Chapter 13: Chasing Echoes
Link lay awake in perhaps one of the most comfortable beds in all of Hyrule, unable to find rest. His face pulsed lightly, a myriad of scratches and cuts from shattering ice scattered across his skin down to his neck. The rest of his body was heavily bruised; his clothes and mail had saved him from more serious injury, but his chest, arms, and legs were splotched black and blue all over, and his right ankle was badly sprained.
Yet it wasn't the pain of his injuries that kept him awake.
He stared up at the interlocking wooden beams of the Rito Village inn, but his mind was fixated upon the image of the Sage of Time that Tulin's ancestor had revealed. Her golden hair cropped close to her shoulders, her clear green gaze, gentle yet determined. It was Zelda – it had to be, though Link's insides writhed at the mere possibility.
An echo, Rauru had called it, when Link encountered Zelda at the Temple of Time, and the implications kept his tortured mind from rest.
Zelda had been to Hyrule's past. That was how Rauru knew her. That was how the Purah Pad ended up in the care of a Zonai steward construct. It might even have been the reason the Purah Pad seemed worn and battered to Purah when she examined it upon Link's return. The idea that Zelda had been in the past answered so many terrible questions.
Is that all I've been seeing? An… an echo of Zelda, that isn't really her? He could feel an almost physical agony at the mere thought.
It would… explain why she hasn't said anything to me. She… somehow left behind these… echoes, leading me to all the places she wants me to go. He closed his bleary eyes tightly, fighting the prickling of tears.
No – I held her hand. I felt her pulse, saw her breathing. She. Is. Alive. Maybe she did end up in the past, but she must have found a way back, somehow.
He let out a soft, trembling breath through cracked lips, opening his eyes to once more gaze forlornly up at the ceiling. Besides… I've spoken to spirits. They speak back. They don't – Zelda's not – she's not acting the way they did. So she's not a spirit – which means she's – she is alive. I – I can't lose hope.
Spirits and echoes… and beneath it all, the lurking threat of the Demon King. The withered, yet massive, corpse beneath Hyrule Castle. A being so powerful that even the Master Sword shattered before his great power. The source of the Gloom beneath Hyrule, who had infiltrated a sacred ancient relic of the Rito and placed Colgera within, causing the devastating blizzard that nearly destroyed the Rito people entirely.
And he did it all to keep Tulin from taking the secret stone, and awakening as a sage – the Sage of Wind.
…Why is the Demon King so worried about a twelve-year-old Rito becoming a sage? Or is it the secret stone that he's worried about?
Exhausted in mind and body, Link slipped out of bed with a quiet groan, his body aching in protest. I'm not going to get any rest in here. But… Tulin mentioned a shrine in the village…
Wrapping a blanket around his shoulders and bundling a pillow into his arms, he made his way down the path of bridges through Rito Village. The lanterns had gone dark hours ago, but the moon was bright enough that it wasn't too much trouble to find his way. It was a chilly night, but not frozen; after Colgera's defeat, most of the snow around Rito Village had melted in a matter of minutes. Truly, the catastrophe was over.
Link found his way to the shrine at the base of the village and activated the dragon ring seal before passing inside, into the gentle green lighting beyond. He set his pillow on the soft gravel and lay down, letting his eyes slip closed. Sleep found him in a matter of minutes, followed by the strange dream that seemed to accompany sleeping in shrines – the Zonai man and the Hylian woman, standing hand in hand in the heavens, murmuring a blessing upon him.
The Zonai man was Rauru, Link realized when he awakened. So then… who is the Hylian woman?
He gathered up the blanket and pillow he'd borrowed and limped out of the shrine, intent on heading back to the inn to return them. As he climbed back up the bridges, the wind carried with it the sound of a melody – the notes of an accordion playing an all-too familiar tune, one that Link had grown well accustomed to hearing over the course of his journey to defeat the Calamity. Swallowing past a lump in his throat, he quickly returned the blanket and pillow to the inn and then followed the sound of the song upwards through the village.
Kass' daughters stood all in a row on one of the flight decks, chirping along as their mother, Amali, played Kass' favorite song on his accordion. It was a scene painfully reminiscent of what Link had seen time and time again on his visits to Rito Village – Kass and his family singing, making music together on this very flight deck in the evenings, watching the sunset together.
Talons clacked against the wooden planks behind him, and Link turned to find Teba approaching, his features grim.
"I'll… need to know where you found him," he said softly, grief tight in his voice. "We will need to… properly lay him to rest."
Link nodded, glancing back once more at the grieving family on the flight deck. "Tabantha Village ruins," he answered.
"Kass always hated the cold," Teba murmured, brushing a wingtip wearily across his face. "I… I should have…"
"Kass has been all over the world – he knew how to handle extremes," Link sighed, resting a hand on Teba's wing. "It… it looked as though he was trying to shelter in the ruins. I would have done the same thing – in fact, that's how I found him."
Teba let out a deep breath, his pained gaze resting on Kass and his family. "What dark days to mark the beginning of my time serving as elder," he muttered. "The near-annihilation of my people. I thank the Goddesses for your return, Link. If you had not come, and ended the blizzard…"
"Tulin helped," Link said, uncomfortable in the face of Teba's solemn gratitude. He leaned forward against the railing, gazing out at the sweeping, snow-covered forests of the Hebra Mountains beyond the village, glittering in the morning sunlight. "I couldn't have done it without him, in fact. He has true mastery of the winds."
Teba grunted approvingly. "Well, he doesn't need to puff out his feathers any more about that, but I'll let him know you said that. Or… perhaps you could tell him yourself – if your face is any indication, you could use a few days of rest. You're always welcome here."
Link shook his head, restlessness stirring in his blood at the mere thought. "I'll need to leave soon, if not today. I'm looking for Princess Zelda, and… I feel fairly sure she's not in Hebra anymore."
"Strange that she would come here at all, with the storm," Teba frowned. "I'm sorry to hear she's still missing, Link. We'll keep an eye out for you, and I'll send word if we find anything."
Link nodded his thanks, lifting his arms from the railing and preparing to head back to the inn, to gather up his belongings and set out once more. All at once he felt overwhelmed by the sound of Kass' accordion, of seeing his family without that one key member, and somehow it made Zelda's absence seem that much more poignant. He tried to force the feelings down, away, and turned his attention back to Teba. "Before I leave, there's one more thing," he said, lowering his voice. "We met the spirit of Tulin's ancestor aboard the Stormwind Ark. He passed the mantle of Sage of Wind down to Tulin, along with a special stone."
"The 'secret stone,'" Teba nodded. "He's very excited about it. Says it makes the winds listen to him more."
"The spirit also mentioned a Demon King," Link continued, and at once the amusement in Teba's eyes faded away. "Before Zelda and I… disappeared… we were investigating something under Hyrule Castle. We found a corpse there, with terrible power. I'm certain he's the very same Demon King. He's the reason we went missing. And he caused this blizzard to keep Tulin from finding the stone." He hesitated, the fate of his arm and the Master Sword hovering on the tip of his tongue, but he decided not to mention it. The Master Sword is supposed to be indestructible. And it's currently… gone. Missing, just like Zelda.
No… better not to share about that. I want to… inspire hope, not despair.
Teba hummed thoughtfully, his eyes narrowed. "And… what does the Demon King have to do with Tulin, and his stone?"
Link swallowed. "Hopefully, nothing," he sighed. "I don't know yet – I'm trying to piece it all together. I'll let you know as soon as I figure it out."
"And I'll have people look into the Demon King here as well," Teba assured him. "The name… is familiar. Perhaps the old archives hold something." He placed a wingtip on Link's shoulder, looking at him critically. "You don't have to 'figure it out' all on your own. The Rito stand with you, and we'll help you where we can."
"Thank you," Link said, nodding. He'd certainly learned as much from fighting Colgera – that, in fact, there were obstacles he could not surmount alone. That he could allow Tulin to help.
He left Rito Village behind, one of the guards flying him across the broken bridge to the Lucky Clover Gazette building beyond. Walking inside, looking for the old stablemaster Galli, he was startled to find it bustling, filled with unfamiliar people and boxes of supplies.
"…carpenter to fix the bridge; does anyone know a good carpenter?" Traysi's voice came from above the din, as she stood on top of a table directing people left and right and scribbling notes on a pad. "Yeah, they can fly some supplies over, but that gets heavy real quick! Oh, what'd you say? Hud…son… Con…struction… Got it, thanks! I'll send someone over to them!"
She looked up at last from her notes and spotted Link hovering near the door. "Juanelle, you're in charge!" she called, hopping down from the table and weaving through the crowd towards Link. She took him by the arm and led him outside.
"Looks like you've got your hands full," Link noted with half a smile, nodding his head back towards the door.
Traysi exhaled heavily. "Good folks at the stables, but I don't think they like me much," she chuckled wryly. "Cold snap ends and BAM! Carts of supplies start arriving from Tabantha Bridge and Snowfield stables. Knowing full well that I'm understaffed. But hey – the cold snap's over, and that's what really matters." She grinned at him knowingly. "Don't suppose you had anything to do with that, did you?"
"Maybe a bit," Link shrugged. "I'm just looking for Galli. Time for me to get going."
Traysi squinted at him. "You're not going to… I don't know, rest for a bit? You look like you got attacked by an angry flock of Cuccoos – in the face. I know it's crowded here right now, but we could make a place for you…"
Link shook his head. "Thanks, but I've already rested a fair bit. I should keep going."
"Link, do you have a plan?" Traysi asked uncertainly, lowering her voice. "I don't know you that well, but… if you're running off on a journey while you're injured without good reason…"
"You know I'm searching for Princess Zelda," Link said, a frustrated edge to his voice. "I have reason to believe she's not in Hebra anymore." Or… at least… her 'echoes' aren't there. He swallowed. "So I'll search elsewhere. And I've got a lot of ground to cover, so the sooner I get started, the better."
She frowned deeply, clearly disapproving. "So you don't have a plan," she sighed. "Great. You know, if you waited a bit, I might hear back from a few of my sources – my sister Douma is trying to get into Goron City, and Penn – do you remember Penn? – is going around to all of the stables investigating rumors on Princess Zelda specifically. I think he's at Snowfield Stable right now."
Rumors and hearsay, Link thought bitterly. Nothing solid.
Although… Goron City and Death Mountain… Didn't Purah say that all of the troubles around Hyrule started around the same time as the Upheaval? When Zelda and I stumbled across the Demon King's corpse… His brow furrowed.
The blizzard ended up being a result of the Demon King's magic, to keep Tulin from awakening as a sage. Maybe… maybe the other things that went wrong during the Upheaval are also his fault. After all, the Sage of Wind mentioned fighting alongside multiple sages – are there multiple sages meant to awaken here and now?
"You look like you had a thought," Traysi noted curiously. "Mind sharing?"
Link shook his head slowly. "I think… I think I need to go to Goron City," he said. It's closer than Zora's Domain, Faron, or Gerudo Desert. "There might be a connection to what happened here in Hebra."
Traysi nodded eagerly, holding up her notebook almost instinctively. "And that is…?"
Link eyed the notebook uneasily. "I don't know for sure," he said. "And I'm not going to go around spreading unfounded rumors."
Traysi winced, putting the notebook away. "Sorry about that – old habit. I – I wouldn't actually – well, let's be honest, maybe I would." She cleared her throat. "Look, there's no stopping you, I get it. I'll… go find Galli for you; I think I know where he's skulking about this time of day. Just… take care of yourself, alright? Hyrule needs you in one piece."
Link didn't respond, his right arm tingling. Too late for that.
True to her word, Traysi found Galli rather quickly, who unlocked the storeroom where he'd kept Ember's tack. Link gave the little black horse a sugar cube and rubbed his nose affectionately before saddling and bridling him. He handed Galli a few rupees and set out along the northeastern road, towards Snowfield Stable.
The road was remarkably different now after Colgera's defeat. Just like the snow in Rito Village, the massive drifts were gone, and the temperature was cold but not devastatingly so – normal for the mountains in autumn. Ember was calm throughout the journey, though his habit of headbutting Link when his back was turned remained. Link figured he would care less about that once his bruises had fully healed, but in the meantime, his body stiff from spending nights on hard, frozen earth, he found himself grumbling at the horse more often than not.
When they reached Snowfield Stable with evening encroaching, Link first noticed the spiraling green of a shrine's signal, clearly visible now without storm clouds hanging so low and ominous over the region. Good – that'll be a nice place to spend the night.
Then he glanced instinctively at the paddock. His heart lurched when he realized that Zelda's golden palomino mare was missing, and at once he dismounted and led Ember over to the stable manager.
"Where's the Princess' horse?" he asked urgently. "Did you move her somewhere else?"
"Not another one," the stable manager mumbled wearily. He waved a hand towards the paddock. "Talk to Harlow. She's the one who saw it all go down."
Link frowned, looking back towards the paddock. There was a stable worker near the gates, and next to her Link was surprised to find Traysi's white-feathered Rito reporter. Penn. That's right – she did say he was coming this way.
He jogged up to the pair of them, Ember trotting close behind, lured by the sugar cube in Link's hand. He relinquished the treat when he reached the pair, and Penn regarded him crossly.
"Look, we're in the middle of an interview," he said disgruntledly. "You'll have to wait to board your horse until we're done."
"Traysi suggested I check in with you," Link said, undeterred. Ember nudged him from behind, looking for another treat.
Penn tilted his head, regarding him for a moment. "…Oh," he said. "Oh, it's you. I remember. Well, sure, I guess you can hang in on our conversation, if that's alright with you, miss."
The stable worker managed a watery smile, sniffing lightly. "Of course," she said, her voice raw as if from tears. "Link's a good friend to the Stable Association."
"Well, now that we've got that settled…" Penn mumbled, rifling through his notes. "Mind going through it all again for us?"
The woman sighed deeply, her brow creased. "Well… we've been taking care of a very rare animal for Princess Zelda – a golden horse. But the poor thing ran away from our stable."
Ran away? Memory was as gentle as a horse could be, and well-trained – Link had made sure of that himself. "Why would she do that?" he asked.
"That's the troubling part, isn't it," the woman grimaced. "I'd just finished mucking out, and was cleaning up in the washroom. We'd put the horses in their stalls, since the cold snap had just barely ended and we weren't sure if it would start back up again or not. Then that gentle creature began making terrible sounds – neighing and bucking around so hard, she shook the stable."
"So you went outside to see what was wrong…" Penn said, writing something down. "And then…"
"There she was – Princess Zelda," the woman continued sadly, confusion evident in her face and voice. "After all this time, she was just right outside our stable. She came closer, and the golden horse thrashed harder. She broke free and bolted away like nothing I've ever seen before! When I looked back at the princess, she was just… gone."
Link felt an uncomfortable tightening in his gut. Zelda disappearing… Another echo, maybe? I… I guess I haven't seen how animals react to them. Maybe they can tell something's off.
"So you lost sight of the horse, and then Princess Zelda vanished on the spot," Penn noted inquisitively, scanning back through his notes. "That's all strange, from start to finish."
The woman's expression pinched, as if she were about to cry. "The part that really bothers me… is the poor animal acting up that way," she said, her voice catching. "The Princess doted on that horse! But it was terrified of her, and for the life of me, I can't understand why!"
Link nodded in agreement, gritting his teeth. Memory would never be scared of Zelda. And Zelda would never knowingly frighten Memory – not after how hard she worked to develop a bond with that horse!
"I can't imagine our Princess being terrifying at all," Penn pointed out. "She's known far and wide for her compassion – it just doesn't make sense."
"Hold on – I… I think I did catch the briefest glimpse of the Princess' face," the stable worker swallowed, her features grim. "I thought I… I couldn't have seen it right. But she had… such a cold expression. It was right after the horse ran off, though… maybe the Princess was furious that I let the horse get away." Her shoulders drooped slightly.
Link shook his head slowly, feeling ice inside. Zelda – no; she wouldn't. She wouldn't do – any of this! She wouldn't frighten her own horse; she wouldn't take it out on a stable worker – Goddesses only know if I've ever seen Zelda with a 'cold' expression in my life! Frustrated, sure, but… but never cold.
"You're sure it was Princess Zelda?" he asked the stable worker, keeping his voice level. An idea struck him. "What was she wearing?"
"I'm sure – I've seen her come through with you enough times," she answered, and Penn looked at him curiously. "She was wearing a white dress. It… didn't look all that warm, but all I could think about was the horse – I wasn't paying much attention."
A white dress that isn't very warm. The description fit, unfortunately. His gut twisted. "When did this happen?"
"The day the cold snap ended," the woman answered. "I've been trying to find a way to go after the horse – she ran off north of here. But – but there's a terrible monster, huge, flying around in the same direction…" She shivered violently. "I'm no warrior; none of us here are!"
Link's heart clenched tightly, and rubbed a hand wearily across his face, pressure building beneath his temples. The timing all worked out – the last time he had seen Zelda was before the cold snap ended. Then, after the cold snap, she came here and… and something happened. That she could have such an effect – maybe it means she's not an echo. But if she's not an echo, and she really was frightening her own horse – no. No – there's got to be more to the story. Something we don't know yet. I'll… I'll just ask her about it when I find her.
Even as he had the thought, he felt doubt crawling up through his mind. He tried to push it aside. When I find her, he insisted stubbornly to himself. Not 'if.' When. He climbed into Ember's saddle.
"Where are you going?" the stable worker asked anxiously. "You're – you're not going out to fight that thing, are you?"
Link shrugged. "I'm just going to check things out," he said grimly. I've seen plenty of huge flying monsters that I can't actually do anything about. But maybe there's a way around it.
"Well, good luck, then," Penn said, in a tone that clearly conveyed, Better you than me. "Let me know if you find anything."
Link nodded and dug his heels into Ember's sides, sending the little horse onwards at a swift trot, into the vast plains north of the stable.
There were ruins scattered across the region, similar in coloration to the ruins he'd encountered across Hebra Peak. Out on the flats, surrounded by autumn-browned prairie grasses, they looked a lot more natural, a lot less stark and vibrant. They fit in well with the rest of the landscape. He led Ember more slowly past them, squinting into the shadows beneath pillars and leaning to look around the larger chunks. Unfortunately Zelda's mare would be more camouflaged out here as well, he thought – golden coat amongst golden grass bathed in golden evening light. The white mane and tail would be the best giveaway.
He was surprised to find the flats empty of any life at all. This time of day, such territory would be ideal for deer and elk to start moving around, foraging for food. And yet the plains were still, empty of even a ground squirrel racing across Ember's path or a small bird flitting among the tall grasses. In the gentle breeze that rustled across the ground Ember's hoofbeats and breaths seemed unnaturally loud.
There was a sudden deep, breathy roar, a guttural sound unlike any Link had heard before. He went utterly still, and Ember beneath him, primal dread rising within him at the cry. Swallowing thickly, his heart pounding suddenly rabbit-fast, he stared intently at the ruins ahead.
With a rushing of wind like the sound of a fierce storm, a great black beast rose up into the sky from the ruins ahead. Link's breath caught in his throat as he stared at it – massive batlike leathery wings, a thick, muscular body with four legs and a long, spiked reptilian tail, and three dragonlike heads bearing crowns of ice.
"Goddesses," Link whispered faintly, his head spinning dizzily, staring at the behemoth and feeling suddenly relieved that Colgera had not been this, whatever this was. He felt Ember tremble beneath him.
The monster roared again, and changing direction in the sky, it flew a long, wide circle over the ruins. Link understood now perhaps why all other wildlife had fled the area.
So then… where's Memory? Has she already been… eaten… by this thing?
He shuddered, feeling at once nauseous at the thought, and squinted into the fields beyond the monster, straining for any glimpse of pale white. Struck by an idea he dug out the Purah Pad from his pouch, flipped to its camera, and then zoomed in as far as it would allow him. His stomach clenched. There she is.
Sheltering beneath one of the pillars was the unmistakable silhouette of a horse, her mane and tail considerably paler than her body, even in the shadow.
Link exhaled shakily, putting the Purah Pad away. He grabbed rope from a saddlebag and fastened one end around Ember's saddle horn. With shaking fingers he grabbed a sugar cube and briefly dismounted to let Ember gobble it up. "You've got to trust me," he muttered, patting the horse's shoulder. "We're getting Memory back."
He mounted up again and sent Ember onward at a light trot. I won't push him until we absolutely need it. Got to preserve his energy.
Night was falling quickly. He glanced between the monster, which was continuing its circling, and Memory's familiar silhouette underneath the pillar. He led Ember in an even wider circle around the monster's path, trying to delay drawing its attention as much as possible.
They reached Memory without incident, and Link was relieved to see that she seemed unharmed, though she quickly got to her feet as he and Ember neared, her head raised uneasily.
"That's a girl," Link murmured, slipping from Ember's saddle with a glance at the monster flying overhead. He pulled a treat from the pouch at his belt and held it out to the harried mare, who pawed the ground fervently as he neared, backing away. "C'mon, Memory. You know me. Time to come back, now. You'll be alright." He kept his voice low and even, well aware that she would pick up on any anxiety on his part – she and Ember both. And then he'd find himself with two panicked horses on a monster's feeding grounds.
Blowing hard, she took half a step towards him and tossed her head. Her ears flicked up as the monster let out another roar, and Link felt weak in the knees when he realized that the mere sound caused the ground to shake. He drew in a deep breath, held it a moment, then let it out slowly. I must be calm, or none of us are getting out of here.
Memory took the sugar cube from his hand, and he rubbed her nose fondly, exhaling in relief. Carefully he looped the rope around her neck, loose enough that it wouldn't hurt her, tight enough that it wouldn't dangle dangerously in front of her legs. Something to give her the illusion that she was bridled just as Ember was – something that would help her follow him and Ember. He led her closer to his own horse and hopped back into the saddle, taking up the slack in the rope. His eyes slid up to the monster – still circling overhead, oblivious to their presence. He swallowed.
"Alright, let's go," he said, nudging Ember's sides. Memory followed, much to his relief, and together the three of them began the long trek back to the stable, as the sky continued to darken above them.
Then there was a sudden terrible shriek directly above them, and Link's heart seized. "Go!" he shouted through gritted teeth, digging his heels into Ember's sides. With a snort the little horse surged forwards, ears flat against the back of his skull, not needing any encouragement. Memory ran at his side, the whites of her eyes visible in the gray dusk. Link felt a fierce gust of wind from behind like a firm push to his back, almost bending him over on Ember's back. Goddesses save us!
Hooves thundered against the ground and the horses panted and heaved, tearing over the prairie. Another deep roar, and Link glanced over his shoulder. The monster was flying after them, fortunately not as fast as they were – perhaps a result of its bulk – and from its three ice-crowned heads it sprayed a thick white beam to the ground that left clouds of frost behind it, and a trail of blackened, frozen grass.
"Run!" Link hollered, spurring Ember faster, faster, side by side with Memory, as the ice-breath beam chased after them much faster than the monster was flying. The monster's wings beat another mighty gust towards them, and Link flattened himself against Ember's back as it rushed across them, tearing at his hair and cloak.
And then the monster's roar sounded further away, and when Link glanced back again he could see that it had given up the chase, returning to its ever-watchful circles over the ruins. He let out a shaky breath, tugging lightly on Ember's reins to slow his desperate pace. "Good job," he said, patting the horse's sweat-dampened shoulder. "Both of you – good job."
The rest of the return journey to the stable passed without any trouble. Link gave the horses both several more treats each when they reached the paddock and guided Memory back inside after quickly checking her over to ensure that, truly, she was unharmed from her excursion. Then he walked back to the stable manager's counter, arranged a stall for Ember, and walked inside.
"You're back!" Penn squawked, getting up from the table he'd been sitting at with a large mug. "What all happened?"
The stable worker who had spoken with them earlier dashed around the counter towards them, her eyes wide. "Did you – did you kill the monster?"
Link's eyes widened, and he let out a short humorless laugh, running a hand through his hair. "Nayru's love, no," he said. "We just made sure we were faster." He glanced at Penn. "Princess Zelda's horse is back in the paddock. Goddesses willing, she'll stay put this time."
The stable worker beamed from ear to ear. "Oh, thank you!" she gushed. "I'm so glad that little one is alright – I'll go tend to her. Thank you!"
Penn looked at Link expectantly. "…You're going to give me all the details, right? A lone Hylian and his brave steed wander onto a Gleeok's hunting grounds to save the Princess' beloved horse – think of the story that would be! That's a headline that'll sell!"
Link shrugged, taking a seat at the stable and resting his head in his hands, feeling at once unbelievably tired. "Make up the details if you want," he sighed. "Mostly it was just running for our lives."
A twinge of regret shot through him. Some 'hero' I am, he thought glumly. This thing's close enough to the stable, and it's hunted its current haunt clean, that it could cause major problems for them. And I didn't even do anything.
He traced a whorl in the wood grain. And what would I do? Shoot it and hope my arrow lands and deals enough damage to kill it? I'm a decent shot, but I'm no expert. It would take… it would take a team of experienced Rito archers and soldiers on the ground to take that thing down. I… I couldn't have done anything, all on my own. A heavy breath left his lungs.
"Alright, there?" Penn asked.
Link grunted. "A… a 'Gleeok,' you said?"
Penn shuddered. "That's what folks are calling them," he answered grimly. "Giant, flying, three-headed elemental monsters. They appeared around the same time as the Upheaval happened."
"Seems like that's when everything went wrong," Link muttered. The timing of it all… it might well be intentional. And I don't like the idea of going up against an entity powerful enough to cause so many large-scale disasters all at the same time.
"True enough," Penn agreed. He took a swig from his mug and wiped his beak on a feather before setting it down. "Well, even if you say all you did was running, I'm impressed. Definitely writing an article about this one. Your name was… Leif, was it?"
"Link," he corrected. "And… if it's alright with you, I'd rather be anonymous."
Penn hummed thoughtfully. "Yeah… I guess that makes sense. Same name as the famous swordsman, after all. You wouldn't want the Yiga Clan thinking you're him!" He chuckled.
Link grimaced. "Yeah, definitely not," he said, pushing back to his feet, intending to head back out and tend to Ember. He hesitated, a hand on the back of his chair. "I do have a favor to ask. I can pay you for it if need be."
"Nah, don't worry about it," Penn shrugged. "Thanks to you, I've got a story that might well save the Lucky Clover after our rocky start. What do you need?"
Link dipped his head in acknowledgement. "A message delivered," he answered. "A couple actually, to Lookout Landing. Give one to General Gralens of the monster control unit, and ask him to send some people out here to deal with this… Frost Gleeok. If he can, he should send Rito archers with them." He ran a weary hand through his hair. "The other message needs to go to Purah. Tell her I'm going to investigate Death Mountain."
Penn tilted his head curiously, and then nodded slowly. "I think I remember seeing you at Lookout Landing before," he said. "Part of the monster control unit, eh? Sure, I can deliver those messages. I'm heading out that direction anyway – got to inquire around the New Serenne Stable, and the Woodland Stable."
"Thanks," Link said, turning again for the door leading out of the stable.
"Hold up," Penn said, a note of concern in his voice. "You're on your way to Death Mountain – I'm sure you've heard plenty of how things are up there right now; it's not my place to warn you about all that. But… either road you take, going from here to there, you'll have to pass by the Lost Woods, and I don't think there are many folks out there who would've warned you about that."
Link's gut tightened, and he faced the Rito fully, his brows drawn. "Most people know that the mist will get them lost if they don't know the way," he said warily. "They stay well clear of it."
"Yeah, but I'd be willing to bet most people don't know that the mist has changed," Penn said with a shiver. "It's all… dark now. Dark and… well, for lack of a better word, Gloomy." He shook his head. "I don't know. You did something good here, and I just wouldn't feel right not warning you about that, knowing you're headed that direction. Hopefully it's all fine – like you said, most people avoid the Lost Woods anyway."
Link nodded, swallowing. "Thanks for the warning," he said. "Good night, and safe travels."
"Soar long," Penn said with a casual salute of his wingtip.
Link walked out towards the stalls housing travelers' horses and quickly found Ember's – the little horse's bushy black mane and tail, and his small stature, were plenty distinctive enough to set him apart from the other horses. He grabbed a warm, dry cloth from a supply cupboard and stepped into the stall, rubbing Ember's coat dry from sweat as he considered Penn's warning.
The Lost Woods, changed – turned Gloomy. Is it actual Gloom? How could the Great Deku Tree allow something like that? Unless… he didn't allow it. Unless the Woods were infiltrated somehow. But the Yiga Clan doesn't have that power.
Ember butted his head against Link's arm, and Link absently slipped him a treat.
Maybe the Demon King would have that power. He summoned a blizzard over Rito Village – over all of Hebra. Who's to say what the limit of his power truly is?
It was worth investigating, he thought. If nothing else, the Lost Woods was the last known resting place of the Master Sword. Maybe he would find answers about its whereabouts there. Maybe the Great Deku Tree would have some wisdom to share with him.
Regardless… if there is Gloom involved, I need to be at my strongest.
When he had finished with Ember, he walked to the Shrine of Light he'd spotted earlier, some distance from the stable. He stepped inside, breathing a quiet sigh as the comforting warmth enveloped him. He lay down on the soft gravel and closed his eyes.
"May the Light of our blessing grant you the strength you seek…"