Chapter 21
The wind rushed passed them as the Gorgoru caterpillar chugged away with the speed and force of a steaming locomotive. Link was beginning to get used to the feel of regulating the thing's speed using the feeder, and he'd even navigated several of the forks in the path without incidence. Driving the beast along was even becoming a little fun.
Scarlett said that Gorbu had told her the trip would take about four hours, and that they would come up in an old Goron cave system only a couple of miles South of the Necropolis. Link tried to picture the place in his head, but he got the feeling that nothing he could imagine would come close. Everyone knew about re-deads and gibdos and those sorts of monsters, but actually encountering one was hardly a normal occurrence. For one thing, undead monsters had a kind of glamor about them that made living things especially vulnerable. It was said that the gaze of a re-dead or a gibdo could freeze a person in their tracks, leaving them completely paralyzed with fear and unable to defend themselves! The thought of it was horrifying. Link tried to imagine what it would be like to have to watch as one of the horrible walking corpses latched onto you and literally drained your life away. It was a sickening image.
They had been traveling for about three and a half hours when Scarlett passed out some dried meat and flat sheets of unleavened, stale bread. They had brought enough with to last them a week of meager rationing, but after that they would need to be able to find their own food, a task that seemed unlikely to accomplish in the midst of the Necropolis. Wholesome things to eat and drink seldom existed anywhere near a bastion of undeath.
Link was gnashing at a piece of jerky when Zelda came and sat beside him. There was no windshield on the Gorgoru, and in order to be heard one needed to either huddle close to the person they were speaking to, or shout over the rush of passing wind. Zelda opted for the former.
"Are you feeling alright, Link?" said the princess, "Your wounds do not hurt too much?"
"Oh, yeah, I barely feel anything," said Link, running his fingers across the gauze wrappings on his chest, "I guess I must have slept through the worst of it."
"We haven't been above ground since the Temple of the Heart went under, so I wasn't able to use the Light of the Goddess to heal you," said Zelda, "I was really worried you would not wake up. Scarlett was talking about leaving you behind."
"Yeah, she likes to make threats," said Link, rolling his eyes, "You know what I think though? I think if she were going to leave anyone behind she would have already done it. She acts real tough, but when it comes down to it she's not all that bad."
"I suppose," said Zelda, dismissively. She wanted to believe Link, but she knew how the boy saw things. He trusted people automatically, assumed everyone was good until given an express reason to think otherwise. Maybe he was right about Scarlett not being serious with her threats, but threats they remained. It was hardly inspiring of trust to be led by someone who frequently threatened violence and rash action. In Zelda's opinion, Scarlett was the exact opposite of what a leader should be.
She had time and again led the pirates to situations which would have spelled their doom if it had not been for Link's continued presence among them. It amazed her that the pirates followed Scarlett at all. If it could not be Zig that led them, then at least it should have been Gwendolin, who had all the skill and determination of her captain with less of the tendency to act on impulse. Perhaps Gwen was younger, being only in her early twenties, but Zelda regarded the younger pirate as being by far the more level headed. Clearly Scarlett loved the Crimson Stalfos, but did she consider what was best for its crew? If it had been Zelda's place to do so, she would have challenged the captain's claim to leadership outright, but for some reason Gwen and Zig and the other pirates seemed to follow Scarlett with unwavering loyalty.
"Hey, what were you trying ask me back in Diamondhearth anyway?" said Link, suddenly.
Zelda tensed up. She had forgotten. At the time the question she had meant to ask seemed opportune, but somehow it had lost some of its potency. Or perhaps she had just lost her nerve. She turned her eyes down and told him a stupid lie.
"Oh," she began, "I just wanted to know if you… uh… if you wanted a tour of the castle when we get back…"
"Oh," said Link, rolling the idea over in his mind, "Well, sure, I guess that'd be nice. I've only every seen the outside of it, after all. Well… and the dungeon…"
"Right," said Zelda, to which she added a very unnatural sounding laugh. There was a moment of awkward silence while the princess shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Why had she not told him the truth? It had sounded like such a wonderful idea mere hours ago. She cursed herself internally for being so fickle. Link stirred up emotions in the girl which she had not had proper time to process or cope with. Life in Hyrule Castle had been as isolated as it was privileged, and boys had not been at the forefront of the princess' mind growing up. She was a scholar and a keeper of Hylian legend, a mage and a healer, a thinker, born to someday lead. Getting heartsick over blond teenage boys was not part of her world, and the sudden integration of such emotions made the princess unsure of herself.
"Hey, do you wanna try driving it?" said Link, smiling at the girl.
"What?" said Zelda, her deep reflection disrupted by the unexpected question, "Oh, no, I could not possibly. Really, that would be far too much."
"Nah, it's easy, c'mon!"
He seized her hand, guiding it to clutch one of the feeder levers.
"There ya go!" said Link, "See, you just ease it. Once it's up to speed there's nothing to it. Here, pull this one down a bit, it'll go even faster!"
Zelda pushed the lever down just a tad and the feeder on the front of the giant bug shifted forward and the insect below increased the locomotion of its mighty legs, trying endlessly to reach the food kept ever so slightly out of reach.
She smiled despite herself, finding unsuspected joy in the sensation of controlling the creature's speed. Her eyes met Link's. He was right beside her, his hand still over hers, and his soft cheek only inches from her own. The boy smiled back at her, and there was a moment of eye contact between them that felt charged with tangible electricity. Zelda found herself leaning closer to the boy without meaning to. Their noses were nearly touching. She could feel his breath. Her lips parted. Her eyelids slid shut. There was a strange and primal bliss washing over her, like warmth of the soul centered in the depth of her heart. She could feel him, and she knew if she allowed it to continue then she would lose herself to that feeling. They would kiss, and she would never be able to go back to the way things were.
The Gorgoru caterpillar came to a sudden, wrenching halt. Zelda and Link were thrown to a heap on the floor.
"What did I do?" cried Zelda.
"Nothing," said Scarlett, standing up to have a look at the road ahead of the massive caterpillar, "It stopped on its own."
"Why?" said Link, lifting himself up from the floor.
"Have a look for yerself," said Scarlett.
Link looked. By the light of the lamps burning atop the caterpillar's head Link could make out the shape of long cords of fibrous, white silk hanging from the rocky walls of the cavern, and draped across the track ahead of them. The way forward was completely blocked. The caterpillar shifted restlessly, wagging its head from side to side, and pulling at the harness. Link leaned forward and tugged one of the levers, letting the feeding trough settle in front of the hungry bug. It lowered its head and began to munch away, unconcerned by anything else around it.
"What is that?" said Zelda, having just caught sight of the silky barrier herself.
"It's a web," said Scarlett, flatly.
"A web?" said Zelda, "You mean like a spider's web? That is impossible! What sort of spider weaves a web so large?"
"I'd rather we didn't find out," said Scarlett, "This thing can't back up, so we'll have to clear the road ourselves. If it is spider web then it should burn. We'll have to climb down and set fire to it."
"Climb down?" said Gwen, peering over the side of the car into the darkness below, "Even with our training, it would only take a single slip up and that could end badly. Who knows how far down these tunnels go? I doubt if we would ever find anyone if we lost them down here. Can't you just use your fire magic, Zelda?"
"The spell is too destructive. I could protect you all by linking hands, but there's no way to stop it from burning the caterpillar," said Zelda, "We might be able to get rid of the webs, but we'd still be stuck."
"Then there's nothing else for it," replied Scarlett, "We climb down and light it ourselves. Ms. Gwendolin, accompany me. Mr. Zig, stay here with the runts. I don't want whatever made that web catching us unawares."
"I can help, too!" said Link, standing up. Scarlett put her boot to the boy's chest and shoved him back into his seat. "Hey!"
"Not so fast, boy," said Scarlett, "I've seen you fall off of things too many times to send you down there. Don't worry; you'll get your chance to shine before too long, but for now let us grownups handle things."
Gwen and Scarlett removed their cumbersome belts, setting down their cutlasses, pouches and pistols. Only their hookshots remained, which they clipped onto belt loops on their pants. Scarlett withdrew two flasks of oil from her travel bag, passing one to Gwen. Then she produced a box of Goron-made sulfur head matches, which she removed a handful from and stuffed into her pocket. She passed the box to Gwen and the younger pirate took some as well.
"It shouldn't take much to start it burning," said Scarlett, "The track is pretty rough, so there should be plenty of places to hang on. We should get as low as we can and light the webs from the bottom so that the flame doesn't startle the Gorgoru. That should give us enough time to climb back up."
Gwen nodded her agreement. The two of them crept silently over the side of the cart, clinging to the hairy sides of the caterpillar. The beast was unbothered by their movements, its focus still entirely concerned with the feeder in front of it. They climbed down the tufts of bristled hair, finding just enough room to stand upon the edge of the stone cylinder which was the Gorgoru track. They crept along the rough stone, peering warily into the darkness ahead of them. The lamps on the head of the caterpillar illuminated the dark with a stark glare, and though the immediate road ahead was visible, the shadows beyond the webbing were murky and impenetrable.
They came to the edge of the light. Gwen gave Scarlett a worried look, but the captain's hardened expression didn't change. She lifted her leg and stepped over the first few strands of web, approaching the edge of the track. She crouched, positioning herself to inspect the shadows below the webbing. There were rough grooves in the Gorgoru track which she could use as handholds. The pirate sat down, swinging her legs over the side, and lowered herself very carefully off the side of the track. She dangled there, her hands gripping the rough stone tightly, endless darkness yawning beneath her.
"Okay, Ms. Gwendolin, are you in position?" shouted Scarlett to the darkness.
"Aye, Captain!" replied Gwen from the other side.
"Okay, go ahead and find a spot to douse with oil," said Scarlett, "Wait for my mark to light it."
On the back of the Gorgoru, Link and Zelda were straining to see passed the glow of the caterpillar's headlamps, trying to pick out the shape of Gwen or Scarlett in the darkness. The eerie silence of the cave came on suddenly and oppressive. Waiting anxiously for the pirates to return, the feeling of nameless dread that permeated the surrounding cavern became instantly apparent. Zelda gripped Link's arm tightly, trying to breathe as quietly as she could for fear of missing some remote sound which might indicate something moving in the sunless void all around them.
Zelda did not see anything, however. It was Link, whose gaze had wandered from the silent track below them to the barely-visible walls and ceiling of the tunnel, who saw movement in the silent dark. At first he had thought it the lithe shape of Gwen, clinging to the wall with acrobatic Shiekah cunning, skittering noiselessly over the cragged surface of the cavern. Then, the shape reached out of the dark towards them, and he saw the silhouette of its awful, fanged chelicerae- the dripping, poisonous mouth of a gargantuan spider.
"You guys…" said Link, his horrified gaze locked on the creeping silhouette. Suddenly more shapes were emerging from the dark; spindly legged, lurking shapes which crawled atop one another to get a better glimpse of their waiting prey. Link saw the shine of watching eyes, like twinkling gems in the twilight of the cavern.
The Gorgoru suddenly let out a scream, thrashing its massive body about as much as it could, but the harness kept it secured to the track. Gwen and Scarlett had to stop and brace their holds on the rough stone. Scarlett's bottle of oil fell from her grip and disappeared into the darkness below, but thankfully she'd already mostly emptied it onto the sticky silken webbing.
Zelda and Zig had become aware of the writhing mass of spiders on the walls and ceilings overhead. Zelda emitted a shrill scream, throwing herself to the floor of the cart. Link's blade was in his hands instantly. Zig flicked his wrist and his hidden blade came jutting from his arm.
The following moments were a chaotic blur.
Several of the arachnids dropped onto the back of the Gorgoru, and they raised their fangs threateningly into the air. Link finally got a better look at them by the light of the lamps, and he saw that they were truly hideous. The beasts were the size of grown men, with hairy legs banded in black and gold, and pale white abdomens, with markings eerily reminiscent of skulls. A million tiny red eyes gleamed from atop their fangs, which were easily the length of Link's short sword.
Zig let loose a battle cry, thrusting his blade into the mouth of one of the beasts. Sickly green liquid poured from the wound, and the spider's legs twitched helplessly as it died on the spot.
One of the beasts advanced towards Link, and he lashed out with his sword, clipping one of its fangs clean off. The spider recoiled, walking backwards with surprising speed to escape the stinging blade. Link began to advance, but two more of the beasts popped up before he could go more than a couple steps.
"Ms. Gwendolin, get that fire lit!" shouted Scarlett, struggling to spark a match against the rough stone. She tried once, twice- the third time was the charm! The match flared to life, and Scarlett tossed it onto the oil-soaked webbing. There was a woosh, and suddenly the cave sprang to life with fiery light.
In the new illumination, the horror of their situation became apparent. Suddenly they became aware of the sheer number of their assailants. Hundreds upon hundreds of spiders lined the wall, chattering and hissing at one another as they scrambled to recoil from the sudden, bright light.
On the other side of the track, Gwen was struggling to free the bundle of matches from her waistband. Suddenly a set of creeping legs appeared from the edge of the platform above her, and the awful fangs of a deadly spider came reaching for her. She immediately snatched up her hookshot, but the jerking motion dislodged the matches and sent them fluttering to the unknown depths of the cavern below.
"Dammit!" shouted Gwen. There was no time to lament the loss of the matches, she had to defend herself. She gripped the wall tight with her left hand, raising her right arm to level the hookshot and take aim at her target. She pointed the little grappling hook right into the creature's venomous mouth and pulled the trigger.
Kachink! –the hook discharged powerfully, splitting the soft mouth of the spider with a sickening squish. Green-gray fluids came pouring from the wound. The hookshot retracted, pulling the spider from its perch and sending it hurling into the pit below.
"Captain, I've lost the matches!" cried Gwen, "I can't get this side lit!"
"Get out of there, Gwen!" screamed Scarlett, swinging herself back onto the track. The encroaching arachnids were all around. She pulled her own hookshot, firing it into the abdomen of one of the creatures. The chain lodged solidly in the monster, and Scarlett jerked it upwards, sending the creature flying into the air. She swung the chain in a high arc over her head, smashing it into the ground behind her, and sending several of its companions sliding into the void. Another of the beasts was at Scarlett's feet now, its fangs only inches from her leg. She had to drop the hookshot as she kicked the beast hard in the eye with her boot. The spider was stunned long enough for Scarlet to walk right across its back, using the abdomen as a springboard to throw herself to the other side of the track. She landed alongside Gwen, clinging to the Gorgoru track.
"Captain, there's too many of them!" cried Gwen.
"Just get back on the caterpillar, I'll take care of this!" shouted Scarlett.
"No, Captain, I can't leave you down here! You'll be overrun!"
"Dammit, Ms. Gwendolin, I wasn't asking you!"
Gwen was speechless as she looked into Scarlett's one, fiery eye. She didn't waste another moment. She climbed the side of the track automatically, scraping her way back up the side of the caterpillar and throwing herself back into the cart. As soon as she was in she turned around to try and spot Scarlett, but she could not see all the way over the edge of the track from on top of the Gorgoru.
"Gwen, keep your head," said Zig, handing Gwen her cutlass, "We're not out of this yet."
She clasped the handle of the weapon, and hastened to join the fray. Link was still holding off the spiders as best he could, trying desperately to keep them away from the limp form of Zelda, who had fainted from the sudden stress of facing such giant creepy-crawlies.
Down below, Scarlett was drawing another match. She dragged the head across the rough stone and it sprang to life instantly. She threw it onto the webbing, and the other side of the tunnel went up in bright flames. The webs were burning away, and the path ahead would be cleared in mere moments. All she had to do was get back inside the cart and they could make their escape.
She heaved herself back onto the platform, finding it overrun with the menacing arachnids. She had no weapon, and could not risk getting too close to the venomous mouths of the creatures. She made a break for the caterpillar, but more of the beasts descended on lengths of silk, blocking her egress. She glanced around for some other route, fighting to keep from panicking. Her eye caught something shining on the ground beside her. Her hookshot! She tumbled out of the way of a fanged strike, plucking the little weapon from the ground as she went. There was no way to hookshot to the caterpillar without hurting it, so she had to retreat the only way she could. She pointed the weapon at the cavern wall and fired.
The little hook went reeling out, finding hold on the rough stone wall, and she clicked the trigger once more to pull herself to the surface. Scarlett hit the cavern wall with a heavy thud, just barely finding a spot to cling to the precarious stones.
There were still spiders all around her, creeping across the wall, closing in on her by the second. She looked over at the Gogoru, writhing impatiently in the flickering light of the burning webs. The arachnids were swarming around it, and soon they would overtake Link and his companions completely. They needed to get out of there now, or none of them would ever be leaving that place.
"Gwendolin!" yelled Scarlett, "The path is clear. Get out of here! You'll never make it if you don't go now!"
"I won't leave you!" cried Gwen, even as she swung her blade at spider after spider. She, Link and Zig were dispatching them by the dozen, but it seemed no matter how many of the monstrous arachnids they put down more would show up to replace them.
"Ms. Gwendolin, as your captain I order you to get moving! Now!"
Gwen felt as though time was slowing all around her. She could hear the blood pumping through her body; feel the heat of the flames on her skin. She gutted another spider before turning to look at Scarlett. Their eyes met, and Scarlett wore a look of somber seriousness. Gwen knew it right away. Scarlett was right. They had to go, and there was no way for her to get back on board.
"Do it, Ms. Gwendolin," yelled Scarlett.
Gwen reached down and yanked the feeder lever, raising the trough so that the caterpillar could move again. The Gorgoru wasted no time in fleeing the swarm of aggressive arachnids. It lurched into motion immediately, and the spiders were thrown everywhere as it charged down the tunnel at full tilt. Scarlett watched the lights of the headlamp disappear down the distant cavern, far away. The webs were nearly all burned, and the light was dying. She could hear a million legs skittering on stone, every one of the swarming beasts coming for her from the shade of subterranean shadows. She looked around one last time, sighing painfully at the sudden feeling of isolation and defeat.
"You know what?" said the pirate to herself, "I'm not giving you the satisfaction."
She took a deep breath and threw herself off the wall into the pit below.