Stitchedheart17: I think you do wonderful on reviews! I feel just as bad at responding to them though. I'm glad you are enjoying it. : )
Okezd: Is there anything wrong with being a die hard Ghiralink fan? I think not! Lol.
We're getting close to the ending, yay? Means more intense writing for me…hmm but then I'll be done and not have it always stirring in the back of my mind. Well, anyways, please enjoy!
Chapter 24
The demon sat in his ornate throne, eyes closed in intense concentration, while Link looked on. After countless hours of weapon training, the pale man had finally conceded that they were now ready to find and confront Zelda. Carefully, he now searched mentally for the sheikah and her charge, taking great care not to alert the goddess of his prying. Ghirahim's lips twitched when his mind brushed briefly against that of the blonde warrior. Quickly, he drew back within himself, resisting the temptation to teleport to her location. Patience is a virtue, especially for a moment such as this. Revenge would be his soon. When his eyes opened they found Link waiting cross legged on the floor in front of him.
When the red clad male saw that Ghirahim's eyes were now open, he stood up, muscles protesting slightly after sitting for so long. He inclined his head questioningly.
The Demon Lord smiled "The spirit maiden and her dog are making their way towards the sealed temple. It had been my assumption that they would indeed go there, however I wished to ascertain that fact for myself. This is not the sort of thing that I care to leave up to pure conjecture." Gracefully stretching, Ghirahim rose "Hylia wishes to improve the seal, now that she believes her…puppet to be deceased, in order to wait for a new one. However you and I shall see to it that she fails." He placed two fingers underneath the blonde's chin, lifting it slightly "Are you ready to take your revenge, hero?" he whispered, staring deeply into the azure eyes.
"Yes, sir." The reply was steady, even. No hint of regret or doubt evident in the skychild's gaze or voice.
"Good skychild" Ghirahim purred. He leaned down and kissed those golden lips, noticing the way the blonde's body stiffened and the grip on the katana's hilt increased. The demon pushed the boy against the wall and deepened the kiss. Eventually, the rigidity of the human's body eased and the hand released it's grasp, coming to rest on the demon's shoulder instead. The pale man breathed in satisfaction as Link began to return the kiss, caught up in the passion. Ghirahim broke it off, chuckling with amusement at the bewildered and then horrified look that crossed over the Skyloftian's face as realization of his willingness dawned. "Make ready, Link, for we depart soon. After the Lady Hylia is secured, I promise we shall continue this." the demon turned, signaling that the boy should follow, and exited the room, a smug smirk adorning his features.
They walked into a side room, whose contents surprised Link. "Salamanders?" And indeed the amphibians were everywhere; covering the earthen floor and hiding under planted foliage.
Ghirahim chuckled "Newts, to be precise." He knelt down and picked one of the red and orange creatures up, caressing its head and along its spine "Innocent looking to be sure, but they contain one of the deadliest toxins. Quite harmless on skin itself, but.." He lifted a finger stained with the animal's secretions "Less than a drop is enough to paralyze and kill a full grown man if ingested or introduced into the bloodstream." A smile flitted on his face "Normally that is." Settling the newt down, where it scurried under a pile of leaves, he gestured towards the rest of the room "These are my own special breed. Bred to have the toxin to paralyze but not so toxic as to cause the usual death by asphyxiation." Snatching up another of the creatures, he formed his dagger and began to rub it against the animal. He released the squirming form when his blade was saturated with the toxin. Gesturing toward the door and smiling "We have a date with some lovely ladies, shall we?"
peterandhook
The afternoon sun shone brightly down on the woods surrounding the sealed temple. Zelda glanced back at Impa, who gave her charge a nod as indication to continue. They were close to their goal, the ruined structure now in sight. The blonde girl turned to continue but stopped, something was wrong. She gestured Impa next to her "Something's wrong."
Impa's head snapped up and her eyes scanned the foliage. Nothing presented itself. Even her warrior's senses were telling her that all was clear. However, it would be foolish to ignore the reborn goddess' warning. "What?" she asked, eyes still searching.
The spirit maiden shook her head "I don't know. I just had this intense feeling that something was off. Its gone now. I…I think that maybe its best if we don't go any farther tonight."
Red eyes studied the young woman. She was still in the process of remembering everything she had known before she became mortal. It could be that this sudden intuition was part of her goddess-state returning to her, if so it would be wise to do as she said. However, Impa's own trained senses had not been triggered in any way. If they stopped now and there was no danger, they would be wasting valuable time. The more time wasted, the more chance the demon king would break free. Even in monstrous form he was a danger to all. So as it stood, the warrior had to either trust her own instincts…or that of her goddess. The tall woman sighed inwardly, pressing her lips into a thin line and nodded. She moved off to start preparing camp, eyes continually sweeping the area.
Zelda exhaled through her nose and sat down, knowing without asking that Impa would refuse help in setting up camp. She knew the shiekah was not happy about the delay, but that feeling had been so strong that there was no way she was going to ignore it. Unless… what if she had got it only because she didn't want to sleep, to fully admit that Link was gone? What if there was no imminent danger and she was wasting valuable time? No. She should not second guess herself. The warning had been sharp and intense. Great peril had lain on the path to the temple, it was best to steer clear if they could.
The day passed by slowly. They ate and then talked sparingly, both preferring silence over forced conversation. The sky gradually darkened until Impa offered to take first watch. Zelda agreed "Okay, but you need to wake me when its my turn."
Impa nodded and watched as the girl prepared for the night. She watched as her charge fell fast asleep, knowing already that she would not wake her. Red eyes turned upwards, watching the stars crawl across the black backdrop.
"Are they not such exquisite diamonds?"
The shiekah had not felt the quiet presence as the demon had snuck up on her, nor had she heard or seen anything to indicate his arrival. She started in surprise at his words, instantly turning and attempting to bring her weapon to bear. However, the pale man just smirked insanely and caught the blade's edge in his hand, seeming to not care as it tore flesh and sliced deeply into his palm. His fingers curled around the weapon and pulled forward, bringing the blonde warrior toward him; using her momentum to impale his black dagger up to the hilt in her stomach.
She sank to her knees, the dagger pulling out of her. She felt the muscles in her body tighten and ignore her commands. Attempting to look up at the demon, she found she could not. Nor could she speak. Her mind supplied the answer immediately, the dagger had been poisoned. She fell to her side, feeling her blood spill over her abdomen. She struggled against her body, willing it to resist but lost as the toxin continued to affect her.
Ghirahim knelt down so that the female could watch his lips "Do you remember sheikah, how you used the goddess' blood to poison me? How I could not move? How I could do next to nothing? I promised to repay the favor, and so I have." He reached out and stroked her face, enjoying the fact that she could not react, could not pull away, couldn't even close her eyes. "Do not worry though, Impa, you will not die...not yet. I still owe you and your kind repayment for what was done to my master." He smiled and stood, signaling Link forward from his concealment.
Trotting forward, Link gazed down at the blonde warrior "What was the point of all that training if all you were going to do was poison her?"
Putting a hand to his chest and shaking his head in mock sadness, the demon sighed "I admit, I expected her to put up a more adequate struggle." The pale man shrugged "However it is always in one's best interest to be prepared for any outcome." As if just noticing his wound, Ghirahim tsked and summoned the little black diamonds.
Blue eyes searched the campsight and froze, filling with rage and hate as they caught sight of Zelda. He started forward, caught up in his anger, but was stopped as a hand caught his arm. Brown eyes bored into his own.
"No skychild, she must be pure and unharmed. Stay here and guard the dog, I'll take care of this as well." Ignoring the glare and snarl directed his way by the blonde male, he started toward the sleeping Hylia.
Thank you for reading!