Chapter 17: Nightmares in the Light

…

Link, Line, Gillam, and Irleen only remained for about another half hour before deciding that they had seen all there was to see at the tower. Not that it was much; the other foyers at the foot of the tower were just as empty as the first one, and the only other objects around the first floor were more torches. While Line and Gillam ragged on the creepiness of the shield Link had found, Link actually felt a little accomplished. The discovery felt like a long-desired victory. For once, the island did not feel like a hole in the world and the settlement not like a dumping ground for the perpetually dismal. The shield was a treasure. And he had the hope that it would be another step toward getting his crew home safely.

This idea naturally faced some scrutiny when he placed it on his desk during the small meeting he had with his command staff a few hours later. The return walk had seen their arrival at the ship in the early evening. Line and Gillam had been dismissed to finish their shift on-deck. Irleen had decided to lie down below deck with the rest of the female crew. On the order Link had left him that morning, Leynne had disappeared to gather the command staff for the meeting.

Sello was currently entertaining the shield with a staring contest.

"Have you any idea of its make?" Leynne asked after a few minutes of Link recapitulating their search of the tower.

Link, leaning on the map table, shook his head. "Not really," he said. "Since we found it undisturbed behind a painting that hadn't been touched, I'm guessing that whoever made the tower made the shield, too."

"I will eat yer omelet," Sello told the shield, now leaning so close that his eye was almost touching the shield's eye. Sello was a tall man wearing an orange, loose-fitting body suit carrying a number of small tools in various loops and pockets. His blond hair was long and unruly and in direct defiance of gravity as it had been styled (one hoped) to stand up from his scalp.

"Ya tell 'em, Chief," Airman Lawrence, a stocky fellow barely above Link's height with his back pressed against the wall next to the door, told Sello. He wore a green body suit under a t-shirt bearing a vine-like design from Rake Island and a pair of black work trousers sporting areas where constant rubbing, especially on the knees, had turned the sturdy material glossy.

"Mister Lawrence, how's our coal and water supply looking?" Link asked.

"Wa'er's 'bout three-quar'ers empty," Lawrence told him in his Fire Realm miners' accent. "We go'a fill 'er up b'fore we leave. Coal's fine, though."

"Really?" Leynne asked as he sat on the end of Link's footlocker. "I had imagined us requiring coal as well. My calculations ah rahely so off."

"The Chief did somethin' tae the engine b'fore we lef'," Lawrence explained. "We ain' been fillin' it like we usually do."

Leynne let out a sigh. "Well, I suppose that's one less resouhce we need."

Link nodded his head in agreement. "I don't think we'd have a lot of luck looking for coal here anyway." He turned to Cale, who was standing at the side of Link's desk watching the staring contest. "How about food, Cale?"

Cale looked up. "Lilly and Stan said that they would cut back on the food they use," he said. "Howevah, as Leynne had predicted, we will need to restock befoah we leave. Provided, of couhse, that it takes a single month to retahn to Might Island."

"I'd like to make sure we're covered on that," Link said. "That's why I'd like you and Line to check out the rest of the island in the Conductor tomorrow morning."

Cale's face started to pale. "C-Captain… I-I'd rathah not…"

"I'd prefer it to be you," Link said. "I don't think the Sorians would intentionally introduce dangerous plants to the sky, but I'd rather you take a look at them before we wind up dragging some kind of poisonous fruit or something on the ship. Sorry, but you'll have to take a bucket along. And… maybe have Line tie you to the deck."

Cale slowly nodded. "Aye… saah."

Link then looked at Leynne. "How far have you gotten with the repairs?"

"I've bahely begun," Leynne said. "A couple of the tools appeah to have broken some time ago, but I believe I can improvise. I just… it's been some time since I've had to wohk on these devices. I'm afraid I've been delaying."

"How long do you need?"

Leynne offered a weak shrug. "A week, pehhaps two? I'd feahed the damage even befoh I looked at the shop."

"Cap'n," Lawrence spoke up, stepping away from the wall. "I… I ha'e tae say this, bu' we ain' gonna be 'ere for two weeks, is we?"

"Believe me," Link said, holding up a hand to stop him, "if I had my way, we'd be away from this island tonight. I know things aren't very pleasant around here, and I'm trying to make sure we get home. But we can't rush this, or we might not make it. Leynne, I'd like to you to make the mizzen-masts your second priority. We can sail without a couple of sails; we can't make it far without supplies. We need that river here."

"Agreed, Captain," Leynne said. "I have a few thoughts, but I'd like to go oveh them with you tomorrow."

Link nodded. "That's fine."

"Captain?" Cale asked. Link turned his attention to him. "I was wondering… what about the library? Will Ihleen and I be able to access it?"

"I don't know," Link answered honestly. "Two nights ago, it was flooded. We'll take a look at it once more before you two go in; I wanna make sure it'll be safe." He looked around at the rest of his staff. "Any other issues for the time being?"

"Cap'n." Lawrence's voice had pointedly broken a short silence as the chiefs around him tried to come up with more concerns. "Airman Botu brough' somethin' up I wan'ed tae ask ya 'bout. 'E said tha' Layna said tha' someone was watchin' 'er las' nigh'."

Link's response was a defeated sigh while the rest of his chiefs exchanges glances with each other. Given all that had happened lately, the unusual wind, the dream Zelda had made for him, the crew not sleeping or succumbing to nightmares, Leynne's suspicions, and Layna's keen senses, there did not seem to be a point in denying what was going on. He wanted to believe he was wrong, but he still found himself saying, "There… may be something wrong with this island."

Dubbl, who had been mostly silent as she leaned on the bulkhead between the windows and the bed, pushed away and asked, "Layna… is right?"

"When has Layna ever been wrong?" Link asked. Then he told the rest of the room, "There's been so many coincidences lately… we could be looking at some kind of hostile."

Lawrence gave him a concerned look. "Wha' coincidences?" he asked.

"The bouts of insomnia ah a little hahd to link togetheh," Leynne spoke up. "But two days ago, when the winds fohced the Symphony away? We've reason to believe that that was an act of sabotage."

"Great Goddesses…" Cale breathed.

"The pylon we recovehed looks moh like it was intentionally released from the island," Leynne continued. "What's moh, the wind itself. Has no one noticed that we weh only subjected to that strength of wind once in the three days we've beeh heh?"

"I's 'opin' we's jus' lucky," Lawrence admitted.

"Beoble on island?" Dubbl asked.

"I have some doubts about people on the island having a hand in this," Leynne said. "But something is intehfering. So fah, though, it prefehs the late evening oh late at night."

"I want to make sure this is clear to everyone," Link said, giving his voice a stern edge. "No one goes out onto that island without someone else to watch them. Anyone who does will be confined to the ship for the rest of the visit."

"Captain, if I may," Leynne told him. Link nodded. "If we ah to assume that this hostile is causing problems as the crew sleeps, we should make suh we document this. If anyone has problems sleeping oh wakes up of a nightmah, I want it repohted to me in the mohning. Preferably afteh coffee."

"That goes for everyone," Link added. He glanced at Sello, who was still not paying attention to the meeting. He gave a small sigh and told Lawrence, "And have the night shift in the engine room report any odd behavior from Sello."

"Tha'll be a long lis', Cap'n," Lawrence replied with a half-grin. "We go' nothin' bu' new guys workin' nigh' shif'."

"Flower, I wanna see about—…" Link had started to address Flower only to find that Flower, having chosen to sit on Link's bed earlier, had fallen backwards to sleep. Link made eye contact with Dubbl and flipped a hand in his direction. Dubbl half-heartedly kicked the side of Flower's shin, causing Flower to start with a snort. "Mister Flower, are you awake?" Link asked.

"Augh…" Flower groaned as he sat up. "Sorry, Captain. I caught everything before Cale complained about riding in the Conductor again."

"We were discussing the fact that something on the island may be wohking against us," Leynne told him. "The insomnia and nightmahs the crew have been having may be related."

"Got it, Lieutenant," Flower replied as he used his fingers to rub the sleep from his eyes. "You needed me to do something, Captain?"

"I'd like Ray and Layna to switch shifts," Link said. "Layna is a lot more sensitive to whatever's going on. Since it all happens at night…"

Flower was already nodding his understanding as he suppressed a yawn. "Aye, Captain," he said after losing the fight. "I'll have Dholit give her the good news."

"Dubbl," Link said, "pass word to the day shift; they might have to start sleeping around the dead of night, especially if this thing is affecting their dreams."

"Ay'a, Kyaptin," Dubbl replied. "Zey sleeb—sleep… afte' shift."

"Whatever it takes," Link said. "I need the day shift to be well-rested in case anything comes up."

"Captain," Leynne spoke up. "I have a thought if we ah to go that fah." Link nodded at him. "The people on the island seem to have a talent foh knowing when not to sleep. Might I suggest that, when the lights in the settlement go on, that no one aboahd should be asleep?"

Link looked dumbfounded for a moment. He had not considered that the strangeness of the people on the island might be because of the same hostile force that was trying to affect his crew. So he nodded and said, "Agreed. If the town's awake, so are we. It might take some time to adjust, but this is for the crew's sake."

"Crew's gonna be asking questions," Flower pointed out, his voice carrying a warning tone.

"Then tell them what we know," Link replied, his tone making the answer sound obvious. Then he explained, "Botu was already asking questions last night; it's gotten around by now. It won't do us any good to try denying it. Just try to keep the crew calm."

"Aye, sir," Flower said.

"Is there any other business?"

"How about the technoworks?" Flower asked.

Link pressed a hand over his eyes as he bowed his head. "We're still trying to find access. If anyone happens to find some kind of underground access, we need to know as soon as possible."

"Would you like us to have crewmembehs exploh the island on a regulah basis?" Leynne asked, his tone hinting confusion.

Link sighed and looked up at the crew. "If we haven't made any significant progress tomorrow, we'll do that," he decided aloud. "Let's… try to take it slow. Anyone else with concerns?" Looks passed around, but no one spoke up. "Okay. You have your assignments; it's business as usual otherwise. Get going; it's gonna be a long night."

The command crew, in their various stages of anxiety and drowsiness, started to file toward the door. Lawrence grabbed the collar of Sello's suit and dragged him backwards to the door. However, once they cleared the door, Link heard a thunk from outside. Dubbl, who had just come to a stop at the door, delivered the deck an irate glare as she carefully stepped outside. Flower followed her, idly kicking something just as he exited.

"Leynne," Link spoke up just as Leynne took the door behind Flower. "One second."

Leynne froze, and Link thought he had seen a troubling look flash across his profile. However, he closed the door and turned to Link with an emotionless expression. "Captain?" he replied.

Link was a little taken aback by the reaction. Leynne had always had a formal edge to his mannerisms, something which other company airmen had called "snobbiness" among other less tasteful wordings. Link, however, had often been subjected to Leynne's comfortable side. He knew this to be a sign that Leynne was either under stress or might be bearing bad news to himself. Considering their circumstances, Link decided that Leynne was letting the island's medley of mysteries get to him. "Look, I know things are getting tense," he told Leynne.

Link watched Leynne's face relax, although Leynne was not one to show relief in the same expression. "It shows," he reasoned.

"One of us needs to keep his head clear," Link said. He pushed away from the map table. "Zelda contacted me. At least my dreams are being manipulated by someone else; she can tell this."

"And… you wanted to keep this from the crew?" Leynne asked.

Link shook his head. "It probably wasn't the best idea," he admitted. "But. If I start losing it, if I start doing something… crazy… you're probably the only one on this ship I trust to get them all home."

Leynne's face formed a frown. "'Friend of the crew'," he recited in an embittered voice.

"If anything I do puts them in harm's way, take command," Link told him. "I want you t—"

"I promise."

Link was a little stunned that Leynne could so easily predict his statement. Then he smiled. "Thanks."

"Foh the recohd, that 'friend of the crew' passage is on page seventeen," Leynne told him as he turned to the door. He opened it.

And then Link saw Leynne pause. He could not see Leynne's face this time, not until he turned back to Link. However, just as abruptly as Leynne had frozen at the door again, he seemed to decide that what he had to say could at least wait. Instead, he gave his head a slight bow. "Goodnight, Link."

Link nodded in response, and Leynne exited. But, even as he appreciated the well wishing, he felt that the night would only get worse.

…

~~9/20, Expedition Day 38.

~~Princess Zelda contacted me in my dreams this morning. She warned me that something else is interfering with my dreams. Well, to put it exactly, my nightmares are watching me. I think back to it now, and I can't even begin to think that she might be wrong. So far, nothing has made sense on this island. The Hylians here act like they've lost their minds; they sure couldn't do much for the rest of their bodies. To me, it's just an indication of what will happen if we don't get off this island soon. As for how they got like that, well, we just don't know. I'm not sure if we'll ever know. I'd sooner leave this place behind than find out any more. On top of that, there are still these black bodies not only underground now, we have one in the tower. The area above the first floor of the tower is blocked off by that same black thing. If we encounter it any more, I think I might chance stabbing it with something sharp. It'll be more progress than what we've seen lately.

~~Then, of course, there's today's mystery. That same tower had a shield hidden behind a painting on the upper part of the first floor. Not exactly the prettiest thing in the world, but it sure doesn't look Hylian. In fact, I'm very sure it isn't Hylian. Airman Gillam explained that, based on his experience as a building inspector, two different parts of the tower were made at two different times. The newer part of the tower is around the base. And, if Gillam's right, it was built by the Hylians that arrived here before us. But then that leaves the original structure on the inside, the tower itself. Only one painting was replaced: the same one I found the shield behind. It was probably a fluke that we found it, although Irleen's been on top of her observations ever since we met the locals. Why replace all the paintings in a large room, but only leave this one? It wasn't any different from the others; just a blank, grey canvas. Was it because the shield was behind it? For every question we answer, it's like five more appear. Zelda's last message said something about an item that I need being in the tower. It makes me wonder how she found out about the shield, assuming that the shield was that item. Well, it's here now. If it doesn't eat me or anything tonight, I just might not toss it overboard.

~~The crew's getting antsy, and I know what they're going through. I mean, it isn't as if Captain Alfonzo took us to a haunted island or anything, but I think back to those few times when things seemed desperate because we couldn't find a job or couldn't get the fuel we needed. He tried to keep things from us, but all it seemed to do was make the crew worse. When you're a kid on a ship, a lot of adults won't notice you standing between them when they start talking about treachery and mutiny. No one ever had the courage to stand up to Alfonzo, but then Alfonzo was the kind of guy who would just knock you flat on your ass. I don't have such a luxury with my crew. I have to let them know what's going on, or else they just might chuck me overboard. If secrets won't do it, maybe honesty will help more. I've already kept Zelda's news from them; I can't afford any more secrets.

Link paused as he stared at the word "secrets" for what felt like a long time. In the waning light of the late evening and the bulb in the deckhead above, the word felt as if it stood out more from the logbook's page. He gave himself some time to think, trying to find any other secrets that he would do better sharing rather than keeping to himself. He glanced at the shield now sitting next to the head of his bed. It was eerie to have it there; he felt as if it had been watching him ever since he put it there and took the desk to make his log entry for the evening. He had yet to see it blink again. In addition to the fact that Irleen did not say anything about seeing any life flowing through it, he wondered if it was even worth mentioning that the shield might be alive.

Maybe not to the crew, he decided, but there should be some note of it. So he turned his attention back to the log.

~~As for the shield, I can't help getting this weird feeling from it. It might have been the light or my fatigue (probably both), but I swear that the thing blinked at me when we first found it. Irleen only noticed it because she thought she saw signs of life behind its painting. Maybe the both of us are losing our minds. I can't wait to get away from this island.

…

Link had trouble getting to sleep. He tried not to focus on the nightmares he had had the two previous nights, but he had nothing else to keep his mind away from those thoughts. Irleen had decided to sleep below deck again; staring at her light reflecting on the deckhead usually lulled him to sleep on a difficult evening. The sounds of his crew wandering about had never bothered him before, either. Now, it was like every footstep, every creak of the deck, sent a shock up his spine that halted his progress again.

He thought that, at one point, he had finally fallen to sleep.

Then he woke up, no drowsier than before he had decided to go to bed. In fact, he was sure he could not feel any of his fatigue trying to drive him to dream land. He tried to come up with a solution that did not involve having Layna stab him with one of her drugged needles. When he decided he could not, he threw his feet over the side of the bed and sat up.

The cabin door opened, and he immediately stood up as he saw a shadow framed by the deck lights step inside. "Captain?" he heard Leynne's voice gently call.

"What is it?" Link asked.

"Captain, the lights in the town ah on," Leynne explained, taking another step inside.

Link gave his tongue an annoyed click as he glanced out the window. "Well, this is probably about the right time."

"Captain?"

Link turned back to Leynne. "Leynne, I'm right here," he said.

Then Leynne stepped further into the cabin and toward Link's bed. Link backed away; Leynne would have bumped into him otherwise with his brisk pace. When Leynne placed a hand on the bed, Link thought that he was about to steal the bed from Link. Not that Link would have minded at this point, knowing that something was causing his crew's insomnia.

"Link, wake up."

Link felt a cold shiver rattle his backbone. Leynne was not talking to him. Leynne was not even looking at him. Now that Leynne was out of the doorway, Link could see that there was someone else already in his bed.

Link looked on in horror as Leynne tried to shake Link awake.

Link's lifeless body remained on the bed, largely ignorant of Leynne trying to shake it awake. Meanwhile, Link could feel Leynne's hand on his shoulder; he tried to grab for it even when looking told him that there was nothing there. Link backed into the desk and nearly fell over.

"Link?" Leynne asked, his voice rising with concern.

Link looked down at himself. His first thoughts were that he had spontaneously died. However, whereas he had expected to see his body glowing in the dark, he found it just as difficult to see. He reminded himself of an encounter on the surface: an old man who had died long before Link had met him. But then… why did Leynne not notice a second Link standing nearby?

He heard Leynne heave a sigh. "Well, even if it's a nightmah, at least you can get some sleep," he said before standing up.

Sleeping? Link was sleeping? Link leaned around to see past Leynne. He watched his body's chest rise and fall, not something easily viewed considering the poor light.

Leynne walked to the door, and Link nearly followed him. He hesitated, wondering if he should try interacting with Leynne at the risk of frightening the man out of his mind. Leynne had already shut the door before Link could come to a decision.

So Link moved to his chair and fell into it with such weight that the chair scraped the deck as it shifted. He tried to ponder over his actions for a moment, wondering if there was something he should do about the situation. It was clear to him that something had happened, but he could not figure out how or why.

Then his eyes fell on the sliver of silver moonlight near the head of the bed. He stood up again and retrieved the shield from the floor. On the same thin slice of moonlight filtering through the glass, Link angled the shield to find that the eye had changed. Part of the shield's field had pulled down over the eye like an eyelid. Link used a pair of fingers to feel the soft, skin-like texture of the eyelid against the solid smoothness of the field itself. It clenched Link's earlier idea that the shield was alive.

Link had an idea, and he would need to find Layna. So he placed the shield on his desk and walked to the door. When he opened the door, though, he froze as his mind perceived something wrong. He had opened one door, but there was another door still shut in front of him. This other door was still cloaked in the dark of the cabin; the only reason Link noticed it was the uncharacteristic dimness of the outside lights. He turned back into his cabin. The dim light only cast itself on things he had touched: his chair and the shield. But where he saw his chair, he could make out a thin shadow where the chair had been before he had rested in it. The shield was much more prominent. There were two of them: the shield with its eye closed resting flat on the desk's surface and the shield still propped against the head of his bed, still barely visible in the moonlight. He had moved them, yet they had remained unmoved. It was as if he had only moved a layer of them, that they were only moved part of the way because this was some kind of dream. It was his best conclusion. To test if he could touch the unmoved layer, he turned back to the door and tried to touch the door he could look through. His hand passed through the doorknob and grew dim from the experience. He quickly withdrew his hand, but he found that it looked and felt all right. So he stepped through the door, closing his cabin as he set foot on the deck.

Outside, he saw Flower, Lwamm, and Twali wander the deck while someone else, whom he took to be Gold, stood at the helm on the forecastle. He moved away from the aftcastle and looked up. Ray stood on the quarterdeck, her eyes focused on the island. Above her on the poop deck, Airman Hunter appeared more interested in the ship's banner idly hanging from the pole in front of him. Not that the lack of wind was a serious concern, but Link made note of the fact that there did not even seem to be a breeze coming off the island. But if Ray was on-deck, it meant that Flower had decided to let Layna sleep. In fact, Leynne would likely be going below to wake the day crew up before they tried sleeping through another disturbed night. Link's eyes swept across the main deck until he spotted Leynne just as he descended into the stairs on the port side. He brought himself to a jog to catch up.

Below, Link waited in the cargo hold while Leynne disappeared into the berthing deck. When he came back out, he had a line behind him consisting of Dholit, Biluf, Line, Brandon, Airman Harley from the engine room, Layna, and Botu. From where Link was standing, if anyone knew he was there, they would have looked at the space in front of the port stairs.

Layna froze in the doorway, and Botu had to catch himself before colliding with her. Someone behind Botu bumped into him instead, and he turned around to deliver an insult. Layna's eyes had locked onto Link. He had a brief glimpse of surprise, something so rarely seen from Layna. Then she switched to "Kill Mode", giving Link a stare devoid of emotion.

It helped Link realize that whatever was watching them, triggering Layna's senses, it might not be in the real world. In fact, Link was certain that the culprit existed in this odd layer of reality. It seemed much more plausible.

"Layna?" Biluf asked. Link glanced over to find that the rest of the crew, about to move down the starboard stairs, had stopped to see what Layna was doing. Biluf approached Layna with a careful pace, not wanting to trigger any of her best friend's murderous reflexes. "Layna, waba xwicikak max?"

"Rujun." Both Biluf and Dholit visibly tensed from Layna's single word.

Meanwhile, the rest of the crew looked around in confusion. Leynne asked Dholit, "What is it?"

"Eyes," Dholit repeated. She tried to follow Layna's gaze as she explained, "Layna senses someone watching us."

Botu, having squeezed past Layna and Biluf, stepped closer to Leynne and said, "She said the same thing last night. It…" He gestured at Layna. "It wasn't like this, though."

"Nway thacomak tac 'iyba," Layna spoke up. "Nway sithifak." This caused Biluf to share a spooked look with Dholit.

This also prompted Leynne to ask, "What did she say?"

"This is different from befoah," Dholit translated. "It is closah."

"Closeh," Leynne repeated. "Can she… tell if it's dangerous?"

Dholit raised an eyebrow at him. "Would you trust that which you cannot see?"

"On this ship?" Brandon asked. "I'm having a hard time trusting what I can see."

"You haven't been on this ship long enough," Line told him before succumbing to a yawn.

"What are we not seeing?" Gillam asked as he pondered how he should squeeze past Layna and the doorway while Biluf was standing in the way.

Leynne looked around the hold for a moment. Then he said, "Have heh come downstaihs foh now. If it follows heh, we'll wohry about it then."

He stepped aside and used a hand to wave the crew along. Biluf slid a hand around Layna's bicep and tugged until Layna decided to follow the rest of the crew, although her eyes stayed locked onto Link's position until she had to turn to go down the stairs. Gillam and Line pondered the same spot for a moment. After sharing a confused shrug, they descended as well.

Link did not follow. He did not want to spook Layna further out of fear that she might hurt someone. Instead, now that he knew she could see him like this, he had one other task to take care of: he had to find the creature that was watching them. So he turned and went back upstairs.

Link was halfway across the main deck when he glanced out at the island. He stopped in his tracks, and then he rushed to the starboard side to lean on the bulwark.

The settlement glowed with light, far more than he had ever seen on a regular night. The buildings on the outskirts showed more color than they had even in day. Lit forms appeared to move about the streets rather than the hollow husks of the previous Hylian settlers. The tower, bathed in beams from below, stood out against the starry sky for once. Even the open area between the ship and the settlement was aglow, a steady wave of blue washing across its surface like ripples emanating from the middle of the island. Just looking at this (and wondering why he had not noticed it before), he found himself coming to an absurd decision.

The island was alive.