Chapter 26

Link charged at his twin. The two met in a frenzy of spinning blades. Sounds of clanking swords, panting, and thumping of feet filled the small room. Tael and Horacio couldn't even distinguish the difference between the two; for one thing, they looked exactly alike, and for another thing, they were whirling about the room like twisters.

"Horacio! Tael! Get out of here! Garod needs the doctor!" Link's voice quickly spat from the whirlwind.

"Don't listen to him! It's Dark!" Link's voice came again, sounding exactly the same. "He's going to do something!"

"I'm the real one! Hurry, get him out of here! I'll be fine!"

Horacio and Tael stared at each other. They couldn't intervene in any way; neither of them knew which one to attack. Dark Link had removed his cap since the incident with the poisoned stew, so the two were identical. The only thing they could do was get Garod out of there. Whether or not the real Link had suggested it, it sounded like the best thing they could do.

Waiting for the right moment, Horacio leapt across the room after Link and Dark Link had passed. Tael grabbed the dart and flew for the door. Horacio took longer pulling Garod out of the chair and getting a good grip on the limp body. After he stumbled to the door, he gave it a good push and Tael shot through the crack like a missile.

"Don't do it! I'm Link! Horacio!"

The door quickly slammed shut with a bang.

They don't know who I am, Link thought. I'll bet Dark Link just wanted them out of the way so we'd be alone.

A sudden sting on his right shoulder brought him back to the fight. Dark had given him a quick slice across the shoulder while he had lost focus. Wincing at the burning sensation every time he moved, he did his best to parry Dark's attacks. Link brought his sword down in an arc, barely missing Dark's cheek.

"You'd get mauled by a dummy," Dark mocked.

"You're saying you're worse than a dummy?" Link shot back as he blocked a high swing from Dark Link. In the brief pause Dark made while realizing what he'd just said, Link dealt him a blow with the butt of his sword under the chin. Dark smiled savagely and did a quick roll around Link's legs. Link turned around and jumped backwards to avoid Dark Link's blade, which spiraled through the air as he spun. Link jumped at his dazed twin, sword outstretched. Dark stopped him with his shield, and the two stood still, facing each other.

"I won't leave until you let the fairy go!" Link yelled. "I don't care how much knowledge you have, and I don't care how many sword moves you know. There's one thing you'll never learn, and that's love. You could never understand the way people feel. You just react to your environment the way you were designed. There's no emotion involved. Not even hate. You feel nothing. If you had any compassion, you would understand. People just don't kill people for no reason."

"You know the nice thing about having no emotion? I don't care if people kill each other for no reason. Stop blabbering and save your energy for fighting," Dark spat out.

Link shoved Dark's shield, which had been held between the two. Dark toppled backwards, and Link rushed forward. Dark was stunned for a few seconds, giving Link the opportunity to stab at the clone's exposed chest.

Link's sword hit the floor; Dark Link had vanished completely. He was using the dark world as a means of sneaking behind Link or across the room. Link couldn't see any shadows in the dark room. Panicking, he fled the house and stood in the middle of the street outside, waiting for Dark to show himself. The strong sunlight would reveal Dark's location immediately.

The shadow never appeared. No matter how long Link stood waiting, the door of Garod's house remained stationary. Villagers cautiously walked around him, trying to stop staring at the gash across his shoulder. Nobody would dare to get close to him. He was holding his sword straight out in front of him, covered in sweat, breathing as if he had asthma. Link stood still, waiting.

) () (

Dark Link sat at the table, his head in his hands. Now that Link was gone, he could take down the protective shield that portrayed him as a tough, uncaring machine. The truth was, since he started realizing just what he was doing, he had started to think more and more. Part of him knew that if he didn't kill Link, Ganon would be furious. The other part begged him to give up. Who was he to take innocent lives just because someone told him to?

He would have to get out of there before the group came back; he didn't know if he could handle the pressure. His earlier behavior had caused everyone to hate him, but now that he was wavering, he wasn't so sure he liked being hated anymore. Inside, he knew it was impossible to win them back.

Win them back? What am I talking about? Nobody ever liked me in the first place, and nobody is going to change their mind just because I say I don't want to kill anyone anymore. There's no way I can change what's happening. I have no choice but to follow Master Ganon's orders.

The act would have to wait until he had Link alone again. Dark Link sat alone in the dark chamber until he worked up the energy to leave through a back window. No one ever saw the small, damp, salty splotches he left on the edge of the table.

) () (

The sweltering summer heat was very palpable. There weren't many trees in Hayen, so Horacio resorted to leaning against the warm stone blocks of the hospital. The sun had gone down enough that the building provided some shade from its rays, but it was still blinding. The dry grass tickled his feet through his torn sandals. Though the scratchy blades were uncomfortable, he didn't take much notice. He was too busy thinking.

Link and Tael were inside; the doctor was having a look at his shoulder. The damage wasn't as bad as it had first looked, but the doctor had advised him not to use his right arm much if he could help it. As for Garod, he had died from the unidentified poison. Horacio hadn't known the old man, but he couldn't help feeling guilty for the whole thing. Dark Link had probably shot the dart to prevent Garod from giving them the location of the old pearl. If they hadn't come, Garod would still be alive.

Horacio had promised to aid in paying for his funeral. Garod had no living relatives, and Horacio had access to more money than everyone in that homely village put together. It all depended on if he could get his job back, but he was confident that it would all work out. Providing homes for all the people who had arrived from Pyrobia could be arranged as well, he was sure. He just needed to head off to the castle, and fast. Keeping people who couldn't yet speak Hylian in their houses was not a fun idea for the Hayens.

He had been able to shave and wash up at the hospital. Aside from the fact that he had green putrid-smelling sludge hardened over his legs, he reeked of sweat and was covered in dirt. He hadn't had a decent razor for a few years. There was no way he was going to the Myrennia Castle in such a state.

He jolted as the wooden front door creaked open next to him. As he opened his mouth to tell Link about his plan, his lips froze in place. Link's foot came down heavily on the front step. His expressionless face was as white as the bandage on his shoulder. He stumbled out into the street, muttering to himself.

"I killed him..."

Tael slipped through the door before it swung closed. Horacio quietly addressed him.

"It about Garod?" Horacio asked.

"Yeah. He's been mumbling that over and over since he found out. We tried to reassure him that it was Dark Link's doing, but I don't think he heard us," Tael replied.

"He knew Garod well, then?" Horacio assumed.

"Not really. A couple times while we were out there, he mentioned something about not fully trusting Garod. I called him crazy," Tael admitted.

"Then why is he so shaken up?" Horacio asked. Tael stared at him in disbelief.

"A guy just died just because we asked him the wrong question," Tael scolded. "And you're ok with that?"

"It wasn't our fault, it was that clone's. And I'm used to death. Just because I'm not walking around like a ghost doesn't mean I don't care," Horacio defended himself.

"All the same, you seem so empathetic about it," Tael replied, watching Link wander aimlessly around in circles. "Cut him some slack."

"Fine. I still don't understand him, but I'll drop it for now," Horacio muttered, shifting his position against the hot stones. "Look, I need to head up to the castle. I have a couple errands to run there. You guys stay here and keep out of trouble, ok?"

"I'll watch him," promised Tael. "I'd like to search Garod's house for the pearl, but I don't think Link will go in there, even after he snaps out of it. It'd probably bring up memories of Garod."

"Good thinking. Well, I'll be back as soon as I can." Horacio turned and jogged off through the heat waves toward the forest path leading to the lake. Link hardly noticed the man leaving.

Horacio bounced through the dappled shade of the forest. It felt great to be back in a normal forest, even if it wasn't very familiar to him. All the caves, swamps and mushrooms had started to get to his head. Now that he had left those crazy places behind, he was able to enjoy the scenery even more than he had a few years ago. Streams of light shone through spaces between the leaves, illuminating patches of vegetation below. It was easy to see far through the forest in any direction as long as tree trunks weren't in the way.

There was no sound except the crunch of dirt beneath his feet. The muggy summer air rested heavily on the forest; he couldn't feel any breeze. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Horacio continued jogging until the trees started thinning. Ahead, through the trees, he could see the lake. Black clouds were amassed in the distance behind the castle, occasionally releasing a noiseless flash of light. Surprisingly, the air still felt as still as death.

He slowed his pace and walked casually between the sand dunes, following the hard-packed dirt path. It led him close to the water's edge, so he scooped up some of the refreshing water and splashed it on his face. He jerked in surprise; the water was freezing cold. Looking up and across the clear blue lake, he shielded his eyes from the sun and tried to see the island in the middle.

Since he hadn't been out there for a few years, he couldn't be sure if the island had changed at all. He didn't remember the water being so cold, that was for sure. It was probably nothing, though. Horacio took a quick chilling drink and stood up. The storm in the distance didn't look pleasant. If he hurried, he would probably be able to make it to the castle before the clouds did.

) () (

Link wandered glassy-eyed through the trees. Images flashed through his head one after another. Garod looking quizzically around a room that looked like a tornado had gone through it. Garod's smile as Link helped sorting the rest of the books. His worried look as Link set off into the forest against his advice. Distorted wrinkles on his face as he cowered beneath Link's barrage of questions.

And then the look of shock upon his face the instant before his head hit the table. Link jerked violently, crying out to himself in anguish.

"I killed him, I killed him," he shouted, slamming his fists against the rough bark of a nearby tree. Without noticing the blood running down his hands, he slumped back against the tree, tears dripping to the mossy ground beneath him. It was all his fault. Sure, he had killed before, but this was the first time he had actually caused the death of an innocent person.

Why hadn't he realized Dark Link would be nearby? He had acted like they were safe. He had let down his guard. Now that Dark had a pearl, he could not only hide with ease but also get around more easily. If Link had realized that, he wouldn't have been so careless with Garod.

Sudden movement caught his eye. Bushes rustled, twigs cracked, and there was a heavy grunting sound. Link sprang up, his eyes flashing back and forth. The branch of a thick bush was heaved out of the way and Link stumbled back as something emerged. It was Freid, with blood oozing from several gashes across his body. The Moblin's eyes lit up as he spotted Link, and he rushed forward, sputtering sentences of Moblin as he went. Link backed up, getting ready to run.

"Link! Wait! He's warning you!" Tael's voice came from the trees somewhere. Link and Freid both stopped, looking up. "Listen to what he has to say," he went on. Tael prodded the news from Freid in the Moblin language, and Freid quickly responded.

"What's he saying?" Link questioned. Tael hovered down to his level. There were a few seconds of silence, and Link coaxed the fairy into answering him.

"The Fungistuls are going to attack the castle," Tael informed Link. "They're going to come up through the tunnels underneath the lake. Freid managed to escape after he learned, and he found his way here while looking for the castle."

"You believe him? For all we know, he's leading us into a trap!" Link yelled.

"His story is pretty believable. After getting their pearl stolen twice, I can imagine the Fungistuls wouldn't be too happy," Tael speculated.

"Ask him why he's telling us this," Link prompted. Tael recited the message to Freid. The Moblin hesitated, then sent back a string of rough, gravelly words.

"He says the Fungistuls are more of an enemy to him than you are," Tael told Link. "Starting with the time he learned that they flooded his village and leading up to the point when they didn't fulfill their promise to drain the swamp after he turned you in. He said that he really did leave Pyrobia because of how the humans were treated."

"I wonder how Rosaria and everyone over there are doing," Link pondered. After thinking for a minute, he replied. "I guess we'll have to trust him. Hurry, where's Horacio?"

"He left for the castle while you were...uhh...yeah. We can catch up with him if we go now," Tael responded, relieved at Link's answer. "I don't think Freid should come, though. He'd scare everyone."

"Well, those wounds need some attention," Link mentioned, pointing to the gashes all over the old Moblin's body. Tael relayed the message to Freid, who shook his head and replied.

"He said he's going for help. The Fungistul army is too powerful for the humans to fend off by themselves," Tael interpreted.

"Good idea. Come on, we need to go if we're going to catch Horacio and warn the castle in time."

Link took off, leaping over bushes, back west in the direction of Hayen Village. Tael shot after him. After leaning over and panting for a few seconds, Freid set off east through the darkening forest. None of them noticed in their panic, but a cool breeze was beginning to rustle through the forest.

6