Chapter 36: Get Off My Lawn

…

~~Day 13

~~I guess I had another nightmare, but something was different about this one. It didn't scare me. When Irleen woke me up, I realized that I was crying. I had the vague sense of pitying someone, but I just can't figure out who it was. I'm beginning to feel like the dreams are somehow connected, and that they might have something to do with Captain Koroul. Now that I think about it, Irleen did mention that when someone's mind is imprinted onto a crystal, there is a tendency to share dreams. I know I must have had one of Captain Koroul's dreams that day, although I still can't figure out why I saw it even before he had that crystal. Could it be possible that we're still connected? I'm certain that Captain Koroul appeared in this dream, too. Does it mean he's still alive?

…

"Link, look over there!" Cale hollered above the locomotive's churning.

Link crossed the cab to see what Cale was pointing at. Luggard kept the Seventeen running at about half its usual speed while Link and Cale attempted to find any trace of life among the trees of the southern forest. To see trees with leaves on them was a surprise to Link, although they still had the sickly look like trees in Whittleton. It made watching for anything a little more difficult, but the height of the train ensured a decent glimpse of the sky. This had given Cale the opportunity to spot a stream of grey smoke to the west, barely visible against the darker haze above.

"What do you think?" Cale asked.

Link nodded. "It's worth a look. Luggard?"

"I 'ear ya," Luggard replied, letting up on the throttle. "I'll stop us a' the nex' trail."

"If nothing else, we'll be off the train," Irleen told them. Link nodded in agreement; they had been riding the train for a couple of hours, and he was beginning to feel restless. His head still buzzed with the unusual release of emotion last night, and he could not help having a few other worries on his mind. He could not think straight while riding on the train, especially when his only task was to find signs of life somewhere in the middle of a forest.

The brakes squealed to life as Luggard brought the locomotive to a stop near the head of a trail worn in the dead grass. After securing the train, he pulled out his pocketwatch. "'Bou' two an a 'alf 'ours ou'. Tha' puts us 'bou'… 'alfway t' South Bay."

"Any idea what kind of wildlife is out here?" Link asked as he opened the cab door.

Luggard shrugged. "Prob'ly friendlier than wha' we found in the Los' Woods."

"Agreed," Cale said, "but it doesn't help."

"Look. The Los' Woods is the wors' place ya can go in the Forest Realm. This can only be be'er."

"Luggard," Link said before climbing down. "Give your whistle a blast every hour so we know where to find you."

"Go' it."

"And two blasts if you have to move."

"I'll blas' twice 'gain when I ge' back."

"And three blasts if something attacks you," Irleen said as Link dropped to the ground. "You know, if you don't die first."

"And 'ave ya three ride some other train ou'?" Luggard asked with a grin. "I don' think so. I'll 'ave me spiri' drive ya."

"Then, I suppose the 'Spirit Tracks' will live up to theih name," Cale commented blandly.

"Ya be' yar ass!" Cale dropped down, and Luggard moved to shut the door. "Be careful, ya three."

"You, too," Link said with a nod. "You ready, Cale?"

Cale adjusted the strap of his satchel. "I suppose."

"We'll try to stick to this path for now." Link took in a deep breath and turned to the forest, pulling the strap of his shield away from his neck. "Okay, let's go." He took a step.

And Cale let out a small whimper. "Something wrong, Cale?" Irleen asked.

"Isn't it a little… dahk in theah?"

Link contemplated the forest. Certainly, the dead leaves on the trees made it look a little darker than the area around the rails, but not by much. He shrugged and told Cale, "It should be all right. We can see much better here than back in the Lost Woods."

"Wan' me pipe?" Luggard asked from above.

Cale considered this for a moment. "No, I think I'll be betteh off," he concluded. "I'd ratheh not have something chase me because it believes me to be a threat."

Luggard shrugged. "Tha's fine; wasn' givin' it t' ya anyway."

"Come on," Link told him, waving him on. "We'll be fine."

…

A whistle blast sounded in the distance, Luggard's first hourly signal. Link wished he had a way to answer from where they were.

The trail had ended not long before, forcing them to cut between the trees. They had already lost sight of the Seventeen, so Irleen kept flying up above the trees in order to give Link and Cale directions toward the smoke. Link did not feel too concerned about the forest. In fact, he felt a little more at home walking among the trees. It reminded him of being back at Whittleton, with all of the houses built inside those massive trunks. Unfortunately, this reminded him of Meilont, how much help she had been to him. And that last day, when she stood on the edge of the platform with that longing look on her face.

Cale, on the other hand, was focused entirely on the forest.

"I've a bad feeling about this place," he said.

"Don't worry," Link tried to assure him after Cale's voice interrupted his thoughts. "I'm sure we're close. Right, Irleen?"

"We're getting there," she answered.

"I—well, it's-it's… that's… not entiehly my concehn, really," Cale said.

"How couldn't it be?" Irleen asked. "There's nothing else around here."

"Ah, well… you say that, but…"

Irleen hopped from the air above Link to in front of Cale's face. "But what?"

Cale sighed. "I just don't like the feeling I get heah. We don't know what might be luhking about."

"Nothing's bothered us for an hour. What's there to be afraid of?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I-I just have this strange feeling of being—"

Ffffffffff—thup!

Cale's face turned pale, and his voice came out in a higher pitch at the sight of an arrow protruding from Link's shield. "—watched?"

Link, having felt the thump against his back, pulled off the shield. After seeing the arrow, he quickly spun about. His hand was in the shield's straps, and he held it up for protection. Cale, meanwhile, took Link's reaction as a cue to jump behind the nearest tree.

"I'll have you know that was only a wahning shot!" a man's voice hollered from the trees ahead of them, his accent oddly similar to Cale's. Link hunched lower, trying to find any sign of the voice's owner. "The next one'll be in youh skull!"

"We're not here to cause trouble!" Link shouted back, trying to keep his voice even. "We just want to talk!"

"I don't!"

"We're just looking for someone!"

"You found someone! Now get out!"

"Please! It's important!"

"I don't caeh!"

Link reached his left hand behind his back, locating his boomerang. "Is there any way you'll hear me out?"

"No!"

"We're not here to cause any harm. We're just looking for an Architect by the name of Ryain."

Ffffffffff—tink! Another arrow rang off the edge of Link's shield, coming uncomfortably close to his face as it ricocheted into the air behind him.

"Ryain's dead, you moron!" the voice wailed, sounding much more agitated. "He died thihty-seven yeahs ago!"

"We-well, it—ahem—it was a long shot afteh all…" Cale whispered to Link.

"Did he leave anything behind?" Link called out.

"Yeah! Me!"

Link exchanged a look with Cale. "You're his son?"

"His grandson, stupid, his grandson!"

"I think you hit a sore spot," Irleen commented. Link glanced up to nod at her, pulling out his boomerang. He held it low against his side and opened it wings.

"What was that?" the voice asked. "What's in youh otheh hand?"

"It's a boomerang," Link said. "It's for my protection."

The voice hesitated. "Do that again."

This time, the look Link and Cale shared was one of mutual confusion. "Do what?"

"Close and open it again."

Link thought for a moment. "Will you shoot me if I do?"

"How 'bout I shoot you if you don't?"

Link held up the hand holding the shield. "Okay, okay. I'll do it."

"In plain view. I wanna see it."

"Link," Cale whispered. "This doesn't sound like a good idea."

Link did not reply. He set his shield on the ground, and then stood straight. Holding the boomerang out in front of him, he demonstrated how to close the wings. Then, inverting it so that the wings pointed up, he pressed the button to open it again.

For a moment, silence answered. Then a figure dressed in grey stepped into the open in front of them. Link hunched in alarm, ready to spring to one side if he had to jump out of the way. But the figure did not appear to want to harm them, both arms to his sides. He strode forward. Link saw that the robe he wore covered his whole body except a slit in the hood for eyes. As he came closer, Link saw a peculiar bow held in one hand. It was small even for a bow, with what appeared to be a stock from a rifle. Link could see that the figure was about a head taller than him, and he came to a stop just outside of arm's reach. Link stood up straight and offered the boomerang out.

The figure leaned over to set his weapon on the ground. Then he accepted the boomerang with a pair of rough, scarred hands. He stood examining it for a moment, even closing and opening it.

"Extraohdinary," he breathed. "Wheh did you find this?"

"In the Locomo crypt in the middle of the Lost Woods," Link answered.

The figure nodded. "Wheh my grandfatheh had left it. It was my thihd build. Springs to slap the wings into place. A locking mechanism to make suh the boomerang didn't collapse when it hit something. The lahge exterioh button made drawing and opening it a quick, easy motion foh the useh. The pouch?"

"Right here," Link replied, reaching around his back to pull it from his belt.

"No, no," the man said, raising a hand to stop him. "That'll due." He sighed. "My grandfatheh said that he had fohgotten this the last time he went to the Locomo Crypt. I often wondehed if I'd eveh see it." He started, as if remembering that Link and Cale were still standing in front of him. "You said you wanted to talk?"

"If it's possible," Link said with a nod, picking up his shield.

"Come on then," he huffed as if it was more effort than he wanted to give. One hand holding the boomerang, he retrieved his bow. "Let's at least get out of the trees."

The robed man led them onward, occasionally looking back to check that Link and Cale were following. He also checked his weapon frequently, and Link realized that there was a compass built into the stock just behind where a loaded arrow sat. Cale had yet to relax. Although he walked behind Link, he could hear Cale bumping into trees or bushes or tripping over bare roots. Irleen remained quiet, hovering just outside Link's field of view probably in anticipation of running back to Luggard. Link tried to let his guard down a little. He still had his shield on his arm, but he was sure to keep his left hand by his side and away from the sword. He did not want to test whether he could draw the sword and strike before their host wheeled around and planted his next arrow in between Link's eyes. He at least trusted that the man would not attack unprovoked, and he wanted to make sure the man felt as unprovoked as possible.

Soon, the steady stream of grey smoke was in sight through the trees above. Following that was a clearing with a single, wooden cottage sitting in the center. Wooden, but one wall appeared to be one, large machine from which the grey smoke floated. The bare ground immediately surrounding the cottage was littered with small pieces of metal and glass. The lack of intact glass in the windows partially implied why the mess existed. A pot sat on top of a campfire in front of the house, its contents just barely bubbling over the lip.

The man strode ahead of them and wheeled around, pointing the bow at Link. Link suddenly planted his feet in the ground, his hand halfway reaching for his sword before he stopped it. "Befoh we continue this little convehsation," the man said, "who the hell ah you?"

Link stared for a moment. Then he answered, "Lieutenant Link of the Skyrider Company."

"Lieutenant? Company? … A military ohganization?"

"It's just a title. I'm an airship captain."

"An aihship…" The arrow's tip indicated the sky. "You must be from one of the ships that fell."

Link found himself taken aback. "One?"

The man nodded. "Two in the last fifteen days. One fell on the otheh side of the Lost Woods, the otheh fuhtheh nohth, somewheh in the Snow Realm."

"Y-y-you-you-y-y-you s-s-s-saw them?" Cale asked.

"It wasn't easy," the man answered with a sigh. "I was attempting to find an opening in the haze above. The fihst one I witnessed while I was in Aboda."

"That must have been my ship, the Island Sonata," Link said.

"I would not have noticed the otheh had I not been experimenting with refrigeration on the southehn bohdeh of the Snow Realm. Someone you knew?"

Link frowned. "I can't be sure."

The man nodded again. "Yes, of couhse. I'll buy youh story. What about his?"

"I'm C-C-C-C-C-Ca-Ca-C-C-C-C-Ca-Ca-Cale."

Link could see one dark eyebrow in the eye slit rise. "I'll just assume that's long foh 'Cale'."

Cale nodded frantically. "I-I-I-I-I-I'm-I'm a s-s-s-s-sch-sch-sch-schol—I'm a scholah. F-f-f-from Library Town."

"Hovela?"

Cale silently stammered for a moment. "H-h-h-ho-h-h-how—"

The man pointed one wing of the boomerang to about where his neck should be. "Accent."

"Oh."

"In lieu of having to enduh moh of youh lengthy answehs, I'm going to assume that you'h just heh to follow youh captain friend and possibly write a book about him."

Cale bowed his head. "Okay."

"And the fairy?"

"Irleen. And I'm glad someone actually notices me."

"Ihleen?"

"She's a Sorian," Link explained, relaxing his stance. "She's a member of a race that lives in the clouds."

Irleen bobbed to one side. "The fairy… thing is, admittedly, my own abilities backfiring on me. In reality, I'm about the same size as Link. I fell in the same ship, and that was when this happened."

The robed man appeared to think for a moment. Then he set the boomerang and the bow on the ground next to him. "Sohry foh the bolts and all. I don't nohmally expect visitohs."

"Oh," Link commented, glancing at the front of his shield. "It's okay. I'm just glad you were aiming there." He put a hand around the bolt's shaft and started pulling.

The man began pulling the robe over his head. "You said that you weh looking foh Ryain, my grandfatheh. I'm afraid that you'h about thihty yeahs too late."

"We suspected as much," Link said. "I was hoping that he might have left something behind, something he used to help construct the first airships."

"What foh?"

"Irleen and I have to return to the sky."

The man pulled the rest of the robe over his head and dumped it on the ground. He revealed himself to be a thin man with visibly strong arms. His blue, sleeveless shirt was covered in grease spots, and his black trousers sported tears around the thighs. A fair amount of his visible skin had scarring from either scratches or burns. Underneath his black hair, Link could barely see that something had left a scratch just above his left eye. The tip of his right ear was missing, looking as if it had been bitten off by something. His sharp jaw had a trio of scars crisscrossing to form a star on the right side. "Well, as I said, all he left behind was me. I'm Leynne." He indicated the pot. "Have a seat. I'm afraid that the pot is a little baeh foh fouh people, but you'h welcome to some."

"Well, we don't want to interrupt your lunch," Link said as he cleared a space of glass and metal shrapnel before sitting on one side. Cale sat next to him while Leynne stepped to the other side to pick up a ladle. "And we're not sure if Irleen needs to eat or not."

"It's… complicated," Irleen said when Leynne cast her a strange look.

"I see," Leynne commented while he stirred the pot. "So you thought you would find the original aihship buildehs and ask that they build you a new ship?"

Link sighed and started tugging on the bolt again. "Well, I figured the task would be a little much to ask. I'm not entirely sure how I would build the ship. If I just had an idea of how the first ones were put together, I thought I might have an idea from there."

"And… you thought finding the Locomo Crypt would be a good place to staht?"

"It was the only place we knew Ryain might have disappeared to when he left the Royal Engineers. We found our way from there to here."

"My grandfatheh told me stories of that crypt. You and youh friend must be mad."

"Uh…" Cale said, raising a hand. "I… actually just… kinda fell in. Link had to retrieve me."

"Hence the…" Link trailed off, indicating the front of his tunic.

Leynne nodded. "I thought youh clothes looked a different coloh from behind."

"So, your grandfather made that boomerang?" Irleen asked. After Leynne nodded, she jumped in front of Link's face. "Told you it'd be worth it."

"No you didn't," Link said, finally pulling the bolt from his shield. "You just kept pestering me to open it."

"Yeah, yeah, believe what you want."

Leynne held the ladle up to his face to smell. Then he threw the contents to one side. "My grandfatheh left that boomerang in case someone eveh discovehed the crypt. He made anotheh, but I'm afraid I don't know what happened to it."

"Have you lived heah long?" Cale asked.

"Most of my life," Leynne said. He took another ladleful out of the pot and tasted it. After some thought, he decided that it was edible and stepped to a shelf outside the cottage. "My parents live in Hovela. I inherited this cottage from my grandfatheh afteh he died." He turned around, bowl in one hand, and glared at Cale. "I assume you wanted to know all that."

"D-I-I-I-I-I—"

Link held out a hand to calm him. Then he asked, "Will you help us?"

"Why?" Leynne asked, ladling some of the pot's contents into the bowl. "I can't put togetheh a whole aihship by myself."

"You're still an Architect, right?"

Leynne shrugged. "I wouldn't put so much meaning behind it. I find that I'm moh of an inventoh. My grandfatheh was the Ahchitect."

"I don't expect you to build a whole airship by yourself. I'm going to find more Architects. With some time, I should be able to find some help."

Leynne paused with the bowl near his lips. Then he said, "If you can bring moh help, then I'll consideh it."

Link gave a reluctant nod. Then, as Leynne sipped from the bowl, he said, "I have a favor I have to ask."

"Yes?"

"I want to find that other airship you saw. The one that fell in the Snow Realm."

Leynne sighed. "You'h going to do all you can just to move me from this spot, ahn't you?"

Link shook his head. "I just need to know where it fell. It could be important."

"Well," Leynne said as he settled on the ground. Both Cale and Link winced at the sound of shifting metal as he sat, but he did not seem to notice as he pondered. "It was puah luck it fell two days ago; it's been the only break in the rain for some time. I couldn't be suh what it was at fihst. I know it landed somewheh inside the Iyuk Mountains."

"Oh, no…" Cale groaned.

"What?" Irleen asked.

"The Iyuk Mountains ah wheh the Yook live. And they don't really like Hylians; they blame us foh the constant rain."

"Well… did we have something to do with it?" Link asked.

"No, of couhse not," Leynne said in an indifferent tone. "But the Yook ahn't known to be especially reasonable."

"I wonder if Luggard will take us there," Link said to Cale. "I have to know what ship that was."

"If you'h expecting to find suhvivohs, it'd be a waste," Leynne said. "If anyone suhvived a fall like that, the Yook probably clobbehed them to death by now."

"Maybe," Link said. "Still. I want to know."

Leynne sighed and finished his bowl. "Okay, let's get going then."

"Wait a second," Irleen said as all three rose around her. "I thought you were just going to blow us off."

"Well, I can't exactly tell wheh the ship landed," Leynne said. "I know its bearing from wheh I was at, but I need to be theh to make suh that the couhse I give you is cohrect. Besides, I'm ratheh curious as to how aihships ah built nowadays. It's not as if they'h built down heh anymoh."

A faint whistle blew in the background, and Cale, Irleen, and Link turned to it. "That must be Luggard. We've been out here for two hours now."

"You hihed a train?" Leynne asked. Link nodded. "Well, if you intend to take it to the Snow Realm, it'll have to be outfitted."

"And that would cost moah money," Cale said. "We'll have to stop by Library Town and see if Madame Seilon will hiah Luggahd foh anotheh outing."

"It'll probably cost moh if you'h going to the Snow Realm," Leynne told them. He started to the door of his cottage. "Wait a moment, and I'll come with you two."

Leynne disappeared inside the cottage for a moment. Apart from the sound of many things being shuffled around and falling over inside, one thing he appeared to do was turn off the massive machine comprising his wall. When he stepped out again, he was dressed in a brown, woolen tunic over a black shirt and tan slacks. The belt he wore around his waist sported a number of different pouches, the most prominent being what looked like a holster for his bow. This was confirmed after he locked the cottage door, when he picked up the bow, settled it into the holster, and secured it with a button strap. He had a bag strapped to his back, one which bulged with angles to signal that it was likely filled with some of the small devices he had made.

He picked up the boomerang he had left on the ground and offered it to Link. "You can have this back," he said. "It may yet come in handy foh you."

"Thanks," Link said, his smile indicating that he meant more than the boomerang.