Chapter 46: University Library

"Thought I was in here, didn't you?" said the Watchman in a distorted, almost inhuman voice. Then he made a muffled sound that sounded like the scream Link and Wittia had heard before.

"You tricked us," Wittia exclaimed. "By making us think Agnes was inside the library, we did all the work for you."

"Precisely," the Watchman nodded. "Now stand aside. I have a Medley Fragment to retrieve for my Mistress."

"You mean Zelda?" Link said, putting his hand on the Master Sword hilt. "What does she want with Agnes, or the Medley Fragment for that matter?"

The Watchman shook his head. "I cannot tell you."

"Then I have no choice but to fight you." Link unsheathed the Master Sword and held it out.

For a brief second, the Watchman flinched when he saw the Master Sword. Then inside the empty eye-sockets of his bird helmet a pair of blue lights lit up. "You can try, but you'll never catch me! I'm Fahlcon, the fastest member of the Watchmen! I shall find the Medley Fragment before you!"

Then in the blink of an eye, Fahlcon the Watchman was gone along with Agnes. Link and Wittia looked around in confusion and noticed there were no more glowing lanterns.

"He's captured the Poe Sisters," Wittia said, not moving. "They're the only ones that can give him access to the Restricted Area. That's got to be where the Medley Fragment is located, considering how valuable it's worth."

"But how could Fahlcon capture the Poe Sisters? They're ghosts, right?"

"Yes, but there's a special item the Librarian uses to keep the Poe Sisters in line," Wittia said, feeling her way along a nearby bookshelf. "It's called the Ghost Lantern, and it has the ability to capture spirits. If Fahlcon got ahold of it, then he must've encountered the Librarian. We need to find him if we're to get to the Restricted Area in time to stop Fahlcon from stealing the Medley Fragment."

Using the bookshelves to work their way around, Link and Zelda came to a rectangular desk that had a gas lamp on it. Lying on the floor nearby was an elderly man in a blue robe with a long gray beard who moaned softly. Wittia helped him up while Link stood guard.

"Mister Penman," Wittia said, shaking the man slightly. "Are you all right? What happened?"

The old man's eyes fluttered and he looked around in confusion. "Thank the Goddesses you're here, Wittia. The lantern…where is it?"

Wittia got up and pulled out a hidden drawer beneath the desk. She shook her head and said, "It's not in its usual place, sir."

"Then that bird-faced man must've taken it," Mister Penman said wearily. "I saw him in front of my desk for a brief moment before he knocked me out."

"That was a Watchman, Mister Penman," Wittia said as she helped Penman to his feet. "He's trying to steal the Medley Fragment using the Poe Sisters to open the Restricted Area. Can you take us there?"

"Of course I can," Mister Penman said, straightening himself out. "I know this library like the back of my hand, most of the time."

Removing the lamp from its hook, Mister Penman led Link and Wittia through a maze of bookshelves until they came to what looked to be a dead-end. Mister Penman examined the books along the shelves carefully and was baffled when he noticed a hole in the bookshelf in front of him.

"The key is missing," Mister Penman muttered. "It's a blue book with Nayru's symbol on it."

So Link and Zelda looked around the nearby shelves until they came across the book Mister Penman described lying underneath a cushioned stool. The two brought it back to Mister Penman who placed it inside the hole which caused the bookshelf to slide left.

"This is the only way to the Restricted Area," Mister Penman noted. "If the key was discarded, then the Watchmen has already been through here."

"Then we may be too late," Wittia said doubtfully.

"Let's not give up hope just yet," Link said with confidence.

The bookshelves on either side of the trio became narrower the further they went until they met another dead-end. Here, the books were sprawled out all over the floor.

"This door can only be opened when the books are arranged in a particular order on both sides," responded Mister Penman as he leaned down followed by a crack. "Ow!"

"Don't strain yourself, Mister Penman," Wittia said getting down on her knees. "Link and I will figure out the pattern."

"I'll be over here if you need any hints," Mister Penman said as he sat down on a nearby stool.

Once all the books were properly sorted, Wittia and Link came to the conclusion that the key to opening the shelf doors was in the color of the book's spines. While some were yellow, others were dark gray, and some were in between. Arranging them by matching colors, the books eventually formed a Triforce pattern which caused the bookshelves to swing inward. On the other side, the three saw Fahlcon approach a metal door with no lock. There were two unlit candles on each side of the door that were differently colored, with the ones on the left being red and blue while the ones on the right were green and purple.

With Agnes slung over his shoulder, Fahlcon held out a black lantern with multi-colored flames inside and shouted, "Poe Sisters, obey my will and grant me access to the Restricted area!"

From inside the lantern emerged four ghostly figures wearing different-colored robes that were red, blue, green, and purple carrying paper lanterns that bore flames of the same color. They approached the candles that matched the color of their robes and lit them with their lanterns. As a result, the metal door swung open allowing Fahlcon to enter the dark room that lay beyond.

To be continued…