Chapter 46: Return to Library Town

…

~~No explosion. Sello told us that, since we had displaced all the lava in the mountain that he was using, the volcano would explode. All that happened was lava poured out of the top of the volcano. And I think we saw part of Sello's machine, "Drumstik" (his spelling), fall out the top and roll down to the eastern face. Goddesses help me if I ever see another contraption like Drumstik again. Come to think of it, we just took Sello with us, so I just might. I can't think about it without shuddering.

~~We returned to the Yook mountain maybe an hour ago. Valley, Sello, Irleen, and I spent most of the evening climbing down the volcano and back up here, so it was far enough into evening that twilight was in the sky when we made it back. Kohg treated the burns Valley had on her skin from all the heat. He also treated and wrapped my hands. It hurts to write. I cut my hands bad on the glass from Drumstik's body, and having to climb down the mountain just put more pain and gravel in the wounds. I also have a large burn mark on my suit where a Keese landed on me. We're enjoying a late meal while Irleen fills Leynne, Kohg, and Mohk in on the details of our trip. It's weird hearing what happened to us, but I think that's just Irleen embellishing a little.

~~Thanks to us, though, Sello doesn't have a home. I feel a little bad about it. Sello though—He doesn't seem to mind. I asked if he would like to come back with us to the Forest Realm. He said yes, then he passed out. It makes me wonder if he even understood me. Whatever's in that barrel he has, it seems to be pretty strong.

…

~~Day 17

~~The volcano stopped. I don't quite understand how, but all the smoke and lava just stopped coming out of the top. Leynne says that it looks like all the lava cooled down, but no one really wants to go near it to see. Besides that, it looks like most of the ground around it is covered with lava when it squeezed through the front doors.

~~We're leaving for the train soon. We have to stretch our rations since I lost almost half of what Leynne bought for the journey. And Valley doesn't have any more. And we're taking Sello with us. I want to say that Sello's coming with us, but, really, it feels more like we have to drag him along since we made the volcano flood and destroyed his home. He doesn't want to stay with the Yook (and I get the impression that the Yook don't want him anyway), so we invited him along. Again, since we weren't sure he understood us from last night.

…

~~Day 18

~~I th—Somet—W

~~Sello's out of alcohol.

Link found that he could not come up with anything else to write before stashing the journal and pen back into his pockets and crawling out of the collapsed tent. He, Leynne, and Sello had attempted to share the tent since Valley and Irleen had wanted the group's other tent for themselves, as with during their first night in the mountains. It had seemed like a decent idea since Sello had passed out soon after the tents had been set up. Unfortunately, Link was not aware that Sello would wake up surprised by his surroundings and, subsequently, cause the tent to collapse on top of them.

After throwing the tent off himself, Link saw that empty ration packets littered the ground. For a moment, he thought that everyone had already eaten while he took his time trying to write a single line in his journal. However, watching Leynne put away the muddied contents of his pack told him that something else might have happened. Valley had already packed up and stood near their wrecked tent with Irleen hovering above her head. Sello sat on a rock on the edge of their clearing, frantically shaking his metal barrel. In between the heavy breaths Sello took, Link could hear a combination of sloshing and banging sounding from the barrel, as if he had filled it with water and rocks.

Link's eyes followed the trail of empty rations leading up to Sello. "I'm guessing we won't be having any breakfast this morning," he told Leynne.

With the rain matting Leynne's hair against his head, Leynne's scowl looked a little menacing. "No, we won't."

Valley sighed. "Daddy said dere would be days like dis," she told her hat.

"Your father said that there would be days when a desperate drunk would rip through your companions' supplies looking for alcohol?" Irleen asked, fluttering over to Link.

"Daddy's weird like dat."

Link pointed to Sello. "What's he doing?"

Leynne, dropping a ration packet that he thought had been left alone, glanced up at Sello and said, "If his attitude is any indication, he's attempting to brew his own drink. These ration packs ahn't the best foh that soht of thing, but I'd ratheh him try than lose whateveh mind he might have left." He looked at Link. "You said you found him in the volcano?"

"Yeah…"

"You might have tried putting him back when you weh done."

"He's following us home," Valley chimed.

"It's a drunk, not a cuckoo," Leynne told her.

"He's close enough." Leynne, having finished replacing his pack items, used his free hand to cover his face in annoyance.

"We flooded his home, Leynne," Link said. "We're… you know… kinda responsible."

"I undehstand that," Leynne said as he stood. He shouldered his pack. "But could you have found anyone moh sobeh?"

"He was the only one left," Irleen said.

"From what he told us, it sounds like the rest died in some… gruesome ways," Link added, making an awkward face as he remembered Sello's bawling while telling the story of his father's death. Valley did not share the same sentiment as she remembered and turned away to hide the grin she could not suppress.

Leynne gave a sigh and said, "Come on, Link. Let's get this tent packed away."

Since Link did not have a pack, he agreed to carry the tent in a blanket which Leynne tied up so Link could carry it on his back. Sello, in his endeavor to find a drink, seemed satisfied on his weird concoction of rainwater and travel rations. What was worse about the situation was, despite Leynne having said it was not possible, Sello seemed to have easily gotten drunk again. His stumbling around and tripping in mud left him a little messy by the time the group reached the hills south of the Iyuk Mountains. Valley was almost as messy after reviving her clumsy tendencies to get caught onto the wild growth of the nearby plant life. The rain felt heavier than when they first entered the mountains, and it let them wash off the mud that was constantly building on their clothes and boots. Still, Link would prefer to have a bath once they returned to Library Town.

Once they emerged from the mountains, their walk was guided by the weak trail of smoke on the horizon. They reached a cliff dug into the farthest hill and looked down onto the Seventeen. Luggard spotted them from the cab and blew the train's whistle as Leynne guided them down a slope to one side.

"Hey, Luggard!" Valley shouted over the rain as they approached.

"'Bou' time!" Luggard called back. "Ya's been gone for… wha', four days? I turned the boiler back on like ya said."

"I imagine it's been closeh to five at this point," Leynne said as the group stopped next to the locomotive. "Have you plenty of fuel?"

"Is ya kiddin'?" Luggard laughed. "I go' coal 'nough t' take us t' the moon!"

"I think we'll settle for Library Town, Luggard," Link told him.

"Good, I 'ate the moon," Luggard replied as his eyes watched Sello. "Bu' bein' ou' 'ere, I think I'll jus' be glad t' see somethin' other than rain and clouds." He pointed over the side towards the front of the engine. "Wha' is 'e doin'?"

Leynne, Link, and Valley followed his finger's direction. They saw Sello, who had climbed onto the thin running board beside the boiler, licking the side like a gigantic lollipop. Leynne, as Link and Valley walked over to Sello, replied, "He… is appraising the quality of the engine's metal."

"Really?" Luggard asked, watching Link grab the back of Sello's waistcoat to pull him off.

"He's also drunk on rainwateh and rations."

Luggard's look of amazement immediately changed to irritation. "Really, Leynne?"

Leynne threw his hands up. "Valley, Link, and Ihleen picked him up," he said. "I'll not be held responsible foh what he does." With that, Leynne started for the office car.

"Nooooo!" Sello called out as Link and Valley wrestled him away, Irleen escaping the knocking Link was taking by hovering over his head. "Lemme kiss it! Lemme kizzit!"

"Sello, you can taste it later," Link said. "We need to get going!"

"One fer luck, two fer marriage!" Sello said as he tried to wrench Link's arms open. "She dezides!"

"What?" Link asked.

"Maybe it'd be easier to tell him that there's alcohol waiting in Library Town," Irleen suggested.

Sello immediately broke loose from Link and Valley and chased down Leynne as he rounded the office car. "Sello likez zpiritz!" he called out.

"Get away from me!" Leynne shouted in response

Luggard started chuckling. "Whe-where'd ya find this guy?"

Link glanced at a grinning Valley before replying, "Inside a volcano."

"No!" Luggard breathed, still smiling.

"Yyyyyep!" Valley said.

"Wha' was 'e doin' there?"

"Getting drunk," Irleen said.

"Can' 'e do tha' in a pub?" Luggard asked, pointing at the end of his train.

Link scrunched his mouth in irritation. "I guess we'll find out," he said. "Get ready, Luggard. We're going back to Library Town."

Luggard circled a finger in the air. "Go' it."

…

~~We made it back to the train without anyone killing anyone else. For a while, I thought Leynne was going to strangle someone. Not that it isn't still a possibility. Sello is still drinking from his barrel, and he is very loud about it. He, Leynne, and Valley took the berths at the back of the office car, so I've been lying against the desk off and on. It's not very comfortable, and the train seems to like hitting something hard when I'm about to fall asleep.

…

"Link? Hey, Link." Link stirred when a hand shook on his shoulder. He picked his head up and looked around at the inside of the office car. Then he glanced over his shoulder to find Leynne standing above him. "Ah you all right?"

"Yeah, yeah," Link said, pushing the chair away from the desk. He pressed his thumb and forefinger into his eyes to help rub out the sleepiness he still felt. "Ugh. Where are we?"

"Back in Library Town. We just arrived."

Link glanced back at the berths to find them empty. "Where'd everyone go?"

"Valley said she had to tuhn heh repoht into the Library. Luggahd took Sello somewheh, and that was about all I wanted to know."

"Irleen?"

Leynne put a hand on the end of Link's hat and tore it off his head. "Oh, come on…" Irleen groaned as she appeared to roll over on top of Link's hair. "Just a few more minutes."

Link sighed as he accepted his hat back from Leynne. "Let's go, Irleen," he said. "We still have some daylight to use."

"Oogh," Irleen groaned as she picked herself up and floated above Link's head. "Why did you have to expose the sun?" Link's body felt heavy as he picked himself up. He agreed with Irleen, but he could not stay in the office car all day.

"Come on," Leynne said, inviting them out the door. "We'll find something to eat, and then we'll see if we can find Cale."

Link nodded. "That's right; he should be up and around by now." He started for the door, then he remembered to grab his shield and sling it over his shoulder. "If we've been gone for as long as you say, he might be back at the Library."

"We'll find him afteh we eat."

Link, Leynne, and Irleen left the train and explored some of the shops built into the cliffside in front of the Western Platforms. They found a tavern to eat at on the farthest end of the marketplace. Leynne made a remark at the number of peddlers in the tavern, and Link had to agree with him that there were quite a few. The market outside also seemed to have picked up in foot traffic, something which both of them noticed as they tried to squeeze through the crowd. About halfway towards the central region of town, Irleen remembered something.

"And the world goes boom!" she hollered.

BOOM! In a second after her words found Link's ears, Link hit the ground hard in response to what he perceived as cannon fire. His ears rang from the sound, as if a girl was softly screaming right next to him. When it cleared, he heard words of confusion and looked around. Gemstones lay scattered across the platform while one of the nearby dealers scrambled around his table to pick them up.

"What just happened?" Leynne asked as he and Link slowly stood.

"Gotcha…" Irleen said, giving a satisfied twirl.

Leynne gave her an irate look. "Cah to enlighten us?"

"Sure, after you do me a favor," she said, dropping so she could hover in front of his face. "I need you to buy a gem for me."

Both Leynne and Link stared at her for a moment, although Link only did it out of confusion. "You'h joking, right?"

"Trust me, Leynne," she said. "Go over to that guy—" She motioned in the direction of the dealer still picking up his scattered goods. "—and buy the gem I want."

"Why me?" Leynne asked. He indicated Link with a finger. "Why don't you have Link buy it?"

"Link's poor."

"Hey!" Link whined.

"How much could one gem cost? Just one gem. If you don't like it, you won't have to do it again. It shouldn't be too much for a man who was able to dish out three hundred and fifty rupees for a train ride."

"Why do you suddenly need a gem?" Leynne asked.

Irleen circled his head. "Just trust me and get me the one I want." Then, as if to avoid further argument, she dove under Link's hat.

Which Leynne quickly snatched, causing Link to duck when he thought Leynne would hit him. "Now wait a minute," he said to the top of Link's head. "Wheh does it say that I have to buy you anything?"

"Okay, okay, look!" Irleen said, immediately flying up out of Leynne's reach. "When we came down here, I had a bag of gems. But we wound up losing them when the Island Sonata crashed. I thought they might be here, so I—" After cutting herself off to look around, she descended so that she could whisper. "That explosion was one of the gems. As far as I can remember, it's the only one that triggers at a distance."

"So you did cause that explosion!" Link accused in a hushed voice.

"Nice to know you're listening, Link…"

"Why couldn't you just say so?" Leynne asked as he dropped Link's hat back onto Link's head. Link reached up and straightened the hat. "It's much easieh if you would explain fihst."

"Because I was trying to save it as a surprise," Irleen whined. "Now come on! Before it gets buried again!" She dove back under Link's hat. Link and Leynne gave a synchronized sigh and walked back towards the gem dealer.

The man wore a simple shirt of blue silk and thick, cloth pants. His skin looked a little red, particularly on his face and forearms. Healing scabs marred his hands as he reached around for the gemstones on the ground. He had a flat cap covering a bandage encircling his forehead, revealed by the cap being replaced slightly askew. The man's appearance gave Link the impression that he had had a bad week.

After they stepped to the opposite side of the table, where the dealer's wares were not visible, Leynne knocked on the table. The man looked up. Then he dumped the gems in his arms into a basket and stood. "Yeah, uh, yes?" he said. "Yes, can I help you, gentlemen?"

"We need a gem," Leynne told him.

The man's eyebrows rose. "Ah, for a lady friend?" he asked.

Leynne jerked a thumb at Link. "For his gihlfriend." Link gave him an annoyed look.

"And, her favorite color?" the dealer asked. "I have gemstones of all colors."

"Smoky," Irleen whispered to Link. "Dark."

"Sh-she likes them dark," Link spoke up.

The dealer glanced around for a moment. "Smooth or natural?"

"Natural," Irleen said.

"N-natural," Link repeated.

"I'm glad you'h suddenly an expeht on gems," Leynne remarked in an irritated tone.

"Round," Irleen whispered.

"R-round," Link said.

"Uh… y-you, uh… know I can hear that girl's voice… right?" the dealer asked Link.

Link gave a sigh. "We're trying to find a gem that she lost," he said. "We know you have it."

The dealer put on a large smile. "So I see," he said. "How much is this gem worth to you?"

"Do you have it oh not?" Leynne asked.

"Round, natural, dark…" the man listed as he reached beneath the table. He produced a rock half the size of his palm. It was almost spherical, but the top boasted another sphere fused to it. Its surface would be smooth if not for the raised bumps all over it. In the fading light, it looked almost black, but Link could see the edge facing the setting sun was semi-transparent. "Is this it?"

"And the world," Irleen said.

Seemingly in response, the stone's edges glowed red. Link took an unconscious step backwards. "Yeah, that must be it," he said.

"So, what are you willing to give me for it?" the dealer asked. "Because I paid quite a bit for this piece. It's hard to drive a bargain with Bulblins when they're wielding."

Leynne indicated the table with a finger. "How much does all of this cost you? The table and youh stock?"

He shrugged. "I suppose it's worth about four or five-hundred thousand rupees."

Leynne nodded. "Because that's how much you'll lose if that gem explodes again."

The man laughed. "Right."

Leynne matched his laugh except for the sincerity. "You think it's a coincidence that we approach you afteh youh stock blows across the ground?"

The man's smile faded. "You… you're serious?"

"She's already activated it," Leynne said, indicating the gem. The dealer quickly dropped it on the table. "Do you still want us to pay so deahly foh it?"

He held his hands up. "No, get it out of here! I didn't even have to bargain with the Bulblins; they just threw it at me!"

Leynne reached into his pocket as Link carefully took up the gem. He dropped a purple rupee onto the table. "Thanks."

The dealer stammered as he scooped up the rupee, watching Link and Leynne walk away. When he realized that they were the only two walking away, he leaned forward to look in front of his table where he thought the girl was hiding.

…

Link returned to the Library after Leynne left him to take care of some business. By the time Link had reached the garden in front of the Library, he remembered that he and Leynne had intended to look for Cale. Fortunately, as he stepped through the front door, he found that there was no need to look.

"Hey, Link!" Cale called down the hall. "Oveh heah!"

Link had to weave his way through the chairs that had been left sitting out, occasionally having to push one in; it appeared that no one liked to straighten up at the end of the day. "How are you doing?" Link asked when they met at the middle.

"Much betteh, thank you," Cale said. "How was the Snow Realm?"

Link opened his mouth, but Irleen popped out of his hat and spoke before Link could. "We picked up a drunk."

"Ah—" Cale clapped his mouth shut, his smile fading into a confused expression. "I-I'm sohry?"

"We found a man named Sello," Link said. "He's a descendent of Neektam, an Architect that was living in a volcano north of the mountains."

"So, you weah lucky," Cale concluded.

"He's a drunk," Irleen said, circling above Link's head. "He raided the supplies Leynne brought just to make himself a drink."

Cale gave her an awkward side-glance, tilting his head to do so. "So… half-lucky?"

"He passed out in front of us and doesn't even talk straight. I can tell through the translator gem!"

"Well… he-he did make Drumstik," Link pointed out.

"You mean the crazy machine that almost killed us?" Irleen asked, her circles becoming smaller and faster.

"Sooo… no… luck?" Cale asked.

"Bad luck!" Irleen said, jerking to a stop in front of his face. "Very bad luck, Cale!"

"Oh."

"It's not like Sello can be drunk all the time," Link told her.

"Well, he's trying his best," Irleen said. Link just groaned and put a hand over his face.

"I'm glad I found you befoah the day ended," Cale said. "I may have a lead on anotheh Ahchitect."

"Really?" Link asked. "I thought you were having trouble finding Architects. We spent a whole day before we found Ryain."

"Well, I had plenty of time to look around afteh I felt betteh. And since we found Ryain through a pictuah at The Rusted Boileh, I thought I might staht theah."

"Did you find anything there?" Irleen asked.

Cale put on an embarrassed face. "Actually… they threw me out."

"Well, we could've told you that would happen," Irleen said, moving to one side of the hall to look at books on the shelves.

"Pehhaps," Cale said. "But, afteh that, I found a book with a moah detailed recohd of the Royal Engineehs. It was easieh to find afteh I knew which time period to look at."

"It was that easy?" Link asked.

"I looked at the books on the otheh side of the shelf. Anyway. As it tuhns out, Ryain at least kept cohrespondence with a few othehs befoah he went into isolation."

"Was one of those Neektam?"

Cale shook his head. "No, but he did keep contact with anotheh who knew Neektam. It was a Goron blacksmith named Agoro."

"Another Royal Engineer?"

"Honorary Royal Engineeh. His acceptance to the Royal Engineehs was a title-only affaih."

"How come?" Irleen asked.

"As I undehstood, Agoro wasn't interested in being a Royal Engineeh. He designed the exterioh structuah of locomotives so that they would be moah… efficient, I suppose. But that was fohty yeahs ago, so I imagine locomotives have changed in recent times."

"Any idea where he was last?" Link asked. "If we're lucky, he had an apprentice or descendant who carried on his work."

"I thought as much, too," Cale said with a nod. "The Gorons typically live in close-knit societies; very few of them eveh leave home. Agoro was last known to be living in the Gorons' only town in the Fiah Realm."

"The Gorons' only town?" Irleen asked.

"Uh, the Gorons have a numbeh of settlements across the realm, but most of them spend hahdly a week away from the hometown at the base of the Mountain of Fiah."

"The 'Mountain of Fire'…" Irleen said. "Don't you people even try to think up inventive names?"

"Um… a-actually, I think that was the Gorons."

Link sighed, crossed his arms, and leaned a thigh against the table next to him. "So we need to get to the Goron town. Would Madame Seilon be willing to fund another trip?"

"She wanted to wait foh youh retuhn befoah discussing the possibility. But she's already left foh the evening, so we'll have to wait until tomorrow."

Link nodded. "That's fine. It's late anyway."

"Where are we staying the night?" Irleen asked.

"You can stay with me again, if you want," Cale offered. "I still have that extra cot, and my landlohd already knows you might stop by again."

"Okay," Link said as he pushed away from the table. "Are you finished here?"

Cale nodded. "Madame Jessek has been waiting foh me to finish. If you want to go on, I'll be back in a moment."

"All right," Link said, offering a wave as he started walking away. "See you there."

"Don't keep us too long," Irleen added as she followed.

Link stepped outside to find that evening was almost over, the low sun causing most of tenements outside of the Library's garden to cast long shadows across the ground. Some people had already set about lighting the torches around the town's central block. Link took in a deep breath and smiled.

"What's that all about?" Irleen asked as she circled above his head. "What's with the smile?"

"I don't know," Link said. "Somehow, I just have a good feeling."

"Oi, Link!" Link stopped and watched as Luggard jogged toward him. "'Ow's ya doin'?"

"Not bad," Link answered. "We just got some news from Cale."

"'E doin' okay?"

Link nodded. "He just told us about another lead he has on an Architect."

"Well, tha's some good news," Luggard huffed, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"We miss something?" Irleen asked.

But Luggard just shook his head. "Comp'ny idiocy. So, where's we goin' then?"

"We need to get to the Gorons' town at the base of the Mountain of Fire," Link said. "We'll be—"

Luggard interrupted him by hissing through his teeth in mild dismay. "What?" Irleen asked.

"Well, it's 'bou' tha' 'comp'ny idiocy' thin'," he explained. "I jus' go' word from me pals a' the Boiler." He paused and took in a deep breath to steel himself from his need to express a personal opinion.

"The Forest Rail Comp'ny, the Shoreliner Comp'ny, 'n the Aboda Railway Comp'ny all jus' declared tha' no trains is goin' t' the Sand Ream, the Ocean Realm or the Fire Realm. The Spiri' Tracks in the Ocean Realm is too flooded t' le' trains pass, 'n all the other rails go' destroyed 'n washed ou' by tides. Tha' cuts off access t' the whole east."

Link's jaw slowly drooped open into a stunned look.

…

~~I just found out that there may be another Architect among the Gorons. Unfortunately, I also just found out that all tracks going to the Fire Realm are cut off. Luggard says there isn't another

Link stopped and slapped the pen against the desk in frustration. He did not want to write down what Luggard said, that there were no other routes into the Fire Realm and there was no way to configure the Number Seventeen engine to run over flooded tracks. How could good news be taken away from him so quickly? He sighed, set his elbows on the table, and covered his face with his hands.

"Come on, Link," Irleen said, hovering over the cot. "It's not the end of the trip yet."

"If theah's a way around the Ocean Realm, I'm suah we'll find it tomorrow," Cale added before beginning to pull off his robe. He stopped halfway and stared at Irleen. "Um… if-if you don't mind…"

"What?" Irleen asked.

"I'm… I'm—I want to undress."

"So?"

"Could you… tuhn around?"

Irleen groaned and fluttered over to Link. "Link. We'll find a way."

Link took his hands away from his face. "I know. I ju—… It's… a little frustrating."

"We had the same problem when we tried going to the Snow Realm."

Link shook his head. "It's not the same. We didn't have the money, but we weren't physically blocked from the realm."

"That's still not going to stop us," she assured him. "Even if we have to walk, we'll get there."

He gave a sigh and leaned back against his chair. "I just… wish it wasn't so difficult."

"Me, too."

He aimed his frown at Irleen for a moment. "I'm sorry, Irleen. I know I promised to get you home, and I'll do everything I can. You're right. If I have to, I'll walk."

"You dove into a pit to save Valley from a pack of Wolfos. You left us behind to defend us from Fire Keese and Drumstik. I know you would do everything you can." Link chuckled.

"You mean… I missed that?" Cale asked.

"You'll have to compare notes with Valley," Irleen said with a smile in her voice. "She had the best seats at the show."

"Apparently," Cale said. Then, realizing that he had removed his chemise, he quickly ripped off his bedsheets and jumped under them. "Uh… g-good night."

"I'll put the light out," Link said, standing. He removed his hat (which Irleen settled in) and tunic. He considered finishing the sentence in his journal, but he just closed it and blew out the candle before relaxing in the cot.

…

"Two hundred and fifty-five years, five months, eighteen days."

He drew himself up as he took note of the time given to him by the scaled commander donned by a rich coat of vermillion. He figured the time in his mind, and he could only come to one possible event which had any relevance. The imprisonment of Malladus with the Spirit Tracks at the end of a devastating war on the surface. He knew the story well enough that it had become engrained in his memories as a series of horrific pictures conjured every time he heard it again.

"That was how long it took for us to catch you," the creature continued as he paced before the line of Sorian airmen and Hylians. His face had a vague human look except for the diamond-shaped scales which glistened with every lightning strike. He did not have any visible ears, but the shadows where they should be showed some kind of holes for hearing. The coat had chipped buttons made of large disks of wood and metal pauldrons which appeared to have been battered and scarred by battle. A bronze-handled cutlass hung from his belt by a pair of chains that rattled as he walked. He scowled at Captain Koroul for a moment. "I suppose your ancestors forgot about us once the war was over."

"I am sure they tried," Captain Koroul replied. "But our history is marred by what you did to our homeland. Images of your… vessel… our seared into our walls to remind us that you still exist. Creatures locked out of time itself."

The creature gave an amused laugh. "I will admit that that was quite a feat. We had no indication that the Sorians would be such a problem. I suppose our king put too much emphasis on those wretched spirits wandering the surface."

"Your king was quite justified in his concerns," he blurted out.

Both the creature and Captain Koroul looked at him in surprise. "Interesting," the creature said, smirking. "What are you, naked one? Clearly not a Sorian." He backed away a half-step, uncomfortable with being called "naked".

Line stepped in front of him. He told the creature, "We're not the only ones. If you don't let us go, you're going to pay. Our capta—"

"Sir!" someone in the tattered sails above called out. "Ship astern! She's lighted!"

Confused looked passed among the crew of the Horizon's Eye. The same looks were shared between him and the other Hylians. "Who could be out here?" one of the Sorian airmen asked.

"No one," another answered. "Only the Horizon's Eye was to leave the Storm."

Line, after exchanging an alarmed look with Albert and Flower, dashed for the bulwark. The creature in command held up a hand to halt his mixed crew of iron skeletons and scrawny lizards. He understood the reason for this; if Line intended to flee, his only option was to jump and hope he landed on the Horizon's Eye somewhere over the side. Instead, Line stopped with his hands on the bulwark, looking towards the rear of the ship.

He joined Line. "What is it, Airman Line?" he asked.

"Oh, no," Line breathed. He glanced back for a moment.

"It's the Island Sonata. It's Link."

"Man the aft guns!" the ship's commander declared. "Prepare to blow that ship from the skies!"

"Wha—NO!" Line declared as he spun around. "Leave him alone! He isn't armed! He can't do anything!"

"Put them back in line!" A large hand wrapped around his bicep, but he did not offer any resistance as he was dragged back into line next to Captain Koroul. He watched Line struggle against the lizard attempting to drag him back. "Leave that one. Let him watch."

Line threw a relaxed grip from his forearm. "Just leave him alone! He doesn't know what he's doing! He doesn't know about any of this!"

"I think you misunderstand my intentions," the creature told him with a smirk. "We cannot afford to have a witness to our capture of your ship. Not yet. The winds ensure that he comes this way; there is no way for him to return to the Sorian island. It is his fatal error that he approaches."

"He has no way to defend himself!" Line argued, his arms flailing with desperation. "He's all alone on that ship!"

"Whether he dies a hero or a fool makes no difference to us," the creature replied. "He must simply die. Hold fire for my command!"

"Yessir!" a crewman replied.

"He's just a kid," Flower said, his deep tone making his statement sounding more like a threat.

"Death's blade does not discriminate," the creature told him as it stepped over to the mast. "Neither do I."

"What would it take you to halt your attack?" he asked, stepping towards the creature. "Surely there is some way."

The creature eyed him for a moment. Then he looked around at the other Hylians. "I would admire your loyalties to your captain if you did not grovel in his place," he hissed. He signaled at them, and the lizards seized and pulled the Hylians backwards. "If they step towards me again, cut out whatever they use for hearts. The same goes for the Sorians."

"I have a shot, sir!" someone called from the rear of the ship.

"Me, too!"

The creature eyed the Hylians. Then he turned to Line. "If you're to blame anyone, blame your captain for his stupidity.

"FIRE THE FIRST!"

"Firing!"

POM! The sound rattled the deck under his feet. One of his hands fell on Flower's arm to keep balance using the airman's size. His eye quickly moved to Line, who was watching events behind the vessel with horror in his profile. For a moment, only the wind seemed to breathe.

"RELOAD AND FIRE THE SECOND!"

"NO!" Line shouted at the commander, his fist hitting the bulwark.

POM! Again, the deck shook. Line spun to stare out over the bulwark. Again, silence.

"Direct hit!" someone behind them declared.

"No!" Flower shouted, stepping out of line from behind and running to the bulwark. The commander gave the creature who was supposed to be behind Flower a dismissive wave. Flower leaned over Line and watched. Then his fist hit the bulwark, too. "No!"

"Reloaded and aimed, sir!" called the first cannoneer.

"FIRE!"

POM!

Line spun around. "You'll kill him!"

"Chief," Flower spoke with a grave tone. "He's already dead."

"You s—" Line cut himself off as he turned back around.

He realized the horror that those two airmen must have been watching. Could it be that the Lieutenant had followed them? Why? Did he somehow know that they were in danger?

"Direct hit!"

A moment of silence, one in which he could feel his own anticipation mingle with the other Hylians.

"It's a kill! He's going down!"

A roar of delight blew across the deck. The sound rattled his whole body as if it would snap his bones apart from sheer force. But in the middle of it, he heard Line scream in such a horrific voice that it felt as if he would lose his mind.

"LIIIIIIIIIIIINK!"

"NOOOO!"

Link woke up screaming and quickly sat upright. Irleen was already in the air, and he could hear Cale stirring behind him. After taking quick stock of himself, he searched around in the darkness for some kind of assurance as to where he was.

"Līnca?" Irleen asked, her tone half-asleep.

He put a hand on his chest, trying to will his heart to not burst from his body. His mind buzzed with vague impressions from the nightmare, trying to sort everything before he could forget it.

"Link, wha's goin' on?" Cale slurred. "Anotheh nightmah?"

A nightmare? That was a given. But this time, Link could remember something. Something which did not make sense, but might have something to do with his other dreams. It had to; it felt as if he might have had it before. The nightmare was leaving him fast, but one thought managed to stick with him long enough for him to grasp.

Had he just witnessed the sinking of the Island Sonata?