Wind rustled the leaves of the trees as Farrow picked her way through the forest. She knelt and plucked some iron shrooms from the damp earth beneath an oak. Once she had an armful, she put her fingers to her lips and whistled.

Moments later her horse appeared over the hill, ambling her way and chewing on a mouthful of grass. Kazim gave her a snort. Farrow patted his side and tucked the mushrooms away in his saddle bag.

Farrow drew a worn leather book and flicked through her inventory records to the latest page. She tallied the new shrooms and shut the book.

To her relief, those last mushrooms pushed her over her quota. Farrow hadn't been sure if she'd have enough stock before she reached the Outskirt Stable. As she reached to grip Kazim's saddle to hoist herself up, a low rumble reached her ears. She felt it in her lungs and through the soles of her boots.

It must be a hinox, she realized, her blood pounding. She turned her head this way and that as she clambered onto Kazim's saddle, trying to discern what direction it would be coming from.

She drew her bow and reached over her shoulder for an arrow when she realized the rumble was continuous, not like the thundering footfalls of a hinox. Heartbeats later, the rumbling stopped. Cautiously, with her bow at her side and ready to be drawn, she nudged Kazim's side and directed him out of the woods. She wondered if it had been an earthquake. But she'd felt those before and that had felt different.

Farrow blinked against the sunlight as they cleared the trees. She scanned the road in both directions as she directed Kazim to the center. The sound of hoofs clopping on stone seemed to echo too loud. When had the birds stopped singing?

Farrow pulled Kazim to a stop in the path. To the northwest, the waters of Lake Kolomo glittered in the setting sun, and to the southwest the Great Plateau stood above all of Hyrule, distant and untouchable. Farrow blinked and stood forward in her stirrups.

Atop the plateau, something new rose against the familiar skyline. A tower, one she'd never seen before, stood tall against the orange sunset sky. Its surface reflected the sunlight, giving off a metallic gleam. An orange glow lit the inside of the structure, and it rose to a pointed top.

It hadn't been there an hour before. Farrow couldn't imagine how it had suddenly appeared, but she figured it must have something to do with the rumble.

She stowed away her bow on her back and patted Kazim's neck, her eyes fixed on the tower. "How do you think that happened, bud?"

Kazim snorted and shook his head. Farrow took that to mean he was bored and wanted to move on.

"Not a bad idea," she said, nudging him with her heels. The earthquake, whether a cause or effect of the tower, was bound to stir up monster activity. She'd been planning on camping in the wilds tonight, but now she had to be pickier about her location. If she rode fast and avoided trouble, she might reach the Outskirt Stable before dark. But if she didn't make good time, or ran into monsters, she'd be forced to camp when she ended up as dark fell. Unfortunately, the roads in this part of Hyrule were wedged between plateaus and cliffs, which made for fewer places to hide the closer she got to the stables. And this close to the ruins . . .

Farrow decided to take the extra time to find a safe place to camp. It was still a risk if monsters were active, but a lesser one. As Kazim's slow gait carried her down the path, Farrow kept a close eye on the tower.

As the sun lowered its orange glow seemed to brighten against the purple sky and gleaming clouds. There was something about its design that reminded her of the ancient shrines she'd passed on her travels, but she couldn't say exactly why. She thought she saw movement atop it, at one point, but she couldn't be sure. After several more minutes of staring she decided she needed to focus on the road.

((0))

Farrow found a dense grove of trees with a small clearing in the middle. At one edge of the clearing, a rock outcropping rose from the earth and made a good wall to put her back against. Kazim stood nearby, sleeping.

A fire had been too risky, so Farrow used her blanket for warmth. They were still in the summer months, so the night wouldn't get too cold. Farrow leaned her head back against the saddle bag behind her, listening to Kazim's slow huffing breaths and watching the stars wink above her. She laid there until she felt her breathing slow and her eyes grow heavy. With a groan, she forced herself up.

Farrow couldn't risk sleeping tonight. On her way to this grove, Farrow had spotted a pack of bokoblins running south across the road, chasing a boar. There had been four of them, and she'd been very lucky that they hadn't seen her. Farrow could handle a single bokoblin, two even. Three would have been trouble, and four . . . would be bad. She relied on her ability to run away from large packs of bokoblins and more dangerous monsters. She felt confident in her abilities with her bow and knife, but Kazim and his speed made her life of travel possible.

Minding the twigs scattered across the clearing, Farrow picked her way to one of the taller oak trees. Once there, she clambered up the branches with slow movements in an attempt to minimize the rustle of the leaves.

She pushed past a cluster of leaves and broke through the canopy. The universe hung above her as she looked southwest. She found the tower. Earlier, she'd wondered if she'd imagined the glow, or perhaps it was a trick of the sunlight. But now that she could see the tower in the dark of the night, she was sure. A small beam of orange light illuminated the tower from within, highlighting it against the night sky.

Farrow's vision slid to the north and she squinted. In the distance, another orange tower blazed. It stood in an area she rarely traveled. It was too close to the castle, and guardians stalked the fields there, making the area too dangerous for travel.

Shifting to sit against the branch she'd perched on, Farrow took a small book from her pocket and a stick of charcoal. With a forest song of bug and frog calls around her, she sketched what she could make out of the tower. The people of the towns and stables would want to know what happened. Purah might know what was going on. Perhaps she could show the sketches to the scientist the next time she was in Hateno Village.

As the stars above her turned, Farrow busied herself with a few idle sketches of the landscape and castle in the distance. As she did, she noted the violent swirl of the malice around it. It might have been worse than usual, but Farrow wasn't sure. When she tired of that, she descended the tree and returned to Kazim.

She retrieved an apple from one of the saddle bags and took a bite. At the crunch, Kazim's head shot up, ears perked, and he gave a hopeful snort.

Farrow rolled her eyes. "Just one," she whispered, taking a second apple from the bag and holding it out. Kazim plucked it from her palm. The apple vanished with a loud crunch and satisfied nicker. Farrow leaned back against his side and the two remained there for the final hours of the night.

As the horizon faded from a deep black to navy blue, Farrow stood. She stretched, her back cracking, and nudged Kazim awake. He snorted and flicked his tail in irritation. Monster activity died down almost immediately as the sun rose, so Farrow decided it was time to move on. By the time she'd re-saddled Kazim, a golden sliver of the sun shone through the trees of the forest, barely visible through the tangle of bark and leaves.

As they cleared the trees and returned to the road, she breathed a sigh of relief as sunlight hit her face. Its warmth washed away some of her exhaustion.

The ride to Outskirt Stable passed as it usually did. Still a little on edge, Farrow kept her bow at the ready, but allowed herself to enjoy the journey. As they passed the walls of the Great Plateau, her eyes skimmed over the crumbling arches. Once or twice a pebble would come clattering down the face of it in a shower of dust. Every time she saw the Great Plateau ruins, she was sure she could discover some secret if she just looked close enough. But this time, like all the others, she found none.

They trotted up to Outskirt Stable around noon. As they neared the stable house, the sounds of laughing children, barking dogs, and soft flute music drifted through the air. She smiled and directed Kazim to the front desk.

"Bed for one and a stable of this guy please," she said, patting Kazim's neck.

The Krane, one of the stable hands, leaned out to get a better look at her. "Ah, Farrow. It's been a while. How've you been?"

"Pretty good," she said, climbing down from Kazim's saddle. "Had a run in with a lizalfo a while back, but I came out all right. How've things been here?"

Krane rubbed his beard. "Mostly quiet. Although, yesterday we had a bit of an earthquake."

Farrow nodded. "I felt it too. Had to camp early to avoid any monsters. I saw a pack of four bokoblins on my way here, by the way. They were far enough to the east that I don't think they'll be a problem here, but . . ."

Krane waved a hand. "Better to know and be ready."

One of the younger stable boys approached. "Your horse, miss?"

Farrow absently handed him Kazim's reins with a thanks and looked back to Krane. "Have you seen the towers?"

Krane raised an eyebrow. "Don't think so. What towers are you talking about?"

"They appeared after the earthquake. They stand about ten stories high and glow." As she spoke, Farrow withdrew her sketchbook and flipped to the page she'd sketched the tower on.

Krane squinted as she presented it to him. After a moment he shot her a look. "I won't lie, Farrow. That's a bit hard to believe."

Farrow nodded. "I know. You can believe me when more traders come in today and mention them."

Krane chuckled. "Alright then." Krane's smile faded. "I'll give you a discount for the trouble, but would you mind fixing my son's hair? His roots are showing and I can't get him to keep his cap on."

"Of course. You'll want brown, right?"

Krane nodded. "Sean should be round back feeding the sheep. If you want to grab your supplies, I'll meet you there."

Farrow flashed him a thumbs-up and turned to the horse pens. Kazim's nose was buried in a mound of fresh hay and he didn't spare her a glance as she shuffled by him to the saddle bags hung on the back wall. The stable boy glanced at her, making sure the right customer was in the right stall before flashing her a smile.

She picked up the right bag and exited the horse pens, heading for the rear of the building. There, she found Krane and his young son. The boy was about seven now, and leaned against the fence with his arms crossed. His father regarded him with a stern expression.

"Hi Sean," she said, wearing her best smile. "Ready to have your hair done?"

The boy groaned. "Do I have to? It makes my hair stink!"

"Yes, you do." Krane pointed a finger at his son. "You'll behave for Miss Farrow, and if I hear a word otherwise you'll be mucking stalls for a week, got it?"

The boy wrinkled his nose. "Yes, dad."

Krane passed her on his way back to the stable. "Come get me or his sister if he gives you any trouble."

"We'll be just fine," Farrow said and moved to sit by Sean. Once settled, she patted the grass next to her. Sean glared at her but sat where she'd indicated. Seeing his son would behave, at least for now, Krane nodded and left to return to work.

"Alright," Farrow said, rifling through her bag, "mind taking your cap off for me?"

Sean did as he was told, wadding up the cap in his lap. His brown hair stood up in a mess of waves and curls, except for the roots, where two inches of bright blonde showed through. Withdrawing a hairbrush, Farrow gently ran it through the boy's hair. As she did, she felt his muscles slowly relax.

"So, how have you been?" she asked as she worked.

He shrugged. "Fine, I guess."

Farrow brushed a blade of straw from his hair. "Fought any moblins lately?" she asked in a joking tone.

The boy snorted. "No." He plucked at a blade of grass. "Have you?"

She'd worked all the tangles from his hair, so she set the brush aside. From her bag she withdrew a mortar and pestle, a small bottle of clear liquid, and three iron shrooms. "No. I did fight a couple of bokoblins a while back though." She placed the mushrooms in the bowl and crushed them with the pestle.

"Really?" the boy asked, half turning to catch her eye. The hint of a smile played on his lips.

She nodded and uncorked the bottle. A faint burning scent wafted from it as she poured the liquid in the bowl and mixed the concoction. "Really. Now, face forward."

The boy did as he was told and Farrow carefully began pouring the paste she'd created onto his roots. She took care to comb through the layers of his hair and make sure every strand was coated.

"It stinks," the boy groaned, his shoulder bunched up to his ears.

"It'll wash out soon," Farrow said. "Now stop squirming. We don't want to get this in your eyes."

Once she was satisfied with her work, Farrow wrapped an old bandana around the boy's forehead to catch any drips. "And we're done. I'll tell your father, but you can wash it out in a few hours."

The boy stood as Farrow put away her supplies. Farrow got to her feet and watched the boy reach for the cloth band. She pushed his hand away. "Don't touch it or you'll stain your hands. And don't wash it out earlier or I'll be back to dye it again. And if I have to come back, I'll use black to make sure it's extra stinky."

Sean wrinkled his nose, but nodded. "I'll leave it alone."

Satisfied the boy would do as he was told, Farrow hefted her pack. She washed her hands in the nearby creek and returned to the stable. As she'd warned, her fingertips were stained a brown. Krane already knew the routine, but she repeated her instructions to him, just to be sure.

"Thank you, Farrow." Krane said with a sigh. He looked like a weight had fallen from his shoulders as he ran a hand down his face. "Sean is so stubborn about wearing that hat and we just heard a child from up north was taken. Sleep has been difficult."

Farrow had heard about that too. A farmer's daughter had vanished a couple of weeks ago. No one had seen it happen, so no one knew if the Yiga Clan or monsters were responsible, but either way, the girl was gone. She'd been five years old, and her only crime: being born with blonde hair.

Farrow gave him a soft smile. "Don't worry about it, Krane. How about I leave a spare set with you, just in case his hair grows a bit too fast?"

"For that, you'll get a deluxe bed for free and the price for your services." He waved away her protests. "No, please. We are slow today anyway. It's a good deal for both of us."

Too tired to argue, Farrow slumped. "Thanks, Krane." A yawn forced its way past her jaw with a pop. "If you don't mind, I'll take that bed now."

Krane waved her past. "Please do. I feel tired just looking at you. Your bed is the second from the left."

Farrow nodded and pushed past the wool curtain into the stable house. The interior of the stable smelled faintly of horse, smoke, mahogany, and travelers, but it was the coziest smell Farrow knew. Well, aside from ocean air. A few other travelers and traders slept in their beds, but Farrow only had eyes for her own.

She sat on the mattress with a sigh and kicked her boots off her aching feet. She would have to travel toward Hateno tomorrow, but for now, she would sleep. After hooking her bow, quiver, and bag on the peg on the wall, she dropped into bed. She rolled over, buried her face in the soft fabric of the pillow, and slept.