Chapter 12
Time on Desertshore crept equally slow. It was the third day that Shad and Auru waited. No word had yet arrived about the renegades, and Cranis only returned last night with the message from Link. Auru had to spend his time constructing a number of possible strategies to use against the oppressive monarchy. All of them pointless and ill-based without any specifics on troops, supplies and other necessities to start a rebellion. He needed to find the renegades, not only for answers, but for future goals. If what the buko said was true, then they were their friends, not their enemies.
Auru pressed his fingers against his temples hopelessly trying to relieve the pain building his head. Another plan was scratched as a fellow buko informed him that the Silidan military incorporated magic-wielders to prevent volleys of arrows and the like. These magic-wielders were causing more plan rewrites than anything else. Their list of abilities continued to astound him. It seemed almost unnecessary to even have a Silidan military with them around.
"Where did these beings come from?" Auru asked Purk, a taller and brighter furred buko, who assisted him with his plans. "I haven't read about them in any of the history books in Hyrule. Were they with you all along, or did they travel from afar?"
"I could not tell you. It's a mystery even to us. Our own histories indicate that they simply appeared. We think they've been conducting the kingdom from behind the scenes ever since their showing."
"And when was that?"
"A little over two hundred years ago."
This seemed like too much of a coincidence for Auru. That would place their appearance around the same time as their two kingdoms severed their ties. If they were manipulating the kingdom as Purk indicated, it was very probable that they were the real enemy, and that defeating them would be the greatest achievement. Before allowing himself to delve too deeply into those thoughts, another one popped into his mind prompting another question. "Would these wizards happened to wear large robes that cover themselves?"
Purk nodded. "All of them. That is how they have been called wizzrobes by the common folk. Do you think you've seen one?"
Auru was recalling the similarly clad figure whispering in the ear of the emperor when he first met him. "Yes. It was able to sway the emperor to not kill us. Makes me wonder..."
"How so?" The buko was very confused.
Auru stopped his work on his next plot to explain it. "These . . . wizzrobes are running the kingdom, right? But what is their motive? If they caused the isolation, the raid, and our survival to possibly inquire them, what could they possibly gain? Do they doubt our ability to stop them from whatever it is they intend to do?"
The buko was understanding, now perhaps more so than Auru. "Perhaps your presence is hindering them, but they can't act yet."
Auru pondered this. A very plausible situation. When the intentions are unknown, an enemy's movements will always seem erratic. Planning would go more smoothly if only he could tell what they were thinking. If they're running everything, then all the events involving this kingdom would be their doing. Perhaps it will all add up if he could get that. "Are any of your history books here that I can study?"
Purk gave an odd look, supposedly one of an unsure response Auru had been explained of, and responded. "Yes, but they're only of our own migration and dealings with the Silidan, not with Silidan as a whole."
"Well, I suppose I'll be visiting Shad." He stood up from the chair he was sitting at. Shad was a couple houses over the other side of the village under the watchful eyes of Grit. Whenever Shad wasn't absorbing the knowledge of his new books, he was constantly asking Grit questions about anything from their personal appearance to odd beliefs. Only once had Auru seen him leave that house, but considering the heat, it was understandable to stay inside for those who weren't buko.
As expected, Shad was seated at a table with the elderly buko interrogating him. Grit was almost relieved to see the older hylian walk in. "I must admit, Auru, when your friend came to the meeting three nights ago, I'd thought him to be quiet and shy. Now I see he was just being polite."
Shad had now turned to see his companion sit next to him at the wooden table. A smile streaked across his face as he spoke. "I'm really glad I came with you. This is far safer and quieter than Denalet."
"According to Link, things were going quite smoothly there." Auru retorted, not fully aware what had happened after Cranis had left their company. "I actually need your help with something."
"Well, you know I appreciate being needed. What do you have?"
"In those books of yours, do they mention wizzrobes?"
Grit made a grunting noise, but chose not to speak. Shad was eager to respond. "Oh, yes! Quite extensively! At least, it sort of does. Quite fascinating, really.
"You see, the author, Mandrakos Fears, has detailed quite a bit that they are most assuredly the driving force behind this kingdom. They have an ulterior motive most nefarious in the works, but at the point of publishing this, he isn't sure what it is."
"Did you not think this was important before? We're trying to plan a war, and that would have been most useful."
Shad breathed in through his teeth, a sign indicating he realized he'd made a mistake. "Sorry. I guess I'm just too absent-minded to remember what you need."
"Well, we're dealing with it now, no point in worrying about it anymore." He patted Shad on the back, helping him feel better about himself before continuing his own questions. "When was his book published?"
"Ahh . . ." Shad couldn't recall it exactly, so he went off to grab his book nearby. After flipping through one, he finally answered. "Two years ago."
"And how accurate are his findings? I want to make sure it isn't just a conspiracy theory."
"Oh, he's got quite enough evidence. It's no question that they've been 'advising' a number of the different lords in Silidan, as they have made their presence known. But it was all based on their manipulations that the lords finally united under the emperor and his rule. Now that they have unified, their strength has increased tenfold, ensuring that Silidan cannot be crushed by any other kingdoms. With a proper defense created, law could finally be held. No more did the people act in small communities. They interacted amongst-"
"Shad, don't get distracted. Focus on the wizzrobes."
"Sorry, I just get so excited."
"It's okay." Auru patted him on the back again, this time for the sake of focus. "So the wizzrobes helped unite the kingdom. How did they take control of the emperor?"
"Why, the emperor at the time was originally just another lord from one of the houses. He was quite the charmer, it says, and he united them all claiming that a war with Hyrule would be imminent if they did not stand together. Of course, no such war ever occurred. They were cut off instead."
"What could have happened that caused that?"
"It was the forest. Though Faron Woods were already present, they weren't as dense as they are now. The woods of Ordona didn't even exist. It is believed that the great spirits of Hyrule produced the forest as a natural defense against an invasion."
Auru took all this information in. If Silidan had any intention of attacking, a thick forest would stop any army, especially if the only other option was to go through the Yarna Wasteland, an even more desolate and lifeless place than both the Gerudo Desert or the lands of the buko. However, he found the idea to be a bit too convenient. "Did the wizzrobes try burning or chopping the forest down?"
"Yes, but all recorded accounts indicate that the wind would always blow south whenever they tried fire, and the trees would become harder than iron if they tried to cut them down. Again, Mandrakos believes that the spirits must have worked together to do this."
"Are the spirits normally capable of such magic?" Grit injected himself back into the conversation. Auru added to the thought. "From what Link has told us, they seemed quite helpless from the twili attacks."
"Well, according to even our own histories, spirits of their nature could commune with each other, and work together, becoming stronger and therefor more capable. Even Silidan has spirits with which ours could commune with."
"Did they?"
"Not sure, but it is very possible. If Link could get them to help, that would really bolster our support against the wizzrobes."
So much information, Auru found himself rubbing his temples again. "Okay, so the wizzrobes not only united the lords but found a charismatic leader. It's all an attempt to strike Hyrule, which backfired when the forests of Ordona appeared, preventing them from doing so as they originally desired. It's a bit convoluted...but I can see that happening. What else has been going on since then?"
"Honestly, very little. At least little to be seen. Aside from the buko asking for help, most of their time has been spent keeping everything together. Without the threat of Hyrule, the houses simply want things to go back to the way they were: every house an individual. The current renegades are one of the first to strike against them. Several small bands have tried to slay the emperor, but all have failed. Even rumors have become scarce. The only lead is an incredibly heavy outpost to the northeast by the border near a city called Clifftown."
"I suspect that going there, or getting information even, is out of the question for the time being." Both Grit and Shad nodded for different reasons. "Well, what about the current emperor? Is he any different than the others?"
"He's actually from a different family than the original emperor line. In an attempt to bolster their own to stay united, they encouraged the current emperor to overthrow the old one. He's an incredible warrior, supposedly peerless throughout the land. The plan worked for a little while, but as the evidence of renegades points out, it isn't lasting."
"Ugh. Every time I think I'm getting close to putting all the pieces together, something new botches it up." Auru started to ponder for a while, trying to find a probable cause for everything that has happened. The one piece of the puzzle that didn't quite fit was the raid. Perhaps the wizzrobes weren't responsible, and perhaps the renegades were. He needed answers and all he got was more questions. "I think I understand most of it, but it might still have some holes."
"What do you think?" Shad was most curious of the outcome Auru was indicating.
"If the wizzrobes are losing control of the kingdom, then they're going to need to find something to bring everybody back together. They need to convince the people to go to war with us again, and they could exploit our presence to do that. This could explain why they let us go, but not if they still haven't found a way past the forest. However, if they do find us conspiring against the emperor, like we are now, they will undoubtedly bring the people together and get them to ready to fight Hyrule." A new thought suddenly dawned on him. "We're in no condition to fight. We're just making this situation worse if we stay here. We . . . might just have to leave."
Shad was astonished at Auru's reasoning. He couldn't possibly suggest leaving now. "But like you said, they still can't get past the woods if they catch us, they can't do anything."
"Not to mention, our job is to make sure you aren't caught." Purk had entered the room only to hear the last bit of the conversation, but he didn't plan to stay long. The large buko hurried to the smaller one, speaking in his ear in urgency. Grit's eyes widened. He stood up to leave, but not before excusing himself. "I'll be right back."
Shad and Auru just sat there in silence. Shad was beginning to feel contempt towards Auru for even suggesting that they leave, but he tried to control himself, knowing that he was only thinking of Hyrule. But that was the problem: only Hyrule. He had to confront him about this. "You can't possibly consider going back to Hyrule now! After all we've promised, you're seriously thinking about that?"
"I'm only putting things in perspective. Staying here is dangerous for our land and may even strengthen the iron grip the emperor has on this land. Logic dictates that we pull out now before things get out of hand."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, if my understanding is correct. They're just waiting to catch us. They let us go knowing we'd help overthrow their rule, or at least try to. Their goal is ultimately the domination of Hyrule, and we'd only bring them closer to it."
"So we outsmart them. They've made mistakes before. Knowing that there is a trap is the first step to evading one."
Auru found himself pausing after that. That was unlike Shad to have such insight. "And where did you hear that?"
"Mandrakos Fears."
"So his books also have philosophy?"
"Just one. The first was history, second philosophy, and this third one is on a now dead language." Shad shook his head to clear his mind. "Don't distract me. This doesn't change the fact that-"
"Sorry to interrupt, but we need to get moving." Grit had returned with haste. "A previously untracked unit of soldiers is heading this way, probably looking for our network."
Shad now grew startled. "What do we do?"
"We will return to the desert. They won't look for us. You two will need to head north to another hideout in Broadstead near the Crystal Faults. We'll have someone accompany you, but I suggest you pack up now."
Auru looked at Shad who returned his glance. Things had just now picked up. The argument would have to wait. "We'll discuss this later."
