Chapter 48: Railway to Heart Attacks

…

Link was careful as he took the stairs down. His encounter with Byrne had left him excited, although his reason seemed to change as he descended. At first, he was glad to have a way to the Fire Realm. Then he was excited to have a new sword. As he continued, his mind revitalized itself with the idea that he was much closer to returning home.

"Oi, Link!" Link stopped and looked around. Then he saw Luggard, Cale, and Irleen climbing the stairs about two floors below, Luggard waving to him from the other side of the tower. Link hustled down the stairs and met them at the next landing. "Ya ge' t' the top?"

"Yeah," Link answered.

"How?" Irleen asked. "You just disappeared with that magic pool on the floor!"

"I…" Link trailed off with a shrug. "I really don't know. It just… kinda happened."

"We met Ihleen at the bottom," Cale said, leaning against the wall to rest. "We weah concehned that something had happened to you." He groaned. "My legs huht. This toweh's incredibly high."

"I see ya found somethin'," Luggard said, stretching out an arm to tap the Lokomo Sword on Link's back.

"More than I expected," Link said. "Luggard, there's supposed to be a gateway on the tracks to the south of Whittleton. Have you heard of it?"

"Big ring in the middle o' the tracks?" Luggard asked, drawing a circle with his hands.

Link shrugged. "Yeah, that might be it."

"Ain' far from Whi'leton, las' I saw. Why?"

Link glanced up for a moment, wondering if he should mention his discussion with Byrne. "I'll explain later," he decided. He poked a thumb at the Lokomo Sword. "This sword has a Force Gem on it. We can use it and the Seventeen to take that gateway straight to the Sand Realm."

Luggard tilted his head. "Really?"

Link nodded. "As long as I have this sword, we can travel through the gateway. I don't know how far we might get, but it'd be better than hoping the rails in the Ocean Realm open up."

"It'd be be'er than waitin', tha's true," Luggard said, nodding his agreement. "Bu' where is we gonna come ou'?"

"I don't know. I just know it'll be somewhere in the Sand Realm."

"The Sand Realm isn't very lahge," Cale said. "Noh have theah been many subsidiary rails built."

Luggard gave him a frown. "'Ow do ya know?"

Cale blinked at him for a moment. "Luggahd, I've been reading comprehensive histories of railway travel and engineehs foh almost two weeks."

"He's pretty good at remembering things," Link said, one finger indicating Cale. "He found out where Leynne lived using old leaves we found at the bottom of the crypt."

Luggard's glance shifted between Link and Cale for a moment. "I'd be lyin' if I said I understood tha'."

"You had to be there," Irleen said. "So what's next?"

"Well, it's ge'in' too late t' ge' tha' way," Luggard said. "Bes' t' wai' 'til mornin'."

"Really?" Link asked. "What time is it?"

"Almos' nigh'."

Link gave a sigh and shrug. "Okay. Morning, then."

Cale pushed away from the wall with an exhausted sigh. "Isn't theah an easieh way down?" he moaned. Luggard, just about to start down the stairs, stopped and indicated the bottom of the tower. "Right. If only I had wings."

"Ask a stupid question," Luggard said with a grin. He then cleared his throat. "I could ea'. 'Ow 'bou' ya, Irleen?"

"You're an idiot," Irleen said as she led the way down the stairs.

"Wha'?" Luggard asked, shrugging his humored confusion as he followed. "I forgo'."

"You're still an idiot! And stop smiling!" Link and Cale shared a grin before starting down the stairs after them.

Thumm. Thumm. Link slowed his pace until he stopped a few steps away from the landing. It took him a moment to recognize the sound. It had been weeks ago, but he recognized the distant sound of thunder from his journey through the Undying Storm. Not thinking it impossible, he looked back up the center of the tower as if to find the source. Then he reminded himself that it had been distant. A storm must have been approaching. Link decided that he would look around when they stepped outside.

But when they stepped outside, Link found his attention taken by something completely different.

And unexpected.

And… just plain absurd.

Because they had only returned to the Forest Realm yesterday, Luggard had not had the time to remove the spare roof from the cab. Someone had nailed a wooden trough on top of it, a small one like those used for watering animals. It had been broken and put back together with metal plates so that the two ends formed an uneven V shape. A large box with a fan mounted into a hole in the front had been strapped to the smokestack by a collection of leather belts. A bundle of what Link first thought was rope ran from the back of the fan box into the cab and out to the front of the locomotive. The second end went into a lantern hanging from the broken headlight at the front of locomotive. A large patch of paint had been removed from the Seventeen's black boiler, leaving a large section covered in bare, scratched metal. As Link stepped closer, he saw that some of the paint had been pasted to the inside of the lantern, probably to block the direction of light when in use. A large cooking pot had been fixed to a protrusion behind the smokestack, held in place by wires anchored to the front of the cab and the handrail near the front of the boiler.

Link stared at the Seventeen for a moment, trying to decide whether the appearance was confusing or funny. "Wha-what happened to the train?" he asked, still unsure of his reaction.

Luggard immediately wheeled around. "Oh, good," he said, putting on a kind of smile that had Link worried. "So ya did notice."

"Wha-wha-wah," Link stammered, taking a step back.

Luggard pointed a finger at the train. "Tha' is wha' 'appens when someone leaves tha' Sello idio' on 'is own."

"S-Sello?" Link asked. "What'd he do?"

Luggard's arm jerked from one part of the train to the next as he explained. "'E pu' ou' me 'eadligh' 'n stuck tha' on me train! Me steam turbine is missin'! I go' no idea why I go' a fan on me stack! 'E did somethin' with me steam regulator! Now I go' a po' glued to me steam dome! And 'e pu' a 'ole in me roof jus' so 'e could pu' on a coal 'opper! I can' ge' rid o' tha' roof now!"

Link scratched his head. "Where'd he get all that stuff?"

Luggard grabbed the front of Link's tunic and shook him hard. "I can' le' me boss see this! 'E's gonna kill me!"

"Whoa, whoa." Link latched onto Luggard's arms to stop him. "Just take it easy. I'm sure Sello had his reasons. Where is he?"

"I don' know!" Luggard pulled Link closer to his face. "Bu' if I see 'im 'gain, I'm gonna kill 'im."

"Okay, okay," Link told him, hands up in surrender. "Look, when we get the chance, we'll pay for the repairs. I promise."

Luggard indicated the locomotive with a hand. "Ya know 'ow much me train ra'les now? It sounds like there's a Bullbo loose in the boiler!"

"We'll do what we can," Link assured him, putting on a weak smile.

"How bad can it be?" Irleen asked.

It turned out to be really bad as Luggard backed the train to a junction a while later. Link hoped that the rattling could be fixed before they left tomorrow morning.

…

Before parting at the platform, Luggard agreed to meet Cale and Link early in the morning so that he could be paid before they left for the Sand Realm. Madame Seilon would be at the Library early; according to Cale, the other administrators relied on her to make their coffee for them so they can start the day a little less cranky. Link asked Luggard to keep his eyes open for Leynne or Sello just in case they felt the need to join them, although Luggard mentioned expressing his opinion of Sello with a railroad spike, a length of chain, and a shovel. Link, Cale, and Irleen declined hearing any further details; Link, in a serious tone, only asked that Sello still had one usable hand and be able to run if necessary. From there, Cale, Irleen, and Link returned to Cale's apartment for the night.

~~I'm not sure if I can explain what happened this evening. It would take too long, and I can't be completely certain it happened; it's so far out there.

~~First, the tower. I met a Lokomo named Byrne, and he told me that something bad was happening in the sky. He knew about the demon in the Undying Storm. I can't help feeling worried, especially since I seem to be the one who's supposed to stop it. He gave me this new sword, which he claims was used to stop a demon king that used to live in the Spirit Tracks. I don't know if I'll have to use it. It's a little overwhelming, especially being told that I have to defeat Cunimincus just because I have the sword. Really, all I want to do is return home.

~~Next, the Seventeen. I can't be sure what happened, but it looks like Sello made some modifications to the locomotive. I don't know where he found the junk he hammered to the locomotive, but I'm fairly certain that Sello doesn't have any money. If he pulls this kind of thing without money, I shudder to think what he might do with a few rupees in his pocket. I told Luggard that I'd pay for repairs to the train, but that just reminds me that I don't even have any money.

~~We'll be going to the gateway south of Whittleton tomorrow morning. I really hope this all works out.

…

Link slept soundly that night, and the next morning found him wide awake and ready. He, Cale, and Irleen met Luggard and Madame Seilon at the Library as planned, and Madame Seilon revealed that, because of Valley's contribution to the Library, she was allowed to pay Link and Luggard more as long as Cale went with them again. This prompted a confused look from Luggard, and he questioned Link and Irleen about the Iyuk Mountains for a bit. Many people took notice of the sword Link brought in, and he explained his encounter with Byrne at the top of the tower. Madame Seilon replied that she might send a couple of senior researchers to the tower to see if it was still open.

Afterwards, they came across Leynne walking to the Western Platforms, carrying a bundle of rolled paper under one arm. He explained to them that he had found an apartment that he could use as a drafting studio while he had been wandering about yesterday. His intention was to start putting together some sort of plan for the mechanics for the vessel Link would need to get back into the sky, but it would be a side-job to his regular inventing until either he or they could find him some more help. He also explained that he would be taking a trip to the shipyard in Hovela to learn more about sailing ships and that he would need some input from Link at a later time. Link, Cale, and Irleen went with him while Luggard went to request the supplies they would need. Leynne explained that he rented two separate apartments because it would be easier for him to sleep without accidentally rolling over on a sharp piece of metal. After Link explained what they were leaving the town for, Leynne gave Link his duoscope, saying that he would be putting together another one to sell.

Because they still had time to kill before Luggard would have the Seventeen ready, Link, Cale, and Irleen decided to look around the shops and tables on the Western Platforms. Link found a pair of fingerless gloves which he felt would help protect his hands. He and Cale also decided to take a few first-aid items along, pooling their money from the Library to buy wrapping, anti-septic, and wound dressing. Link also looked around at shields, but he found that even the cheapest metal shields were just out of his price range (he only had 96 rupees left), and many of the wooden shields appeared to be in worse shape than the one he had taken from the crypt. He asked one man, who had made a number of similar shields, inspect the one he had found. The man responded that it was high quality wood, but it was likely to eventually fail if it took too many hard strikes because of its age. They made a point of looking at gemstones as well, but Irleen did not recognize any of the other gems she had made.

Link, Cale, and Irleen eventually wandered to platform nine, the only platform available the previous night due to many trains having shut down early. Luggard stood on the platform, watching as another engineer wearing a blue uniform appraised the inside of the smokestack. "What's going on?" Cale asked.

"Tha' idiot's been near me engine 'gain," Luggard replied, crossing his arms. "I opened up the firebox t' see if the grate needed cleanin', 'n I noticed the box smelled like alcohol."

"Alcohol?" Irleen asked.

Luggard indicated the other engineer. "'E's a yard engineer. I asked 'im t' inspect the boiler jus' in case."

"Suahly Misteh Sello wouldn't have done anything to hahm the engine," Cale suggested.

"I ain' exactly known people t' be creative while they's drunk."

"Looks a'righ', Luggar'," the other engineer called. "Ya migh' wa'a check tha' po' on ya's steam dome, though."

"Tha's it?" Luggard asked, his arms wide to indicate his confusion. "Nothin' else?"

The other engineer shrugged. "S'pose ya shoul' bring it t' a yar'. Tha's the bes' I can do ou' 'ere."

"C'mon, Will," Luggard moaned as the other engineer started across the locomotive. "There's go'a be more ya can do."

"Tha's everythin'," Will replied. He gave the trough on top of the cab a pat as he walked by. "Nice 'opper."

"It's no' a 'opper!" Luggard shouted at him. "It's a 'orse trough stolen by a drunk! And the cowlin'! Jus' where in town do ya find a boiler cowlin'!?"

Will pointed down the platforms. "Looks like the Fourteen's missin' it."

"The Fo—GAAAGH!" Luggard hollered and kicked a small rock at the boiler.

Will jumped down to the platform, but a pained look flashed across his face as he stood there, trying to straighten out his legs. "Ge'in too ol' for this," he groaned, shoving his hips forward. The movement drew out a sickening crack which Link could hear. "Wha' ya gonna do 'bou' tha' drunk on ya's car?"

"Wha'?"

"Tall blond pass'ger on top o' ya's car," Will said, pointing at the top of the office car.

Luggard, appearing drained from his outburst, glanced up at the sky. "Leave 'im there. Any luck, I'll run 'im down on me way ou'."

Will shrugged. "Sui' yaself."

Link waited until Will jumped down from the platform before talking. "Problems?" he asked.

"Nothin' a rusty pipe ain' gonna solve," Luggard told him. "Bu' tha's all differen'. Wha's the plan?"

"Preferably, once we emehge into the Sand Realm," Cale said, "we try going nohth. With luck, one of the tunnels into the Fiah Realm will still be open."

"The thing is," Link continued, "once we get into the Sand Realm, we won't really know where we're going. We might have to stop and get our bearings before continuing on. How well do you know the Sand Realm."

"'Ardly a' all," Luggard said. "I spent mos' o' me job 'roun' 'ere or maybe a once or twice up t' the Snow Realm."

"So ouh best plan is to just head nohth," Cale said. "If not a route to the Fiah Realm, we might at least find ouhselves at the Sand Sanctuary." He shrugged an arm to indicate the book he held. "This has the best maps of the Sand Realm, so if we must, we can get ouh bearings from it."

"I'll tell ya now," Luggard said. "I don' really like this idea. There's gonna be beasts ou' there tha'll wanna taste us. And I don' thin' I been quite righ' since the Los' Woods."

"Which one of us is?" Irleen asked.

Luggard shrugged. "Jus' sayin'." Then he made a circle with one finger. "All aboard."

…

The ride south took less time than Link remembered having to ride to Library Town. But then he remembered that Luggard was using a more direct route instead of stopping in Fishington. The plains showed them clouds on the western horizon, leading Cale to wonder aloud if there would be rain when they would return. Luggard expressed displeasure at the idea since, when Sello added the trough and cowling to the roof (which fed a controlled amount of coal directly into the firebox), he had placed some of their fuel on top of the locomotive. Then he added that, if it came to it, he would bash the hopper aside and use Sello to shovel coal into the firebox. Irleen decided to remain in the space between the instrument panel and the roof of the cab, mostly to just relax.

Link, by the time the afternoon was almost halfway through, spotted a circular object on the tracks in front of them. "I think I see it!" he called to Luggard over the noise of the engine.

Luggard peered around the other side. "Great!" he hollered back. "Now wha'?"

Link placed the duoscope on the bench at his knees and pulled the sword from his back. He looked at the Force Gem in the guard and said, "Blow the whistle and keep it up as long as possible!"

Luggard sounded the whistle, its deep wail dragging on for much longer than Link had ever heard before. Almost immediately, the Force Gem flashed to life, forcing Link to hold the sword away from him. He watched the track ahead.

A spiral of yellow energy sparked to life in the center of the circle. It grew to fill the circle, and Link had a feeling deep in his stomach that the gateway was working. He replaced the sword and spun around. "Here w—GAH!"

"WAH!" Sello, who had gone unnoticed the whole time, cried out loud and stumbled backwards into the meager coal pile.

Luggard's hand slipped from the whistle control as he spun around. "Wha' are ya doin'?!" he shouted at Sello. "And wha' did you—"

"Luggahd, the gate!" Cale, previously leaning on the wall, called out after pulling his head back in from the window. "It's closing!"

"Damn…" Luggard huffed as he nearly fell reaching for the whistle's cord. The whistle wailed again. Link looked out the window to see that the gateway was opening again and approaching fast. "Link!"

"Everybody hang on!" Link shouted, dropping onto the bench. A sudden jerk in the train's motion sent Cale to the floor hard while Luggard maintained his grip on the cord. A bright flash filled the cab. PAN-KHHH! The roof suddenly tore from the cab, sending shards of broken glass spilling onto the floor. A girlish scream filled the air.

Then Link felt something stinging the back of his neck and immediately stood up to duck into the middle of the exposed cab. A veil of dust blocked all sight outside the cab. Link looked back, as Sello crawled into the shelter of the cab's overhang, to see that half of the office car had been enveloped in dust. The engine's chugging dropped in volume as Luggard slowed the train, allowing howling winds to be heard instead. Cale and Sello crowded closer to the front of the cab.

"Aw, great!" Luggard shouted. "We's in a sandstorm!"

"Bad?" Link asked, holding an arm up to block out the sand as he went to retrieve the duoscope that had fallen to the floor.

"Bad," Luggard replied. "Very. We can' see anythin' now."

"Compass?" Link asked.

Luggard glanced at the compass in the instrument panel. "Goin' wes' now. So north a' the firs' junction."

"If possible," Cale added, propping the book open on his knees. "Infohm me when you see any useful landmahks."

"I'll ge' t' ya la'er," Luggard snapped, pointing a finger at Sello.

"Ye-okey-dokey, Zmokey!" Sello answered with a stupid grin on his face.

Link put the duoscope to his eyes to look at their surroundings. He found that the duoscope was just barely any more effective than his own eyes; to the south, he could see blue spots in between bursts of wind and sand. "Cale," he said. "I can't be certain, but I think we might be near a source of water."

"Then it could be that we'ah at the southehn edge of the realm," Cale answered. "That's a little fuhtheh than we could hope foh."

"Wai', 'ow far?" Luggard asked.

Cale offered him a helpless glance. "It might take us the rest of the day to reach the Fiah Realm."

Luggard huffed. "Good news, all righ'."

"At least we didn't crash," Link said.

"Yes, but we should have counted on the sandstohm," Cale said.

"Common?"

"Persisten'," Luggard answered. "For years now."

"No one knows what causes them," Cale said. "The Gelto suggest that theah is a creatuah that causes the stohms just because it exists."

"The Gelto also sugges' tastin' yar friend's blood b'fore marryin'," Luggard said. "Don' mean I go'a believe 'em."

"I perver zpirits," Sello said, pulling a bottle out of his vest.

"I be' ya would," Luggard grumbled.

Sello held up the bottle in a toast. "Happy birfday!"

"Oh, shu' up! Link, can you see 'ead?"

"What?" Link asked.

"In fron'," Luggard said. "Wha's in fron'?"

Link glanced to one side. Then he tugged his cap tighter over his forehead and leaned over the side with the duoscope pressed hard to his face. "I ca—" Link quickly retreated back into the cab and spat sand out of his mouth. "I can't see a lot, but it looks like we might be approaching something."

"A junction?"

"Might've been."

"Did ya see the indica'or? Wha' color it was?"

Link dared another look in front. "Red," he answered after pulling back in. "It looks red."

Luggard nodded. "Junction 'ead o' us turns north. Tha' makes it easy; we don' go'a stop." He looked at the instrument panel, then he moved the throttle. "Don' know why, bu' we's movin' faster than usual."

"A slope?" Cale suggested.

"No, it don' feel like one," Luggard said. "Bu' 'ang on t' somethin'; no tellin' when it gets 'ere."

The turn came after what felt like half an hour, but that may have been their minds fooling them while they were waiting for it to come in the silence. Link had moved to the other side so that he could talk to Luggard easier while watching the tracks ahead. He checked on Irleen a few minutes later, making sure that the loss of the rooftop had not harmed her. Cale turned towards the instrument panel so he could watch the compass.

Sello wandered around the cab, staying in the safe zone created by the cab's shape. At one point, he ventured towards the left side of the train and looked up.

"Whooa," he breathed, barely audible above the wind and the engine. "Lookit chu! I's like-I's like… like you can zee da world!" Then he tilted his head to one side. "Like da island of the Keezez. Bu' maybe dey juz exist in ma head… Oh, well. Heh, you can zee 'em anyway!"

"'O the 'ell could ya be talkin' t', Sello," Luggard said, his eyes fixed on the instrument panel while Link looked ahead for him.

"Heh," Sello chuckled. "Ma new bezt friend!"

"Ya's drunk. Shu' up."

Sello turned back around. "Don' lizzen to him. He's juz jealous. Ya know." He put the bottom of his bottle against his left ear. "Tight shor—whoa! I can hear ma dad's zpirit talkin' ta me! He says… 'let go o' da honker an' let one rip fer future generations'. Willlllll do!"

"Why is ya still talkin'?" Luggard said with an exasperated tone.

"Juz talkin' to ma buddy!" Sello said, pointing. "I'm gonna call him…" He paused, putting on a difficult face. "… ma buddy!"

"What could you poss—" Cale suddenly cut off in mid-sentence as he glanced in Sello's direction.

"Don' le' 'im ge' t' ya, Cale," Luggard said. However, Cale responded by tugging on Luggard's trouser leg. "Wha?"

Link, unable to hear the conversation due to the wind blowing past his head, pulled into the cab when he felt a hand probe around his back. "What is—" he started to ask before noticing that Luggard and Cale were looking at something. He glanced to Sello.

Then he looked up at the large wall of leathery hide blocking their left side. It looked to be twice the height of the Seventeen and bore large rocks towards its front.

And in the middle of those rocks was a single, scowling, yellow eye, its slit pupil indicating that it was looking down on them.

"Luggard, remember how you said the train was moving fast?" Link asked through his shocked state.

"Ugh," Luggard replied.

"Now might be a good time to be moving faster."

"Ugba."

Silence.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" All three boys hollered in pure fright at the same time. Luggard slammed the throttle hard. Then he shoved Cale aside to open the firebox. Link immediately saw his intention and, after dropping the duoscope where he stood, ran to the back of the cab to get the coal shovel. However, Luggard's rush prompted him to grab Cale's book and throw it into the firebox first. Cale did not have the heart to complain, already rolled into a ball and cowering in a corner in the front of the cab. Link, due to the coal that had been placed in the hopper they had lost, had to sling coal from the back of the tender. Luggard scooped these coals from the floor with his hands and shoved them into the firebox as fast as possible. Sello watched the spectacle with a clueless frown on his face. He moved to take a drink from the empty bottle in his hands, noticed that it was empty, and, reaching for a small flask in a waistcoat pocket, threw the bottle over his shoulder.

The bottle shattered against the creature's hide.

"GWAAAAAAAANH!" the creature roared.

Shu-POOOOMF! Link and Luggard looked up to see that the creature, large as it had been, had disappeared. Link then had to duck his head against the sand biting his face.

Luggard found the duoscope on the floor next to him and picked it up. Seeing one of the large lenses had been broken, he put the intact lens to one eye and looked for the creature. "Sh—I think 'e's still ou' there!" he called above the sound of the engine.

Shu-poomf! "Nope, 'e's definitely still ou' there!"

Link moved into the protection of the cab's forward area and looked out. Even in the thick sandstorm, he could see a dark blade cutting through the storm alongside them. "Tha-wha—… What is that thing?" he asked Luggard.

"I don' intend t' find ou'," Luggard said, lowering the duoscope.

The cab suddenly lurched, dropping Luggard and Link onto their stomachs and Sello sprawling against the bench. The whole locomotive felt like it tilted for a moment before a sharp screech signaled that they had settled back onto the tracks. "What was that!?" Irleen's voice could barely be heard over the noise in the air.

Luggard crawled to the instrument panel to look at the compass. "We jus' turned east!" he shouted. "Wha's east!?"

"D-deseht!" Cale screamed in an impossibly high voice.

"Doowid again!" Sello called out in delight.

Link slowly stood up, keeping low when he felt wind brushing his hat. "I think we lost it," he said, his eyes scanning the rear of the train. He turned to the front. "We need to get out of here."

"Can' agree more!" Luggard said, checking the instruments.

Shu-GHAAAASHWUUUUUUMMMMM! The locomotive shook hard, leveling Sello to the floor with an audible thud. Link and Luggard managed to stay on their feet and gave each other looks of utter terror. They turned around as Cale slowly raised his head.

They found that the office car was missing, its pieces quickly fading away into the storm.

Again, "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" broke the air from all three boys. Luggard started pressing hard on the throttle control as if the added effort would get them moving faster. Link picked up the dropped duoscope and pressed the only functioning lens against his eye as he stuck his head out over the side.

"Luggard!" he shouted, pulling his head in. He had to spit out sand before saying more. "I think there's a gateway ahead! Pull your whistle!"

"Gladly!" Luggard said, tugging down on the control cord hard. The cord snapped, and Luggard grabbed the longer of the two pieces to keep the whistle blowing.

Link spun towards the rear and put the duoscope to his eye. Again, he could make out a dark blade moving through the sand. "It's gonna be close! Everyone hang on!" Sello remained unmoving at Cale's side while Cale had squeezed into the corner as best as he could, one arm braced against the instrument panel. Luggard watched the distance for a moment before closing his eyes. Link saw the creature's jagged nose rise from the sand. When he saw it disappear along with the blade, he took the duoscope away slowly. Then he squeezed his eyes shut.

The locomotive shuddered, causing Luggard to fall from the broken cord. Link opened his eyes again to find and latch onto the cab's side. When he looked up, he saw the Seventeen speeding away from a gateway.

"Luggard, slow down! Slow down!" he cried out.

Luggard slammed the throttle to the opposite position and yanked hard on the brakes. Link fell against the instrument panel, almost striking Luggard in the head with the duoscope. "Easy, easy!" Luggard shouted above the noise. When he found the locomotive sufficiently slowed, he released the brakes. "Did… did we make it?" he asked, eyes on the gateway behind them.

"Yeah," Link said with a sigh, a hand on his chest to help calm his heart. He looked up at the tranquil sky above, around at the still sea of sand basking in the early evening light. "I think we're safe."

"Beedle-dee-bop-beep-beep," Sello said in a dazed tone.

Luggard leaned on the brake lever. "Ya know," he said to Link. "We's go'a go through 'im when we go back."

Link nodded. "At least we know which ways to go now."

"Bye-bye, ma buddy," Sello said to the sky.