Fourteen
The Hero's Company rose early the next morning, to the sounds of the Gerudo packing up their camp.
Link stepped outside, buckling on his sword belt and securing his shield. He saw Nabooru helping to extinguish the bonfire. She looked up and waved him over as she threw a last bucketful of sand on the smoldering embers.
"Hero, I wish to speak to you and Arnak privately. The rest of your group can proceed to breakfast." Link and Arnak followed her to one of the tents that was still up, and the three of them stepped inside. Nabooru looked around the edge of the tent, checking for shadows of other people. She seemed almost… nervous, an expression Link did not expect on the warrior woman.
When she finally spoke, it was in a low voice. Link thought that she did not want the other Gerudo to overhear what she was about to say. "I ask you to listen carefully to what I have to say. This will not be an easy decision, and it is difficult for me to tell you." As she looked up at the two men, both nodded silently. "The Gerudo are a dying people. There has not been a male child born to us in nearly a hundred years. We do not know why this happens to our people, whether it is a curse or just something odd about our blood. Some blame it on the Accursed One, but this was happening long before he was born." She was fidgeting a little, and Link thought that she was uncomfortable with what she was telling them.
"Our kings do not usually live long enough to produce a male heir, and we are forced to look for mates outside our society." She took a deep breath and sighed. "This is a grave breach of hospitality, but we are getting desperate. No children of any kind have been born to the Gerudo in almost twenty years, and we are in grave danger of dying out. I must ask you if any of your group would consider staying behind with us and fathering children."
Nabooru held up a hand, the other absently playing with the hilt of her scimitar as she once again looked around the edge of the tent. "Before you say anything, let me continue. This is undoubtedly sudden and somewhat shocking to you, but consider our point of view. We are not a well-liked people, especially by the Hylians, due to the Accursed One's dealings in your land. None of the other desert tribes will intermarry with us, again due to some unfortunate decisions by our leaders in the past. We do not deserve to die out. Our culture is a rich one, and it should not be extinguished by poor leadership and prejudice."
She looked them both in the eye, and her expression was almost… pleading. "I know it is a grave responsibility I am asking of you, but we have not come across so many hardy male warriors in a long time that are not trying to kill us." She looked at Arnak. "I know this is extremely forward, but we think that you stand the best chance of producing a male child if you stay with us. You are obviously a strong man, and you seem very healthy, also. What do you say?"
Arnak's face was very thoughtful for a long moment. "How long would we have to stay if we agreed to this?"
Nabooru's face brightened a little, glad that they had not rejected her outright. "You would have to stay at least long enough to ensure that the child is well on the way, though we would prefer if you stayed until after the children are born, in case something goes wrong and you would have to try again."
She looked both of them in the eye again. "Our culture dictates that you would have to marry the woman you would be having the child with, although outsider men in our society are permitted to have more than one wife if it is necessary to the survival of our race. We have faced extinction before, but we have never come so close to it as we are now. I will understand if you are uncomfortable with this and refuse, but understand, we have no other choice."
Arnak looked at Link. "We do not have time for this, but we cannot callously refuse. Can we spare anyone?"
Link thought carefully for a moment. He wasn't used to being a leader; he'd always had to look out for only himself and no one else. Making decisions and giving orders was new to him. "They would have to choose to stay. We cannot force any of us to stay behind."
The big man shook his head. "This would be a weighty responsibility. We would basically be ensuring the survival of a race, and we cannot make that decision lightly." He turned back to Nabooru. "How soon would we have to start?"
The Gerudo woman's expression was carefully neutral. Link thought that she was probably trying not to get her hopes up. "As soon as possible. We still have many women still capable of bearing children, but we would prefer not to wait."
"We would essentially have to stay with the Gerudo for the rest of our lives if we agree. I do not know if any of the Company would be willing." Arnak looked out of the tent flap at where the rest of the Hero's Company sat with the Gerudo, eating something out of clay bowls. He turned back to Nabooru. "We are on a mission of utmost importance. No doubt you have seen the flying castles over Hyrule." Link was momentarily surprised by the sudden change of subject. He wondered where Arnak was going with this.
Nabooru nodded. "We have seen several, but we did not know what they were. None of them have flown over the desert, so we have not been able to get a very good look at any of the structures."
Arnak rubbed his chin, running his fingers through his thick beard. "It is the purpose of our group to find a way to defeat these invaders. I do not mean to be uncaring, but we do not have time to stay here and help you. We have to find a way to stop them before they take over the world. I know that sounds melodramatic, but that seems to be their intention."
"I understand." Nabooru was clearly saddened, but Link thought that she had been expecting them to refuse.
Arnak sighed quietly. "I will talk this over with our allies, and perhaps, after the war is over, we can send some willing men here. My conscience will not allow me to abandon your people to an undeserved fate." He looked over at Link. "Perhaps, when we see Princess Zelda again, we can discuss with her about proposing this idea to her people."
Nabooru continued to drum her fingers against her scimitar. "I do not know if that would be acceptable to my people. We are a proud race, and I am uncertain how our leaders would take such a gesture, no matter how well-meaning it is. Actually, I would prefer it if you did not mention this to too many people. Asking for help from non-Gerudo is… frowned upon, and if the others knew I was asking you this, it would be taken as admitting our people's weakness, which is forbidden."
Arnak nodded. "We will think about this on our journey. Perhaps some of us will return to the desert after the war is over."
"I ask only that you come willingly. It is traditional for us to… capture our mates, and I have asked my warriors to refrain from trying this with you. I was uncertain how you would react." Without another word, Nabooru walked out of the tent past the two men and headed for where the rest of the Gerudo and the Hero's Company were sitting down.
Link turned to leave, also, but Arnak put his hand on the Hero's shoulder. "From what the wizard said, we will be traveling for quite a while to reach the people he spoke of. We will have much time to discuss this amongst ourselves along the way."
"It is a lot to think about," Link agreed, "and we'll have to talk about other things, too. So much has happened in the last few days."
"You are right." Arnak inhaled deeply. "I am very hungry, and whatever they have prepared smells good. Let us go."
Link smiled, and the two warriors headed for breakfast.
Viserys felt another of the sword strikes slice into his flesh. A hiss of pain was all he permitted himself as he struck back and kicked the man into the open doorway. He'd managed to get the hatch open before the soldiers had driven him away from it, and now he was trying to knock them down the short stairs and thin their numbers. It was not going well.
The Mercenary King continued to fight off his soldiers with all the skill he had. He hadn't had to kill any of them so far, and he certainly didn't want to. His crew was obviously not acting under their own power. Viserys was now almost positive that this had something to do with the crystal Philos had brought aboard.
Almost as if he had been summoned by Viserys' thoughts, he heard Philos' voice. "Admiral! Admiral, over here!"
Viserys risked a look over at where the voice was coming from. He saw the short scientist jumping up and down, waving his arms. He had something in his hand, but the Admiral was too busy to see what it was.
He reached down with one hand and unbuckled his sword belt as he continued to block the strikes of his controlled soldiers. He whipped off the belt and clubbed one of the soldiers in the head with his scabbard, twisting it through the legs of another and tripping him. Viserys ducked under the swings of the other soldiers and rolled to the other side of the group, throwing his sword belt and seeing it hit one of the soldiers in the face. The man went down, still eerily silent. The other controlled soldiers stumbled over the fallen ones before stepping over them.
Viserys sprinted to where Philos stood, feeling the cold metal of the deck under his bare feet as he ran. He and Philos ducked through the hatch the scientist was standing next to, and they slammed it closed, locking it from the inside. They heard the controlled soldiers banging into the door and then pounding on it.
Viserys almost dropped his sword as an explosion shook the ship. He grabbed the scientist's shoulder. "Philos! What's going on?"
"It's the crystal, sir! I didn't know this would happen, otherwise I never would have brought it over. It started glowing and sparking a few hours ago, and about half an hour ago, my assistants suddenly stopped moving." The little man was trembling, probably in fear.
"Why isn't it controlling you?" Viserys looked at him suspiciously.
The scientist was panicked. "I-I don't know! I was attempting to remove part of the metal when it sparked and I received a bad shock." Philos held up his hand to show Viserys a burn. "The next thing I knew, all of my assistants stopped moving and I couldn't get a reaction out of any of them!" He stopped and looked at Viserys. "Why isn't it controlling you, sir?"
Viserys ran a hand through his white hair. "It was, briefly. I was dreaming that I was an Oocca, but I was able to fight off whatever was trying to control me." He looked over at Philos, who was almost twitching with fright. "Where's the crystal? We have to get it off the ship!"
Another explosion rocked Falcon's Pride, bigger than the last, and it knocked the two men against the wall. What was causing these?
"I th-think it's still in my laboratory. My assistants chased me out a few minutes ago." Viserys noticed the chunk of metal the scientist was waving around, and asked him what it was. Philos looked down at his hand, as if just now realizing he was holding something. "Oh, this? I pried this off of the crystal. It came off in my hand when I was shocked." He dropped it to the deck.
Viserys looked down the empty stretch of corridor. "Let's go, Philos. We are under attack, and we need to get that thing off the ship as soon as we can. Have you seen anyone else who wasn't under control?" The other man shook his head.
The two of them ran as fast as they could to Philos' laboratory. They were not halted by any of the crew on the way; in fact, Viserys didn't see a single crew member as they dashed through the corridors of Falcon's Pride. He wondered where they were as they turned the corner and stopped in front of the laboratory.
Philos slowly opened the door, and he peered inside. "There's no one here."
"Is the crystal still inside?" Viserys continued to look around.
Philos stepped further into the room. "Yes, it is. That's odd."
"What is?" Viserys stepped into the room, also, his sword still in his hand. He looked around the room suspiciously, expecting a controlled crew member to jump out at any moment.
The scientist frowned. "Well, I would assume that if this crystal is focusing the mind control, and the force is aware that at least the two of us are acting of our own free will… I'd think there would be at least something guarding it from us."
"That is strange," Viserys agreed. "But, we don't have time to worry about that. We have to get the crystal off of the ship, and then we need to get to the bridge." Viserys paused for a moment as he thought about where the nearest hatch outside was.
Philos picked up a wooden rod, the handle for one of his tools, probably, and he gingerly poked the glowing and humming crystal with it.
Viserys looked around the room, and he spied a small cart Philos used to move heavy equipment around. Handing he scientist his sword, he grabbed the cart and pushed it over to where the crystal sat on its pedestal, the humming rising and falling in a rigidly regular pattern. The glow pulsed in time with the humming and Viserys remembered Crewman Ygritte and how she had breathed in that same pattern.
As he reached out to push the crystal and its pedestal onto the cart, Viserys was suddenly disoriented, and as his hand touched the pedestal, he received an electric shock. He yanked his hand back, looking at the burn.
"That's what happened to me. How are we going to get this off the ship if we can't touch it?" Philos clutched Viserys' sword like a talisman, his knuckles white as he squeezed the leather-wrapped hilt.
Viserys picked up the wooden rod and rapped it against the crystal several times. He held it against the crystal briefly, but nothing happened. He held up the rod. "Do you have any more wood in here?"
Philos nervously looked around his laboratory, dropping the sword as the ship rocked again with another explosion. He scooped up some large wooden tongs and another wooden rod like the one Viserys was holding.
At Viserys' direction, the two of them gingerly eased the crystal onto the cart with the tongs and the wooden rods and headed for the door. Viserys picked up his sword and held it at the ready while Philos pushed the cart.
As they moved through the silent, abandoned corridors of the ship, Viserys wondered where all his crewmen had gotten to. There should have been at least someone blocking their way as they headed for the hangar. But there was no one.
He stopped Philos outside the hangar and looked in himself. Several crewmen were standing motionless inside, probably waiting for them. Viserys pressed himself back against the wall, biting back a gasp as he felt pressure on one of the wounds on his back. He closed his eyes and let the flat of his sword rest against his neck, feeling the cool metal against his skin as he built up his energy for the fight he knew was coming.
"What are we going to do?" he heard Philos whisper.
Viserys opened his eyes, brushing some of the sweat off his face with one hand. "We're going to have to go through them. Get ready."
The smaller man nodded nervously.
After the Gerudo finished loading the tents and equipment onto the camels and horses, they headed for the northwestern edge of the desert. Majacen had told Nabooru that they did not need to head back to Hyrule, and were instead bound for the continent west of it.
Shad walked at the rear of the group, with Colin and 'Mara' walking next to him. He was afraid to talk to the princess, thinking that he would probably slip up and call her 'Your Majesty' or something like that. He had already irritated their host by mentioning Ganondorf, and now he was worried that he would disrupt the disguise they had settled on for Zelda.
They walked in near silence for several hours, and every once in a while, Shad would look up and see some rocky hills off in the distance, through the blowing sand. How the Gerudo managed to keep them walking in a straight line, Shad didn't know. He couldn't see anything most of the time, and he knew that he would have gotten lost on his own.
Link had told him once that there was an Oocca statue in the southern part of the desert. Shad knew about it from his father's notes, but had never visited it himself. He sighed through the scarf he was wearing to filter out the sand. His father Henry had been a rather adventurous man, similar to Link. He had been the sort of scholar that would rather visit a place for himself than just read about it in a book. His father had known all about booby traps and how the ancients engineered things, and he had explored Hyrule from one end to the other, investigating any ancient structures he could find.
Henry had always been fascinated by the Sky People and what little they had left behind in Hyrule. He had found and documented all of the mysterious owl statues, and had spent the last few years of his life in pursuit of their origin. Shad caught himself thinking that his father would have made a better addition to the Company than him, if he were still alive.
Shad's thoughts were interrupted by the caravan stopping. He saw the rest of the Company gathering up at the front of the line. He, Colin, and Zelda moved to join them.
Nabooru had her foot planted in the small of Nemo's back, and was pressing him against the ground. It looked to Shad like the Antihero had tried to escape and had been recaptured. The scholar knew that the Gerudo had been attempting to beat the information they wanted out of the creature, so he wasn't surprised Nemo had tried to escape, though he hardly felt sorry for the monster. He was just glad the Gerudo hadn't decided to keep the Company prisoner, also. They were at the start of the rocky hills, and the Gerudo were turning the animals around.
"This is where we part ways," Nabooru was saying, "and I wish you a good journey. You may take what you can from this creature, but we will keep him with us. We have a place we can keep him where he will not cause any more trouble for you."
Majacen bent down and moved his hand over the creature, stopping at Nemo's left hand. The wizard reached down and grabbed the creature's wrist and shook it, moving the fingers of his other hand in an odd manner. The wizard concentrated for a few moments, but finally, he shook his head. "I cannot draw the Shadow Triforce out of the creature. I do not know why, but it seems it shall remain in him." Shad heard Nemo start to chuckle, then groan as Nabooru pressed the sole of her boot deeper into his back.
Midna stepped forward. "Can you at least take the Fused Shadows from him? I'd really like those back." Her hand rested on the hilt of the Twilight Blade at her side, and she absently drummed her fingers against the pommel.
Majacen frowned in concentration as he held his hand out, palm downwards, over the creature. Two objects, looking like part of a helmet and a pair of horns, appeared under the wizard's hand, spinning slowly. The old man's frown deepened and his beard started to bristle out as he concentrated harder. He finally stopped and held out his hand to Midna, the two objects still floating beneath it.
"I am sorry," he said, "but something is preventing me from taking the other two pieces. It is almost like they are no longer there."
Midna grasped the helmet-like object and the pair of horns with her hands, and her body briefly glowed with a phosphorescent blue-green light. The markings on her arms and legs flared brightly with the light, and the two Fused Shadows shrank out of existence above her hands. Shad was amazed. He decided to ask her more about her people when he got the chance.
The Twilight Princess shrugged. "That's much better. Not as good as all four, but it's better than nothing." She kicked Nemo with a sandaled foot. "Hey, you! What did you do with my other two Fused Shadows?"
Nemo raised his head up slightly. "Don't ask me. I don't know anything about magic." It seemed to Shad that the creature was fighting not to smile, for some reason.
Midna turned to Zherron. "What did he do with them?"
The grim scientist shrugged minutely, his mouth set in a hard line.
Midna scoffed. "Oh, you're both probably liars anyway." The Twili poked Link's arm. "Give me your Gossip Stone." He handed it to her, and she walked over to Nabooru, holding the gem out.
The Gerudo leader touched her own stone to the one in Midna's hand. "I want you to call us if you ever manage to get the other two pieces out of him," Midna said. Nabooru nodded, but Midna turned back to her. "Oh, and if you do, don't touch them, whatever you do. You really, really shouldn't touch the Fused Shadows, if you don't want to turn into a horrible monster or something."
Nabooru nodded again. "I understand." She turned to one of the other Gerudo warriors. "Bring the creature's sword. They may want it, also." The warrior nodded and moved off to one of the camels, where she started looking through the bags on it.
The Gerudo leader looked over at Link and Arnak. "May your journey be successful, and may you return to our desert someday. I will talk to our leaders about what we discussed earlier." The two of them nodded, though Shad hadn't the foggiest idea what they were talking about. That was one thing that irritated the scholar about the Company; each of them seemed to have at least one secret they didn't talk to the others about.
The warrior returned, a puzzled look on her face. "Mistress, I cannot find the sword, though I know exactly where I packed it."
Nabooru sighed irritably. "Are you sure you didn't pack it on a different animal?" Shad saw the smile start to creep over the Antihero's features again at this.
"Yes, Mistress, I am sure. It is not where I left it."
The Gerudo leader followed the warrior back to the camel, where the warrior indicated two loops on the camel's harness. "See, the loops are broken."
Nabooru frowned. "They are not broken; they have been cut with a blade. Someone has stolen the creature's sword." She looked back at the Hero's Company. "None of my women would have a reason to take the creature's sword. Did any of you take it?"
They all shook their heads, just as puzzled as the Gerudo.
"This is very strange." Nabooru said, walking around the camel. "Has anyone seen anything that would explain this?"
None of her warriors had an answer.
Nabooru viciously kicked Nemo in the ribs. "He has not been near the sword since we took it from him, or his vile companion." Shad saw Zherron scowl at being described that way.
"Stop kicking me," Nemo groaned, shifting on the ground.
Nabooru kicked him again. "Shut up, creature." She turned back to the Company. "I recommend that you keep a careful watch from now on. We will keep eyes on the monster at all times, to ensure that he does not disappear as well. I wish you had time to help us investigate this, but you need to leave soon." Nabooru drew a bag from under her cloak and handed it to Arnak. "These are all of the repelling gems that we can spare; there are nine of them. You should each keep one with you at all times, to protect you from the Accursed One and his minions."
Arnak nodded and tucked the bag into his leather jerkin, which was open in the desert heat, along with most of the buttons on his tunic.
The Gerudo warrior shaded her eyes with one hand as she looked at the rocky hills. "There is a river through these hills that empties into the sea. If you follow it for two hundred miles, you will come upon a city. You should be able to find a ship there that is going wherever you need to go. I have never been inside, but we see ships entering and leaving the harbor at all times of the day." She turned back to look at Arnak. "You should leave now, if you hope to reach the river before dark."
"Thank you." Arnak shifted his satchel on his back. The rest of the Company picked up their bags and adjusted them, getting ready to go.
"Farewell, Hero's Company." Nabooru touched her fist to the opposite shoulder and bowed slightly. The other Gerudo repeated the gesture. Arnak bowed in return, as did most of the Company, until Shad realized what was going on and also bowed.
The Hero's Company headed off into the hills, leaving the Gerudo behind.
Viserys looked at Philos, gripping the smaller man's shoulder. "Tell me the plan, one more time."
The scientist drew in a shuddering breath. "You go inside and distract the soldiers while I push the cart out of the hangar door," he recited, "and I don't stop for anything. Are you sure the door is open?"
"Yes, it is. I think they opened it to let the Oocca inside, so we have to hurry. Let's go!"
Viserys charged inside the hangar, sprinting for where his private airship, Peregrine, sat in its berth on one side of the hangar. As he expected, the crewmembers inside followed him, even their feet moving in the rigid pattern.
He heard the squeaking wheels of the cart as Philos pushed it as fast as he could toward the gaping hangar door. Viserys saw a determined look on the scientist's face as he ran.
The Mercenary King skidded to a halt and reversed direction suddenly, trying to confuse the controlling force. He had noticed that it didn't seem to be able to concentrate on too many things at once, and if he was able to keep its attention, it might not notice Philos.
No such luck. He saw two of the crewmen leave the main group and head for the scientist, who was now about halfway across the hangar. Viserys shouldered his way through the other crewmen and ran for the scientist and his cart, hoping to get there before the mind-controlled crew members did.
He felt the air move across his back as the other crewmen swung at him from behind, but his focus was solely on reaching the cart and the crystal before they were able to stop Philos. Nothing else mattered but getting that crystal off of his ship and getting his crew back under their own control.
He saw one of the controlled crewmen strike Philos' leg and the scientist go down, clutching his injury. The cart continued to roll forwards, driven by its momentum, but one of the crewmen reached out and grabbed the handle.
Viserys crashed into the man, not bothering to slow down as he slammed the crewman aside and pushed the cart himself, forcing himself to leave Philos behind for the moment. He shoved forward with all the speed he could muster, intent on his goal.
He was only twenty feet from the edge and the sheer drop to the ocean below when three Oocca swooped into the hangar and smashed into the cart and Viserys, knocking both over. The crystal and pillar rolled for a few feet, coming to a stop about three yards from the edge. It sat there, so close to the edge, but also so far away. How was he going to get the thing overboard if he couldn't touch it?
Viserys slashed at the Oocca, trying to block their strikes. The wind from their beating wings buffeted him, almost making him close his eyes for a moment. He swung his sword, feeling it slice deep into an avian. It exploded into a cloud of black smoke, something he'd never seen one do before. His analytical mind filed it away to ponder later.
He reached down, and with a burst of adrenaline-fueled strength, picked up the cart and swung it into the two remaining Oocca. He felt the strain in his back as the wooden cart smashed into the two avians and they fell to the deck, the pieces of the cart falling with them.
Viserys released the cart handle and let it drop to the deck as he lunged for the crystal. He grabbed the bottom part of the metal pillar, trying to ignore the shock it gave him as he heaved upward and flipped the pillar over, moving it a few feet closer. His hands shook as he dropped his sword and reached down to pick up the crystal again.
One of the controlled crewmen tackled Viserys just then, and the two of them skidded across the deck in a tangle of arms and legs. Viserys drew back his hand and punched the crewman repeatedly in the face, hearing the crack of breaking bone as he hit the man in the nose. Blood started to leak out of the man's nostrils, but he fought on, as if not noticing the pain.
He tried to pick Viserys up, clearly intent on pitching him out of the hangar, but Viserys slipped his leg between the crewman's and hooked his ankle behind the man's knee. He pulled his leg toward himself, punching the man in the jaw at the same time. The controlled crewman went down, and Viserys took advantage of the opportunity to stumble to the pillar again.
He had just closed his hands around the edge and was pushing upwards when another crewman crashed into him. The Mercenary King, the crewman, and the crystal all went sliding for the edge. Viserys managed to catch hold of a bar that was part of the retractable door structure, but the crewman went flying past him, not making a sound as the unfortunate man plunged to the unforgiving water thousands of feet below. Viserys cursed whatever had been controlling the man, sorry to lose one of his crew.
The mind-controlling crystal teetered on the edge of the hangar, hanging half in and half out. The Mercenary King looked up at it, silently willing it to fall. He allowed one voiced curse to escape his control as it started to lean back into the hangar when another explosion made the ship feel like it was shaking apart.
He heaved himself upward, his muscles screaming as he pulled up with his arm, reaching for the crystal with his other hand. His fingers brushed it, and he felt the shock burn them, but he hooked his leg around the bar and pulled himself up another few inches. The wind whipped at his sweat-soaked hair, and he felt his other muscles starting to tire as he got a grip on the pillar and pulled out with all of his remaining strength.
He felt his hand reflexively let go as the shock coursed through him, stronger than ever before, but his effort was enough, and the crystal toppled out of the hangar, spinning end over end until it dropped out of sight.
Viserys watched it plunge, and felt his grip on the bar start to loosen. He knew he would soon plunge after it, following his unlucky crew member.
He saw a hand reach over the edge and seize his arm, and he recognized the crewman whose nose he had broken. He swung up at the man, but the crewman caught hold of his other arm and pulled up. The crewman dragged Viserys back into the hangar and let him down on the deck.
"I-I-I'm so sorry, sir. I saw myself fighting you, but I couldn't control anything I was doing. It was like some kind of horrible dream."
Viserys nodded tiredly at the crewman. "You are forgiven," he panted, dropping his head back to the deck. "Return to your station." He looked up at the man again, realizing the pain the man must be feeling from the wound he'd been forced to inflict. "Go to the medical station first."
The crewman held his broken nose, nodding. "Yes, sir."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other crew members help Philos to his feet, apologizing profusely.
The Mercenary King allowed himself a few more minutes' rest before he pulled himself to his feet and started for the bridge. He may have succeeded in this task, but the ship still wasn't out of danger.
He still had two Oocca fortresses to deal with.
The Company walked in a line, with Majacen, Arnak, and Link in the front and the others scattered along behind them. Erik volunteered to bring up the rear, and the Sheikah's eyes moved constantly, always on the alert for threats.
Raskys was near the middle of the line, and he was deep in thought as he walked. He was sorry he had insulted Arnak yesterday, but until the big man told him, he wasn't aware the Bearer of Power even had a wife, or that she was dead.
The ranger pulled his sand-colored cloak closer about himself, feeling a chill start to fall over the area. They had been walking most of the day, first from the Gerudo camp and now through these hills to the river.
As he gripped the material, Raskys smiled slightly. Midna had made this with magic when they had first arrived at this desert. He knew it had only been a few days, but it seemed like a lifetime of experience had passed since then.
Raskys snorted. "What kind of thinking is that?" he said quietly. "Next thing you know, you'll be talking to yourself or something." He grinned at his own joke.
Streaks of red and purple stretched across the sky as the sun started to descend and the hour of twilight began. Arnak called from the head of the group that he saw the river off in the distance, and the Company quickened their pace, eager to reach it before nightfall.
After about twenty minutes, they left the hills and made their way down to a wide, flat area next to the river where they got a camp ready. Majacen made Colin laugh with delight when the old wizard made a burst of fire stream forth from his fingertips and light the campfire. Erik and Shad went off to find more firewood, and Arnak and Link walked around the area, making sure no one else was nearby.
Raskys, Midna, and Princess Zelda helped Majacen look through the Company's supplies for that night's meal. The wizard sent Colin and Zelda out to look for any fruit trees or berry bushes, though he told them their chances of finding them were slim. Midna and Raskys went down to the river to fill up the canteens.
As they checked the water to make sure it was clean, Midna asked Raskys if he was from Hyrule.
"No, I'm not," he said. "I'm from over the sea. I came here about three years ago." He bent down to fill the first canteen.
"Where, over the sea? Is it anywhere we're going?" Midna held another container under the current, glancing up at him.
Raskys decided against giving her too much information. He kept the way he had come to this continent to himself, for now. "Probably not. We'll see, though." He pointed past her, ignoring her quizzical expression. "The others are back."
Majacen announced that dinner was ready, and they all gathered around.
"Now," he said as the Company dished out the food and sat down, "I think it is time I explain a few things. First, I will tell you a bit more about the Swords of the Gods, and their original purpose." He cleared his throat, and adopted a storytelling tone as the Company listened.
"Thousands of years ago, before the dawn of civilization in Hyrule, the worlds the Goddesses created were connected in a vast portal system. Not even the oldest texts tell us who built these portals. Perhaps the gods themselves made them, but no one is sure. After a time, people began to use the portals, and guardians were assigned to watch them.
"The portals are controlled through powerful weapons, the Swords of the Gods. The guardians bore the swords, and the portals could only be activated if the sword was thrust into a pedestal in the center of the room. The swords are also imbued with the power to defend the portal and its guardian from any with wicked hearts who would use the portals for an evil purpose.
"Over time, the portal network gradually fell into disuse, and when the Temple of Time was built around the portal in Hyrule, it was redirected to only go to the Sacred Realm."
"So why didn't I go to the Sacred Realm when I went there?" Link said.
"You need the three Spiritual Stones to make the portal in the Temple of Time activate, Hero, along with an object known as the Ocarina of Time, which features in the legends of one of your predecessors. This requirement was not placed on any of the other portals, and they will activate simply if their guardian sword is put into the pedestal."
Raskys saw Midna look down at the Twilight Blade as the wizard spoke. Majacen looked up at the stars overhead. "I am sorry to stop there, but the hour grows late, and we should get some rest. I will continue in the morning. Our journey will be long, and there will be much time to share what we know with each other." The wizard seemed to look right at Raskys as he said this, and the ranger wondered what he meant.
Erik took the first watch, and the Hero's Company rolled up in their blankets and cloaks, knowing they still had a long journey in front of them. More than one member stared up at the stars before falling asleep, wondering what other secrets they would uncover in the journey to come.
Revision Note: Fixed a few errors and some minor rewording and reformatting in a few places. Nothing major. Thanks for reading!