Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

Squurall also belongs to me.

Chapter 16

"Subrosia? I'm sorry, but I'm not up to such a long trip and I doubt the Drabokos will last much longer."

"What are ya blatherin' about? Subrosia is just a hop and a skip away."

Cleo's eyes widened. "Oh, really? It's actually in the Twilight Realm?"

"Yes, what cha expect?"

Cleo, having played Oracle of Seasons, felt wrong-footed. She didn't know the place was part of this realm. "But how does volcanic soil help?"

"Because volcanic soil is very valuable for plant life," Jack voluntarily answered. Cleo and Scervo both looked at him. "What? It is. I know because I once lived in a country lined with mostly dormant volcanoes."

Cleo smiled. Jack's memories were steadily becoming more and more complete, it was especially gratifying that he was even remembering about his home.

"Smart, yer spirit mate. Yes, with that kind of soil, ya can guarantee some very healthy plants, including some medicinal herbs that will help the Tree of Dusk. Subrosians grow 'em and grind 'em up in windmills. If ya want ter borrow any, ye'll have ter go ter those mills."

"Is there anything else I should know?" Cleo asked. Scervo shook his head. "Well thanks. Jack, let's hurry. We can't leave Midnight Hollow hanging."

Cleo and Jack trudged through the wilderness until the scenery changed slowly to become more like a savanna and the air was getting hotter. There was another town there, with buildings made of hollowed out boulders and there were rivers with flowing lava. Cleo could see Blue Crater Volcano ahead, but knew she had to postpone her trip there. The Subrosians, were stooped hooded figures who looked up to see a new visitor and, out of curiosity, swarmed around her to get a better look.

"A stranger!" One said in excitement.

"A very strange stranger, indeed," said another.

"I've never seen a Draboko like that before," said a third.

"I don't think it's a Draboko," replied the second.

"It doesn't look like it came from around here," said a fourth.

"Why is there a floating fire following it? Now I want one! Do you keep them as pets?"

"I think it's some weird looking pale Twili."

"I think I saw another one just like this one, near another mirror portal almost a month ago, except that one was tall, a little more broad, and wore white robes."

The Subrosians continued their pointless murmuring and bickering that made little sense. Cleo and Jack disentangled themselves from the crowd and continued through the town while a few of the hooded folk trailed behind them, still intrigued by this alien they saw Cleo as. They soon found the windmills with bodies also made of hollowed boulders and pinwheels made of wood and cloth. The sails weren't moving however, they were all still as statues. Cleo and Jack went inside one after the Subrosians had finally dispersed.

They looked around, it was completely empty, no one working, no herbs, or anything. With nothing to do there, they exited. "What now?" Cleo asked.

"I-I do not... Wait! Cleo, look up there! At the top!" Cleo's eyes traveled up the windmill until they rested on the sails, then realized there was something glinting at the very center. "Is that... a rune?"

"Yes, it is!" This might be the opportunity to gain a new power. She used Draconequus and walked up the wall. She reached out and grabbed the new rune, it read Futen.

"What are you doing up there?!" an unknown voice cried out. Cleo jumped, which is a bad idea when you're high up. The spell was instantly broken the moment her feet left the wall and she fell to the ground with a THUMP! She laid on her back, looking up at the face (just the eyes, really, as it was hidden in a hood) of another Subrosian wearing a bowtie. "Are you crazy or what?"

Cleo got up, feeling sore and not just physically. "Thanks a lot for almost killing me!"

"Hey, sorry! I guess I didn't get the memo that my windmill needed maintenance."

"Memo? Is this another saying I do not understand?" wondered Jack.

"No, it's not," sighed Cleo. "You say this is your windmill?" she asked the bowtied Subrosian.

"Yep. My name's Squurall and I own all these windmills. So what business do you have here?"

"Well, I was trying to get some herbal medicine for the Drabokos. They're very sick, getting sicker by the second!"

"Yes, I've recently heard about that. But as you can see, it's hard to make a living when there is no wind. There hasn't been a breeze for awhile so I can't make any kind of profit, not even from medicine."

"Well, maybe the new rune can help... maybe?" Jack suggested.

"I hope so." Cleo was starting to feel frustratingly antsy. She added the Rune of Futen to the Skribal Sword.

"That rune... was that why you were climbing the windmill?" asked Squurall.

Not answering, she activated it and the sword did a fast swirling motion in the air. There was a sudden wooooshhhhhh that caused her hat to fly off her head. "Good thing it is not a straw hat, otherwise it would be long gone," Jack chuckled.

Cleo grunted as she chased after it. Squurall looked ecstatic, he was hopping. "You have the Skribal Sword! Why didn't I see that? Say kid, you can help out, right? Get all ten of those windmills moving and I'll give you the medicine, free of charge!"

"Really?... Thanks!" Cleo's frustration was gone immediately.

"I better go get those herbs!" Squurall dashed off so fast, he looked like he'd turned into a cloud of smoke. Cleo went right to work, using Futen to summon the wind and get each of the ten windmills moving. It wasn't as easy as it looked as she had to twirl her sword at just the right speed (not too fast or too slow) so the sails would move, and properly.

After she was done, she sat down to take a breather ("What is a breather, some kind of drink? But you are underage!" said Jack) and wait for Squurall to come back. Thirty minutes passed and he didn't return. She was getting antsy again. "What is taking him so long?"

"I have a bad feeling about this." After Jack said it, Cleo got up and went to look for Squurall. They ran down the path he had taken and soon heard a scream.

Squurall came barreling past them, much faster than his little legs could possibly carry him. "B-BUGS! BUGS EVERYWHERE! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" Cleo was spun around and toppled from dizziness. A member from the insect army (a locust) came hopping toward her. She recovered just in time to counter its attack and brought it down.

Squurall peeked from behind a rock, shaking. Cleo looked back at him. "Are you alright? I'll take care of them!" She ran toward the herbal plantation and saw a dozen locusts infesting the place. They were devouring the valuable leaves, stripping the bushes bare. Cleo charged at them and slashed them into pieces. After they were taken care of, she went around the plantation and picked the leaves, gathering as much as her pockets could hold.

Squurall finally came out of hiding. "You're not hurt, right? Sorry I was dead useless, 'cuz you know, I'm a bit of a coward."

"Better to run away and live to fight another day," Jack moralized.

"We need to get these herbs over to the windmills, quickly," Cleo suggested.

They hurried to the nearest windmill and let it do all the work. After some impatient waiting, she finally got the medicine. "But how will we deliver it to the Drabokos?" Jack asked in worry. "They do not trust you."

"Why would they not trust you?" asked Squurall. "I know you're not of this realm, but you don't look dangerous."

"They think I'm the one who made them sick because there's another who looks like me!" Cleo snorted.

"What?!"

"There's also the tree that needs saving too, but I don't know if this will be enough. The locust ate most of 'em!" Cleo figured that was on Veran's orders.

"The tree? Oh, of course!"

"What is it?" asked Jack.

"There is a spring right in the bottom of the tree's interior. It has channels that spreads throughout the forest. If you dump the medicine in there, it'll spread in no time. Everything will be healed!"

"But there is still the problem of getting inside the Tree of Dusk. The Drabokos will not let Cleo near it."

"Don't worry Jack, I already have a plan ready," Cleo replied.

Two guards were standing before the arched wooded pathway to the Tree of Dusk. Still the healthiest and fittest they could possibly be in Midnight Hollow, they needed to protect the very heart of the forest from further harm.

"Why are we doing this?" one of them asked his partner. "The tree is dying, what is the point of this? We're all going to die."

"We need to have more faith in our sacred tree. It hasn't failed us yet, we have always depended on it for its life giving protection," the second sighed with a wheeze. "If we can only hold onto the hope that it will pull through, it gives us enough reason to protect it."

The first made a rough cough. "And... if it does die...?"

"Then we will have failed it." The second was suddenly alert. "Do you hear that?" They heard rustling. "Who goes there?" he demanded.

Someone was lurking in the shade of a nearby thicket. They could only see the shadowy silhouette of a short person, a child perhaps. "Is that...? It's her! It's that witch!" The first one exclaimed.

"Stay where you are!" the second shouted. The girl began to back away. "I said halt!" He marched toward her and as he got closer, she turned right around and ran. "After her! We can't let her escape!" Both of the guards began their chase, the first one still coughing.

After they were gone from their post, Cleo came out of hiding from a large bush, followed by Jack. "It worked, Cleo! They are chasing your shadow."

Cleo smiled, although she felt a bit guilty for tricking them like that. "The Anubis shadow will linger for a few more moments before the magic runs out. Let's get to the springs quickly." They ran down the path that led to their destination until they were standing before a trunk so massive, you could fit an entire dungeon inside it. And she had a feeling that was exactly what it was going to be.