Me just realizing that this one fanfiction is already equivalent to the length of two fully developed novels. *Sigh* Evidently I write too much.
Some admissions from the authoress; the ghost boy is actually based on Selim Bradley from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood (possibly my favourite character after Olivier Armstrong), and much of this chapter, (really a lot of the ghostly aspects in general throughout the story) is inspired by Castlevania, Ghost hunt, and the sinister depths of my mind.
Thanks again to everyone who still reads this! I know it's a lengthy story, and sometimes the wait between chapters is undetermined. Your patience is remarkable ^^ So thank you everyone for bearing with me.
Rated M for swearing and gore.
Chapter 25:
Late that evening found Zelda safely secure inside the warded house, snuggled in a cozy inglenook leaning shoulder to shoulder with Anne and watching the flickering fire in the hearth.
Outside the clouds had finally opened up and soaked the land in a constant downpour. The pattering of fat droplets against the exterior of the small bungalow and the mournful howl of the wind extinguished all other sound that might have arisen from beyond their shelter.
Sprawled on the floor between the two sofas was an outstretched map of the province, which Hadrian held open while Ashei carefully sketched a straight line against her dagger sheath, which at present qualified as a ruler, to the very edge of the southeast quarter where the land bordered with Holodrum. She then measured the distance with a compass divider and went on marking coordinates on a scrap of parchment.
"So we know for a fact that the focal point will be somewhere along this line." She scanned the map in assurance, she glanced up to briefly consult the direction the blue light of the ghost lamp was facing, and nodded to herself. "Only a few more miles until we reach the mountains, yeah. Were actually still in the foothills, so we'll still have it easy for a while."
"Oh joy," grumbled Shad, who had moseyed into a spot in the corner of the opposite sofa, closest to the fire, huddled beneath his cloak and looking downright wretched.
He yelped when Ashei's hand flew out to slap his arm.
"Do you think that the focal might be beyond Hyrule?" asked Justin overlooking the group from his higher vantage point leaning against a wall.
Ashei shrugged. "Possibly, although I doubt it, yeah. That's still a few days march. And recent activity has suggested that we're getting close."
"Those mountains are nearly impassable," Hadrian mused, looking over the map. "But for this one pass here at the Sarjon gap. It used to be a popular road until a landslide blocked it off. Now there are other safer routes into Holodrum."
"There are no more villages on the way either," Ashei went on, trailing her sharp gaze along the line she had drawn. "None close enough to matter, that is. And no landmarks of any kind, yeah. Did the hexer just leave the focal point out in the middle of nowhere?"
They all thought contemplatively.
Zelda was busy having her hair attended to by Anne, who rather than fix it in her traditional queenly style of having the bottom stretch braided, was carefully manipulating it from scalp to tail into an elegant plait with at least five separate strands interwoven together. She tied it off with a ribbon and then tugged at the various loops, spreading them just a tad.
"Thank you," Zelda said when she was done, bringing the braid over her shoulder and admiring Anne's handiwork.
"My maid taught me," said Anne, "It's not too difficult as long as you have good coordination."
Zelda smiled and lifted her head to look up at Link who was standing just to the right of the sofa.
"What do you think?"
Link's attention had been on the discussion surrounding the map, on important things that Zelda was keeping in mind but would much rather ignore, but like the loyal vassal that he was, glanced down at Zelda's beckoning. He observed the new arrangement and slid his unreadable gaze to Anne then back to Zelda.
She didn't know how to classify it. The way he acted when her friend was near. It was almost as if he were mistrustful somehow. Ridiculous as the notion was.
"It looks good," he said simply, shrugging.
His focus was directed back to the main conversation at hand. Zelda reclined back on the sofa feeling immeasurably tired. Such an eventful day she'd had. Other than the parts with Link she wanted nothing more than to forget it all.
"What's this part?" Shad indicated to a shaded blob in the region bordering where foothills transitioned to mountains, his hand stroking the barely visible scruff of red at his chin. "It's rather small."
Ashei and the others stared closely at the chart.
"That looks to be a lake. One of the main roads to Holodrum splits off into another that encroaches rather close to it," Hadrian informed them, before his head suddenly shot up. "Didn't that man, Coro, report that people have gone missing around a lake?"
"It's on the ghost lantern's path," said Ashei grimly.
That information settled and no one was pleased by it. The only reassuring fact was that the region was fairly secluded and very few would deign to travel there. Hunters and wanderers mostly. Even so, it did not sit well with Zelda that the ordinary civilian was being stolen from the road. More fuel to the flames of the curse.
This is your fault you know…
Zelda involuntarily twitched her ear at the unspoken voice, one of the hundreds all clamoring within her mind. She knew it was all in her head, yet it resonated as if it were whispering directly into her ear. She willed herself to remain unaffected, a practice whose employment she'd mastered.
"Do you think it might be at this lake?"
Hadrian stroked his short beard. "It's possible. There may be a cavern or dwelling around the area the hexer is keeping it locked away in."
"Or perhaps within the lake itself," added Justin.
They all died… so that you could die too.
The slight furrow of her brow was the only indication she gave of the voice's effect. She tried to concentrate on the current conversation.
"What about this?" said Link, angling his head to see better. "By Sarjon pass. What is it?"
"Ah, those are the ruins of a tower and a series of gates," said Hadrian. "Again it was when this pass was accessible from both sides for journeying to and from Holodrum."
"Not very friendly neighbors were we," muttered Ashei.
"That was at a time where Holodrum as a country was not yet fully formed," Shad explained, eager to educate. "Holodrum's birth was vastly differently than Hyrule's. While our beatific country was settled within a few years and our way of governance established under Hylia's mandate, Holodrum had been empty for many centuries before finally becoming a state of feudalism with many different territories and warring tribes all set on conquer. Hyrule wisely held no trust for any of them and so devised a means to keep them out."
"I'm surprised we didn't simply conquer them ourselves," said Anne lowly to her.
"Not all Hyrule's leaders were like grandfather," Zelda retorted.
Anne gave her a look and hummed. "It would have been the wise decision. Hyrule could have been made even grander than it is now."
In many ways Anne was like the typical Hyrulean in that she was extremely patriotic, to the extent that she felt Hyrule was far superior than all other nations. With their advanced magical theorems and technology, and their closeness to the goddesses and importance in the divine ways of the world, a dangerous yet position of prestige that was greatly envied by their neighbors, they considered everyone else… unfortunate, sometimes barbaric, and afforded them much pity.
Frankly, Zelda loved Hyrule the way it was and dreaded the massive workload that would inevitably accompany any new additions to her queendom.
She noticed Link looking her way and tilted her head. He subtly inched close enough for his thigh to brush against her forearm where it lay on the armrest. Her hand instinctively reached for his and was soon engulfed in his warm hold.
If anyone noticed the contact they gave no sign of it. It wasn't out of the ordinary for them to display affection for one another openly, especially as of late, so it was possible that none devised the additional implications of their touch. The secret feelings that it conveyed and that were magnified in their own silent way.
Fiancés. That was what they were. He was her fiancé now. There was special meaning to that term. It felt a bit like belonging and a lot like a promise. She determined that she liked it very much.
Lord Raleigh was going to have a conniption.
Do you hear us queen?
She flinched at the sudden spike in volume. Her forehead was beginning to throb. She raised her hand to rub her temples, hoping to ease it even a little.
"Zelda?"
She quickly smiled reassuringly at Link. "Just tired." And she was. They had travelled for a good portion of the night and then she'd awoken in this abandoned place and been on high alert ever since.
Goddesses, she wished the buzzing in her ears would cease. It was beginning to cloud what everyone else was saying. The discussion persisted without her full understanding, only stilted verses reaching her.
"…that would not work…"
"…what if we…"
"…If anything that may…It could be possible…"
Are you listening, queen?
Do you hear us?
Her head felt thick, the pressure like being underwater, heavy and dense.
We're coming for you!
Zelda shot up.
All conversation ceased, all eyes on her, drawn by the rapid movement. She noted that Ashei and Hadrian already had their daggers drawn. The attention made her anxious. She hadn't meant to alarm anyone.
"Apologies," she murmured, tongue thick and laden in her mouth. "I find I'm rather tired. You'll have to continue on without me."
How selfish of her. No doubt they were all tired as well, but too polite to show it. Once again she was framing herself as the pampered queen. But goddess damn, those voices…
Without another word she headed for the hallway, beyond which could be found three separate bedrooms. The moth eaten bedding and mattresses had been cleared out during the time Anne had been warding the house and nothing but wooden bedframes remained for them to sleep on. It suited Zelda just fine. It was more preferable to spending the night in an underground pantry, like a meal stored for later.
"Well, there's not much I can do," said Anne, hopping to her feet then giving a long stretch. "I'll come with you."
Link moved fast and blocked her path. "I think you should stay here."
Anne blinked incredulous. "Pardon? I thought it was agreed that the queen should never be alone? This is a small house, but there are walls in between each room."
"Ashei," Link prompted, tone icy and unyielding. "Wasn't there something you had to discuss with our errant noble?"
Ashei frowned as her name was dragged to the fore, but assented. "There is a small matter, yeah."
Anne tapped her chin in open annoyance. "No, I don't think I want to have any conversation with you. Not in this manner. I won't be ordered around like one of your underlings, and I won't be reprimanded like one."
The dame appeared unperturbed as she rolled up the map and tucked it into her satchel then rose to her feet. "Although you are fully deserving of a reprimand, and were you my 'underling' I'd have you court marshalled in an instant, that's not what this is about. A conversation of strategy is necessitated, I fear. I need to know everyone's abilities, their strengths and weaknesses and such so we can use them proficiently, yeah."
"Do you now," Anne raised an aloof eyebrow.
For all they were flamboyant and illustrious, the nobility were also guarded with topics they deemed most personal to them. It was their nature to keep secrets and those regarding their magic were secrets well hidden. Their elemental abilities may be public, but other talents were often witnessed only in war or if ever the need arose. Not even royalty was able to wrangle a straight response when it came to the high nobility. However, a third of Zelda's life had been spent alongside this woman, learning at the same institutions, practicing their magic together. They hid very little from one another.
If Ashei intended to figure her out, she was about to endure endless frustration. Anne especially had a way of avoiding direct answers in a dizzying roundabout way.
"Please, Anne, cooperate," Zelda entreated.
Anne leaned over to kiss Zelda's cheek. "For you, anything. Simply because you're so dear to me." She panned her unimpressed gaze to the hero, eyes slitting minutely. "I suppose you'll be accompanying her."
"We can't very well leave her alone," he said in response.
Anne smirked. "The two of you in a bedroom by yourselves. Lady Crevan would have you flayed."
He grimaced, an instinctive response when it came to that name. "What does her opinion matter?"
Zelda really wanted to lie down and was unwilling to wait for her escort a moment more. With a hard look at Anne, who caught her eyes and returned a guilelessly stare back at her, Zelda faced the remainder of the assembly and delivered a short nod.
"Thank you all for watching out for me. The wards will remain secure so you can rest easy. I shall retire for the night."
A round of 'goodnights' followed, Justin and Hadrian giving regiment defined salutes, while Ashei nodded sharply. Anne wrapped her in one last hug.
"I'm so glad we found you," she whispered in her ear and pulled back, her arms locked with Zelda's. "Stay put this time, alright?"
Zelda felt the wavering sense of uncertainty. Logically she knew the wards would prevent any teleportation from occurring within its boundary, whether by the dead or otherwise. Yet some small part of her was still fearful of waking up in another unknown dark location.
"I shall try"
Anne kept her fastened for a moment longer, then slipped her hands away.
With Link following behind, Zelda left the room and appropriated the first bedroom she came upon. It was small and sparse, but thankfully clean. Justin had seen to that. As soon as the door shut, she rounded on her silent companion, her plaited hair whipping against her back from the motion.
"You were incredibly rude back there, you know."
Link said nothing as he unwrapped her bedroll and spread it on the wooden plank that made up the bed frame.
"I hardly said anything to her," he responded flatly.
She was not reassured.
"It was in your tone and your conduct," she rebuked, waving her arm. "Was there some sort of altercation? Are you still mad that she came after us? Really, I thought better of you, Link."
He sighed a depressed sort of sound as he gathered their things to place in a corner out of the way.
"Yes I'm still mad that she's here," he groused. "How could I not be."
"I don't see why." Zelda huffed and threw off her cloak. "She helped fight off the ghosts in the throne room. And she's been more than useful with warding this house. Even when I-"
"Do you think," he cut in before she could mention her powers returning, "that perhaps you lens are a tad rose-tinted."
A beat of silence. Then.
"I'm not sure what you mean," she admitted looking away.
Link stared hard at her for a while, before taking a deep breath. "How long have you known her?"
"Anne?" Zelda asked, sitting on her bedroll. "Since I was sixteen. Maybe seventeen. What does it matter?"
"And how well do you know her?"
It didn't take a genius to deduce what he was subtly implying. And like the bearer of wisdom that she was, she jumped the cue of probing questions straight to the conclusions running through his head. The very thought of it caused another migraine to swell up. She closed her eyes and once more massaged her temples.
"No."
She felt the air in front of her shift as he came closer. "Are you sure you're not being biased?"
"She has no motive," Zelda countered. "No reason for any of this. Desra was her friend as much as mine. I am her friend. She'd die to prevent any harm coming to us. If it were possible, she'd take Desra's place in an instant."
Her eyes opened and she was shocked as they connected with twin pools of startling blue. Link had lowered to his knee before her, his nose inches away from her own.
She couldn't prevent her gaze from wandering over the angles of his face, his handsome mess of hair, and his deep noble eyes, gentle for the moment, with only liquid hints of his true feral nature hovering at the edges of his irises.
"Deceit is the aristocracy's game," he said. "Ashei and I have tracked down many nobles, those who you'd swear were the kindest men and women, only to discover their kindness extended only so far. Hylians become different people when they want something badly enough. They would even skew their sense of morality and lather it with justified excuses. What if Anne is not who she appears to be?"
"The timing is off," she argued weakly.
Yes, it couldn't be her because then why wait to attack when there'd been years of opportunity.
"Maybe she hadn't discovered the curse yet," he said gently, aware of the sensitivity of the subject. "Or the means to execute it weren't available."
"She doesn't have that sort of power."
"Do you know that for certain?" he asked. "Do you know everything about all your subjects?"
Zelda was adamant. "I know my friends. She would never do something like this. She would never propagate the murder of thousands."
His gaze became more pitying. "Zelda-"
Her finger darted to his lips to prevent further speech.
"I don't want to talk about it… Please… No more."
The spot between his brows wrinkled in disapproval. "You have to admit, her sudden appearance is highly suspicious."
His lips moving against her finger might have been enticing had the situation been any different. As it stood, she wished he'd stop.
"Please. Not right now."
Link watched her carefully then released a sigh. He gently removed her hand from his mouth and cradled it in both of his. He kissed the back of it.
"For now," he ceded, stroking her cheek. "You must be tired. Go to sleep. Don't worry, I'll keep watch."
He rose and padded over to a chair, sliding it against the opposite wall near the window and stationing himself upon it after dousing the lantern. The light was not fully stricken from the room however, as the ghost lamp continued to shine its resonating blue essence.
"Just promise me you'll be careful," he said quietly.
She heard his double entendre loud and clear. He wanted her to promise that she'd be ready for the harsh stab of betrayal. Zelda clutched a fist to her heart. How could anyone prepare for that?
"I will."
She settled herself beneath the covers of her bed roll, drawing her cloak atop before lying flat on the stiff board. She watched Link as he observed the darkness beyond the window. So far activity that evening had been limited. A few ghostly apparitions, things moving on their own, and small whispers requesting to be followed. No sign of redeads, phantoms or the ghost child to be found.
She listened to the beating of the rain against the window, willing sleep to find her swiftly.
"Link."
His head canted in her direction, eyes glowing like a cat's in the eerie ghost light.
That simple look left her breathless. "I love you."
She saw the shadowed contours of his lips forming a small smile.
"And I love you. Now sleep before you start spouting a litany of poetics about your adoration for me."
Snuggling into the covers, Zelda sent him one last peek. "Make sure everyone else gets some rest too."
He tched. "I'm not their minder."
"But apparently you are mine," she quipped.
"Yes, I am. Now sleep."
Smiling to herself, Zelda closed her eyes and dreamed of a quaint life in Ordon, tussling with the goats alongside a rugged blue-eyed husband.
It was hours later that Zelda was drawn from her slumber. A flurry of rushed footsteps strode down the hall and entered her room. She heard Link going over to speak quietly to whoever was at the door before following them out. A replacement guard stepped inside and set down a lantern then began pacing erratically back and forth along her bedside.
Zelda observed all this through barely parted eyelashes.
When the murmuring and whispers didn't abate beyond the door, she sat up, her cloak and blanket folding around her waist.
Justin was at her side in an instant.
"Your majesty! You should continue your rest. It's not yet morning."
She ignored him. "What's going on?"
Justin seemed hesitant to answer, but he'd never purposefully deny his queen. "It is only some strange noises from outside. Nothing to be concerned over."
The rain was still going at it against the roof. Whatever it was had to have been loud enough to be heard over the downpour.
"Is it the boy?"
Justin looked uneasy. Shoulders squared in soldier form and body wrought with anxious tension.
"We don't believe so."
"Phantoms then?" She slid out of bed and tugged on her boots, lacing them up with swift dexterity.
He was becoming increasingly alarmed by her actions. "There's no need for that, milady. I'm certain Dame Ashei and Sir Link have it handled."
Just then Link burst through the door. He took one look at her and grabbed her hand. Zelda had just finished tying off her last boot before she was suddenly ushered out the door. Justin quick on their heels.
"Link? What's wrong?"
He was silent for a while. "Everyone's staying in the main area. Something's up."
He didn't elaborate further as he tugged her along, leaving her to worry in suspense.
The rest of the group was crowded in the living room, all sleep tussled and bleary eyed but for Justin and Ashei who had both stayed up to keep watch. Zelda was guided to the only corner with no windows or doors adjacent to it.
Anne, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes, spoke up. "And why did you believe this was necessary? Whatever is out there the wards shall prevent it entry, I can guarantee that."
And Zelda could second it. She had witnessed her apply them herself.
It was then they heard it. Something muted by distance. Distinct from the sound of the wind and rainfall.
Zelda's ears pricked up like a cat's. She strained to hear beyond the background noise of the forest.
It came again. A sharp single cry.
They waited in silence until it rang again, closer, a hoarse voice screaming in a desperate bid for its life.
Link donned his baldric and vambraces, then hitched his dagger at his belt.
"You're not thinking of going out there," hissed Shad, his attire ruffled and his blanket strewn about his shoulders. "That would be madness. Ashei, you can't let him go."
Link didn't reply right away as he checked his supplies. "Will leaving the house weaken the wards at all?"
Anne scoffed. "Of course not. Do you take me for a neophyte? It should be fine, but for however long the door is opened will leave us vulnerable."
All set, he strode for the door.
"What, are you mental?" Ashei shot out, grabbing his arm and pulling back. "It could be a trap. It's not as if those freakish monstrosities haven't played us before."
"Or it could be another innocent victim," Link argued.
Zelda was torn. She didn't want Link going out there. She didn't want anything to happen to him. But if there was someone else, some poor defenseless soul who needed help...
Whatever it was, it was fast approaching, stumbling through the village directly toward them. It must have been attracted to the light seeping through the shutters. It turned out there was no need for Link to seek out whatever was causing the commotion, for in the next minute something crashed with a jarring thud against the door. Hard mallet like fists pounded riotously on the wood, the offender screaming all the while.
"Open up! Please, for the love of Hylia! Let me in!"
Zelda's back hit a wall as Link herded her as far from the entrance as she could go. He installed himself right in front of her, Master Sword drawn and pulsing in his grasp as Justin and Ashei, similarly equipped, cautiously approached the source of the racket.
Justin cast a swift glance over at Ashei, nodding toward the handle. "I think we should."
"I think we shouldn't," she hissed in return. "What if we inadvertently let in a mob of phantoms?"
The pounding continued, amplified to thunderous blows.
"Let us in! Oh goddesses, they're coming! Please!"
Hadrian, who was peering through the shutter of a window snapped at them. "For the love of all that is holy, let them in. It's those highwaymen from before."
That did it, and without further ado, Justin unlocked and swung open the door. Two men were hauled inside before he slammed the door shut once more. The glow of the lanterns illuminated the rugged features of two bandits, both soaked to the bone and riddled with cuts and scrapes and splotches of blood. One man was actively sobbing as he gripped a bleeding stub where once his left arm resided, while the other fell to the floor, his legs having given out.
Ashei swore a colourful string of curses.
"What the bloody hell happened out there?"
"Are these bite marks?" said Anne, horrified as she tended to the sobbing man. Healing magic surged through her fingertips in great droves. "What in Din's name did you run into?"
The man continued to weep, occasionally grunting in pain as Anne stifled the flow of blood from his arm began to purge it of infection. The other man was being looked after by Hadrian, who had withdrawn a potion from his pouch.
Ashei snatched from his hand and held it aloft, well out of reach of the less injured man. "Talk or you'll have none of this."
The man was clearly shaken but was desperate to alleviate the agony of his wounds. His shoulders shook as he cried.
"Please… m'name's Brodie…"
"I don't care about your name," Ashei growled.
Brodie whimpered shrunk in on himself, a feat considering his enormous size. "I'll tell all! I'll tell. There were these… things. They looked like dried out corpses and they chased us. They were so fast. And there was some kid. He did something to him. He made Savorre go wild. He went completely berserk! He killed Amina." He cried out in heart-wrenching despair. "She's dead! And then those things caught Rhys and ate him." He choked out another sob. "Oh goddesses, they ate him." He heaved a ragged breath. "We knew where you were. We knew we had to find someone. So we ran. Please please help us."
"You tracked down our location so you could rob us later, yeah."
Brodie blubbered out a sob.
"Ashei," Link hissed with clear warning. "Now's not the time."
Ashei grunted and placed a hand on her hip. "You're right. The Court of Justice will sort them out."
Just then an avian screech rent the air. The one-armed gave a meek cry, while Brodie visibly started to tremble.
"It's him," he rasped wrought with terror. "Oh goddesses, were all dead! Savorre is coming! They're coming for us!"
He made to stand up, but Ashei's gauntleted hand on his shoulder shoved him back down. "Calm down, yeah. Who's Savorre?"
"An accomplice," Brodie said sniveling. "He's the one they went after first. They caught him and now he wants to kill us!"
The other man moaned and Anne had to steady him to keep him from falling over.
Zelda's head shot up in sudden dread.
"Caught him? Tell me, was this Savorre killed as well?" she demanded, stepping around Link, who allowed the movement, but was still en guarde and watching the two strangers distrustfully. "You say he went berserk, how did it happen?"
"I – I don't know," Brodie bleated, allowing Hadrian to splash some potion over his wounds. His eyes were wide and hysterical, flitting to every corner of the room, unable to focus on one thing. He hadn't ceased his trembling. "That kid jumped at him and then he started to scream. He was flying after us as we ran."
"Flying?" inquired Justin. "How in Hyrule could he be flying?"
"So it might be a possession," Zelda said in aghast.
Anne made the same realization. "Oh shit."
"What is it?" asked Shad, glancing between the two women. "What's going on?"
"The wards had been constructed to defend against the undead," Anne elucidated, her previously controlled countenance beginning to waver. "They are entirely useless against the living."
"So if this Savorre has merely been taken over and his body remains alive…" Zelda went on.
Something slammed into the wall and another screech was torn from a gurgling wet throat. A crash and then shards of shattered glass went flying through the air. A savage grey talon had been thrust through the window closest to the door, wickedly curved nails clamping around the throat of the one armed man, puncturing deep within the skin. The talon clenched, sinking into his trachea and, before he was able to emit any sound of terror, it yanked back, tearing the man's throat along with it, shattering the vertebrae at his neck, his head falling at the lack of support.
Blood spurted out like a fountain of red. Anne stumbled back, yelping as she was directly sprayed. Ribbons of red marring golden hair and face, pale as a sheet.
A profile shadowed the hole where the window had once been and a yellow eye glowing with madness leered through.
Zelda and Anne both felt the effect of the wards waning. The field of defensive magic punctured and at risk of failure.
"Oh fuck! Oh goddesses! We're trapped. He's going to kill us."
Brodie had, in an act of recklessness induced by fear, tore from Hadrian's grip and shot to his feet, sprinting for the door.
Link bolted after him and tackled him to the ground. Brodie screamed and flailed as Link pinned him down, holding the Master Sword aloft.
"Can you fix this?" he shouted, as Hadrian and Justin both leapt to assist.
"We'll need something to cover it up," said Zelda, forcing aside the shock of what she had just witnessed to process later. "A board. Something sturdy."
At once Ashei was shoving a small table in place over the broken shards. Shad retrieved the hammer and nails that had been used earlier to cover up the first broken window.
But suddenly the world exploded. The ground quaked and chunks of debris were blasted around them. Zelda stumbled and was then grabbed by a firm arm. Link drew her against him, his body curving around her, shielding her from the volley of masonry.
Through the dust clouds she could see that the entire far side of the house had collapsed. Erupted inward by something detonated from the outside. But that wasn't all. The wards were shattered, their security ruptured in an instant. The undead could get in.
"Damn!" hissed Anne, wiping off bits of debris sticking to the blood on her front. "We've been breached."
"What?" called Shad, who had stabilized himself against a wall.
"It means the wards are down," she shot back in irritation. "We're exposed."
"He found her bombs," Brodie groaned, covering his face. "They're coming. I told you they were coming!"
None of them paid him a wit of attention for out of the gloom by the broken stretch of wall, distorted shapes had begun to emerge. Thin emaciated hunched forms with peeling flesh and hollow eye sockets trudged their way through the rubble. Half a dozen redeads with elongated limbs lumbered toward them.
Zelda felt her stomach turn. She pressed her lips together and resolutely brandished her dagger alongside the others. She felt awful for those poor souls forced into servitude, but would show no mercy in a fight against them. Link was quick to position himself between her and the incoming redeads.
A howl rang out. The redead closest to them had suddenly twisted its body backward then flung itself down on all fours. It then hurled itself forward, in a single bound it tore into the knight's line of defense.
Brodie screamed and pulled against Hadrian's hold on him, begging to be released. Hadrian yanked him back as Justin flung out his sword arm, maiming the creature as soon as it came within reach. The redead shrieked a hateful death cadence and flailed its limbs out. Another precise stroke of the dagger and this time his blade caught the creature's neck, and its head tumbled off, rolling across the floor. The redead's body abruptly slumped, crashing to its knees before rapidly drying out, transitioning to an inky black husk as it disintegrated into drifting clouds on a rising updraft.
"Please let me go. Please let me go." Brodie shook hard, his eyes fixated on the living corpses still left.
"I've never known redeads to be so quick," hissed Ashei.
Link appeared extremely concerned. "Neither have I. But it appears their cry has no effect."
More and more redeads were stumbling through the opening, climbing in through shattered windows and crawling from the roof. Others banged on the walls, aimlessly searching for a point of entry.
"Are we supposed to fight them all?" uttered Hadrian scanning over the multitude of corpses. He jerked back on Brodie's arm as he gave another pull for freedom.
"Everyone back out of the house," hissed Link. "Slowly."
Ashei cautiously went for the door and held it open as the rest of them filed out into the pouring rain. From the outside they could see bunches of black masses wandering about, scaling the walls and shuffling along the roof. The house was swarming. Macabre redeads moving jerkily as they sought out their prey. They didn't react to their departure, perhaps the rain had dampened their senses, but it was only a matter of time.
"What do we do?" asked Shad, holding his dagger out with both hands and keeping close to Ashei. "What if the ghosts come? We can't fight them off until morning."
"Get to the trees," hissed Link, motioning them all to back away, keeping a trained eye on the mass of redeads. "We'll head back to the outpost and put up new wards."
"We'll need to take care of Savorre first," said Ashei, wiping rainwater from her fringe. "Otherwise the same thing will happen again."
"This is futile," muttered Hadrian. "It will take hours to reach the outpost. We won't make it."
"It's the only option we have," snapped Link. "Unless you'd like to do battle in the rain all night."
At that moment another screech rent the air and, what Zelda now knew to be a Rito, circled overhead. Brodie moaned in abject terror. With a fortitude stimulated by desperation he threw himself to the ground, effectively wrenching out of Hadrian's grasp. He rolled out of the way when Hadrian lunged for him and quickly scrambled to his feet.
"Run! Damn you all. Run!" He pelted toward the woods without a backward glance. "Devil take the hindmost!"
Zelda felt chills rush down her spine at the sound of many loud cracks like bones breaking. Three dozen decrepit heads had turned in their direction, eyeless sockets staring straight at them.
Ashei snarled out a in fury. "That bloody bastard!"
The redeads started to amble toward them, many falling to all fours, leaning back in an antic, ready to charge. There were far too many.
"Everybody run!" shouted Link, grabbing onto Zelda and pulling her behind him as he sprinted for the trees.
Then the world became a blur of motion. Boots pointed turf and soil as shadowed trees rushed past them. Her arm was being pulled from its socket by Link's relentless pace, it was all she could do to keep up with him. Her legs worked at laborious levels, breaths coming out in rapid gasps. She could hear the others not far behind, and further beyond them came the heavy thuds of other things coming at them fast.
She felt fear so potent that it was hardly describable. Redeads that were swift. Redeads that could chase! Redeads that would devour you if caught!
Never in her darkest nightmares could she have envisioned such a thing. How atrocious her life had become when reality exceeded her dreams. Zelda had to fight not to freeze in terror.
It was as if the forest had come alive with the dead. Their cryptic howls filled the night, hollow and shrill. Zelda focused on Link's presence in front of her, of her hand fast growing numb from his constrictive grip, and on the blue glow reflected on the blade of the Master Sword from the illumination of the ghost lamp.
One of their group yowled and she heard the sound of someone falling. Zelda looked back and saw that Shad had tripped and was in the process of righting himself.
"Link!" They couldn't leave him behind.
"Just keep running," he yelled without turning around.
She nearly shouted at him to stop. They had to help him! Until she heard Ashei holler.
"Fucking get up!"
Shad was hoisted unceremoniously to his feet, panting all the while, then dragged by each arm by both Ashei and Justin who did not let up even when he stumbled.
"Keep up with us, Shad! Damn it! Pick up your feet you lazy lout!"
Flashes of darkness whipped through the bushes on either side of them. Brodie, weakened from his injuries had fast ran out of stamina and was within sight. Without warning a redead leapt from the underbrush and collided with Brodie. He gave a wailing scream as the redead trapped him in a suffocating hold, arms and legs wound around him. Its jaw opened and it latched to the junction of Brodie's neck, biting down hard. Brodie writhed and screamed and then was silenced as the redead lurched back, his throat clamped between its teeth, esophagus and trachea both on vivid display as they leaked wells of blood.
Zelda felt her heart stop, stomach roiling at the sight. Oh goddesses.
Link pulled them to a halt and shoved her behind him just as another redead hurtled from the trees only to skewer itself on his sword. Like the first, the redead disintegrated in a cloud of oily black smoke, but more were arriving, circling in front, boxing them in. An entire pack of them, like wolfos prowling from the crook of the underworld.
"Stay close to me, Zelda." Link released her and pulled out his shield. He gave his sword a twirl and fell in a battle stance.
They were sheltered by the trees and a large outcropping on one side. With their backs to the rocky wall, they could face the undead without the worry of being assaulted from the rear.
Zelda blinked to see the creatures through the persistent rain. They darted like smears of shadows through the bracken, dodging between the trees, closing in on them fast.
"Fire, Lady Anne," Shad heaved, his limbs quaking from exertion. "A redead's weakness is fire."
"Splendid," she retorted with an air of sarcasm. "Just peachy. And how am I to spark a fire in all of this?" She indicated to the rain, still falling in droves and saturating everything it touched.
An aberrant scream struck the night. It was a sound Zelda wished to never hear again.
"Their screams are paralyzing when in range," shouted Link. "Make sure to only get close for the killing stroke. Otherwise keep away."
Zelda steadied her breath, allowing the cool resolve of imminent combat to clear her focus. They were nearly upon them.
"Right, ladies and gents," Link shouted in a surge of bravado, pulling back his sword arm. "Give them what for!"
With a harsh battle cry, he swung his blade out as the first wave of creatures charged in for an assault. Then she was too caught up in her own fight to afford notice to anything else. She slashed out and with two strokes ended the dead manifestation that dove at her, only for another two to take its place. Both with jaws agape, both with tiny pinpricks of blazing red emanating from their sockets, lusting for the taste of blood and flesh.
Everything was a flurry around her, a disorderly chaos of howling redeads, extinguishing bodies and spraying rotted flesh. Zelda cleaved off a head of her own opponent before spinning and slicing into one that was headed for a paralyzed Hadrian. He recovered within moments gave her a sharp nod of appreciation before striking out at his next foe.
Zelda dodged as a pair of arms came grappling at her. She cranked back her arm, ready to swing her dagger into decayed flesh, when the redead screamed.
She froze wracked with a sudden the devastating sense of dread. It was as if the truth had unveiled itself of the creature before her and it was horrifying. The way those cavernous eyes came at her as if they were about to swallow her within their hellish depths. Twin portals into the pit of the dark realm. She felt cold, so cold. Why couldn't she move! Oh goddesses, she was about to be devoured.
And then she was freed and she was staggering back, still terrified but not to an extent that was incapacitating.
Link stood over the sundered corpse, sword arm crossed over his torso in a finished slice, eyes steely with contempt.
"Don't you fucking touch my future wife."
There was silent outrage exuding from his tone and for an instant Zelda thought she saw a flash of the wolf within his piercing eyes. His dangerous countenance almost as disabling as the redead's scream had been.
"Are you alright?"
It was slightly embarrassing to have been caught off guard like that and needing saving. Her nerves were still jolting from the experience.
"Yes." She belatedly registered his words and despite their surroundings her heart fluttered.
"Be careful," he said then rejoined the fray, ascertaining that he remained close by should she need him again.
He wouldn't want anything bad happening to his 'future wife', now would he.
They may have been outnumbered, but they were definitely not outclassed. They tore through the ranks of the redeads. Her knights easily striking them down with daggers forged for the sole purpose of sending the dead back to where they belonged. Whenever one of theirs had been paralyzed by a scream, another jumped in to defend them until they were recovered. Anne, while incapable of fully executing her flames, seared through their numbers with her devastating lightning bolts. The effect was like a rigor mortis seizure, their bodies thrashing as uncontrolled charges were sent pulsing through their partially eroded nerves, amplified by the soaking downpour, sending them into convulsive fits. The electric pulses stunned them long enough for one of the knights to finish them off. The ones the knights didn't get to splayed on the floor nerves fried and useless, incapable of no more than a few twitches every few seconds.
Zelda had just finished a thrust and had little time to transition to a pull back when another redead was upon her. Instead she snared it by its emaciated arm and flipped it over her shoulder straight into Justin's dagger, which he'd raised just in time to intercept it.
"I say, good show, your majesty," called out Hadrian, who, fighting alongside his fellow knight, bore witness to the entire maneuver.
Zelda offered a nod of acknowledgement then moved on to the next, jumping out of range when her redead thrust its chest out and screamed. It seemed their line of foes were never ending.
A gust of wind tore above them, shooting a shower of rain over their heads. Zelda's cloak was whipped around her, caught in the wake. Her ears perked straight up as the Rito shrieked and dove once more, talons extended. They all ducked down, then ducked again as he came in for another dive. Seizing the opportunity, Link jammed his shield upward into Savorre as he swooped overhead. Savorre shrilled another screech when his claws scraped against cold metal, one talon twisted in a crooked mess by the force of the blow.
Foaming at the mouth, insanity raging in his amber eyes, void of proper consciousness, he plunged again.
Something solid rammed into her side and Zelda was abruptly knocked off her feet. She landed hard on her hip, her shoulder impacting next, bruises instantly blossoming over both areas. She groaned and shook her head, finding nothing that could explain the collision.
"Zelda? What happened?"
Standing over her, Link deflected another dive from Savorre, the Rito whisking a hairs breath from his shield before shooting upward.
Zelda blinked a few times to focus her vision and held her head. "I'm not sure."
She couldn't afford to remain inactive. Whatever injuries she amassed could be dealt with later, she averred as she pushed herself to her feet.
Link's mouth pulled in a grim line, just as bothered as her by her unexplained fall.
"Damn it. How many of these things are there?" called Shad, keeping for the most part out of the way but it was clear his dagger had seen use. "And somebody needs to take down that bloody bird!"
"Steady on," said Justin, fending off three redeads at once. "The battle's not won yet!"
Her head had cleared enough for her to resume fighting but it was then she realized she had dropped her dagger. Frantically she scanned the forest floor in search of it. Her magic had not yet replenished itself enough to fight with. She needed her dagger. It was her only weapon.
She nearly tripped as she searched. Her ankle caught in the snare of a root.
"Zelda?" Link asked, cleaving yet another head from its body then lifting his boot and landing a kick in the sternum to send the rest of it crashing into another redead.
"I'm fine," she assured him, glancing down to see what she could do about freeing herself.
A single glance was enough to send ice shooting down her spine. Her foot wasn't trapped as she'd thought. Something had wrapped around it. A smooth semi-transparent black hand with violet veins spider webbing all over its knobbly carpals, the dorsal side, down the tentacle like arm that snaked across the ground and vanished into the woodland.
A scream tore from her throat as her feet were all of a sudden yanked out from beneath her. Her entire body reverberated with the impact of hitting solid ground. Bruises already sustained enlarged at the abuse. And then she was speeding across the coarse ground away from the battle, away from Link.
Link's eyes went wide with shock and without bothering to slay his current opponent, took off after her.
"Zelda!"
She clawed at the soggy grass trying to stop, to reach for him. She caught glimpses of him, surging through the trees, the ghost lamp a beacon she held on to.
Suddenly a redead flung itself in front of Link and slammed into him. Both were sent careening into a tree as the redead's limbs wrapped around him in a deathly embrace, suffocating him. Link thrashed furiously, but had little luck with his arms pinned awkwardly to his sides.
"Link!"
She was gone. Lost to sight, her cries fading with distance.
"NO!"
He bucked and thrashed in a crazed vigor. He managed to extract one arm and punched the redead full in the face, fracturing its skull and dislocating its jaw. His efforts grew more fierce, more savage. Goddessdamnit! He had to get free!
"ZELDA!"
Her screams were like a far off echo. Hardly discernible.
He then grabbed the redead's face and with a harsh flick, twisted, snapping the neck. The beast did not perish, but was momentarily stunned. Just as Link shoved the redead off him a different one took advantage and leaped at him. His hand barely reached out in time to hold it off as it opened its mouth wide, lunging for a bite. He was fast running out of time. The longer these soulless freaks delayed him the further Zelda was taken.
Someone whipped past him, racing into the darkness. Link noticed only the red of Shad's hair, before he was lost to the woods.
Zelda lurched and struggled as she was dragged through the forest, the ghostly hand pulling her deeper. Her fingers tore into rocks and dirt and wet grass, reaching for whatever she could grab, anything to slow her down. After much struggling she managed to twist around so that she was on her back.
She kicked out at the hand with her free leg, but at this velocity she had little control over her movements and only managed to thrash around, missing it entirely.
Tears slipped out unbidden from behind her eyes, mingling with the rain to obscure her sight. She didn't want to die. She couldn't die now. Not like this.
She grappled for any vestige of her power and directed it to her fingertips, the pooling gold like liquid in her veins. Akin to muscles that had seen little use, her magic channels strained and moaned in response as they were forced to respond. Taking careful aim, she sent a propulsion of light shooting from her fingers. It slicing straight through the ghostly appendage and it whisked out of existence. Zelda came to an abrupt slippery stop.
She groaned and shuddered in relief, her heart pounding with fear and adrenaline. She used her palms to wipe away the wetness at her eyes and started to get up. Just then she slammed back down and with a shocked yelp was again being dragged.
"No no no!" she shouted, glaring down at the reformed hand, its grasp as tight as ever, cutting off circulation with its strangling hold. She worked to redirect her magic once more. "You shall not have me!"
She was promised to Link. She was his future wife. She could not die before they made it official and she became fully his. She could not leave him!
A jolt as the ground dipped caused her concentration to break and release the magic she had gathered. Then she experienced the sense of weightlessness as they came to a sharp halt and she was suddenly pitched upward. There was the uncomfortable pressure of blood rushing to her head as she was hung upside down a meter above the ground. Her hair and cloak flipped over, the world inverted. Her restrained leg lost all feeling.
Swirls of a rampant gale tugged at her cloak and braid, spiraling in a vortex around her as something large obstructed the shine of the moon.
The Rito plunged downward and pulled up in front of her, foam frothing at his open beak, clothes and feathers tattered, bald patches littering his body in massive diagonal streaks, oozing blood and puss. His eyes were rabid and flickering every which way. Savorre gave a gasping breath, his breast heaving with the force.
And straddling his back, perched with his legs swinging youthfully over the Rito's wings, was the little boy, grinning with gleeful abandon.
Zelda kicked her leg out, working in vain to be released. He was there, staring at her with his wide pitch black irises, hungry and exuberant.
The child giggled a eerie laugh and leaned forward on his Rito mount, heinous eyes glinting with triumph.
Caught you!
The Rito hovered with his parasitic passenger before her. Rivulets of blood rolling along his uselessly dangling crumpled talon, pooling onto the ground. He beat his wings with strained effort, wobbling in the air.
Ice cold claws of fear constricted her heart. It would take less than a second for those hook like talons to rip her throat out the way it had done to the bandit in the house. The blue blood coveted by the ghost child would be theirs at last. Oh Goddesses, this was it.
Something whirled past her, spinning in fatal revolution. In the blink of an eye the ghost boy was flung back, a dagger lodged deep in his head. Savorre released a gurgling screech and pushed up into the sky, soaring away. The ghost child was left suspended in midair, floating with his head thrown back, dagger prominent and sticking up from his brow, features devoid of expression. Gradually his form started to fade until he had flickered entirely out of existence, the Sheikah dagger dropping to the ground.
The hand at her ankle dissolved in sync with the boy and Zelda curled forward so that her shoulder took the brunt of her fall. And then Shad was there and he was helping her stand, trembling from the innermost recesses of his being as if he couldn't quite grasp the complexity of what he had accomplished.
"I- I really should have aimed," he gasped, winded from his admirable dash to reach her.
Zelda flexed her numbed leg a few times, then gingerly placed her weight on it, anxious at the return of the first pinpricks of feeling.
It didn't escape her just how close she had come to dying. She'd been utterly helpless and had almost...
She took a shaky breath, shoulders quivering as she fought away the tears brimming behind her eyes. This was neither the time nor place.
"Thank you, Shad," she said, throat clogged with emotion. "You came after me. You ran all this way."
He continued drawing deep breaths, his diaphragm working overtime. "I - I had to. I couldn't let - let them take you. You're the queen."
"Regardless," she whispered. "Thank you."
He straightened when he eventually caught his breath, then took to scanning the surrounding woodland. "Impaz said that the daggers won't kill that thing. He'll be back soon. We need to return to the others." He wiped a splotch of red from his chin. A scrape garnered from the fight with the redeads.
"Great goddesses, I hate that creepy child." He gave a small shudder then turned to her. "Are you alright?"
"As well as I can be," she summed, stooping to gather up the Sheikah dagger he had thrown.
Which equated to not at all. She was as far from alright, had been for months, but refused to burden Shad with her anxieties. Not when he had just saved her life. Priorities. They still had to find their way back to the others. Link must be going ballistic by now.
A rustling in the bushes caused both of them to tense up.
From the shadow of the trees, a wispy form took substance. Manifesting as if from nothing. It swayed closer, winding through the brush, levitating a foot in the air.
Ghosts or redeads. She couldn't tell what was worse.
"We have to go," she affirmed, cold and wet and lamenting that snug little inglenook in the now demolished bungalow. "We might have to make a run for it. Will you be alright?"
Shad groaned at the prospect of more running, but agreed nonetheless.
The pale form was drawing near. Zelda motioned for Shad to keep close as she padded deliberately to the side, all the while ascertaining the direction she'd been brought from, aiming to circle around the ghostly figure.
Shad shuddered out a sudden gasp and it was then Zelda realized he hadn't been following her. She spun her head toward him.
"Up there!" he hissed.
She looked up and wished she hadn't.
Faces stared from the branches of the trees. Bone white and semi-transparent, etched in horrific tortured expressions, attached to long wavering bodies. Floating just beneath the canopy like dead men from the gallows.
Her fist tightened over the handle of the blade. "Get behind me, Shad."
"Z - Zel – Zelda…"
The terror in his voice alarmed her and Zelda carefully angled her head to glance at him, all the while keeping the multitude of ghosts within the scope of her periphery.
"What is it-" She cut off.
Shad was rigid, holding out his hand, staring wide-eyed in horror at the appendage and the vivid black and violet particles that were coiling around it. His pleading gaze met hers.
"ZeldaAAAAAAAAA!"
As soon as he was tugged back and dragged Zelda was bolting after him, sprinting for all she was worth, legs pumping madly in her desperate need to keep up.
A shrill cackle followed them as Shad's form slid across the ground. Zelda leaped over stumps and clusters of boulders racing to keep him in sight. Her cloak caught on a branch and she released the catch, abandoning it to nature.
A dark span encroached ahead of them where the trees dwindled and only open space remained. They were headed for a drop. If Shad reached it his life was all but forfeit.
Zelda surged onward. She could not let that happen.
A ghost suddenly darted from the canopy into her path. Unable to stop, Zelda dove straight through and was immediately beset with shocks of pain. Tiny needles stabbed everywhere the phantom had touched, shooting bolts of agony through her.
Shad was only a few feet away from the drop. The ghost hand suddenly vanished and the cackling grew more shrill as Shad yelped and plummeted over the edge.
"Great Hylia, no."
She pushed back the aching pain and stumbled onward. She could hear Shad crying out, his voice dimming the further he fell. And then silence.
Rushing to the edge, Zelda looked over to find not a sheer cliff face as she had imagined, but a sloped ravine. The wet loam and bundles of leaves would have softened his descent. He could still be alive.
"Shad!" she called out. "Shad, can you hear me?!"
The floor was too far down and shrouded in mist and darkness to make out clearly. Oh goddesses, what should she do? She couldn't leave him. Not on her life. She'd have to go after him. But if she went down there was no coming back up. The incline was too steep, and the slippery soil would offer no purchase.
Resigning herself for the inevitable, Zelda swung her legs over and cautiously allowed herself to slide slowly down, finding handholds on clusters of roots and trees that protruded from the ravine wall.
"Hold on, Shad." She had only the barest inkling of his direction. For all she knew he could be stuck halfway on some brambles.
She gave a cry as her foot lost traction and she lost control of her descent, skidding a good three meters before she snagged low hanging branch and came to a stop. She had to spend a few seconds planted flat against the face of the slope to calm her nerves.
Savorre's shrill screech reverberated from high above. His silhouette appeared soaring in the sky, skimming over the treetops. Zelda held her breath and remained very still. She dared not move until he was out of sight, then she continued onward.
"Come on, Shad," she called out in a stifled whisper. "Where are you? Please please answer."
Please be okay. She did not know what she'd do if he were dead. Goddesses, he couldn't be dead. The world was not that cruel.
Just then he emitted a low groan. Zelda's felt her heart clench as her ears pricked forward as she pinpointed his location, ten meters ahead, to the left of her. Easing herself on, she soon made it to the base of the ravine and almost stumbled into a flowing creek.
She patted herself down as she navigated her way toward him, Shad now continuously groaning in a mingling of confusion and pain.
"Shad!" She dropped to her knees when she found him. His tunic had been snagged on a broken tree limb and he was submerged up to his waist in the creak. She immediately freed him and hauled him out, setting his limp form against the trunk of a thin elm.
Cold permeated them both, soaked and shivering. She knew for a fact that they both had spare clothes stored in their magically extended pouches. Once they got out of here, once they found some sort of shelter they could get changed. It wouldn't help if either of them got sick.
"Pr – princess Zelda?" he voiced blearily, blinking with languid stupor behind his broken spectacles. It was a miracle they hadn't been lost in the chase.
Zelda smiled full of relief. Great Farore, he was alright.
"It's queen now."
"Ah," he mumbled, his words slurred. "I might have known."
Zelda flinched and hunkered down as another screech tore through the forest. Keeping a wary eye out for the Rito, Zelda slung one of Shad's arms around her shoulders.
"It's not safe here. We need to find somewhere we can conceal ourselves until morning."
Returning to her knights was no longer an option. Who knew how far they had been dragged. And even if they were to climb the ravine, she'd be hard pressed to figure out which direction they'd come from. Shad had been pulled in a completely different trajectory than her.
At least this time she wasn't alone.
"Oh blast it all!" Shad shouted crumpling as soon as Zelda helped lift him up.
She cringed at his volume and hissed out, "Silence, Shad. Now, what is it?"
"I think my ankle has been twisted," he whispered, voice laced with agony. "Or broken. I can't feel much of anything in the region, really."
Another resounding screech and Zelda knew they were running out of time.
"We mustn't linger. They'll know the approximate location you fell. Are you able to stand on your other leg?"
"I shouldn't have come," he moaned, hopping alongside her. "I knew I'd only be a handicap. I'm not built for these sort of perilous undertakings. I should have remained at the castle."
"Don't be daft," she rebuked him. "Your insight is invaluable."
"You're just saying that."
Zelda would have dropped him right then if she were any worse of a person. Instead she propped him against her and helped him hobble along, following the creek eastward. There was really nowhere else for them to go.
"Now's not the time for that. Focus, please. I can't manage without you."
Shuffling came from the top of the embankment. The sound of leaves swaying without the aid of the wind.
She swallowed thickly. Her mouth suddenly dry.
"Your majesty," he spoke up in a hushed tone. "If the need arises, you must leave me behind."
Zelda's response was instant and decisive. "Out of the question."
"You must! I'm a mere scholar. Your life is worth much more-"
"Impossible," she hissed back at him, furious that he had even suggested such a breach of morality. "How would I ever reconcile with my conscious were I to do such a thing? How do you think I'd be able to live with myself if I were to leave a friend behind when I had the means to help him? Do not ever mention it again. Do not dare to imply that I am as heartless as that. I forbid it!"
He very reluctantly acquiesced but made his displeasure about her order known. "Link is going to have my head for this. And Lord Raleigh will probably demand the rest of me," he bemoaned in despair.
"Well then, let's see about making certain they'll have that opportunity."
"Either way my imminent death is inevitable," he said with a sour note.
So melodramatic. She wondered how Ashei put up with him. But then again, she'd often wondered how Shad could put up with her vigorous personality. She supposed they managed somehow.
Their pace was slow going. Every step was a battle of perseverance. More than once they had to crouch low as they spotted ghostly apparitions gliding along the ravine walls or Savorre sweeping by in furtive passes.
The creek slithered along the length of the ravine, becoming wider as they neared the mouth. Soon there was no ground left for them to walk upon and they were forced to wade. Zelda shivered at the frigid touch of the water, soaking up her breeches and into her boots. Shad grimaced but surprisingly uttered not a word of complaint. The cold proved soothing against his injured leg and any other scrapes and bruises amalgamated by his fall.
It wasn't long before they were up to their waists in water. Then to their shoulders.
By the time they neared the end of the ravine where it opened up to a wide expanse of flatness, the rain had subsided to a calm drizzle and the sky was beginning to clear. An errant breeze caused the clouds to shift, the moon was uncovered, and suddenly what lay before them was cast in stark illumination.
Shad's jaw dropped. "Dear Hylia!"
The pounding of her heart was nearing deafening levels as Zelda gazed on in rapt astonishment. She craned her head, the cogs in her mind at work to fully process what she beheld.
"Oh my…"
A castle rose high above them, situated on an enormous precipice and reflected upon a black lake. Black spires like lances studded the sky, and a stone bridge led off to the forest. Even from where she stood Zelda could feel the oily fingers of shadow magic of the vilest sort suffused in the edifice. Saturated to a nearly suffocating degree.
This, Zelda thought with a renewed sense of certainty, mind clear of any doubt. This was where the focal point was hidden.
Hope you all enjoyed! Stay safe everyone!