Farrow led Kazim up the steps of Proxim Bridge, his hooves clopping on the stones. She shot a look up at Link. He faced forward, the setting sun behind him lighting his hair gold.
"So, what was that?" she asked. After Link had done . . . whatever he had at the shrine, he'd hesitated before returned to Kazim's back.
Link opened her sketch book and frowned at the pages. After a moment he wrote 'the Sheikah slate can open the shrines.'
"Sheikah slate," Farrow read, "that's the little box?" She pointed to it on his hip. Link nodded.
"How can it do that? Why are you opening the shrines?" The shrines had existed for as long as anyone could remember. Purah had told her they were a mystery even before the calamity. Link, the already strange boy, just happened to have Sheikah technology that could open them with a tap. Was he a skilled archeologist? That would be the simplest explanation, but it didn't fit Link. He was too young, maybe seventeen or eighteen, and he'd said someone had given him the slate, not that he'd found it.
Link shrugged to her first question, which Farrow conceded was fair. She may use hair dye, but she hardly understood how it worked, just that it did. Then he wrote 'The shrines have treasure inside.'
Farrow noticed that he didn't say what kind of treasure. "But it was just an empty room." Farrow said, recalling the tiny chamber the shrine door had opened to.
Link shook his head. 'The floor lowers to another chamber. I didn't go because' he pointed to his injured leg.
Farrow rubbed a hand across her face and forced herself not to ponder the mechanics of a lowering floor that hadn't moved for at least a few centuries. She'd suspect he was crazy if she hadn't seen him activate the shrine herself.
"Why are you opening them?" Farrow asked.
Link raised an eyebrow and circled 'treasure.'
"Yeah, okay," Farrow sighed. She knew he was being intentionally vague, but wouldn't begrudge him for it. His life wasn't her business and she didn't think he was hiding anything malicious.
Farrow shook the questions from her mind and looked ahead. They were nearly to the center of the bridge and she could see Brigo's familiar figure leaning against the rails.
She raised a hand in greeting. "Hey, Brigo."
The man pushed off from the railing as she pulled Kazim to a stop.
"Hi Farrow," he said, adjusting his grip on his spear. "How are you?" She'd met Brigo every time she crossed the bridge. He guarded the bridge from monsters that would have used it as a choke point for ambushes. She wasn't quite sure how he did it by himself, but she was grateful for the safe passage.
"Good, for having run from a pack of moblins. There's three of them and a bokoblin west of the bridge, in the ruins." She thumbed over her shoulder in the direction they'd come from.
"Glad to see you're okay. I'll let anyone who comes by know. Last travelers who came from the east told me about a small pack of bokoblins between here and Twin Peaks." Brigo blinked at Link. "Sorry. Not used to Farrow having company. Who are you?"
Link signed what Farrow assumed was his name.
"This is Link," Farrow said. "He's mute by the way. He twisted his ankle in a fall so I'm giving him a lift to Dueling Peaks Stable."
Brigo gave Link a sympathetic smile. "Rough few days huh?"
Link's eyes widened and he gave an exaggerated nod.
Brigo laughed. "We'll if you can make it through the pass you'll be alright. And I've heard it's not too bad right now, though that intel is about two days old."
"Thank you," Farrow said. "We'll be careful." Farrow riffled through her saddle bags before withdrawing some flint and a trout she'd shot and salted a few days ago. She handed both to him along with the bow from the bokoblin and a bundle arrows.
Brigo pushed the bow back to her. "I can't take that—"
Farrow shook her head and pushed it into his grip. "I have another, and frankly this one isn't great quality. Take it." Brigo defended this bridge all on his own, and it was understood by travelers that passed regularly that it was their duty to supply him. It was the least they could do. He accepted the bow with a soft thanks and set it against the bridge railing.
"Sorry we can't stay long," Farrow said, casing a look at the sun falling below the horizon.
Brigo waved her apology away. "It's getting dark, I get it. Get moving and stay safe."
"You too," she said, tugging Kazim forward.
|||((0))|||
The fire crackled, sending up sparks into the dark canopy of leaves above. Link sat across the fire from Farrow as she rustled through Kazim's saddle bag. Kazim lay next to the fire, thoroughly enjoying his sleep after the long day.
They had made good time before having to camp for the night. They would reach Twin Peaks within an hour tomorrow.
Farrow withdrew a two salted trout fillets and held up both. "Dinner! Which one do you want?"
Link gave her a dead pan stare. Then he pointed to both halves of the fish with a vague look of 'really?'
"What's with the look?" Farrow said. "It's food."
Link waved a hand and stood up. His limp still slowed him, but he didn't need her to get around. The sprain must not have been as bad as Farrow had thought if he was on his feet only hours later. He wobbled into the trees away from the fire.
"Where are you going?" Farrow asked, exasperated.
Link made a sloppy sign her way and stopped by the nearest tree. He leaned against the trunk as he examined its base. A moment later he shook his head and hobbled to the next one.
Farrow sighed, shoved a bite of fish into her mouth, and rose to follow him. As she approached he knelt by a tree. She came to stand beside him and found him picking stamella shrooms. He paused to tap her leg and point at a patch of herbs a few feet away.
Farrow crunched on her fish. "Fine." She went to gather the herbs.
Moments later, Link sat before the fire with a pile of mushrooms, herbs, and sticks. Farrow went to take another bite of her fish when Link snatched it from her hand. "Hey!"
Link ignored her and began skewering the fish, mushrooms, and herbs onto the sticks. Then planted the ends of the sticks in the dirt next to the fire.
Farrow sighed. "You realize none of those things need to be cooked, right?"
Link took out the sketchbook and scribbled down, 'be patient,' before snapping it shut.
"Fine." Farrow sat back to watched the fire. She was hungry, but at this point she might as well wait. Every so often Link would rotate on of the kabobs.
Farrow was just beginning to drift off when a steaming kabob appeared in her vision. She took it a sat up.
Link was already chewing on his own, watching her expectantly. Farrow took a bite and shrugged. "Thanks."
Link rolled his eyes, curled a finger and brought it to his cheek before returning his attention to his food.
Farrow's eyes narrowed. "Hey, what did that mean?"
Link shrugged, staring into the fire.
"It was rude wasn't it?" Farrow asked. Link looked at her in interest and nodded. His sudden attention surprised her. He watched her and repeated the same motion he'd used before.
"Oh," Farrow said, "that actually means 'rude,' isn't it?"
Link grinned and nodded.
"Huh," Farrow tried to memorize the motion. "Well, thanks for the hot fish and mushrooms." She couldn't help but tease him a bit.
Link threw up his hands in exasperation.
|||((0))|||
Farrow craned her neck to see the looming form of the Twin Peaks above. The mountains blocked the sun, forming black silhouettes against a blue sky. They'd would reach the pass soon.
Before sleeping last night, they had discussed their plan. Farrow knew that the monsters of calamity couldn't swim. Except for lizalfos. But as long as they stayed in the water they were usually avoidable. And Farrow also knew a river ran down the center of the pass. If they encountered a monster pack, and Link could aim his bombs on the opposite side of the pack from the river, then the monsters would get blown in. The pass was narrow, and Link had explained that his bombs were unlimited. If their plan worked, this might be Farrow's easiest journey on this road.
Farrow's jaw cracked as she yawned. Kazim's steady gate was lulling her to sleep. Link walked the road beside her, his limp from yesterday completely gone. Once Link had woken up with a healed ankle, he'd refused to ride Kazim. Farrow thought he felt bad taking her ride.
Farrow hadn't known what to think when he stood up that morning without a hint of discomfort. The first time she'd seen it, the ankle had been swollen and red, and it hadn't supported his weight at all. She'd been sure he'd severely sprained his ankle. It should have taken him days, not hours, to recover. But he walked over the stones of the path without hesitation.
The sun lit Link's hair gold as they stepped out of the shadows of the forest. The road ran to the side of the roaring river and paralleled it to the base of the mountain. Farrow's gaze traced its path, checking for monsters and finding it clear, but she startled when she saw the tower.
It was the same kind of tower that had appeared on the plateau. It stood in the waters of the far side of the river, right at the base of Twin Peaks. She'd traveled this path countless times, and she knew that tower had never been there before.
"Hey, you saw the tower on top of the plateau, right?" she asked. He'd flown down from the plateau on his glider, so there was a chance he'd seen the tower there.
Link, glanced back at her before looking back to the tower. He nodded.
"Did you see it appear?"
He nodded again and pointed to the ground before raising his hand straight up.
"It grew from the ground, huh? I guess that would explain the earthquake." Farrow glared at the tower. Whatever had happened, it had defiantly stirred up the monsters. It was rare for moblins to be in the ruins east of the plateau. Usually they stayed closer to the castle or in monster camps. Was it just the towers that aggravated them? Or was it whatever had triggered the towers?
Farrow's eyes darted to the slate on Link's belt.
He'd activated the shrine. Farrow didn't know if it was the same mechanism, but she had to admit, the shrines and the towers had very similar architectural features. Had Link activated the towers? He'd at least been near the plateau when the towers rose. Farrow couldn't think of a better explanation.
If so, what was the point? What did the towers do? She understood why he might open shrines if there was treasure inside, but he'd been purposely vague about what the treasure was, and she couldn't see any sort of entrance on the towers or obvious mechanism to indicate they could be opened.
Farrow watched Link up until the moment the tower was directly across the river from them. His face was angled away from her, so she couldn't see his expression, but from the angle of his head she could tell he was looking at the tower.
He slowed to a stop.
Farrow pulled Kazim to a halt. "What is it?" She wasn't sure if she should be worried. She felt a bit anxious, but mostly due to the strangeness of the situation. Link didn't strike Farrow as malicious. That didn't mean he was trustworthy, she'd hardly known him for a day, but she didn't want to assume whatever he was doing was bad.
Link met her gaze, his eyes full of uncertainty.
She decided to give him a chance. "You caused the towers to rise, didn't you?"
Link shifted his weight and nodded.
Farrow sat back and tried to appear relaxed. "What do they do?" Farrow wanted to trust Link, and to an extent, she did. But there was something going on that involved the calamity, ancient technology, and Link.
Link's eyes brightened and he reached for his slate.
Farrow flinched. His expression didn't convey hostility, but Farrow knew he could summon bombs with that slate. And her anxiety had grown into nervousness.
Link froze, catching sight of her and the tension in her shoulders. His brows furrowed, but he slowly turned the slate to face her and reached for a symbol she knew wasn't the bombs. An image filled the screen, and he held it out to her.
Farrow accepted the slate. She glanced over the image, a distant part of her amazed at the device she held, and recognized the ridges of Twin Peaks and the length of the river. It was a map. Similar to her own, if a bit different.
She handed it back to him. "The towers . . . make maps?"
Link's brows were furrowed as he returned the slate to his belt. He nodded.
"Sorry," Farrow said, a pit of guilt opening in her stomach. "I just . . . I guessed you activated the towers, and just after the towers appeared the monsters began acting strangely. I didn't know what to think of the parallel. And I know you keep bombs in the slate—it just put me on edge. I'm sorry."
Link took a deep breath before meeting her eyes. He stared for a moment, his expression unreadable, before he reached out and patted her arm with a small smile.
"Thanks," she said. Farrow looked to the tower. "So do you have to activate them like the shrines?"
Link nodded and took a step into the river. The water swirled around his boot and Farrow jerked in her seat. He went to take another step.
"Hey!" She dropped down from the saddle and hauled him away from the bank. "You are not swimming across that!"
Link cast a confused look from her to the river. He raised a hand to the side of his face and flicked his fingers towards his face. Farrow thought she'd seen him use it before.
"Why?" She asked.
He nodded, pointing to the river.
"You can't swim that," she pointed to the water. "It's too wide and the water is moving too fast. It'll sweep you downstream and you'll be slammed into a rock and unconscious before you know it."
Link frowned, glancing from the tower to the water.
"Look," Farrow sighed, "if you really have to get to it, there's a path on the other side of the mountain that runs back to that area. And you'll have to come back through this pass if you want to leave the East Necluda area. You can visit it on your way out."
Link considered the tower and nodded. He didn't look happy about it, but he must have realized he could make the swim. Together, they turned to face the Twin Peaks. The pass lay in the shadows of the mountain and the road soon fell out of sight between the cliff faces.
"Ready to bomb our way through?" Farrow asked.
Link grinned and plucked his slate from his hip. He gave it a spin on his fingertip, before fumbling it and having to scramble to prevent it falling to the dirt. It bounced off his hand before he fumbled to catching it with the other.
Farrow snorted. "Maybe a little less twirling when we're in the pass?"
Red-faced, Link gave her a small smile and nod.
Farrow smirked and tied Kazim's lead to her belt before readying her bow. With Link in the lead, they made their way to the pass entrance.
