Chapter 6

"Excuse me." Rat stepped up to the clerk behind the inn's desk.

She cradled a mug of breakfast tea, and her gills spread as she yawned. "Yes?"

"Where's Link? When I woke up, his bed was made—he hasn't left, has he?"

She pointed to the kitchen. "He made you breakfast, then headed to the palace to train with Prince… King Sidon." She yawned again.

Rat silently exhaled in relief, then scowled after the swordsman. Was he always this hard to pin down?

In the kitchen, Rat found a bowl of cold rice porridge waiting for him beside a bowl of winterberries and a banana. Where did Link get all this food? Tomatoes, venison, greens, bananas, winterberries… none of those had been in the market yesterday. And Link carried no backpack, only a wallet-sized leather pouch strapped to his waist. Surely, he didn't keep the food in there. But this inn was close to a palace—they might have access to a greater variety. Rat shrugged and tucked into his breakfast.

He ate quickly, washed his bowl, tightened his goggles, and left the inn. The mid-morning sky was clear and cloudless, and the sunlight sparkled in the waterfalls as he climbed the stairs to the highest tier of the city. Guards stood alert at every intersection, eyes following Rat as he wound through the Zora nobility mingling on the balconies. Jewelry sparkled at their throats and clinked on their wrists. They laughed and murmured in subdued tones, waiting for their turn to be admitted into the palace. As he threaded between them, Rat's mind raced, calculating the value of their gold.

In the center of the balcony, a grand staircase led up to a palace shaped like the head of a giant fish.

Rat approached a guard standing at the base of the stairs. "Link needs to talk to me," he said. "Can you tell me where he is?"

The guard blinked down at Rat. The man was twice his height. "You're the boy Queen Yona saved." He smiled, kneeled down to Rat's level, then pointed around the side of the grand staircase. "Follow the walkway over the bridge, then climb the stairs to East Reservoir Lake. Call out as you're approaching. There was an accident once. Make sure they hear you coming."

Rat broke into a light jog. He followed the bridge, leaving the palace and the city behind. The mountains rose sharply up the sides of the basin, and the cliff at the end of the bridge shot almost vertically into the air. As he left the bridge, Rat slowed to a stop.

A waterfall plunged into a pool ringed with grass and ferns. A frog croaked on a lily pad. Wind brushed through the pine trees, rustling pink flowers in the grass.

Slowly, Rat waded into the grass. It whispered against his knees. He crouched, lowering his hands until the blades tickled his palms. A bee landed on a yellow flower. Even though his goggles tinted the colors, Rat's throat tightened. This is the world outside the desert—the land Mama promised to show me.

He kneeled, dug his fingers into the brown earth, and scooped a handful of dirt. A startled worm wiggled between his fingers and a beetle crawled over the back of his hand, then fell off into the grass.

It was all so alive.

He let the dirt trickle through his fingers. This was his second day outside the Depths, and he was still free. A jolt of energy shot through him. He leaped up and ran to the pool under the waterfall, tugging at his belt, eager to jump in. But he stopped at the edge. An enormous dam rose on his right, so high and wide, it seemed like its own mountain. He re-buckled his belt and sighed. Ducking his head, he jogged uphill, between a cluster of spindly pink bushes, and stopped at the base of the endless stairs leading up to the dam. Link had climbed these stairs as a pre-workout. So could Rat.

Halfway up the first flight, he doubled over, panting. He'd been spending too much time sleeping. Or maybe it was the altitude. Mother told him the air was thinner in the mountains. He paced himself and resumed the climb, following the stairs as they crossed and recrossed themselves, leading up the face of the dam. His legs burned; his throat grew raw from gasping for breath. At least the stairs were in the shade. The thunder of a massive waterfall grew louder, and as he reached the top, the stairs began vibrating with a metallic clunk. The sound repeated at regular intervals, like something heavy being lifted and hitting the ground. Something very heavy.

The top of the stairs ended at a platform, and he ducked low as he arrived at the top, crouching behind a low stone wall.

East Reservoir Lake glittered in the morning sunlight. The largest waterfall Rat had ever seen spilled straight down from the sky and landed in the center of the lake. Mist drifted over the end of a stone dock jutting out from the stone platform.

A pavilion stood at the back of the platform, filled with lifting benches, shelves of wooden weapons, and weights. Beside the pavilion stood a tall wooden frame. A horizontal bar hung from a chain which ran over a pulley and bolted to a square, boulder-sized stone. Arms extended overhead, King Sidon grasped the bar. He braced himself, drew in a breath, then pulled. The stone lifted into the air.

Link stood across from him, clothed in a red bandana, a sleeveless blue tunic, and green pants that came to his knees. A barbell rested on the ground at his feet.

King Sidon exhaled as his fists came down to his shoulders. His muscles flexed.

Link rolled his eyes. "Oh, please."

Sidon grinned. He released the bar, and the stone crashed to the earth. He dusted off his hands, spat on his palms, and grasped the bar again. "Warm up's over. Hit me."

The swordsman's arm glowed green. His magic lifted a second stone from a collection of four at the edge of the platform and swung it toward Sidon's contraption. Green plasma glued the second stone to the first.

Sidon braced himself, feet planted wide. He clenched his teeth and strained. The two stones lifted off the ground. Rat sank deeper into the shadows. As the stones reached their full height, Sidon shouted and let the rocks fall. The earth shook.

"Beat that!" he shouted. Panting, he stepped away from the contraption, and Link took his place.

He can't.

The swordsman grasped the bar.

Rat tensed. No. Really. You'll have a heart attack.

Link pulled. At first, nothing happened. The swordsman's arms shook. He exhaled, drew in another breath. Then the stones lifted. Rat's heart pounded. The stones raised one inch, two, three, then Link cried out. He released the bar. The stones crashed down and Link fell to his knee. He held up a hand, stopping Sidon as the king rushed forward.

"I'm fine." Link stood. "My endurance isn't all back yet."

"It will be." Sidon handed him a glass of water.

Link took a sip, then rolled his left shoulder and winced. "I have to balance out. My right arm is so strong, I forget my left is still human."

"Want to do dumb bells?"

"Let's finish core."

Leaving the contraption, they began walking toward a set of shelves standing to Rat's left by the cliff, heading almost straight for him. Rat's heart leaped into his throat.

There were no bushes, no furniture, for him to hide behind, but a blue pot shaped like an upturned fish's head stood beside the shelf. Rat's eyes flared wide, and he smiled. Kneeling, he closed his eyes, centering his focus. He gestured with his hands, touching his palms in a complex pattern he'd just unlocked in his Yiga training. He grasped invisible threads of light energy, twisting them around him.

The world is made of light, Kohga's manual had read. A master of mirage twists the strings of light. He changes not himself, but what the vessel of the eye sees.

His shadow changed. It thinned at the base and enlarged around his shoulders, and in the space of a breath, a blue fish pot sat on the stone in place of the boy. He opened his eyes. The world appeared unchanged—to him. He held his breath as Link and Sidon walked past him.

They retrieved mats from the shelves, unrolled them on the ground across from each other, and began a series of crunches. Grasping the illusion tight like a cloak, Rat kneeled in the open, twenty feet from King Sidon's back, and grinned.

"Have you decided what to do?" Sidon said.

Link didn't answer. He continued his crunches.

"What about the school in Hateno?"

"Not Hateno," Link said. "The schoolmaster Zelda left isn't…"

"This is me. You can say it."

"Firm. And I don't think the boy would learn by sitting inside. I didn't."

"Have you spoken with him?"

Link sat up. He rested his arms on his knees and clasped his hands. "I don't know what to say."

Sidon rolled onto his side and held a one-arm plank.

"I thought maybe Rhondson and Hudson would take him," Link said. "They miss their daughter. He could learn a trade."

"I like that idea," Sidon said.

"But she's Gerudo. I can't ask her to adopt a Yiga assassin."

Sidon rolled over and lifted himself by the other arm. Link planted his hands and started a set of push-ups. Within his illusion, Rat's leg tingled and began going numb.

"What about the Sheikah?" Sidon said. "Their training would be something familiar to him. I'm sure Paya can find a family in the village."

"I don't want that boy anywhere near Paya."

Sidon grinned. He waggled his brow.

A blush crept into Link's cheeks. "It's not—I told you already. She's not…"

Sidon's grin split wider. "I know who is."

Ears red, Link dove into his push-ups.

Sidon spun around and crossed his legs, sitting on the mat. "It sounds like we need to find someone firm, who can teach the boy a trade outdoors, and can keep him from the ladies."

Link sat up on his knees. A smile twitched on his mouth. "He's young for the last one."

The king snapped his fingers. "I know just the thing." He pointed at Link's chest. "You."

The swordsman raised his eyebrow. He glanced from Sidon's finger to his solemn face. "No."

"Hear me out." The king held up both hands, and Link crossed his arms. "What did you do with the boy from Necluda?"

Link's eyes shifted to the side. "He shot his own horse. It was an accident, but…"

"And the Rito boy?"

"He was seven years old."

"And the ranch girl from Hateno?"

"She had promise," Link said. "But I sent her to train under the Gerudo. It was more fitting. I didn't want there to be any rumors, for her sake."

Sidon nodded.

Anxiety spread across the swordsman's face. "Don't ask me to do this. I have enough—" He bit his lip.

"I'm not trying to add to your burden." Sidon's voice quieted. "Maybe it's a sage thing. But I have this feeling, right here." He pointed to his gut. "There's a reason you saved this boy."

Link cracked his knuckles. He stared at the stone floor. "When Robbie was building the goggles, I asked him why the child could travel with me through the Purah Pad."

"What did he say?"

"He didn't seem surprised. He asked if I had ever tried it before."

"Have you?"

Link shook his head.

Sidon jumped to his feet. "You mean anyone can travel with you?"

"Robbie seemed to imply that."

"Let's try it!" Sidon grasped the swordsman's left arm and yanked him to his feet.

"Right now?"

"Yes! Take me to the… Hebra Mountains!"

Link glanced around the sunny arena. "You want to go there right now?"

Sidon laughed. He pumped his arm. "Yes!"

The swordsman grinned back. He unhooked the pad from his belt. A glowing blue circle appeared under his feet. "Just for a minute. It'll be cold. Hang on."

The king laid his hand on Link's shoulder. The swordsman touched the pad, and they floated away in strings of blue light.

Rat sighed and broke the illusion. He collapsed on his seat and stretched his legs, wincing as the blood tingled like needles in his feet. Birds landed on the stone in the empty arena. They hopped close to the circle of runes, which remained where Link had stamped it.

So he would have come back.

The words from their conversation hummed in his ears. They want to train me to fight? With Link?

These people were crazy. Healing an assassin, then adopting him? An image nudged into Rat's mind: the Zora father and son, walking home together in the sunset. His chest ached, but Rat shook his head. Link wasn't that stupid. Was he?

Blue light appeared over the circle. Rat scrambled back into his spot, crossing his legs and twisting the illusion around himself as the figures solidified. Sidon stumbled as he touched down, then he laughed and shook snow from his feet.

"Incredible!" He patted himself, taking inventory, and scooped a handful of snow from the flat crown of his head. "I don't understand this technology, but I love it when other people do!" He spun Link around and shoved snow down the back of his shirt.

Link flinched, arching his back as the snow slid down his spine. Sidon laughed, and Link's hand darted to the pouch at his hip. He flung an ice fruit at the king.

Ice encapsulated Sidon, freezing him head-to-toe in the act of jumping back. A laugh broke from Link's throat, and he swept up the Purah Pad, aiming it at Sidon's shocked expression. The pad clicked.

The ice king shuddered, and the tomb shattered. Sidon gasped for air, then swung his arm back. A giant ball of water coalesced at the end of his hand. He swept the ball across the platform, catching Link in the bubble. Sidon spun the ball in a circle, like a weight on the end of a chain, and released. Link flew high in the air, tumbling like a kite. He spun through a flock of birds. Sidon saluted.

And there goes Hyrule. Rat squinted through his goggles against the glare of the sun.

The swordsman spread his arms and legs like a star. Stomach first, he plummeted toward the lake. Sidon dove into the water. The surface frothed behind him and he turned a circle, creating a ring of foam between the waterfall and the dock. Link tucked his arms and legs, turning his body into a spear, and struck the water in the center of Sidon's circle.

The king shouted and pumped his fist in the air. Link's head popped up. Ginning, he shook his hair out of his eyes. Sidon leaped from the water, flipped, and landed on the dock. As Link swam to the dock, the king plucked him from the water by the back of his shirt, set him on his feet, then bowed and handed him his wet bandana.

Link punched Sidon's arm. He pulled out the pad, wiped water off the screen, then turned the pad and showed it to Sidon. "I'm keeping this one."

The king groaned and covered his eyes with his hand.

Link grinned. "I think I'll update your picture in the Compendium. Call it, 'The Ice King.'"

Sidon laughed. He shook his head. "There are no limits to what that device can do. Imagine, if the boy hadn't grabbed you, you never would have known!"

Link hooked the pad on his belt.

"This convinces me," Sidon said. "I think you should keep him."

The swordsman wrung water from the hem of his shirt. "I don't have time for a squire."

"Link." Sidon laid his hands on Link's shoulders. "Zelda asked me to help you. But I say this as your friend. I know you. You're searching all of Hyrule, and the sky islands, and the Depths, for Princess Zelda. That's three times the task you had before. It's been five months since the Upheaval, and we still need to find the sixth sage and the Master Sword. I know you haven't asked me—or anyone else—for the help you truly need."

The swordsman stepped out from under the king's hands. "I like being alone. It clears my head."

"No one should have to fight alone, or carry the burden you have alone."

Link looked away. He was silent for a moment. "This Yiga boy isn't the one."

"Give him a chance."

"A squire is absolutely loyal to their knight. Rat tried to kill me."

Rat unfolded his legs. Illusion wavering, he scooted backward and swung his legs over the first step. Once he was in the shadows, the illusion shattered. He jumped to his feet and ran down the stairs.

It was time to go.

He flew down the landings and hit the bottom of the trail at a sprint. Rat shot past the pool with the waterfall. He ran across the bridge, and as he reached the nobles milling below the palace, heads turned. Rat leaped over the railing and dropped toward the roof of a shop on the tier below. As the roof came up, he struck his palm with two fingers. His body vanished, then reappeared a foot above the roof. He landed lightly and ran again.

Yiga assassin.

He leaped from rooftop to rooftop, threading between waterfalls and columns of smoke rising from flumes. When a Zora face turned up from the street below, he vanished again. All that was missing was the cackling laughter.

The roof of the inn appeared on the tier below. Rat dropped again, slowed his fall with the vanish technique, and gripped the edge of the roof. He swung through the window into the kitchen and touched down in a Yiga crouch beside the hearth. His chest heaved. Sweat dripped down his temples. He stood.

Guess Link does have a lot to say.

Rat snatched a linen rucksack. He stuffed it with four apples and half a loaf of bread, then filled a glass bottle with water and pressed in the cork. He would go downriver. Take what he needed, when he needed it, no more. There were people up here. In the light, it was harder to hide. The surface wasn't the Depths, but he'd adapted before, and he would do it again. He would learn to survive—he was strong.

Slinging the rucksack across his chest, he gripped the windowsill. He glanced back at the stack of clean dishes on the counter, at the towel folded beside them. Then he swung out the window.