the dirt, watching as the tip dug out a perfect conical divot. The moon was high and its silver light rippled across the surface of Lake Hylia. He knew what lay beneath the peaceful surface like few did.

“You haven’t said anything in over three hours, Link,” Sheik said as he sat by the fire. “Still sulking?”

“There are monster that live in that water, below the calm surface, ready to kill anyone who gets close.”

Sheik raised an eyebrow. “You did not just wax poetic about yourself as the lake, because if you did, I will beat your ass.”

“You expect me not to feel anything after killing a man?”

Sheik calmly slid a sword from its sheath and began to slide a whetstone over the blade. “No. But I don’t expect you to sulk, either. You’ve killed before, lots of times and for many reasons. How is this any different?”

“He was...Hyrulian.”

“Yes. So? Does that endow him with some magical right to harm and kill others without consequences or fear of rebuff? We wear our swords openly Link, and we make no secret of who we are. They chose to attack us.”

“How can you be so callous?” Link snapped.

Sheik looked up from his stone. “Do you think only things with fangs and claws threaten the Princess?” Link stared at him, mouth working without sound. “Don’t look so surprised. More than one of her political opponents has sent an assassin after her. If she were perfectly safe in that castle, she’d have no use for me.”

“Then what are you doing out here with me?”

“For one, she’s not completely helpless. For another, I didn’t leave her unguarded.”

Link let out a sigh and returned to watching his sword dig into the ground. “Does it get easier?”

Sheik did not answer as he put one sword away and brought out the other. “Everything gets easier with practice.” Link frowned. “Just try not to think about it too much, Hero. Get some sleep and the morning will look better.”

“Okay.”

Link woke the next morning with Sheik’s boot nudging him in the ribs. Groaning, he swung absently at the older man who easily dodged. “Wake up, before we miss the best time.”

Link rolled over and glared at him. “Best time for what?”

“Fishing.”

Link blinked at him then slowly sat up. “We fish all the time.”

“But not in Hylia. Get up.”

Rubbing his eyes, Link stretched and grabbed his clothes, including an extra hat. After dressing, Link wandered down to the shore to find Sheik baiting the hooks with some grubs. He took the proffered rod and flopped down on the lakebank. The sand was cool and moist from the morning dew and a warm fog rolled off the water. He cast his line as far as the simple cane pole would allow and waited.

The sun crept higher in the sky, clearing the fog and warming the sand. After a while, Link kicked off his boots and let his feet rest in the shallow water. The sand around him warmed as it remained cool under him. Relaxing, he closed his eyes, keeping one hand on his pole as he began to doze.

A slight tug at his line startled him awake. Link sat up, surprised to see his bobber dipping sharply into the water. “Hey, I caught something!” he said in loud whisper. Sheik stirred, having fallen asleep as well.

“Bring it in, Hero,” he said groggily. Link nodded and when the bobber next dipped below the water, he pulled; and was promptly yanked off the bank and into the water. Link came up sputtering. Kaimana came up next to him, laughing. Sheik cackled, and Link glared at both of them in turn.

“Water,” he growled. The lake surged up around him, throwing the Zoran Prince onto the bank and drenching Sheik in the process. It did nothing to squelch their laughter, but made Link feel better.

“Your magic has gotten much better,” Kaimana said when he got control over himself. “What brings you both back to Hylia?”

“Errand for Zelda,” Sheik said, wringing the water from his clothes.

“She wanted fish?” Kaimana asked. “Isn’t sending you two a bit overkill?”

Link snorted as he shook the water from his hat. “Nah, there’s a crazy duke from another country at the castle. He claims an artifact was stolen from his people and hidden somewhere in Hyrule.”

Kaimana pursed his lips, his good humor fading. “You too? It must be very important to have so many people looking for it.”

It was Sheik’s turn to frown. “Who else is looking?”
“Archelaus Thorvald has been asking about it. He’s being very... persistent.”

Sheik swore and Link sneered. “What does he want with it?”

“I don’t even know what it is,” Kaimana confessed as he slipped back into the water. “If I did, I would have given it to him a long time ago, just to get him out from under my scales.”

“Wish we could tell you,” Link said as he sat back down on the bank. “Our only clue is that it is found ‘where the earth meets the sky.’”

Kaimana made a face and floated on his back in the water. “Okay, I can see why you would come here, but why would Meredith come to our Domain?”

“He’s an idiot,” Link offered.

Sheik snorted. “No, he’s lazy. He wants the Zora to do the work of finding it and just hand it over to him.”

“Regardless,” Kaimana sighed. “What am I going to do about him? I don’t have anything to give him, and he refuses to leave. And the servant with him is... strange.”

“Strange how?” Link asked as he summoned a bit of water from the lake and bounced it between his hands like a ball.

“He’s...not right. Almost completely covers his face, and his eyes...creepy.”

Link and Sheik exchanged looks. “Does he wear black and red?” Sheik asked.

“Yeah,” Kiamana responded with surprise, sitting up in the water again. “You know him?”

Sheik frowned. “We know his handiwork. Take us to them, we need to chat.”

The Zora snorted. “I know that tone. You are going to chat with your fists.”

Sheik grinned. “Would that be a problem?”

“Not as long as I get to hold him down.”

&&&

They surfaced inside the large pool of the Zora’s Domain and Link and Sheik pulled down their breathing cloths. After tucking their horses safely away in a stable the Zora had set up at the lake, they had swum through the underwater caverns that connected the Domain with the lake. It had taken hours. Link suspected Kaimana could have swum it in a third of the time had he been alone.

The cavern still glowed blue with luminescent moss and the roar of the waterfall filled the air. Other Zora rose in the water around them, greeting their prince and bowing to Link and Sheik. The Prince gestured to a Zora with sea-green fins and told him to have the royal guest rooms prepared.

“That really isn’t necessary,” Link pointed out.

“And ruin a perfectly good chance to piss off his Royal Highness? I think not,” Kaimana replied. He led them to the far side of the pool and up a narrow ledge that almost circled the main pool before disappearing behind the waterfall. The room was huge, taking up most of the side of the cliff. Large, shallow pools covered in floating plants served as beds alongside traditional straw mattress wrapped in fine silk sheets and warm woolen blankets. How they kept those dry with the waterfall forming a large window, Link could only guess. Also in the room was a writing desk and a wardrobe.

“Dibs on the bed,” Link said.

“Flip you for it?” Sheik asked with a wide grin.

Link dodged out of reach. “Not a chance.” Kaimana laughed and shook his head as he walked away. Link waited for the Zoran prince to disappear before turning back to Sheik. “So, what is the game plan here?”

“Wait and watch.”

“I will not be kept waiting a moment longer!” Archelaus’s voice echoed around the cavern from behind the waterfall. “I demand to speak to the council this instant!”

“Or, not,” Sheik finished. They moved back out from behind the waterfall to see that Archelaus and a man dressed in black from head to toe had stopped Kaimana at the bottom of the ramp. The Zoran prince had his arms crossed and his posture stiff.

“And I have told you, the council has been called,” Kaimana spoke as if through clenched teeth. “However, as I have told you before, Ikaika and Tangaroa have traveled out of the kingdom and will not be back until the new moon. So you will have to wait.”

“Here it comes,” Sheik said in a loud whisper that carried easily. Link bit his cheek to keep from laughing. “I’ve heard this speech before. ‘Don’t you know who I am?! Blah blah blah Lord Thorvald’s son. Blah blah blah bow down and kiss my ass.’”

Archealus’s eyes snapped to them and he sneered. The man in black looked at them as well, but what little they could see of his expression remained neutral. “What are you doing here?!” he snarled.
“Judging by the fun little encounter we had with your father, I’d say you already know.” Sheik advanced on the other men with a casual air. Link followed, his teeth still closed over his laughter. “But unlike you, we know the Zora don’t have it. So if you will move your royal ass off the road, we are going to go find a hot meal and get some good rest before we set out again.” He pushed between the two men, knocking Archealus off the ledge and into the pool below. “Oopsie.” The man in black glared. Below, Archealus came up sputtering and cursing.

“I’d say that was unnecessary, but I’m sure you don’t care,” Link said even as he grinned.

“Not one damn bit, Hero.”

It did not take long for them to find a Zora who could guide them through the maze of tunnels and pools to what passed as a Zoran kitchen. It was a large room, half sunken and filled with water. The pool was part garden, part aquarium, and part insectarium. Hundreds of fish swam in and out of a forest of water plants, while water bugs darted about or glided over the surface. A Zora swam gracefully among the plants as well, doing what looked very much like gardening.

The other side of the room looked almost like the kitchen in Hyrule Castle. Pots and pans hung from the low ceiling, a fire burned in a pit with a chimney taking the smoke out, and the largest Zora Link had ever seen was giving them a huge smile. “What can I get for the Hero of Hyrule and the Princess’ personal guard?”

Link’s stomach growled. “Anything hot and fresh. I’ve had my fill of travel food.”

The Zora clapped his hands and the one tending to the garden surfaced. “For the special guests we have special fish. Hyrulian Loach. Now, shoo.” He waved them out of the kitchen. “Go make yourselves comfortable and I will bring it to you.” They found themselves whisked into another room. It took Link a minute to realize it was the council room, but the table and chairs had been removed. In their place was a much less ornate set up.

Kaimana was perched at the head of the table, a big grin splitting his thin lips. “Brilliant.”

“Don’t encourage him,” Link snorted.

“Encourage? Never. Help? Absolutely.”

Link rolled his eyes. “Fine, you have to widen the tunnels so we can get his head through.” Link ducked as Sheik took a swing at him. Kaimana laughed. Link straightened his tunic with dignity while sticking his tongue out at Sheik. “So, who is short, dark, and creepy?”

Kaimana shrugged. “Archealus calls him Serkan. Never seen him before. For all I can tell, he’s mute.”

“I’ve never seen him before either,” Sheik added.
Link wrinkled his nose as he sat down to Kaimana’s left. “Something isn’t right about him. He makes my skin crawl.”

Sheik sighed as he sat down opposite Link and the room suddenly grew tense. “I suppose he would. He’s a Shadow magic user. They are rare and you have probably never met one before besides those witches.”

“So he’s evil?”

Sheik shook his head. “It’s not that simple, Hero. Shadow magic, like all the others, is not inherently evil. Wind can scatter pollen and seeds, but too much causes destructive tornados. Everything in the world needs water to live, but too much causes floods. Light gives us warmth and helps the world to grow, but too much can parch the land or blind the eyes. Shadow is no different, it gives shelter, cools, and conceals, but too much and we grow cold and lose our way. Or worse, it consumes us whole.

“That said, the dark by its very nature scares people, and those who choose to wield Shadow magic usually do so because they want to scare people, as well.”

“Can you do any Shadow magic?” Link asked.

Sheik rolled his shoulders in a half shrug. Lifting his hand, he narrowed his eyes in concentration, then slowly closed his hand into a fist. The room dimmed as if someone had suddenly doused a fire. Then, just as suddenly, everything became bright again. Sheik let out a tired breath. “It is not my strongest skill. I’m better with the elements and can’t do Light at all.”

At that moment the food arrived. The chef happily set covered trays before each of them before his assistant swooped in and poured them each a glass of cloudy blue liquid.

“So why do you think he is with Archealus?”

“Meredith likes to scare people into doing his bidding,” Sheik offered as he uncovered his food.

“Hey!” Kaimana pouted when he saw he had been served bass. Sheik gave him a broad grin before digging into his loach.

“I don’t know,” Link said, taking a swallow of the liquid in his cup. “Meredith is a bully, but this guy is...something else.” He cut off a bite of his loach and savored it. “He’s just...I don’t know...darker somehow.”

Sheik shook his head. “I’m not doubting you, Hero. But we can’t do anything without proof.” Link frowned, but nodded in agreement.

&&&
Link sat up in bed, unsure why he was awake. They had continued talking well into the night about various things. But it left them no closer to finding the artifact or even a clue as to what it might be. Link and Sheik had returned to their room and fallen into bed. Over the dull roar of the falls, he could not hear anything. But still something rubbed against his senses, telling him the world was not as still as it seemed.

Sliding from under the covers, he grabbed his sword and padded barefoot around the room. Everything seemed in order, but he still could not shake the ominous feeling. Suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck stood straight up and he spun around. His eyes found the waterfall and widened. Hovering in mid-air, surrounded by the dull glow of the moss, was Serkan. The water kept him from seeing any details, except that the man had raised his arms.

Instantly, the water froze. One moment, it had been warm, flowing water; the next it was solid ice. The temperature of the air plummeted. The water under the lily where Sheik slept froze as well, trapping his leg that had been dangling in the water. The other man came fully awake with a curse and quickly found the best he could do was rise to an awkward kneeling position.

Link looked back at the wall of cascading ice, but the man in black was gone.

“Link, what’s going on?” Sheik was trying to reach his swords that now lay out of reach with his leg trapped. Link walked over and handed him the swords while explaining what he had seen. Sheik frowned while he lit a small fire in his hand and began melting the ice around his leg. After a few minutes he was free. “I am so going to kick his ass.”

“Well, first, we need to get out of this room.”

“Preferably while not in our underwear.” He gestured to Link, who still stood in only a pair of shorts.

“You’re just jealous,” Link scoffed as he went to get his clothes.

“Yeah, because I always wanted to be a skinny farmboy,” Sheik shot back as he began to dress. Link only replied by sticking out his tongue as he pulled on his own clothes. Once dressed, they met at the wall of ice now blocking the entrance to their room. The falling water had cascaded down over the path, blocking it as well. Sheik prodded the ice with the hilt of a sword.

“What do you think?”

“This was no small feat of magic. He didn’t just freeze the water; he froze the whole waterfall.”

Link made a face. “I can see that.”

Sheik shook his head. “No, I mean he didn’t just freeze that water that was falling. Listen.” Link titled his head as he listened, and then shook his head. “There’s no water falling at all. He didn’t just freeze what was currently here, but all the way back up the falls. It could go as far back as Jubu-jubu’s fountain.”

Link gave a low whistle. “Any idea how we get past it?”

“Carefully. If we just smash through, we could be sending huge shards of ice raining into the pool below.”

Link nodded and lit a flame in the palm of his hand, keeping it small and hot. Slowly, he began melting a doorway into the ice, starting at the edge of the path and ending over his head. Then he slammed it with his shoulder. The ice in the doorway fell out with a thump and the waterfall groaned overhead.

“Do you know what carefully means?” Sheik asked in a dry tone.

Link grinned and stepped out. His boot hit a patch of ice and came out from under him, sending him sliding down the path to crash into the wall below. He sat up with a groan and rubbed his head. “Yeah, yeah, stupid farmboy needs to look where he’s going. Ha, ha.”

“Hero, look.” Sheik still stood at the top of the path, but even from there Link could tell his mouth was hanging open. Curious, Link peered around as well. He felt his jaw go slack. It was not just the waterfall that was frozen, but the entire Domain. Icicles hung from the ceiling, crystals of ice clung to the moss, and the main pool was frozen. With cautious steps he walked out onto the ice and looked down. Below, the world had stopped, frozen in time.

“Sweet merciful Din,” he whispered as Sheik made a controlled decent down the slippery path. “How much power does it take to do something like this? Can we even undo it? Will they be okay?”

“I don’t know, Hero.”

Link made a non-committal noise and began walking towards the main tunnel, Sheik followed. Every drop of water in the entire Domain had frozen, leaving even the hallways and tunnels slippery with a thin sheet of ice. In the steeper passages, Link resorted to using the claw of his grappling hook to help him cling to the walls until he could find a place to brace himself and toss the rope down the Sheik. It made the going slow and took over an hour climb to path that led to the living quarters.

Sheik rubbed his eyes as he leaned against the wall to rest. “Is it getting dark in here? I am not so out of shape that a little ice climbing is making me lightheaded.”

“It isn’t you. The moss is dying,” Link replied, running his hand over the wall, a frown firm on his face. He pulled his hand away, his fingers tipped with ice and black chunks of moss.

Sheik repeated the gesture and swore. After a moment he shook his head. “Nothing we can do about this now, let’s go.”

Link glanced around. “Where to? He could be anywhere, and he can fly.”

Sheik frowned and drummed his fingers against the wall. “This is a major feat of magic he just pulled off. Even if he’s just a one trick pony, and I doubt he is, this is going to take the wind out of his sails for a while. He’s going to need to hole up and regain his strength. An hour, two at most before he can start spell slinging again, a week or more before he could pull off something this big again. Unless he’s got a Deity in his back pocket, in which case he’s your problem, since you’re packing three.”

Link snorted. “They aren’t daggers hidden in my boot that I can pull out at will.”

Sheik shrugged and they began moving. They tried to keep their steps light, but the thin sheet of ice covering everything made it hard not to slip, bumping into the walls and each other as they made their way through the fading light. The rooms in this part of the tunnels were for guests and all were empty, but a quick glance showed they had not been spared the freeze.

As they came to the top level of tunnels, Link had to bring a small ball of light up in his hand, as the dim glow of the moss faded into the midnight glow of a moonless night. The tunnel was wide and long, and Link had to lift the ball of light high overhead to see anything around them. Still he had to squint to see the evenly spaced pools of ice near each wall. Moving towards them he recognized the room.

“The Nursery,” he murmured as he leaned closer to one of the pools. Below the smooth surface he saw a single Zoran egg. “Shit.”

Sheik leaned over him and looked at the egg as well. “That’s not good.” Link rolled to his feet without a word and turned sharply on his heel. Sheik raised an eyebrow and followed. When they came to a door at the end of the hall, Link kicked it open with more force than was necessary, splintering the wood.

The room was empty, but looked well used. A trunk at the foot of the Hyrulian style bed stood open, showing an array of silk and satin clothes, mostly in shades of blue. A pallet lay on the floor, neat and tidy, with no signs of who was sleeping on it. With a growl, Link kicked the pallet, scattering its simple pillow and blanket. He moved on and flipped the trunk, sending clothes across the floor. He kicked the trunk, smashing it against the far wall.

“Does this mean you won’t stop me from kicking Meredith’s ass?” Sheik asked, a smile hidden behind his mask.

“Only if you find him first. I’m going to search Jubu-jubu’s pool.”

“I’ll take the council chambers.” Sheik paused, then looked back, “Don’t get in over your head, Hero.” He watched as Link stormed up towards the throne room and the Zoran Deity. His stride was long and confident, no longer the pace of the farmboy he had once been. Sheik smiled to himself and turned away. Lighting a fire in his palm, he began to descend carefully into the lower chambers where the council lived and met.

By now the moss had all but given out, leaving him in a dark, downward sloping tunnel coated in ice. The flickering circle of his flame gave him only a few feet of warning about what was ahead. Bracing his other hand against the wall for balance, he half slid down the tunnel. As it leveled out, it widened. On his right were two doors. One led to the large meeting room, the other down again to the main pool; on his left were seven doors leading to the council members’ chambers. At the far end of the hall stood the fancy doors leading to the Royal chambers, Kaimana’s on the right and his parents on the left.

Sheik headed across the room to the door on the right.

The large room was dark and he raised his flame higher to give him a larger circle of flickering gold. Kiamana was still in bed, but unlike the guest beds, his had no giant lily pad to keep him out of the water. Instead it was a simple duvet in the floor, filled with water. Or it had been. Now the water had turned to solid ice, encasing the prince’s body within. His head rested on the pool’s edge, frost turning his skin a strange blue-white.

Sheik carefully knelt next to the Zoran Prince and placed a hand on his forehead. Kaimana’s eyes snapped open and Sheik jumped. His lids drooped, then closed again. The Zora shivered as best he could, then went limp.

“Kaimana!”

“He won’t wake.”

Sheik spun to his feet – sword in one hand, fireball in the other. The man in black stood behind him, his blood red eyes glowing in the golden light. Sheik sneered and the other man grinned. Serkan took a step closer. “Careful, little boy, playing with fire can get you burned.” There was a soft puff of breath and Sheik’s fireball went out like a snuffed candle, plunging them into blackness.

Sheik swallowed as he fumbled for his other sword. The metal sang as it left its sheath, but no other sound filled the darkness. He took quick stock of the situation. He knew the room well, even in the dark he could find his way around. At the very least, he had the home field advantage. Then there were his swords, Sarken had not been carrying any that Sheik had seen during their brief encounter. Even if he concealed smaller weapons, he would have to get inside Sheik’s strike range to use them, and range weapons were all but unusable in the dark.

There was a soft chuckle somewhere behind him, and then Sheik was thrown from the room; not by physical or magical force, simply launched into the air. He hit the wooden door as if he had been thrown from a horse, smashing through it and tumbling across the icy floor of the council hall, his swords clattering away in the darkness. Sheik blinked and groaned as he got to his feet.

Again he found himself alone in the darkness. No sound or shift of air indicated where the man in black might be. Suddenly he was thrown again, this time slamming hip first into a wall before hitting the floor. With great effort he kept himself from yelping in pain and quickly began crawling away from where he landed. He was not sure where in the hall he was, but he was not going to stick around where he landed just to be attacked again.

The heel of a boot came down hard on his spine and twisted. Sheik looked up to see Sarken’s eyes glowing in the darkness. The whites were gone, leaving the blood red irises to expand around pupils that had turned to cat-like slits. “Bad boy.” Sheik felt him shift his weight before the other boot connected with his head. Sheik saw stars as he skidded across the floor and hit another wall. The force hit him again, spinning him a few feet more, where the floor began to slope.  Gravity took over and he began to slide, bumping back and forth against the tunnel walls. Every so often the force would slap him again, keeping him sliding and spinning, until he had to squeeze his eyes shut in a futile effort to not be sick.

Finally he stopped. His eyelids burned red from a sudden flash of light. Carefully, he pried them open, blinded by a hot white light. He lay face down on the ice that had been the main pool, the light reflecting off the surface and giving the whole room a faint glow. Pushing himself to his hands and knees he looked around.

A chuckle drew his attention to his left. Sarken came walking out onto the ice, Sheik’s swords clutched in his hands. Sheik growled and shoved himself upright. “Coward.”

“Stubborn little boy.” Sarken slammed the blades into the ice as he closed the distance between them, and without preamble drove his fist into Sheik’s gut. His knee came up, snapping Sheik violently back upright, before Sarken slammed the heel of his hand into Sheik’s sternum. Sheik tumbled backwards to land on his back on the ice. “Now stay.” He waved his hand and the swords leapt from where he had left them and stabbed themselves through Sheik’s palms. “Good boy.”

Sarken’s eyes had lost their pupils all together, leaving nothing but glowing red. He made a slow circuit around Sheik, inflicting petty injuries as he went. Sharp nails cut into his cheeks, slicing easily through his mask. A boot to the ribs snapped bones. Stomping on ankles until they cracked. More nails on flesh, leaving five bloody parallel lines down his torso. Sarken finally stopped with his back to the frozen waterfall as he licked the blood from his fingers.

“Blood on ice is so pretty, won’t you agree?” Sheik glared back, his jaw clenched shut. Sarken reached up and pushed at the fabric covering his head, sliding it back like the hood of a cloak. Beneath was a face of porcelain skin delicately laid over refined bones that carried an ageless grace. Smooth, slim, blue lines started at the corners of his mouth, following his jaw-line, before sweeping upwards to disappear at his temples. Another jagged green line slashed across his forehead. His hair was silver, not grey, but a shimmering silver.

“Well, it’s been fun, but it’s in my best interests to kill you. Be a good boy and scream for me.” Sarken raised his hand over his head as darkness gathered around it.















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