VII – A Dagger In The Night
Sheik groaned as sunlight hit his eyes. His head was throbbing and his muscles ached as he moved his arms and legs. Turning around on the hard ground, he tried to shelter his face from the sun only to be met with the sole of a boot.
"Get up, you piece of shit!"
The tip of the boot pressed hard against his cheek, squishing the flesh underneath.
Sheik batted the foot away, and sat up. He felt miserable, his head was pounding so hard that it made him nauseous. Toran watched him with the usual disdain as Sheik bent over, and emptied his stomach against the rock.
"Did you drown your misery in voltfruit spirit?"
Sheik sat up, wiping his mouth. The bitter taste of his own vomit still filled his mouth, and he wished he had some water to rinse and satisfy his thirst. Toran picked the empty bottle up from the ground and tossed it at Sheik.
"Sober up. Valen called for you."
Sheik groaned. Although no one had shown him the way into the cellar, he had found it anyway. Sheik had been impressed by the shelves filled with food provisions, but, most of all, the huge amount of bottles stored in a cool place. They were mostly filled with voltfruit spirit and liquor, but he had also found some rum and other regional products from Hyrule. He could not remember guzzling a whole bottle, but then again, his memories were pretty much a blur anyway. All he could remember was the anger he had felt inside. That kind of growing anger that will slowly start to take a hold of you if you let it. So he had drowned it in alcohol.
He stumbled through the sand and pebbles, making his way inside. If I look the way I feel, I must resemble a pile of shit, he thought as he stumbled to the washing room. He took a bucket, filled it with water, and rinsed his mouth, then stripped his clothes to wash. He figured that a catlick wouldn't do today, so once naked, he poured the whole bucket over his head. The water was freezing and woke him up once and for all.
Valen looked up when Sheik finally arrived. He said nothing but raised an eyebrow at the miserable sight.
"Since we're finally complete, let's make this short. I need two scouting parties, one for central Hyrule, and one for the Tabantha region." He briefly explained the situation and divided the present Yiga into two groups. Sheik sighed inwardly as he was assigned to join the Tabantha party. Not that it seemed much worse than pilgrimaging to central Hyrule, but it pained him to think that he had to take the same exhausting path that had led him here in the first place. Little did he know that that wasn't true.
Had Sheik known that there was a way through the mountain rather than around, he would have gladly taken it, but its entry and exit were so well hidden that only its creators could have known about it. The passage was a fast track to the Tabantha region and Sheik couldn't help but be amazed at how quickly they got there, compared to his own journey. He still did not consider himself to be a Yiga, but the common heritage was obvious. A Hylian would never be able to find their way around like a Sheikah, let alone build something like this.
Sorren was leading the party and Sheik was relieved that they did not have to drag Toran along. Not that he liked anyone of the clan, but Toran was the first one he'd kill if it ever came down to it.
The journey took barely more than a few days, and once they emerged from the mountain passage, dawn was upon them. Sorren suggested that they wear the brown traveller cloaks they had brought along (all of them had been collected during raids on travelling merchants) so as to blend in, should they run into people. The plan was to approach the heart of the Tabantha region over the Rayne Highlands, which were known to be deserted, past the Gisa Crater and Cuho Mountain. Once they'd reach Totori lake, they would split up in two groups, one going west and one east.
They travelled mostly at night and rested during the day, although the path they took was pretty much screened from civilisation. Sorren did not want to risk being exposed in plain sunlight due to carelessness.
Sheik quickly grew tired of the walking. The Yiga were not known for using horses, as they would draw too much attention, but wandering over hill and dale on foot soon left Sheik craving for a more comfortable means of travel. On the other hand, it took his mind off things and sleep came more easily to him despite lying on the hard underground.
On the fifth day, their calm journey suddenly took a turn. They had finally arrived at Passer Hill, just north-west of Cuho Mountain, when Sorren motioned them to stop. Behind the slope of Passer Hill, under a group of trees, a number of tents had been pitched and a campfire was lit. Around the fire sat five men, grilling corn and slices of bread. On the road, more men were patrolling and from the north-east, Sheik saw a group of riders approach. They were clad in dark royal blue, adorned with golden embroidery, the sigil of the royal family of Hyrule boldly visible on their chests. Hyrulean soldiers.
The Yiga quickly ducked down and hid behind rocks, and Sorren beckoned them to split up and disperse. They quietly departed into different directions, and Sheik decided to lay low in a nearby patch of forest, behind Warbler's nest, not too far from the main road. Totori lake was so close by that he could hear the soft rushing of water and the flapping of large bird wings every now and down. The Rito, he thought as he cowered beneath a large tree, thankful for the thick branches full of leaves that would shield him from curious glances from above. Not that the Rito were known to be a particular aggressive race, but in times like these, you could never know, much less with a bunch of Yiga in his company.
He leaned over a rock and peered down onto the road. From his position higher up, he had a good overview on the road and the camp. To his right, not far from the tree he was hiding under, Sorren beckoned them to wait until nightfall.
The Yiga were all spread out throughout the forest, as quiet as a human being could possibly be. Even the cunning foxes and the squirrels made more sounds. Sheik felt himself slowly drift off into a light slumber when he suddenly awoke with a jerk. He quickly sat up and listened carefully, his eyes scanning the landscape of dense trees around him. The sun was still up, but already painting the sky a bright orange. The Yiga next to him put his finger to his lips. Apparently he had made a sound when he woke and he looked around to make sure no one else had heard him.
On the road beneath them, two soldiers patrolled and Sheik instinctively ducked down lower, blending into the landscape. Not far from him, he saw more soundless movement. Yiga. They swiftly climbed the trees and hid in the thick branches. The voices and footsteps drew closer now, but before long, the sky had turned from bright orange to a very dark blue. Sheik saw five figures emerge from behind the bushes just underneath them, and they joined the patrolling pair. They exchanged a few words and then returned to the camp all together.
Sheik looked back at the spot where he had seen Sorren disappear earlier, and noticed that he was still there. When the soldiers were out of sight, the Yiga came out of hiding and met in the centre of Warbler's nest.
"We wait until midnight," Sorren said in a hushed voice, "Sooga, I want you to take out the guards while the rest of you are going to slit some throats while they sleep. Leave one alive and bring him to me. He will talk."
The Yiga scattered, and in the cover of the trees, waited until the moon was at it's highest in the sky. Sheik watched the soldiers sit around the campfire, eating, drinking, talking and laughing. The red flames and the sight of their uniforms made him clench his teeth as bad memories came back to his mind. He shut his eyes to block them out and concentrated on slowing his heartbeat instead. When he opened his eyes again, the soldiers were putting out the fire, stretched their limbs, and walked to their tents. Sheik held his breath as he began to quietly move out. Two guards were stationed at the passage close to Passer Hill and two more in the opposite direction, not far from the entry to Rito Village. Two more were patrolling the road.
Sheik saw Sooga scurry through the bushes, approaching the guards at Passer Hill from behind. The other Yiga made towards the tents in the cover of the darkness, weapons drawn.
Sheik silently drew two kunai and adjusted them in his hand. He had recovered his own weapons as he was not comfortable wielding the heavy windcleavers or the much favoured sickles. He saw Sorren and a few other men slicing through the fabric of the tents and cutting throats even before their victims woke or could make a sound. His knees felt strangely wobbly when he walked around a tent. He slit the back of the tent open and was about to quietly slip inside when he was suddenly yanked backwards, and fell to the ground. He quickly sprang up before his attacker could land a blow with his drawn sword. The camp was now astir. Sheik's mind raced.
The Yiga scattered when they realised that their cover had been blown. Sheik's attacker's sword was on him so fast that he had barely enough time to duck and save his head from being severed. He dodged the blows, knowing that his weapons were no use in close range combat, and tried to wriggle out of the danger zone.
The soldier was upon him again, anger emanating from his hard steel eyes. Sheik dodged his sword once more, spun around and kicked him hard in the knee. The soldier moaned and stumbled backwards as the foot hit him. Sheik managed to snatch the shield from him and increased the distance between them, holding it in front of his body. His opponent yelled angrily as he threw himself at Sheik again, crashing into the shield. Sheik felt a sharp pain in his arm that held the shield as the soldier's weight pushed into it.
When Link lifted his sword to land another blow on the attacker, he was suddenly thrown off his feet. He landed in the dirt, as something detonated not far from where he stood. Screams and blinding lights filled the air and he tasted blood in his mouth. He coughed as he lifted himself up but another explosion forced him back down again. In the corner of his eye, he saw something big move fast and shoot beams of blue light. Where the light landed, trees burst and bodies hit the ground. Debris and rocks rained down on them, blood stained the earth. Link tore away from the camp and the screams, stumbled back on his feet and then ran. Next to him, he saw more figures trying to escape the massacre. The next explosion ripped him off his feet again, and he tumbled down the hill. His hands tried to hold on to something, but in the darkness, they grasped at nothing, and he rolled down over sharp rocks and loose earth, cutting his palms open. The night sky was filled with smoke, blood and deafening explosions. And as he finished tumbling down the hill, the hard ground made way and he felt himself fall. He failed to hear his own screams. Then his body hit the ground with a thud, knocking the air out of his lungs, and all went black.
Link groaned as he came to. His head and back hurt as he gingerly turned around, coughing. He forced his eyes open, trying to make sense of where he was. From the crevice above, a faint ray of light shone down on him. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he made out some sort of cavern with red walls - too high and too slick to climb up. Rocks and branches had fallen down the crevice and covered the ground right under the chasm.
His mouth was so dry, his lips caked with dusty earth. He wiped them with the back of his hand, and spat out the dirt that had entered his mouth. The palms of his hands were bloody from his fall, where the sharp rocks had cut his skin. He cursed. Apart from the throbbing pain in his head and his bloody hands, he was physically okay, no broken bones. But he had no idea how to get out.
A low moan disrupted his train of thoughts and he peered into the darkness to see where the sound had come from. Something – or someone – was moving not far from where he was standing, a larger rock rolling down their back as they tried to stand up. Link frisked his trousers to see if he still had any weapon on him, but he had lost his sword in his fall down the hill. He carefully approached the person – by now he was sure that it wasn't an animal - and when they lifted their head, he froze. Instead of looking at a fellow soldier, he was staring into a pair of red eyes. Red eyes - a Yiga?
Both men saw the knife lying scattered on the ground at the same moment, but Link had the advantage of the shorter distance, and before his enemy could reach it, he managed to get a hold of it. He swung it at his opponent, missing his face by a hair. The man was fast, a lot faster than Link, but there was nowhere to run, and Link eventually caught up, throwing himself at him. With one hand, he pinned him to the ground, then straddled him. His opponent tried to wriggle free from underneath his body, but stopped moving as soon as the knife found its way to his throat. They were both panting as they tried to catch their breath for a few minutes.
"What are you waiting for?" the assassin finally asked.
Link looked at the man lying under him, looked at his unusual red eyes, and the heaving of his chest as he breathed in and out, looked at his face hidden under a black cloth, and at the messy braid of long, silver hair. Though Link could not see the rest of his face, his voice and his built disclosed his age - he could not be older than himself.
Link hesitated. The knife was still pressed against the Yiga's throat, but he felt unable to slit it. With a sigh, he pulled the knife away and released him.
The Yiga didn't dare move – not yet. He remained on the ground, his body curled into a defensive stance.
"You have never killed a person, have you?"
Link didn't answer. He stored the knife away, and sat down on a rock at the other end of the cave, staring at his trembling hands. He had never taken any man's life, and even with an assassin at his mercy, he did not have the heart to do so. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the young man withdraw into a corner at the opposite end of the cave, tidying up his messy braid. They sat like that for a long time, watching each other surreptitiously, until Link broke the silence.
"Who are you? And why did you attack us?"
The Yiga did not answer, but kept looking at the wall.
Link sighed. "What the hell happened up there?"
"I do not know." The Yiga got up and started walking around the cavern, feeling the walls with the tips of his fingers, then suddenly stopped in front of a pile of rocks. He reached out and removed a few of the smaller rocks lying on top, putting his hand in the space he just created.
"I can feel a draught," he said, looking at Link, "if you want out, I guess this is the way."
Link hesitated, but figured that working together was their best shot at getting out of their predicament.
"Will you tell me your name?" he asked while he grabbed one of the bigger rocks, moving it aside.
"It's Sheik," the young man said after a long pause.
"My name is Link. Are you...a Yiga?"
Sheik's hands stopped moving. He seemed to ponder over his answer for a moment.
"No. I am a Sheikah."
Link had heard a great deal about the Sheikah when he was young, but never actually met one.
"Isn't that basically the same th..." His question was brusquely cut off.
"How about you stop asking questions and work faster?" The tone in Sheik's voice mirrored his growing annoyance.
The now cleared opening revealed some sort of tunnel behind it, and Link could feel a draught of air, too. However, the tunnel was very low and narrow, and Link wasn't particularly stoked about narrow spaces. Much less because it was very dark, and neither he nor the Sheikah had any source of light. Sheik went down on all four, peeking into the black, gaping hole. Before Link could protest, he started crawling inside and was soon out of sight.
"Hey," Link said, but Sheik did either not hear him, or ignored him on purpose. Link stared down at the dark tunnel and sifted through his options – which, really, were down to two: stay and die or go, and maybe die. He finally opted for the second choice and, taking a deep breath, began crawling through the low entrance.
He swallowed down the tight knot in his throat as he moved on his aching hands and knees over tiny pebbles and pressed soil through the tight space, not really seeing where he went. Not that he had many options – the tunnel just went on straight. His heart was pounding in his chest as his brain started building different scenarios – all of them ending in almost the same fashion: forever getting lost in a tiny tunnel. He felt a slight change in the air, a draught slightly less stale then before, and then he bumped into something soft and warm.
"Are you blind?!"
It took him a second to realise that his face had just made contact with Sheik's bottom, and he was actually thankful for the dark when he felt his cheeks heat up.
"It's pitch black, how the fuck am I supposed to see a damn thing?!" he grumbled back at the Sheikah, "why did you stop?"
"Because we've arrived at a fork."
"Oh. So...left or right?"
"Sh.." Sheik suddenly shushed him, "I can hear something," he whispered.
Link closed his mouth and strained his ears. For a long moment, he could hear nothing but their breathing. And then, when he was almost sure that Sheik was making things up, he heard it too. A shuffling sound, a pitter-patter of tiny feet, and scratching, like claws on rocks. He tensed.
"Can you see anything?" Link whispered.
"No. But I think it's coming towards us."
"From left or right?"
"Left! Get going!" The tone in Sheik's whispering voice was enough to urge him forward.
Sheik began to crawl again, into the tunnel at their right, and Link couldn't help but wonder how the Sheikah managed to move forward on all fours with such speed, while he tried to keep up. The scratching sound came closer now, and Link was convinced that whatever it was, it had caught their scent and was after them.
Link picked up speed as he heard a screeching sound not far behind him – and bumped into Sheik's back side once more.
"What the..."
"There is something right in front of me," Sheik said, his voice strangely calm.
"And something directly behind me," Link squeezed out.
"Do you still have the knife?"
"Just the one."
He heard Sheik take a deep breath and tried to look past his shoulder. He couldn't see much except a vague shape and a glowing eye. Whatever the creature was, at least they knew now how the tunnels came into existence and why.
"Give me the knife!"
Link didn't think twice about handing it over; he just reacted. He pressed the handle of the knife into Sheik's hand as he saw the creature in front of them scurrying forwards. He heard it screech, another screech coming from behind, and then he felt a warm, sticky liquid on his shoulder and arm as Sheik dug the knife into the creature and slit it open. The smell was overwhelming, and had Link not been distracted by the second creature attacking from behind, he would have become sick.
Sheik thrust the knife back into Link's open palm, and the latter finished the second creature, though moving in the tight space turned out to be very difficult. This time, the monster's blood and other body fluids was all over him. He shuddered.
"Can we..please move on? The stench is making me feel queasy."
Link couldn't tell how long they had been wandering around the tunnels when they finally saw light. With a relieved sigh he emerged from the opening in the rock and lay down on the soft grass, breathing in the fresh air. Sheik stretched his aching limbs – after all, they had been crawling on hands and knees for quite a while – and looked around, trying to pinpoint their exact location.
Link looked down on himself, wrinkling his nose at the sight and smell of goo on his clothes. Something stuck to him. He picked it off his sleeve and analysed it – it looked like a leg with a little claw on it. Much leg a centipede leg, just a lot bigger. Disgusted, he flicked it away.
"Do you know where we are?" he asked the Sheikah, while cleaning his knife on the damp grass.
"The camp should be on the opposite site," Sheik answered.
Link looked at Sheik and an awkward silence settled between them.
Right. We made it out. Now what? He tried to kill Keet in his sleep. He would have surely tried to kill me too if he had had a chance. I should do something.
"I don't think the camp still exists," he said quietly, drawing out the knife.
Sheik's eyes calmly followed the movement.
"You still owe me an explanation. Why did you ambush us?"
Sheik's red eyes narrowed. "I owe you nothing."
"Why were you with the Yiga? Aren't the shadow folk supposed to be loyal protectors of the royal family?"
Sheik huffed. "Protect a corrupt ruler who sentences his own people to death and stops at nothing to get what he wants? You have no idea who you serve, do you?"
Link crossed his arms. "Do you?! You murdered my comrades in cold blood. I should end your life here and now for the crimes you've done!"
"Then why don't you?" Sheik asked defiantly.
Link gasped when they arrived at the camp – or what was left of it. Between debris, damaged trees and shreds of fabric, the dry earth was stained with the blood of fallen Hylians and Yiga; grotesquely deformed bodies, and metal scraps. He could barely look at his fallen comrades. "That was no battle," he said, "that was a massacre..."
He saw Sheik bend over a fallen Yiga, whose limbs were missing, and whose face had been turned into an empty, gaping hole. When the Sheikah got up again, he fastened two kunai to his legs, and a full waterskin to his belt.
Link was so appalled by this, that he forgot just how thirsty he was himself.
Sheik shrugged. "Don't give me that look. The dead have no use for it."
"You..."
A soft humming, a mechanical whirr and the dry bush next to Link caught fire. He jumped to the side, heart pounding in his chest, eyes searching for the source.
Sheik had heard and seen it too.
"It's coming from the cliff," he said.
Once they stepped out of the tiny forest, Lake Totori came into sight, and on the edge of the cliff, a strange creature hummed and glowed in an eerie blue light.
"What in Hylia's name..." began Link.
Sheik tensed as he cautiously approached the thing. It sputtered, its head turning frantically from left to right, its only blue eye lighting up and dimming in alternation. And then it died down, the blue light went out and it was completely still.
It can't be, he thought, but it is.
"Sheik? Do you know what this is?"
Sheik knew what it was, but he didn't answer. Instead, he straightened up and looked Link in the eyes.
"Link." The name tasted bitter on his tongue. "I hope we never meet again. Cause if we do, you cannot and will not spare my life. Until then, I hope you know what you have sworn to protect."
With one last glance at the weird creature, the Sheikah disappeared into the shelter of the trees, leaving Link standing helplessly at the edge of the cliff.
So, at last, they meet.
