A pink-tipped crane soared high above the Zora River, its vast wings allowing the air to carry it and the staminoka bass in its large bill. The great bird flew east toward a dawn obscured by a wall of heavy-laden clouds of grey.
As recently as a month ago, the crane would have contented itself with the bounty of fish that swam below in the great waters of Zora's Domain. Now, however, the bird's daily hunt carried it as far as the Lanayru Wetlands. The reason for that was fast approaching. As the crane drew closer to its nest hidden among the crags that hid the great Zora home, rain began to fall. Its origin was the great cloud bank that hung low over the Domain. It did not move as other clouds did. They remained hovering over the easternmost portion of the river, growing ever thicker as the bird neared its mountain home.
The unending deluge that had overtaken the Domain had forced the crane to journey west for more temperate hunting conditions. After a close encounter with lizalfos, however, the bird was seriously considering looking elsewhere. Its journey to the wetlands was already made dangerous for having to leave its tiny chicks for so long. Risking death - and the loss of the chicks' mother in the process - was proving too great a cost.
With that in mind, the crane kept a fierce hold of the fish in its bill. The task was made difficult by the rain, which was quickly turning into a downpour. Seeking a brief respite, the bird dove toward the great silver-blue bridge known to Zoras and Hylians alike as Luto's Crossing. The structure was rivaled only by the Great Zora Bridge, the final walkway by which those on foot could reach the fabled home of the Zora.
The crane gratefully flew under the northern side of Luto's Crossing, finding an outcropping on which it could rest before completing its journey home. As it ruffled its feathers for warmth, the bird's keen eyes spied movement in the water below. In a trice, it discounted the thing for a threat, for it recognized the familiar smooth skin and fish-crown head of a Zora.
Satisfied it was safe, the crane nestled further underneath the bridge, content to take full advantage of its brief respite.
Bazz cut through and against the Zora River with the ease of a hot knife through butter. His formidable muscles clamored for rest after they previous night's events, but a relentless energy drove him forward. His urgency heightened every time his ebony-skinned body broke the surface, allowing him to briefly feel the pounding rain pepper his sleek body. That torrent and his people's greatest sorrow were the Hylian Champion's doing - or lack thereof. It was Bazz, son of Seggin, who would prevent further misery at the hands of Hylians.
Luto's Crossing was more or less the boundary dividing the Zobodon Highlands from Zora's Domain itself. East of the bridge, the river was double the size it was forced to become upon squeezing into its canyon-like course to the wetlands. Small islands dotted the wide stretches of water, islands on which countless generations of Zora calves had played and learned to fish.
Bazz swam around the now sodden mounds, spurred on by the sight of his home. The Great Zora Bridge spanned far above him. It would have been magnificent on its own. Instead, it served as merely a preview of the true jewel of Hyrule's waters.
Zora's Domain rose the center of its great mountain lake like a monument to Hylia herself. Columns of wrought silver and luminous stone supported the entire elevated structure made from the same materials. The Domain's outer ring was comprised of three bridges converging on a magnificent circular avenue from which the Zora could reach any part of the inner chambers. Above it all, rising from the top of the throne room itself like a protective spirit, reared an enormous fish carved from the same silver and turquoise materials as the rest of the Domain.
Bazz saw none of that. His eyes were fixed on one of the many Zora-made waterfalls cascading from the Domain's broad avenues. They were fed by marvelous aqueducts that, through the ancient magic used in their building, carried the lake's water upward before it ultimately returned to the basin. With a powerful thrust, Bazz propelled himself up the the nearest fall. The gift that Hylia had bestowed only upon the Zora carried him upward, until with a mighty twist he leaped from the current, spun in the air and landed neatly onto the flawless turquoise floor of his people's kingdom.
On a normal day, far more Zora would already be teeming with residents out and about, either on some errand or merely socializing. Indeed, the Zora were a garrulous people. It appeared, however, that the rain had quelled even that normality. Most of the young adults had accompanied the prince on his quest for "help." The calves were likely being cared for in the small nursery pools one level above. And if the elders were not here…
Bazz swiftly strode around the circular plaza that marked the center of the Domain, if not its seat of power. The latter was his destination. The sight of Lady Mipha's statue, however, further quickened his pace and strengthened his resolve.
Twin flights of silver-blue stairs curved up the sides of the plaza. Bazz ascended the nearest, his steps sounding loudly on their wet surface. A female Zora - a nursery worker - passed him en route to the plaza, likely on her way to her own water cave for a well-deserved rest. Her eyes widened at the sight of Bazz, recognizing him as one of those who had left with the prince. She did not stop him to ask questions, however. None would until he had first reported to the Council.
The second level was roughly half as big as the first, allowing those at its front balcony to survey the plaza below at their leisure. No gregarious Zora were gathered here, however. Faint sounds of calves trying the patience of the nursery workers could be heard from the back. They were hidden, however, by an even wider staircase that ascended from the center of the second level to the heart of the Domain's rule.
Bazz strode quickly up the silver-blue steps. They led into the mouth of the enormous fish statue that served as the symbol of the Zora. Its tail reared several hundred feet higher, but Vah Ruta's rage had prevented the sun from glinting off the Domain's majestic facade for some time now.
The growing rumble of voices confirmed what Bazz had suspected - the elders had convened in the great chamber that served as both council room and throne room. Two of the guard - old enough to be elders themselves so they could be trusted with whatever they heard - stood sentry at the fish mouth entryway.
The sight of a younger Zora would normally have produced an immediate frown of disapproval on the guards' faces. Recent events, however, added context to Bazz's arrival. Both recognized him as part Prince Sidon's company. To Bazz's surprise, however, they still politely barred him from the entry his return should have merited.
"Hylia's waters have brought you safely home Bazz, but you must wait for an audience with King Dorephan and the Council," the elder of the two acknowledged firmly.
"I come with news from Prince Sidon's search, Tottika," Bazz explained impatiently. "What could take precedence over the task the king himself has commissioned his son?"
"Listen for yourself," the elder Zora coolly replied before cutting off his fellow guard, who was about to interject. "That which currently occupies the king and Council's attention is tied to Vah Ruta and the prince's mission. If anything, it will better prepare young Bazz for his report."
His impatience now blunted with surprised curiosity, Bazz nodded his thanks to Tottika before turning his attention to the raised voices from within the chamber. They were easily heard from within the throne room.
"Your Majesty, I put myself at the feet of your mercy. What I did, I did out of loyalty to my people and the desire to see them safe."
Bazz recognized the first voice as his father's, but only just. Never had he heard the former Demon Sergeant, a living legend among his own people, grovel. The sound made his stomach churn. What could possibly force him to abase himself so? King Dorephan's booming reply cut short Bazz's wonderings.
"Much like the flatfish, you would convince me that is the only side of your story, Seggin." Bazz had never heard his king speak in such cold, unforgiving tones. "Were your actions truly loyal, they would have remained aligned to the wishes of myself and the Council. Had you wanted to keep your people safe, you would have helped safeguard the only means by which we hope to quench Vah Ruta's rage. Now you ask for mercy, mercy Ruta will not return without the means to calm her."
"Your Majesty, I could not have known a lynel had taken Shatterback Point as its den," Seggin pleaded. "I thought it would be a safe vantage point from which to quell Ruta's deluge."
"That alone convinces me you were blinded by anger and fear," Dorephan knelled, causing Bazz's eyes to widen in shock. Accusing the great Seggin of fear was unheard of, but then again, so was the former Demon Sergeant deviating so drastically from his king's wishes. And a lynel? How in Hylia had one of those monsters come to Plyomus Mountain? And why?
"One with your skill and experience should have seen the signs," Dorephan pressed. "Instead you were ambushed like a green bull on his first patrol. And now a demonspawn possesses the very weapons with which we hoped to defeat Ruta. How do you propose we replace them?"
"Perhaps a Gerudo trader, Your Majesty…?" Seggin offered feebly.
"A lone Gerudo will not brave the wetlands as they are now, nor would she attempt to reach us through this cursed rain," Dorephan forcibly answered. "Neither do we have time to swim the Regencia's length in hopes of finding a Gerudo in the southwest. Our other options are fool's hopes at best, especially with the nearby stables all but overrun by Ganonspawn. You hoped to save your people, Seggin? You may have doomed them."
Bazz could not make out his father's soft quibble of a reply. He had likely never been so reprimanded in his long life. Harsh silence followed, with neither king nor Council offering consolation to the shamed Demon Sergeant.
Bazz started up at a small grunt from Tottika, who gave him a meaningful nod before turning to briefly enter the throne room.
"Your Majesty," Tottika announced, "Bazz has arrived with news from Prince Sidon's search."
More silence. Then Dorephan spoke.
"Seggin, you will remain to contribute what you know should we need to hear it," the Zora king told him firmly before addressing Tottika. "Tell Bazz his presence is requested before the king and Council."
The Zora guard bowed and returned to the outside of the chamber. Bazz knew to wait a few precious seconds before entering, lest it be clear he had been eavesdropping from just outside.
When he did enter, Bazz saw the full Council was assembled and seated on the ornate benches built into the chamber walls. They formed a semicircle audience around the slightly raised platform where anyone addressing the king and/or Council was to stand and speak. Inlaid on its surface was the timeless symbol of the Zora: three crescent moons, each touching one another along their outer curves in a pointed, triangular formation.
The platform lay directly in front of the throne, on which Dorephan's impressive form now sat. Even seated, the Zora monarch reared to a mighty height. His whale-like body was strewn with muscle and sinew to match his size, much of it adorned with the whorling silver jewelry favored by his people. Short, sharp claws extended from his human-like hands, while his feet rested in the water-filled basin at the base of his throne. Like the rest of his kind, Dorephan's face was topped by a fish-shaped crown, behind which extended an enormously long dorsal fin. The front of that crown was marred by a large scar earned in battle long ago. Below it, the Zora king's wise yellow eyes were narrowed in sharp focus, his mouth still firmly set after his exchange with Seggin.
Dorephan's overwhelmingly stern presence, combined with the undivided attention of the full Council, caused Bazz's mouth to run dry and his mind to momentarily go blank.
Dorephan appeared to sense the effect the atmosphere imposed on the new arrival, for his expression softened before he addressed his captain.
"Welcome Bazz, son of Seggin," Dorephan intoned kindly. "We thank Hylia that the waters have brought you home. What news have you of my son and his search to aid our people?"
The effect of his king's soothing bass was immediate. Recalling the proper protocol in such a setting, Bazz knelt in the very center of the audience platform. In doing so, he did not fail to notice the very eager and appraising look from his father.
"Your Majesty and members of the Council," Bazz began, "I return to inform you that Prince Sidon has successfully located a Hylian who is willing to aid our people. Even now, His Highness and the Hylian make their way here afoot. They will likely arrive by tomorrow morning at the latest."
Soft murmurs rippled among the Council, something Bazz knew was rare when the king presided. He knew from his own father, however, that the matter of seeking Hylian aid had already disturbed the normally tranquil waters of Zora politics. Even now, Bazz saw Seggin's wrinkled visage twist in distaste. What will he do, Bazz wondered viciously, when I tell him the Hylian is named after the one who doomed our people?
The noise from the Council was made brief by a stern, all-encompassing glance from Dorephan. Once quiet had reclaimed the chamber, he began to probe Bazz with questions - questions for which the young Zora dearly hoped he had sufficiently prepared.
"How does this Hylian appear?" Dorephan asked. "Does he have the look of a warrior?"
"He showed some skill in helping us fend off a lizalfo attack at Inogo Bridge, Your Majesty." A lizalfo attack that would not have come were it not for him, Bazz thought savagely. He would not say as much, however. Not here. "I heard he saved Mei, mate of Fronk, from another lizalfo patrol, though I did not see it myself." Adding this made bile rise in Bazz's mouth, but he knew it was necessary to keep Dorephan's suspicions from being aroused. Everyone knew who his father was, and everyone knew whom his father hated. Avoiding that connection would be key to allow Seggin to protect their people from the Hylian's taint.
"A warrior indeed, and seemingly a selfless one if he risked his life on behalf of one he did not know," Dorephan observed approvingly. Several among the Council shifted uncomfortably in their seats, while those who sided with the king nodded in agreement. Even glimpsing such transparent divide among his people was alarming, but Bazz knew those who thought along the same lines as his father were in the right.
"What more can you tell us of the Hylian?" Dorephan persisted. "What of Sidon's company and what their search revealed?"
Bazz was grateful the king had lumped the latter two questions with the first. He doubted he could conceal his disdain for the Hylian for much longer.
"The Hylian appears in good health," Bazz issued formally. "As for the company, several have fallen to Ganonspawn. The stable north of Thims Bridge is destroyed. Her sister on the wetlands' western edge still stood when we departed, but the lizalfos already there and the Ganonspawn marching from the north will no doubt overwhelm it, if they haven't already."
An especially elderly Councilor stood respectfully, but did not speak until Dorephan acknowledged him.
"You have the floor, Jiahto," the king said with a gesture to the blue-skinned Zora.
"Your Majesty," Jiahto said tremulously, "if that many Ganonspawn gather at the wetlands, we will either be trapped here completely or forced to flee Zora's Domain."
More murmurs from the Council, but Bazz noted that Dorephan did not reprimand them this time. No doubt the portents of the gathering army - and the options left to the Zora as a result - were more than anything they had faced since the Calamity.
"You are wise to call this to our attention, Jiahto," Dorephan acknowledged with a respectful incline of his great, scarred head. "Unfortunately, we must face the octorok in front of us before attending the razormouths behind. Once Vah Ruta is silenced, we will deal with the threat from the wetlands."
Jiahto responded with a bow of assent before resuming his seat. The Council said nothing. The faint sound of relentless, pelting rain was the only confirmation they needed that Ruta was the most immediate threat to their ancestral home.
Dorephan returned his attention to the still-kneeling Bazz.
"You have braved much to bring us this news, Bazz," Dorephan said warmly. "I would have you stay while we discuss these developments - and those that have preceded you."
The kings' final words were issued in a much colder tone. As he respectfully retreated to the far right side of the chamber, Bazz had to take care not to dart his gaze toward Seggin, who had remained standing at the opposite side. The very air seemed to stiffen with an intangible tension.
"And so, my brethren, here we arrive at the conundrum that should not need to be borne," Dorephan issued in a no-nonsense rumble. "The Hylian we sought - one who could do we what cannot - will arrive bereft of the tools we would have him use on our behalf. Seggin, I will allow you to offer up the first idea as to what we should do next. After that, I am open to you, Councilors, for suggestions."
The shamed Demon Sergeant choked on unsaid emotion before merely bowing and shaking his head. Perhaps, Bazz thought bitterly, perhaps His Majesty will pardon my father once we show him our path to salvation lies not with this ill-named Hylian.
Seggin, however, acknowledged his son with a very slight shake of the head. The motion comforted Bazz. His father had at least an idea of what must be done, that much was clear.
The rest of the Councilors' expressions varied. Some frowned thoughtfully. Others did so rebelliously. Clearly some were more intent on furthering the Hylian's endeavor than others.
Finally, a venerable elder of dark red skin rose to his fins, drawing every pair of yellow eyes to him. Dorephan acknowledged him with a grateful nod.
"Kapson, my friend, you have thought of something?"
"I believe I have, Your Majesty," the Councilor answered slowly, "but it is not a safe nor easy solution. If we cannot replace the lost shock arrows by other means, perhaps they can be retaken."
"I am loathe for any of our people to take such a risk," Dorephan frowned worriedly. "Were the lunes unarmed, I would confront the beast myself. Against shock arrows, however, I am as vulnerable as any Zora. We are all but helpless against such a threat."
"I have taken that threat into consideration, Your Majesty," Kapson returned readily. "Allow me to make myself understood. As the task of using shock arrows required a Hylian's help, I believe the necessity of retrieving them demands the same."
More murmurs issued from the Council, and this time Dorephan did take the time to silence them with a sweeping look before addressing Kapson.
"You are right that a Hylian stands a better chance against shock arrows than we," Dorephan admitted, "but even unarmed, a lynel could tear him to pieces. He has already agreed to risk his life on our behalf. Dare we double the request and, in so doing, diminish his chances to succeed on either count?"
"As I said, it is not a safe nor easy recourse," Kapson admitted with his arms humbly spread. "If one of my brethren - or you, of course, Your Majesty - has a better alternative, I will vote for its approval without hesitation."
Bazz's eyes darted back from the elder to his king, but stopped at his father en route. Seggin's expression had turned into something else entirely. The ebony-skinned Zora looked… eager.
Dorephan, meanwhile, was still deeply pondering Kapson's proposal. Finally, he raised his great dome and addressed the Council.
"Were there another way to quell Ruta's rage, I would do it," Dorephan began. "There is not, at least not one I know of. Were there another means by which to obtain the shock arrows we need for the way I do know, I would take it. I do not see such a solution within the little time that remains us before the reservoir will surely burst apart."
Deafening silence met each pronouncement from the Zora king, who continued on with hard-won resolve.
"I would not ask another to risk his life in our stead, but it appears that is what Hylia requires of us," Dorephan concluded heavily. "Barring a better idea from one of you, I propose we ask this Hylian for his aid to not only calm Vah Ruta, but to obtain the shock arrows he needs to do so. Those in favor?"
Every hand in the room was raised. After slowly surveying the chamber, Dorephan nodded in satisfaction.
"So be it. If there is nothing else that needs to be brought to our attention, the Council is dismissed. See to your families. May Hylia bless us all."
For the most part, the elders were slow and methodical in removing themselves from the throne room. Seggin, however, spoke hurriedly to Trello before making his way quickly to his son.
"Meet me in the cave," the elder Zora whispered during his brief embrace. Then he bid Bazz a publicly fond farewell before turning to speak with a green-skinned Councilor.
Bazz did not wait. His father had a plan after all. He made sure to acknowledge another pair of elders who welcomed him home before hastily exiting the throne room. Bazz descended to the lowest level of the Domain as efficiently as he could, taking care to return the salutations of his brethren lest he appear suspicious. He followed the nearest Zora-made aqueduct to the low silver wall circling the level's perimeter. A break in the low wall allowed the clear water to spill into the basin below. Bazz followed them, diving smoothly into the dark depths of his people's home.
Reaching his family's underwater cave was but the swim of a moment. The dwelling seemed much smaller now that he was grown, but Bazz would not leave his father's abode until he wed a mate of his own. Seggin's well-used battle spear adorned the back wall. Bazz hung his own silverscale spear on its own set of brackets below. The light of luminous stones played faintly off its crescent-shaped blade, which was used only by the most skilled Zora warriors.
His father arrived through the exit pool with a small whoosh of breaking water. Two more splashes accompanied him, and Bazz saw with surprise that Trello and the green-skinned Zora had accompanied his father to their home. He quickly clasped their hands with his head bowed, as was proper when a younger Zora greeted an elder in a personal setting.
"Councilor Muzu, Master Trello, we are honored to have you in our home," Bazz said fervently. His father's plan must be marvelous indeed to have merited the presence of two of the most respected elders in the Domain. "Please, be seated."
Trello and Muzu accepted their younger counterpart's invitation, sitting upon small chairs carved from the cave's original stone. Seggin stood next to them, and Bazz suddenly realized that he was the object of the trio's scrutiny.
"I am glad the waters have brought you home, my son," Seggin began briskly. "Now, tell us what you chose not to disclose in the throne room."
With the eyes of his father and two highly respected elders boring into him, Bazz told them everything. Well, nearly. He would save the most important for the end. As he spoke, the expressions of the three elder Zora sharpened, their yellow eyes narrowing to slits. By the time he was done, Bazz's throat was dry and painful, but he did not ask for permission to drink.
"Well?" Seggin's question rang with undisguised contempt. "What do you think of our savior?"
The mocking title did nothing to improve the soured looks on the other two elders.
"A Hylian swordsman in league with the Sheikah, the very creators of the doom we face," Muzu muttered disbelievingly. "I was Princess Mipha's mentor when she lived, and even then I knew her fascination with Vah Ruta was unhealthy. I was too right, and now the architects of her demise once again threaten our people. It is too much!"
"What of the Hylian?" Trello demanded, fists clenched and fins vibrating in agitation. "How does he happen to come across one of our own in time to save her, just when we happen to be searching for one of his wretched kind? It is a coincidence that strains credulity. It is beyond foolish to assume its innocence!"
"Yet our king and his son, royalty though they are, are trusting to a fault," Seggin added vexingly. "I respect them, as do you, but they are blind to the same danger we faced a century ago!"
Now, Bazz thought.
"Speaking of which," the young Zora said, drawing the surprised attention of the fuming elders. They had very nearly forgotten Bazz was there at all. "I thought you would find his name interesting, father. He is called… Link."
Quick as a flash, Seggin's clawed hand took his son by the neck and slammed him against the cavern wall. Bazz struggled to breathe as his father whispered hoarsely into his face.
"Do not jest with me, boy!" Seggin rasped with choked fury. "That, that - name is not needed for me to hate this Hylian!"
"Calm yourself, Seggin!" Muzu gasped in alarm. Both he and Trello were trying vainly to pry the enraged Demon Sergeant off his son. "I do not believe Bazz would be so foolish as to use that name in sport! You have taught him well!"
The former Demon Sergeant appeared to come to his senses, his unbidden wrath seeping out of his face and grip until he was left limp in his friend's arms. Bazz fought back tears as he massaged his neck before dropping to one knee and looking up fearfully at Seggin.
"I… I tell you only the truth, father," Bazz whispered. "His name is - what I said. It is because of your teachings that I did not bring it to the Council's attention. I knew the pain and grief it would cause the elders - and you."
Seggin once again rushed to his son, but this time it was to embrace him consolingly. Tears streamed down the old Zora's face.
"Forgive me, Bazz," Seggin said softly while stroking his son's head tail as he had when he was a child. "I was mad with grief. I cannot believe-"
"Nor can I," Muzu muttered ominously. "What can this mean? How could Hylia allow someone with that name into our midst?"
"Perhaps it is better that She did allow it," Seggin observed with quiet intensity. He had risen from comforting his son, and was now staring at something only he could see. "If that is truly his name, it will only remind our brethren of what his predecessor cost us a century ago. They will not allow such a one to aid us, no matter how desperate our need. We will find another way, a Zora way," he forcefully added.
"But what if they don't?" Trello asked desperately. "Hylia help me, but I would kill him myself had I the strength of my youth. As it is, we are ill-equipped to prevent his kind from cursing our people again!"
"You forget," Seggin answered with the same sickly smile Bazz had seen in the throne room, "our friend Jiahto had a brilliant suggestion that was approved by the Council. What better fate for such an ill-named Hylian than death to a demonspawn?"
"What if he doesn't fail, father?" Bazz offered hesitantly. He did not want to risk his father's wrath again, not when the subject at hand could so readily ignite it. "I did not wish to say so in front of the Council, but the Hylian is a skilled warrior. He might use some unknown devilry to escape the fate he deserves."
"That," Seggin answered as his smile deepened, "is where you come in, my son…"
Dying fires smoldered where Mercay's trees had stood just hours earlier. Blackened stumps remained here and there, stubborn survivors of the Wizzrobe's unbridled rage. So thorough had his retribution been that the charred remains of the punished lizalfos would hold little interest for their hungry and surviving brethren.
The Wizzrobe himself sat on one of those stumps, his breath rasping loudly in the otherwise quiet night. He had allowed the lizalfos to communicate everything they had seen of the night's encounter with the boy. On other occasions, he might have enjoyed their quivering fear for the retribution they knew was coming.
Not now. This was no time for petty shows of power among the Demon King's lesser servants, not after the boy had slipped right through his red-gloved fingers. The Wizzrobe had not hesitated to slay the stupid creatures where they stood.
That two Hylians - the boy had acquired a companion, apparently - and a Zora had managed to elude his forces so narrowly gnawed at the Wizzrobe's unsatisfied ambition. The boy had moved out of desperation - and escaped unscathed. The Wizzrobe nearly lashed out again with his red-glowing wand in sheer frustration. The stupid monsters had likely wasted his best chance.
Now the boy might as well be lost in the Gerudo desert. Though the Divine Beast in Zora's Domain threatened to destroy the fishscum, it also nullified the Wizzrobe's own powers. What good was the threat of sorcerer's fire in a land cursed with unceasing rain? There might as well be a magical shield around the boy. That left the lizalfos, but did he dare trust them again?
As if his dark thoughts had been a summons, the Wizzrobe heard the soft hiss and slither of a lizardspawn approaching. Furious at being disturbed by one of the very creatures that had failed him, the dark wizard turned to deal instant, scorching death. He stopped short not only at seeing the lizalfo in question, but the black-cloaked Hylian that accompanied him.
The lizardspawn was half as large again as its brethren, its scales white compared to the normal forest green of its wetland kind. Steel armor sheathed its curved back and horned face, while a viciously tipped spear hung loosely from its right clawed hand. One of its independently rolling eyes focused on the Wizzrobe. The other hovered on the Hylian, whose face remained concealed by the dark hood and black mask it had worn during his last visit.
"Hylian… sssssssee you. Messsssssage… from Masssssster."
The Wizzrobe rose to his feet, his red eyes flaring in the darkness.
"You lie," he hissed. "What message would the Master send through Hylian filth than deliver to me personally?"
"Be grateful He did not choose to deliver it personally," the Hylian said coolly through his shroud. "You would still be screaming if He had."
"You insect," the Wizzrobe wheezed. His wand was upraised, its bejeweled end beginning to glow bright red. "Your insolence forfeits whatever protection your errand earned you."
"Kill me, then," the Hylian shrugged. Then he actually had the temerity to sit down on a nearby stump! "Kill me and earn the reward for slaying one more favored by the Master than you."
The Wizzrobe nearly screeched with rage. The Hylian's words were a burning weal made worse by the sting of that night's earlier defeat.
"What is the message?" the Wizzrobe rasped furiously.
"The Master knows what happened this night," the Hylian replied calmly. "You have failed Him, but He is merciful. He allows you another chance to complete your task and earn your honor."
"I accept!" the Wizzrobe snapped hurriedly. The sooner he claimed the right to Karanlik, the sooner he could rid himself of this Hylian in the most satisfactory manner possible. "You! Lizalfo! Leave us!"
To the Wizzrobe's utter amazement, the Hylian shook his head. "This is your lizalfo general, is it not? It is to stay, for it has a part to play in your redemption, Wizzrobe."
Enraged at being robbed of even this menial authority, the Wizzrobe merely nodded in silent outrage.
"The Master knows you are of little use against the Zora while the Divine Beast rages," the Hylian began nonchalantly, ignoring another hiss of fury from the Wizzrobe. "You are to wait for bokoblins to join you from the north. Once they do, the lizalfos will march under their general's command to Zora's Domain, where they will wipe out the fish."
"And what honor does this earn me?" the Wizzrobe demanded. "You expect me to stand idly by while underlings seize every prize within reach?"
"Do not interrupt me again."
The disdainful chill in the Hylian's voice sorely tempted the Wizzrobe to ignore his earlier warning and blast him to ashes where he stood. If that warning was true, however… if he had truly fallen out of favor with the Dark Lord… that the lizalfos' failure had shackled him so thoroughly galled the Wizzrobe. Yet there was nothing he could do until he had regained his Master's good graces. Yes, he would bide his time and swallow the Hylian's insults. After that, the Wizzrobe would bask in this filth's screams as long as they held out.
The Hylian, meanwhile, had taken the Wizzrobe's furious silence as permission to continue.
"Once the boy is found, the lizalfos will deliver him to you. Then you will be free to reap the reward you will have so justly earned. If you are too impatient to wait in the meantime, you have the Master's leave to destroy the stable nearby."
The Wizzrobe's fiery eyes - red slits that never blinked - glared malevolently at the faceless Hylian.
"After I kill the boy and am named Karanlik, Hylian, you will regret addressing me so carelessly," he whispered.
The black-clothed Hylian turned to walk away before deigning to answer over his shoulder.
"Take care that your ambitions do not exceed your abilities, Wizzrobe."
Again, the red-cloaked sorcerer was seized with the mad desire to lay devastation in his path. The only victim within reach, however, was the lizalfo general, which had wisely kept its silence during the tense exchange.
"What are you waiting for?" the Wizzrobe snarled. "Send scouts to find the pigspawn to the north! I expect word as soon as it can be had."
"I… will," the lizalfo slowly hissed. "Would be better… to attack sssssstable… firsssssst. Dead Hylianssssss… cannot help Zora."
The Wizzrobe fingered his wand thoughtfully. He could not allow anything to tip the scales toward failure again, not even a woebegone mix of Hylian refugees. Better to swat the darner now, lest it distract him from the lion later. The Wizzrobe nodded curtly.
The lizalfo general smiled as much as any of its kind could, its long jaws parting to reveal row upon row of cruelly curved teeth.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I noted at the end of "Hope and Hatred," the Zora's dislike for Hylians in general and Link in particular takes on a more realistic role in this story. Seggin and the other elders will not stop at empty threats, especially those that have passed on their prejudices to their children. We are accustomed to Link battling the forces of evil. What happens when his would-be allies reveal themselves as something else entirely?
The Wizzrobe's frustration is palpable. Ganon's lieutenants sew as much suspicion and distaste amongst themselves as they do chaos among the innocent. The black-robed Hylian is an uncomfortable wildcard in the Wizzrobe's plans. How much power he wields is yet to be seen.
On a personal note, my wife is expecting a baby this week. Please forgive me for any fatigue-induced errors either current or upcoming. That being said, I love being a dad, and I can't wait to renew that feeling with a new daughter. Thanks for any comments/favs/follows in the meantime. Hope life is treating you well. - mattwrites