Chapter 27

Tears fell from Ravi's cheeks as he shoved his shirt into his pack. In his bedroom, he crammed two pairs of socks into his pack, then his lock picks, his comb and toothbrush, and the shaving kit he'd bought hopefully with the money he'd earned from Hudson Construction Company. He hefted his rupee pouch.

I could have given it to Link. For the knife.

Fresh tears welled up in his eyes. He dragged his sleeve across his nose and ducked under the bed, retrieving his bedroll. As he flicked off a weevil, his fingernail snagged on a hole in the wool blanket, where a campfire ember had singed the fibers. He remembered falling asleep in the dirt, exhausted, and waking to the light touch of the blanket as Link draped it over his shoulders. Ravi had wrapped the blanket around his bokoblin sword. He curled his fingers around the leather-bound hilt; it settled in his hand, and he felt the familiar callouses from hours of practice.

Link knew what I was from the beginning. I never lied to him—about that.

In the back of his mind, he heard Karta laughing.

Ravi let the hilt go and struggled to his feet, sluggish, aching from his toes to the crown of his head. He bound the bedroll to the pack, jerking the straps tight, and hauled it over his shoulder. He paused in the doorway, running his hand down the smooth frame. Then he hurried downstairs.

Rushing past the flowers on the table, he dug into the icebox and retrieved the jar of leftover soup from breakfast. As he held the frosty glass, his stomach twinged. How much food did Link have in his inventory? He'd been gone ten days. He hadn't eaten breakfast. Ravi glanced at the korok transfer box.

He said he can take care of himself.

Ravi slid the jar into his own backpack. He stepped over the two silver rupees on the floor, and lifting his chin, he pulled open the door.

A fresh gust of wind lifted his hair, cooling the sweat on his forehead. The first of the evening stars twinkled in the sky. It was too late to set out on the road. Link didn't expect him to knock on Rhondson's door, now, and ask her to travel right now.

Cherry came running from the direction of the paddock. She rubbed against his legs, and Ravi sat down on the porch, hugging her tight. Her tail wagged, knocking against his legs. She licked his ear. He smiled, faintly.

"He didn't mean it," he murmured.

The dog gazed up at him, eyes deep, listening.

"Link was hurting." He scratched her ears, and she nuzzled into his stomach. Her nose touched the scar where the shock fruit had exploded on him almost two months ago.

Two months? Ravi curled into himself with a fresh wave of pain. He'd only known Link two months, and it hurt this badly, like the night his mom left him with the Yiga. When she lingered with her hand on the door frame, gazing back at Ravi, yet not seeing him. Someone else—Saahe—clouded her brown eyes. She left me. Ravi clutched his knees. Mama, Papa. Link. It's happening again. I'm alone again. He bit his knuckle, leaving marks on his skin.

No. Ravi drew in a breath. It won't happen again. I'm strong. I won't lose Link over a stupid knife.

Ravi drew in a breath. He sat up straight. He listened to the crickets chirping in the grass. A late bluebird fluttered through the gray sky, dashing home to its nest. And he remembered the keese flying north along the cliff. The smell of bananas.

And wait for just the right moment to strike.

Ravi jumped to his feet. His heart pounded, deep and sure, in his chest. He imagined the sound of Yiga laughter, but it felt far away. It wasn't coming for him. It was heading in the other direction, like wolves drawn to the scent of blood.

He touched his pocket, dug out the five rings, and cupped them in both hands. "Help me," he said to the rings. "Please."

They remained quiet.

Cherry laid her paw on his boot. Her eyes were firm with confidence.

Ravi turned each ring to the light, studying the designs, and picked out a ring that shone with green light. "Tulin. Can you hear me?" Silence. Ravi slipped the ring onto his middle finger and shouted. "Tulin!"

The ring glowed. A flash of blue light popped from his finger, then Tulin's avatar landed on the grass. The Rito boy glanced around the yard, up at the roof, then at the sky.

"He's gone."

Tulin's flat-eyed gaze whipped onto Ravi.

"Link's gone. He pulled off his rings and ran off without me." Ravi showed Tulin the rings in his palm.

The boy's beak dropped open in shock.

"He's angry," Ravi said. "He thinks he lost Zelda."

Tulin's head snapped up.

"He went to the Depths to fight. He broke all the rules he taught me—if he fights now, he might get hurt." Ravi clenched his fists. "I need you to help me. We have to save him before the Yiga find him. They took my father from me, and my mother. I won't let them take Link."

Tulin held Ravi's eyes. Ghostly whips of light rose from his transparent head. A smile slowly spread through his face, and he nodded. He closed his eyes and stood still for a long minute, like he was speaking through his mind. After a moment, his eyes popped open. He pointed to the rings in Ravi's hand.

"They're going to help, too?"

Tulin nodded. He pointed to the paddock.

Ravi jumped to his feet. He slid the rings onto all five fingers; they were too large, but once they settled on, they fit, as though molding to his size. Shrugging on his backpack, he ran across the yard. Cherry raced at his heels and Tulin flew alongside him.

Sadee lifted her head at Ravi's footsteps. As he unlatched the fence, her ears flicked forward, and she allowed him to slip the halter over her head. Her ears flattened at the sight of the saddle and she stomped her hoof, but she let him cinch her tight, and she accepted the bit without complaint, eyeing the ghostly Rito boy perched on the stable roof, bow at the ready.

Ravi set his foot in the stirrup, then changed his mind and ran back into the house. He dumped out the clothing in his pack and dug through Link's chests, and fastened on leather pauldrons, tightening the straps as far as they'd go. He pulled on his leather training gloves, half-fingered on the left hand, full-fingered on the right, for his bowstring. Then he strapped on bracers, jammed as many arrows as he could fit into his quiver, and hooked it to his belt.

He filled his pack with muddle bud bombs, his grappling hook, all the spare elixirs left in the house, and a skin of water. To the pack, he added three rolls of bandages, a jar of wound cream, and a flask of alcohol. He hooked the soldier bow to his pack and chose his sword.

An eightfold blade sat at the bottom of the weapons pile, fused with the slender horn of a blue lizalfos. Link had discarded it for stronger weapons long ago. But Ravi spun the weight from his wrist. The thin blade whistled through the air, well-balanced. He hooked the hilt into the frog on his belt.

As he headed to the door, a flash of blue and silver caught his eye. The Zora knife sat on the table. A beautiful knife, just the right size for his hand. His fingers hovered over it, then he snatched his hand back and spun to the door. Nothing good could come of using that knife. But at the door, he hesitated. It was a shame to waste a pristine weapon. He ran back, snatched it from the table, and stuffed it into his pack. After he saved Link, he'd travel to Zora's Domain. The decision settled in his soul.

Ravi closed the door and tugged it firmly behind him. He scratched Cherry's head, rubbing her velvety ears. "Guard the house for me."

She barked and sat.

His boots tapped across the porch. Koroks rattled in the grass as he marched to Sadee. He wedged his foot in the stirrup and mounted smoothly, settling into the familiar saddle. Ravi clicked his tongue, and Sadee broke into a trot.

Tulin flew beside him, and as he reached the road, Ravi kicked Sadee's sides, urging her into a canter. She tossed her head but picked up her pace, sensing Ravi's urgency, the growing nausea in his stomach.

Korok lights danced alongside him, weaving and flickering as he followed the road north, passing the lights of Tarrey Town. He fixed his eyes on a distant blur of red, and as the glow of the chasm grew closer, his chest tightened. Sadee glanced back at him, asking if he was sure. He struck her sides and pushed her into a gallop.

The wind whipped his cheeks. He narrowed his eyes on the chasm up ahead, and the koroks rattled warnings as he approached the limits of their boundary. He broke through. The lights detached, lingering behind, and Ravi raced into the open highlands. He brought Sadee to an abrupt halt at the edge of the chasm.

Wisps of red gloom rose from the corrupted earth. Panting, Ravi clutched the reins. Sadee coughed, spitting foam. He stroked her sweaty neck. His hands shook.

Dismount the horse, he commanded himself. But his legs wouldn't move.

He stared into the black throat, rimmed in malice, and felt Karta's hands gripping his arms four years ago. He felt the shove, the icy air swallowing him, the light vanishing.

Ravi jerked Sadee's head. "Back up."

She backed up eagerly from the edge of the chasm.

Tulin landed on the grass, blank eyes burning, asking what Ravi was waiting for.

Ravi heaved and pressed a hand to his mouth, swallowing bile. He remembered the chasm under Rito Village, Link reassuring him he didn't have to go back.

Lonely music filled the air. Not so high overhead, an enormous dragon blocked out the stars. Her sinuous body waved in continuous motion, claws grabbing at the air, white scales reflecting the light of the moon. Her elegant horns glowed blue and the crown of her head fluttered with golden hair. She tilted her head, gazing down at Ravi as the boy stared up at her.

She shook her head. A scale detached from her neck and fell into the chasm, trailing a ribbon of glittering light. It illuminated the walls as it descended to the Depths, pushing away the darkness effortlessly.

Ravi drew in a breath and sighed, loud and long. He swung his leg over Sadee's rump and dropped to the earth. He stroked her face. "Go home. I won't… be coming back this way." His throat dried. "If I come back."

Tulin laid his hand on Ravi's shoulder. He met his eyes and nodded, as though saying, You will.

Ravi smiled. He slapped Sadee's hindquarters, and she trotted several steps, then glanced back, ears drooping, almost like she was sad. She nickered, then trotted off.

Tightening his pack, Ravi faced the chasm. An icy wind blew up from below, foul as death.

"You'll catch me, right?" he said to Tulin, and the sage winked.

Ravi backed up from the edge, braced himself, wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. Then he counted down from three, sprinted for the edge, and jumped.

His stomach flipped into his throat for the first few seconds of the fall, and a scream bubbled up into his throat, but he bit it back. Spread his arms and legs like a star, like Link. The walls of the cavern flew past him. His lips and teeth dried; his clothing fluttered. He couldn't see where he was going, but despite the cold—and the stench of death all around—this was fun.

A cluster of blue poes twinkled below him, marking the ground. The very solid ground. "Tulin," Ravi rasped.

Talons clutching Ravi's pack, and as the boy caught him, the straps of his pack dug painfully into Ravi's shoulders. Flapping madly, Tulin lowered Ravi down to the gray earth. He dropped, landing in a crouch, feet sinking into a familiar pad of colorless fungus. The poes hovered around his ankles. The cold, musty scent of the Depths filled Ravi's nose, and he clapped his hand over his face. Fear surged up inside him, weakening his knees.

I'm trapped. I'm back. The dark will swallow me. I'll never see the sun again.

A ghostly wing settled on his shoulder, and Ravi raised his eyes. Tulin's face softened in a smile, and Ravi pushed himself to his feet. He wasn't alone this time.

But Link was.

A nearby light root illuminated the Depths. It shone like a beacon, ringed by vibrant ferns and flowers. Link had brought the light into the Depths, and Ravi gazed around in wonder at the fungal trees and the ruins spreading out from his landing zone. He'd never seen the Depths in such detail before.

A glimmer of light shone on the ground a short distance away. Ravi ran to it. The light dragon's white scale shimmered where it had landed in a cluster of curled ferns. As Ravi picked it up, the light warmed his hands, soothing him. A blister on his palm, earned from training, sealed over and healed. He tucked the light dragon's scale into his pack.

Returning to Tulin, he gazed across the Depths and planted his hands on his hips. "Where did Link go?"

Tulin shrugged.

Ravi tapped his finger on his belt. "Can't you sense him?"

The Rito boy tried to speak, then sighed in frustration. He grabbed Ravi's hand and pointed to the middle ring, which glowed with a purple light.

Ravi extended his hand. "Mineru."

The ring flashed. Blue light shot out like a star. Then the earth shook as a giant construct landed in front of him. Blue spirit light flowed like blood through its limbs, and the Zonite armor whirred as the construct turned. The owl mask tilted as it gazed down at the boy.

"I'm not Link, I know," Ravi said.

The construct leaned to peer at him. "I have watched you, child." Her voice was rich and cool. "You are a friend of the light. I will take you to Link."

"Can you find him?"

Her armor clicked as she straightened, and she gazed deeper into the Depths. "I am the Sage of Spirit. I sense his soul—it is in great pain. Come. We must hurry. But you have no energy cells. My construct cannot carry you. But another sage can."

Ravi lifted the blue ring. "Sidon."

The Zora king popped out. He fell into a stance, brandishing his trident. Once he assured himself there was no threat, he spun his weapon onto his back and kneeled in front of Ravi. His face was grave. He pointed to Mineru, then off into the darkness. Then he turned and presented his back to Ravi.

"I will point you in the right direction," Mineru said, "and Sidon will carry you there."

"Are we in the right zone?" Ravi asked. "Did I drop into the right chasm?"

The owl mask scanned the Depths. "Yes. But Link is far." She pointed to a column of rock, barely visible in the distance: his first landmark.

Sidon gestured impatiently.

Ravi flexed his hands, then called Mineru back into the ring. He rolled his shoulders and touched Sidon's glowing back. Although the sage was transparent, he felt solid, like a mirror. Ravi jumped, hooking his arms around the Zora's neck, and Sidon caught him under the knees. The fish man's teeth were inches from Ravi's arms, and he thought of the Zora knife. This wasn't the time to speak of it. He would, later.

The king braced himself. He grinned as he glanced back, as though telling Ravi to hold on, then he took off in a sprint. Ravi's head whipped back at the surge of speed. The Zora's legs flew over rock and earth, running faster than Ravi had ever seen him run with Link. Freed from the need to keep pace with a Hylian, he unlocked his full magic. He leaped over gaps in the earth, over puddles of gloom, and sprung up vertical walls. Ravi gripped on for his life, teeth jarring each time the sage's heels hit the earth. Tulin soared alongside them, bow in his talons, glowing eyes scanning for enemies.

When they reached the landmark, Ravi re-summoned Mineru, and she pointed out the next. Sidon rolled his neck, grinned, and ran even faster, like he was testing the true limits of his power for the first time.

They ran and ran, two blue streaks heading for the darkness—a section of the Depths unlit by a light root. Ravi clenched Sidon's neck as the light faded around him. Black closed around him like a veil, so thick he could touch it. No torches, only the occasional flicker of a distant lost spirit. But Sidon didn't slow down. He swerved and jumped over invisible obstacles until Ravi suddenly shouted.

"Stop!"

Sidon slid to a halt.

"There!" Ravi pointed to a puddle of light in the distance. A bright bloom seed glowed on top of a rock. Beside it, a short distance away, was another one. A trail of seeds lit the way deeper into the darkness. "He was here."

Sidon nodded. He flashed a thumbs up and adjusted his course.

Relief spread through Ravi as they landed on the trail. Link had been here. They were running on his footprints. Those were his arrows, embedded in the bright bloom seeds. We're not too late.

They vaulted over a chasm, and Sidon landed on an almost vertical wall. He dug his fingers into the stone and climbed hand over foot, shimmying up the wall like a lizard, while Ravi gripped his stomach with his legs. He refused to look down. The king jumped over the rim and landed in a crouch on a rolling plain.

The scream of a lynel echoed through the Depths, and the hair on the back of Ravi's neck stood up. No.

Sidon ran forward, but slowed his pace. Tulin pumped his wings and gained altitude, surveyed a large patch of light on the crown of a hill, then tucked his body into an arrow and dove. He pulled up in front of Sidon and words seemed to pass between them.

Another scream pierced the air, then a metal crash. An explosion.

Sidon slid to a stop at the last bright bloom seed. He straightened his spine, shrugging Ravi off. The boy unlocked his death-grip on his elbows and slid down his back, landing on weak knees on the solid ground. He almost wanted to kiss the earth. But he patted down his pack and his armor, checked his weapons, and ran up the hill after Sidon and Tulin.

As he neared the crest, Tulin swooped up and landed in front of Ravi. He held out his hand, stopping him.

"What?"

The Rito boy shook his head. Behind him, Sidon flexed his hands around his spear and nodded in agreement. Stay here, his lips said.

"But Link needs me. I can fight."

A memory echoed in Ravi's ears: I can't protect you if I don't know where you are. He flinched and hung his head. "If I fight, Link will get distracted. He'll try to protect me."

Sidon laid his hand on Ravi's shoulder and squeezed in reassurance. Then he pointed to the two remaining rings.

Ravi raised his hand. "Riju. Yunobo."

The last two sages popped to life. Riju whipped out her blades and shot Ravi a fierce, stern look. Lightning crackled around her scimitars. Yunobo cracked his thick neck and thumped his fists together. Fire ignited between his palms, then he swung his boulder crusher from his back. He saluted to Ravi and smiled widely, softening the eerie glow in his eyes.

Ravi saluted back. I wish I could meet him in person.

The four sages nodded at each other, then ran over the crown of the hill.

Watching them vanish, Ravi sighed. He paced in the circle of light, rubbing his arms. He shivered as a breeze chilled his sweaty shirt. I can't just stand here.

A grove of fungal trees stood on the rim of the hill. Ravi bit his lip, rocked on his heels, then he plucked the bright bloom and held it in front of him, illuminating his path as he ran toward the trees.

The sounds of battle intensified: a roar, another metal crash. An orange glow lit up the arena from a funnel of fire. Ravi dropped the bloom at the base of the tallest tree. He grabbed his grappling hook and rope from his pack, swung, and caught the hook around a branch. He climbed up the rope and pulled himself onto the first pad. The battle spread out below him.

Half the arena was on fire. Flames licked at red puddles of gloom, and Link hung in the air from his glider, suspended on an updraft. The largest lynel Ravi had ever seen galloped below him, running after Yunobo, who streaked around the arena in a whirl of flames. Rock armor encased half the lynel's side. Crimson gloom emanated from its body and its red eyes shone with malice.

Link stalled in mid-air and drew his bow. The arrow struck the lynel on its exposed shoulder. It sank in halfway up the shaft, and the beast screamed. It spun around, whipped out its own bow, and fired back. Three arrows shot for Link. One pierced the canvas of his glider, ripping a hole, and Link landed heavily on the earth. He brandished his double-bladed sword, and the lynel charged.

Ravi clenched the edge of the platform, wincing. As their swords crossed, Link's blade flew from his hands. He rolled into a puddle of flaming gloom and Sidon rushed to his side. The king swept an arc of water over Link, extinguishing the flames as they caught his clothing. Then he encased the hero in a bubble of water and stood guard, brandishing his spear as the lynel swung around and charged again.

Yunobo crashed into the lynel's legs, breaking free a chunk of armor. The beast tumbled sideways and Riju leaped upon it, a whirl of spinning blades. Where was her lightning? Ravi glanced down at the ring on his own finger.

Link stumbled to his feet. He wiped blood from his mouth and drew a royal shield and the Master Sword from his pouch. "It's mine!" he shouted.

Riju's gaze whipped to him, and the lynel struck her away. She tumbled to the edge of the arena.

"Stand down!" Link cried. He burst through Sidon's water wall and took up a stance in a patch of clear earth.

Sidon started to run to his side, then hesitated.

The lynel drew its bow. Link crouched behind his shield. Limping, he ran from another bellow of flame.

I have to do something.

He unhooked his bow from his pack. It was a long shot into the arena, but he drew an arrow.

The lynel charged again, and Link's shield shattered under the force of the blow. Once again, he tumbled across the earth and lay still. A pink fairy zipped from his pouch, sprinkling him with glitter. Link rolled onto his side. Breathing ragged, he found his feet and pulled out another shield. Arrows in its back, the lynel swung around for a last charge.

"Riju," Ravi said to the ring.

Her glowing eyes snapped toward him. She raised her scimitars. A pool of lightning spread across the arena. Ring glowing on his finger, Ravi pulled his string to full draw. His arms shook with the weight. As the lynel descended on Link, he fired.

Lightning cracked. Thunder shook the air.

The lynel staggered sideways and shook its head, crackling with electricity. Link sprinted past its shoulder and vaulted onto its back. With a cry, he drove the Master Sword into its spine. The lynel's body jerked. Link back flipped off its back. In mid-air, he pulled out his bow and shot the beast through the eye. The lynel tilted sideways and fell. The earth shook.

Link landed. He drew the Master Sword from the beast's back, flicked blood from the blade, flourished, and sheathed it. Then he swayed. The hero collapsed to his hands and knees.

Ravi jumped off the tree. He caught himself like a Yiga, vanishing and reappearing as he hit the ground. He dug a vial from his pack: the Elixir of Champions.

The four sages descended on Link, encircling him, and Link clumsily swatted Sidon's arm away. "Leave me alone."

He'll never change. Ravi grinned to himself and recalled the sages into his rings. I've got this. Dodging puddles of gloom and tongues of fire, he ran toward the center of the arena.

"Link!"

The swordsman lay on his side, supporting himself with a trembling arm. He glanced up, panting heavily. Blood ran down his face and patches of gloom burned on his left arm and on both of his legs.

Ravi waved his elixir.

Something pinched him on the back of the neck. He slid to a stop and yanked a needle from his skin.

No.

Numbness flowed through his neck and down his shoulder. His legs buckled, and he fell onto his side. Before his hand went numb, he rolled the elixir the last several feet to Link. Then his body stiffened, paralyzed.

A puff of smoke and talismans erupted in front of him. Two black boots touched down on the earth. Karta's foot came down on the elixir, stepping on Link's fingers as they brushed the bottle.

Link lifted his pale face. The white glow vanished from his eyes.

A silent moment passed, then Karta kicked the bottle away. "Thank you, Rat."