A Link to the Heart Chapter 23
Kinesha's horse couldn't run any further, the beast was lagging and caked in sweat, its breath heaving with every step. Hers wasn't the only one, all the horses were flagging, barely able to keep putting one hoof in front of the other. There must have been two-score Gerudo with her, all them bloodied and weary from the battle and all of them at the end of their stamina. If they didn't stop soon the horses would start dying from exhaustion.
Kinesha forced her weary head up and saw her band were crossing the fields outside a village. She must have been so tired that she didn't notice their approach, her eyes glazing with exhaustion. The village was a burnt-out ruin, doubtless razed in one of the first attacks of the Gerudo nation. There were no living souls in sight and the plains of Hyrule stretched out in all directions, the gentle hills disguising their escape.
Kinesha turned her weary horse's head towards the village and led her sisters within, dismounting as soon as they were concealed behind the ruins. One by one the Gerudo slipped off their saddles and collapsed to the dirt, many of them sitting on their rears or falling flat on their backs as they stared at the evening sky. Kinesha shared their exhaustion, she had fought through the battle and ridden for hours afterwards, seeking to escape their pursuers. Many hundreds of Gerudo had fled the battlefield, breaking out past the depleted Hylian Knights, but their losses had been dire. For every sister who had fled the battle another lay rotting upon those bloody fields. Half their force decimated by explosion, magic and steel, a terrible day indeed.
Kinesha wanted to collapse on the ground but she forced her feet to move, ripping off her horses' bridle so the beast could breathe easier. She dragged off the saddle and let it fall, leaving her horse to investigate a stagnant water barrel. She turned and staggered over to where Gurd lay, rubbing her forehead with a hand soaked in someone's blood. Kinesha kicked the woman and sighed, "Get up."
"Go away," Gurd wheezed, "I've chosen to die right here."
"You die when I tell you to die," Kinesha snapped, "Come on, someone has to keep a watch."
Gurd groaned in weariness but she rolled over and forced her legs under her, staggering upright. The pair hastily backtracked to the edge of the village, where they had a good view over the countryside and flopped onto a low wall for a seat. Kinesha's legs were aching from the long ride and she flexed and stretched them repeatedly, knowing her muscles would cramp if she didn't keep limber. As she did this she surveyed the horizon and muttered, "I think we lost them."
Gurd was working her shoulder around as she commented, "We better had, we can't fight them again, not in this state."
Kinesha agreed, "They almost had us, their King sent the rest of his Knights after us. Fool, he should have known Knights in heavy armour can't keep up with Gerudo raiders. Once we split up the clans they were left in our dust, they'll never find us."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Gurd hissed, "How did they know where we would be?"
That was the pressing question of the day. The Gerudo had amassed a half-dozen clans into one force. Three thousand riders committed to levelling the town of Kasuto. They had speed and surprise on their side, the defenders should have been overwhelmed before they even had a chance to get their armour on. The town should have been burnt to the ground and left in their wake days before the King even heard of the attack. Instead it had been the Gerudo who were surprised, when six thousand heavily armed Hylians had marched over the hill behind them.
Kinesha still felt shocked by the unexpected reversal. Their supposed surprise attack had turned into a deadly trap. Caught between town walls and the advancing army the Gerudo had been left with no choice but to fight. Kinesha had been with them every step of the way; the initial rush, the magical duel and the devastating explosions that had broken their morale. She had ridden through the desperate flight, fighting to break out before the Hylians enveloped them entirely. She had killed several Knights personally, only to be brought up short by the dazzling duel of Old Hanne.
Kinesha had never seen such potent magics as the Midnight Hag had wielded. Lightning, thunder and flight. She had been a power to rival Twinrova all by herself and Kinesha would not have believed any could stand against her. And yet one soul had. A lone warrior with a mirror shield and a dappled-metal sword had stood against the Sorceress and prevailed, casting her down with her own reflected magic. It was a terrible thought that any man could have survived against such odds and yet what truly troubled Kinesha was that she recognised the swordsman in question. No amount of armour could hide his style: strong and defiant and supremely skilled. The sword alone was a dead giveaway. Kinesha knew this was the same warrior who had duelled with her at the ranch and she struggled to understand how he had beaten the Midnight Hag.
She leaned back and sighed, "I can't believe Hanne is dead."
Gurd mumbled, "Turns out the old witch wasn't as tough as everyone supposed. Probably just had a nasty reputation."
"No," Kinesha countered, "You saw what I saw, you witnessed her magic. She was mighty and powerful and yet one swordsman bested her."
Gurd snorted, "Magic, pah! I spit upon magic, its no match for a good blade. We should never have trusted in Sorceresses to lead us. We need warriors, not witches, to lead."
Kinesha however wasn't listening, she gazed into the setting sun and mused, "How did he do it? What power could he wield to oppose such might?"
Suddenly another voice cut through, "Your question is greater than you know!"
Both of them turned and looked to see Mahee picking her way towards them. The wise woman looked exhausted and well she should. She was far older than the rest and her bones were tired, but still she kept walking, until she could lower herself onto the wall next to them. She adjusted her robe and sighed wearily, age hanging upon her like a cloak. Kinesha waited a moment out of respect then asked, "What do you mean?"
Mahee breathed deeply and confessed, "I was humbled today. I saw magic at play beyond any I have ever known. Power and knowledge that reduced me to a mere tinkerer and bone-rattler. The forces at play astounded me. Energy and space and time were putty in the hands of Old Hanne and her Hylian rival… and yet one swordsman bested her."
Gurd muttered, "As I said, magic isn't all its cracked up to be."
"You do not see," Mahee snapped, "That swordsman was blessed with power beyond power. Primordial force, older and more fundamental than any paltry magic. I smelt it on him, primaeval firmament wafting as he duelled. Like he carried an elemental part of the universe itself on his person."
Kinesha's eyes widened as she guessed, "The relic... the Triforce. He carries a part of it?"
Mahee nodded, "Yes, I could smell it on him. In battle he exposed himself and his treasure. Had Old Hanne killed him she may have claimed it for herself, but she underestimated his power. To confront such a primal force with magic was pointless; she may have as well as tried to smash a mountain part with a sapling twig."
Kinesha sat up straight and asked, "You said you smelt it, can you track the scent?"
Mahee shrugged, "Now I have tasted it, yes. I can follow that spoor anywhere."
Kinesha leapt to her feet, wincing slightly as her feet protested, and snapped, "Come on!"
Gurd and Mahee looked at each other then flopped to the ground and followed her. Kinesha led them back to the resting Gerudo and looked about, counting their numbers. Of the forty Gerudo present about half were of her clan, the rest a scattering of other clans and tribes. Among them she saw Lissc, who was glowering as she sorted through her saddlebags. Kinesha hadn't even noticed the wardancer was with them but she was glad of her presence.
Kinesha rapidly made her way over to her, "Lissc! We need to talk."
Lissc however merely pulled her bags closed as she hissed, "I have nothing to say to you."
Kinesha was brought to a halt and stammered, "I… what?!"
Lissc snapped, "I should never have listened to you."
Kinesha hadn't been expecting so vehement a response and backpedalled, "Lissc, what are you talking about?"
"You! You got my clan killed," Lissc growled, "It was your daft plan to amass our forces, your idea to hit bigger targets. You wanted a glorious campaign of conquest, instead half my clan ended up dead in the fields!"
Kinesha blinked in shock and said, "We don't know that, many escaped and scattered to the winds. I'm sure more of your tribe are out there."
Lissc snarled, "I pray to the Sand Goddesses they are. As soon as I am rested I intend to find them and lead them back to the desert."
"You're quitting?!" Kinesha gasped.
"I am," Lissc hissed, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Wavia was right. This invasion of Hyrule was a fool's errand. We should have stuck to what we know, a swift raid for spoils and prisoners and retreated before the King could muster. This entire war was a mistake."
Kinesha saw heads rise up at that proclamation and many looked to be agreeing with her. Kinesha knew she had to stamp down on the dissent and pleaded, "But we can't quit, not when we have found one of the relics. The battle cost us dearly but it achieved one thing, the relic bearers exposed themselves. Mahee can track them anywhere now."
"I don't care!" Lissc snapped, "Relics and magic, I spit upon them. I have had enough of this blood-soaked slaughter. Hyrule has magic, weapons and numbers we can't match. So I am leaving, and anyone who wants to quit is welcome to ride with me."
Many were watching the exchange and Kinesha was pleading to all of them, "But what of the curse? We can break it, we can live free of our doom for all time."
Lissc sneered, "What use is freedom to the dead? I would rather risk a bloody childbed than the certainty of laying cold on the battlefield. My clan has endured the curse for longer than memory can tell and we shall continue to survive. You can stay and watch your clan go extinct if you will, but I refuse to let one more of my people die for your mad quest."
Kinesha's lip curled and a hand fell to her scimitar as she snarled, "You coward, I won't let you go."
But Lissc snorted, "You can't stop me whelp."
Kinesha sensed many others reaching for their weapons and knew this was about to get ugly. She realised a fight in this state would probably see everyone dead, leaving none left to lift the curse. Frustrated but unable to do otherwise she let go of her blade and hissed, "Very well, go then and live forever with your shame."
Lissc only shook her head and muttered, "For the sake of our past comradery I will say only this: let go of your fear. Your dread of what might happen is driving you down perilous paths. Continue as you are and you will end up dead… or worse."
With that the wardancer hefted her bags and walked off, heading away into the ruins. Some half the surviving Gerudo went with her and Kinesha was sure this wasn't an isolated example. Wherever the other bands had scattered similar arguments would be taking place and when word reached the bulk of the Gerudo nation their entire force would split in two. Hordes would bicker and break apart, many deserting as the news of the defeat spread. Yet she knew others would stay and fight, determined to win this war and she was set upon being among them.
Gurd watched the others depart and muttered, "I'm starting to think they are talking sense."
"Forget them," Kinesha hissed, "We don't need them. We have the relic's location, that's all that matters."
Mahee sniffed, "That's all well and good, but our forces are scattered to the winds. What are we to do?"
Kinesha chewed on it for a moment then declared, "We shall seek out Twinrova."
"Those two?!" Gurd scoffed, "Why, what magic do they have that Old Hanne didn't?"
"I don't seek magic," Kinesha explained, "I seek more riders. They can give me a fresh horde."
"Why?" Mahee asked.
Kinesha declared, "We've seen this swordsman best the mightiest magic, he is protected and warded against any mystical attack. Yet I have crossed blades with him and seen him bleed. If he can bleed I can kill him. I see now magic was never the answer, we were fools to rely so heavily upon it. No more, I intend to track this warrior down and kill him with my own two hands. By the sands I swear this: he shall die with my blade rammed into his heart."
