Foreward

Hey guys, me again. I'm updating early again because it's been confirmed that I'm going to be going north again for the summer; I won't have access to much internet there, so I won't be posting regularly, if at all. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Pyro out.

The Widening Gyre

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"Hah!"

I swung the piece of dowel I'd taken from Dad's scrap heap in a swift arc, starting the third set of the forms I'd been practicing.

"Hey, Sein!" Hannah stepped out of the house, waving a piece of paper at me, and breaking my concentration. Leaning my "sword" against the garage, I walked over and looked at it.

It was a flyer for the archeological exhibit.

It had been a week since all the weirdness. I hadn't thought about it much more, taking Blind's advice and ignoring the whole thing. Going to this wouldn't be really involving myself, though, would it? I mean, I just wanted to see what was going on. It's not like I'm looking for Kirio, or trying to figure out what he's doing. I just want to go see the book. That's innocent enough, right?

"Hey, Sein, what are you practicing?"

"Sword fighting. Like Gramps used to teach us, remember?"

"Oh, yeah…" She walked over to the stick I'd been using and swung it through a few experimental slices. "It's been a long time since we've done this."

"Yeah." I nodded, thinking back. Grandpa had started both of us when we were six. I'd studied under him for nearly ten years, until Dad and Mom split; Hannah had practiced with me for about six. I don't know if it was last week's attack in the alley, or a desire to remember my grandfather that had spurred me on, but I'd taken up practicing again.

I rolled my shoulders, remembering how sore my muscles had been for the first few days. They still remembered the motions, though, which surprised me a little. I guess you don't loose ten years of experience so easily.

"Hey, this archeology thing is today. I think I might go to it." I said, checking the time. Three O'clock. Plenty.

"Ok, see you later," Hanna answered. I stepped inside, pulling the screen door shut. She had picked up my piece of doweling, and was swinging it around enthusiastically.

"Hey, Dad?" I knocked on the studio door, quietly. He liked to know where we were going, but he also liked to be left in peace.

"Come in!" Came the muffled reply. I turned the handle and gently opened the door, stepping into the cool brightness of his studio. I carefully stepped around easels with half-finished pictures, and various partially cleared workspaces as I made my way through his comfortable clutter to where he was working.

"What's up?" He paused for a second, putting down his palette and giving me his full attention.

"I'm going to go to the library; there's an archeological display there that looks interesting."

"That sounds fine. Just be sure to get the lawn cut this week."

I nodded. "It's taken care of. What are you working on?"

He tilted the paper, so I could see more clearly.

"It's a train…see, it's coming down the tracks here, there's the snowplow…"

"Looks good."

And it did. Dad paints for children's books. He loves what he does, and he's good at it.

"Well, see you at supper."

"Yeah." I picked my way back out of the room, and closed the door quietly. Off to the library!

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Supposedly, the library used to be the old Hyrule Castle. The royal residence was eventually moved, but the books stayed, and eventually expanded to take up the whole building. It's quite an impressive structure; right in the middle of downtown, it's surrounded by parks and gardens, an area of tranquility in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Hyrule City. I came in from the south, coasting my bike down the main roadway, angling for the big parking lot just to the side of the main building.

The castle isn't big, in comparison to some of the modern buildings in this city. But it's unique in its own way, built of huge limestone blocks quarried far to the south and carried here ages ago. Time has weathered it to a beautiful cream color, and the intricate carvings and tall towers give the whole thing a fairy-tale like feeling.

I studied the castle as I strolled easily down one of the garden paths, enjoying the smell of the late blooming lilacs. Normally they're over before school gets out.

At some point a façade had been built where the drawbridge used to be. I walked through the wide-open double doors, and into a hallway lit softly and highlighted with dark wood and golden metal. A small sigh escaped my lips; I love the library.

Maybe it's the feeling of undiscovered treasures, or the good memories I have with my mother and sister, but the rows of books and the smell of old paper is incredibly soothing to me. I wandered around the lobby for a while, looking at the new books, and perusing the bulletin boards. Eventually I found what I was looking for; directions to the archeology exhibit. This was the last day it would be open, and then it was going to be moved to another city. For now, though, it could be found on the second floor.

I took the Grand Stair, the one that the King and Queen would have used when they were in residence. The giant stone stairs swept gracefully up at one end of the hall, once used for feasting, now filled with shelves and desks. I paused for a second at the top, looked around, and quickly found a sign pointing me towards the correct room.

It was a room off the wide balcony that ran all the way around the Great Hall, several doors down from the stairs. They normally use these rooms for classes and stuff, but this one had been emptied out, cleaned meticulously, and then stuffed full of glass boxes and tiny spot lamps. I entered slowly, enjoying the thrill of discovery as my eyes swept back and forth across the textured darkness.

I took my time working my way through the exhibit; sure, I was here to see the Book of Mudora, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't enjoy myself, right? There was a lot of interesting stuff. Apparently, the archeologists had found someone's house, and the owner had been something of a scholar. Besides many priceless works of art, there were a surprising number of books.

The Book of Mudora was displayed prominently, centered in a large shadowbox and surrounded with notes about its history and the legends surround it. I stared at the cover, fascinated by the symbol shown there; some sort of bird, claws and wings shown clearly but head represented by three linked triangles, the symbol of the Triforce. Anchored to the glass by a few bolts, was a small tablet computer with a presentation on the interior of the book.

I casually flicked through it, curiously examining the oddly square cuneiform script used to write Ancient Hylian. The tablet claimed that this book was the most complete copy found to date, not only containing the ancient Hylian Histories, compiled by the scholar Raru, but also a section that was believed to be spells, or possibly religious apocrypha. This section was a bit more interesting than the pages of history, since it was written in a different script, an unfamiliar curling alphabet, that some thought was Raru's private cipher. There were notes on how much easier it must have been to write in, since it could be scribed with a pen, instead of a stylus, and how it may have been the pre-cursor to our modern letters.

Nifty. But why does Kirio want it?

Finally giving up, I sighed and turned away from the glass case, and slowly headed down the stairs. I spent a few minutes browsing through the fiction section before deciding on a book and heading towards the door.

WEEEEEEEEEEE-AAAAAAAAAAAW, WEEEEEEEEEEEEE-AAAAAAAAAAAW!

I jumped, nearly dropping my book as the siren came on. It echoed from the balcony above. I set down the book I'd been carrying, and walked to where I could see it better. Lights were flashing from the room with the archeological exhibit and as I watched, a dark figure dashed out of the room, vaulted the balcony, and sprinted towards the door, leaping from the top of one bookcase to the next.

The first glimpse I had of him made me think it was Kirio. I didn't get a good look at his face, but the size and running style seemed right. A second glance showed the book he carried was the Book of Mudora.

Alarms. Valuable property. Escapes.

I was running before he even cleared the railing.

He started closer to the museums exit, but I'm a fast runner. I was on his tail as he scrambled down the bookcase, and darted towards the double doors. Just to make it clear what was going on, I yelled "Stop, thief!" as we dashed through the hallway towards the exit. There were guards there, looking bemused and uncertain. One of them was closing the doors; the other was attempting to bar the way. The escapee didn't even slow down.

He did a hop-skip-jump, from a nearby chair to a handy ledge, and launched himself over the guard, stretching himself flat out in the air and curling up for the landing on the other side. He sprang to his feet and dashed on, leaving the guards gaping and staring, numb enough for me to slip around and continue pursuit. They followed a second later, one of them yelling into his radio, but it was useless; the thief and I outdistanced them easily.

I followed him to the parking lot, where he leapt into a waiting convertible and promptly sped off with a screech and burned rubber. I vaulted onto my bike, keying the ignition with one hand while I slipped my helmet on with the other, and sped off after him before I lost sight of the car.

His car was fast, but it didn't have anything like the acceleration my Roc custom cycle generated when I goosed the throttle. By the time he reached the end of the long, winding driveway, I was closing on him. He pulled out into the street, driving recklessly fast.

I matched him for several minutes. He tried hard to loose me, but didn't have any success. I had better acceleration AND better maneuverability. We were eventually caught in a stalemate; I couldn't get too close for fear of him swerving into me, but he couldn't shake me off, either.

It might have continued like that for quite a while if someone hadn't shot out his front tire.

The first warning I had was a puff of powdered concrete and shredded rubber, and then he lost control with a bang and a screech. I could see him spinning the wheel madly as he swerved back and forth across the road, trying to keep the car from sliding too far around and flipping over. I slammed on the brakes as soon as I realized what was happening, and turned off at the nearest street. I winced at the sound of a crash, but spun my bike and inched it back up the road so I could see what was happening.

The getaway car was stopped dead against one of the wrought-iron light posts, which was probably heavier than it. The man I'd chased had been wearing his seatbelt it seemed, since someone was cutting it off him and hauling him out of the car. He hung limp as the kidnapper snapped handcuffs on him and unceremoniously slung him in a fireman's carry. As he did, the hood fell away from the thief's face. I nodded grimly; it had been Kirio, just as I suspected. As the first guy was getting him out of the car, another guy was searching through it. Eventually, he stood up, holding a book; I was sure it was the Book of Mudora, even from a distance. He slipped it into a satchel, and both men headed back into the alley.

Follow? Not follow. Follow? Not follow. Stupid curiosity. I went.

The house I was next to had a thin strip of lawn between it and the street. I propped my bike up on its kickstand, and stepped behind the hedge, pulling my helmet off and setting it beside me. I had a clear view down the alley, and pretty decent cover.

Even though I thought myself safe from prying eyes, a shiver walked down my spine at what I saw. A squad of five men stood in a semi-circle, with a squat, dark jeep parked behind them. The one carrying Kirio had propped him up against the wall, and was slapping his face, apparently trying to bring him around.

Blind walked around the corner.

I almost split and ran right then. Stupid, stupid, stupid curiosity. She looked pretty today, too, her red hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was wearing the same black sweats as the rest of the group. I couldn't tell what she said, but it was an order. She waved her hand, and the men gathered around her scrambled to obey. They hopped in the jeep and pulled out of the alley, turning right and quickly disappearing down the empty road.

Blind stood still and watched Kirio. I sat motionless, watching Blind. Eventually, Kirio began to wake up. Blind did nothing until he tried to stand. Then she put a foot on his shoulder and pressed him back into the wall. Kirio said something. Blind replied. They talked for a minute.

What should I do? They didn't seem to be looking at me. I walked back to my motorbike, rolled it across the street, and set it up for a getaway. Then, I pulled on my helmet, set my back to the wall, and sidled along it until I could hear what was being said.

"…give it up! I've got the Book of Mudora, now. Soon I'll have all the artifacts. And when I do, not even the Sheikah will be able to stand against me. I'll crush them!" Blind's voice, quiet and low, was full of anger.

"Hah." That was Kirio's; he sounded disoriented and tired. "But that's not what it's about, is it? This is much more…personal than that."

"Shut. Up." There was a snick, like the sound a particularly expensive switchblade makes. "Do you know how much I lost because of you? I should put your eyes out here and now!"

Kirio screamed. It seemed like he was gritting his teeth, because it really wasn't that loud, but it dripped pain. It jerked my head up, and sent me spinning around the corner.

Kirio sat, his hands handcuffed, and stretched above his head. Blind's knife pinned them to the brick wall.

I reacted, dashing forward and taking the initiative instinctively. I reached Kirio before Blind even noticed me, wrapped my hand around the knife, and yanked it out. My hand came up, slashing for her in a split second.

She melted. I don't even know how else to describe it. One second she was there, the next she wasn't. She stood a few feet away from me, tawny eyes flashing as she evaluated at lightning speed.

"You."

She spat the word, even as I moved towards her. Even though I was wearing my helmet, it seemed she recognized me. She dodged again, at a disadvantage against the knife, and I pushed her back, trying to corner her against the wall. I marveled at how much a week of training had brought back; I was able to fight much more confidently, knowing what I was doing and why I was doing it.

What I was doing was fighting for my life.

Man, she was good! Even unarmed, she was pushing back so hard I was almost the one giving ground. And no chance she would be willing to pull her punches, either. She'd already given me half-dozen bruises, and I doubted I could beat her in stamina. I needed to end this, and quick; the only thing keeping her from destroying me easily was my advantage with the knife.

The fight ended as quickly and as unexpectedly as it started. I slipped, loosing my footing on a piece of garbage that had fallen out of the dumpster nearby. I regained my balance quickly, but a hole opened in my defense, and she darted through it.

I felt her hand clamp on my wrist like a steel band, and then yank me forward and smash my fingers against the nearby wall. I struggled, waiting for her to try again; when she tensed another go, I dropped the knife, twisted my hand around and broke her grip. I moved up and stepped inside her guard, even though she punched me viciously in the kidney nearly causing me to howl in pain. I grit my teeth, picked her up, and without thinking, tossed her into the dumpster.

Then I bolted.

I scooped up Kirio as I ran past; he was mumbling to himself and nursing his wounded hand. I dumped him unceremoniously over the saddle of my motorbike and hopped on. Just as I gunned the engine and pulled away from the curb, I glanced in my mirror to see Blind dash out of the mouth of the alley, her clothes ripped and dirty from the knife and the trash. She shook her fist and yelled something, but it was lost in the engine noise.

Apprehension in my heart I turned north, heading for Kirio's house.

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So, I have one more chapter that I might post before I go, especially if I get a few reviews; but it's in pretty rough shape, so I might not be able to. Either way, I'll be posting again by August, probably. Oh, and I already have an idea for my next story! So I'll be able to go on from here.