"Link! My son, you're back!"

Link was abruptly shaken into wakefulness far earlier than he would have liked. It seemed that he had only just shut his eyes. He knew his father was there beaming above him, but right now he wanted to stick his head under the pillow and go back to sleep. It wasn't even 0800 yet, judging by the sun.

"Don't do that, now!" His dad snatched the pillow away from him and threw the blankets off him. "Not only do you return in the middle of the night, there's a girl in your tent! What on earth have you been doing, hm?"

At that, Link shot up, his face beet red. They hadn't done anything! Adelsa was here to help with Jason.

"So her name's Adelsa, is it?" His father cast him a sidelong look. "Well, she's an even heavier sleeper than you are, because I shook her for five minutes and she never responded. Still, I'm glad she's here to help. Jason hasn't gotten any worse, but he's not any better either. Just... unchanged. Lying there still as death." He realized the import of his words and quickly made the sign against evil in the air with his finger.

Link sighed. He'd have to get her up. He apologized for worrying his father, but he and Adelsa hadn't wanted to wake him after midnight.

"Nonsense! I wouldn't have minded. I'm just glad you're home." He managed to ruffle Link's hair as he ducked inside the tent. "I notice you're not wearing your hat!" he called after him.

Link privately vowed to hide the thing as soon as he found a convenient place. In the meantime, he crawled to Adelsa's side and shook her. It was as his father said – she kept on sleeping.

He sat back and pondered. He didn't want to shout at her, as he feared that would end unpleasantly, but what else could he do? As he thought he hummed absently, a little tune he'd made up when he was bored. He always sang it when he was thinking or working with little to occupy his mind.

Adelsa's eyes shot open. They were a curious shade of blue – almost like chips of sky. "No, father!"

Link jumped back in alarm. Her eyes focused, and she relaxed. Then her eyes narrowed. "What are you doing in my tent? I'm not even dressed!" The last word ended in a shriek. She reached for her pillow, probably to beat him over the head with. He hurried out before she could have a chance to aim.

His father chuckled outside. "Sounds like she's awake. We'll have a fine meal prepared, don't you fear." The camp was already moving, bustling with activity and various men going about, tending the fire, cooking breakfast, or hauling items back and forth from dig sites to storage. It looked like they had already begun excavating the tomb, but there were precious few items taken out.

"We didn't want to disturb many things," said his father, seeing his gaze. "It's best left preserved as it is. The pictures we've taken are incredible, and there are so many things to discover even though we haven't gone further than the throat of the carved beast in the main hall. And we still have yet to open the locked door!" His own eyes, brown and green providing a contrast to his son's clear blue, shone with excitement.

Soon Adelsa came out of the tent, dressed in loose khaki pants and a white blouse. She was tying back her waist-length hair on top of her head. "Smells good! Is that breakfast?"

"It is indeed," Link's father assured her, offering his arm courteously. "Please give me the pleasure of your company at our rather small table."

Adelsa giggled. "I'd be honored." She took the proffered arm and shot Link a brief glance, as if to say, You never did anything like this. Link sighed and followed.

They sat around a small but merry campfire. One of the men, a skilled cook with dark hair and tanned skin, deftly flipped pancakes in a griddle that was spread atop the fire and balanced on top of several sturdy rocks. He handed a plate of steaming golden-brown cakes to Adelsa.

"Here you go, miss." He smiled.

"Thank you!" Her eyes shone as she tucked in. Link suppressed a chuckle as he received his own plate. There was a little syrup and some butter too, and those condiments were passed around. For a while there was no sound save the sizzling of the griddle, the crackling of the fire, and the chewing of the diners.

When they were all content, Link's father turned to Adelsa. "Sorry for not introducing myself earlier! I'm Diron, Link and Jason's father. I understand your name is Adelsa?"

"It is indeed. It's a pleasure to meet you," said Adelsa, shaking the proffered hand. Now her manner became brisk and businesslike. "I understand your son Jason is cursed?"

"That's right," Diron said sadly.

"Let me have a look at him."

His father led them to his tent and opened the flap. "Have a look."

Adelsa knelt next to the blankets piled on top of Jason and pushed them aside for a closer look. Jason's skin was cold to the touch and white, but his black hair stuck in strands to his face from the sweat on his brow. When Adelsa peeled up an eyelid, no trace of green could be seen – his eyes were rolled all the way back into his head. Link shivered.

"He's not too bad, for a curse victim," pronounced Adelsa. "It gets bad once he starts convulsing in fits. Sometimes curses will control the victim as if they are possessed, and they usually break everything in sight, even the restraints they are placed under. Those cases are very rare though," she added hastily, seeing the look on Link and Diron's face. "I read up on them. I'm sure he has about two weeks."

"Does that mean you know of a cure for him?" asked Jason's father eagerly.

"Well..." Adelsa looked a bit guilty. "I know the cure, yes, but it's difficult to find. In fact, that's why I'm here. Link, what did Mrs. Bakura tell you?"

Link explained to his father what they had to do. Diron listened intently, his face dark in thought.

"Right," he declared when Link was finished, "we'll begin digging up the entire site! If we can find that grave with the cure, it'll be worth missing the chance to study the tomb for a while. Which I have, in fact, dubbed a temple, since it was a worship place. The Temple of Shadows. Isn't that a fitting name?"

Link gave him a look.

"All right, all right." His father exited the tent, and soon they could hear him shouting orders to his men, who responded with their usual rapid enthusiasm. Sometimes Link thought they were all a little crazy for digging.

"We'd better help too, you know," said Adelsa as she got up to get out. "It'll go faster that way."

Link groaned and followed her.