Chapter 2
Morning sunlight fell through the windows of Kakariko's one and only library. Link stood gazing up at a portrait of Princess Zelda. The image gazed back, kindly eyes in a haughty face.
A full-length cloak, hooded and grey, hid Link from prying eyes. He'd picked it up from his little hut; that, a bit of bread and some coin. He hadn't wanted to linger there – not that he ever did at the best of times. The barracks on the edge of town was where he spent most of his days.
Waiting for the library to open, Link had found himself crouched in a damp, narrow alleyway, scraping the gold paint off of the bandit's mask with the edge of his sword. The action had been comforting, had allowed him to clear his tangled thoughts. It hadn't been so good for his weapon, though - and so he'd spent the rest of his time sharpening his blade with a file. He was done when he felt the warmth of the sun kiss his face.
Now Link looked up at the princess's picture once more. Does she know? he wondered. About her soldiers, does she know? Does the captain know?
From the corner of one eye he spied the distant Royal Castle through one of the library's windows. Perched on a hillside it towered over the settlement of Castleton which sat directly beneath. Kakariko itself lay a little further on, planted in level ground here in Hyrule Field.
Clouds drifted lazily above the castle's ivory towers. It was almost peaceful.
Deceptively.
He was being hasty, he knew. Garett, Ben and Jak could just be exceptions. Link wondered if Captain Rusl had gone back to search for his body. But even as the thought came, some intuition told him to hold back. Maybe it was the same …thing…he'd encountered in the no-space after being knocked out by the bandit. Maybe it was warning him.
Maybe not. All he knew was that he needed to stay away from his former comrades – and that he needed answers.
Speaking of which…
Link turned away and headed toward a circular, oaken desk set in the centre of the library's lower floor. The library itself was pretty much deserted; it was still early morning and books weren't exactly the number one pastime of Kakariko folk anyway. The sound of chairs scraping mixed with the rustle of parchment. Overhead, an owl had somehow got into the building and the poor bird was fluttering around in a panic. Few people, one bird - the staff, though, were here as always.
One member of staff in particular. A girl. Leaning against the oak desk, she was absorbed in conversation with a heavily-built young man.
A smile tugged at the corner of Link's lips. The sight of Ilia's smiling face soothed his heart.
Only because you want to get her in-
Link crushed the rebellious thought in an instant, leaving a wave of revulsion in its wake. Captain Rusl had taught him chivalry, about to act and think around the fairer sex.
Link had had trouble with that particular lesson from the captain.
Ilia ran a hand through her short, chestnut-blonde hair. Her conversation didn't seem to be going too well. As Link got closer to the desk, he caught snippets of the exchange.
"Right," Ilia was saying as she chewed on the end of a quill. "Um, your enthusiasm is, uh, a credit. Soooo...Any, um, schooling?"
The young man was looking for employment then. Link gave him a quick once-over and sized him up:
Arm in a sling. Missing fingers. Yes - Another dropout from the Great Game.
The Great Game. A one-on-one fight in front of a paying audience. Loser gives the winner a gold coin. All Princess Zelda's idea - so that the illiterate and the peasants could contribute positively to Hyrule's economy. Link hadn't really thought about it in any depth before - he'd been too busy with his training - but now the whole concept struck him with its profound...wrongness.
The former gamer stood tall, back stiff. "School of hard knocks, ma'am."
Ilia blinked, then smiled sweetly. "I'll be in touch."
As the man slumped off in disappointment, Link approached and placed his gloved palms on the desk. "Ilia."
The girl looked up, an easy smile brightening her face in an instant. "Link!"
He looked away for a moment, alarmed, then whispered, "Sshhh."
Ilia leaned in. "Okay, I'm shushing," she said. "Here's me all shushed." A murmur of background conversation washed over them. "Why are we shushing?"
"No one needs to know I'm here."
Her eyes peered into his hood, then frowned "Is that why you're dressed like a monk?"
Link held her gaze. "A Breach of Black Glass."
Ilia arched an eyebrow. "I'm fine, thanks for asking. And you?"
"A Breach of Black Glass, Ilia," Link replied in a hushed voice. "Do you know what it is?"
She shook her head. Her wide eyes regarded him with concern. "What's happening, Link? Why don't you want anyone to know you're here?"
"You sure you've not heard of it?" Link pressed on. "You know everything."
"I do not."
"A Breach of Black Glass. Din. Nayru. Farore." Agitation chafed him. "Or something that uses all those names. Anything?"
"I honestly don't know, Link," Ilia replied with a shrug. "Did you hit your head? Why's your jaw bruised?"
Link changed tack. Something he knew his friend was deeply attached to. "What about those old history books?"
As he expected, Ilia's face brightened. "Is it a quest?"
"It's not a quest."
Elbows planted on the desk, Ilia rested her chin on her palms. "It sounds like a quest."
"It's not a quest, Ilia."
"The old texts" she replied. "I mean the really old ones. Ancient."
"The ones only your library has, right?"
"Right!" she said, lifting her chin as her hands balled into fists in excitement. "They're the ones that talk about quests."
Link had heard this many times before, and had feigned interest every single time. This time he listened. Maybe there was something there he'd missed. A clue.
Ilia took in a breath. "Century after century. Over and over."
Something's wrong.
The thought pierced his mind like a flash of sudden lightning. As Ilia spoke, Link slowly turned his head to the left. The library was filling up now. A few townsfolk browsed the shelves, other peered into open books. A man with a crossbow hanging from his belt looked bored. Probably waiting for his lady love. His weapon, Link noted in idle curiosity, was one of those new fancy self-loading bows, with the bolts stored in a thin chamber set atop the tiller. Another man, dressed all in black –
"A hero, Link," Ilia went on. "A hero at the head of every century – with your name."
Link turned to the right. Aside from the busy library staff tidying the shelves, there was only one person perusing the books there. A man, clad in black, in the exact same fashion as the one on the left. Neither seemed out of the ordinary, no intent clearly etched on their faces. And yet...
Link felt a tingle at the back of his neck.
Ilia had a book laid open on the table. She jabbed her finger down onto the relevant page. "Rinku, the Hero of Time." Another jab. "Rinku, the Hero of Wind." Another. "Rinku, Hero of Hyrule."
"My name's not Rinku," Link mumbled in distraction. He glanced to the left and right again. He was sure of it. The two men were looking his way. Link felt his throat go dry.
"Rinku," Ilia went on, oblivious. "Every century a Rinku to go on some quest and fight some, some...well, evil...until one day a Rinku broke the Cycle. Ended it all. Ten thousand years ago."
"But my name's not Rinku."
Ilia gave Link a playful slap on the side of his head, snapping him out of his reverie. "We've been through this," Ilia said. "It's your name in ancient Hylian."
Link sighed, giving her his full attention once more. "The Cycle's broken." He held out his palms. "Yet here I am."
"There must be something new," she mused in a soft voice. "Something you're needed for."
"Or it's just one huge coincidence."
Ilia shook her head. "It can't be. It's not just you, Link. It's the princess, too. Princess Zelda. Her name pops up over and over in the old scrolls. Or her description does. Golden hair, beautiful. Princess of Destiny. Princess of Wisdom. Friend to the Twilight Princess. Exactly at the same time you – or your namesake – shows up. You're both linked, Link."
"Not funny." The mention of Zelda made him feel uncomfortable. "And, anyway, I've never even met the prin-"
Your path is askew.
"What is it?" said Ilia.
Arrows. Screams.
"Link?" She cradled his cheek with her palm. "What's wrong?"
He blinked away the memory. "Nothing."
"Tell me."
Link pushed her hand away, firm but not unkind. Her touch…welcomed the wrong sort of distraction. "None of these books mention a Breach of Black Glass…?"
"I told you," Ilia replied in a soft voice. "No."
Link sighed. He was lost, then. He glanced over his shoulder – and stood bolt upright. The two black-liveried men were heading his way.
"Ilia," he breathed as moved away from her desk. "I've got to go."
"What?" her face crumpled in confusion. "Why?"
Link turned away. His heart thudded.
"Link?" Ilia's voice, thick with disquiet, called from behind him. "What's going on?"
Without even looking back, he shook his head. "I've got to-"
Link stopped. The two men were still heading toward him. They'd been clearly watching him for a while. And they'd probably seen him talking to his friend.
Link spun on his heel, reached over the desk and gripped Ilia by the wrist. "Hey!" she protested. "Link!"
"Come with me!" He tugged her around the desk and drew her close.
"What are you doing?" she cried. "I'm at work! I can't go anywhere! Da will kill me!"
Link scanned the room, then honed in on a target. He pulled Ilia along as he broke into a sprint. The two pursuers noticed, shifting direction and picking up speed. Link reached the bored looking man he'd spied earlier and swiped the crossbow from his belt. Pointing it straight up, he fired. The resultant crack sent some of the patrons into screams, others running, and left yet more paralysed in shock.
"Link!" Ilia hissed. "What are you doing?"
The young Hylian soldier threw a glance backwards. Their two pursuers were struggling to get past the panic-struck townsfolk. Grim satisfaction sparked within Link's heart. "Grand."
Ilia followed the direction of his gaze. "Who are they...?"
Link didn't reply. He led her to the front entrance – and skidded to a halt on the polished floor as three more men, identically clad in black, burst through the front doors.
Oh, just outstanding.
The Hylian felt a tug at his sleeve. "Link," Ilia whispered through clenched teeth. "Back door."
His head snapped toward her.
"Back door!" she repeated.
Link's mouth split into a grin. He kissed her on the forehead – eliciting a surprised "Oh!" from his friend - then fired off an arrow in the direction of the newcomers. The two young friends turned and ran, weaving in and out of the panicked throng. Link let go of Ilia's hand, jumped, landed on the oak desk, then jumped again. Ilia took the long way round and this time it was she who took his hand the moment he landed.
She pointed, pulling him in the direction she wanted. "This way!"
They pushed through the double doors that led to the stairs up to the upper reading rooms.
"Wait," said Link, squeezing Ilia's hand and giving her a quizzical look.
Ilia glanced back. "Back door. Ladder. Goes down to the street." She flashed a smile."Trust me."
Link smiled back, nodding.
The library patrons in the reading rooms were unaware of the commotion down below and looked up, startled, when and Link and Ilia burst through.
"Go!" Link shouted. "Get out of here! Move!"
Nobody moved.
Link raised the crossbow again and fired. Screaming followed, and a mad rush to the stairs. Ilia tugged Link toward a door at the rear. She leaned in. "Those men that are after us," she said through heavy breaths. "They won't hurt any of my customers, will they?"
"No," Link lied. He had no idea who the men were and what they were capable of. "They're after me."
"Why?"
They stepped over open books left discarded on the floor and overturned chairs. "I don't know."
They heard the doors behind them slam open. Link and Ilia twirled around - just in time to see all five of their pursuers slink in. Pushing Ilia behind him, Link raised the crossbow, both hands around the grip.
A black cloak billowed, followed by a brief blast of hot air. The crossbow splintered. Instinct made Link jerk his face to one side. Ilia screamed.
The pursuers began to fan out across the room. Link, his chest heaving, nudged Ilia further backward. He shook the ashes of the crossbow from his glove. His hand was unharmed.
"They're not trying to kill us," Link murmured.
"What?" Ilia's reply was a harsh whisper.
"They want us alive."
"Or just you..." Ilia added darkly.
As though aware of Link's sudden realisation, one of the black-clad men raised his chin. "Come," he said, his voice thick and sweet like honey.
"Where?" Link snapped. Keeping his body ahead of Ilia's, he continued to gently push her backward. "Why?"
"Come," the man repeated. "Silver Mask. Come."
Link frowned."What?"
"Come."
Link peeked from the corner of his eye. They'd made it. He looked back at their pursuers. He wasn't going to get any answers from these men. "No."
Swinging around, Link hit the rear door with a high kick. It cracked open, cool air pouring in and tingling the sweat Link hadn't even realised was layering his skin. The pair dived through the opening - but Link tripped, crashing face-first into the rusted metal platform outside. It shivered with a metallic hum from all the motion.
Ilia gasped. Link felt his heart catch. He looked up and behind. Within the library's upper floor he saw books and scrolls caught in a sudden, howling whirlwind. Hands raised, the men dressed in black made their way slowly toward them. Jagged emerald bolts sparked from the tips of their fingers.
Hissing, Link clambered back to his feet.
"There," Ilia said, pointing.
It was the ladder - set in the wall adjacent to the platform. Link pushed her toward it. "Go," he breathed.
Ilia hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Come back to me."
He could only force a thin smile in response. As Ilia made her way down, Link felt his hair whipped by the otherworldly wind. A sudden prickle of fear ran down his spine. He spun - and stumbled backward as a hand reached toward him.
"Link!"
He turned back, and saw Ilia, one hand shading her eyes, staring up at him from the street below. She'd made it. The relief he tasted was sweeter than wine.
Link swatted the man's hand aside, then gripped the ladder with both hands - it shook under the pressure - and swung his feet out to catch the lower rungs. He slid straight down.
The windows of the upper library blew out in an eruption of green fire.
