Chapter 28: Death Mountain
Fiona continued to gallop through the forest while Link and Wade spoke.
"How close do you think we are?" Link asked, yawning.
"Almost there," Wade answered, tugging the reins. He put his hand on Fiona's head. "Keep going, old girl," he said. Fiona now galloped as if in a daze, her movements lethargic and sluggish, her eyes half closed. "You'll get your rest soon."
"Wade," Link said suddenly, "you've studied the Phantom, haven't you?"
"Lately my main focus has been the Minish, but how could I be unacquainted with what threats us currently?"
"I was just wondering. Could you tell me…what chance could a man have against him?"
Wade shook his head. "For a while everyone thought the Hermit would be the one to slay him, but we all know how that turned out. The truth is, Link, no one ever knows who the next hero is going to be. Do I think the Phantom is invincible –that nothing could touch him? No, I don't. Many would look to the impossible things he has done and say yes, but I think differently. No one with power enough has come to defeat him yet; that's all. Is it you? Could be. But we'll never know until you try. That is the greatest risk of being a hero. The risk of failure. Of defeat. Of shame. I suppose the Hermit has come to know this risk very well by now. Poor old man."
"Up ahead," Navi broke in, pointing into the distance. "Is it another clearing?"
"No," Wade said, his eyes seeming to light up in joy. "We've done it. We've reached the end of the forest."
Soon enough, Fiona stepped through the last of the bushes and brought the others out of the forest. Immediately she sank to the ground, exhausted and listless, shocking everyone. "Poor girl," Wade said, stroking her mane. "She gave it everything she had."
Link dismounted the horse, and his eyes were immediately directed upwards. Towering above them, stretching up above the clouds, Death Mountain loomed. There was almost no land between the Mountain and the forest. It was as if the two were interconnected, part of the same landscape.
Link felt a tap on his shoulder, his neck still craned up, his eyes fixed on Death Mountain. "It is time, Link," Navi said. "Finally, we have reached the end."
"We better leave Fiona here," Wade said. He walked over and tied her to the nearest tree. "We won't need her help where we're going. Come Link; come Navi. Death Mountain awaits."
Clutching the crimson rocks of the mountain, Link pulled himself up, grimacing from the effort. Fiona wasn't the only one who was fatigued. Link too had pushed himself to his limit, eager to finally be done with the forest, yet anxious to see what was next. "Wade," Link said, pulling his legs up and clutching the next rock. "I don't know if I can do this all night. Sooner or later we'll have to stop and get some rest."
"Don't worry," Wade said. "This mountain isn't totally vertical. There are plenty of plateaus and overhangings where we can stop and make camp. Let's just get as far as we can for now."
For a few more hours they climbed, and when they could go no longer without their eyes closing and their arms aching, they found an overhanging and quickly made camp. Link and Navi crawled over to the side of the mountain, their backs resting against the dusty-red crag, and quickly fell asleep. Wade, weary as well, rolled over onto his back and stared up at the blank night sky. "May the Gods watch over us tonight," he said. Then his eyes closed, and within minutes he was asleep.
When Link awoke, the sun was already above him, resplendent and blazing, and Wade and Navi were sitting beside him.
"Have something to eat," Wade said, handing him some bread and cheese. "You're going to need the energy for later."
"For the Phantom," Link acknowledged.
"Not quite," Wade said, chuckling. "We'll still have another day's climb at least. It's amazing how tall this thing is. It rises to the clouds, Link, overlooking the entire world itself." In the daylight, Link was able to stare off into the horizon. He saw everything, from the dry and barren desert in the west, to the moist and murky swamp in the east, a large lake beside it. He even saw the village, northwest of the swamp, closer to the forest and the mountain. But what he saw he couldn't believe.
He saw a war consuming the village, taking it over. Now most of it took place outside the city walls, but Link could see it was coming closer. Shadows fought against the valiant but few soldiers, pushing them back into their home. They were losing. Everything happened slowly, and the figures were blurry from the distance, but Link was sure of what he saw. The soldiers were in danger. The civilians were in danger.
Tetra was in danger.
"Now do you see why we have to hurry?" Wade asked, meeting Link's gaze. "We have to stop the Phantom before he enters this war. If you think things look grim now, think of what would happen if he got involved. The Phantom alone could be a determinative factor. He could turn the Poes' likely victory into a definite one. That is why you have to stop him."
Link nodded, though his thoughts were elsewhere. In his mind he pictured Tetra, still asleep from Maple's spell, helpless. The town was in a frenzy, chaos everywhere. And Tetra could do nothing to protect herself.
Even if Uriel has arrived already, Link thought, does that really ensure her safety? Even awake, the Poes can still find her –can still kill her.
"Let's go," Link said, ready to begin their climb once more. "The Phantom will not get involved. I'll make sure of that."
