Chapter 26 The northern tower
When they left the cathedral, Link's eyes scanned the area but Sheik was gone. He was about to call his name when Zelda tugged at his sleeve. "We must go now. Sheik will be fine by himself." Link nodded but the princess' voice didn't seem to be capable of erasing his worries. Memories of the spirit temple returned before his inner eye and he swallowed down the knot that suddenly formed in his throat. They reached the abyss that separated the dreary castle from the ground they were standing on. Red and orange streams of hot lava were flowing in a circle around the black building and Link could feel the burning heat under his feet. He looked around but there was no way to cross the abyss, no bridge leading to the castle. "How are we supposed to make it to the other side?" Link muttered. Zelda raised her arms in the air. "Sages, lend me your power!"
Link took a step back when he felt the immense energy of the six sages floating in the air. The princess still stood there with her hands in the air wearing a rigid look on her face. When the lights died down and the air stopped pulsating, Link dared to breath again. Zelda slowly let her arms down and turned around to him. "We can go now." The hero gave her an irritated look. "I can't see anything!"
"Don't let yourself be fooled by what you see or do not see. Trust your other senses." She smiled and reached out for his hand. It was warm and delicate but she had a firm grip. Together they took the invisible passage over the fiery abyss and Link kept his eyes glued to her back in order to avoid looking down into the magma.
The castle itself was not very broad but high in altitude. From the main entrance led only a few doors to different rooms and a huge staircase to the other levels. The floor was covered with a red carpet and stood in contrast with the black walls. A hostile aura compassed the Hylians and Zelda instinctively pulled her short jacket tighter around her body. She took a deep breath. "I can feel him up there. He is in the northern tower. We should get going and take the stairs."
The dark lord himself was resting in his chair and ran his finger over his chin while he observed his servant standing by the windowsill. "Quite impressive that this lad made it up till here." He got up and walked over to the same window following the other man's gaze. Underneath them the dark land with the orange liquid stretched out before his eyes. This was his land; his castle he had built up in only a short time. He felt the other two remaining pieces of the Triforce closing in on him and this put a smile on his face. Those fragments would be his in less than a few hours. He walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out another black robe. "I guess it's time I change. I must look decent when my guests arrive." The servant nodded and finally left his position by the window. He walked up to his master, removed his clothes and helped him into his new outfit. Everything was ready.