Chapter 18:
On the Edges of Darkness

Eli

He felt Layla's presence before he heard her voice. "Eli! Your mom's back, but there's something wrong!"

He opened his eyes to see Norn's twin sister pout at him in concern. He glanced at Sheik next to him who had his eyes open as well. They had been sitting in meditation just a moment ago. Eli inhaled through his nose and exhaled out his mouth, tuning into his ears at the same time. The birds twittered to each other in the early afternoon. People in the village exchanged gossip. Jaelic was teaching a group of fighters, their metal clashing in the air. However, that was the only hint of violence there.

Eli returned to his eyes, seeing the worried girl still pouting in front of him. "What happened?"

"The gerudo attacked after your mom appeared with some new people!"

"Is that all?"

"She's your mom! Aren't you worried?" she asked.

"No. Whatever attack it was, it was over quickly."

"Attack?" Sheik inquired. The other boy had adjusted well to Eli's habit of suddenly talking to a ghost that appeared to him.

"Probably an ambush after my mother teleported back from Sakirven."

Sheik leaned in closer, red eyes peering at him over the wrapping that covered most of the boy's face. "Does that mean she's returned with the Agni family?"

"I wonder…" Eli stood up, stretching his legs after so much sitting. It wasn't dark enough from the dim morning for him to get an answer from the shadows. They weren't connected enough, making his range more limited as it was during the day. So he had to do things the normal way and take a look for himself.

Sheik followed his lead, and they were soon racing each other to the front gate of the village. Jumping several steps, vaulting over wooden crates, boxes, timber, and such as they went. A habit they picked up when doing warm ups and now it sort of just trickled into the background. Some adults yelled at them to stop running, but they didn't stop to hear the exact words. Soon they were both skidding to a stop before the village gate, as it marked the edge of the barrier.

They found his mother there, already within the barrier. Outside, though, some gerudo bodies lay still and motionless. Gathered around her were some Hylians, refugees who wanted to come with her. However, there was no Ventus, Rini, or Ceres Agni among them. They had what was becoming a familiar look about refugees, dull and vacant eyes that sometimes just stared or twitched about for danger. This group was fairly young with the oldest at twenty and the youngest at nine. Some had sagged to their knees, hugging themselves or shivering in silent tears.

"Momma!"

Eli turned to see Leita jogging toward them. Word must have reached her as well. Her jog slowed a little as her green eyes scanned the new faces, looking for the ones that were familiar.

"What happened?" she asked once in speaking distance.

"An ambush, but it's over."

Leita hardly slowed her pace as she gently touched one of the crying children on the shoulder, muttering soft words to them. She helped them come to a little, enough for them to get up and follow her deeper into the village for more care. She had become part of the healers' helpers, assisting with injured refugees and fighters as they came into the village.

He had worried this war would change her, his sweet, sensitive sister. It was one of the many things he wanted to protect. He would settle for just being alive if he had to, but he wanted more than that for her. She really took after Dad though as he watched her help a limping child. Dad had fought in the last war, but he never lost his gentle manner.

Eli and Sheik stepped closer, approaching his mother as the young refugees began to disperse. The oldest one also approached her, carrying a large sack of some kind on his shoulder. Only one arm remained as his other had been amputated. Scars crossed his face which would make him look more terrifying if he bothered to look up. Next to him was a much smaller girl, though not that much younger than him.

"Miss, where should I …" he mumbled, glancing up for a moment only to look Eli in the eyes before violently shuddering and quickly looking down again, eyes beginning to well up in tears.

This was why, unlike his sister, he usually wasn't around when refugees arrived, but this was different. If the Agni children were not among them this time, what did that mean? He also recognized a body slung over a shoulder, even if it was wrapped in cloth. The smell was undeniable as well. It wasn't the first corpse brought to the village to be buried, and it wouldn't be the last especially during these times.

"The graveyard, please," Mother replied quickly.

The man nodded, and the girl gently pushed him along. Sheik motioned for them to follow his lead. The girl glanced at Eli out of the corner of her eye as she passed, though didn't make eye contact with him.

"I'm sorry," she muttered as the two left.

Eli arched a brow at his mother and the girl who mumbled a random apology. No Agnis. One corpse.

Mother sighed. Not a good sign either. "Ventus and Rini were not there. They left months ago when there was a civil dispute that was going to become violent."

"And Ceres?" He noted the absence of her in this report.

Mother met his gaze and nodded in solemn concession. "She is the one we need to bury. Killian was buried there before the winter."

Eli nodded back. It was a pity. He had looked forward to asking her some questions. He couldn't tell if she had passed on yet or if her spirit still lingered on their plane of existence. Perhaps his dreams would enlighten him.

"So, we wait for nightfall?" he suggested.

Mom nodded.

His range in the shadows was limited during the day, but at night, it grew to what felt almost limitless. Then he would know where the Agni siblings went, if they were still alive. If they were in the shadows. His dreams had not indicated they were dead, but he also hadn't been certain about Ceres until now. Impa said that was just because he didn't remember all his dreams yet. Perhaps he had known subconsciously, which wasn't much help.

"And this time, you will come with me," said Mother, to his surprise.

"Hm, Dad won't like that much," he noted.

"He'll live, Rini and Ventus might not."

They were both right. Dad didn't like it at all, but he also wanted to find Rini and Ventus before something happened to them. So he was going to Sickle's Hollow with his mother. If only that were the singular obstacle. Eli and Amaya stood at the very edge of the barrier, almost translucent and see-through, like a ghost of a shell encasing the village.

There was no way to know until they stepped past the magic barrier, if enemies lurked in the dark rocky path past the trees. The light of the torches of Kakariko's gate could only penetrate it so far. The barrier made it impossible for any "extra" senses to collect information past it. One had to be outside the barrier to do that. It also protected them from others trying to scry inside, hopefully, but who knew what Ganondorf could and could not do anymore?

Mother passed through the barrier first. She stood for a moment after stepping outside it, then she began to pace forward. Eli saw flashes of light as a volley of arrows bounced and deflected off the barrier. They had passed harmlessly through the false image of his mother which soon faded away like a mirage.

He sighed through his nose. Eli supposed he should be glad it wasn't something nasty like iron knuckles. Just gerudo assassins hiding in the dark. Not a good place to try to hide from him… if only his mother would permit him to assist. This was going to take some time and was yet another delay.

He turned his back and said to his mother, "Come get me when you're done here."

He went to bed and even woke up without seeing or hearing from his mother. He continued through his morning routines and practices. Mother was likely already finished clearing the gerudo that had lingered around the barrier and just resting herself. Sometimes natural mana restoration was better than trying to chug mana potions and power through. A rested mind was also important for good focus and mana channeling. It was going to be a long journey to Sickle's Hollow.

He heard around noon that there were still enemies lurking outside their village's barrier and that Mother was now trying to clean that up. Another evening passed before she came for him. She woke him so early he could have argued it was still night.

As they walked the path toward the barrier's edge, Mother muttered, "Akite darui nisemono," and touched his shoulder, keeping her hand on him. They stopped at a different part of the barrier than before.

She did her same test as the morning before, only the image was of another villager. No arrows, it was quiet. Then she stepped through it partially, still keeping her hand on his shoulder. Nothing still. After all, if he was right about the spell she had cast, they were as good as invisible to most people.

They stepped outside the barrier together and paused again. Mother finally took her hand from his shoulder, letting another long silence whisper through the wind, the shadows, and the trees. The shadows confirmed they were the only people there. Then Amaya closed her dark eyes and muttered more incantations as the large sapphire atop of her black stave began to glow, like stained glass, it colored that light in blue. Soon, beads of dim, blue light orbs began to dew the air, growing in size and numbers. They converged together, merging and taking shape.

Before him his mother's mana took the form of a large bird with long legs, a big head, and a large bill. It was a bird that was more myth and legend than real. It was a loftwing, a guardian bird of divine protection. It was a symbol commonly associated with hylians, it was even part of the kingdom's and the royal family's crest.

It was just a dark blue mana construct now, crafted by his mother's mind. It glowed but only dimly. The bird bent its leg to allow them both to climb onto its back, a saddle of the same dark blue forming there. Eli tightened his arms around his mother's waist. He felt the bird bow, lowering itself and readying to launch. There was a horrible jolt, and despite himself, his stomach fell, his heart thundered in his chest and ears. His eyes burned, the air rushing against his face. He squinted, trying to keep them open. His stomach turned as the trees disappeared, vanishing with the ground below them.

Soon, it stabilized into a rhythm, the wings of the creature beating on occasion. It was a little like being on a horse, just in the air. Each time the wings beat, they bobbed through the air. That was like riding his father's row boat on Lake Hylia during a storm. He was just glad they didn't have to do any loops. They flew for hours, though he was not sure how many yet. The sun rose though and continued to move up higher in the sky. He saw them approaching something fenced in by… trees?

Touching down was as unnerving as taking off. Suddenly, they dipped forward, plummeting in a nose-dive. The wind whistled and blew in his ears, the tips of which felt rather numb and bitten by the crisp edge of winter left in the air of spring. A heavy thud slammed through the mana construct and into his body, signaling almost painfully that they had finally landed.

His body was stiff from clutching tight to his mother and cold from the windy and long ride. The hard landing left an ache in his tailbone. He was finally able to open his eyes completely. Yes, a bunch of trees had grown perfectly interwoven with each other to create a thick wall of trees, fencing in a small populace of survivors.

They had landed several yards away, allowing them the chance to see who they were and that they intended to approach. The fact his mother had enough magic and skill to approach on a giant bird made of mana signaled they were more likely hylians, not gerudos. They marched through the tall grass toward what appeared to be an opening. It was a gap in the tree trunks. Branches wove together a gate in this gap.

It opened, a man and a woman coming out. Mother motioned for him to hang back as she marched forward. They spoke with her for a moment and then Amaya motioned for him to come closer. A tall, blond woman with an athletic build was introduced as Abigail and the man she towered over was called Rick. Upon asking about the Agni siblings, they both blinked in surprise.

"Ventus and Rini? They've been here a couple of months now. Just showed up out of the blue during the winter. They've been living with Nouka since then, although speaking about it I haven't seen them since Ventus and Nouka returned from visiting Lake Hylia a day or so ago to search for their family. I believe they mentioned they had an aunt and uncle living out there," Abigail said, scratching her chin thoughtfully.

Eli rolled his eyes. They weren't even blood related, but Mom smiled warmly at those words anyway.

"Rick, I'll escort these two to Nouka's home. You keep watch, okay?" she said, looking at the smaller man, who simply rolled his eyes and shouldered his spear.

"Yeah sure, whatever. Maybe this time you'll get lucky," he muttered under his breath.

Something Abigail pointedly ignored as the two split up again, the man returning to the thicket of the trees and the woman walking them across the open area to where this Nouka was supposed to be living.

It was a tree, and it was a house. So it was also fair to say it was a treehouse. However, it was also nothing like a small room built up in the branches of a tree with boards of wood and nails. Those were more like playhouses in trees. This tree had grown so wide and tall that a door was embedded in the front. Windows with open curtains suggested it was hollowed out from the inside.

It had to be a product of plant magic, because the branches had lush and green leaves. Not only did that suggest the tree was still alive, but it also was as healthy and full as if it were summer not spring. Eli doubted that most trees could survive being carved and hollowed out with normal means. He was no expert though.

"This is it," the woman said before knocking on the door. "Nouka? Ventus? Rini? You have visitors!"

A few long minutes creaked by, but there was no response. He narrowed his eyes at the doorknob before he took it and opened the door, stepping in without being invited.

"Eager are we?" his mother called in after him.

The room was lit only by the windows. Though there was a woodburning stove, it was cold and dark. It was quiet inside, and he doubted Ventus would be able to keep quiet for that long. The shadows were connected enough to tell him who was here. He asked the shadows if Ventus and Rini were here in the house.

It wasn't that they literally had a voice, these shadows. Eli couldn't describe exactly how they answered his inquiries. He just asked the question in his mind and if the subject of his inquiry was in the shadows, he simply knew the answer. It was not an answer in words. He asked and then knew.

They were not in the house.

But just because Ven and Rini weren't here in the house right now didn't mean they weren't still somewhere closeby. Also, the shadows in the house confirmed the two Agni siblings had been inside. Was this "Nouka" still inside? Through the door on the left side of the room, it led into a bedroom, where a tunnel in the wood was created through its enlarged roots. Large enough for a tall person to walk in. It wound down into a wood chamber. Nouka was there.

If the Agnis weren't here, he assumed Nouka should know where they were.

Mother had entered the home with the woman in the time it had taken him and the shadows to "think" at each other. He turned to her. "They aren't here, but Nouka is down below."

Mom arched a silver brow at him. "Below?"

He shrugged. "Like a basement or a cellar? Just follow me."

"They aren't here?" Abigail seemed to focus on that as she began to follow the two. She chewed on her lips. "I hope they're at Rose's place if they aren't here. Ventus usually goes there, but Rini tends to stay here …"

"We should speak to Nouka," said Amaya. "He would likely know where they went."

She nodded to Eli, who moved on toward the door on the left, pushing it open. The room was lit by a window like the other room. There was a small bed with its headboard against the right wall and next to it was the tunnel. The wood wall opened up like a wide and dark throat, twisting to the left and out of sight.

He pressed forward without waiting for his mother's approval. The yawning darkness pulled him further. Going around the corner he found it continued in a winding path, twisting down. There was a dim glow from the occasional patch of fungi on the tunnel walls, giving the others just enough light to see by. To him, it was more blinding anyway.

Eventually the tunnel came to an end, sloping down and opening into a wood basin. He saw the figure where he knew it would be. The man was probably tall when standing, but he was on his knees before some wooden bars that closed the little room off from the tunnel. There was a tray and a couple of bowls on the ground, their mushy contents spilled. Several of the wooden bars were cut as if by an ax.

"Nouka, what are you doing? We were calling for you." Abigail's voice came in from behind Eli, her voice wavering slightly.

He didn't blame her because it certainly didn't look good for him. This was turning out to be less cellar and more dungeon than he was first expecting. Something felt off when the woman had knocked on the door and the tenant didn't answer. The feeling had soured the further they ventured into the house.

The man didn't answer and nor did he twitch or move in acknowledgement of her call. He just sat there. Mother's hand rested on Eli's shoulder and then pulled him back to her. There was that cold glint in her eyes which looked black now in the dim lighting.

"Eli, you and Abigail go on back. I need to speak with Nouka alone for a moment."

He didn't argue, not with Mother, most of the time.

"Le… let's get you something to eat, sweetheart," Abigail swallowed and put a gentle hand on Eil's back and gently began to push him up the tunnel. "There should be something up there."

He allowed himself to be shepherded out by the young woman. This wasn't really the time to get snarky, though he resented her patronizing words. He even led the way back up the winding tunnel and into the bedroom. Abigail almost without really thinking walked into the kitchen and began to spark a fire back into the hearth. All the while her hands were shaking and face drained of all blood.

Eli played his part and sat at the kitchen table, knowing that Ventus or Rini once sat there, but now there were some broken wooden bars and a silent man. They were not here anymore. Had they been in that chamber down below? Yes. Who broke the bars? Rini. From the inside? Yes. How? With mana.

Mana? It was harder to get details without some idea of what to ask first. She used mana; that meant she was a caster, but then who taught her? The only other caster nearby was Nouka himself. Abigail did say that they had been here for a month or so now, living with him. He must have noticed Rini had a gift somehow. It appeared things were going well here until recently. Yet, surely he would not have left them unattended if he knew Rini could do something like that. Not when he went to the effort of making bars for their cage.

Eli smiled to himself. She must have figured it out on her own, knowing just enough to get there. They really shouldn't let an asset like her go. Unfortunately, it was too bright outside to use the shadows to track them. He would have to wait until nightfall. He heard nothing but the woman puttering in the kitchen, just some birds from outside and voices of the villagers here and there. Even when he Listened he heard nothing, but that meant little to him. His shadow could tell him more about what his mother was doing anyway.

"So how did you know Nouka was there?" Abigail asked after a while, putting some eggs in front of Eli. She didn't quite look in his eyes, but didn't flinch away like many others did.

"The shadows told me," he answered, glancing her way for a moment and then picking up a fork.

"Oh so magic?" said a woman who clearly didn't know much about magic and just accepted it as such.

He nodded. There were things the shadows could not tell him, like what went on inside the minds and hearts of people. Like how he still didn't know why Nouka put the siblings in the cell below. He just knew that he did it.

Mother would likely be having more luck with that than him. What were they saying down there?

"Nouka, why have you done this?"

"I was trying to keep them safe!"

"From what?"

"Themselves—he wasn't going to stop looking for you even if and when it got him killed. They're just kids, Maya."

Strange, but that did explain what happened and why. He just had to wait until night and hope the Agnis weren't too close to a fire.