Chapter 8: Word from Hebra

"You have done well to reach this place… We offer this light that will cleanse you of evil."

Link dreamed once more of the Zonai man and the Hylian woman, floating with hands clasped in the sky. From their joined hands emerged an orb of light brighter, purer than the sun itself; it engulfed him from head to toe, filling him with comforting warmth like a gentle embrace. When at last it faded, settling deep into his blood, he could see wisps of dark crimson magic leaving his body.

"May the Light of our blessing grant you the strength you seek," the woman told him with a gentle smile.

Link awakened, comforted, warm, rejuvenated. He lay still with his eyes closed for several moments as he drifted into full cognizance, realizing that someone had brought him a pillow and tucked a blanket around his shoulders.

I… didn't come into the shrine alone.

Like a dam that had burst, memories of the previous day flooded through him. He remembered the agonizing pain tearing him apart from the inside; he hadn't even been able to walk, and soldiers helped him enter the shrine. He sat up with a gasp, holding his arm out in front of him.

It looked just as it had since Rauru had given it to him. The dark gray skin of his hand, marred by streaks of a lighter, more dead-looking charred gray reaching up from his elbow to his shoulder and chest. He swallowed, grim relief easing the numb panic inside of him. I'm… I'm alright. I'm not dead; I'm not in constant pain.

He looked around. The shrine was empty except for himself and the pillow and blanket he'd been given. He bundled them up beneath his left arm and walked outside, into dim early light in the cold husk of Castle Town. There were several tents set up around the central fountain, and a cooking fire with something bubbling away in it already. I must've been really out of it – I completely missed all this when I came through on my way to the castle, he realized, scratching the back of his head absently. A camp, a shrine, a cooking fire.

"Link!" Purah shrieked, racing towards him from the campsite. "Oh, thank the Goddesses – you look so much better! How are you? Are you okay?"

He nodded, glancing down at himself. "Yeah, I'm fine," he assured her, and at once she flung her arms tightly around him. Link patted her shoulder consolingly; he knew Purah well enough to know that she only hugged people when she was genuinely frightened for them, and in fact when she pulled away her eyes were watery.

"Gah, don't get all mushy or anything," Purah laughed shakily, wiping her eyes with a good-natured grin. "We've got breakfast for you at Lookout Landing, if you're up for a walk. It's so good to see you looking – well, not normal normal, but… like this, instead of… well." She cleared her throat uncomfortably.

Link exhaled softly, falling into step beside her as they headed towards the fortress walls. "Instead of what?" he asked, dreading the answer. A flash of memory – his arm dripping with his own blood, skin and muscle melted together, charred beyond repair.

Purah gulped, kicking a chunk of stone with the pointed tip of her shoe and sending it skittering away. "Not good," she answered tightly. "Robbie got pictures – the one smart thing he did yesterday. We… we need to have a debriefing, the three of us, whenever you're up to it."

"I was planning on it," Link growled. "I've got some questions for him."

They reached Lookout Landing in a few minutes, and Mubs, the Lurelin woman who had escaped the pirate attack, handed him a steaming plate of rice and eggs with a kind smile. Link murmured his thanks and followed Purah back to her lab. The table had been cleared up somewhat except for the Purah Pad, lying dark on its surface. Robbie was already there, fiddling with the device. He jumped when Link walked through the door.

"Oh – oh, hello," the old man said with forced cheeriness, smiling weakly. "Good – good to see you up and about, Link!"

Link kept his face impassive, well aware of how a lack of reaction unsettled people. Robbie could do with some feelings of unsettlement. He sat down across from the Sheikah and dug into his rice.

"Show me the pictures," he said curtly, and Robbie gulped, powering up the slate on the table and flipping through the photo album. He stopped on a mass of Gloom and turned it around to face Link.

Only… as Link examined the picture closer, he realized it wasn't a mass of Gloom. It was himself. Just like the infested monsters he'd seen in the Depths, Gloom formed cracks across his skin, highly concentrated around his right arm but spreading to his chest and face as well – all of his exposed skin. And just like the monsters, the cracks seeped tendrils of red mist like blood.

He shivered, handing the Purah Pad back to Robbie. No wonder Purah was so freaked out.

Frowning deeply, he leaned back slightly in his chair. "I wasn't exactly trying to be quiet," he said, his lip curling slightly in anger. "How was it that you didn't notice me approaching you like that from a mere few feet away? As memory serves, you were close enough that I could hear you talking about the lightroot – yet you couldn't hear me screaming?"

Robbie sighed wearily, rubbing the side of his head. "The Depths… does weird things with sound," he said. "I didn't hear you at all. Nor did I hear Ponnick calling out for me once I left the circle of light within the brightbloom's radius – he told me afterwards that he tried to get me to come back when I was still close. But I had no trouble hearing some sounds from a great distance away – sounds of something mining. Things like that."

Link's frown deepened, his pulse quickening. Pickaxe sounds – I heard those, too. I thought it was Robbie. I didn't hear the monster sounds that should have alerted me to their presence – and I didn't hear that moblin coming up behind me. He shivered. "Monster sounds, and the other sounds of living things, must be somehow muted in the Depths," he deduced, and explained about the moblin and the mining bokoblins.

"That's quite the hypothesis," Purah cringed, snatching a spare notebook and jotting something down. "I'll have Josha look into that. There are safe ways we can experiment to see if you're right about that."

"It seemed to be connected to the darkness," Robbie added hesitantly. "Once Link made the lightroots glow and illuminate the surrounding area, it was easy to hear everything in that area – monsters and people alike. I got Ponnick to come out from a long way off to help get Link to the balloon."

"Could… be… connection… to… darkness," Purah murmured, writing rapidly. She closed the notebook. "Pretty convenient, honestly – good things light, bad things dark. It's just that… we're talking about a lot more than just glowy light; we're talking about… well, it's like you said, Robbie – illumination. Enlightenment, almost. When there's light, you can see and hear accurately. You're enlightened about what's there."

"Sure," Robbie shrugged, and Link nodded thoughtfully.

All at once there was a knock on the door and Josha poked her head in. "Doc," she whispered, still plenty loud enough to be heard by everyone. "You've got a visitor."

"Tell him to wait," Purah said with a dismissive wave of her hand, and Josha rolled her eyes and closed the door again.

"I… I think you're right about light and dark," Link said. "Light is what fixes this, too." He gestured to his arm. "But it's not just light as in from a light source. That works, but not very well. It's the light from the shrines that actually heals – light that's more than just something to help you see. Spiritual light." His cheeks warmed self-consciously. "I don't know how to explain it more than that."

"Well, having been inside the shrine with you for a bit, I think I know what you mean," Purah said. "It's definitely something more in there."

"Just as the darkness down in the Depths is certainly something more than just a sight inhibitor," Robbie shuddered. "It… it felt oppressive."

"And it actively made this worse," Link muttered angrily, gesturing to his arm. "Just being in the darkness."

"What else did it do?" Purah asked urgently. "Link, I've got a full team of scientists here eager to make discoveries about the Depths. Tell me everything – I want to see if there's some angle of research I could put my team on to help somehow. Maybe even fix you completely."

Link swallowed, avoiding her gaze and staring intently at the back of the Purah Pad instead.

How close was I to dying, down there? It got to my heart. Rauru was convinced that if it got to my heart, I would die – or perhaps, once it gets to my heart, it starts killing me.

"I don't know that being 'fixed' is an option," he said wryly. "But… as I am now, I can't get within a few feet of Gloom, or it – the corruption – gets a lot stronger. If I get hit by a monster infested with Gloom, the corruption also gets stronger. If I actually touch Gloom, you get this." He tapped the picture of himself that Robbie had taken. "Sunlight or a lightroot alone isn't enough to undo it. Only the shrines have actually done anything in that regard." He swallowed thickly, looking at the image and seeing just how similar his appearance was to the Gloom-infested monsters. He shuddered, remembering the one he disemboweled, and the Gloom that coated even its innards.

Josha slid the door open. "Doc, it's important!" she said.

"So is this," Purah shrugged. "We'll be out in a bit, Josha. Whoever it is can wait."

She closed the door, muttering under her breath. Link waited until he was fairly sure the young girl was out of earshot before continuing. "Actually… if you've got someone with a strong stomach, I know where you might be able to start. The monsters down there look similar to this, with the Gloom all over." He gestured to the picture. "I killed some of them. There's Gloom… on the inside. If we could… dissect one, find out what the Gloom actually does to a body, then… maybe we could figure out how it works inside of me."

Purah shuddered, making a face. "I'll… ask around," she grimaced.

"I've got an idea as well," Robbie announced. "We know what makes it better, right? Those shrines. I'll work with the shrine division of the Survey Team for a way to compile their database of shrine locations onto the Purah Pad. That way if you need a shrine, it'll tell you when there's one nearby."

Purah perked up at once. "Oh! I like that." She squinted suspiciously. "Are you only doing this so I don't chase you around screaming about how irresponsible you are?"

Robbie offered her a too-wide, cheesy grin. "Absolutely not," he assured her. "I'm doing it because it's a good idea." He gave a slight cough, sobering. "But, Link… genuinely, I am sorry for what happened. Some of it – most of it – was my fault, because of my rash haste. Which… which reminds me; Josha and I worked together to get something set up for you, as an apology. Since it was… well, it was her research, and it was me going off before anyone else was ready."

Link grunted noncommittally, finishing off the last of his rice and eggs, still feeling a twinge of anger and frustration at the old man. But it was combined now with resignation – what was done was done, and he had learned, painfully, more about the corruption inside of him because of Robbie's actions.

"Are you… ready for that now?" Robbie asked awkwardly.

Link shrugged. "Sure," he said, glancing at Purah. "Did we talk about everything we needed to?"

Purah nodded confidently. "This gives me some good new leads to investigate. I'll get everything sorted out, send new teams out – to be honest, we've got waaaay too many folks just looking into ruins right now. It'll be good to shake things up a bit! Besides, I better see who Josha's important visitor is." She chuckled, holding the door out for Link and Robbie to pass through. Out on the deck stood a white-feathered Rito with a bill like a pelican, and thick goggles over his eyes. Link heard Purah call out a greeting as he followed Robbie down the stairs towards Josha's workspace. "Oh, Penn! Hi! How was the trip? Any word from Traysi?"

"So, er… we didn't know exactly how to put it all together," Robbie said, leading Link to a wooden cupboard on one side of the room. "But we figured it'd be useful for you, since it looks like you lost your old clothes and you're just walking around like you popped out of a mural or something." He opened the cupboard.

There was a pair of thick, sturdy trousers, along with gauntlets. Link pulled out a chainmail shirt as well, folded on top of a gray wool undershirt and a dark blue tunic.

"Well… try it all on, see what fits, what doesn't – if it doesn't fit, we'll find something that does," Robbie said determinedly.

Link examined the chainmail, impressed by the quality – it was more than just the standard mail he'd worn before, and certainly better than anything he would find by scavenging around the barracks, he figured. "Thank you, Robbie," he said sincerely, meeting the man's eyes. "Maybe… maybe wait for your travel partners, next time."

The old man laughed, chagrined. "Lesson learned," he promised with a salute, before leaving to give Link some privacy while he changed clothes.

Thanks to the coppery bands around his right arm, it didn't fit particularly well. The long-sleeved undershirt stretched a little, and Link was fortunate that both the mail and the tunic that went over it were short-sleeved. But there was no way to securely get a gauntlet around that forearm; the thickness of the copper bands created too much loose space around his wrist and he couldn't tighten it down enough. With a quiet sigh he abandoned the right gauntlet in the wardrobe.

"Hey, swordsman – oh! You're wearing the armor we picked out!" Josha said brightly, jogging into the workshop as Link turned around.

"It's really nice; thanks," he said, buckling his lizalfos sword around his waist. "Sorry about your research in the Depths."

Josha grinned. "It's fine! Robbie still got that picture I wanted. The statue you found does match up to the mural fragment I have – proof that there were some strange people who lived in the Depths!"

"Strange people, indeed," Link chuckled. "I don't know who'd ever want to live there."

"Well, hopefully we'll find out why as we keep searching," Josha smiled widely. "There's got to be a reason they'd go down there. Although I guess the Depths we see now probably don't match what the Depths looked like originally, when people lived there – ooh! I need to write that down, that could be something to look into!" She took half a step towards her desk before stopping awkwardly in the spot, clapping a hand to her forehead. "Oops – almost forgot why I came down here in the first place. Purah wants to see you again, swordsman – she's up top still."

"Got it," Link said. "Good luck."

She was already busily scribbling in a notebook, the very image of another Purah in the making. Link grinned ruefully to himself. Goddesses help us all – two Purahs!

"…Got it, Penn. Thanks for the update," Purah was saying when Link reached her deck, her tone uncharacteristically grave. "Glad to hear that Traysi's doing okay. We'll see you around – thanks again!"

The Rito gave a casual salute and took to the skies once again, wind billowing beneath his feathers. Purah turned to Link, her brow deeply furrowed. "Well… things are moving along," she said with a frown. "I told you how I was going to try and get word out to my friend Traysi with the newspaper, right? Well… that was one of her employees. Turns out she does have some news – maybe good news, maybe not."

Link frowned, tension building between his shoulders at her grim tone. "About…?" he prompted.

"About Zelda," Purah admitted. "She's been spotted in Hebra, on the edge of the storm system creating the cold snap."

Link's heart lurched painfully. Hebra – the cold snap. "Did she look like she had supplies, at least?" he asked worriedly.

"Unclear," Purah sighed. "It sounds like it was only glimpses, and it may not have been her at all, but with all the blowing snow…"

Link shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his heart pounding suddenly hard and fast, restless. "I'm going out there."

Purah's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "What? Link, no! Remember what I told you about the cold snap? Super freezing cold temperatures? Blizzard? Fierce winds? We've tried to get people out there, to help the Rito – and they died! Frozen to death!"

"And we're just going to let that happen to Zelda?" Link exclaimed. "She – she must have some sort of plan, some reason for being out there…"

"We don't know that it's her, like I said," Purah huffed, crossing her arms. "You can't just throw yourself away on the off-chance that it's her!"

"And I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing, either," Link argued back, his blood feeling hot in his veins. "We don't have any other leads on her. She told me to find her. So there must be a way. She wouldn't lead me into certain death."

"If fully outfitted mountaineering teams can't make it, what makes you think you can?" Purah said, stamping a foot in irritation. "Link, come on! You almost died just yesterday!"

"Not from the cold," Link pointed out firmly. "Look, Purah, you can't stop me. You can help me, especially if you can tell me where my horse is, because I've noticed he's not here even though this is where I left him. You can help me gather up supplies if you want. But you're not stopping me from going after her."

Purah groaned loudly. "You – you can't just – we need you here!"

"Do you?" Link asked with a raised eyebrow, crossing his arms. "Hyrule's army is here. I trained most of them personally. If you need soldiers, you've got them. And in regard to the research efforts, I'm no scholar. And we've already seen that I'm probably your worst choice for a guard in the Depths. I'm not useful here, and I'm not doing anything to find Zelda by just waiting around here." He ran an anxious hand through his hair, exhaling deeply, trying to calm his voice. "Purah… she told me to find her. She's been seen in Hebra. So I'm going to Hebra."

Purah bit her lip firmly, looking away from him. She didn't answer for several moments, fiddling idly with the hem of her outer robe. At last she shook her head slowly; when she faced him, she didn't meet his eyes. "Zelda's my best friend," she said quietly. "And you're a close second, Link. I lost you both a month ago. We've got you back. Is it understandable that I don't want to lose you again?"

"Wouldn't it be better to have both of us?" Link countered gently, matching her tone. "I'll come back, Purah. Goddesses willing, with Zelda at my side."

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Goddesses willing," she echoed.

Link spent the day assembling supplies. He had Lester, the old stable hand working with Karson to assemble a stable for Lookout Landing, send word to the other stables nearby in search of his bay horse, Fortitude. With that done, he scrounged around the kitchens in the emergency shelter for travel food and a thick cloak, gloves, and a scarf. A small bundle of fire-starting supplies, including ten carefully-wrapped 'fire-fruits' from Josha – glowing red and orange berries that had been found growing on bushes near ruins that fell from the sky. A thick bedroll, a shovel, canvas for a tent, and a small bundle of kindling.

By the end of the day, he had his supplies gathered up, ready to be fastened to his horse's back. But when night fell, Link hadn't received any word from the nearby stables about his horse. He returned to the shrine in Castle Town to sleep, worried that when morning came, he would have to go without some of his supplies.

Dawn arrived. Link made the short walk to Lookout Landing and grabbed a roll from the barracks before making his way to Lester.

"Sorry, kid," the old man sighed. "Not a word. I know for certain that Zelda's horse is at the Snowfield Stable, but no one's seen yours."

Link nodded grimly, scratching the back of his head thoughtfully. I could walk to Snowfield Stable, take Zelda's mare. But… no, I can't do that. I'm going into harsh winter weather; I wouldn't risk Zelda's horse like that.

"However," Lester went on, "I have something that might work for you. Tabantha Bridge Stable sent ahead one of theirs – he's a rough one, but hardy. Interested?"

Link nodded. "'Hardy' sounds like exactly what I need," he said grimly. "I'm interested."

Lester gave a sharp nod. "Come out back, then."

He led Link out through the gates, to the hastily-erected paddock housing the few horses that would eventually stay in Lookout Landing's stable, once it was finished. Five horses grazed calmly, but a black-coated one in particular stood out because of its height – rather, its lack thereof. It was almost a pony.

And, unfortunately for Link, it was genuinely the perfect-sized mount for him.

Link raised an eyebrow at Lester. "Is this a prank?" he asked honestly. Most people ribbed him about his height and stature at some point.

"Not a prank," Lester assured him seriously, holding out a halter rope. "Take a closer look – you're a good enough judge of horseflesh I figure you'll see what I mean."

Link nodded, hopping lightly over the pasture fence with the halter rope in hand, approaching the little black horse watching him with ears perked and alert. Small, but quite sturdy, almost stocky in build, he noted. It had a broad face and a thick, bushy mane and tail, and its coat was incredibly shaggy despite the early autumn – most horses wouldn't develop their winter coats until later on. Solid hooves, good musculature, strong neck…

He nodded approvingly, holding his left hand out for the horse to sniff. It blew curiously across his fingers, wide nostrils flaring. He looped the halter rope around its neck and led it to the edge of the pasture.

"Hardy," he confirmed, nodding at Lester. "I'll take him. How much?"

Lester clapped his shoulder. "Help me finish building the stable when you get back and we'll call it even. I'll get his tack – think of a name and I'll have him registered for you."

Link nodded, glancing at the horse next to him. Bending over and running a hand along the horse's shoulder and down its leg, he lightly squeezed its ankle to encourage it to lift its hoof. His eyes widened – the horse wasn't shod; it hadn't been fitted with horseshoes.

Huh. On the one hand, that'll help it keep a sure footing in the snow. On the other…

The horse headbutted him in the rear, knocking him forward several stumbling steps with a startled grunt. Its eyes seemed to flicker slightly, as if hiding something. Link shook his head slowly with a bemused smile. "You're a real firebrand, aren't you," he muttered. He kept a hand on its back and walked slowly around, continuing his examination. No branding. He's not from a breeder.

"Hey, Lester," he called, and the horse raised its head, ears twitching towards him. "He's broken in, right?"

The old man grinned, carrying out a saddle and bridle from the fort. "As of a month or so ago, yes," he said.

Link swallowed. "And… where's he from?"

"The wilds of Tabantha, of course. You've got yourself a full-blooded wild mustang, kid."

Link took the saddle blanket from Lester and settled it across the horse's shoulders. For a stallion just broken in, taught to bear a rider and tack, Link thought, it was remarkably well-behaved, despite the headbutts and a couple of grabs with its mouth for his sleeve. "You sure it's not a prank?" he sighed, glancing over his shoulder and taking the saddle.

"You can handle him, kid," Lester said confidently. "Besides, from what I hear, you'll need a wilder one where you're going. Mustangs are clever, spirited – good instincts on 'em. He'll look after you just as much as you look after him."

Link nodded, pulling the girth strap tight around the horse's belly. He felt a flicker of doubt, of uncertainty. He'd always wanted the chance to train up a truly wild horse – now he had the chance, but he couldn't help but think that on his way into deadly wilderness wasn't the place to go with a mount he didn't trust yet, even though the bulk of training had already been done for him.

With the help of some of the soldiers in Lookout Landing, he fastened his supplies to the back of the saddle and filled the saddlebags Lester gave him, offering a few apples as bribes to the little black horse when it scraped the ground with a hoof, signaling growing unease.

"Alright, kid," Lester said, coming near with a clipboard. "Got a name?"

Link nodded, meeting the little black horse's dark gaze. Embarking into a blizzard with a freshly-trained mustang. "Ember," he answered. "May he bring both of us luck."

"Ember," Lester murmured thoughtfully, scribbling on his clipboard. "I'll let the Stable Association know; in about a day you'll be able to receive full accommodations for him at the stables." He handed Link a small pouch full of horse treats – sugar cubes, dried apple slices, alfalfa cubes, and so on.

"Got it – thanks," Link said, taking the pouch and fastening it to his belt. "I'll be on my way, then." He hooked his foot into the stirrup and swung himself up onto the little horse's back. Ember lifted his head in surprise, walking a few steps forward as Link lunged for the reins, guiding him back to a halt. "Easy there," he muttered.

He took one last glance at Lookout Landing and sighed heavily.

I'll be back. With Zelda.

Determined, he dug his heels into Ember's sides and sent him onward at a swift trot.