-CHAPTER 3-
Nabooru and Sora had to pull D all the way to the resting house; he was too big to lift and lay over the saddle of the DL-4. It was a little difficult dragging D and leading the horse at the same time, but they got there, and Nabooru held open the door in it and Sora pulled D in before Nabooru pulled the horse in.
"D? D, come on, talk to me!" Sora said, choking back a cry. She lightly slapped his cheek, trying to get him to stay conscious. D groaned, unable to move. His breathing was heavily labored, he was sweating uncontrollably, and at the same time, shivering as if he were freezing.
"What's happening to him?" Nabooru asked, pulling the DL-4 in and shutting the door.
"It's called Heat Syndrome. D can't stand in the direct sunlight too long or he'll be weakened. If he doesn't find someplace to rest and bury himself, he'll fall into a coma, and then die. Like regular Vampires, only he doesn't burst into flames," Sora replied, taking off D's hat and pulling his hair away from his face and neck, trying to cool him down.
The parasite growled. "I told you he couldn't take it, but you didn't listen! You could have at least waited until the sun was a little lower!"
"It would have gotten too cold, and none of us would have lasted through that without protection," Sora murmured. Nabooru knelt next to D. "Will he be alright?"
Sora shook her head. "I really don't know. He has to be in a dark, cool area in order to heal. If we leave just after sunset, will we be able to make it to the Colossus before it gets too cold?"
Nabooru bit her bottom lip. "I think so, but we'll have to hurry. I could send you and Morian on the horse, but you'll have to follow the phantom guide. Can you ride with him and make sure he'll be alright and I can go ahead?"
"Sure, I can do that."
The sage nodded. "Good. My nephew is the king, and he'll help you. He knows Morian as well. We also have magic users that can help Morian heal. You can find the phantom guide on the other side of the shrine. Move quickly. He'll wait for you for a little bit, but then he'll keep going."
Sora stroked D's hair as he rested, taking in all of Nabooru's directions. "Where should we go after Parapa?"
"Wherever you choose. The Gerudos may enlist your help with some problems. Lilu's two most devoted followers were among the Gerudo, and we all have a feeling she'll try to resurrect both of them. I doubt it, but it could happen. After doing anything around the Spirit Temple, feel free to go anywhere you think you can help out. I should leave now and go back to Zelda. Can you handle yourself?"
"Yeah," Sora said, never keeping her eyes off of D. "I'll leave as soon as I know D's gonna be okay."
Nabooru creaked a smile, and patted Sora's shoulder. "Alright, kid. See ya."
She glanced up once to see Nabooru open the door and run off. Sora then reached over and smacked D's left hand. "Hey, you still awake?"
"Huh? What?" The grotesque human face of the parasite appeared on the palm of D's left hand. "What, are we leaving again?"
"I need you to tell me if D's going to be able to wake up soon. We leave just before sunset. With luck we'll reach the Spirit Temple before it gets too cold."
"Hmph." the parasite closed its eyes, then opened them again. "Hard to say. He's drifting in and out of consciousness. Just stay with him. He may not be able to concentrate with his mind, but his soul senses you near him. He doesn't want you to leave." With that, the parasite's face disappeared back into D's palm. Sora tried to smile, and bent down, kissing her fiancé's forehead. "Fight it, D. wake up. please."
She cradled his head in her lap, stroking his face slowly.
'Lilu's not exactly the best goddess to be messing with.' a voice in her head said. Sora narrowed her eyes. "Sekhmet, leave me alone."
'Well, I'm just telling you the truth,' the goddess said with a scoff. 'I never really personally met the woman, with her being in another dimension and all, but hey, legends get around. Her power rivals mine, Sora. If she gets any power back, she can resurrect people that she needs. But she needs to stay in one body for a long time to call up enough power. And she has to have help from Hell in order to get it.'
For the next few minutes Sora brooded upon Sekhmet's words. So Lilu would have to have one body for a while in order to get any power. The problem was that no one knew how long it would take, and which body she was in.
Sora heard a groan, and her eyes widened in surprise, her attention coming back to D. His eyelids fluttered while closed, and the corners of his mouth twitched. Soon he opened his eyes slightly, looking up at Sora. She smiled. "Hey. how you feeling?"
"Terrible."
She choked out a laugh, happy to see he was at least alive. "Terrible enough to head out in the evening?"
"What do you mean?"
"Nabooru's given me directions on how to get to the Desert Colossus on our own. You and I'll have to ride the DL-4 and hurry. If we leave now, we might get there before sunset, but your health comes before anything else."
D sighed heavily, leaning back in Sora's lap. "Just give me about half an hour and we'll see."
She nodded, knowing she'd won. Whenever this happened to D, he usually insisted they continued on once he woke up, despite Sora's feelings towards his health. Must have been the threat of intense direct sunlight that bothered him. She felt his right hand grasp hers and lightly squeeze it, followed by D saying, "Thank you."
"For what?"
"Staying with me." D's hand reached up and lightly brushed against her cheek. He let it drop back to his side, and closed his eyes.
=-=-=-=-=-
D had finally summoned enough strength well before sunset, and insisted they leave quickly. They had found the phantom guide and followed it through the wasteland to the Desert Colossus. The first thing they saw was the huge temple carved from a mountainside, a Gerudo woman carved along with the temple.
The sun was still up when the entered the temple, and it was humid. The sun was no longer a threat to D, but the heat certainly was.
"D, do you need to rest?" Sora asked him, but he never answered, and never stopped walking. They came up to a huge flight of stairs, and D sighed in protest. He began to move forward, but Sora grabbed his arm.
"You're too weak to go up that. Come on, rest for a bit. Just five minutes."
"Sora's right, D. This is the worst case of Heat Syndrome you've ever had. You need to take it easy," the parasite said, as concerned as Sora was. He didn't listen, and pulled away from Sora, slowly beginning to ascend the stairs. She watched, knowing he would fall before he even got a third of the way up. She began to follow him when sure enough, D stumbled while coming upon the tenth step. Sora managed to get to him in time and caught him, and sat down on one step to keep from falling backwards.
She looked at his face; he had fallen unconscious again, and his body was in a cold sweat.
"Help!" Sora called as loudly as she could. "Someone, please!"
It took a few cries of help before two pairs of footsteps were heard running down the hall towards them. She looked up, expecting to see some guards or something, but was surprised to see two children, a boy and a girl.
"What happened?" the girl asked, horrified when she saw D. The boy saw him and reluctantly muttered. "Men aren't allowed here."
The girl then turned to him, giving him a cold stare. "Astyanax Dragmire, shame! How dare you not even consider the problem!"
Astyanax, as the boy had been revealed, said nothing more, just looked towards D as the girl hurried up to him. "What happened?" she asked.
Sora bit her bottom lip, looking at the two. They didn't look Gerudo; their ears had small points, about as pointy as her ears, and more so than D's. She contemplated her answer, thinking it wasn't really normal to say 'My fiancé is a half-vampire that nearly falls into a coma whenever he stays in hot or sunny places too long'.
"My partner. the trek through the Haunted wasteland has made him weary. We were brought here by Nabooru to see the Gerudo King," she said, knowing a little white lie wouldn't hurt. Sora recalled Nabooru saying that the king was her nephew, and looked at Astyanax. "Are you the king?"
"Pfft. Heck no! I'm the prince!" Astyanax turned to the girl, saying, "Kima, go get the nurses to help this man. I'll talk to Nabbie later."
The girl nodded and ran off, taking a left turn down one of the hallways to what Sora guessed was a hospital or something.
The Gerudo prince walked up the steps and sat near them, looking at Sora. "Who are you?"
Sora looked away, feeling a little nervous. The boy sounded so official, despite his youthful looks. He had red hair, as dark as her own, his skin was tanned, and his eyes were a soft hazel brown. Had he been a few years older, he would have been quite attractive.
"Sora Tonitrus. This is my fiancé, D. We were called here to help with the situation with Lilu," she responded.
"Eh, I don't know if that was a smart idea. Lilu's too powerful. My name's Astyanax, but just call me Ax. No 'sir' or 'prince'. I hate those formal titles."
She nodded, and heard Kima come back with two Gerudo nurses. They didn't say anything, but quickly took D and carried him to the medicine room.
=-=-=-=-=-
Sora woke up to someone kissing her cheek, and looked up, seeing D. She remembered falling asleep in the room next to D after the nurses went to get someone, and didn't remember anything more.
She smiled, sitting up and letting him give her a light kiss on the lips after seeing no one else in the room. Sora pulled back and put her hand over D's. "How you feeling?"
"A lot better, actually," he admitted, completely sitting up. The nurses had just taken off his shirt, gauntlets and boots, but that was probably for the sake of cooling him off. They, along with his sword and hat, were neatly folded and put at the end of the floor mat he was laying on.
He kissed her again, and both of them lingered on it for a little bit, but quickly pulled away when they heard the doorknob turning and the door opening.
Ax poked his head in and grinned. "Oh, so you're still alive? Pity, we were gonna give your unconscious and vulnerable body to Lilu."
Both of the hunters let out a light laugh at the crude joke, and Ax came in, sitting on the floor cross-legged. "The nurses called in my cousin to heal you. She's experienced in both white and black magic, and used a shadow cloud to rest you up. She said she wants to see you once you feel up to moving."
D quirked an eyebrow suspiciously, reaching for his shirt. "And who is your cousin?"
"The head priestess. Apparently she knew you from a long time ago. Must've been before my time. I'm 77 years old, and I've never seen you."
'Wow. so he's not just a kid,' Sora thought to herself. Her eyes brightened and she turned to D. "Come on, we have to thank her! You might not even be with us now if it weren't for her!"
D didn't move to get up, but pulled his shirt over his head, then putting on his gauntlets and boots, said, "I'd rather not, actually."
"There's no excuse, actually. My father is speaking with her right now, and will take awhile. Don't be ashamed to just walk in on him. You can speak with him and thank the priestess at the same time," Ax told them casually with a shrug. "I'd tell you to speak with my mother, but if Nabbie told you guys to talk to Dad."
"We'll settle for the king, thanks," Sora told him, standing and helping D up. Ax handed him his sword and hat and opened the door for them. "I'll lead you to him. The room might be a little dark, but my cousin's just like that."
They both followed Ax down the sandstone hallway. It was night now, but torches in the hallway maintained some comfortable warmth. D slipped his arm around Sora's waist as they walked, and Sora sighed, happy he was alive.
Ax came to two ornately carved doors. They had runes carved along the edges, as well as the image of the Triforce in the center. He held a finger up to gesture a 'wait here' motion, and opened a door just enough for him to squeeze in the room.
"What's wrong?" Sora asked, noticing D seemed a little uncomfortable about going to see the priestess. He shook his head. "Nothing."
The boy poked his head out after a few seconds, and then a hand, beckoning with a finger. "Come on in." They obeyed, D going in after Sora. The room was dark, and only four torches were in the room; two at the entrance, and two at the other end of the room, which was pretty far away. Two silhouettes were near the two torches at the end of the room, and a chill ran up Sora's spine as she saw the sitting figure turn its head, two eyes shining in the light like a cat's eyes. The standing figure was obviously a man, and the sitting one looked feminine, but the short hair made Sora wonder.
As they came closer, Ax ran up to the masculine figure and embraced him like a child would to its father, jumping up and hanging from his neck with scrawny arms.
Ax soon jumped down and grabbed a couple unlit torches, and held them to the lit ones, then sat them in holders on the wall as they caught flame, showing the two figures that had been in the room. The Gerudo king stood next to the priestess, whose eyes became bright at seeing D.
"Uncle Morian, you're alright!" she exclaimed with a laugh, standing quickly and running to D, embracing him. Sora blinked a couple times in disbelief. 'Uncle?'
D looked at her for a moment before reluctantly returning the embrace, along with saying, "Hello, Enya."
Sora looked at both of them, then at D. "Uncle Morian?"
D nodded slowly. "Sora, this is my niece, Enya. Enya, my fiancée."
"Hi," Enya said, smiling, revealing a set of fangs. She extended her hand to shake Sora's, and Sora accepted it, giving a single firm shake, noticing the long black talons that took place as fingernails.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that Enya was a demon.
"So, what? Do you have a sister or another brother or something?" Sora asked.
"I only have one sibling."
She recalled Alucard saying that he had a daughter, but he never said her name, or where she was. Sora looked Enya over, seeing a few of the nobleman's features, such as the ears, nose, and calm voice, but. Enya was a Tepes? "Your father is."
"Yup. Adrian Fahrenheits Tepes."
"Uh.huh."
Ax cleared his throat, and pointed up at his father. "Well, this is my dad, King Ganiox Dragmire of the Gerudo. Enjoy your visit." With that, he began to walk off, but Enya grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him back. "No way, squirt, you're staying here."
D knelt his head for a moment in respect, and, in a mirror action, so did Sora.
"Morian, it's been too long. Hardly anyone's forgotten you," he said, a grin spreading across his face. "Enya was certainly excited when she heard you were coming here. You're lucky she knows the magic that saved you."
The older Dunpeal nodded and turned to his niece. "And for that I thank you, Enya."
"Yeah, well, you'll wish you had Heat Syndrome the moment you have your first Lilu encounter," Enya replied, running a hand through her hair. "She hasn't shown herself in a couple days, but we can't be too sure she's out of the Gerudo community yet."
"That's why all the Hyrulian Temples are packed," Ax muttered. "They're the only places where Lilu can't come inside, except for the Shadow Temple, which I'm sure you've heard. Only children are allowed outside of the temples, but for a short amount of time. Everyone's paranoid that she'll kidnap a kid and kill him or her in an attempt to lure a suitable body out of a temple."
Ganiox nodded, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "We're especially concerned about the stronger people, and even more so about magic users. Lilu's shown huge grudges towards Link and Zelda, then again, that's very obvious, with what all they've done to her followers, but she went through a small tribe just four days ago, killing everyone after they refused to tell her where myself, my sister, my wife, and Enya were."
"Why would she want you?" Sora asked. "You're just the King of a group of humans living in Hyrule."
"Grandma Laura," Ax said simply, interrupting his father before he could speak. Sora turned her head to look at the boy, who sat on the floor and folded his arms over his chest. Enya nodded slowly.
"My mother's one of the worst things that's happened to Lilu before she was killed by Enya's mother, taking her down with her. It happened after Enya's grandmother claimed my father as her husband. Well, Mother and he had been married since she was sixteen, so, they didn't hit it off too well. They were both dead at the time, Lilu cast them out of Hell, and Mother survived, killing my stepmother and then a few years later, Enya's mother."
"Problem is that Grandma, though, was evil too. She was the original heir to the Hyrulian throne. If Great-Grandpa Harkinian had died before she did, Hyrule wouldn't be this peaceful," Ax added.
"And Lilu wants me because I'm a traitor," Enya said nonchalantly, shrugging as if it weren't important. "My Great-Grandmother all through my Mother were followers of her, especially my Grandma, who was her most devoted priestess. When I was eleven, Lilu tried to take over my soul, and the three goddesses tried to stop her. I went insane, and let's just say Hyrule wasn't in one piece after I calmed down. After that, I hated Lilu, still do, and she can bitch all she wants, but I'm a priestess to the three Golden Goddesses of Hyrule."
Sora quirked an eyebrow, figuring out what Nabooru had said. "So, if her most devoted priestess is still in Hell, and Lilu can get her power back by getting help from magic-users down there, then she can use that woman to call back her power?"
"You catch on quick. We've been thinking of resurrecting her and trapping her spirit in an urn, but uh. my step-aunt Naru tried that with Ax's grandmother and failed. Plus, Lilu also has my Great-Grandma, who was also a priestess of hers, and so many followers that are magic-users, it's not even funny. We get rid of one, she calls on another."
Sora looked at D, who didn't seem to be bothered by anything in this conversation. He didn't even ask anything; either he knew all this already by his brief phone chat with Nabooru, or he was letting Sora train herself by gathering information. 'Probably a mix of both', she thought to herself. 'Or maybe he's worried and not showing it.'
"What do we do to get to Parapa?"
Enya lifted a hand. "I can lead you. The vampires that are still in the fortress won't come near me, so you'll be safe, and Ax is coming because he can run really fast should any of us get in trouble."
"HEY! I hate going to Parapa Fortress! All of the people there keep staring at me and licking their chops as if they're gonna pounce and devour me the moment your eyes leave me! And they'll run faster than me! I won't be able to get-" Ax was silenced when Ganiox reached down and held a hand over his son's mouth.
"He reminds me of a younger version of myself. Whether that's a good thing or not, I don't know," he said, sighing heavily, letting go of Ax.
"I won't turn out like you! I'll be a good king, all right, but I won't go around marrying my COUSIN!"
"Wha?" Sora blinked, now lost. Enya groaned in exasperation through clenched fangs. Ax grinned and turned to the two Dunpeals. "My Mom and Dad are cousins. Some Gerudo Kings practice polygamy, others marry one wife and go around with other women, others just stay single but go around, and some kings like my father practice INCEST."
"Like it matters anyway. Almost all the Gerudos are related," Enya said dully.
"So? Mom's not a Gerudo. She's a HYLIAN. Dad, look: Enya's my cousin, but do you see us making out in the closet? I didn't think so."
Sora let out a laugh, amused by Ax. He had her sense of humor, although not as dark. "Come on, you know you want her."
For once, D actually creaked a smile in humor, and then finally spoke, "I think we should rest up before doing anything further, don't you?"
"Good idea," Sora agreed, nodding her head. "That's what Nabooru said to do anyway."
"You'll have to share a room with some people. The temple's packed with Gerudos," Ax told her.
Enya smiled. "My room's got a couple extra beds, and I'm alone in it except for Ax and Kima. You're welcome to stay there if you need."
D nodded. "Alright then."
"Kima's on guard tonight though, so we won't be seeing her. Which is a good thing, because she talks just about as much as me." Ax smiled, standing. Enya stared blankly up at her uncle. "Your hand and him will get along perfectly."
"I resent that," the parasite said, who had been quiet the entire time.
"D, babe? Why does Lefty talk in public in Hyrule, but not back in our world?" That question suddenly popped into Sora's mind. It was true; D had to fully trust Sora before he revealed the parasite to her. She still recalled seeing it for the first time. She had just stared at it a moment before pointing at the parasite and saying, "D, there's a talking face on your left palm," which earned her first actual laugh from D.
"People are used to odd things here," the parasite replied.
Ganiox let out a light chuckle. "That we are. oh, I recommend seeing the Ancient Sages after leaving here. At least the Wind Sage. Her temple is the safest ever. You not only have the strongest magic seal from Lilu, but not even that goddess can stand the winds around the temple."
"I was planning on it," D replied with a nod. "I want to make sure she's alright. She's a very close friend of mine."
Ax ran to the door. "Well, come on. You guys should get some rest as soon as possible. D, Morian, whatever your name is, Enya may have healed you, but you still need to rest."
Enya creaked a slight smile at D. "He's right. I just brought you out of the Heat Syndrome stage. You need to heal yourself the rest of the way."
Knowing there was no way out of it, D nodded, and headed for the door, stopping briefly to say thank you to Ganiox for his time. Sora followed him, and Enya led them to her room.
=-=-=-=-=-
Enya and Ax were asleep, at least Sora thought so. She herself couldn't sleep, and D was just sitting there, unable to sleep as well.
She crawled over to his floor cot and sat next to him, allowing him to wrap his cape around her, and resting her head on his shoulder. "You should try to sleep," he told her, but Sora just shrugged. "Can't."
Looking over at Enya, Sora narrowed her eyes, puzzled. "You never told me about her."
"I figured Adrian would have. If he hadn't, then he probably wished for you not to know. I came to Hyrule around a year after her soul was released, and Adrian had already left," he replied in a whisper as to not wake Enya or Ax.
Sora sighed, shaking her head. "I don't believe she's a Tepes."
"Why not?"
She pulled back, glaring at D, a playful lecture look on her face. "How can THAT be a Tepes?! The Tepes are dull! Boring! Enigmatic! Dark!" she paused. ".Like you!"
D allowed himself a chuckle. "She's nothing like her mother either. I've heard stories, and personally, I don't see what Adrian saw in her. Enya was still in the womb when Galatea tried to kill her mother, envious that Adrian had fallen in love."
"Galatea? Markus's old girlfriend who Alucard killed twice? Jeez, I knew she got ticked when any of her old lovers showed more affection to other women than they did to her, but I didn't think she'd go as far as to kill."
"She's an evil Succubus. And yes, she has gone that far. Markus felt he failed himself when she went evil, but he's managed to pull together a small group of Incubi and Succubi that are on the side of good and only kill when necessary."
Sora shivered and huddled closer to D. They stayed silent for a couple of minutes when she realized he had fallen asleep, his back leaning against the wall and his fedora covering his face. She tried to sleep as well, but still couldn't. After a little bit, she was just content to close her eyes when she heard something move, and didn't move as she realized Enya was getting up. She pretended to be asleep until the demon left the room, and then gently moved D's arm off of her, stood, and followed. Sure, Enya was a priestess for the good goddesses, but Sora had a sneaking suspicion that Enya might be a spy of Lilu, just because of her family heritage.
'You're paranoid', Sekhmet told her, but Sora just ignored the goddess.
Enya had left the Spirit Temple, a cloak drawn about her to keep out the cold desert air. Sora silently followed her tracks, careful not to slide on the dunes. She had ventured just beyond the boundary of the Desert Colossus, and the ominous air told Sora she was near Parapa Desert. For reassurance, she put her hand on the hilt of her sword.
The priestess stopped at a cave, and Sora ducked behind a mound of sand as Enya looked around to see if anyone was there. She was lucky she was downwind, because Enya had also sniffed the air for scents. After deciding no one was there, she entered the cave. Sora waited a couple of seconds, recalling that D had said always to wait a few seconds if anything suspicious went somewhere out of your sight, because they could always come back as you started following them. It was a trap seldom used, but Enya seemed intelligent enough to do it.
When she didn't come back, Sora slowly slid down the sand dune to the cave, flattening herself against the wall as she entered it, poking her head out just enough to see down into it, but saw nothing.
She knew she had to use her vampire powers now to see in the dark; demon things usually involved no light. Keeping close to the wall and watching out for movements in the shadows, Sora finally saw a single torch that Enya had set up.
Getting closer, Sora saw Enya kneeling, her head bowed in heavy respect. Nothing was in front of her, but as Sora drew even closer, she saw the statue of what looked like a dragon. Enya was praying in a language Sora didn't understand, and she didn't pay attention as her foot stepped on a piece of gravel and accidentally let a little slip out, the light hiss of it drawing Enya's attention. She turned around, her eyes suddenly glowing red, and fangs bared, but she immediately calmed when she saw Sora.
"I. I'm sorry, you startled me," she said, heavy emotion evident in her voice. She covered her face with her hand in shame, and she resumed praying.
"What are you doing?" Sora asked. Enya stopped, not turning to face the Dunpeal. She reached out and touched the stone statue.
"Just visiting a dead family member."
Sora blinked twice, not understanding. She looked at the statue, and by just seeing the fine detail, from the texture of the dragon's scales to the twisted, agonizing face of death that was on it, saw that this dragon was once alive, and magic had turned it to stone after it died. "Who is it?"
"My mother."
Now, Sora was getting wigged out. Did she just hear Enya say 'Mother' or did the cold desert wind make her hear things? For one, it looked nothing like Enya, and for another, didn't look like anything Alucard would have been interested in.
"You're confused. it's understandable. This is just the form she died in. she was really a demon vampire."
"I knew it. So you are a demon-"
Enya turned to glare at her. "I'm half demon. I know my father is half human and half vampire, and my mother a full demon, but it's been established that I'm half demon. You probably think I'm a follower of Lilu, just studying Din, Nayru, and Farore to find weaknesses in their power that Lilu could take advantages. Well, it's quite the opposite."
"Sorry." Sora grimaced at the tone Enya used. She came to the conclusion now that Enya certainly was Al's daughter. Enya could suddenly turn serious at any moment, and from the looks of it, she hated who she was. She looked at the statue. "But your mother worshipped Lilu. wouldn't she hate you for worshipping the other goddesses?"
"I wouldn't know. I never knew her. She died while I was less than a year old. you're a Dunpeal like Uncle Morian and Father, too. did your parents hate you because you weren't their race? Or did you go against their religion and study something else?"
Sora fell silent, looking down at the ground and squeezing her eyes shut. After a moment she said, "I was taken away from both of my parents when I wasn't even a week old. You at least know who both your parents are. I don't know any of them, or what they look like. I got this scar before I was taken away," she pulled back the curtain of red hair that fell over her left eye, revealing the scar. "I've just given up hope on finding them. They're dead."
Enya smiled. "Hey, you don't know that. Have you ever met my father?"
"Yeah, he's a real cool guy. D and him didn't really get along."
"Well, Father told me that you should never give up. We all choose our own fates, is what he said he tells almost everyone. If you're with Uncle Morian, then he's probably taught you the same thing. Have you ever given up on him?"
Sora just shook her head.
"And if you've never seen your folks, you have no proof that they're alive or dead. You could find them one day. You should still love them even if they hate you," Enya said, nudging her head to the stone figure of her mother. Sora nodded, knowing she was right.
The priestess stood and walked over to Sora, grabbing her chin and tilting her head until she could get a full view of the scar. Sora didn't flinch, seeing those deadly talons hardly an inch away from her skin.
"Only silver can scar a Dunpeal, vampire, or even a demon for life, and scars such as that usually grow with their owner."
"Yeah, it does."
Enya nodded, as if to say, "I thought so."
"Hyrule blacksmiths can make silver daggers that can scar like that."
"I don't think I'm from Hyrule, Enya."
Enya took a step back and looked Sora over, especially at her ears and face. "Well, your ears are unusually pointed for a Dunpeal. They're more pointed than Morian's, at least. If I were to look at you, and, say for instance, you were from Hyrule. your build is Sheikahn. If you see one, you'll know."
"What exactly is a Sheikah, anyway?"
Enya shrugged, letting go of Sora's chin and folding her arms over her chest. "Basically a Hylian, only way more skilled in magic arts, their bodies are built for agility, and they're excellent warriors."
"Perfect body Lilu's looking for?"
"You got it. They're even able to go into the Shadow Temple for her. Sheikahs are known as the Shadow Folk, and have a heavy connection with the darker side of Hyrule."
Sora sighed, once again glancing at Enya's Mother. "Would Lilu try to resurrect her?"
"Huh?" Enya turned to look at the statue, and slowly nodded. "I've been spending more time here, guarding the tomb. In Lilu's current state, unless she's used my grandmother's power, she can't possibly get past me."
"Don't you want to see your mother though?"
"You ask a lot of questions, you know that?" Enya let out a dry laugh. "Yeah, sure. I mean, what child wouldn't? But. I'd rather meet her under more. peaceful circumstances. Plus, she's evil. I'm content to just seeing her in my dreams."
They both stayed silent for a few more minutes. Sora envied Enya. At least she could see her mom whenever she wanted, and knew who her father was. Sora didn't even have a memory. Enya cleared her throat. "We should get back. Ax usually wakes up in the middle of the night and he gets worried if I'm not there, and I'm sure he'll wake up Uncle Morian, and he'll worry about you."
"Yeah, good idea. Hey, sorry about snooping. You were right; I thought you were a follower of Lilu passing yourself off as a peaceful priestess."
"It's alright. Not the first time it's happened, believe me."
Sora let out a laugh, and followed Enya's lead as they walked out of the cave.
=-=-=-=-=-
"I still can't believe Dad's letting you make me go."
Everyone ignored Ax as he whined about going. Enya had managed to get Ganiox into lending a couple horses for Sora and Ax. Enya already had hers saddled, and of course the DL-4 just had to be booted up. A bunch of little Gerudos had gathered around D as he pulled out the DL-4, wondering how a horse could be made of metal without the armor that some warriors used. He just told them it was a special horse, for lack of a better definition.
Sora couldn't help but smile as D acted the way he did around kids. They both hoped they could have a child someday, but the serum that she took to control Sekhmet made her sterile for a week at a time, and Sora doubted that Sekhmet would contain herself long enough for Sora to conceive and give birth, although she had talked to the goddess about it.
"Okay, some pointers before we head out," Enya began, "Morian, you don't have to worry about Heat Syndrome there. There's always a dark cloud over Parapa, and it's cool, but not cold. Well, until night falls there. After that, just pray that you don't collapse of hypothermia and some demon comes and picks off of ya. Second, the demons in the fortress there are scared to death of me because I kill any of them that come near Colossus, which they have to go through to get to Hyrule, so stick with me and you'll be safe. Third, and most important: Do NOT fall into the pit that Lilu used to get out. True, there is a magic seal to keep spirits in Hell, but that seal is a one-way street. If you fall in, you won't get out, and it's a long drop. Oh, and we don't know if Lilu's staying at the fortress in Parapa or has already gotten into Hyrule. She shouldn't be a problem if she's there because there aren't any shrines in Parapa that she can use to call forth her energy, but if she has a group of vampires with her, RUN. Any questions?"
"Can I stay home?" Ax said, in both humor and pleading. Enya smirked. "No." The prince grumbled and mounted his horse. Enya looked at Sora and D to see if they had any questions, and they just shook their heads.
They headed out, Sora and D staying close to each other as well as Enya. The priestess turned in her saddle to face them. "Oh, and on the way back, we have to stop by my mother's tomb. If Lilu's anywhere in Gerudo Territory, she'll take advantage of my absence."
"Oh, come on, Enya!" Ax grinned. "I'm sure everyone wants Lamia Carna back!"
Enya just reached over and lightly smacked the boy upside his head for the joke.
Sora shook her head in mock disgust. "Are you sure you're related to that girl, D?"
He just glanced at her, not saying anything, but he shrugged, and kicked the DL-4's flanks as Enya sped up. Sora did the same, catching up with them. In the distance to the side of her, she could see the cave that Lamia was in, and figured they had sped up because the fortress was still a distance away.
At the speed they were going, they approached the fortress in about half an hour, and Enya told them not to leave their horses, because the vampires picked off of anything and everything. This place gave everyone the creeps. The fortress was made of black mud brick, and yellow eyes glared at all of them from windows. Sora could have sworn she heard a growl, but didn't announce it.
The eyes disappeared when they saw Enya. She had brought along her sword just in case, and Ax said he knew magic. Sora could just let Sekhmet take over and attack anything that came near them, but that might be a bad idea.
"Ever felt more unwelcome someplace?" D asked, looking at Sora. She shrugged. "I don't know."
She didn't pay attention, and didn't know what was going on until she felt the huge magic presence that made her head throb. She looked up, feeling a dark presence as well, and saw the huge pit in the desert sand.
Enya stopped about ten feet away from it, and unsheathed her sword, the blade made of black iron, and tested the ground. She turned to D and Sora. "Use your swords as guides. The sand could fall out from under you and make you fall in."
That made both of them immediately unsheathe their swords, and Sora poked the sand with hers before stepping where it was, as if they were surrounded by quicksand pits. In a way, they were, but not moving wouldn't save them.
Sora stopped about five feet away from the mouth of the pit. She let out a low whistle. "Now that's a hole."
Ax lit a small fireball in his hand and tossed it into the pit. A ripple of blue showed as it passed the magic seal and fell. They all leaned over enough to see it fall until it went out of sight.
"See? Hellfire," Ax said, a grin crossing his face. They all laughed, D just letting out a chuckle.
"So uh. Lilu must be one pretty damn big goddess to have made this hole," Sora noted, looking at the size, which was more than likely a good 100-foot diameter.
D shook his head. "It's like a crater. The hole is bigger than the actual thing that made it. We also have to remember that magic opened this hole, and her spirit escaped, not her actual form."
"Will she be able to break this magic seal before she gets her body?" Sora asked.
Enya shrugged. "In all likelihood, yes, but she'll need a ton of magic. I think she'd prefer to get her body back first. All nine sages of Hyrule made this seal. You try to find a spell that can break a seal made of light, forest, fire, water, shadow, spirit, destiny, wind, and myth without using extreme amounts of magic. I dare you to."
Sora nodded. "Alright then."
"Spells like that are possible." D said, "they just take about a year to prepare."
'Yeah, and that's only if you have a ton of mental control,' Sora added silently.
"So," Sora said, a smirk crossing her face. "How much ya wanna bet those helpers of Lilu's down there heard ya just now, D?"
D shook his head in disgust.
Enya grinned and looked down into the pit. "Hi, Mom!!!"
Ax and Sora laughed as Enya walked back to her horse and mounted it. "We need to head back. If we don't now, the sun will be too high in Colossus for Uncle Morian."
"Why don't you go on ahead with D, Enya?" Sora suggested. "Ax and I can check out the cave and make sure your Mom's alright."
"Huh, wha?" Ax blinked, turning to Sora as he heard his name. "What about me?"
Enya nodded. "Alright. Ax, stay with Sora. I'll meet you two back at the Spirit Temple."
"Hey! I hate checking out your Mom's tomb! Lamia's just. weird! Even in death, it's like she hates me because I'm Laura's grandson."
"Wanna find out?" a cruel smirk crossed Enya's face as she said that, nudging her head to the pit. Ax gulped, and ran to his horse, quickly mounting it. "Uh. No, thanks."
D and Sora mounted their horses as well, and they left. Enya stayed with them just until they got to the outskirts of Parapa, to keep them safe, and she and D went ahead.
Sora and Ax rode to the cave, and dismounted. As Sora started to go in, she turned around. "You coming, Ax?"
Ax shuddered, leaning against the mouth. "No thanks. I'll just keep watch; I'm more powerful than ya think. My grandmother controlled the element of fire, y'know. It's confusing, I know. Having one grandmother that was intent on destroying Hyrule and the other the only sister she didn't kill. I never see Grandma Zelda that much anymore, though. gotta learn stupid Gerudo politics for when I'm king. hey, be careful in there, okay?"
Sora nodded. "I won't take long." She unsheathed her sword and walked in.
She passed through a weird magical barrier about thirty feet into the cave. Sora just figured Enya erected it to keep any evil spirits inside the cave if Lilu did get in.
Forgetting to use her vampiric powers to see in the dark, Sora ran right into Carna's body. She reeled back, rubbing her face where she hit the cold stone. That was weird. Sora could have sworn that the statue was farther into the cave. oh well.
Sora looked around the statue, and decided nothing was wrong. She turned to leave, but when she came to where the barrier was, she ran right into it, and didn't pass through it. Sora blinked in confusion, and smacked the barrier with a balled fist.
"Ax?" she called out, but no reply. "Hey, Ax!"
A couple seconds later, she got her answer. She heard the sound of stone rumbling, and ran back to Lamia's body to make sure everything was okay. It seemed all right at first, but then the stone began to crumble. Sora's eyes widened in disbelief and horror. "Oh no. Enya's gonna kill me."
The statue practically collapsed, but something- no, someone- was in the stone debris. It was a woman, with red hair, and Enya's height. Sora couldn't figure out if her hair was short, or long and just pulled in front of her shoulder, because her back was turned to her.
".Enya?" Sora asked cautiously, the hand on the hilt of her sword.
The woman turned around, and two glowing yellow eyes rested on Sora. Her lips drew back in a snarl, revealing a mouth full of demonic fangs. She pushed her long red hair behind her shoulder, and glared at the Dunpeal.
".You wish."
Nabooru and Sora had to pull D all the way to the resting house; he was too big to lift and lay over the saddle of the DL-4. It was a little difficult dragging D and leading the horse at the same time, but they got there, and Nabooru held open the door in it and Sora pulled D in before Nabooru pulled the horse in.
"D? D, come on, talk to me!" Sora said, choking back a cry. She lightly slapped his cheek, trying to get him to stay conscious. D groaned, unable to move. His breathing was heavily labored, he was sweating uncontrollably, and at the same time, shivering as if he were freezing.
"What's happening to him?" Nabooru asked, pulling the DL-4 in and shutting the door.
"It's called Heat Syndrome. D can't stand in the direct sunlight too long or he'll be weakened. If he doesn't find someplace to rest and bury himself, he'll fall into a coma, and then die. Like regular Vampires, only he doesn't burst into flames," Sora replied, taking off D's hat and pulling his hair away from his face and neck, trying to cool him down.
The parasite growled. "I told you he couldn't take it, but you didn't listen! You could have at least waited until the sun was a little lower!"
"It would have gotten too cold, and none of us would have lasted through that without protection," Sora murmured. Nabooru knelt next to D. "Will he be alright?"
Sora shook her head. "I really don't know. He has to be in a dark, cool area in order to heal. If we leave just after sunset, will we be able to make it to the Colossus before it gets too cold?"
Nabooru bit her bottom lip. "I think so, but we'll have to hurry. I could send you and Morian on the horse, but you'll have to follow the phantom guide. Can you ride with him and make sure he'll be alright and I can go ahead?"
"Sure, I can do that."
The sage nodded. "Good. My nephew is the king, and he'll help you. He knows Morian as well. We also have magic users that can help Morian heal. You can find the phantom guide on the other side of the shrine. Move quickly. He'll wait for you for a little bit, but then he'll keep going."
Sora stroked D's hair as he rested, taking in all of Nabooru's directions. "Where should we go after Parapa?"
"Wherever you choose. The Gerudos may enlist your help with some problems. Lilu's two most devoted followers were among the Gerudo, and we all have a feeling she'll try to resurrect both of them. I doubt it, but it could happen. After doing anything around the Spirit Temple, feel free to go anywhere you think you can help out. I should leave now and go back to Zelda. Can you handle yourself?"
"Yeah," Sora said, never keeping her eyes off of D. "I'll leave as soon as I know D's gonna be okay."
Nabooru creaked a smile, and patted Sora's shoulder. "Alright, kid. See ya."
She glanced up once to see Nabooru open the door and run off. Sora then reached over and smacked D's left hand. "Hey, you still awake?"
"Huh? What?" The grotesque human face of the parasite appeared on the palm of D's left hand. "What, are we leaving again?"
"I need you to tell me if D's going to be able to wake up soon. We leave just before sunset. With luck we'll reach the Spirit Temple before it gets too cold."
"Hmph." the parasite closed its eyes, then opened them again. "Hard to say. He's drifting in and out of consciousness. Just stay with him. He may not be able to concentrate with his mind, but his soul senses you near him. He doesn't want you to leave." With that, the parasite's face disappeared back into D's palm. Sora tried to smile, and bent down, kissing her fiancé's forehead. "Fight it, D. wake up. please."
She cradled his head in her lap, stroking his face slowly.
'Lilu's not exactly the best goddess to be messing with.' a voice in her head said. Sora narrowed her eyes. "Sekhmet, leave me alone."
'Well, I'm just telling you the truth,' the goddess said with a scoff. 'I never really personally met the woman, with her being in another dimension and all, but hey, legends get around. Her power rivals mine, Sora. If she gets any power back, she can resurrect people that she needs. But she needs to stay in one body for a long time to call up enough power. And she has to have help from Hell in order to get it.'
For the next few minutes Sora brooded upon Sekhmet's words. So Lilu would have to have one body for a while in order to get any power. The problem was that no one knew how long it would take, and which body she was in.
Sora heard a groan, and her eyes widened in surprise, her attention coming back to D. His eyelids fluttered while closed, and the corners of his mouth twitched. Soon he opened his eyes slightly, looking up at Sora. She smiled. "Hey. how you feeling?"
"Terrible."
She choked out a laugh, happy to see he was at least alive. "Terrible enough to head out in the evening?"
"What do you mean?"
"Nabooru's given me directions on how to get to the Desert Colossus on our own. You and I'll have to ride the DL-4 and hurry. If we leave now, we might get there before sunset, but your health comes before anything else."
D sighed heavily, leaning back in Sora's lap. "Just give me about half an hour and we'll see."
She nodded, knowing she'd won. Whenever this happened to D, he usually insisted they continued on once he woke up, despite Sora's feelings towards his health. Must have been the threat of intense direct sunlight that bothered him. She felt his right hand grasp hers and lightly squeeze it, followed by D saying, "Thank you."
"For what?"
"Staying with me." D's hand reached up and lightly brushed against her cheek. He let it drop back to his side, and closed his eyes.
=-=-=-=-=-
D had finally summoned enough strength well before sunset, and insisted they leave quickly. They had found the phantom guide and followed it through the wasteland to the Desert Colossus. The first thing they saw was the huge temple carved from a mountainside, a Gerudo woman carved along with the temple.
The sun was still up when the entered the temple, and it was humid. The sun was no longer a threat to D, but the heat certainly was.
"D, do you need to rest?" Sora asked him, but he never answered, and never stopped walking. They came up to a huge flight of stairs, and D sighed in protest. He began to move forward, but Sora grabbed his arm.
"You're too weak to go up that. Come on, rest for a bit. Just five minutes."
"Sora's right, D. This is the worst case of Heat Syndrome you've ever had. You need to take it easy," the parasite said, as concerned as Sora was. He didn't listen, and pulled away from Sora, slowly beginning to ascend the stairs. She watched, knowing he would fall before he even got a third of the way up. She began to follow him when sure enough, D stumbled while coming upon the tenth step. Sora managed to get to him in time and caught him, and sat down on one step to keep from falling backwards.
She looked at his face; he had fallen unconscious again, and his body was in a cold sweat.
"Help!" Sora called as loudly as she could. "Someone, please!"
It took a few cries of help before two pairs of footsteps were heard running down the hall towards them. She looked up, expecting to see some guards or something, but was surprised to see two children, a boy and a girl.
"What happened?" the girl asked, horrified when she saw D. The boy saw him and reluctantly muttered. "Men aren't allowed here."
The girl then turned to him, giving him a cold stare. "Astyanax Dragmire, shame! How dare you not even consider the problem!"
Astyanax, as the boy had been revealed, said nothing more, just looked towards D as the girl hurried up to him. "What happened?" she asked.
Sora bit her bottom lip, looking at the two. They didn't look Gerudo; their ears had small points, about as pointy as her ears, and more so than D's. She contemplated her answer, thinking it wasn't really normal to say 'My fiancé is a half-vampire that nearly falls into a coma whenever he stays in hot or sunny places too long'.
"My partner. the trek through the Haunted wasteland has made him weary. We were brought here by Nabooru to see the Gerudo King," she said, knowing a little white lie wouldn't hurt. Sora recalled Nabooru saying that the king was her nephew, and looked at Astyanax. "Are you the king?"
"Pfft. Heck no! I'm the prince!" Astyanax turned to the girl, saying, "Kima, go get the nurses to help this man. I'll talk to Nabbie later."
The girl nodded and ran off, taking a left turn down one of the hallways to what Sora guessed was a hospital or something.
The Gerudo prince walked up the steps and sat near them, looking at Sora. "Who are you?"
Sora looked away, feeling a little nervous. The boy sounded so official, despite his youthful looks. He had red hair, as dark as her own, his skin was tanned, and his eyes were a soft hazel brown. Had he been a few years older, he would have been quite attractive.
"Sora Tonitrus. This is my fiancé, D. We were called here to help with the situation with Lilu," she responded.
"Eh, I don't know if that was a smart idea. Lilu's too powerful. My name's Astyanax, but just call me Ax. No 'sir' or 'prince'. I hate those formal titles."
She nodded, and heard Kima come back with two Gerudo nurses. They didn't say anything, but quickly took D and carried him to the medicine room.
=-=-=-=-=-
Sora woke up to someone kissing her cheek, and looked up, seeing D. She remembered falling asleep in the room next to D after the nurses went to get someone, and didn't remember anything more.
She smiled, sitting up and letting him give her a light kiss on the lips after seeing no one else in the room. Sora pulled back and put her hand over D's. "How you feeling?"
"A lot better, actually," he admitted, completely sitting up. The nurses had just taken off his shirt, gauntlets and boots, but that was probably for the sake of cooling him off. They, along with his sword and hat, were neatly folded and put at the end of the floor mat he was laying on.
He kissed her again, and both of them lingered on it for a little bit, but quickly pulled away when they heard the doorknob turning and the door opening.
Ax poked his head in and grinned. "Oh, so you're still alive? Pity, we were gonna give your unconscious and vulnerable body to Lilu."
Both of the hunters let out a light laugh at the crude joke, and Ax came in, sitting on the floor cross-legged. "The nurses called in my cousin to heal you. She's experienced in both white and black magic, and used a shadow cloud to rest you up. She said she wants to see you once you feel up to moving."
D quirked an eyebrow suspiciously, reaching for his shirt. "And who is your cousin?"
"The head priestess. Apparently she knew you from a long time ago. Must've been before my time. I'm 77 years old, and I've never seen you."
'Wow. so he's not just a kid,' Sora thought to herself. Her eyes brightened and she turned to D. "Come on, we have to thank her! You might not even be with us now if it weren't for her!"
D didn't move to get up, but pulled his shirt over his head, then putting on his gauntlets and boots, said, "I'd rather not, actually."
"There's no excuse, actually. My father is speaking with her right now, and will take awhile. Don't be ashamed to just walk in on him. You can speak with him and thank the priestess at the same time," Ax told them casually with a shrug. "I'd tell you to speak with my mother, but if Nabbie told you guys to talk to Dad."
"We'll settle for the king, thanks," Sora told him, standing and helping D up. Ax handed him his sword and hat and opened the door for them. "I'll lead you to him. The room might be a little dark, but my cousin's just like that."
They both followed Ax down the sandstone hallway. It was night now, but torches in the hallway maintained some comfortable warmth. D slipped his arm around Sora's waist as they walked, and Sora sighed, happy he was alive.
Ax came to two ornately carved doors. They had runes carved along the edges, as well as the image of the Triforce in the center. He held a finger up to gesture a 'wait here' motion, and opened a door just enough for him to squeeze in the room.
"What's wrong?" Sora asked, noticing D seemed a little uncomfortable about going to see the priestess. He shook his head. "Nothing."
The boy poked his head out after a few seconds, and then a hand, beckoning with a finger. "Come on in." They obeyed, D going in after Sora. The room was dark, and only four torches were in the room; two at the entrance, and two at the other end of the room, which was pretty far away. Two silhouettes were near the two torches at the end of the room, and a chill ran up Sora's spine as she saw the sitting figure turn its head, two eyes shining in the light like a cat's eyes. The standing figure was obviously a man, and the sitting one looked feminine, but the short hair made Sora wonder.
As they came closer, Ax ran up to the masculine figure and embraced him like a child would to its father, jumping up and hanging from his neck with scrawny arms.
Ax soon jumped down and grabbed a couple unlit torches, and held them to the lit ones, then sat them in holders on the wall as they caught flame, showing the two figures that had been in the room. The Gerudo king stood next to the priestess, whose eyes became bright at seeing D.
"Uncle Morian, you're alright!" she exclaimed with a laugh, standing quickly and running to D, embracing him. Sora blinked a couple times in disbelief. 'Uncle?'
D looked at her for a moment before reluctantly returning the embrace, along with saying, "Hello, Enya."
Sora looked at both of them, then at D. "Uncle Morian?"
D nodded slowly. "Sora, this is my niece, Enya. Enya, my fiancée."
"Hi," Enya said, smiling, revealing a set of fangs. She extended her hand to shake Sora's, and Sora accepted it, giving a single firm shake, noticing the long black talons that took place as fingernails.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that Enya was a demon.
"So, what? Do you have a sister or another brother or something?" Sora asked.
"I only have one sibling."
She recalled Alucard saying that he had a daughter, but he never said her name, or where she was. Sora looked Enya over, seeing a few of the nobleman's features, such as the ears, nose, and calm voice, but. Enya was a Tepes? "Your father is."
"Yup. Adrian Fahrenheits Tepes."
"Uh.huh."
Ax cleared his throat, and pointed up at his father. "Well, this is my dad, King Ganiox Dragmire of the Gerudo. Enjoy your visit." With that, he began to walk off, but Enya grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him back. "No way, squirt, you're staying here."
D knelt his head for a moment in respect, and, in a mirror action, so did Sora.
"Morian, it's been too long. Hardly anyone's forgotten you," he said, a grin spreading across his face. "Enya was certainly excited when she heard you were coming here. You're lucky she knows the magic that saved you."
The older Dunpeal nodded and turned to his niece. "And for that I thank you, Enya."
"Yeah, well, you'll wish you had Heat Syndrome the moment you have your first Lilu encounter," Enya replied, running a hand through her hair. "She hasn't shown herself in a couple days, but we can't be too sure she's out of the Gerudo community yet."
"That's why all the Hyrulian Temples are packed," Ax muttered. "They're the only places where Lilu can't come inside, except for the Shadow Temple, which I'm sure you've heard. Only children are allowed outside of the temples, but for a short amount of time. Everyone's paranoid that she'll kidnap a kid and kill him or her in an attempt to lure a suitable body out of a temple."
Ganiox nodded, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "We're especially concerned about the stronger people, and even more so about magic users. Lilu's shown huge grudges towards Link and Zelda, then again, that's very obvious, with what all they've done to her followers, but she went through a small tribe just four days ago, killing everyone after they refused to tell her where myself, my sister, my wife, and Enya were."
"Why would she want you?" Sora asked. "You're just the King of a group of humans living in Hyrule."
"Grandma Laura," Ax said simply, interrupting his father before he could speak. Sora turned her head to look at the boy, who sat on the floor and folded his arms over his chest. Enya nodded slowly.
"My mother's one of the worst things that's happened to Lilu before she was killed by Enya's mother, taking her down with her. It happened after Enya's grandmother claimed my father as her husband. Well, Mother and he had been married since she was sixteen, so, they didn't hit it off too well. They were both dead at the time, Lilu cast them out of Hell, and Mother survived, killing my stepmother and then a few years later, Enya's mother."
"Problem is that Grandma, though, was evil too. She was the original heir to the Hyrulian throne. If Great-Grandpa Harkinian had died before she did, Hyrule wouldn't be this peaceful," Ax added.
"And Lilu wants me because I'm a traitor," Enya said nonchalantly, shrugging as if it weren't important. "My Great-Grandmother all through my Mother were followers of her, especially my Grandma, who was her most devoted priestess. When I was eleven, Lilu tried to take over my soul, and the three goddesses tried to stop her. I went insane, and let's just say Hyrule wasn't in one piece after I calmed down. After that, I hated Lilu, still do, and she can bitch all she wants, but I'm a priestess to the three Golden Goddesses of Hyrule."
Sora quirked an eyebrow, figuring out what Nabooru had said. "So, if her most devoted priestess is still in Hell, and Lilu can get her power back by getting help from magic-users down there, then she can use that woman to call back her power?"
"You catch on quick. We've been thinking of resurrecting her and trapping her spirit in an urn, but uh. my step-aunt Naru tried that with Ax's grandmother and failed. Plus, Lilu also has my Great-Grandma, who was also a priestess of hers, and so many followers that are magic-users, it's not even funny. We get rid of one, she calls on another."
Sora looked at D, who didn't seem to be bothered by anything in this conversation. He didn't even ask anything; either he knew all this already by his brief phone chat with Nabooru, or he was letting Sora train herself by gathering information. 'Probably a mix of both', she thought to herself. 'Or maybe he's worried and not showing it.'
"What do we do to get to Parapa?"
Enya lifted a hand. "I can lead you. The vampires that are still in the fortress won't come near me, so you'll be safe, and Ax is coming because he can run really fast should any of us get in trouble."
"HEY! I hate going to Parapa Fortress! All of the people there keep staring at me and licking their chops as if they're gonna pounce and devour me the moment your eyes leave me! And they'll run faster than me! I won't be able to get-" Ax was silenced when Ganiox reached down and held a hand over his son's mouth.
"He reminds me of a younger version of myself. Whether that's a good thing or not, I don't know," he said, sighing heavily, letting go of Ax.
"I won't turn out like you! I'll be a good king, all right, but I won't go around marrying my COUSIN!"
"Wha?" Sora blinked, now lost. Enya groaned in exasperation through clenched fangs. Ax grinned and turned to the two Dunpeals. "My Mom and Dad are cousins. Some Gerudo Kings practice polygamy, others marry one wife and go around with other women, others just stay single but go around, and some kings like my father practice INCEST."
"Like it matters anyway. Almost all the Gerudos are related," Enya said dully.
"So? Mom's not a Gerudo. She's a HYLIAN. Dad, look: Enya's my cousin, but do you see us making out in the closet? I didn't think so."
Sora let out a laugh, amused by Ax. He had her sense of humor, although not as dark. "Come on, you know you want her."
For once, D actually creaked a smile in humor, and then finally spoke, "I think we should rest up before doing anything further, don't you?"
"Good idea," Sora agreed, nodding her head. "That's what Nabooru said to do anyway."
"You'll have to share a room with some people. The temple's packed with Gerudos," Ax told her.
Enya smiled. "My room's got a couple extra beds, and I'm alone in it except for Ax and Kima. You're welcome to stay there if you need."
D nodded. "Alright then."
"Kima's on guard tonight though, so we won't be seeing her. Which is a good thing, because she talks just about as much as me." Ax smiled, standing. Enya stared blankly up at her uncle. "Your hand and him will get along perfectly."
"I resent that," the parasite said, who had been quiet the entire time.
"D, babe? Why does Lefty talk in public in Hyrule, but not back in our world?" That question suddenly popped into Sora's mind. It was true; D had to fully trust Sora before he revealed the parasite to her. She still recalled seeing it for the first time. She had just stared at it a moment before pointing at the parasite and saying, "D, there's a talking face on your left palm," which earned her first actual laugh from D.
"People are used to odd things here," the parasite replied.
Ganiox let out a light chuckle. "That we are. oh, I recommend seeing the Ancient Sages after leaving here. At least the Wind Sage. Her temple is the safest ever. You not only have the strongest magic seal from Lilu, but not even that goddess can stand the winds around the temple."
"I was planning on it," D replied with a nod. "I want to make sure she's alright. She's a very close friend of mine."
Ax ran to the door. "Well, come on. You guys should get some rest as soon as possible. D, Morian, whatever your name is, Enya may have healed you, but you still need to rest."
Enya creaked a slight smile at D. "He's right. I just brought you out of the Heat Syndrome stage. You need to heal yourself the rest of the way."
Knowing there was no way out of it, D nodded, and headed for the door, stopping briefly to say thank you to Ganiox for his time. Sora followed him, and Enya led them to her room.
=-=-=-=-=-
Enya and Ax were asleep, at least Sora thought so. She herself couldn't sleep, and D was just sitting there, unable to sleep as well.
She crawled over to his floor cot and sat next to him, allowing him to wrap his cape around her, and resting her head on his shoulder. "You should try to sleep," he told her, but Sora just shrugged. "Can't."
Looking over at Enya, Sora narrowed her eyes, puzzled. "You never told me about her."
"I figured Adrian would have. If he hadn't, then he probably wished for you not to know. I came to Hyrule around a year after her soul was released, and Adrian had already left," he replied in a whisper as to not wake Enya or Ax.
Sora sighed, shaking her head. "I don't believe she's a Tepes."
"Why not?"
She pulled back, glaring at D, a playful lecture look on her face. "How can THAT be a Tepes?! The Tepes are dull! Boring! Enigmatic! Dark!" she paused. ".Like you!"
D allowed himself a chuckle. "She's nothing like her mother either. I've heard stories, and personally, I don't see what Adrian saw in her. Enya was still in the womb when Galatea tried to kill her mother, envious that Adrian had fallen in love."
"Galatea? Markus's old girlfriend who Alucard killed twice? Jeez, I knew she got ticked when any of her old lovers showed more affection to other women than they did to her, but I didn't think she'd go as far as to kill."
"She's an evil Succubus. And yes, she has gone that far. Markus felt he failed himself when she went evil, but he's managed to pull together a small group of Incubi and Succubi that are on the side of good and only kill when necessary."
Sora shivered and huddled closer to D. They stayed silent for a couple of minutes when she realized he had fallen asleep, his back leaning against the wall and his fedora covering his face. She tried to sleep as well, but still couldn't. After a little bit, she was just content to close her eyes when she heard something move, and didn't move as she realized Enya was getting up. She pretended to be asleep until the demon left the room, and then gently moved D's arm off of her, stood, and followed. Sure, Enya was a priestess for the good goddesses, but Sora had a sneaking suspicion that Enya might be a spy of Lilu, just because of her family heritage.
'You're paranoid', Sekhmet told her, but Sora just ignored the goddess.
Enya had left the Spirit Temple, a cloak drawn about her to keep out the cold desert air. Sora silently followed her tracks, careful not to slide on the dunes. She had ventured just beyond the boundary of the Desert Colossus, and the ominous air told Sora she was near Parapa Desert. For reassurance, she put her hand on the hilt of her sword.
The priestess stopped at a cave, and Sora ducked behind a mound of sand as Enya looked around to see if anyone was there. She was lucky she was downwind, because Enya had also sniffed the air for scents. After deciding no one was there, she entered the cave. Sora waited a couple of seconds, recalling that D had said always to wait a few seconds if anything suspicious went somewhere out of your sight, because they could always come back as you started following them. It was a trap seldom used, but Enya seemed intelligent enough to do it.
When she didn't come back, Sora slowly slid down the sand dune to the cave, flattening herself against the wall as she entered it, poking her head out just enough to see down into it, but saw nothing.
She knew she had to use her vampire powers now to see in the dark; demon things usually involved no light. Keeping close to the wall and watching out for movements in the shadows, Sora finally saw a single torch that Enya had set up.
Getting closer, Sora saw Enya kneeling, her head bowed in heavy respect. Nothing was in front of her, but as Sora drew even closer, she saw the statue of what looked like a dragon. Enya was praying in a language Sora didn't understand, and she didn't pay attention as her foot stepped on a piece of gravel and accidentally let a little slip out, the light hiss of it drawing Enya's attention. She turned around, her eyes suddenly glowing red, and fangs bared, but she immediately calmed when she saw Sora.
"I. I'm sorry, you startled me," she said, heavy emotion evident in her voice. She covered her face with her hand in shame, and she resumed praying.
"What are you doing?" Sora asked. Enya stopped, not turning to face the Dunpeal. She reached out and touched the stone statue.
"Just visiting a dead family member."
Sora blinked twice, not understanding. She looked at the statue, and by just seeing the fine detail, from the texture of the dragon's scales to the twisted, agonizing face of death that was on it, saw that this dragon was once alive, and magic had turned it to stone after it died. "Who is it?"
"My mother."
Now, Sora was getting wigged out. Did she just hear Enya say 'Mother' or did the cold desert wind make her hear things? For one, it looked nothing like Enya, and for another, didn't look like anything Alucard would have been interested in.
"You're confused. it's understandable. This is just the form she died in. she was really a demon vampire."
"I knew it. So you are a demon-"
Enya turned to glare at her. "I'm half demon. I know my father is half human and half vampire, and my mother a full demon, but it's been established that I'm half demon. You probably think I'm a follower of Lilu, just studying Din, Nayru, and Farore to find weaknesses in their power that Lilu could take advantages. Well, it's quite the opposite."
"Sorry." Sora grimaced at the tone Enya used. She came to the conclusion now that Enya certainly was Al's daughter. Enya could suddenly turn serious at any moment, and from the looks of it, she hated who she was. She looked at the statue. "But your mother worshipped Lilu. wouldn't she hate you for worshipping the other goddesses?"
"I wouldn't know. I never knew her. She died while I was less than a year old. you're a Dunpeal like Uncle Morian and Father, too. did your parents hate you because you weren't their race? Or did you go against their religion and study something else?"
Sora fell silent, looking down at the ground and squeezing her eyes shut. After a moment she said, "I was taken away from both of my parents when I wasn't even a week old. You at least know who both your parents are. I don't know any of them, or what they look like. I got this scar before I was taken away," she pulled back the curtain of red hair that fell over her left eye, revealing the scar. "I've just given up hope on finding them. They're dead."
Enya smiled. "Hey, you don't know that. Have you ever met my father?"
"Yeah, he's a real cool guy. D and him didn't really get along."
"Well, Father told me that you should never give up. We all choose our own fates, is what he said he tells almost everyone. If you're with Uncle Morian, then he's probably taught you the same thing. Have you ever given up on him?"
Sora just shook her head.
"And if you've never seen your folks, you have no proof that they're alive or dead. You could find them one day. You should still love them even if they hate you," Enya said, nudging her head to the stone figure of her mother. Sora nodded, knowing she was right.
The priestess stood and walked over to Sora, grabbing her chin and tilting her head until she could get a full view of the scar. Sora didn't flinch, seeing those deadly talons hardly an inch away from her skin.
"Only silver can scar a Dunpeal, vampire, or even a demon for life, and scars such as that usually grow with their owner."
"Yeah, it does."
Enya nodded, as if to say, "I thought so."
"Hyrule blacksmiths can make silver daggers that can scar like that."
"I don't think I'm from Hyrule, Enya."
Enya took a step back and looked Sora over, especially at her ears and face. "Well, your ears are unusually pointed for a Dunpeal. They're more pointed than Morian's, at least. If I were to look at you, and, say for instance, you were from Hyrule. your build is Sheikahn. If you see one, you'll know."
"What exactly is a Sheikah, anyway?"
Enya shrugged, letting go of Sora's chin and folding her arms over her chest. "Basically a Hylian, only way more skilled in magic arts, their bodies are built for agility, and they're excellent warriors."
"Perfect body Lilu's looking for?"
"You got it. They're even able to go into the Shadow Temple for her. Sheikahs are known as the Shadow Folk, and have a heavy connection with the darker side of Hyrule."
Sora sighed, once again glancing at Enya's Mother. "Would Lilu try to resurrect her?"
"Huh?" Enya turned to look at the statue, and slowly nodded. "I've been spending more time here, guarding the tomb. In Lilu's current state, unless she's used my grandmother's power, she can't possibly get past me."
"Don't you want to see your mother though?"
"You ask a lot of questions, you know that?" Enya let out a dry laugh. "Yeah, sure. I mean, what child wouldn't? But. I'd rather meet her under more. peaceful circumstances. Plus, she's evil. I'm content to just seeing her in my dreams."
They both stayed silent for a few more minutes. Sora envied Enya. At least she could see her mom whenever she wanted, and knew who her father was. Sora didn't even have a memory. Enya cleared her throat. "We should get back. Ax usually wakes up in the middle of the night and he gets worried if I'm not there, and I'm sure he'll wake up Uncle Morian, and he'll worry about you."
"Yeah, good idea. Hey, sorry about snooping. You were right; I thought you were a follower of Lilu passing yourself off as a peaceful priestess."
"It's alright. Not the first time it's happened, believe me."
Sora let out a laugh, and followed Enya's lead as they walked out of the cave.
=-=-=-=-=-
"I still can't believe Dad's letting you make me go."
Everyone ignored Ax as he whined about going. Enya had managed to get Ganiox into lending a couple horses for Sora and Ax. Enya already had hers saddled, and of course the DL-4 just had to be booted up. A bunch of little Gerudos had gathered around D as he pulled out the DL-4, wondering how a horse could be made of metal without the armor that some warriors used. He just told them it was a special horse, for lack of a better definition.
Sora couldn't help but smile as D acted the way he did around kids. They both hoped they could have a child someday, but the serum that she took to control Sekhmet made her sterile for a week at a time, and Sora doubted that Sekhmet would contain herself long enough for Sora to conceive and give birth, although she had talked to the goddess about it.
"Okay, some pointers before we head out," Enya began, "Morian, you don't have to worry about Heat Syndrome there. There's always a dark cloud over Parapa, and it's cool, but not cold. Well, until night falls there. After that, just pray that you don't collapse of hypothermia and some demon comes and picks off of ya. Second, the demons in the fortress there are scared to death of me because I kill any of them that come near Colossus, which they have to go through to get to Hyrule, so stick with me and you'll be safe. Third, and most important: Do NOT fall into the pit that Lilu used to get out. True, there is a magic seal to keep spirits in Hell, but that seal is a one-way street. If you fall in, you won't get out, and it's a long drop. Oh, and we don't know if Lilu's staying at the fortress in Parapa or has already gotten into Hyrule. She shouldn't be a problem if she's there because there aren't any shrines in Parapa that she can use to call forth her energy, but if she has a group of vampires with her, RUN. Any questions?"
"Can I stay home?" Ax said, in both humor and pleading. Enya smirked. "No." The prince grumbled and mounted his horse. Enya looked at Sora and D to see if they had any questions, and they just shook their heads.
They headed out, Sora and D staying close to each other as well as Enya. The priestess turned in her saddle to face them. "Oh, and on the way back, we have to stop by my mother's tomb. If Lilu's anywhere in Gerudo Territory, she'll take advantage of my absence."
"Oh, come on, Enya!" Ax grinned. "I'm sure everyone wants Lamia Carna back!"
Enya just reached over and lightly smacked the boy upside his head for the joke.
Sora shook her head in mock disgust. "Are you sure you're related to that girl, D?"
He just glanced at her, not saying anything, but he shrugged, and kicked the DL-4's flanks as Enya sped up. Sora did the same, catching up with them. In the distance to the side of her, she could see the cave that Lamia was in, and figured they had sped up because the fortress was still a distance away.
At the speed they were going, they approached the fortress in about half an hour, and Enya told them not to leave their horses, because the vampires picked off of anything and everything. This place gave everyone the creeps. The fortress was made of black mud brick, and yellow eyes glared at all of them from windows. Sora could have sworn she heard a growl, but didn't announce it.
The eyes disappeared when they saw Enya. She had brought along her sword just in case, and Ax said he knew magic. Sora could just let Sekhmet take over and attack anything that came near them, but that might be a bad idea.
"Ever felt more unwelcome someplace?" D asked, looking at Sora. She shrugged. "I don't know."
She didn't pay attention, and didn't know what was going on until she felt the huge magic presence that made her head throb. She looked up, feeling a dark presence as well, and saw the huge pit in the desert sand.
Enya stopped about ten feet away from it, and unsheathed her sword, the blade made of black iron, and tested the ground. She turned to D and Sora. "Use your swords as guides. The sand could fall out from under you and make you fall in."
That made both of them immediately unsheathe their swords, and Sora poked the sand with hers before stepping where it was, as if they were surrounded by quicksand pits. In a way, they were, but not moving wouldn't save them.
Sora stopped about five feet away from the mouth of the pit. She let out a low whistle. "Now that's a hole."
Ax lit a small fireball in his hand and tossed it into the pit. A ripple of blue showed as it passed the magic seal and fell. They all leaned over enough to see it fall until it went out of sight.
"See? Hellfire," Ax said, a grin crossing his face. They all laughed, D just letting out a chuckle.
"So uh. Lilu must be one pretty damn big goddess to have made this hole," Sora noted, looking at the size, which was more than likely a good 100-foot diameter.
D shook his head. "It's like a crater. The hole is bigger than the actual thing that made it. We also have to remember that magic opened this hole, and her spirit escaped, not her actual form."
"Will she be able to break this magic seal before she gets her body?" Sora asked.
Enya shrugged. "In all likelihood, yes, but she'll need a ton of magic. I think she'd prefer to get her body back first. All nine sages of Hyrule made this seal. You try to find a spell that can break a seal made of light, forest, fire, water, shadow, spirit, destiny, wind, and myth without using extreme amounts of magic. I dare you to."
Sora nodded. "Alright then."
"Spells like that are possible." D said, "they just take about a year to prepare."
'Yeah, and that's only if you have a ton of mental control,' Sora added silently.
"So," Sora said, a smirk crossing her face. "How much ya wanna bet those helpers of Lilu's down there heard ya just now, D?"
D shook his head in disgust.
Enya grinned and looked down into the pit. "Hi, Mom!!!"
Ax and Sora laughed as Enya walked back to her horse and mounted it. "We need to head back. If we don't now, the sun will be too high in Colossus for Uncle Morian."
"Why don't you go on ahead with D, Enya?" Sora suggested. "Ax and I can check out the cave and make sure your Mom's alright."
"Huh, wha?" Ax blinked, turning to Sora as he heard his name. "What about me?"
Enya nodded. "Alright. Ax, stay with Sora. I'll meet you two back at the Spirit Temple."
"Hey! I hate checking out your Mom's tomb! Lamia's just. weird! Even in death, it's like she hates me because I'm Laura's grandson."
"Wanna find out?" a cruel smirk crossed Enya's face as she said that, nudging her head to the pit. Ax gulped, and ran to his horse, quickly mounting it. "Uh. No, thanks."
D and Sora mounted their horses as well, and they left. Enya stayed with them just until they got to the outskirts of Parapa, to keep them safe, and she and D went ahead.
Sora and Ax rode to the cave, and dismounted. As Sora started to go in, she turned around. "You coming, Ax?"
Ax shuddered, leaning against the mouth. "No thanks. I'll just keep watch; I'm more powerful than ya think. My grandmother controlled the element of fire, y'know. It's confusing, I know. Having one grandmother that was intent on destroying Hyrule and the other the only sister she didn't kill. I never see Grandma Zelda that much anymore, though. gotta learn stupid Gerudo politics for when I'm king. hey, be careful in there, okay?"
Sora nodded. "I won't take long." She unsheathed her sword and walked in.
She passed through a weird magical barrier about thirty feet into the cave. Sora just figured Enya erected it to keep any evil spirits inside the cave if Lilu did get in.
Forgetting to use her vampiric powers to see in the dark, Sora ran right into Carna's body. She reeled back, rubbing her face where she hit the cold stone. That was weird. Sora could have sworn that the statue was farther into the cave. oh well.
Sora looked around the statue, and decided nothing was wrong. She turned to leave, but when she came to where the barrier was, she ran right into it, and didn't pass through it. Sora blinked in confusion, and smacked the barrier with a balled fist.
"Ax?" she called out, but no reply. "Hey, Ax!"
A couple seconds later, she got her answer. She heard the sound of stone rumbling, and ran back to Lamia's body to make sure everything was okay. It seemed all right at first, but then the stone began to crumble. Sora's eyes widened in disbelief and horror. "Oh no. Enya's gonna kill me."
The statue practically collapsed, but something- no, someone- was in the stone debris. It was a woman, with red hair, and Enya's height. Sora couldn't figure out if her hair was short, or long and just pulled in front of her shoulder, because her back was turned to her.
".Enya?" Sora asked cautiously, the hand on the hilt of her sword.
The woman turned around, and two glowing yellow eyes rested on Sora. Her lips drew back in a snarl, revealing a mouth full of demonic fangs. She pushed her long red hair behind her shoulder, and glared at the Dunpeal.
".You wish."
