Hello! So just a heads-up again, lots of torture in this chapter; I'll put a summary at the bottom, but if you want to read at least part of the chapter (it's a long one) look for "eventually subsided" (for those of you on computers, Ctrl + F should work). Don't worry; this is the lowest point of the story - it can only go uphill from here!
14. Ancient Ritual
The moon chamber.
Thousands of years old, blanketed in images carved into the stone, worn indecipherable by time, with a long, human-sized table in the center…
The Yiga had found it at the very bottom of a deep, cylindrical pit near the end of Karusa Valley. Falling in meant certain death, but they'd discovered a long, winding tunnel a few years ago leading all the way down to the ancient room at the pit's base.
And in that room, they'd also found notes scrawled upon scrolls of animal skin, detailed accounts of dark rituals and the most despicable uses for shadow magic.
Of course, Master Khoga hadn't used that word—despicable—to describe them. Holy, he'd said. Mystical. Powerful.
Khana had been to the moon chamber twice before. Hylians didn't usually join the Clan, and one of the reasons for that was the fact that they couldn't use shadow magic as naturally and easily as those with Sheikah heritage. So in the past, any Hylian who tried to join had been killed—there was no room for weakness in the Clan.
But Khoga had found a ceremony in the accounts taken from the moon chamber—a ceremony that transferred shadow magic from one person to another. In this instance, from a Yiga with magic to a Hylian without any. It was a simple ceremony, only an hour or so in duration, but the Hylians didn't always survive the sudden infusion of power into their blood.
On both occasions Khana had visited the moon chamber, it had been to witness the ceremony performed with Hylians who wanted to join the Clan. The first time, the woman had survived. The second time, the man had gone mad, cackling wildly, eyes wide and glowing as the power surged through his veins—it was too much for him. He dissolved into millions of angry glowing red sparks, taken away by the wind.
Khana had hated the room. Each time she'd been there, she'd felt that there was something off about it, something malicious that tingled up her spine, whispering of murder and blood and dark deeds untold.
Now she stood in the moon chamber, tightly bound hand and foot, mummified by rope and loops of chain, with burly blademasters on either side of her, gripping her shoulders. Her heart pounded angrily, leaping up her throat, as shivers of terror snaked their way up and down her spine.
Khoga had promised suffering for her. And he wanted Link on his side. And somehow that was connected.
Khoga didn't exactly promise not to torture me, she realized, her heart sick with dread. But he did say that no harm would come to me beyond what happens in these next hours, so whatever happens, it won't be a permanent solution to get Link to do his will. If Link surrenders in the first place, that is.
He'd better not, she told herself, despite the nauseating anticipation squeezing her innards. She had not prayed to the Goddesses for a long time—years, in fact. But this night, with silver moonlight shining down through the deep pit above her… Farore, give me courage, she pleaded.
Through the iron door leading to the tunnel beyond, three Yiga footsoldiers entered the room—her former comrades, though of course with their masks she couldn't recognize them. One man lit the four torches in the room, one at each corner of the table. Another wrapped chains around the table, to which were fastened manacles with thin, needle-like spikes on the inside. There were four of those—one at each corner.
The last Yiga poured a thick, foul-smelling liquid all across the table's surface, purple and terrible. "Bokoblin blood," the Yiga chuckled darkly at her inquisitive look.
Khana swallowed tightly, watching them complete the preparations. Blood? But there was no monster blood in the other rituals—what's going on?! Her mouth was dry. Her heart thudded with terror. She wished that time would speed up, wished she could just get this awful thing over with, but instead time merely crawled along, feeding the dread churning in her stomach.
Be brave, she told herself. Be brave.
The rattling of chains. She turned her head (the only part of her that could move with ease) and saw a blademaster leading Barta into the room, shackles around her wrists and ankles, a frightened look on her face. The Yiga chained her to the wall beside Khana, who tried to offer an encouraging smile. Barta grimaced in return.
The three footsoldiers left the room, but they were quickly replaced by seven burly Yiga entering the room, surrounding Link, who was wearing several sets of thick iron manacles across his body. He was naked but for a black loincloth hanging from his hips; every whiplash and bruise and cut he'd gained over the past twenty-four hours stood out clearly against his skin, dark and red, but at least they were no longer bleeding.
Master Khoga entered the room next, dressed in regal scarlet robes emblazoned with the Yiga eye instead of his usual bodysuit. In one hand he held a jeweled golden knife; swiftly he drew it across Link's back, drawing a startled gasp of pain from the young man's lips. Khana grit her teet, glaring at Khoga, but he ignored her. If he saw her at all.
"The boko blood," he snapped his fingers, and one of the soldiers hefted the bucket of bokoblin blood used to douse the table. Slowly they poured it over Link's head and it dripped down his skin, leaving dark violet streaks; Link gagged, coughing, squirming away from the man holding the bucket, and Khoga laughed. "Bind him."
But instead of taking him to join Barta and Khana on the wall, the men lifted him onto the table, forcing his arms high above his head and wrenching his legs apart, binding his wrists and ankles to each of the four corners of the table.
His face was pale with fear, but his blue eyes burned with resilient courage.
And Khana realized with a sickening jolt that she'd had it all wrong.
They were going to perform some eldritch ritual on Link. And she was meant to watch.
"Khoga, don't you dare!" she roared, frantically struggling against her bonds, wriggling like a worm in her desperation.
"Shut her up," Khoga sighed, bathing the knife red with Link's blood in the bucket of monster blood. Khana jerked her head away but one of her two guards gripped her chin, holding her in place while his companion stuffed a bit of crimson cloth into her mouth and bound it in place. She glared daggers at them, wishing looks could kill.
Khoga bent over Link's stomach and raised his knife, mumbling something over and over again under his breath as he carved two shallow gashes in the hero's sides, one one the left and one on the right, drawing a sharp gasp of pain from the young man's throat as his blood seeped from him, mingling with the bokoblin blood he lay upon.
Khoga continued to mumble, raising both hands above his head and facing the sky, Link's blood dripping from the knife down his arms. More monster blood was brought forth in a crimson ceramic bowl, steam rising up from the vile liquid's surface; Khoga dipped his hand inside and scattered drops of boiling blood all across Link's body before pouring a gentle stream upon each of the fresh wounds in his sides; it hissed as it came into contact with the hero's raw flesh and he yelled, face tightening with pain.
Still fervently muttering what must have been some sort of incantation, Khoga drizzled blood over Link's heart and eyelids, and then over his wrists and ankles. Then he set the bowl aside and held his hands above Link's torso, fingers spread wide. Khana watched in agony of suspense, breathless with fear, squirming uselessly in her bonds. The pale moon gleamed down over them.
"Oh, my King, hear thou my plea," Khoga intoned, raising his face skyward. "Behold thine enemy; turn him now to thine ally. Break his soul and change his heart. Make him thine as I am thine!"
A red haze descended over the round chamber, and all at once the flaming torches went out, leaving smoky black tendrils that hovered in the air. Khana's breath stilled in her chest as she turned her gaze heavenward.
A blood moon hung in the sky, gleaming red with Malice.
Ganon's power at its peak.
A terrible sound rent the air; tears instantly burned in her eyes—it was a pure sound, a sound of unbridled anguish. Her heart hammering at her throat she turned her gaze back to the table and felt her blood turn to ice.
Link's eyes were impossibly wide and unseeing, his lips parted in that terrible endless scream of agony as he writhed and twisted on the table, jerking against the spiked manacles that held him down, causing them to gouge at his skin. His muscles surged, fighting against the dark spell that assailed him; his skin gleamed with sweat in the crimson moonlight as desperately he struggled, shuddering with pain.
Stop it! Khana wanted to scream, tugging fruitlessly in her bonds. Tears streamed down her cheeks; hatred, anger, and fear boiled over in an agonizing mixture through her soul… but she could only watch, utterly helpless as Link convulsed in frantic anguish before her. Her chest shook with sobs; it wasn't fair—how could anyone be so vile and cruel and warped as to be unaffected by the evil of their actions? She couldn't understand it, could only stand there, arms and legs pinned in place as Khoga attacked her hero.
The smoke in the room was behaving oddly; it crept down from the torches and coiled black around Link's body, rippling as if stirred by a great wind—yet the air was still.
Link's screams finally petered away, but his lips remained parted, his face slowly losing its color before turning an unhealthy shade of purple. He's not breathing! Khana struggled desperately; Barta wept at her side. There were tears on Link's cheeks as well, his eyelids fluttering uselessly, his spastic jerks quickly weakening, his entire body twitching, consumed by violent shudders. At last he managed to suck in half a breath, a choking sob of agony.
Khana looked at him, her heart burning, throbbing in her chest with each frantic breath she tool. Do it to me! she tried to scream through her gag, but all that came out was muffled gibberish. Leave him alone—do it to me! Frustrated by her helplessness she couldn't help the tears as she sagged in her bonds, anger and desperation boiling in her blood. Din, give him strength!
"Master, answer the plea of thine faithful servant!" Khoga shouted, raising his hands to the heavens.
"Khana," Link whimpered with his next feeble gasp, and her heart broke at the weakness in his voice.
"Thine enemy is imperfect," Khoga went on, his voice controlled, calm. He fluttered his fingers over Link's shuddering frame; sparks of shadow magic dripped down to land on Link's skin, burning it the pale color of shadow on snow; Link screamed again at this, twisting where he lay, and the cold shadowy color began to spread, splotching down his legs, inching up his torso and towards his face and heart, and his screams only increased in pitch and volume; his struggles grew more frantic and frenzied. Blood dripped in a steady stream from his chafed wrists and ankles, and from the wounds in his sides.
Khana's eyes burned. I have to do something!
She strained at the ropes and chains binding her with new determination fuelled by agony, trying to stretch the creaking fibers enough to step into the Gash; it wouldn't take much, and the chains—well, she couldn't do much about those, but perhaps if she squirmed enough they'd fall off—
Khoga continued to speak, as if praying. "Thine enemy is flawed like any man, and just like any man, he has just as much potential to serve Hylia… as to serve thee. Make him thine, my King!"
Link howled in agony, eyes wide with blind terror as the shadow spread over his heart and closed up his neck and face. There was blood at the corner of his mouth; he closed his eyes tightly as the shadow on his skin spread over them; his hair turned a sudden blinding white, and at long last his taut muscles relaxed and he went limp, his body still wracked with violent tremors—shudders of cold or pain.
Khoga laughed—a dark, excited sound. The torches flared, suddenly burning bright once again with flame.
"Open your eyes, slave," he commanded, glaring down at Link, whose eyes flashed open.
Khana stifled a gasp of horror.
Whereas moments ago he'd glanced at her with desperate blue eyes, his gaze was now a vibrant blood-red.
"Excellent," Khoga purred. He cleared his throat, tightly gripping Link's shoulder, seemingly unaware of the way the young man flinched away. "We shall return at dawn, and I will give you your first orders. Understand?"
Link's lips moved, but he said nothing, eyelids fluttering closed, a tear seeping down his cheek as shudders gripped his frame; still his face was twisted in a grimace of agony.
Khoga chuckled. He beckoned to the two guards at Khana's side. "She can't escape using the Gash," he assured them. "This chamber is protected by old magic. Let's go."
He and the other Yiga in the room swaggered out, pulling the heavy iron door shut behind them.
Khana tugged furiously at the ropes and chains binding her fast; she knew there was no way she could free Link from the manacles binding him down, not without the key, but if she could just go to his side…
Link's shudders eventually subsided, and he lay as though dead, motionless on the bloodstained table, his skin a lifeless gray and his lips tinged purple. Yet blood still seeped slowly from his wounds, giving her hope that he yet lived.
At last the ropes around her ankles were loose enough, and she took the half-step into the Gash, focusing hard on only bringing herself, not any of the ropes or chains. She reappeared a moment later, next to the stone table.
"Would that work with me?" Barta asked hopefully. Khana grit her teeth; she wanted to stay at Link's side, but…
She hurried over to Barta, placing a hand on her shoulder. Concentrating—Just Barta. Barta, Barta, Barta. No iron—she stepped into the Gash and opened her eyes. Barta was at her side. Yes! Quickly she took the Gerudo away from the wall and they reappeared once again by the table. Barta massaged her wrists with a pained grimace; then she turned her attention to Link. "Will that work with—"
But Khana was already at the hero's side, gently resting her hand on his shoulder. She took the half step and entered the gasp, but something yaked at her, drawing her back to the physical world; Link moaned faintly with pain, and she saw the shackles around his wrists glowing slightly, a dark red.
"I guess not," she murmured, disappointment searing her soul. "They must be enchanted." Of course. Khoga guessed I'd get free. Of course he wouldn't let Link get away so easily.
She looked around, another thought occuring to her. The Yiga had been waiting for them in Mist's stall, hidden in the Gash, but she hadn't seen them when she was in the Gash as well. Which means there could be someone watching us right now, reporting to Khoga. She swallowed tightly and grabbed Barta's wrist, yanking her into the Gash.
"What was that for?" Barta asked, looking at her in surprise.
"I have an idea," Khana responded. She winced; she could never get used to the way the Gash changed her voice. "I think it's the only way. As long as we're here, Khoga might have a way to control Link. I don't think he'd be able to resist if we were tortured in front of him." She swallowed thickly, remembering how she'd been willing to do anything, anything, if Khoga would only leave Link alone. "I don't know what they've done to him, but it can't be good. And we're not going to make it harder for him."
Barta's eyes were wide with fear. "So what do we do?"
Khana looked up. "First we're going to get out of here."
"But Khoga said that we can't get out using the Gash!"
"We won't be using the Gash. Not the whole way." Khana closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. Gravity didn't follow the same rules in the Gash as they did in the physical world. In fact, it didn't really exist in the first place; only her perceptions of how gravity should work kept her from floating away. Or so she hoped.
Eyes narrowed in concentration, she inhaled deeply, trying to let go of the physical world completely. This is a different place. I cannot fall. I can fly. I'm lighter than air, but that doesn't matter, because weight doesn't exist here either.
It was making her head hurt. But Barta gasped delightedly; she opened her eyes and the ground was swiftly falling away, and they were soaring upwards, through the impossibly deep pit, towards the open sky above. Khana's heart pounded; it was working; Khoga was wrong; they were gaining speed and the opening hovered above them and they were going to go through—
There was a slight jolt, and their upward motion ceased as they collided with some sort of invisible barrier. Alright, then. Plan B. She guided the two of them to the edge of the pit. "Reach for the stone right there, as if you were hanging from it," she told Barta, guiding her hands into place. "We're going to have to hurry. Khoga might have guards around the entrance of the pit, so pull yourself over the top as soon as I bring us back."
Barta nodded, her brows drawn together determinedly. Khana inhaled deeply, preparing herself; then she made the half step back into reality and her weight suddenly crashed down on her as she clung to the edge of the pit. Quickly she hauled herself over the edge and helped Barta up behind her. And stepped back into the Gash.
"Good idea," Barta approved, grinning. "Now what?"
"We get the Thunderhelm," Khana said. "That's the whole reason we came here. And we're not leaving without it."
"Do you know where it is?"
Khana hesitated. Barta didn't know about her Yiga background, but that hardly mattered now. The sooner we get this done, the sooner I can go back for Link. "It'll be in the treasure room," she explained. "And... yes, I know where that is."
Quickly she maneuvered them away from the edge of the pit, towards a small doorway in the side of the towering cliff walls rising up on all sides. Once the idea of gravity was dismissed, it was much easier to travel through the Gash. And faster. She sped through the Yiga Clan hideout, through walls towards the treasure room. It wasn't that far from the arena they had just left, being one of the deepest rooms in the labyrinth of caves and tunnels that comprised her former home.
There were two guards outside of the treasure room, but she couldn't see anyone inside. Which doesn't mean there isn't anyone invisible waiting on us.
She bit her lip. Maybe she was being paranoid. But the incident in Mist's cell had certainly had an impact on her; they'd been so woefully unprepared… We need to do this quickly, and discreetly. But with two of us… we're twice as likely to get snatched by someone.
"What now?" Barta asked, her voice a hushed whisper even though, in the Gash, they couldn't be eavesdropped upon. "We don't want that little horse's cell all over again…"
"Certainly not," Khana agreed, thinking hard. She took them away from the treasure room and into a storage room occupied by one guard patrolling between stacks of crates. There's no reason to watch this room, right? There's only a bunch of bananas in here.
They reappeared atop the stack of crates furthest from the guard, and before Barta had time to react, Khana shoved her into the Gash, using the same hand motion she used to store weapons. She'd never tried it before with anything living, but… hopefully it would work. Forgive me, Barta.
Then she returned to the treasure room, searching for the Thunderhelm from within the safety of the Gash. There were weapons, and chests of gold and precious gemstones, and even a few secret doors behind which crates full of rupees sat stacked on top of each other, all semi-transparent in the Gash. Khana already had several weapons stored away, but she added a few more, reappearing for seconds at a time to stuff them inside. Hopefully Barta has the sense to take one of them.
The Thunderhelm was hidden well beneath a pile of ordinary blankets in a small corner. The message was simple: nothing of value here. But Khana smirked; even without the Gash she would have known there was something suspicious about the blankets. Who would put a pile of dirt-cheap wool cloth in a treasure room? Quickly she reappeared, lifting the pile of blankets and setting them aside, focusing on the crate they'd rested on. Deftly picking the lock she snatched the Thunderhelm from within and shoved it into the Gash. A tell-tale crackling caught her ears and she stepped into the Gash, heart pounding, as two blademasters appeared in the room just behind her. Nayru's love, that was close. Too close.
And all of a sudden there were tears in her eyes and she was breathing hard, sinking down and curling her arms around her knees. Too close, she thought. Too close. Too close.
Memories flooded her mind—grabbing hands, Yiga appearing all around her, pinning her, tying her, Link with a sword at his back, Link trying to turn, to get to her, and the whip snapping down on him, leaving red lines behind—My fault, my fault, my fault—and then she was sobbing inconsolably into her hands, shuddering with fear, shuddering with guilt and pain and fear. Oh, Hylia above, this is all my fault… I should have done something… anything…
She inhaled deeply, pushing those thoughts away. I didn't know. There was nothing I could have done; I didn't know. I'd only travelled through the Gash twice. I didn't know.
And sitting here isn't helping Link in the least.
With that thought in mind, she wiped her tears away, taking in a shaking breath that cleared her mind, rejuvenated her blood with the determination to win. She left the treasure room and returned to the stack of crates, reaching into the Gash and, with great relief, catching hold of Barta's hand and pulling her out.
"That was—" she started to say, but Khana clamped her hand over her mouth, looking anxiously at the guard pacing below them. He continued on, humming softly; he hadn't heard a thing. But Khana could hear footsteps approaching, echoing through the hall that led to the treasure room. Without another moment's hesitation she grabbed the Thunderhelm, a shield, and a golden claymore from the ash and pressed them into Barta's hands before taking them both back into the Gash, just as several guards reached the storage room, looking furtively around.
"Why did you leave me in there?" Barta asked, looking at her anxiously.
Khana was already pulling them through the translucent halls, towards the hidden front doors to the hideout. "We needed to act quickly. There were guards waiting invisibly in that room—if you'd been in there with me, we might have gotten caught again. When you have two targets, you're more likely to hit at least one of them. I couldn't take that risk."
Bart sighed heavily, her features downcast. "I'm slowing you down," she mourned. "I'm nothing but a hindrance, aren't I?"
Khana didn't have the heart to agree. "Of course not," she insisted. "You've done more than enough already. But if you were to die for this quest… you have your whole life ahead of you, and if everything goes well, the world will soon be at peace. You should be able to enjoy that peace." And so should Link, she thought anxiously, wishing she was there by his side.
They emerged into Karusa Valley, but Khana didn't stop until she saw a familiar silvery mare pacing along the canyon wall, cropping bits of dried grass from the stony ground. Mist. So Khoga really did release her.
She reappeared at the little mare's side and turned to Barta. "Take Mist and get to Gerudo City with the Thunderhelm," she said, trying to sound stern and commanding. "Captain Teake will be pleased that you're safe." She paused for a moment, remembering how Link had been imprisoned in the city, remembering their desperate flight. It seems so long ago now. "Tell them about how Link got you out, but say nothing more—not until we return."
Barta looked down from the blade she was strapping to her waist. "You will return?"
Khana swallowed thickly. "I have a plan," she said. "With any luck, we'll join you in the city by tomorrow afternoon." She was interrupted by Mist, gently nosing her shoulder, nostrils wide as she sniffed. I'm sorry, she thought, turning to pat the horse's neck. Link's not here. Not yet.
"Khana, I really don't like just leaving you two here—"
"Go now," Khana demanded forcefully. "The Yiga watch this valley. Every moment we spend here is another moment we're in danger. You need to get out of here."
Barta bit her lip, unhappiness gleaming in her narrow eyes. But with a sigh she nodded decisively, sliding the Thunderhelm over her head. "I'll see you tomorrow, Khana. You'd better be there." The worry and guilt in her voice was painfully obvious, but she swung a leg over Mist's back and wound her finger through the pale mane. Mist regarded Khana anxiously with a large brown eye, glancing back through the Valley. She knew her master was missing.
"Keep Barta safe," Khana whispered in the little mare's ear, hoping that somehow she'd understand. She's a smart horse. It'll be alright. She struck Mist's hindquarters, and she lurched into a swift gallop, dashing along the canyon floor as if the lashes across her body didn't even exist. Compassion warmed Khana's heart and she entered the Gash, soaring after the little horse, travelling beside her as she darted over stone and sand, tail streaming out behind her. It was only when she and Barta reached the end of the valley and veered southeast, towards Gerudo City, that Khana left them and hurried back to the Yiga Clan hideout. Back to Link. Barta's safe. Now I just have to get Link out of here somehow.
She returned to the arena and reappeared just long enough to climb down inside the pit, past the magical barrier that stalled the Gash; then she warped through the Gash to the moon chamber far below, rushing to Link's side. He was exactly as she had left him—pale and still, his chest barely rising with breath. Tears burned in her eyes and she put a hand to his neck, feeling his pulse—faint and erratic, but still very much there.
"Wake up," she whispered, brushing a strand of sweat-dampened snowy-white hair out of his face. "Please…"
But he didn't respond, lying lifelessly on the stone, his skin cold.
Khana inhaled deeply, studying the chains around his wrists. She frowned; there was something not quite right about them. Carefully she ran a finger along the smooth outer edge, trying to find what exactly what was bothering her.
There was no keyhole.
She couldn't help the gasp of shock and anger that escaped her lips. No keyhole. No lock for her to pick. Only smooth iron, all the way around Link's wrists and ankles. Her shoulders slumped; with the shackles on, she couldn't take Link out through the Gash. He would be stuck here forever unless she thought of something else.
But what was there to do? She could think of nothing. No escape. No way out.
Frustrated, she began to pace, hoping that the repetitive motion and the soft tap of her shoes on the stone ground would strengthen her mind. She was tired, so tired, but this couldn't wait. I can't just sit around doing nothing. We have until dawn—that's plenty of time for us to figure out a way to escape.
An idea struck her mind, like the sudden burn of a match in the darkness. Maybe Khoga will remove the shackles in the morning, she realized hopefully. Link wouldn't be able to serve him very well with those manacles—he'll have to remove them.
She didn't like it, but it was all she had. She would wait for dawn, wait for Khoga to unlock her hero, and then she'd whisk him away to safety.
Link's soft groan of pain drew her from her thoughts and she was instantly by his side, hovering anxiously over him as his eyelids fluttered open. She tried not to let his red eyes unnerve her. "How do you feel?" she asked, gently cupping her hand around his cheek.
His lips parted, and faint croaking sounds issued forth, but no words; at last he closed his eyes and gave a feeble shake of his head, looking miserable. Her heart burned with worry; she sat down on the tabletop at his side and gently combed his hair back. His eyelids flickered up again and he looked anxiously into her eyes, opening his mouth and again trying to speak.
"K…" he managed, his voice a rasping breath. His eyes narrowed in concentration. "K… Kha… n-na… Khana…"
"I'm right here," she promised, her heart in her throat and tears in her eyes. "What can I do?"
His eyes were brimming with tears. "C…" He coughed weakly, his chest heaving as a shudder coursed through him. Again she noticed fresh blood on his lip; had he bitten it, or was he bleeding internally somewhere? Fear closed around her heart. "C… cold," he whispered, the word barely audible. Well, he was nearly naked, lying on cold stone at night. I should have taken one of those blankets, she thought angrily. But I might have one in the Gash…
Quickly she reached inside and searched; there was a blanket with her camping gear and quickly she pulled it out, carefully tucking it over his shoulders and around his torso. His hands and feet stuck out, but the blanket covered the rest of them, and was it her imagination or was there a tinge of color in his shadowy cheeks that hadn't been there before?
"You were so brave," she murmured, kneeling down at his side. He turned his head to look at her through weary crimson eyes. She met his gaze determinedly; whatever Khoga had tried to do it clearly hadn't worked, for though his eyes and his skin and his hair had changed, she could still see that he hadn't changed; he was still Link. "I wish I could have done something to stop him."
His lips twitched upwards, the ghost of a smile. Again he tried to speak, running his tongue along his lips and swallowing thickly. "You… d-d… did… e… e…" He coughed again, a grimace of pain twisting across his features, another tremor shaking his limbs. "Everything you could," he finished all at once, breathless with fatigue. His eyes were losing their focus; he was slipping away into unconsciousness. "L… l…"
But the effort was too much; his strength was spent. Khana couldn't hold back the choked sob that escaped her throat; tears burned down her cheeks and she felt the strength leave her limbs. She leaned over him, her hair falling down on either side of her face, tickling his cheeks, but he didn't stir. "Let him live to see peace," she whispered, hoping that one of the Goddesses would hear her plea and answer it. She pressed her lips to his, tasting the blood and hating it, wishing that she could wake up from this horrible dream and leave it behind forever.
She pressed two fingers against his neck, feeling his pulse beat steadily onward, and gazed up at the dark sky far above, waiting anxiously for dawn to arrive. I'll get you out of here.
Or I'll die trying.
Summary: The moon chamber is an ancient place, at the bottom of the "bottomless" pit in the Yiga Clan hideout. The Clan discovered it a few years prior to this story, along with several detailed accounts of arcane ceremonies and rituals using shadow magic. Khana has been there twice, to witness a ceremony meant to give shadow magic to Hylians. The Hylians don't always survive that magical transfusion.
Khoga brings Link inside, and the Yiga chain him to a stone table in the center of the chamber. Khoga performs an evil ritual, asking for Ganon to change Link from an enemy to an ally. This results in Link's skin, eyes, and hair changing color; his skin is now a shadowy gray, his hair white, and his eyes red (sound familiar?). But as Link is in great pain and extremely weakened after the ritual is complete, it's unclear whether or not Khoga got what he wanted, so he and his men leave the moon chamber, promising to be back at dawn with Link's "first orders." He leaves Khana, Barta, and Link in the moon chamber, claiming that they can't escape through the gash because of old magic in the pit.
Khana escapes her bonds and frees Barta using the Gash; she tries to free Link as well, but the manacles around his wrists and ankles are enchanted and prevent him from entering the Gash. So Khana focuses on getting Barta to safety; contrary to Khoga's belief she uses the Gash to partly escape the pit and they climb the rest of the way up; then they steal the Thunderhelm and leave the Yiga Clan hideout. Mist is waiting in Karusa Valley; Khana sends Barta away with Mist and the Thunderhelm and then returns to the moon chamber to see if she can free Link. But there are no keyholes in the manacles; she can't pick the locks. She decides to wait until dawn, hoping that Khoga will have to unchain him in order for him to obey his orders. Link tries to speak to her, but it's clearly difficult for him due to his weakness and the fact that the ritual Khoga performed was thoroughly traumatizing. Khana is convinced that the ritual must have failed, since it doesn't seem to her that Link was turned against her or anything. And... that's pretty much it! Future chapters won't be as torture-heavy; I promise. ( :