Chapter 37: Wasn't This Hard Before…

…

~~We met Leynne in the forest south of Diggerton. He agreed to help us find another airship which he saw fall into the Snow Realm. I have my suspicions; I think it might be the Horizon's Eye, Captain Koroul's ship. But I find that there are a couple of problems with that. First, the Horizon's Eye should have dropped out of the sky soon after the Island Sonata. The ship Leynne saw fell two days ago. I suppose it's possible that the Horizon's Eye managed to make it some distance before it finally gave out, but that's where the next issue appears. Both the Horizon's Eye and the Island Sonata were travelling south on the Dawn Line. The Island Sonata was shot down first. How did the Horizon's Eye fall out of the sky north of where my ship landed? These are why I doubt that the ship may be the Horizon's Eye, but the question becomes what ship it is. There couldn't possibly be anyone travelling that far north, could there? They would probably have to be somewhere in the middle of the Undying Storm if not further north. I can't be sure; I'm going to ask to see a map of the Snow Realm when we get back to Library Town.

~~I've been wondering how we should ask for more money. While we found the descendent of an Architect, it doesn't seem like much. We need money for supplies, fuel for the train, Luggard's pay, possibly some therapy for Cale; he's sleeping in the berths near me, and I can hear him mumbling about gigantic bugs in his sleep.—Then there's Leynne's needs, which I can't really begin to imagine beyond just needing extra supplies. He has a large bag full of stuff that rattles whenever he moves it. I don't know what's in it, I don't know what he's going to do with it. I just don't know.

The Seventeen's whistle blew, breaking into Link's thoughts. Although he looked up at the window to check outside, all his eyes met was the thin layer of grim covering an awkward view of the haze above. He stood and saw the large cliff that framed the north side of Library Town.

"Hey, Cale," Link said, bracing against the desk as the car turned. "Cale, we're here."

Cale snorted and rolled over, showing Link a face crisscrossed with marks from the thin bed sheets. "The Final Rest?" he asked in a deeper voice than usual.

"The what?" Irleen asked, bounding out of the top berth.

"The Final Rest," Link said. "The place where people go when they die. No, Cale, we're here at Library Town."

Cale pulled himself to the edge of the berth. "How long until we reach the platfohm?"

The brakes gave a heavy squeal. Link was just turning to the door when inertia decided to throw him to the floor, causing his head to knock into his fallen shield. Cale's hand slipped from the edge of the berth, and he rolled onto the floor hard. The train continued to screech and shake, and for a moment, Link thought that they would derail. So when the train stopped, he gave a large sigh of relief.

"Now," Irleen chimed with a giggle.

"Someone kill me…" Cale groaned into the floor.

Link picked himself up on the edge of the desk, one hand holding the temple that had met the edge of the shield. "That felt kind of rough." After checking that he was not bleeding, he walked to the door and pulled it aside. A crowd had formed at the head of the platform, but it dispersed after just half a minute. Link stepped out, casting the locomotive a confused look.

Leynne opened the cab and jumped to the platform. When he caught sight of Link, Link opened his arms up in question. "Luggahd had to pull into the platfohm quickly," Leynne called out. "We almost hit anotheh train."

Fwaaah! Fwaaah, fwaaaaaaah! The train whistle hollered from the platforms further towards the center of town, and Link glanced out as the engineer of a bronze-painted train waved a shovel over his head.

Luggard stepped to side of the Seventeen's cab, inexplicably waving a boot over his head in response. "Learn keepin' yar rou'e 'n shove tha' too'er op yar hoo'er, ya styupid bag a' bastard!" he shouted at the other engineer, his usual accent sounding thicker than usual. The other engineer shouted something in return, but Link could not hear it over the Seventeen's sudden release of steam. Luggard returned to the side of the cab and hollered, "Ah don' care who yar mother works far! Ah be' ya still a'e coal when ya's a maggo'!" The other engineer gave Luggard a dismissive arm wave and disappeared from sight.

Leynne crossed his arms. "Things always so exciting heh in the real wohld?" he asked Link, showing him an amused grin.

"No, not really," Link said, trying to control his own grin. "This is… pretty new, actually."

Fwaaaaaaah! Luggard, just about to step down from the cab, changed his mind and disappeared from sight again.

FAH, FWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! the Seventeen's whistle wailed, forcing both Link and Leynne to clamp their hands over their ears in surprise.

Luggard then shouted, "Look, look! Ah c'n be an ass with me whistle, too. Now piss ou'!" Then the Seventeen released the rest of its steam, causing Leynne to jump away.

"Remind me to neveh invite you to a fohmal occasion," Leynne chuckled after Luggard finally dismounted.

"Yeah, bu' didn' I tell ya?" Luggard said, one fingering pointed to his rival. "Didn' I tell ya he's gonna speed up?"

"Couldn't have called it a minute away," Leynne said.

"So wha's yar plan, Link?" Luggard asked.

"Well, I'm hoping you'll help us again," Link said. "Cale, Irleen, and I are going to the Library. We'll see if they're willing to sponsor us again; I have to know what ship fell."

Irleen made her presence known by fluttering out from behind Link and filling the space between the three. "I think the Library will be interested to get the remains of a Sorian airship. At least a plank or two from the side."

Link frowned at her. "Actually, I'm not sure if it's a Sorian ship. If any Sorian ships fell from the sky, they would've fallen close to the Island Sonata. This ship, for some reason, fell further north than most ships travel."

"You think it could've been Hylian?"

Link shrugged. "I don't know what it could've been. That's why I want to see it."

"Righ'," Luggard mumbled, pulling his pocketwatch out. "Look, I owe Mel fifteen rupees 'n a new plate, so I's go'a catch up with ya guys la'er."

"Okay," Link nodded. "We'll be at the Library until sundown."

"If we can figuh out when that is," Leynne asked, glancing up at the sky.

"Funny," Irleen said.

"I'll find ya if yar no' a' The Rusted Boiler b'fore then," Luggard said. He turned and walked away, giving them one final wave before disappearing in the evening crowd.

Leynne glanced back at Link. Then, noticing something, he asked, "Wheh's Cale?"

Link glanced back at the office car. "Cale?" he called. "Hey, Cale?" Something sounded like it scraped against the bare wood floor inside the car. Cale came into view, his belly on the floor and face almost stark-white. Link took a step closer to him. "Cale, are you okay?"

"I… can't say at this point," Cale groaned. "I-I don't…" He gave an audible gulp which gave Link the impression that he had just swallowed a rock. "I can beahly move."

Leynne walked around Link. He leaned forward to place a hand on Cale's forehead. "Yeah, I would imagine you could use a doctoh soon," he said. "You feel as if you've a feveh."

"A feveh…" Cale groaned. Then his eyes became wide, and his head wobbled. Leynne quickly grabbed the back of his waistcoat and jerked him forward enough to retch on the platform.

Link quickly latched a hand over his nose and mouth. "Wow, Cale, how many of those rations did you eat?" he said through the hand.

"Let me know when the show's over," Irleen said, ducking into Link's hat.

"Must've been two this mohning," Cale groaned. "And—hrup!—may-maybe anotheh befoah I took a nap."

Leynne released his waistcoat. Noticing that it had a few spots of grime on the back, he wiped the hand on his thigh. "We should find a clinic."

Link nodded in agreement. Watching their footing around Cale's vomit, both of them hauled Cale out of the car. Link on the left and Leynne on the right, the three slowly made their way up the platform and into the crowded market area. Cale managed to point out a clinic halfway to the central area of town, so Link and Leynne carried him through the glass door and to the counter. The young man drifting to sleep at the counter just in front of the door succeeded in startling himself into action, taking Link's place so that he could direct Cale into a small room with a bed. Link, Leynne, and Irleen spent a few minutes waiting for the clinic's only available doctor to examine Cale, not saying much to each other while they tried to keep patient in the small waiting room next to the front desk. When the doctor appeared again, she informed them that Cale had food poisoning. She asked them what he had eaten in the past two days and, upon hearing what little Link could list, concluded that the rations Luggard carried had been the culprit due to the number of cases she recently had with the same explanation.

"I suppose that we've to infohm Luggahd that his rations ah bad," Leynne said with a sigh when they stepped back into the market.

"All three of you have been eating them, though," Irleen said. "Why would Cale be the only one to get sick?"

"Didn't you heah? Wheh as Link and maybe Luggahd have some sense in the matteh, Cale decided to actually fill his belly with those things."

Link readjusted his hold on the paper bag holding Cale's dirty clothes. "I wonder how this might affect our request to the Library…"

Leynne glanced around at the nearby shops and booths. "Link, why don't you go on to the Library? Theh's something I want to take cah of."

Link gave him a confused look. "Really? What is it?"

He absently patted Link's shoulder before walking off. "Just thought I might procuh some funding. I'll meet you at the Library."

Irleen ducked back under Link's hat and asked, "Funding? What could he be talking about?"

Link glanced up at his brow as he responded, "I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with that large bag he brought."

"So… now what? Cale's sick, Luggard's gone to pay his bill, Leynne's… gone."

"Well, I suppose we can go meet with Madame Seilon." Saying as much, Link started towards the center of town.

Somehow, being back in Library Town felt a little strange. Link could not quite figure out why until he was almost at the Library. Then he realized that he had never had so much purpose returning back to a specific location. Skyrider Port had always fulfilled that purpose with the quarters he had shared with Line, and there had been times when he had wished he was there than any other place in the world. The port was safe, mostly because his crewmates would not regularly conspire to harm him in a new, inventive way. But it felt like Library Town now filled that role. This was his new home away from home. It made him wonder if he would ever look at Skyrider Port the same way again. Maybe he would, once he returned.

Entering the Library, Link knew that he would have a difficult time trying to look everywhere for Madame Seilon. So he asked a nearby student, "Excuse me. Do you know where Madame Seilon is?"

"Just straight ahead," the male student replied, pointing his pen in the direction of the Train History section of the Library before returning to doodling all over his messy notes. Link gave a nod of thanks before walking in that direction.

Madame Seilon was just on the other side of the door, her back to Link as she pondered over the bookshelf. But the creak of the door as Link closed it alerted her, and, before he could grasp the situation, Madame Seilon had her arms wrapped around him. Irleen quickly jumped out of Link's hat to see what had happened.

"Welcome back, Link!" she declared as she squeezed the air from Link's lungs. "Did yeh find anythin'?"

"Oh, boy, do we have stories to tell!" Irleen said, caught up in Madame Seilon's excitement.

"Ugh—elp," Link managed to choke out.

"Yeh better!" Madame Seilon said, releasing Link. Then she gave the door a questioning look. "Where's Cale?"

Link tried to stammer out an explanation, but he was too busy catching his breath, trying to keep himself standing by leaning on the door. He jerked his thumb at Irleen, who explained, "We had to take Cale to a doctor. He has food poisoning from a bad train ration."

"Oh, dear," Madame Seilon replied, fingertips of one hand covering her lower lip. "'E all right?"

"The doctor said that she's seen it happening lately, so he should be up in a couple of days."

Madame Seilon nodded her understanding. "So, yeh find anythin'? Any remnants o' the Architec' Ryain."

"Even better. We found his grandson, Leynne. He's in town right now, though."

Madame Seilon clapped her hands together. "Perfect! More than I 'oped fer!" She took stock of Link again, and her tone changed to that of a scolding mother. "Link! Wha' 'appened ta yer clothes?"

Link cleared his throat. "The Lost Woods. Lots of killer insects." He bent over and picked up Cale's dropped clothes. "I had a favor to ask."

At this, Madame Seilon crossed her arms. "Yeh wan' me ta wash 'em?"

"Huh? No! No. It's about the Snow Realm. Leynne told us that he had seen an airship crash into the mountains on the north side of the realm. I was hoping that we could get funding for another excursion; I want to see what ship it was."

Madame Seilon's mouth thinned for a moment. "I don' think yeh ge' 'ow this works, Link. If yeh wan' more fundin', yeh need Cale ta presen' 'is repor' ta me. Withou' it, I can' send yeh ou' 'gain."

"You're… you're joking!" Irleen said.

But Madame Seilon just shook her head, a grave look on her face. "Nope, no' this time. If yeh wan' more fundin', yeh'll 'ave ta wait 'til Cale's on 'is feet 'gain."

"But we may not have that kind of time," Link said, his voice tinged with urgency. "We have to reach that ship. There's no telling what'll happen to it out there. Talein told me that, when the Island Sonata crashed, he got me out before the Bulblins would be pulling it apart."

"I's no' tha' easy, Link. I ain' the one with the money, or I'd send yeh maself." When Link covered his face with one hand, she added, "I'm sorry." Link sighed and turned to open the door. "Link, look. Yeh jus' go' back, didn' yeh? Cale's restin'. So shoul' yeh. Jus' relax."

Link opened his mouth to argue his point, but his senses as a former airman took over. Specifically, it was the knowledge that the argument was over. So Link just bowed his head and opened the door. "Come on, Irleen," he moaned. Irleen gave Madame Seilon a fleeting look before following Link outside.

"Come on, Link!" Irleen cried at him as soon as the door was shut. "Is that it? You're just going to take that? I thought you were a captain!"

"Irleen!" Link suddenly snapped. His voice echoed down the corridor, catching attention from nearby students. He tried to ignore it, reining in his voice so he could tell her, "I haven't given up yet."

"You—! … You haven't?"

Link leaned in closer to her and lowered her voice. "So we can't get a train. If I have to, I'll walk all the way there. All we need is a map."

"Well, we're in a library."

But Link shook his head. "We need something we can take along. Come on. I'll bet we can find a cheap one in town somewhere." He walked to the front entrance, not realizing that Madame Seilon had poked her head out after he left and signaled a nearby student.

Once he was outside, he glanced up at the sky. Night was beginning to fall, revealed by the dark grey of the haze and the fact that torches were being lit in the streets. If he left soon, like he planned, he probably would not get far before the darkness forced him to stop. And he still had to find a map. And maybe a few supplies. He pulled his wallet out and looked inside. He released his next breath in an exhausted sigh upon realizing that he had been reduced to a single, blue rupee.

"You don't look so confident now," Irleen observed.

"It's just occurred to me that we still don't have a lot of money," he said. He stuffed the wallet back into his pocket. "I only have the 5-rupee. We might need to think this through a bit more."

"I don't see what there's to think about. We have no money, no food, no place to stay… night's falling now, so we can't really go anywhere. Did I miss anything?"

Link scratched his scalp at the edge of his hat. "No, no, that all sounds about right…"

"So what do you—"

"Oi, Link!" Link's attention turned down the brick path going back into the center of town. Luggard approached him, looking a little more sluggish than usual. As he came closer, Link saw that he sported a black eye, a few bruises on his forearms, and blood on his lower lip. His waistcoat had been ripped open, and one sleeve was missing its hem, likely having been repurposed into the cloth piece plugging his left nostril. Still, he showed an unperturbed grin as he approached. Link was not sure whether to call attention to the fact that he looked like he was in a bar fight.

Irleen, fortunately, had no such inhibitions. "What the hell happened to you?" she asked, fluttering closer to examine his face.

"Heh," he replied, crossing his arms. "Go' in a fight."

"With who?" Link asked.

Luggard jerked his head to one side. "Tha' idio' on the Number Three engine, same one tha' nearly derailed us."

"He found you at The Rusted Boiler?"

He shrugged. "Prob'ly wouldn' 'ave if I didn' tell 'im 'ow t' read 'is daily schedule usin' 'is eyes instead o' 'is ass."

"You started it?" The question came out a little confused; while Link was surprised that Luggard participated in a bar fight, he found himself wondering why Luggard would provoke it.

Luggard's grin widened. "Yep."

"Who won?" Irleen asked.

"Irleen!" Link whined.

"What?" Irleen said defensively. "It's a fair question, isn't it?"

"Can' 'elp ya there, Irleen," Luggard said. "Mel threw me ou' b'fore we 'ad it settled." He twisted his face for a moment. "I think 'e did."

Link sighed. "The airmen I knew usually scored it depending on who was thrown out. So… yeah, I guess you lost."

Luggard's grin returned. "Nothin' new. Wha's ya two doin'?"

"Debating suicide," Irleen said. Luggard raised an eyebrow at her. "We couldn't get funding."

"We need Cale," Link continued. "Madame Seilon can't guarantee us any more funding until Cale gives her his report. So… well, with him laid up in the clinic, we were thinking about just walking."

Luggard's face shifted between them for a moment. "In the clinic? Wha' 'appened?"

"Food poisoning," Irleen answered.

"You need to throw out your current stock," Link said. He paused before adding, "That might've been why I threw up yesterday afternoon."

Luggard put on a disappointed face. "I knew it. Should'a gone with the regular package. Sorry, Link. Guess those rations were cheaper than I though'."

"Yep," Link said, casting his eyes to the ground.

Luggard nodded. "So… no Cale, no rupees… no… train. Where's the suicide comin' from?"

"I was considering traveling to the Snow Realm on foot," Link said.

"Heh heh," Luggard chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah, ya ain' goin' tha' way."

"Why not?" Irleen asked.

"'Side from Snow Realm's excuse for bein' called 'Snow Realm', ya'd be driftin' 'way with the rain."

"Rain?" Irleen asked.

"The Snow Realm 'as a storm o'er it, it 'as. Been there for decades. Rains so 'ard, trains go'a cover up the smokestack or the engine gets ruined. Walkin' through it, yeah, tha's suicide."

"I have to get to that ship before it gets torn apart," Link said. "Unless there's another way…"

Luggard put an arm around Link and started leading him down the road. "Think 'bou' this. Ya go' no money. So no food, no bed, no ride, no supplies, no way o' survivin'. Bu' ya wanna go t' the Snow Realm and, likely, drown 'n die. Now, if ya—Excuse ya!" Luggard, receiving a bump from behind, suddenly snapped at a girl student wearing a green robe.

"Sorry, sorry!" she called back, turning to show them an apologetic smile for a brief moment. Link caught sight of a journal cradled in her arm just before she ran off, wondering if she was on an assignment like Cale. The thought of it made him a little miserable, knowing that he could not do anything significant until Cale became better.

"Now. If ya's smar', ya a' leas' wai' 'til ya ge' a good nigh' sleep b'fore ya ge' in more trouble," Luggard continued as if nothing had happened. "And ''Ow's I s'pose t' do tha'?' ya ask yarself, righ'? Well, ya jus' go'a ask yar friend if ya can spend the nigh'. We can see if Cale's still livin' t'morrow."

"Have room foh one moh?" Link looked up, finally noticing that Leynne was standing in front of the stone fountain in the middle of town.

"I s'pose we can squeeze ya in, Leynne," Luggard told him. "Mainly, I's invitin' Link 'n Irleen; they ain' go' the rupees for a decen' place."

"Is that so? How do you manage to travel around so well?"

"Luck, I guess," Link said. "With Cale sick, though, I can't get the funding I need to hire Luggard for another ride."

"Big deal," Luggard huffed. "Worry 'bou' tha' la'er. B'sides, I'd 'ave t' charge three-fifty this time; I go'a prep the Seventeen for rain if we wanna ge' tha' far north, and then I go'a ge' more supplies."

Leynne pushed away from the fountain. "Three hundred and fifty rupees, was it?" he asked, pulling a leather wallet from his trouser pocket. He opened it and dug for a moment. "Well, I suppose I can live without it foh now. Afteh all, without Link, I won't have much reason to travel to the nohthehn paht of the Snow Realm."

Luggard gaped as Leynne held out a large red, a large green, and a purple rupee out to him. Luggard, taking the money into hand, stared for a moment longer before asking, "Where's all this comin' from?"

"As I explained to Link eahlieh, I intended to hunt some funds of my own. That bag you saw me cahrying weh some of the wahes that I've put togetheh oveh the past few yeahs. Old ones, so I have no sentimental attachment to them. Just how was I expected to wohk without money?"

Luggard grinned and pocketed the money. "Well, looks like some o' yar worries is solved, Link."

Link clapped his mouth shut to get his vocal cords to work again. "Are you sure, Leynne?"

"I'm funding a trip foh us," Leynne said, his voice taking a bit of a stern edge. "That's it, though. I'm afraid that I'll be leaving you on youh own foh otheh needs."

"Oh, no, of course," Link said, waving his hands. "Thank you."

"Righ' then!" Luggard declared. "'O's 'ungry?"
…

"Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, I's 'ooooooooooooooooome!"

Luggard shouted into a small house that he had led Link and Leynne to. It sat in a residential area set on the southern outskirts of Library Town, similar to the kind Link could find on any island in the sky. But the buildings here were made of clay and were mostly one story high; a handful reached two. This one had a smaller, upper story that was barely visible unless one stood further away. In a season that sported actual sunlight, Link supposed the patches of dug-up, bare earth on either side of the door would be flower beds.

Link heard stomping from the other side of the wooden door, and instinct told him to take a step back. Leynne did the same just before the door flew open.

"Luuuuuuggaaaaaaaaaaaard!" a large, wide woman cried out as she trapped the taller Luggard in her arms and squeezed tight. Luggard chuckled in response until an uncomfortable crack sounded from his back. The woman, clad in a red housedress decorated with leaves in autumn colors, released Luggard and looked him over. Then she crossed her arms and gave Luggard a frown. "Luggard! 'Ave ya been fightin' 'gain?"

"Oh, Ma, it was jus' the one fight earlier this evenin'," Luggard groaned like any child would to their stressing parent.

"And? 'Ow'd ya do?"

Luggard put on a silly grin. "'Bou' same as a'ways; I los'."

His mother sighed. "Ya a'ways were the lousies' fighter." Then she took note of the other two standing behind him. "Ya brough' comp'ny?"

Luggard stepped aside. "Me friends." He planted a hand on Link's shoulder. "This is Link. 'E's an airship cap'n from the sky."

His mother's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Is ya really? Ya'r so youn'. Wha' is ya doin' down 'ere?"

"It's… a long story," Link said with a bashful smile.

Luggard pulled Link's hat off, and Irleen immediately jumped up in surprise. "This one's Irleen. She's also from the sky."

"H-hi!" Irleen said before diving back into the hat. Link reached up and pulled the hat back down over his head.

"Kinda shy, is she?" Luggard's mom asked.

"Don't do that!" Irleen shouted from under the hat.

"And this is Leynne," Luggard finished. "'E's a… uh… wha' is we suppose t' call ya?"

"I'm an inventoh," Leynne offered, giving Luggard's mother a gentlemanly smile. "A pleasuh, madame."

"Oh, please, call me Elle," Luggard's mother said. "Ya three is ou' kinda late, ain' ya?"

"'Ad a few complications," Luggard told her. "Link 'ere, 'e don' go' a place t' stay, and 'e don' go' much money."

Elle leaned on one side of the doorway. "So ya though' ya'd jus' leave 'im 'ere with me, did ya?"

"I's 'ere, too!" Luggard declared, holding his arms wide.

"Sh, shush, Luggard," Elle told him in a hushed voice. "Joel 'n Blaine is sleepin'."

"Sorry," Luggard whispered.

"Lucky for ya I still go' food tha' wants t' be eaten," she told Link and Leynne. "Is ya spendin' the nigh', too, Leynne?"

"If it's not too much trouble," Leynne replied with a slight bow.

"No' a' all," Elle said, waving them in. "Been quiet 'ere lately, 'specially since Larrin lef'. And ya know Paul don' visi' anymore."

Link saw that the room they entered seemed to serve as both the kitchen and dining room, much like the downstairs at Talein's house. Candles placed on bronze mounting brackets adorned the two adjacent walls, providing an adequate amount of light for the room. A large table with seven chairs occupied most of the space in the middle of the room. A wash sink, stove, and dishware cabinet sat to the left of the door. On the right, shoes were piled up in front of a small closet door. Luggard began removing his boots, and Link and Leynne followed suit. Whereas they neatly placed their boots next to the wall, Luggard just kicked his boots at the closet door. Other than a table and chairs, the room sported a hammock suspended between the far wall and a wooden divider in the far right corner. From the pink nightgown laying across a chest of drawers on the outside of the wooden divider, Link guessed that the hammock might be Elle's. The opposite wall had two doorways. Through one, Link could barely make out a ladder leading to the second floor. The other looked like another bedroom.

"Still down in Papuchia with 'is girl?" Luggard asked.

"Still makin' eyes a' tha' youn' thin'," Elle said with a nod. She stepped to the dishware cabinet and pulled out a few plates. "A' leas' 'e's go' some prospec' t' give grandkids."

"I go' prospects," Luggard defended, taking a seat. "I go' a girl in Fishin'ton."

"Ya mean tha' Rin girl you met ten years 'go? 'Ow old is she now? Fifteen?"

"She's nineteen, Ma."

"And ya's twenty-six. Keep tryin'; no one said it'd be easy." She made place settings for four, so when Link and Leynne sat down, she gave a confused look. "Where'd the fairy go?"

Link saw the plate in front of her and said, "She doesn't eat. We think."

In between bites of stewed beef and vegetables, Link and Irleen gave the story of their fall in the next hour. Luggard joined in when they began talking about the Library and the Lost Woods. Leynne did not have much to add, even when it came to the part of how they found him. Link was surprised to hear the whole story so far, amazed by how easy it was to sum up his adventure in one hour when one day had been too exciting to put down in his journal. It made him wonder if he had really spent thirteen days wandering around the Forest Realm.

Elle thanked them for finishing off the stew. Then she ushered them to bed. Since her two youngest boys were sleeping in the upstairs addition, she put out a few more bed sheets on the floor. She told Leynne, Link, and Irleen that they could use the beds (Irleen was small enough that Elle assumed she shared beds with Link), leaving Luggard to gripe about sleeping on the floor. She had all three guys undress so she could wash their clothes in the morning, leaving them to put on some of Luggard's old clothes. At least Luggard and Link did; Leynne, being just a little larger than Luggard, opted to sleep in his underwear rather than put on a tight shirt and pair of shorts.

…

He sat on the pile of straw that adorned the corner of the cage. He kept his legs folded underneath his body, sitting up straight and proper as he had done all his life. The cage was dark, so he focused on the planks through the bars, lit by whatever light came from the stairs to the right. Hushed voices passed between her fellows nearby, but none of them were directed to her. He was going to be strong and bide his time. There had to be a way out.

His stomach hurt. How long had they been locked away? Days? Maybe a month? The days blurred together. Maybe it was not days. It could have been hours. He knew he at least slept some time ago, so it could not have been hours. It was hard to tell. No clocks. No daylight. He might have been able to tell when the wingless one brought down their meals, but he had lost count of how many times they had eaten.

He could feel it, though. Biding was the best course. But he had yet to convince the others, and he feared what they would do.