Chapter 1: Lonely Mountain Village
One month. One full month since the final demise of Gannon by the hand of the legendary Hero of Hyrule. One full month since the darkness receded back to where it once came with the Twilight Realm back in control. One full month since Midna went back to ruling the Twilight Realm and Zelda back to ruling Hyrule. One full month of perfect peaceful days with not a single worry in the world except if the postman would run you over or not.
One blissful month.
One annoyingly steady month of feeling completely overqualified to do a job that needed to be done by a field hand with no experience whatsoever of saving the land that he and thousands of others stood on.
Link needed out. Bad.
The time that had passed since the Dark Lord's defeat had gone by at a snail's pace for Link, as he went back to the way things were before everything happened with Midna and Zelda. Midna herself hadn't been able to contact him since she had broken the bonds that had connected their two worlds so directly and Zelda couldn't contact him because of her constant duties as ruler of their land kept her busier than ever. Apparently the return of an evil Dark Lord Gannondorf could do that to a royal's schedule.
At least the sunsets were back to their true beauty, all reds and golds and pinks. Just watching the sun go down behind the hills and mountains around the village was just so beautiful…
"Hey! Link!" the aforementioned turned his head of sand colored hair with an exasperated sigh to look at the ranch's new farm hand (his name escaped Link's mind at the moment) to see that the farm hand had sweat dripping down him like it was raining a hurricane from his face. "Link! *pant pant pant* We need your *pant pant* help putting the sheep back in the pen again! Can you *pant pant pant* and Epona get them back in again? Wheeu, need to catch my breath…"
Link wholeheartedly agreed with him as he gave him a sympathetic smile. He hopped off the fence he had been sitting on to appreciate the sunset from and patted the new farm hand on the shoulder with a small nod of reassurance before he walked on to where Epona was quietly munching on some weeds that looked suspiciously like runny roots (don't ask – just think about it) to which Link gave a much bigger sigh as he thought about all that cleanup work he would have to do in Epona's stables later.
Three Hours Later:
Link burst into his tree house like a thunder storm, his slamming door creating a whirlwind of action in his curtains and thin coating of dust on the floor. Heavy stomps by thick leather soles rang throughout the house, centered in the basement storeroom where Link, retired Hero of Hyrule, was digging through his old storage chests until he finally found what it was he was seeking. In the very back, in the tight left corner, was an aged oaken chest that contained the things needed to leave Hell and go back to the highway: a simple steel sword, a hardy steel shield, gauntlets, walking boots, and various small weapons that could be easily carried on his person. And finally, at the bottom, a sturdy green tunic with white-gray tights and a long soft green windsock hat (to his eternal sadness it was not his original tunic, merely one to replicate the feel of his old one because the spirits wanted the original).
Why was Link gathering all the things he would need to go on a journey? Why, it was because he was sick and tired of just being an ordinary human being again. A hero that had fought monsters, demons, evil lords, his own shadow, had just suddenly switched from somebody of adventure to somebody that herded sheep for a living (well, in all fairness not for a living – Zelda would send him a nice bag of purple rupees every month as a kind of pension for saving the world). But those last few hours, that was the final straw. All the sheep escaped and Link, only Link, hunted down every single one because the other farm hands were too busy getting ready for a Midsummer's Evening Dance to help. Well no more! Just because he was a nice guy did not mean that he could be walked all over with no consequence – he was a hero for goddess' sake!
Link knew he was being selfish and overdramatic about it, but there was a limit. The first week he had come back he had been thrown a small banquet with all the villagers there, something pleasant and comfortable to the introverted hero, which he appreciated greatly. The next day, at exactly five o'clock in the morning, Link was woken up by the village children that it was his turn to fix the leaks in barns. His turn? Sorry if he hadn't been there to keep the rain off the cows but he was just a little bit busy saving the world. The next few days Link was quietly fixing the roofs, something that didn't bother him too much until exactly thirty seconds after he finished the last roof he was then voluntold to go and help take down beehives – which he was still recovering from he might add. After that it just kept continuing non-stop for the poor exhausted retired hero: help with the weeds Link, help with the fishing Link, help with the farm Link, find my cat for me Link.
Well no more! Link was going on a much deserved vacation and no one was going to stop him or –
"Link?" Shit! "Link, what are you doing?" The retired hero sighed and looked away from his chest in the corner to look at the person now holding the light source to Link's basement in his small childish hands: little blond Collin. Collin climbed down into the basement with the lantern to stand in front of Link, who couldn't quite look the little blond boy in his huge round blue eyes. Collin took in the sight of Link's incredibly ransacked basement quietly, the quick gears in his young mind spinning with understanding as he registered the way that Link closed himself off – and if that wasn't enough of a hint, his role model was already in his signature green tunic, unlaced but ready for action.
"Link," Collin said again, "are you going away again? So soon?" Link nodded as he continued to take out and put on all the things that he would need for his journey, albeit much slower and less eager than when he first entered his basement with his dreams of escaping such a mundane life. Collin's head drooped sadly, "Do you have to go?" Another nod. Collin was silent once again. He watched as Link stretched his hands in his gloves to get the old motion back, the sinking stone in his stomach heavy as he ever so quietly pleaded, "Can I come with you?"
Link halted lacing up the collar in his tunic at Collin's words. Come with him? Well, Midna did, didn't she? And Midna was just a little imp then! But Collin… Link knelt in front of Collin's still, standing form and placed his heavy gloved hands on the boy's small shoulders to look deep into the young one's deep blue eyes with his own noonday blue eyes. Collin heaved a huge disappointed sigh as his role model shook his head sadly.
"Then…Can I at least help you prepare for your journey?" Link's eyes turned up in a gentle smile as he nodded, Collin's own smile sad and a little forced. No one knew quite everything that went on in the Hero of Hyrule's head, but out of everybody on the planet Collin was the closest one there was. And Link knew it too as he saw the small boy collect some old glass bottles to put into his satchel and gather up the lighter weapons into the same bag. Collin was the closest thing to a little brother that he had, and Russell and Ellie were the closest people he had to parents since his own had passed away when he was still a child.
Link sighed once again. He would have to remember to write to them this time so they would stop worrying so much. His one greatest weakness: guilt.
It didn't take long to get prepared as Link had already thrown most of his weapons in his bag in his frenzy to leave his little home village. Once they both realized that the end was nigh, both Link and Collin went up the ladder and to the front door quietly, gathering up the last few items that Link would need for his travels of Hyrule: glass bottles filled with water and potions, the lantern filled with oil, bait for his fishing hook, food for Link and Epona among other miscellaneous provisions.
The two stepped out and Link locked his door behind them, the moon high in the sky by then, casting shadows on the trees and the stones. Collin was already to Epona, his big blue eyes drooping in sadness – his role model had only been back for a month and he already wanted to leave? Was there something that he himself was doing that made the hero want to leave?
As Link strapped all the equipment and provisions to Epona's saddle, he caught sight of the unshed tears in little Collin's eyes, the ones that he refused to cry because he thought that only babies cried. Link felt his heart stir with big brotherly love and kindness as he knelt down to look once again into the young boy's deep blue depths.
Collin looked into Link's own kind eyes and burst out in one breath, "Was it something that I did? Did I do something that made you want to go away?"
Link was taken aback. Collin thought he was to blame? Never, and Link's tight embrace of the little boy proved it with all his heart. Collin returned his role model's hug with all the feelings of sadness that he felt, but also the happiness that he was not to blame. Perhaps it would be a good idea for the hero to go and take a much needed break from life…
Link and Collin pulled out of their brotherly embrace, Link noticing some stray tears out of the corners of his little friend's eyes. He brushed them away gently with his gloved hands, Collin biting back a sniffle as he did so. Link stood up and mounted Epona, giving her a friendly pat on her neck when she whinnied – she knew exactly what was going on and was excited for it. Like Link, Epona felt that perhaps she was a little too good to be pulling plows for the rest of her life – hey, she had helped defeat the evil king too!
Collin looked up at Link pleadingly, "Make sure you write to us OK?" Link gave him a little smile as he nodded and turned Epona around and to the entrance to the forest. Collin watched his go, and noted somberly that Link didn't even look back.
Oh it was so good to be back out on the open road again! The outlines of trees, the rocky paths, the open fields –
How the hell could he have ever given it all up?!
Link hummed to himself and Epona as he walked beside her and enjoyed the feel of the sharp rocks beneath his boots again. Really, traveling had to be his best idea yet. No one to bother him, no one to ask him about menial tasks, no need for human communication. Yep, the true meaning of happiness in life had decided to share its secrets with him on the open road, places he didn't need to be but still needed to see.
At about high noon Link decided to take a little lunch break with some bread and some crumbly cheese while Epona was once again munching on that horrible runny root (but he didn't have to clean it up so he didn't care). Link took the chance to look at the map that he still kept from his previous travels, wondering where it was that he wanted to go to first. He had heard so many rumors about so many different places that it was difficult to really choose. But there, off to the side in the Old Mad Mountains, was a little village that seemed cut off from the rest of the world except for a single road that ran up the side of a mountain, called Quiere, a place famous for its unique music, bustling fashion center, legendary gem mines, and double fried donuts.
A relatively unknown fact about Link that everyone could eventually guess? He always talked to his horse Epona far more than any human being had ever achieved (although Midna and Russell came close to Epona, though Link wondered if Midna really counted or not) and frequently asked her opinions about whatever it was that struck Link's fancy at that moment. One such moment was taken up by the topic of the village of Quiere.
"What do you think Epona?" Link asked in his soft and husky disused voice, "Should we go to the village of Quiere?"
Epona gave Link a wry look. You want me to lug all your crap up the side of that mountain? Her glances and looks seemed to speak for herself, but for some reason in most people's heads she sounded like a snappy ghetto woman. You crazy, boy. You carry half your junk and I'll go up with you to Quiere. Deal?
Link grinned as he could agree to Epona's reasonable demands. "It's settled then – to Quiere!"
Two Weeks Later:
"Incoming!" Link barely had a second to dodge a flying teapot as a brawl broke out in the little comfy café that he'd found in the center of town. As soon as the first teacup hit the floor Link moved swiftly behind the milk bar for A) his own protection B) to make sure that the brawlers wouldn't kill each other C) to watch and enjoy the fight. He was a hero after all, not a saint. The one that had called the warning was squatting beside him behind the milk bar, hat with a wide brim casting the face in shadows so that Link could not see what they looked like.
At the sound of something very delicate breaking Link tore his calculating eyes away from the stranger back to the fight at hand. Two massive gorilla-like men dressed in overalls were trying to pummel the snot out of each other for something the one in the red overalls said to the one in the blue overalls. The one in red had smashed a delicate and expensive looking chair over the blue one's head, leaving a nasty dent that Link knew had to hurt. But as the blue one rammed his body against the red one Link had to question whether either of them felt the blows at all…
"Sorry about my two idiot brothers." Link turned his head back to the stranger in the wide brimmed hat, who had their face turned toward him with an apologetic smile on. The stranger continued, "They can be pretty hot headed sometimes and they have a tendency to drag in unfortunate victims like they were collateral damage. But don't worry, I'll get it under control. Hold my hat would you?"
The wide brimmed hat was shoved into a wide eyed Link's hands as he watched the stranger stand up from behind the counter and stomp light feet over to the two wrestling men with a face full of wrath that promised a heaping of pain. Link watched the stranger roll up long white sleeves and put rough tan hands on curvy hips as big beautiful violet eyes surveyed the scene like if they could kill the two gorilla men then they would have done it already. The stranger was not very tall and Link slowly stood up from behind the counter while wondering if he would have to –
"WHAT IN ALL OF HOLY $#* DO YOU THINK THAT YOU'RE DOING?!" Link's feet involuntarily back peddled hitting the wall to his back at the sheer forcefulness of the stranger's voice. The two gorilla men halted in mid punch, staring up at the stranger's wrathful visage, the very aura of anger rolling of the stranger like a choking cloud, "YOU'VE DESTROYED THE CAFÉ AND YOU'RE EMBARRSSING ALL OF US!"
The gorilla men scurried to the stranger's feet like small mice would obey a huge terrifying cat. "We're sorry Sorrel!" the gorilla men shouted to the floor, bowing to the stranger's tan traveling boots in penance and terror, "Please don't be mad at us! We'll fix it! We promise!"
"You better!" the stranger shouted (although not as angrily) at the two men as a broom and dustpan were shoved into their thick hands, "Now get to it!" The men immediately went to work clearing up their mess, starting with the broken teacups that had flown into the far corners of the café.
As soon as the gorilla men went to their cleanup work the stranger sighed and flopped down into the nearest still-standing chair in annoyance. Link, stunned as he was, couldn't help but take the chance to really examine the stranger that had the anger of a mother lion and the beauty to match. She was on the younger side of life, only a year or two younger than himself if he really had to guess by the way she looked and how she held herself – that kind of confidence only existed in the very young he knew. She was not tall at all but her energy could make her seem like she had grown to the size of a mountain though she certainly wasn't fat – curvy as a goddess perhaps, but never fat. Her skin was tan from much time in the sun with golden hair that fell to her curvaceous waist, all wavy and curled up beautifully at the ends. Her high cheekbones accented her cute pert nose but nothing was comparable to those big, wide, beautiful violet eyes. Dressed in a simple three-quarter sleeved white tunic, dark leather traveling pants and tan walking boots, it appeared that she too did a lot of traveling. She was sighing again, this time in annoyance instead of exhaustion, as she watched her two idiot brothers clean up the mess that they had made.
Plucking up his courage, Link stepped away from the wall and walked over to the stranger, standing beside her to tap on her shoulder. The stranger gave a start and looked up at Link. "Yeah? Oh, it's you! Are you alright? You didn't get hurt did you?" Link shook his head and held out the stranger's hat to her. "My hat! Thanks a million for holding it buddy, I completely forgot about it. This is my favorite hat too, way too expensive to risk getting a rip in it if I had to wrestle my two idiots to the floor." Link was quite certain that nobody in their right minds would ever challenge such a strong woman when they knew how scary she could be, but then again those two same men also decided to wrestle in the middle of a delicate café.
Link simply gave a small smile and a nod in response to the woman's gratitude before he carefully began to step over the piles of delicate debris and the broom as the blue gorilla man was power sweeping the remains of a purple teapot into the dustpan that the red one held in his huge meaty hands. "Hey wait, guy in green!" Link turned around to see the girl hopping over the mess to get to him, easily leaping and bounding over her two brothers like they were just giant moving rocks. Link was already in the door's opening when the woman leapt into the doorway with him, within inches of Link's body, innocently staring up into the hero's face, "My name is Sorrel and those are my brothers Congo and Geo." Link felt the heat invade his face as he took a step back into the café to get some space between him and the stranger, Sorrel.
Sorrel didn't seem to notice and just kept on talking cheerfully to Link like nothing weird was happening. "Me, Congo, and Geo," Sorrel continued in her cheery way, "we're kind of like the public entertainment here at Quiere at the moment. Come on, let me apologize for all the hell my brothers raised by showing you what we do. It's obvious that you're not from around here or else you'd have let the café as soon as my brothers stepped in. Training them to be normal human beings is like trying to teach calculus to a jelly chu."
Link got the image of a red jelly chu wearing a graduation hat while holding a diploma in its mouth and gave a loud and sudden bark of laughter. Sorrel grinned with her entire face at the sound. "So, you coming?" Link looked Sorrel in her violet eyes and gave a shy smile and a nod. Sorrel nodded back as she said, "Awesome! Geo, Congo, I'm going back to the square. Come back only when everything is cleaned up, OK?"
The two gorilla men nodded and said, "OK Sorrel. Sorry about fighting…"
Sorrel waved away the apology nonchalantly, "It's fine guys. Just don't do it again or else there will be some serious consequences. Got it?"
"Yes Sorrel…"
"See ya guys!" Sorrel clasped Link's wrist in her tan hand and dragged him out of the café with her while waving at her brothers on the way out. Link could feel the heat once again rising in his face as that strange pretty girl (wait, pretty? Link shook his head vigorously at that thought – she was a random, kind, good looking girl, that was all) kept dragging him along through the town of Quiere, bustling and homey all at once. They went passed the inn where Link was staying, Epona waiting quite happily in her stables with some fresh oats and water. They passed the bread shops, the dingy pubs, the high class restaurants and the expensive clothing stores to stand in the middle of the town square, surrounded on all sides by stores and centered by a huge and open pagoda that was well worn but well taken care of as well.
"This is where me and my brothers do our work," Sorrel explained as she sat on one of the chairs that the pagoda held, some packages and boxes already sitting under the chairs awaiting their purpose. Sorrel took one of the packages from beneath her chair and opened it, revealing a stringed instrument that Link had never seen before. She strummed it once with her fingers, the instrument singing out a beautiful jumble of notes as she did so. Sorrel sighed in contentment, "Yep, nothing's better than the sound of a well tuned guitar."
Link couldn't resist as he watched Sorrel play a simple random tune on the stringed instrument, studying which strings gave which sound and the way she held the instrument and how whenever she held the long stem of the instrument a certain way then it would create a different sound. Link was absolutely fascinated with the new instrument, and Sorrel would have to have been blind to realize anything differently as he sat on the ground in front of her to listen and to simply look at her guitar.
Sorrel grinned as she saw just how absorbed the boy in green was with the guitar in her arms and she couldn't help but truly appreciate how darn hot he was, all rustic charms and sophisticated good looks. Noonday blue eyes in a nice frame of bones and tan skin with cupid lips and sandy brown hair that was accidentally perfect – even his green get up was pretty cute too, especially that adorable green windsock hat that few people could ever even hope to pull off let alone actually do it.
Eventually though, no matter how many tunes that Sorrel played on the stringed instrument, Link just had to try it out for himself. He gulped as he looked up at Sorrel who was smiling contently as she strummed another simple tune on the stringed instrument. "Um," came his husky voice wafting over the notes of the song, "May I try out your…guitar?"
Sorrel's eyebrows went up into her hairline as she realized that the cute boy in front of her could talk, amazement etched into her eyeballs as she stopped her playing to look down into the boy's noonday blue eyes. He looked away seconds after they made eye contact, clearly uncomfortable about asking but too darn in love with the guitar to retract his statement. Sorrel's face split into a grin as she slid onto the ground next to him, the guitar in her lap. "I'll let you play with it," she gave the guitar's string's a heavenly thrum, "but only if you tell me your name." Link blinked. That was it?
"Link," came the answer, for which Sorrel immediately whooped with a "Alright then! Go to it man!" and handed the guitar over to the confused Hylian that did not question the methods to this girl's madness. After a quick crash course on the parts of the guitar, Link had an idea of how to master such a wonderful instrument. He put his fingers of one hand to the neck and the other to the body and let the notes take him away, somewhere far away and happy where things weren't complicated or mean and everyone lived in their dreams.
Link didn't notice it, but Sorrel's eyes were the size of Russian czar dinner plates as she watched Link play on the guitar like he had owned one for years, such a sweet and wonderful tune where there were fields of daisies and a picnic beneath a tree. People around the square were stopping what they were doing to listen to such a pure song where only happy thoughts and calm were allowed into the domain of their minds.
Link, of course, did not notice a single thing as he let his heart come out in the form of music. He closed his eyes and let the notes take over, loving every second of such beautiful unadulterated bliss that was impossible to breach –
"Hey Sorrel! We're done!"
TWANG! Link's fingers hit the wrong note in his start from the voices of the gorilla men, breaking the spell that the town square had been under. The people that had been listening also gave a surprised start as they realized that they had places to be, people to see, and sped off in whatever direction that they were initially headed towards. Sorrel puffed and growled something under her breath that Link was sure was both blasphemous and illegal to say, standing up to look her brothers squarely in the eye (the pagoda gave a very distinctive height advantage) with a fury that Link thought was a little bit undeserved.
"Dummies!" she barked, making her two brothers skid to a stop to once again cower in fear over their sister's fury, "What have I told you about interrupting good music?"
Geo and Congo shuffled their massive feet and in apology as they said in unison, "Not to…"
"Exactly. So what do we say to people we interrupt?"
Geo and Congo looked down to the stunned Link (who was still sitting on the floor with the guitar in his lap) and they said remorsefully, "We're sorry."
Link gave a nervous smile and a wave of his hand that translated to No biggie! Just an accident! Geo and Congo's faces perked up however when their sister told them that they should get their instruments out to play for the people of the square. The twins immediately grinned as they rushed onto stage, getting out a harmonica and a drum set.
While the two were warming up, Link stood up and reluctantly held out the guitar to Sorrel, who looked up at him and said, "What's this for?"
Link gave a surprised start, "It's yours."
Sorrel laughed as she pushed the simple wooden guitar into Link's hands further. She shook her head as she said kindly, "Something tells me that there's more to you than meets the eye and that you'll probably need this one day. I want you to keep it and play it like it should be played always – with the love of somebody that loves the sound it makes. OK?"
Link caught himself just before he was about to launch himself at the small beautiful woman into a bone crushing hug. She would let him have such a wonderful thing? Really? Link gave a deep bow to Sorrel as he said gratefully, "Thank you so much!"
Sorrel laughed at Link's formality and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder that she had trouble reaching and handed him the guitar case that had held the wooden stringed instrument. "Doesn't really matter to me – I have the easiest instrument to use on the planet!" Sorrel and her brothers gave each other knowing sideways grins as they tensed up in excitement. "I've got myself!" Sorrel's hands exploded into movement as she clapped and hopped up and danced, creating a beat not only with her steps but with her hands as she clapped the rhythm to something cheery and upbeat. Geo and Congo followed her lead, Geo on the harmonica and Congo on a huge set of bongo-like drums.
Link couldn't help himself as he laughed and smiled at the energy of the siblings, the twins playing and Sorrel dancing and clapping, dragging in unsuspecting watchers into dancing with her sometimes and then leading everyone into a great big, chaotic, happy dancing mess. Sorrel was taking the lead as everyone, good and bad with their feet, tried to mimic the blonde's fast and easy footwork, some tumbling over and laughing when they tripped on their own feet too many times. But Sorrel would always pull those people back up and take them back into the mess of dancers like she wouldn't give up on them just yet.
Link held back with a steady smile, watching Sorrel. Something about that little woman set everyone into a good mood, made them want to sing and dance and be –
Dark. Dark clouds everywhere in the sky. The sun disappeared behind the black clouds as they moved through with lightning speed. The lights faded and the shadows grew longer as a cold set in that made the warmth from people's bones run away and look for cover. The once happy and joyous people were backing away from the outside to go indoor's, cowering and hiding their children in their embraces like it would actually protect them.
Link looked up at the sky and narrowed his eyes. He knew dark energy when he felt it and it was coming from one particularly menacing noir cloud that sped far too fast to be just a normal cloud. Link, his new guitar in hand and in its case, ran up to a stunned and shivering Sorrel. "Go inside and find shelter," the Hylian urged her, giving her a little push into the protective arms of her twin gorilla brothers, who held her tightly as they ran into the nearest inn. Sorrel reached out a single tan hand to grab at Link's image as he ran away from her, his back the only visible thing as he sped away, guitar case held protectively to his chest. He would be fine – right?
Link was racing down the cobble streets, hardly noticing how empty it was and how wet everything seemed to become in a matter of seconds. It wasn't raining, but the clouds above seemed to seep moisture into the cold atmosphere around Quiere rather than just simply dropping it. As soon as Link hit the inn he dashed to the stables to Epona who was stamping her feet nervously at the sudden evil feel of Quiere. Link shoved the guitar under some sleep padding, caring too much about the gift to leave it behind as he saddled Epona. Not even two minutes later Link and Epona were rocketing out of Quiere to follow the demonizing black cloud, down the mountain and out of Quiere.
They probably should have stayed, but then again nobody wants to suffer.
Sorrel was watching the sky, waiting for it to fall on all their heads, inside the cramped and crowded sitting room of the inn she and her brothers were staying at. The once bustling town was dead silent and she was sure that gravestones made more noise than what the town was making as even more black clouds soared overhead. Geo and Congo were standing closely behind her, more for their comfort than her protection if they were being truly honest with themselves. But everyone was quiet, everyone was panicking, everyone was waiting for something sinister to happen but praying to all the gods and goddesses they knew that it wouldn't.
The gods were deaf as huge gun metal gray puddles dropped from the sky, revealing a horror too nightmarish to be dreamed by man. As gun metal gray skeletal bodies formed from the shadows they were birthed from the people of Quiere saw their forms and knew that terror was nothing like they had every truly felt till then. The shadow demons, their faces adorned by animal skulls and their long grotesque bodies too skinny and disproportional to be anything truly alive, swayed in place as they stood there, silent.
Sorrel's eyes widened as the creatures did nothing but stand in place and if she truly had to guess then she would say that they were waiting for something that would give them orders. To eat them or to slaughter them she did not know and was almost too terrified to really contemplate the issue. "What the hell are those things?" Sorrel said under her breath, her eyes refusing to leave the sight of the grotesque creatures.
Somewhere in the back by the fireplace, an old voice rose above the silent din of the inn. "It is the yaw-maws!" it rasped out in true terror and Sorrel could practically hear the tears of fear dripping in between aged wrinkles, "It can only mean one thing – Xanth has come back from the dead!"
Above their heads, sound reverberated in bones as the sky cackled.