Chapter 29

Link had discontinued his use of the pegasus boots. Besides the fact that he could barely see anything in the dark jungle, dense vegetation blocked his path. He could easily kill himself by smashing right into one of the thick, black trees at top speed. Tael had caught up and lit up the area slightly, but it still seemed like a moonless night had settled across the jungle.

Brushing aside black, wet vines that felt more like cold intestines, Link struggled up a rocky slope. He figured that the map had gotten half of it right; the jungle was definitely spread out over mountains. Why the map hadn't mentioned the jungle itself was something he would have to think about later. He had to be alert in case something jumped from the shadows. Anybody could hide easily in the dense foliage, but it would take an expert to keep from making noise. Besides the sound of Link's feet swishing through grass and leaves and crunching over rocks, it was completely silent. He wasn't surprised that no insects lived in the dark jungle, but it felt rather eerie and lonely.

Suddenly Link crested the top of the giant hill. A huge valley lay at the bottom, and the black trees continued endlessly. The canopy was still above Link, even atop the hill. The only difference between this side of the hill and the other side was the fungal growth. Translucent shelf mushrooms clung to the sides of the black trees, pulsating with an orange glow. More orange mushrooms sprouted from the ground here and there, almost buried in dead, blackened leaves. A rotting stench reached Link and Tael, and they cringed.

Their only choice was to go forward. Everyone back at the castle needed their help.

Horacio stood with General White on top of the castle wall, observing the Fungistuls below. Thousands of them had spread out across the lake, but they didn't appear to be advancing toward the castle. The air was freezing cold, and the rain had turned first to sleet, then snow. Now, everything was coated in a layer of snow and ice, and the soldiers had to hold the edge of the wall to remain steady. This would be a problem, if the Fungistuls ever decided to attack.

"They're moving, sir," one of the soldiers told General White.

Not all of them were shifting, but they appeared to be making room for someone else coming through. Someone important, if the space allowed by the soldiers was any hint. A voice bellowed through the wintry air, loud enough to cause some confusion about the speaker's location. It appeared to be coming from the Fungistuls, but it sounded much closer.

"King Mushi requests an audience with your king!"

"We don't negotiate with our enemies!" yelled General White.

"I think you will find our demands very reasonable," replied the voice. "We will give you an hour to make your decision."

It was silent then. General White appeared to be in deep thought. Horacio quietly - and literally - slipped away, keeping hold of the ice-encrusted wall with numb fingers. This was something his father himself would decide, not the general. Horacio could tell the general suspected foul play, but their best option was to at least postpone the battle. If they sprung into battle too quickly, help might not have enough time to reach them.

Link looked up at the smooth, enormous cliff standing in front of him. There didn't seem to be any way over the nearly vertical wall of gray stone, and it appeared to extend endlessly in both directions. A small cave, just high enough for Link to walk into without ducking, rested at its base, tempting him and Tael to check it out. After all, it was no darker than the rest of the jungle.

"The cave could lead somewhere," Tael offered.

"It could lead to some monster's den," Link replied.

"It could lead to the village," Tael pointed out.

"We don't know where it goes. It's too dangerous."

"We don't know where we're going anyway! We could have already passed the village! What makes you think we're going in the right direction?" Tael challenged.

"Remember what happened last time we went into a mysterious cave?" Link asked.

"That was your fault!" Tael shouted. "We wouldn't have gone in if you hadn't been playing around with the elevator!"

"Yeah, and I'm not doing it again," Link answered.

"Okay, then I guess we can just fly over," Tael snapped, shooting upwards and disappearing over the top.

"Tael! Wait!" Link yelled over the cliff. There was only silence. Great, he thought. Not again. "I'll go in! Just come back!" There was still no reply. Link groaned. "You're such an idiot," he shouted before stepping into the dark cave alone.

Without Tael, Link's only light came from the glowing mushrooms growing on the cave walls. Even so, he actually felt safer in the cave. The amount of light was about the same inside and out, and the close walls of the cave were more reassuring than the open jungle, full of hiding places. He just hoped it led somewhere. The last thing he wanted to do was encounter a dead end and have to backtrack.

No water dripped from the ceiling. It wasn't the wet, slimy cave he had expected to find in the middle of a jungle; it was dry and stuffy. Dust and charred rocks crunched under his boots. The scent of decay he had encountered outside had lessened. Trudging on for a few minutes, he found that the cave wasn't showing any signs of change.

But his fears soon left him when the tunnel started lightening. Maybe the village wasn't so dark, after all. The darkness could just be something used to deter visitors. He rounded a corner and was blinded. As he covered his eyes, the ground beneath him tilted and he began to slide. Unsuccessful in trying to grasp the smooth walls, all he could do was let go and tumble down the slope. The ground vanished beneath him and he fell for a few moments before landing face-first on hard-packed dirt.

Groaning from the pain, he lifted his head. The first thing he noticed was the sky. The second thing was the fact that the trees were normal-looking and not blackened. And then he realized that there were houses carved into the trees. Windows, doors, thatched awnings, and lanterns decorated many of the trees surrounding him. At the end of the path rested an enormous sloping structure made of black stone, and past it Link could see thousands of mountains. Not jungle-covered mountains, and certainly not dark, foreboding mountains. These were the kind Link wouldn't mind taking a vacation in. Covered in patches of grass and forest, flowing with clear, cool water, surrounded by fresh, crisp air.

There was a quick thump on the back of his head, and he passed out.

"Father, the Fungistuls wish to negotiate with you," Horacio explained to King Marcos.

"What do they want?" Marcos asked.

"They've asked you to come speak with their leader," Horacio replied.

"Do you trust them?" Marcos questioned.

"I can't say I do," Horacio answered, "but it's your decision."

King Marcos looked back and forth, biting his lip.

"If it'll get us more time," he decided.

"I'll tell them you're coming," Horacio said as he spun and quickly exited the throne room. Marcos sat for a few moments, contemplating the situation. What could the Fungistuls want? He wasn't too confident about the meeting, but they couldn't just start fighting yet. Kenak Jungle was far; it could take days for help to arrive without the aid of pegasus boots. If Link was lucky, he had already made it to the village. Or maybe the right term was unlucky.

Tael had flown over the cliff only to find himself trapped in a tiny green transparent orb. His surroundings had faded away, and he was now inside a circular room composed completely of seamless wood. Several windows let in sunlight and the sound of insects. Where was he? Had he made it to the village only to be captured? Suddenly he noticed the man standing behind him.

The man had dark, chocolate-colored skin - darker than any tan Tael had seen before. His head was topped with tightly-curled black hair, and his eyes were a strange teal color. He wore a loose green shirt and white pants, and though he looked pretty well-off, he was barefoot. Thick muscles - enough to make you feel uncomfortable, but not enough to sicken you - covered his body.

"Can you read this?" the man asked, holding open an old-looking book.

"Who are you?" Tael asked, ignoring the previous question.

"Can you read this?" the man questioned again. Tael glanced at the swirling letters written across the pages of the book, taking a moment to figure out what language it was written in.

"Yes," Tael replied. "Who are you?"

"Chief Mohan of the Kenaks. I need to ask you to translate this for me."

"In exchange for what?" Tael asked.

"Your freedom?" Mohan suggested.

"How about you help us fight the Fungistuls?" Tael offered.

"Ha! We wouldn't get involved in someone else's battle, especially if we didn't know who you were talking about," Mohan laughed. "Your freedom."

Tael took a quick glance down at the page and skimmed through a section of it. The chief's mind might change after hearing what was written here...

"It's a deal, as long as my friend gets freedom too," Tael decided.

"Friend?"

"Did you capture him too, or no?" Tael asked.

"Oh, him? He found his way here himself. He's doing fine," Mohan explained. "Please, read."

The chief set the book down on a nearby table, open to the first page. Tael's orb floated down next to the book, and he cleared his throat. After a small pause, he began to read.

"My name is Arane Kada. I am writing this so that future generations will never forget what has happened here..."

Kenak Mountains, year unknown

Arane scanned the valley below. No unusual movement was apparent, just the occasional rustling of a rabbit scurrying through bushes and the constant flowing of the river. The chirping of cicadas was ever-present, and birds twittered here and there. It was just a usual day at his lookout post. Nothing ever happened. Not that he wanted something bad to happen; it was just such a dull job.

As if we even have to protect ourselves from anything. We have no enemies.

He never sensed the arrow soaring through the sky. By the time he knew what was happening, it had plunged into his left thigh. Sharp pain tore through his leg, and panic clouded his mind. More arrows smashed against the rocks and trees around him. He quickly stumbled behind the top of the ridge he had been sitting on. They were under attack? Who would attack them? All he could do was limp back to the village and give the warning.

"By the time they made it to the valley, it was going up in flames," Tael read. "Not the kind of fire you can put out by throwing a bucket of water. This was different. It wouldn't stop spreading, and it sent up a column of orange smoke miles high. The village elders had to use magic to protect our area from the fire. By the time it was over, the mountains had literally been transformed."

"Does it say if they ever found out who did this?" Chief Mohan prodded.

"I'm looking," Tael replied, searching for the page he had seen earlier. "It looks like this book was written over a long period of time, by different people. So far, they've all used the same language, though."

"I knew that already. But why are you skipping ahead?" Mohan asked.

"Shh. I found it. 'Word has reached us that the Moblin village at the base of our mountains was recently flooded. I personally went to check out the situation and found that it had not only been flooded but also blackened just like our forest. I discovered a group of fungus-like creatures inhabiting the old Moblin temple, and I came to the conclusion that they were behind it. It does fit rather well, considering the fact that our attackers centuries ago left a bunch of mushrooms behind. I may organize a group to search for the origin of these creatures.'"

"Fungus-like creatures?" Mohan asked. "Didn't you say something about them earlier?"

"The Fungistuls," Tael realized. "They're going to do the same thing to Myrennia Castle."

"You know of these creatures?" Mohan questioned.

"Yes," Tael answered. "They're planning another attack. I had come here to ask for your help."

"Lead us to them and we'll destroy them," Mohan vowed. Tael swore he could see a hint of red flash inside Mohan's teal eyes.

Link could feel flat, smooth wood beneath him. The sound of insects chirping grabbed his attention; perhaps he hadn't been dreaming about the village. Opening his eyes, he found himself in a tight cage made of wood inside a dark room. He pounded a fist against the crossing wooden bars, suddenly noticing that there didn't appear to be any seams. It was as if the whole cage had been carved from a single piece of wood. But that was impossible - where was the door? The more he searched, the more he realized that it could only be magic. It was much like the Fungistul vaults, only not quite as advanced.

He had been dressed in some sort of long white tunic, almost blinding in its color. Hopefully not some sort of sacrificial robe. His boots were gone, and there were no shoes to replace them; he was now barefoot. The strange thing was the fact that he still had the ice rod strapped to his belt. He slipped it out, positioned it beneath his tunic, and tightened the belt to keep it in place. It would be a good idea to hide it just in case he needed it later. Hopefully he wouldn't accidentally twist the knob when he turned.

A soft, rhythmic padding sound came to his ears and he looked around. It seemed to be coming from outside. Suddenly a door swung open, letting in a shaft of light. Someone wearing baggy white pants was walking barefoot towards the cage, but Link couldn't see higher due to the solid ceiling of the cage. He'd never seen such dark skin before, and he wondered if all the Kenaks were like this.

Suddenly the roof of the cage was lifted, and Link looked up. A strong, dark man stood above him, and Tael flew at his side. Was everything ok?

"Sorry about this," the man apologized. "Come with me."

Link stood, stepped over the wall of the cage, and left the building with him. He was still in the village he had seen earlier.

"I understand you've been inside the Fungistul base?" the man asked. Had Tael talked him into fighting already?

"Uh, yeah..." Link answered. "The city?"

"Wherever they keep their weapons."

"I didn't see any, but if they had them, they'd be kept safe in the vaults there," Link suggested.

"Well, I'm going to need you to lead us there," the man directed. "I have things to do before we're ready to leave, so just stay out of trouble. I'll arrange for your old clothes to be returned."

With that, he left Link and Tael standing in the middle of the village. A few villagers - with the same dark skin - glanced at them every once in a while, but nobody had approached them. Link looked up at Tael.

"What did you do?" Link asked.

"Turns out they have a bad history with the Fungistuls," Tael replied. "We were lucky after all."

King Marcos and King Mushi had arranged to meet outside the castle walls, at a point within shooting range of both sides. In case anything went wrong, Fungistul and human archers were standing ready. Marcos stood ankle-deep in the snow, dressed in a warm, luxurious purple robe. Mushi faced him, dressed in the usual Fungistul garb: nothing. The only thing distinguishing him from the rest was the translucent blue crown placed on his head. Still, Marcos couldn't tell if there was any way to differentiate between genders. For all he knew, they were all the same.

"You wanted to meet me; what is it?" Marcos demanded.

"No need to be impatient," Mushi said. "You know why this whole ordeal has come about, of course. We want our pearl back. Preferably both of them."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Marcos truthfully stated.

"I think you do. Your people have stolen them both from us, and we want them back," Mushi demanded calmly. "If you don't return them within twenty-four hours, consider your reign over."

That said, King Mushi turned and walked slowly back to the protection of his army. Marcos backed away and then started walking to the castle, confused. As soon as he passed through the drawbridge it was closed, and Horacio was at his side, asking for news.

"They want 'their pearl' or something," Marcos informed him. "We have one day before they attack. I don't know if that's enough time for the Kenaks to make it here, if they even agree to help us."

"The pearl of darkness?" Horacio stammered. "I know where to find them both...but I think only one of them will be possible to get. Did they ask for one or two?"

"He only asked for one, but he said he'd rather have both," Marcos explained. "You say you can find one of them? What are you still doing here?"

Horacio said good-bye and ran for the stables. He needed to reach Hayen village as soon as possible, without the Fungistuls spotting him. He could take the fastest horse available through the woods skirting the western edge of the lake. If he was lucky, he could find Garod's pearl of darkness before it was too late.

Dark Link sat in the bushes, fuming. This was not going well. There had to be some way to get Link back into trouble. He couldn't let him get away again, not after the amount of times it had already happened. This was his last chance.

Anything that would get Link killed with little risk to Dark would be fine. He knew the Kenak laws, it would be easy enough. This time, he would make sure Link died and stayed that way.

Chief Mohan strode through his front door. Today was possibly the luckiest day of his life. He had finally learned the cause of his jungle's curse, and he would finally get revenge. The Fungi-somethings would destroy no more. Whistling as he opened his bedroom door, he jumped when someone else was in the room. The boy, the one he had just released from being sacrificed, was standing in the middle of his room, holding the leather journal, staring at the open door with wide eyes.

Mohan shouted, and the boy shot for a window. He dove out before Mohan could grab him, disappearing into the bushes. Mohan quickly exited the building and grabbed the nearest guard he could find.

"Do you know what the young boy we captured today looks like?" he asked.

"Yes, sir...I helped grab him."

"Search for him, and throw him in the temple. He stole something of mine, which I want returned to me as soon as you find him."

"Chief...aren't you being a little..."

"You know the laws on stealing here," Mohan fumed. "You'd think he would be grateful that I released him. But no, he just goes and - "

"Chief, he's standing right over there," the guard pointed out. Mohan spun and looked. The boy and his fairy were lazily wandering around as if nothing had happened. They appeared surprised and confused when the guard grabbed the boy's arm, leading him back to Mohan. If there was anything stupider than wandering around in plain sight after being seen stealing, it was appearing confused in front of the very person who had witnessed it.

"Give me the book," Mohan demanded.

"I don't have any books with me," Link answered.

He was right; the boy wasn't holding anything and the book was far too big to hide under that tunic. He must've hidden it elsewhere.

"Where did you put it?" Chief Mohan asked again.

"I still don't know what you're talking about," Link said.

"He's been here the whole time," Tael hastened to say. "He couldn't have stolen anything."

"Don't you get into trouble, too," Mohan warned the fairy. "Guard, take the boy to the temple. Now."

"He didn't do anything!" Tael shrieked.

"Shut up, unless you want to be put in there with him!"

The boy was dragged away with that disgusting look of fake bewilderment on his face when Mohan thought about the consequences of this. Did the fairy know where to find the Fungistul city? If not, the boy might be the only way of finding the Fungistul weapons. Then again, did they really need them? Perhaps they could make do with their own powers. He couldn't trust such a boy, anyway.

That's right, Dark Link thought to himself, ducking in a dark corner. Come on in. Link had been shoved through the entrance of the huge black pyramid, and the stone door had been lowered behind him. Now he was looking around in the darkness. Soon, the ants would come. They would feast on Link's flesh until he could no longer breathe, and then Dark would swoop in to collect the blood. It would have to be before the fire ants had finished; otherwise there would be nothing left. He could easily gather a sample and disappear into the dark world before the ants had a chance to attack him.

He couldn't help letting out a quiet snicker, watching Link take a look around the room. There's no escape now. You're finally mine.