Six
"Do it again, Little Brother!"
Link sighed and looked over at his Goron companion. "Dar, the Staff of Lightning is not a toy." He hefted the long metal staff anyway, grinning. "Let's find a monster first."
Dar's booming laugh echoed off the small ravine in which the two adventurers were traveling. They were a few hours out from the Temple of Lightning, still in the rocky area of northern Hyrule just south of Zora's Domain.
Link idly drummed his fingers on the horn of his saddle as he looked around for a monster on which to test his new weapon. He'd unleashed a few previous bolts since they had left the temple, and he was certain that the Zoras and the Hyrulian villagers in the area thought a thunderstorm was upon them, which would have seemed strange, since it was a bright, sunny day.
The Hero's stallion Khamsin snorted beneath him, and Dar gave the animal a funny look before imitating the noise. Then it was Link's turn to give his companion a funny look.
Link grinned as he shook his head. Dar could be a little strange sometimes, but he was a good friend and a definite advantage in a fight, as the brawny Goron had proved in their battle with the Staff of Lightning's guardian. The Hero wasn't sure he could have won the battle without him.
Khamsin's ears twitched, and Link looked around, also sensing movement nearby. He tensed his fingers around the staff, raising the golden metal ball that capped one end to point in the direction of the noise he and his mount had heard.
Surprising all three of the travelers, a man in a long robe and cloak stepped out from behind a boulder on the cliff above them and dropped an impossible height before landing lightly on his feet and planting his hands on his hips.
Link tensed for a moment, thinking it was the Sorcerer, but he saw long black hair and a thick beard, and relaxed as he recognized the wizard Majacen. He raised the staff in greeting, spurring his horse forward.
When he drew closer, Link could see the wizard's serious expression, and that the older man had a scrape on his cheek and a gash on his forehead. He brought Khamsin to a halt next to the wizard and dismounted, looking over at Majacen with a concerned expression.
"Hey, are you all right?" he asked, gesturing to the wizard's injuries.
Majacen waved a hand dismissively. "It is of no concern, Hero." He pointed to the staff in Link's hand and smiled beneath his thick beard. "I see you were successful, young Link. Was the temple challenging?"
Dar chuckled, and Link glanced over at his friend before nodding. "Very."
Majacen folded his hands inside the long sleeves of his robe. "Good. The defenses were still intact, then." He looked up at the taller Hero. "You and your companion were the first living beings to enter that temple in almost three thousand years."
Dar nodded his massive head. "My people only knew about the defenses in place at the entrance, Little Brother. If I had known more about what was inside, I could have been more helpful."
Link raised the staff. "You were more helpful than you can imagine, Dar. I wouldn't have made it through without you."
The Goron beamed.
Majacen raised a hand and placed it gently on Link's shoulder, next to the feathered ends of the arrows in the quiver on his back. "I came here, young Link, to aid you in your training with the staff. I know a great deal about magic, as you can imagine, and you must learn your new weapon's use very quickly."
The wizard gestured off to the smoldering cone of Death Mountain, just barely visible above the walls of the rocky ravine. "I fought the Sorcerer not long after the last time we spoke, and drove him away from a refuge he sought on the Gorons' mountain. You wounded him grievously, Hero, but he will be quick to recover, and he will resume his quest against your charges as soon as he is able. The Enemy is quick to provide aid to his servants."
Link looked down at the other man curiously. "The Enemy? You mean the Sorcerer has a master?"
Majacen nodded gravely. "Let us find a place to rest, young warrior, and I will tell you something that is for your ears alone. Only the servants of the Goddesses have need to know what I am about to tell you, until the time is right."
Link nodded slowly, reaching back to stow the Staff of Lightning in the magic pocket Zelda had made him.
--
--
Once they found a small cave in the cliff, Link handed Khamsin's reins to Dar and he and Majacen went inside. The Goron stood guard at the entrance to the cave, and Link heard his low basso rumble several times, talking to the horse or humming to himself.
The wizard moved to the back of the cave and sat down on a low shelf of rock, gesturing to Link to join him. The Hero sat down on another low shelf a few feet away, adjusting his sword on his belt as he sat down.
"So, what is it you have to tell me?" Link asked.
Majacen met his eyes with a grave expression. "It is known by most that in the dawn age of the world, the Great Goddesses fought a terrible war against the forces of evil. The Goron elders likely told you of this when they sent you to the Temple of Lightning, did they not?"
Link nodded. "Gor Ignus told me a little."
"This war," the wizard continued, "was fought between both deities and mortals, the worst conflict creation has yet seen. This part of the tale is known by most, though it is not a story often told. What is not generally known is that the principle antagonist of this conflict was a god, a son of the Goddess Din. The Three Goddesses, after creating the world, had many children, and the foremost of these was Din's eldest son. He had great responsibility, and his task was to help the other Children of the Goddesses guide mortals on the path of life.
"Before the Great War in the heavens, the gods and goddesses were very active in the affairs of mortals, often appearing directly to them as teachers and leaders, since mortals were still young and had not yet learned to think for themselves.
"Din's son saw what his fellow deities were doing, and he began to reason in his heart that their guidance was holding mortals back rather than helping them, for the gods were very doting on their mortal children and did many things for them.
"One day, he saw one of Farore's daughters steer a mortal man away from a woman he had been showing attention to and point him at another woman the goddess liked better. Din's son grew full of anger at this, and confronted his cousin, telling her that it was wrong to deny mortals their free will, that he felt it wrong to control them in the way his fellow gods were doing.
"She argued with him, saying that they were gods and they could do as they liked, and Din's son grew so angry he actually struck Farore's daughter, the first time a god had shown violence against another. The goddess fled in tears to the Goddess Din, who demanded that her son apologize to his sister.
"He refused, saying that she deserved it because of the arrogant way she had been controlling the mortal man. His claim was that the gods were unjust in denying mortals their freedom, and he and his mother argued fiercely on the subject.
"Finally, Din's son left the heavenly palace and descended to the mortal world, where he began controlling mortals himself, commanding them to do the opposite of anything his fellow deities told them. The mortals had a terrible war and all but destroyed themselves, despite the other gods' attempts to intervene, and finally some of the younger gods began to attack Din's eldest son themselves, reasoning that he was the cause of the trouble and if he was removed all could return to peace."
Majacen shook his head slowly. "Even gods can make mistakes, young warrior," he said gravely. "Theirs can be worse, for deities have an effect on everything around them. The other children of the Goddesses treated their brother and cousin as a foe, and did their best to destroy him for what they saw as his wickedness. Some, however, took his side, having been convinced in his public argument with his mother, and the war between the gods was a terrible one that nearly destroyed the mortal world.
"Din's son delved further and further into dark and unnatural powers, trying to find ways to kill his immortal cousins. The Three finally tried to intervene, but Din's eldest would not listen and grew consumed with rage that his mother and aunts would oppose him, taking the side of those who reasoned that direct control was needed over mortals. He swore himself the eternal enemy of his mother and aunts and anyone who took their side, declaring himself a Dark God.
"The Dark God became so powerful that even his mother and her sisters could not defeat him, no matter how hard they tried. But neither could he destroy them, and so an impasse was reached. Finally, after a terrible battle between the Dark God and the Three Goddesses, wise Nayru proposed a truce; she, her sisters, and all other gods would swear to never again directly interfere with mortal-kind if her nephew would cease his war and he and his followers would swear the same oath.
"The Dark God agreed, but added that if any deity ever violated their oath, he would renew his war upon them and would not cease it until all of the mortal realm had been destroyed, for it is not possible to destroy the divine.
"Eventually, as the mortals made more and more mistakes, fighting with each other more and more often, the younger gods begged their mothers to let them go down to the mortal realm and stop the mortals from fighting. The Three Goddesses were pained and wanted to help, but they could not violate their oath. But, Nayru, in her wisdom, discovered a way around the restriction; if they used mortal agents, they could still declare their will to the mortal people, but the element of choice would be involved, since the agent could choose whether or not to deliver the message and the people could choose whether or not to do as the agent said."
Majacen paused there for a moment, and Link furrowed his brow in confusion. "Why are you telling me all this?" he asked. "What does this have to do with my quest?"
The wizard shifted slightly on his stone seat. "All will become clear in a moment, young Hero. Allow me to continue." He gestured to himself. "I am one of these agents, in a long tradition spanning thousands of years. My task is to travel the world and help guide mortals on the path the Goddesses wish for them to take to prosperity and peace."
Majacen next pointed at Link. "You are also an agent, young warrior. Your task is to protect the Goddesses' chosen land, Hyrule, from any who would threaten it. To some extent, Princess Zelda is an agent as well, in that her bearing of the Triforce of Wisdom will help her to rule this country with a fair and discerning hand."
Link leaned forward slightly, about to ask another question, but Majacen held up a hand to indicate he wasn't finished.
"The Dark God also makes use of agents, young Link, though few who do not serve the Golden Goddesses know this. Over the ages, the Dark God has shrouded himself in mystery and secrecy, so much so that mortals believe him mostly myth, if they know of him at all. This is all the better for him, for he prefers to operate from the shadows. He sends his agents to attempt to counteract his mother and aunts' efforts, trying to foil them wherever he can out of spite."
Majacen leaned forward and met Link's eyes. "The Sorcerer is an agent of the Dark God, young Link. His task is to destroy the Nohansen bloodline so as to throw Hyrule into confusion. The Dark God is a disciple of chaos, spreading disorder however he can, and he especially wishes to disrupt his mother and aunts' chosen land, the place of their favor."
Link remained silent for a long moment as he mulled this new information over in his mind. It made sense to him, but he was curious about one thing. "What is the Dark God's name?" he asked. "I don't think you ever told me what it is."
"That is because I do not know it, young warrior," Majacen replied. "I do not know the name his mother gave him, for Din deemed him unfit to bear it and stripped it from him when he turned against her and her sisters. If he has given himself a new name to replace it, he has not told anyone who could tell me. I know him only as the Dark God and the Enemy."
Link absorbed this thoughtfully and moved on to his next question. "If this is a secret among the Goddesses' servants, why tell me? Do I need to know more about this Dark God so I can fight him?"
Majacen nodded. "To an extent; you will be working against him now that you know, but the task of battling him will not fall to you. That is a task another must take up, and I tell you this so that you may aid me in making preparations for the quest of that Hero. That quest will be a terrible one, and that future Hero will need all the assistance we can provide." The wizard stood. "But, that is a discussion for another time. What you need to know now is how to control the Staff of Lightning so that you may battle the Sorcerer on more equal terms. Your duty is to ensure the Royal Family's survival so that they may remain the rulers of this country for many centuries yet; the Nohansen dynasty has a large role to play in the grand tapestry of the future."
Link produced the staff and held it in both hands before him. "I'm ready to learn, Majacen," he said determinedly. "Please, teach me."
The wizard patted the young Hero on the shoulder in a grandfatherly sort of way. "It will not be easy, young one. Magic can be very dangerous in the wrong hands, and your new weapon is very powerful. You will have to learn very precise control if you want to keep yourself from hurting your friends as well as your enemies with the staff."
Majacen gestured to the entrance of the cave. "We will begin immediately."
--
--
Zelda narrowed her eyes in concentration, searching for the telltale ripples in the surrounding energy that would show her where her brother was hiding.
Gareth was practicing an invisibility spell one of their Sheikah bodyguards had taught him a few years ago, one that he'd been having trouble with. Zelda was using her own senses to attempt to find him, while he tried as hard as he could to mask his presence. It was a difficult technique, but a necessary one, as they would have use for it against an assassin wielding magic.
Magic users could sense one another, Zelda remembered from her childhood training. The use of magic created ripples in the fabric of the universe, and a skilled magic user could detect these ripples to sense what sort of magic was being used nearby. Supposedly, the most powerful sorcerers and wizards could track another magic user from thousands of miles away, assuming they could determine the other's particular signature.
The princess extended her perceptions, searching for her brother's signature, and received a faint impression from further down the long, dark stone tunnel, carved out by lava centuries ago and now used as a passageway to the sacred Goron Mines deep within their volcanic home.
As she neared the impression, Zelda smiled triumphantly. Yes, Gareth was nearby; she could sense his excitement as he crouched behind a rocky outcropping partially blocking the tunnel.
She primed a light shock, barely a tickle, and prepared to hurl the small magic missile at her brother as soon as she surged around the outcropping. Hearing only the almost imperceptible noise of her own footsteps, Zelda quietly crept up to the outcropping and prepared to jump around the edge.
But, surprising her so badly that her prepared magic missile slipped out of her control and harmlessly bounced off the tunnel wall, a small hand reached out and grabbed hold of her arm from behind.
Laughing, Gareth dispelled his invisibility as his sister frowned amusedly. "I've been following you two steps behind for three minutes!" he exulted. "You never sensed a thing!"
Zelda laughed lightly. "You have definitely improved, Gareth. Tell me, how did you make me think you were on the other side of the rock?"
The younger royal grinned impishly. "I was over there. I relaxed the spell enough for you to sense me, and once you were on your way over there, I brought it back up to full strength and snuck around behind you."
Zelda smiled proudly. "A masterful gambit, Gareth. You win this round."
Her brother grinned again as he reached up to brush some of his golden hair out of his eyes. "Oh, good. I only need to win a few dozen more and we'll be even."
The future ruler of Hyrule laughed as she put her arm around her brother's shoulders and turned to go back to where their protectors waited.
* * *
As they neared the council room, outside the passage to the mines, Zelda heard the deep voices of several Gorons talking, occasionally joined by a distinctly human voice. After a few phrases, Zelda recognized Link's voice and she and her brother quickened their pace.
They emerged from the tunnel to find Link and Dar talking with the Patriarch and Gor Ignus, the latter turning a long metal staff over in his hands in careful examination. Dar was excitedly telling the Patriarch about his and Link's adventures in the Temple of Lightning, and Zelda caught the last part of the story, describing a battle with a huge many-tentacled monster.
Link was the first to notice the two royals emerging from the tunnel, and he greeted them with a warm smile. Gareth bounded out of the tunnel and immediately demanded that Link tell him the full extent of what had happened to him while he was away, to which the Hero cheerfully agreed. The three Hylians sat down in the small bleachers overlooking the sumo ring, while the Gorons continued to talk over the Staff of Lightning.
Several minutes later, once he was finished with his story, Zelda asked to see the Staff of Lightning, and Gor Ignus brought it over.
Carefully, she examined the ancient weapon, looking it over with both her eyes and other senses.
"This is an extremely dangerous item," Zelda said finally. "In the wrong hands this has incredible capacity for destruction."
Link nodded. "I'm going to stay here for a few weeks while I learn how to use it, so I can watch for the Sorcerer. And because there's not much around, too."
Zelda drummed her fingers against the length of the staff thoughtfully. "This was kept in the Temple of Lightning for a reason, so that ordinary people might not stumble across it. Even an insufficiently skilled magic user could do something terrible with this." She held the staff up and met Link's eyes, seeing his concern and curiosity. "I am going to place a seal upon this weapon," Zelda continued, "so that only a Triforce Bearer can wield it. That will at least limit its use to those who already possess great power and know how to use it."
Gor Ignus gestured to the staff with his walking stick. "A wise idea, Your Highness. This must never fall into the wrong hands. Only those chosen by the gods should use it."
Link leaned back slightly. "Sounds good to me. Go ahead."
Zelda gripped the Staff of Lightning tightly in both hands and closed her eyes. She blocked out all outside noises and anything else that could distract her while she formulated the complicated procedure in her mind. Once she was sure she had it right, Zelda drew deeply upon the Triforce of Wisdom and flooded the seal over the staff, permeating it into the magic that enabled the weapon to unleash its power.
She opened her eyes and handed the staff back to its bearer. "Here," she said.
Link hefted the weapon experimentally. "Doesn't feel any different to me."
"That is because you bear the Triforce of Courage," Zelda replied. "Now only you and I can handle it without receiving a mild shock. The longer someone who does not bear a piece of the Golden Power holds the staff, the more severe the shock becomes. Since the staff needs to be held to be used, it is now quite safe."
Link frowned, as something had just occurred to him. "Who bears the Triforce of Power?" he asked suddenly, surprising Zelda.
"I do not know," she said. "It has been missing for nearly a century. Why do you ask?"
Link held up the staff. "Well, you said only a Triforce Bearer can touch this now, so I was wondering who the third was, besides you and me."
Zelda spread her hands and shook her head slightly. "I do not know who bears Power at this time. No one has seen it or its bearer since the last time the Triforce was split. Wisdom has remained in the hands of my family since then, and Courage usually remains with its bearer until death, when it passes to the next individual destined to become a Hero."
As Link rose from his seat, he began to pace, twirling the Staff of Lightning through his hands as if it were a quarterstaff. He was silent for several moments, and Zelda watched him curiously, wondering what he was thinking.
Finally, Link passed the staff behind his back and spun it around his neck before letting it drop into his hand. He held the staff up and nodded in Zelda's direction. "Thank you for placing the seal on this, Your Highness," he said finally. "I am going to go practice with the staff now, but if you need anything, I still have that Gossip Stone you gave me."
One corner of Link's mouth quirked suddenly in an amused smile. "By the way, why are they called that? I would think 'Communication Stone' or 'Talking Stone' would be a little less…" he trailed off, shrugging.
Zelda smiled. "These stones are found all over the world, Link. They have many different names, but they are called 'Gossip Stone' here because that is mainly what they are used for in Hyrule: gossiping among the nobles." Zelda shifted slightly in her seat, adjusting the simple peasant skirt she wore as disguise even here. "Speaking of that, what is the situation in Castle Town?"
Link twirled the staff over his left hand and tossed it to his right. "The Prime Minister and the rest of the council know you and Gareth are alive, but they do not know where you are, for safety reasons. We don't know what spies or other information sources the Sorcerer may have."
"You met with the Prime Minister? I am surprised he let you in, since he has never met you before."
"No, a friend of mine told him what had happened while I was away."
Zelda looked over at the Hero curiously. "What friend?"
Link glanced down at his hand as he spun the Staff of Lightning through his fingers, but he looked back up at Zelda as he answered. "A wizard named Majacen told me that he has connections inside the palace, so he told the Prime Minister you and Gareth were safe."
"You know Majacen?" Gareth said suddenly, the first thing he'd said since Link's account of his adventures had ended.
The Hero's brows rose in surprise. "You know him, too?"
Gareth nodded. "He used to meet with Father and Mother sometimes, and Grandfather before them. He must be very old; Grandfather said Majacen used to advise his father. He still appears at the palace from time to time, or at least he did before…" Gareth trailed off, and Zelda could both see and sense him forcing himself to keep his emotions in check.
Link held up the staff. "He is helping me to learn how to use the Staff of Lightning, and he tells me he has fought the Sorcerer also, to keep him away from here."
Zelda smiled, laying a hand on her brother's shoulder. "That is very good news. I must say I feel safer now that I know both you and Majacen are watching over us." She gestured to the Patriarch, standing nearby. "And, of course, our Goron friends."
The enormous Goron bowed. "It is an honor, Your Highness. We are happy to uphold the alliance between our peoples."
Link twirled the staff once before stowing it in his magic pocket. "Farewell, Your Highnesses. I will be back to check in on you soon, and I'll let you know of my progress then."
Zelda smiled at their protector. "Good luck, Hero."
Link bowed and turned to leave the room.
--
--
A week later, Link stood with Majacen on a flat rocky area a few miles away from the Goron village deep in the Death Mountain range. Majacen had suggested this area for the training since there was really nothing to be destroyed if Link made a mistake during the training, but it was still close enough that they could quickly return to the Goron village if trouble arose. For the last week, Link had thrown himself into learning how to control the electricity generated by the staff, and Majacen had been a kind and patient but extremely effective teacher.
The wizard stood with his sword drawn several yards away, his back to the smoldering cone of Death Mountain behind him. The fierce hot winds plucked at his clothes and long black hair, which he'd tied back to keep it out of his way.
To Link's annoyance, his own hair was just long enough to blow in his eyes occasionally but not long enough to tie back. He irritably reached up to swipe it out of his eyes again as Majacen gestured with his sword for Link to prepare to defend himself.
Link held his own sword in his left hand and the Staff of Lightning in his right, as Majacen was trying to train him to fight both with the blade and the staff at the same time.
Majacen surged forward, swinging his sword in a high attack with one hand as he loosed a blast of concussive force with the other. Link shifted his grip on the staff and summoned a ball of electricity to counter the magic attack while he angled his sword to counter the wizard's blade.
Without pausing, Majacen attacked twice more with both sword and magic, and sparks flew around them in the hot volcanic air as Link concentrated on defending himself.
After three more attacks, Majacen paused and stepped back. "Good. Very good." He glanced down at his scabbard as he sheathed his sword. The wizard hooked his thumbs in his belt and looked back over the rocky hills toward the Goron village.
Behind them, the massive volcano rumbled and the ground vibrated slightly as a small plume of ash belched out of the cone. Little flecks of ash swirled through the air like hellish snowflakes, carried by the constantly shifting wind.
"You are learning very quickly," Majacen said as he turned to look back at Link. "I do not think you will require much more training in order to be able to face the Sorcerer. Once I think you are ready, the two of us will search the creature out and drive him from whatever lair he has crawled into to finish him."
Link sheathed his own sword, but kept the Staff of Lightning out, resting its bottom end on the ground as he placed his hand on the golden ball at the other end. "Are there any other agents of the Dark One about?" he asked. "If there are, we'll have to fight them, too."
Majacen shook his head. "No, the Dark God works in secrecy, to avoid drawing his mother's attention. Once you destroy the Sorcerer, Zelda and Gareth should be safe, since if he sent another assassin so quickly after the first, Din and her sisters would be able to claim that he is interfering too directly in mortal affairs." The wizard crossed his arms over his chest. "The affairs of gods are complicated, young Link, and nearly beyond our understanding."
Link snorted amusedly. "You've got that right."
He stretched his shoulders and drew his sword again. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's keep going."
Majacen inclined his head in acknowledgment and drew his own weapon. "Begin!"
--
--
In a cave in the mountain range in the northwestern part of Hyrule, the Sorcerer sat against the cave wall, holding a hand to his side. He was trying to heal his wounds as quickly as he could, but the Hero and the wizard both had inflicted severe injuries upon him, and he had nearly died before managing to summon a bit of his master's power to sustain him as the wounds healed.
For several days, he'd been resting here, trying to recuperate as he formulated a plan to catch the Hero and the wizard off guard so that he could find out where they had hidden Princess Zelda and Prince Gareth.
Abruptly, the air around him seemed to tighten, and the fading light inside the cave dimmed almost to the point of blackness. The Sorcerer sat up straighter, trying to summon the strength to stand as he recognized what was about to happen.
With a surge of power and a gale-force blast of air that knocked the Sorcerer backwards, a robed and cloaked figure appeared before him, tall and broad-shouldered, with a hood shrouding his face. The robe and cloak were both a purple so dark as to almost appear black, with dark metallic threads woven through them in intricate patterns that made the material seem to glimmer as the figure moved. The hooded figure radiated a staggering, almost overwhelming presence through the Sorcerer's magical senses, so much that it was almost painful to have him nearby.
Ignoring the pain, the Sorcerer pushed himself forward to kneel with his forehead pressed against the floor in obeisance. He was about to say what an honor it was that his master had deigned to speak with him when a powerful invisible force seized him and slammed him hard against the wall behind him, holding him there three feet off the floor.
"Why are you here in this cave when your targets still live, worm?" his master asked, his voice deep and strong, with a slight echo. The Dark God made it obvious that even though he chose to take a form that resembled a mortal, he was clearly not one.
The Sorcerer struggled mightily not to show his pain in front of his master, choking against the iron-hard grip on his chest and throat. "I… I am hurt, my lord," he struggled out. "I wanted to make sure I was strong again before I destroyed them."
Though the Dark God's face was not visible beneath his hood, his sneer was obvious from his tone. "You are a failure indeed if you cannot kill two children even in the state you are in, maggot. I should end you now and find myself a more worthy servant."
"N-no, my lord!" the Sorcerer gasped. "A man protects them, the Hero, and a wizard of the Goddesses, also."
The invisible hold relaxed, and the Sorcerer had to concentrate to keep himself standing. The Dark God towered over him, glaring down out of his enshrouding hood with glowing violet eyes, nearly the same color as his robes.
"I am aware of these two," he said, his tone dismissive. "You are right; you will need your strength back if you are to destroy them before moving on to the children."
With one hand, the Dark God gestured, and the Sorcerer cried out and dropped to his knees as energy flooded into him, extremely painful but also restorative. His wounds closed and vanished as his master healed him, taking no consideration for pain into account as the flesh sealed itself.
The Dark God folded his hands within his sleeves again. "Your strength is returned. Resume your hunt."
The Sorcerer bowed deeply, pressing his forehead to the floor again. "Thank you, my master. I will begin immediately. If you know where-"
The Dark God interrupted him by sending a lance of pain spearing through his heart. "I cannot tell you where your targets are. You know that. The Three are watching me more closely since I sent you after the Royal Family, and they are wrathful. But, I have not yet broken the oath, so they can do nothing against me."
"I am sorry, my master," the Sorcerer said, breathing heavily. "Please, forgive me."
The Dark God said nothing, but the glow from his eyes intensified briefly before he disappeared with another surge of energy.
Gasping, the Sorcerer staggered to his feet and moved off to fulfill his master's orders.
--
--
Author's Note(a rather long one): *gasp* It lives! Seriously, though, I am sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up, but the almost unforgivably long hiatus was a combination of several things. One, I got distracted back in mid-January with a Star Wars story, the first part of which is posted if you want to go check it out. That took me three weeks to write and edit and another week or so to post, so there's one month. The other two, almost three, are due to my laptop giving me major difficulties and the repair place being decidedly less than efficient and expedient. But, I finally have it back now, and have thrown myself into writing in order to get caught up. To make up to my Zelda fans for neglecting this story for so long, I am going to focus on it exclusively until I finish it. There are about four chapters left, so we should be wrapping up this little tale fairly quickly.
Also, Silverwolf05 has posted a picture of the Hero of Lightning(quite a while ago, actually...) so go to my profile, and in the first couple paragraphs, there should be a link to the 'Story-Related' folder in my DeviantArt account. It's definitely one of the best pics yet she's done for my stories, so if you have an account there, be sure to leave a comment. And, of course, feel free to browse around the rest of the folder, as well. There's some great stuff in there.
After much internal debate and some helpful suggestions by a few of my fellow writers, I have changed the ending to 'The Fourth Piece' slightly, so you may want to go check that out. What's there now is actually the original ending that I had written but later took out, now restored. I think it's a much better conclusion, personally, but please let me know what you think. If you reviewed the ending already and want to let me know your thoughts, please either leave an anonymous review or send me a PM, as I'm interested to know more opinions on it.
As a final note(I promise), on the subject of 'The Fourth Piece', there is some rather heavy foreshadowing in this chapter related to the sequel to that story, entitled 'The Secret War', coming summer 2009. Consider it a sneak preview. ;) I've already started on the next chapter of this story, so, assuming nothing catastrophic happens, it should be up in a week or so. Thanks for reading!