Chapter 29
Connection
Examining the plinth more closely, it was very similar to the one which that had held the Master Sword. He could feel the same curiosity from Navi that was overcoming him: what would happen if he placed the Master Sword in this pedestal?
Drawing the sword from its sheath, Link hesitated for a suspicious moment. Withdrawing the blade as he had done in the Temple of Time had caused him to enter a seven year enchanted slumber, and he didn't want to find that this caused some other sort of catastrophe. In the end, his decision was made by the simple fact that he could not think of anything else he could do and did not like simply waiting for the apparition of Ganondorf to reappear.
Carefully, he placed the tip of the Master Sword into the plinth, then gently pressed it down until it stood there on its own. He continued gripping the hilt though, tensed, waiting for something to go wrong.
Then it did. The floor shuddered beneath him. Link looked around quickly, trying to see if it was Ganondorf again. Suddenly, the floor began to move and Link found himself descending. The ceiling of the chamber was getting higher and higher, further away from him. It was not the entire floor, though, simply the centre of the dais that was sinking. He sank steadily below the level of the rest of the room.
"Putting the sword into the plinth must have triggered something," said Navi, as their descent continued.
"Can we get back up?" questioned Link.
"I would guess so. This must have been left by the Ancient Sages who built the temple. Only the Master Sword can get into this lower chamber, so it's not meant as a trap. Presumably, pulling the sword out again will cause the platform to go back up to the other room."
The lift had come to a halt now. Warily, Link looked around him. He was in a room with six walls, with black and white tiles, but nothing else of interest. There was only one other exit: a single, small door. A quick mental calculation confirmed to Link that it must be exactly beneath the big chamber where the moblin horde now slumbered.
He was loath to leave his sword, but he didn't seem to have much choice. Sheik had said somewhere in the temple was the key to undoing Ganondorf's desecration of the forest; a secret chamber under the big hall seemed like the sort of place he had better check.
Crossing the antechamber, Link opened the little door and stepped through. A flight of steps descended in a narrow space, and ahead he could see them opening into another room. Aware he now had no sword at all, he swung his bow from his shoulder and as quietly as possible notched an arrow to it. He still had no idea how to properly use it, but he was a lot more confident with it now he had the time to think it through. He pulled the shaft back to feel the tension of the string, and held it ready to bring to bear at a moment's notice.
Cautiously, he began descending slowly, peering into the darkness. The stairwell was dim, but there was a flickering light ahead. He stopped as the passage opened into a small room, lit by a single burning torch. It wasn't giving out much light, but it gave enough for Link to see that this was clearly a place of ancient worship.
In the centre of the room there was a large circle, and in the middle was the symbol of the Triforce. There was an altar on the far side, less elegant than in the chamber with the lift, but somehow more impressive. At a guess, Link would have said this was the sage's private chamber when the temple was built. He wasn't too concerned about it at present, as he was far more interested in what lay atop the altar.
Saria was curled in a ball, clearly unconscious.
In little more than a single bound, Link cleared the space between them. He dropped the bow beside him so he could gently lift her small body. He could not believe how small she was, it had never occurred to him when he was a child.
Brushing hair from her face, Link checked to see if she was okay. She was certainly alive, and did not seem to be hurt. Her breathing was steady and even, and there were no signs of violence that he could see. She would not wake, though. He shook her gently, but there was no response.
"Oh, Saria," he breathed, lifting her in his arms.
A low, sadistic laugh rang around the walls of the small chamber. "She won't wake, you know," said a voice in the same deep tones. Link spun, and there stood Ganondorf, between him and the door. He held Saria protectively against his chest.
"The sage stays here," Ganondorf said. Link had no idea what he meant, but he knew he was taking Saria out. Up to now, the apparition had disappeared every time Link had responded to it; he considered simply leaping at it, but if it stayed solid this time, it might have a chance to hurt Saria.
"You're not really Ganondorf," stated Navi, her high voice ringing clearly around the dark room. "It's just some sort of phantom, Link."
"It can still hurt me, though?" questioned Link, not forgetting the phantom's attack in the courtyard and the other chamber.
"Yes, but it seems to retreat when you try to hurt it directly."
The phantom laughed. "We shall see how easily I retreat." It raised a hand and Link felt a wave of energy ripple around the room. He barely had time to brace himself before he felt himself being lifted from his feet. The phantom stood and laughed with its hand still outstretched.
Still clutching Saria to him, Link twisted himself in the air. He landed on his back, jarring his muscles, but more concerned with ensuring Saria was okay. He had made sure to keep her entirely supported, but still she had not awoken. Her breathing continued in the same steady, measured way. Link's first thought was to distract the phantom away from her. He laid her gently down, and then leapt away, ducking behind the altar.
The phantom laughed again and waved its hand at Link. Again, he felt the ripple of energy, but this time he dropped to the floor and it passed over him, feeling like little more than a breath of wind. Scrabbling on hands and knees, he dived over the tiles in front of the altar towards his bow, grabbed it and rolled to his feet. The apparition raised an eyebrow, clearly unperturbed after Link's earlier attempt with the bow, but Link was not panicking this time.
He notched the arrow as calmly as possible and drew back the string, raising the bow. He released it smoothly, and this time it flew straight at the phantom. The shaft flew through the black armour and the phantom's expression wavered for a moment, then it disappeared. Link hesitated, suspicious.
"It can't withstand your attacks," said Navi, clearly thinking quickly. "To do anything against you, it has to maintain a physical presence. If you attack it, it has to retreat."
"So keep attacking it, then?" asked Link.
"You are a brave fool if you try," Ganondorf's voice replied, and the phantom flickered back into existence. It did not look like it was as in control of its appearance as it wanted to be, though; the image seemed insubstantial, almost translucent.
Not caring how real it was, Link listened to Navi's advice and launched himself at the phantom. He ducked under its waiting fist and laid blows into its stomach. The phantom responded with a heavy punch that knocked Link to the floor. It grabbed at the front of his tunic, lifting him from the floor, but he used the gained height to begin landing furious blows about its head.
Again, the image seemed to waver, and then ceased to exist all together. Link was ready this time, and dropped easily to the floor. Turning, he shouldered the bow and moved over to where his best friend lay and scooped her into his arms, hoping to make use of the respite before Ganondorf reappeared. This was probably the source of the dark magic Sheik had talked about, but Link didn't care. He was only interested in getting Saria out of this place, for the moment.
He crossed the room quickly, one arm supporting his friend's tiny body, and took the stairs two at a time. With his free hand he wrenched the door open, and ran to where the Master Sword still stood in the pedestal.
There was an animalistic roar, and Link twisted to see Ganondorf lunging towards him. He grabbed at the hilt of the sword and wrenched it free swinging it round to hack at his aggressor. As the steel zinged through the air, the gerudo's doppelganger dodged, warily eying the blade. There was a whirring noise and the dais began to raise, ascending back towards the other chamber. The phantom stared in anger as the warrior escaped.
Link's strange elevator passed through the ceiling and he looked above him, waiting until his head rose above the floor in the timeless chamber.
The phantom was waiting in the room above. It raised both hands and hurled magic at Link. He threw himself to the side, still clutching Saria to himself with one hand and gripping the sword with the other. Clambering to his feet was awkward, keeping his grip on both. Ganondorf raised a hand again and Link knew he would not be able to dodge. Desperate, he raised the sword.
Something inside him seemed to click into place. It was as if suddenly the sword became nothing more than an extension of his arm. The feeling was not a new one, Link had felt it when he first drew the Kokiri Sword, but never as truly as he did now. It was as if some sort of invisible thread, a golden cord connected himself to the sword. He could feel every inch of the steel just as he could feel the skin of his hand and his fingers wrapped around the hilt.
The blade suddenly began to glow with a blue light, its own puissance revealing itself. The phantom's spell dissipated before it came anywhere near the green-clad adventurer.
Link was looking with reverence at the sword, but looked back to the phantom and could see its eyes were wide with horror and what Link was sure he recognised as fear. His own eyes narrowed, shrewdly. "So," he murmured, "I can't hurt you, but I'm betting the Master Sword can."
As gently as possible whilst still watching Ganondorf's image, he laid Saria down and edged away from her. He kept the sword raised, muscles tensed so that if the doppelganger made any move towards his friend he could get to it before it reached her. The sword continued to shine with a blue brilliance.
The phantom tried to pull itself together, Link could see the mirage visibly attempting to solidify. "Very well, We shall see how well you do!" it bellowed, and lunged at Link, purple fire crackling from its hands. It stopped out of range of the blade and swung one hand. As it did, the theurgy seemed to crack like a whip and flashed towards Link. His fast reflexes saved him as he dodged back. The phantom lunged again and this time Link moved the sword round to counter. The purple fire met the blue luminance and there was a great sound like thunder, but the phantom roared as if it was itself in pain.
Trying to seize this advantage, Link leapt forwards and tried to stab the blade into its midriff, but it was too quick. Before Link could drive the blow home, it lashed at him with the back of its fist. Link felt to the ground and rolled. His cheek burned, he didn't know if it was just pain from the blow or if the purple fire had struck him.
The phantom was certainly scared of the blade though. This would not be like the Kokiri Sword that had simply passed through it: the Master Sword would clearly destroy the ghost.
Jumping forward, he hacked at the phantom. It dodged away from him, swinging the fiery whip. Link ducked and felt the magic crackle above his head. He lunged again, this time following his attack with a second, swinging the blade as fast as possible.
Forced to retreat quickly, the phantom couldn't attack back for a moment. Clearly feeling it had lost momentum, it disappeared. Link twisted, waiting for it to materialize again. It shimmered into existence twenty feet away, one hand outstretched. Link dived out of the side as a blast of magic fired past him and impacted on the wall. Rolling to his feet, Link found that the phantom already right in front of him, moving impossibly quickly. It kicked Link solidly in the chest.
The warrior reeled backwards, falling to the ground again, but desperately keeping hold of his sword. "Rule one," he muttered to himself as he stood, "Never drop your sword."
His adversary had disappeared again, and Link waited warily. The phantom appeared on the other side of the room, but before it could unleash its attack Link had already ducked. It flickered to another point twenty feet away without seeming to move, and blasted Link again. He twisted, dodging the attack yet again.
Shifting to a position where he could better watch for the phantom, Link could feel panic building within him. He knew he was on his back foot against this new tactic, and he knew as well that eventually the phantom would phase to a point where it would notice Saria. Link would not be able to do anything if it simply appeared next to her; he had to do something before it remembered his friend.
A series of bolts from the phantom forced him to break into a run, always trying to lead it away from Saria, but the chamber simply wasn't big enough. The phantom was not laughing or mocking him now, it was only interested in obliterating him.
"Link, the sword!" shouted Navi.
"It's no good if I can't get close to the thing!" Link yelled back.
"No, I mean use the sword against its own attacks!" Instantly, Link knew what she meant. He halted, twisting. The phantom was gone again.
Panting, Link waited. He felt all the muscles inside him tense as he watched, and saw the ghost's image waver into being. It raised its hand and Link saw the magic forming. Everything slowed down as if he knew exactly what he had to do, grasped that moment of certainty. He reached for the connection he had felt with his sword. Again, it was like there was a golden cord connecting him to it. His consciousness seemed to flow down that thread, into the very steel of the blade, and he could feel its vast power, far stronger than this paltry phantom.
The ghost's spell shimmered, bursting away from its hand. The blue light of the Master Sword seemed to flare with a new intensity as, with a great roar, Link swung the blade. The arc of its luminescence was so bright it burned across Link's sight, leaving spots. He hit the phantom's spell, and immediately it seemed to change from dark purple to the blue light of the Master Sword. It was hurled back towards the image of Ganondorf, leaving golden sparks behind it.
The spell hit the phantom solidly in the chest. It roared with pain and collapsed, but did not disappear. Knowing he might not get another chance, Link ran across the dais in the centre of the room and leapt, hacking at his enemy as he did. The burning blue sword swept through the ghost.
Again it roared, and where the sword had burned was left a great wound, not revealing blood but searing with blue flames as the magic of the Master Sword ripped apart the sorcery that the ghost was made of. The phantom roared again and the arcane fire seemed to be bursting through its eyes and mouth, illuminating it from within.
Suddenly, it seemed to regain itself, just for a moment. Its head rolled forwards and looked up at Link, and somehow he knew that now the golden eyes really were the eyes of Ganondorf.
"I don't know who you are, boy," it spat, and Link knew that wherever he was the Evil King had become aware of this conflict, "But it is not wise to oppose me. You have only defeated my phantom, if you cross me again you will find that I myself am far more dangerous."
"You don't recognise me, then," Link snarled, but the moment was over. Ganondorf's presence was gone. The blue fire consumed the phantom, and it disappeared, defeated. Link and Saria were alone.