Part One: Calm Before the Storm

 

Chapter One: Captured By Evil

Sora stared at Link with large, pleading eyes. He stared back at her, holding his sword up, but immobile. In this position, slung over the big Fay's shoulder, the blood was rushing to her head and already black spots danced in front of her eyes. She couldn't talk because she had a gag in her mouth and she couldn't kick, because her legs were firmly tied.
"Let her go!" Link growled, taking a step forward.

Sora blinked, trying to see his face. The blackness was starting to take over and she could hardly think straight. She heard voices talking but couldn't make out what they were saying. She knew one was female, and two other were male. Those had to be Link and Flynn and…then there was another male voice. Frat? Sora tried to say something, tried to make some kind of gesture. Instead she fainted.

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"They got away!" Link shouted, as rain suddenly began to pour down.

"This is not good." Flynn said, shaking his head.

Link turned to him. "What would they want with her Flynn?"

"To kill her, of course." Flynn said matter-of-factly. "But don't worry. They'll torture her first, so we have time to rescue her."

"Let me tell you how reassuring that is not." Link muttered.

He kicked a few small stones out of the way and sat down. Aidan, who had finally gotten free of most of his bonds, waddled over and climbed into Link's lap. Link took the gag out of the little Dragon's mouth, and then set him back on the ground. Meanwhile Rogue was trashing furiously about. Link hadn't noticed that they had tied the Dragon up so well. He took out a dagger and started sawing at the thick ropes.

"We must find her!" Rogue gasped.

"You and me." Link said through gritted teeth as he worked at the ropes. "We'll teach those rotten Fay a lesson, huh?"

"You can't go alone!" Flynn protested.

"I'll do whatever I damn please." Link said. "Lily, pack me up some spare clothes and something to eat for a few days. Flynn…where do you think they've taken her."

"The temple, of course."

"The temple huh? Is that far from here?" Link asked.

"Not far, a little farther off to the west." Flynn told him. "You might have some trouble with the wyverns in that area though."

"Thanks for the info."

Link sawed at the ropes holding down Rogue's tail. Rogue wasn't keeping still, which was making this task difficult. But Flynn and Frat picked up their own daggers and helped, while Lily did as Link had asked. Working together they had the Dragon freed in nearly an hour. They fell back, dropping to the ground to catch their breath. Rogue, on the other hand, stood up and shook out, spreading his wings to the sky.

The rain splattered on Link's face as he got dressed quickly. He kept one eye on the dark clouds in the sky. He didn't like the idea of flying through a storm, but he would if that was what it would take to rescue Sora. He knew Rogue would carry him in this weather, no matter what happened. And if they came upon wyverns, they came upon wyverns. Danger was nothing new to Link and he doubted it was anything new to Rogue.

Rogue was already saddled and he had packs strapped to his back, with food and clothes. Link knew the Dragons needed him to ally with the Centaurs, but he couldn't…no, wouldn't do it without Sora. He took his sword and put it across his back, then took an assortment of daggers with him. Frat was explaining the stuff in the bag that the Dragon's that given Sora and telling him their uses. Link grabbed the bag out of Frat's hand and quickly mounted Rogue.

"Good luck." Frat said. "I would come with you, but my instinct tells me you can handle it."

"Nice to know someone believes in me." Link muttered, taking up Rogue's reins.

The Dragon gave an impatient trumpet, before spreading his wings and taking off into the sky. He zoomed straight up through the storm clouds, and then he was flying above them. Link ignored that fact that they were up so high and concentrated on thinking up a plan for freeing Sora. The Fay were powerful and there were many of them. Oh, how had he gotten himself into this again?

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Bree Hinney swished her long red tail and sighed. Nothing exciting ever happened in Lowago, land of the Centaurs. The Dragons had great battles and an illustrious kingdom. The fairies were beautiful, intelligent, and they could fly. The Alima were even more beautiful than the fairies and they knew many songs and had beautiful voices. But Bree and the other Centaurs would be normals if it weren't for that fact that they were half horse.

Bree stood and shook herself out. Her long read hair hung down to the beginning of her horse half. She was a beautiful chestnut color beneath, and her bare torso was cream colored, with breasts that were just starting to develop. At age 11, she was short for a centaur, and often teased by her peers. But Bree didn't mind; she liked to spend all her time by this peaceful little brook.

She started home at a slow trot, enjoying the cool evening air on her bare skin. She could see the distant lights of the Centaur Village where she lived. Bree gave a happy whinny of joy at the smell of dinner cooking, and started to gallop. She wasn't very tall but her legs were long and she was one of the fastest centaurs in the land.

When Bree approached her home she could here the village Elder, Malance, talking to her father, who was named Cyril. She leaned against the doorway, trying to hear what they were saying. It was to no avail. Bree pushed open the door and walked inside. Her hooves scuffed aside stray pieces of straw as she walked. Malance and her father looked up from their conversation.

"Dinner will be ready in about an hour, Bree." Her father told her. "Better go get washed up."

Bree nodded. "Yes father."

Bree headed down the aisle to her stall, then paused. Her father and Malance had started up their conversation again. She stopped and turned; placing her feet on lumps of straw so there would be no sound. Carefully Bree leaned toward the curtain the walled the kitchen from the rest of the house. From inside she could clearly here the conversation.

"You are certain the Fay land is destroyed?" Cyril asked.

"Not beyond repair." Malance said. "But many of the Fay have been wiped out. Those left have flocked to their temple in the Far West."

"Interesting." Cyril scratched thoughtfully at his beard. "To whom do we owe this…happy massacre."

"I believe…" Malance smiled, although Bree could not see it. "The young boy King of Hyrule, one young Alima girl and two Dragons."

"Dragons?" Cyril was startled. "What business do Dragons have in this part of the Isle?"

"I know not." Malance said. "Only that they are here, and apparently they are allied with the two children."

"Bree…" Cyril murmured.
"She would be expendable." Malance said. "We could send her out to find if this is dangerous. With her mother dead, no one will notice."

Bree backed away from the curtain in horror. How could her father let this happen? Did he no longer love her? Did he not honor the memory of her mother? Bree felt tears sting her eyes and slide down her cheeks. They could make her go away, but never could they make her go into danger. She wouldn't let them win so easily.

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Sora awoke, blinking her eyes to adjust to the darkness around her. She remembered briefly being caught by Flynn's siblings and then she was out cold. Sora glanced around the room, taking it all in. the ceiling was high and domed, with many pictures painted on it. The walls were also a painted mural, of bloody battles and dead, rotting bodies. They way it was done, Sora was certain the original mural had been painted over. She was tied down to an altar, without and clothes on. Sora frowned and tried to wiggle out of her bonds, without much success.

"Stop moving!" a sharp female voice from the corner said.

"Who are you?" Sora demanded.

"You don't need to know." The voice was right next to her now.

Sora felt a needle go through her skin and she yelped in surprise. Soon needles were being stuck all over her body. She remembered this from when Flynn had tortured her. Blood ran in streams, staining the pristine white of the floor beneath the Altar. Sora screamed loudly and tried to get away, clawing at the marble. To no avail, the continued to stab her with the needles.

"So, you've had this type of torture before." A figure appeared before her eyes. "Blind fold her. Take a knife. You know what to do."

Sora was untied and a blind fold was put in front of her eyes. She was whirled around and tied up against the wall. A knife pressed against her skin, then pushed in, leaving a deep gash. Sora sobbed loudly as pain seared down her back. There were three knives, all cutting into her skin. Sora screamed again.

"No, no, no!" Sora screamed. "Please."

"Shut up!" It was the female voice again. "Do you like feeling our pain? Our home is destroyed, because of you!"

"I was only rescuing someone in trouble." Sora protested.

"No!" The female voice snapped. "You rescued a traitor."

Sora was untied from the wall and spun around again. They took off her blind fold and she came face to face with a tall, female Fay. She just barely recognized her from when they had kidnapped her. The Fay girl pressed a knife against Sora's throat. Sora swallowed thickly and stared back at her. No, she wasn't going to get free from here.

"You wanted us all dead." The female Fay accused. "You are Alima, you are our enemy."

"I'm sorry!" Sora cried. "I can't make up for the mistakes of my ancestors! Not tied up here, not like this!"

"No, you're right, you can't." The Fay girl tilted her head to one side. "But you can pay for them."

Chapter Two: Wyverns

Bree awoke when the sun shone in through the skimpy curtains on her window. She stood and reached for the soft bristled brush she always kept nearby. Straw had tangled in her hair and her tail. As she was brushing her hair she could hear hooves scuffing around in the straw outside. She had a strange feeling her dad was packing things for her to take with her to her death.

"Bree?" Her father called. He swept aside the curtain that blocked her door.

"Yes father?" Bree stood, shaking out her tail.

"Come with me. Malance wishes to see us."

Bree nodded. She took the bag her father handed her without bothering to ask anything. She knew very well what was coming and she would face it as bravely as she could. She still could not understand why her father would ever let this happen to her, but after a full night's sleep, she was a little more level headed and willing to accept this. She followed her father out into the open and into the Square, where Malance and the Elders were gathered.

"I have brought her, as you requested Malance." Cyril said.

Bree was ushered forward into the middle of the ring of Elders. Each one of them was eyeing her spectively, smiling in a way that Bree had never seen them do before. She sensed something in the air, something she had never felt before. Malance banged his staff to the ground: a call for order.

"You have always been a very smart girl, for your age." Malance said.

Bree shifted nervously on her hooves at his sharp gaze. "Yes, sir."

"How would you like to undertake a journey, an important mission?" Malance asked.

"I would be honored, sir." Bree said, lying through her teeth.

"Cyril, she has your permission."

"Yes," Cyril said. "I bade her go swiftly and safely."

"So be it." Malance nodded to the others. "You leave in an hour. Say farewell to all your friends and tell them you will be leaving for a while."

Yes, Bree thought. Maybe someone will believe me, maybe someone will stand in my defense. She turned away from the Elders and from her father and trotted off in the direction of her best friend's house. It was at the far end of the village, and going there would take up all her time, but his parents were the most likely to help her out.

Bree knocked twice on the door and it opened up. A tall Centaur male stood there. He was fair of feature, with a chestnut pelt and flaxen tail. Around him peered Benjamin, or Ben for short. He was like his father, with gorgeous blonde hair the fell to his shoulders. Bree had to admit that she'd miss him the most.

"Hi Bree!" Ben exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"May I talk to you outside Benny?" Bree asked.

Ben blushed. He liked it when she called him Benny. "Sure. I'm going to talk to Bree, okay dad?"

"Go ahead." His father said.

Ben followed Bree to a nearby brook. The apple blossoms were sweet smelling and a beautiful sight. Petals fell into the calm waters of the brook. Bree curled up on the ground and Ben did the same, brushing her lightly with his tail. Bree giggled and brushed him back, causing a small puff of dust to rise into the air.

"You didn't bathe." Bree tittered.

"Neither did you!" Ben retorted.

"They're making me go away Benny." Bree said, suddenly calm. "They're sending me on a death quest."

"Who?" Ben demanded.

"The Elders." Bree said. "I'm telling you, they have gone insane!"

"Bree, I'm sure the Elders wouldn't send you to get killed." Ben said.

"Please Ben!" Bree begged. "I heard them talking, they said I was expendable. Can't you do something?"

Ben hugged her. "I'm sorry Bree. I'm only a kid. I may be older than you, but only by two years. It's not enough."

Bree began to sob loudly. She hadn't realized how much she would miss Ben. He had been her best friend for a long time, and now she felt something more for him, a feeling she had never before felt. She liked the way his arms felt around her, and she liked the warmth of his body pressed against hers.

"Don't cry, my Bree." Ben said softly.

Bree looked up and smiled slightly. "Will you look for me, when you're old enough? I may not die, but I'll never come back here, not to stay."

"Of course." Ben said. "Look for me too."

"I will."

Ben kissed her lips softly. Bree felt a slight thrill run through her body, and then he let go of her. They both stood and walked together, hand in hand, back to Ben's house. Bree was growing worried, but there were still his parents. They could save her, she was certain they could. Ben's grandfather was one of the Elders. But would they be willing to risk their own lives to help her? Bree truly doubted it.

"So Bree, I here you're going on an adventure." Ben's mother said. "How wonderful! You're so lucky. This will bring great honor to your father."

"Well, actually-" Bree began, but Ben's father cut her off.

"You'd better get a move on." He shoved her out the door. "Good luck."

"Benny!" Bree shouted.

"I'm sorry Bree!" Ben said as the door was shut.

Bree whirled and started off through the village at a fast gallop. Tears ran down her cheeks; she felt betrayed. No one would help her and she was out of time. She had to return to the Elders so they could send her to her death. She dropped to a slow trot and made her way sluggishly back to the village.

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Link felt a sharp thump on his side and sat up abruptly. Rogue was glaring at him. Link blinked sleepily and pushed away the blankets, gathering himself together. He ate quickly, because Rogue was thumping his tail impatiently, waiting for him to get on. Link dressed fast, still shoving pieces of food in his mouth, and then stumbled away into the wood to find a stream where he could fill his canteen.

The forest area here was thick, but it was not far from the site of the other nights' events either. Some of the underbrush had been charred away by Rogue's blast of fire. Link stumbled along and his foot caught on something. He held his balance for a moment, arms windmilling, then fell forward onto his face.

Link sat up and looked to see what it was he has tripped over. His eyes widened in horror when he saw that it was a half-rotted corpse. It wasn't just any corpse though…what was left of the face resembled Isannah. Link stood up, choking on the bile that rose in his throat. He turned and dashed through the woods, back to Rogue's side, and collapsed.

"What's wrong?" Rogue asked, when Link's sobs had eased.

"I-Isannah…" Link gasped.

Rogue sighed. "She was bonded to Kyrissam and Faylah. It was the reason Flynn was punished; he tried to stop them. She died when they died."

"I killed her." Link choked out as another sob rose in his throat. "It was me! I killed her!"

"Don't be silly." Rogue said. "You didn't know. You had no control over it. But what of Sora? Without you she'll die!"

Link stared at the ground, tears still running down his cheeks. He had had a dream about killing Sora. What if it came true? So what should he do, go rescue her, or hope she was okay? Link looked up at Rogue and the Dragon nodded slowly. Link got to his feet slowly and began packing up camp. When he was finished he mounted the Dragon and they took to the sky.

The day was a clear one, with very few clouds in the sky. The air was not entirely fresh though. Link could sense an aura of evil about this wood. It was because of the Fay, of all their years of evil rule. As they got closer the Fay temple, the evil in the air thickened, until it filled Link's nose and throat. He gasped for breath and now Rogue was having trouble flying.

"Down…Rogue!" Link panted. "We…must…rest!"

Rogue did not need any further instruction. He plunged down into the forest as fast as he could. Link gripped tightly to his mane and held on for dear life. Rogue came to a screeching halt and landed on the ground, tumbling to his side. Link fell off and lay on the ground a moment, panting. The air here was not so bad, but the land itself was badly polluted with evil. Link rolled over and spit up blood the came flowing from his lungs.

"We can't stay here long." Rogue said. "The evil…will kill us."

"Where I come from, evil does not…feel like this." Link stammered. "You can't feel it like this, it doesn't make you throw up blood."

"But this is land of the Fay." Rogue said gravely. "All here is evil."

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Link and Rogue were back up in the sky sometime later. The evil was still thick, but soon they were adjusting to having to breathe through it. Link was growing wary, because they were approaching the wyvern nests fast. Rogue seemed on the watch as well, his big eyes occasionally flicking from here to there.

"See anything?" Link called.

"Naught but trees, Your Majesty." Rogue replied.

All the same, Link reached for his sword and drew it from the scabbard. He held it with one hand while the other remained clutching the reins. Riding dragon-back was no longer so hazardous and Link was beginning to think of it as quite fun. He was really calm and laid back when he heard the flap of leathery wings.

Link spun in the saddle and glanced around warily. He saw three specks flying towards them in the distance. Rogue must have noticed them too, because he started to fly a bit faster. Link, though, kept his eyes on the approaching dots. He had a feeling that these were wyverns and if Rogue was speeding up to get away from them, it was probably pretty bad.

As they got closer Link was able to make out what they looked like. They had two, snake like heads each, and with beady yellow eyes and sharp teeth encrusted with blood. Their bodies were fairly small, but long and serpent-like. Razor sharp talon slashed the air from all six long, bird-like legs. They only had one tail though, and it was that of a scorpion. Link swallowed thickly.

"So, those are wyverns huh?"

"Aye." Rogue agreed. "They can be very dangerous. We best try to get away from them."

Link nodded, although he knew Rogue could not see it, and they took off at a faster pace. Three more dots were approaching from in front of them now. The closer they got, the more Link could make out. This time he saw that each wyvern had a Fay upon its back. Well, it makes sense, Link thought. A dangerous creature for an evil one.

"Hold on!" Rogue said gruffly.

Rogue dove forward at top speed, going on the three wyverns in front. He rolled in fast circles, to keep away from lashing swords and stingers. Link gripped his mane with every ounce of strength he had. Then Rogue came to a sudden halt and two of the wyverns slammed into his behind. Link looked back and chucked lightly at the looks on the faced of the Fay who were riding. He didn't have long to gloat, though, because Rogue had taken off again.

Link lifted his sword and it clashed with that of a Fay on wyvern-back. Link could tell by the strength that these must've been the actual warriors he'd heard so much about. They were good, but they stood little chance against Rogue's lashing tail and fiery breath. He had already taken out two of the three riderless wyverns by running into them.

One of the Fay riders screamed in fury as Link sliced off two of the legs of the wyvern it was riding. The wyvern faltered, now a little less balanced, but kept to the sky. Link slashed again, opening a long gash in the wyvern's side, right beneath its wing. It screamed and tumbled to the earth, the whole time trying to get to its wound.

Link then turned to the next rider, who waited with a large, chunky club. Link ducked out of the way to avoid getting hit, then slashed. The Fay yelped in surprise as Link's sword stuck his arm, leaving a bloody wound in its wake. He yanked on the wyvern's reins, pulling it back, but Link struck again. This time he slashed off part of the wyvern's wing and it went spiraling to the earth below.

Rogue had taken neat care of the third riderless wyvern while Link's attention had been on the Fay, and now there was one rider left. He turned his wyvern and high tailed it away from there fast. Link laughed and waved his sword in that direction.

"We're coming with ya! You'll have another chance at me!" Link called.

But the wyvern and its rider had already ducked into the woods as fast as they could. Link was laughing and even Rogue was having a good chuckle. They continued on to the Fay temple, feeling their spirits lift with each wing flap.

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The wyvern came to a skidding halt in the stone strong hold. Its rider dismounted and tossed the reins to a smaller Fay boy, who had big eyes and looked eager to please. He watched the rider in awe as he stomped away into the changing room. When the door slammed shut, all eyes turned to him, and a few small smiles spread across faces.

"Didn't even get close, did ya Raylan?" One man called out.

The rider tugged off her helmet. Long red hair, damp with sweat, fell to her shoulders. Her purple eyes blazed with fury as she quickly stripped out of her armor and dropped it on the ground. In only her shift she charged at the man who had spoken, her fists raised. Two other male Fay caught her from behind.

"Cool it Ray." One said. "It won't do you any good to get all worked up about it."

"Let her!" the first male snarled. "She couldn't beat me."

"Raylan, go get dressed."

Raylan turned away from the hands holding her and stomped over to her small corner. She had been with the guard for three years now, and all the guys delighted in teasing her. She was the best rider of them all, great at tracking, but her skill ended there. She was a poor warrior even on foot, although she was pretty good with a bow on wyvern-back.

She quickly put a tunic and breeches on over her shift, and belted the tunic around her waist. She pulled on leather boots and a hooded cloak, bringing the cowl down to cover her face. Raylan quickly skulked out the back passage, making sure no one noticed her leaving. She headed down the back tunnels to the wyvern stables.

The boy who had taken her wyvern was waiting for her. He handed her the reins and Raylan snatched them from his grasp. The boy jumped back and kneeled to her. Raylan nodded and quickly mounted. If she were caught she'd be in deep trouble. When she was found gone, the boy would probably be executed, but that was no concern of hers.

Raylan spurred her mount out into the light of day. Wyverns were very fast creatures and he was far enough from the Fay kingdom within a few minutes, for Raylan to relax and take a deep breath. She could see the boy and his Dragon in the distance and smiled. She gave him a quick wave before he could even look twice at her, then spurred the Wyvern to dive into the trees.

Chapter Three: Bringing Down the House

Bree awoke with a start. She got to her feet as fast as her horsy bulk would allow and reached for the bow strapped to her back. The bush in front of her was moving, making sounds very similar to hiccups. Bree nocked an arrow, loosed, and let it fly towards the bush. It struck something and bounced off with a sound like metal on metal.

A huge, scaly snout came out of the bushes. Bree backed up, nocking another arrow as she went. Out from the bush stepped a huge creature, with the head and tail of a dragon, but the body and wings of a griffin. Bree lowered her bow and stared at it.

"What are you staring at?" The creature snapped.

"Uh…s-sir." Bree stammered. "Might I ask…what are you?"

"No you may not ask." The creature growled. "But if you have to know, I'm a dracogriff."

"Oh." Bree said softly. "Um, well, sirrah, you uh…scared me."

"I'm not surprised." The dracogriff muttered. "What are you?"

"I'm a Centaur." Bree said. "My name is…Bree Hinney."

"Stupid name." The dracogriff huffed. "I'm Raz'madG."

Bree rolled the name around on her tongue, but she couldn't get it right. Raz'madG tried to teach her to say it, but it didn't work. After a few minutes Bree sighed and curled up on the ground. Raz'madG stared at her, his wings cupped behind him, before walking over to her. They stared at each other for a moment.

"Can I just call you Raz?" Bree asked finally.

"If that is all you can manage." Raz grumbled.

"Would you like to travel with me?"

Raz'madG turned to look at her. His nostrils quivered as he studied her carefully. Finally he gave his snout one quick bob, which Bree took to mean yes. They eyed each other for long moments before Bree stood up and slung her bow and her pack back over her shoulder. She started off at a slow trot, with Raz following behind.

Bree was young and only able to travel at a fast pace for short distances. Raz seemed a little impatient with her, but he listened to her talk and that alone made him good company. They both had tales to tell, but neither seemed too eager to say anything. So Bree kept up light conversation as they walked.

"Where do you come from?" Bree asked as they were picking their way through an apple orchard.

"Somewhere north." Raz grumbled.

"Beyond my village I'd imagine." Bree said.

She fell into deep thought and so they walked along in silence for quite awhile. The day was dwindling down faster and faster with each step they took. Bree could only walk now, and even doing that she was very tired. Soon they settled down to camp in the shade of some very large trees. The campsite was surrounded by some rather large boulders, which were very good as cover. There were twigs scattered on the ground that they could make use of for a fire.

Bree collected a few, although she didn't need much of a fire for only her and Raz. They settled down on opposite sides of the fire. Raz was asleep in moments and snoring fairly loudly. Bree stayed up only to eat quickly and then douse the small fire. She curled up against one of the big boulders and was asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.

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It was Frat's turn for guard duty. Everyone in camp was anxious, because it had been three days and there had been no sign of Link. Frat could hear stirring in camp and knew that no one was really asleep. The night was a cold one and the forest was full of strange sounds at night, sounds that stirred the terror deep in one's soul. Frat's own panic was rising as he thought of the many things that could have happened to his friend and Sora.

When a hand came down on his shoulder Frat jumped straight up in the air, then whirled around, grabbing for his dagger. The figure behind him was already holding a dagger, but had stopped his attack to stare wide-eyed. Frat realized it was only Flynn, looking just as scared as he was. Frat sighed and put his dagger back into place.

"Don't sneak up on me." Frat muttered. "Are you Fay always so silent?"

"No. Just me." Flynn said. "I never had a reason to be loud."

Frat looked at him, thinking he was joking, but he could tell by the look on the Fay boy's face that he wasn't. Flynn seemed more at home in this forest than anyone else, but even then he was scared. Frat shivered at the thought. Here was someone who was of the people that owned this forest, and yet he was frightened of them.

"They're very powerful." Flynn said, as if he'd been reading Frat's mind. "This forest has forever been in their evil…their dark magicks have soaked into the ground, poisoned the very earth."

The Fay boy spat and turned away, kicking at the ground. He was disgusted with his own ancestry. Frat couldn't blame him though; if his family had done something so evil as to effect the very balance of nature, he would be ashamed of them too. Maybe not all Fay were so bad then. Frat opened his mouth to voice the thought when a rustling came from the bushes. Both boys already held dagger in their hands as a form came staggering from the underbrush.

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Oliana was tending to one of the younger Dragons, Jace. He had gotten caught in a trap meant for a much larger animal, and he was in pretty bad shape. All of the Dragons were nervous and snappy, and talk of war spread like wildfire through the whole herd. Oliana and her friends did everything they could to help out, but how much help could you really offer a creature thirty times your size, anyway?

Frat had been gone for three days now, and no word had come back with the Dragon scouts that had been sent out. Two of the Dragons had gotten chased away by a huge pack of Wyverns and the other one had yet to return. Oliana held a small hope in her heart that the third Dragon would at least have news of her friends.

Roxanna was working on bandaging the wounds of one of the Dragons that had gotten chased by the Wyverns. She was dressed in breeches, tunic, shirt and soft leather boots, like Oli, but she seemed very upset about it. Roxanna was unused to doing work and dressing in clothes meant for commoners. Both girls were dirty and Oliana's hands were coated in blood.

"Got more yards of bandage." Poonta said, walking through the door. "Just finish up Firefly here and then we're done."

Oliana took the bandage from Poonta and they set to work wrapping the leg of a small red female Dragon. She had been the more agile of the two and had been able to get away without much more than a few scratches and one long gash on her leg. The other Dragon, a blue male named Whirrscale, had suffered from a broken tail and many large gashes along his sides.

When they had finished all three girls crowed behind a curtain and washed off in small water filled basins. It was too close to dinner to take a bath, but later they would be able to soak in the nearby hotsprings. And the straw pallets they used for beds weren't that bad anymore, although Oliana still woke up itchy.

"Everyone set?" Oliana asked.

"I'm feeling fine!" Jace said briskly. He jumped down from the small table he had been sitting on and raced out of the tent.

"I think I'm going to rest some more…" Whirrscale groaned, rolling over onto his stomach.

Oliana smiled. "You do that. Come on Roxanna, Poonta, lets go."

They both followed her now, as though she was the leader. Together they walked out of the tent they were working in and walked into one much smaller. It was there that they ate and slept, accompanied by only a few of the small baby Dragons. Oliana curled up on a straw pallet and pulled a blanket made of hemp over herself. She had enough time before dinner for a nap.

"Oliana!" Roxanna whined. "I want to wash my hair!"
"Just wait a bit!" Oliana snapped.

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"How much farther, Rogue?" Link asked.

"Take a nap if you need it."

That hadn't really been the answer Link was looking for, but it was enough to tell him that they had a ways to go yet. Link leaned back against one of Rogue's fins and watched the scenery pass beneath them. He was once again recalling the day when he and Sora met, and wondering just how he had gotten himself into this mess.

Link hadn't expected to run into more trouble after Sora and Frat had gone home, two years ago. Instead, here he was, on the back of a Dragon, going to save Sora from evil, vicious Fay. So many years ago he had never expected to be anything more than a very unhappy king. Now here he was, on Dragon back, going to rescue the beautiful princess like the heroes in the stories Cara used to read to him.

"What's so funny?" Rogue asked.

"I was just thinking of us as heroes." Link chuckled. "And Sora, the beautiful princess."
Rogue huffed. "I would think that by human standards Sora is beautiful. She is by my standards."

"You like other species?"

"Not usually." Rogue said. "But Sora has something inside her that's attractive to Dragons."

"Her virginity?" Link asked, snickering.

Rogue ignored that. "She cares no matter what. Most Alima are pretty nature loving, but Sora has a love for the Sacred Balance of Life that I have never seen before in a humanoid creature."
Link leaned against the fin, deep in thought. Sora had written him many tales about Dragons in the letters she sent. He had read them before bed and fallen asleep with a smile on his face every night. Her tales had been beautiful and written with so much wonder and love. For a moment Link's heart ached; he missed his friend so much. Then the feeling passed and he slumped against Rogue's fin, asleep.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Link opened his eyes and recognized the cave he was in immediately. Saba sat on one stone slab, watching over a limp, pale form. Link ran over to her and landed on his knees in icy water. He was startled at first, but ignored it. The girl near Saba was Sora. She was unhurt, but her skin was so pale and cold that he feared she was dead.

"She'll be okay." Saba said softly.

Link took one of Sora's cold, clammy hands. "What did they do to her?"

"I don't know." Saba said. "Only she does."
Link sat on the stone slab and gathered Sora to himself. She stirred slightly, but didn't wake. Saba stood and walked over to the large cauldron that was always in the middle of the chamber. As she did, there was a loud racket in the shadows. Link looked up and saw a figure, literally clad in the shadows himself, step towards them.

"Leave them be!" Saba hissed.

"You cannot change destiny, Saba." The Shadow Clad one said. "What do you hope to gain from this foolishness?"

"Quiet!" Link interrupted. "Let her sleep."
Saba slammed a lid into place over the cauldron and stomped out of the chamber. The Shadow Clad one stood over Link and Sora for a moment. Then, with a sigh, he turned. The shadow cloak swished around him and he was gone.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Flynn moved first, before Frat could even let his jaw drop. He grabbed the figure from behind and shoved the person up against the tree. For a moment they grappled for control, and then the figure gave in. Flynn pulled out a dagger and rested it against the exposed throat. By that time Frat had recovered his bearings and walked over to see what was going on.

"Spill it, Raylan!" Flynn growled. "What are you doing here?"

"How'd you know it was me?" Raylan asked.

Flynn loosened his grip. "I always know."

"What is she doing here?" Frat demanded. "If you've harmed Sora-"

"Calm down." Raylan cut him off. "Your sister is…well, I'm not sure, I'm only a scout."

"So what are you doing here?" Flynn asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm here to help you." Raylan said.

Flynn shook his head. "The only person you've ever helped is yourself, Raylan. What is it you want?"

"Look, I know I captured the brat and I've never been exactly nice…"

Raylan hesitated at the baleful look Frat gave her, then continued.

"But I'm just as close to the bottom of the barrel as you are, Flynn, and I want out. I'm not on either side really, but if you can help me get away from our siblings then I'll help you this once."

Flynn and Frat gave her long, hard looks. Raylan crossed her arms and glared right back at them. Frat was frowning and looked dubious, but Flynn was recalling everything he could about his sister Raylan. He had a lot of sisters, after all, and brothers too. It was very hard to remember everything about every single one, but there was a key factor to Raylan that would make her a good ally.

"How do we know she's not lying?" Frat demanded.

"She can't lie." Flynn said. "Dad put a curse on her about, oh…15 years ago. She dropped the Wyvern eggs."

"It was an accident." Raylan muttered.

"Anyway," Flynn continued. "She lied about it, and when dad found out, he made sure she never lied again. Mom and dad weren't entirely evil…they were very good monarchs in many ways, just a little too harsh at times."

"They killed your sister and you're standing up for them?"

Flynn shrugged. "They also kept me from being hurt by my other siblings."

Frat shook his head, but he did turn and head back to camp. Flynn held his dagger out and he and Raylan followed Frat back to camp, where Lily, Muffy (the little girl that Link had rescued from the Fay city) Amiri and Aidan were waiting. Muffy was asleep, but Lily and the two Dragons looked up as Frat and his companions approached camp.

"Who is this?" Amiri demanded.

"My sister Raylan." Flynn said. "Raylan, this is Lily, one of the Lente. And the Dragons Aidan and Amiri."

"Nice to meet ya." Raylan mumbled.

"So, that's that." Flynn said, rubbing his hands together. "Amiri, keep guard. Tomorrow we set out for the Dragon Land."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Sora awoke to noise outside of the cell where she lay on the cold stone floor. She was fully healed, although her skin was so tender that it would bruise at the slightest touch. She knew this kind of torture; the victim was magically healed every few days. The skin became softer and softer, and the pain worsened. Eventually it became too much to bear and the victim either found a way to kill themselves or died from the stress.

Sora had been wrapped in thick robes, so that the floor wouldn't bruise her too much and take away all the fun. She sat up slowly as the door swung open and a large Fay male appeared, with two females behind him. The male picked Sora up by the waist and slung her over his shoulder. Then they were heading down the hall and Sora really began to worry.

She was taken to a large hall, with a u-shaped ceiling that was so high up it looked impossible to build. This room had another altar, different than the first, and Sora realized that it was one to be sacrificed on. She was chained to the altar, which was a large chunk of white marble resembling a jagged rock.

"Our little pet," One of the female Fay cooed, stepping forward. "Just loves sweet little maidens for lunch."

"Unfortunately you were all we could find." Another one tittered.

"So you'll have to do." The first one finished.

Sora glared at them, her anger boiling over like the lava in Death Mountain. She could do nothing but glare though, because she didn't even have the strength to shout a come back. All of the Fay crowded against the walls, away from the middle of the room. For some of them, chairs formed magically from the sleek white marble. Sora guessed they were of high rank or importance. Then there was a terrible grinding sound.

The floor slid apart slowly, revealing water as black as midnight. A snout poked out from the water, and then a head. It was snake like, and Sora recognized it as the beast from the cave that connected Hyrule and Caseree. Except now it was bigger, its teeth were sharper and venom dripped from them like rain. Its head lashed out and it snatched one of the nearby Fay, who hadn't gotten close enough to the wall. There was a shriek, cut off abruptly, followed by cheering.

Sora swallowed thickly as the serpentine eyes narrowed on her. A long black tongue flickered out, coming only inches away, and Sora knew it could almost taste her flesh. She began to tremble and she tried furiously to swallow the panic that rose in her throat, but to no avail. The serpent came at her with open jaws…and jerked back its head with a shriek as it was hit with a piece of the ceiling.

Suddenly a huge hole opened in the ceiling, letting sunlight pour in. The monster shrieked and ducked under the water. The Fay shouted in outrage, but they couldn't move or they would fall into the water and become lunch. A silver Dragon, on the smallish side, slid in through the hole and dived for the altar and Sora.

It passed right by her and Sora nearly fell as a sword sliced cleanly through her bonds. She was scooped up by the Dragon's tail and they took to the sky. The Fay waved swords and shot spells at them, but the Dragon was agile and its rider was clever. They navigated around flying arrows and popped out of the hole in the ceiling.

Chapter Four: Allies

Raylan finished loading a pack onto her Wyvern's back. She had agreed to go look for Sora and Link, which Flynn assured her would help them greatly. The others had already left, heading back for the Dragon land. Raylan was glad to be alone at last. She didn't mind the company of her Wyvern, but being around people made her nervous.

She was going to head slightly to the North West, in hopes of avoiding the Fay Temple. It was possible that Link and Sora had escaped and were camped somewhere near the Centaur lands. Raylan finished tucking away her weapons and contemplating her route. She threw dirt over the spot where she had made a small campfire to cook on, and then mounted her Wyvern.

The Wyvern dashed into the sky without a word of command. Raylan hung on as it whipped into open sky and headed basically northwest. She hoped they wouldn't run into trouble on the way, though it was very unlikely that they were going to get off scott free. Raylan smiled slightly to herself.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Sora flailed about for a moment, although she was safely clutched in the Dragon's tail. They rose higher and higher into the air, while at the same time they got farther and farther away from the temple. Sora was glad to be away from there, yet at the same time she was very unhappy with her current situation. She wanted whoever it was on this Dragon to let her down!

She didn't get a chance to voice her demands though, because the Dragon's tail lashed out and up. It uncurled from around her and sent her flying. Sora shrieked and made a wild grab for the Dragon's saddle. A gloved hand reached out and grabbed hers. She was pulled over the Dragon's back and plopped down on her stomach, where all she could see was silver Dragon scales. Outraged, Sora began to kick and squirm wildly.

"Cool it, Princess." Someone chuckled.

Sora recognized the voice immediately. "Who are you and what have you done with the real Link?"

"Oh it's me." Link assured her. "And Rogue, in case you didn't recognize him."

"Yeah and uh, just what were you two doing, crashing in through the ceiling of the Fay temple?" Sora asked.

"Rescuing you, of course." Link said.

"Some rescue." Sora muttered. "Can I at least sit up?"

"I don't know, I think I'll let you stay that way."

Sora glowered down at Rogue's scales. She heard Link laughing and wanted to punch him. Not only was this very uncomfortable, with one of Rogue's small fins jabbing into her stomach, but it was beneath her dignity. Which was, of course, something she hadn't worried about very much before. Maybe it was the fact that this was Link, the boy king, who had saved her, where as she usually was the one doing the saving.

"I guess we're two for two, then." Link said, startling her.

"I won't count this one if you don't let me sit up."

Link chuckled, but he didn't let her up. Instead he rested a hand lightly on her back as Rogue started to dip downward. He held her down as Rogue dived at top speed down to land. There was a slight bounce, which caused a lot of pain, as Rogue touched down, then Sora was dropped off the Dragon's side.

Sora glared at Link. "Are you trying to kill me or something?"

"No, but Rogue isn't really big enough for more than one person." Link said. "Mean you have to stay here."

"Me?" Sora said incredulously. "I'm the one in trouble! I could get hurt out here!"

Link tossed her down a pack, the sword and a dagger. "You can take care of yourself just fine. I have to go find the others and bring back another Dragon to carry you. Just stay put and I'll be back before you know it."

Rogue began to flap his wings once more and Sora made a dive for him. She missed and landed on her stomach in the dirt. Sora looked up as Rogue and Link flew up high, becoming only a small silver dot. She sighed and dragged herself to her feet. She dusted off her robes, wishing more than anything that she had some normal clothes to wear.

Sora took the bags Link had given her and shuffled through them. It was his bag, and all the clothes inside were his. At least it was something. Sora changed into clothes that were way to big with her and then found some food in another one of the packs. She took a chunk of cheese and another of bread and began to gobble them down. She had eaten no more than scraps and crumbs lately. This food was a relief. As Sora was reaching for some more, she heard the sound of hooves and two sets of four paws behind her.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Bree leaned her forefeet on the trunk of the tree and reached up high into the branches for the brightest, reddest, biggest apple she had ever seen in her life. Raz was still asleep and when Bree had tried to wake him to get his help, he had grumbled and rolled over. So Bree was left to her own defenses, and she could not, for the life of her, reach that apple. If Ben was here he'd get it for me, Bree thought.

Suddenly a hand reached up and snatched the apple. Bree started, for a moment her heart was as light as a feather and leaped high into her throat. Then she turned and saw a young woman, with hair as red as blood and beautiful face. She sat upon the most hideous beast Bree had seen in her life. Even Raz, who was ugly enough to make a lion run with just one glare, was no match for this creature.

"W-who are you?" Bree stammered.

"The name is Raylan. I was flying by when I saw you…I could not help but wonder what a dracogriff and a Centaur were doing traveling together."

Bree swallowed thickly. "C-c-company, really."

"Here." Raylan tossed her the apple.

Bree caught it. "Uh, thanks."

"Listen, I need some information." Raylan said. "And maybe you have it."

"I'm looking for some too…" Bree said shyly. "Maybe we're looking for the same thing…"

"I doubt it." Raylan said. "See, I'm looking for two kids and a Dragon-"

"Me too!" Bree exclaimed. "The kids who destroyed the…Fay…"

Bree took a step back, clutching the apple tight to her chest. Raylan crossed her arms and studied her, face like cold white marble. She stood, not quite glaring at Bree. Bree trembled slightly, afraid of what Raylan would to do her. The Fay girl raised her hand and Bree flinched, waiting for a sharp blow. It never came. Instead Raylan slapped her on the back and burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Bree asked.

"I'm looking for those kids so I can bring them back to their friends." Raylan explained. "And what about you?"

"My village wants to know more about them." Bree said. "But this is a suicide mission I'm on and they knew it when they send me out here!"

Raylan nodded. "You'll be needing some company then, to protect you."

"That's why I have Raz." Bree said. "Although…nothing short of an earthquake can wake him up."

"How 'bout I travel with ya? We're both looking for the same thing anyway."

Bree nodded. "All right. But no funny business, Raz is still bigger than then your creature!"

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Oliana felt someone shaking her. She rolled over and opened her eyes slowly. She had never intended on sleeping so long, but apparently she had been a lot more worn out then she had thought. Oliana noticed that both Roxanna and Poonta stood over her. Roxanna was excited and Poonta looked slightly annoyed and impatient.

"What's all the fuss about?" Oliana asked, sitting up.

"Frat is back!" Roxanna exclaimed. "The Dragon scouts saw them heading this way!"

Oliana jumped up, forgetting her current messy state, and raced out of the tent, with Roxanna and Poonta in her wake. The Dragon prince Amiri was approaching, carrying three figures on its back. Oliana's heart leapt with joy at the thought of seeing her friends again and she gathered up her rumpled skirts and raced towards them. She stopped dead in her tracks when she realized that Sora and Link were not there, but two entirely different people.

"Oliana!" Frat cried.

He jumped down off of Amiri's back before the Dragon could even come to a complete stop and swooped Oliana up in a joyous hug. Roxanna and Poonta reached them and pushed their way into the hug. They were all so caught up in the moment that they jumped at the sound of harsh laughter behind them. Oliana turned to study the new arrivals.

"Oliana, this is Flynn and Lily." Frat said softly.

"But he's that one-" Oliana began to protest, but Frat shook his head.

"Come on Oli." Frat took her by the arm. "I'll explain."

Oliana allowed herself to be led back into the tent and sat down next to Frat on her sleeping cot. He took her hands and held them in his own, but Oliana could see that his face was marred with grief. She felt her heart plummet to the pit of her stomach and looked down, not wanting to hear the news.

"Ah…listen. Link isn't with us, as you can see." Frat said, his voice low. "Neither is Sora…but they're not dead…"

Oliana looked up, hope shining in her eyes. "They're not?"

"No. Link went after Sora, she got…captured." Frat explained. "They haven't gotten back yet…"

"But there's still hope." Oliana said, trying to sound cheerful. "And knowing those two, they'll come through it with flying colors."

"Frat, Oliana!" Roxanna came into the tent panting. "There's a Dragon coming this way! It looks like Rogue!"

Frat and Oliana stared at her for a moment, and when she bounced back out of the tent, they stared at each other. When the news had finally sunk in, they both jumped up and followed Roxanna out of the tent to greet their friends.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Sora sat very still, taking deep, silent breaths. She could feel eyes on her from behind and her hands began to shake. She wasn't really sure that she had the strength to fight at all, and from the sound of it, those behind her would make it a rough fight. Slowly, Sora stood, reaching for the sword strapped to her back. Before she could fully close her fingers around the hilt, something pounced on her, knocking her to the ground.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A familiar voice hissed.

"Let me go!" Sora cried. "Why do you want to capture me?"

"Don't play stupid."

Sora was let up and she turn around, her hand moving reflectively to the hilt of her dagger. Her heart almost stopped beating in her chest when she saw whom…and what…was behind her. A Fay girl, a wyvern, a dracogriff and a centaur…wait! A centaur? Sora was certain the centaurs were supposed to be peaceful people.

"She's the one." The Fay girl said.

"Is she dangerous?" The centaur asked.

The Fay girl shook her head. "Not right now at least, but if she wasn't worn out she could be a match for us. There are rumors that she's a wizard."

"Geez…" Sora sighed. "Recite a few child's rhymes and everyone thinks you're a wizard."

The Fay girl and the centaur stared at her. The dracogriff lay down in the dust, grumbling to itself, and was quickly asleep. The wyvern looked at it for a moment, then went to stand behind the Fay. The girl swatted the creature away and approached Sora, looking very impatient and very dangerous as well.

"You got a name?" The Fay growled.

"Sora."

"Princess Sorella." The girl smiled. "Well, Bree, we're in the presence of royalty."

"She's the princess?" The centaur asked. "Wow…"

"Who are you?" Sora demanded, taking a step back.

"I'm Raylan." The Fay girl said. "Flynn's sister. This is Bree Hinny, my wyvern and the sleepy dracogriff is Raz'madG."

"Uh…nice to meet you…I guess…"

"This is great!" Bree exclaimed. "You can help us!"

"Me? How?" Sora asked.

"Bree, I know you want to go to your village, but I need to get Sora back to her friends."

"Oh…" Bree said softly.

"What's wrong? Tell me, maybe I can help."

They settled down around a small fire, while Raylan pulled out stuff from her pack to eat. She gave Sora some of her own clothes, which was only slightly better than Link's, and then they got down to story telling. Sora kept most of the details of her story to herself, since Bree looked young and it might scare her. But she was very interested in Bree's own problem and wanted to help her for some reason.

"I'll help you." Sora said.

"You mean it?" Bree asked, her eyes shining with hope.
"Sora, your friends…"

"Raylan, this sounds bad. Someone has to help, might as well be me."

Raylan sighed, but consented (if grudgingly). The journey to the centaur village would be a tiring one, and Raylan told them to get some sleep, since they would need it more than her. Raylan rarely needed any sleep and someone had to keep watch. Her wyvern had already curled up next to Raz and Raylan decided to wake early, so that they'd have time to wake up their traveling buddies.

Chapter Five: Oliana told us so…

Link suddenly felt a bit of panic rise as Rogue approached the Dragon lands. He knew Frat was going to be furious with him for leaving Sora out there all by herself. But some strange, gut feeling had told him he should. He could feel it rising in the air; this place was being corrupted. A war was on the rise and Link was sure his friends all had different jobs to do.

He could see Frat, Oliana, Roxanna, Poonta and half of the herd of Dragons approaching. They would be more than just disappointed to see that Sora wasn't with him. Frat might even try to kill him, but Link refused to lie to them either. He would tell them where Sora was and if he got a chance before they ran him through, he would explain.

"They might hurt you." Rogue said.

Link grinned. "Reading my thoughts again, ay?"

"I will fight at your side if they do." Rogue said.

He didn't say anymore and Link was too stunned to speak. He sat with his mouth opened until he almost swallowed a bug, and then he shut it. Link gripped the reins just as Rogue went into a dive. He dropped to the ground so fast Link nearly left his stomach behind. The landing was so rough that Link scrambled out of the saddle to avoid getting thrown from it.

"You're back! Link!" Roxanna came running up to them with her arms open wide.

"Rogue…"

"Sorry pal, even I can't fight that."

Link forced laughter back down his throat. "Yeah, I guess not."

"Link!" Oliana cried, running up to him with Frat on her heels. "Oh we were so worried! We though…where's Sora?"

"Uh…" Link hesitated.

"What happened? Did she…"

"I left her…" Link said. "Back at-"

"You what?!" Frat lunged forward, making a grab for Link. Poonta shoved him back.

"Let the boy explain!" Poonta growled. "He always has a good reason for what he does."

So they walked back to the tent, with Oliana, Roxanna and Poonta keeping Frat away from Link. The older boy was furious. Link was certain he would tear him apart if he ever got the chance. They arrived at the tent and everyone sat, looking at Link expectantly. He launched into the tale of what he had seen at the Fay kingdom, where he had left Sora and why he had done it.

"We have to go after her." Frat said.

"No." Flynn said from the doorway.

All eyes turned towards him.

"I was listening to what you said, Link." Flynn went on. "I have a feeling you're right. To defeat what is coming, we must find something…"

"A stone of some sort." Link interrupted. "I dreamed something…"

Flynn nodded. "Yes. Me, you and Poonta should go find it. Sora has her own business to attend to…"

"What about me?" Frat demanded.

"Ah yes…" Flynn nodded slowly. "You two wish to marry, but Oliana is not noble…no, do not ask me how I know. I think you should take back her castle. She will become its lady and you will be able to marry."

Frat began to protest, but Oliana turned to him with bright eyes. "Do you think we could, Frat? Get my home back, I mean. Do you think we could?"

"We can try."

"It's settled then."
They all nodded in agreement and reached out their hands. As they did, the ground began to shake. Outside the Dragons were making loud, angry trumpets and chortles. The ground split, separating the friends from each other. The darkness in the hole began to swirl, making a sort of vortex. Laughter filled the air, evil laughter that reminded Link of Kyrissam. Then he and his friends fell into the swirling vortex before they could even make a move to defend themselves.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Sora awoke to the feeling of rain falling on her face. She opened her eyes and saw that the sky was gray and very dark. Raylan and Bree were already about the business of cleaning up camp and making breakfast. Raz and Raylan's wyvern weren't there; Sora figured they were off hunting or something. Sora sat up and the chill air hit her. She was glad that the warmth of sleep still hugged her like an old friend.

"We figured we'd let you sleep." Raylan explained, handing her something to eat. "You're going to need to rest more than us."

Sora nodded and took the food. She was determined to last as long as her new friends could. She didn't want to slow them down or frustrate them in any way. They had been really nice to her, taking her in, feeding her, and now letting her get her sleep. She ate her breakfast as quickly as she could, since they were already done with their own and impatient to get back on the road and continue the journey.

Raz and the wyvern were back by the time Sora was finished eating. She got dressed quickly and picked up her camp stuff. Since they wanted to be near by nightfall, they would travel as fast as they could. Raylan helped Sora get onto Raz's back, and then climbed onto her wyvern. They headed off with Bree trotting in between them.

The journey was indeed long and by mid-afternoon everyone was getting terribly bored. Occasionally Raylan would take to the sky to see if there was anything dangerous or any obstacles up ahead. Bree seemed to delight in the journey, jumping and prancing and tossing her hair about like she was a new born colt. But Sora was just plain bored and it had put her in a very bad mood.

"I can't believe Link just left me here…" Sora muttered to herself. "Who does he think he is anyway?"

"Halt!" Raylan commanded.

Raz stopped so suddenly that Sora fell forward onto his shoulder and slid of his side. She landed with a loud plop in the mud. Infuriated, Sora stood up and turned to Raylan to see what was going on, but the older girl was concentrating on something. Annoyed, Sora kicked her hard in the shin.

"Hey!" Raylan yelped. "What's the big idea?"

"I should ask you the same thing!" Sora snapped. "Why did we stop?"

"Feel that? In the air?"

Sora was about to give Raylan another kick, but she stopped as something slid past her. It reminded her of a snake, slow and cool, with an intimidating air about it. She shivered as she realized it was power that coursed over her, raw, unhindered power. And it was controlled by something strong and ancient.

"W-what is that?" Sora stammered.

"I'm not sure." Raylan said. "But it's passing over us fast, without stopping. It shouldn't effect us at the speed its going…but we should stop anyway."

Sora nodded. "Raz, you get Bree, she's up ahead a bit. Raylan, lets find a suitable place, we may end up fighting something."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Link was floating in an infinite, numbing cold. Even his mind fought to function, fought to keep him awake. The darkness that surrounded him weighted down heavy upon his soul and he felt that he was slowly sinking into eternity. Each breath was difficult to draw, and even harder to exhale. All he wanted was to sleep; his body ached for it, but he refused to let go.

A strange wind seemed to stir Link's hair and brush over his spine in a bruising, painful caress. He gasped at the feeling of raw, untamed power. What in the name of Din is this? Link thought. The pain kept on pushing him down, farther and farther until he thought he would scream. But when he opened his mouth, no sound came out. Link flailed about in mid-air for a moment until he noticed a bright light.

It came closer and ever closer to him, creeping along like a long-legged spider. The hairs on the Link's arms and the back of his neck stood straight up and he raised his hackles like a dog. Never in his life had he felt so wary of light before. Too late, Link realized that the light was moving a lot quicker than it had seemed to before. It slammed into him, knocking him into solid unconsciousness.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

When Link finally re-awoke, there was an aching, throbbing pain in his head. He groaned and rolled over. Just barely it registered in his mind that he was once again on solid ground. He scanned the room about him, to see his friends strewn about the floor like lifeless dolls. That dull aching, begging for sleep nagged at him but he forced himself to stand.

"Link!"

Link whirled, startled and reached for his sword. His hand close around air and he nearly fell over. Laughter echoed in the chamber and Link looked in that direction. The scene shocked him, and yet somehow he had known this would happen. Oliana was held in the clutches of Link's own advisor, Nicodemus. The old man no longer looked so old, but he did look powerful.

Dressed in his best robes, Nicodemus was a splendor to behold. Rings of all shapes and sizes sparkled on his pudgy fingers and a thick gold color, embedded with many jewels, hung about his neck. Runes and other patterns were etched into his deep crimson robes with silver thread. He held no weapons; Link took that to mean that he didn't need any. He took a step back and began to search desperately for his dagger.

"You won't find it, boy." Nicodemus hissed. "Foolish boy, you'll never learn. If you'd only listened to pretty little Oliana here, you wouldn't be in this mess right now would you?"

"I trusted you because you were my father's advisor." Link said, his tone icy. "But you were not my Grandfather's and I realize now that was my mistake."

"You speak with a new eloquence, my king, but that will get you no where."

"What are you going to do anyway?" Link demanded. "You can't kill me, everyone will know it is you because you're the only one missing. And I have a feeling you will not go back to Hyrule now."

Nicodemus nodded. "You have gained some smarts I see…well, I will not have to kill you directly. You will find that with the approaching war it will be very difficult to stay alive."

With that Nicodemus flung Oliana at him. Link caught her but the impact sent him staggering backwards. He tried to regain his feet but by the time he was balanced again, Nicodemus was gone. His friends were beginning to stir but they didn't have time to rise, because the ground once again began to shake. Oliana shrieked and clutched to Link's jerkin as the ground fell away and they were thrown into a black void.

"Link!" Flynn's voice called. "Find the Sunset Orb and bring it to me! Only with its power can we win this war!"

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Sora was huddled deep into Link's cloak, pleased at the warmth it provided in the icy rain. She could hear the sound of howling on the horizon; HellHounds, Raylan told her. Their howls alone made her shiver uncontrollably, she did not want to meet these creatures face to face. Raylan told her that is was most likely that they were coming after their little group, so Sora kept Link's sword at hand, as always in situations such as this one.

Bree was carefully hidden in between two large rocks, with the wyvern and Raz hiding her from view. The HellHounds would attack her first, for the meat she would provide them, and Bree didn't really know how to fight, although she was pretty good with a bow and arrow. Sora hoped she would be able to get a few shots off from a distance and remain safely away from the main fight. She herself wouldn't mind staying away from the fight.

The howls became louder and louder as the hounds approached. Sora bit down hard on her lips to keep herself from fleeing in fright. She had a strong resolution to stay put and fight fearlessly, but her flight instincts were starting to kick in. She had fought humans and Fay, and those weren't so bad, since they moved and worked like she did. But these Hounds were something else altogether and it was said that they were clever.

"They come." Raylan said softly.

Now Sora could hear the pounding of their pads on the soft turf like it was the beating of a war drum. She could hear them breathing; good, they were a bit winded from the long run. At least they would have more chance now. Sora guessed that there was twenty of them, maybe more. It would take a clever, last minute maneuver to get them out alive and Sora didn't feel she had the strength to pull that off.

Instinct made her jump up just as the first of the HellHounds burst from the underbrush. She turned, tugging her sword from the scabbard the lay across her back. Already Raylan was up; a sword in one hand and a dagger ready at her side. The wyvern took a step forward, all of its heads snapping and hissing furiously. Demon versus demon, Sora thought humorously. She took a step to the side to give the wyvern its space.

Sora had no time to think before the HellHounds began their assault. Two lunged at her at once and she backpedaled as fast as she could. Their teeth and claws slashed at her and Sora bit down hard on her resolution. She slashed at the first one, missing completely and leaving herself totally open for another attack.

The second HellHound leapt for her and she turned just in time to avoid getting her throat ripped out. The HellHound did catch a large chunk of her hair between its teeth and as it crashed back to the ground Sora was pulled with it. The pain that came with the vicious tug infuriated Sora unlike anything she could ever imagine. She had never been vain about her hair, but that had really hurt! Sora was on her feet again before they could attack her again.

She slashed at the one who had gotten her by the hair and managed to hit it. The HellHound yelp and turn to bite at its partner, thinking that it had caused the pain and not Sora. While they were distracted with each other, Sora turned to another HellHound who had approached. This one gave its pack mates a look of disgust, then lunge immediately for Sora's throat. It hit her dead on and she fell.

Sora scrambled to get out from under the Hound and keep it from her throat at the same time. It was nosing its way under her chin, growling as it did so. Sora began to panic when she felt its hot breath on her jugular. She cried out in terror, unable to keep her fear in check and more. She could feel the tip of its teeth start to close around her tender flesh…

Zing! An arrow whizzed through the air and struck the Hound square in the chest. It yelped and jumped off of Sora, turning to try and find its attacker. Behind it was one of its pack mates, coming up to take on Sora and the Hound growled. Sora took a step back as the two went at it. These HellHound sure weren't as smart as everyone said they were.

Suddenly Sora felt some of that raw power approaching behind her and she turned. Standing there was one lone HellHound, its fangs dripping with blood and its eyes glowing demonic red in the dark. There was an air of intelligence around this one that hadn't been there with the others. Sora took a step back; her fingers uncurled from around the hilt of her sword and it went crashing to the ground…

Part Two: Journeys of the Heart

Chapter Six: Getting Some Information

Link was huddled deep into the shadows of the tavern corner, listening to the conversations flying about the room. His mug of ale lay untouched before him and the plate of food was not even half eaten. This place made Link wary and nervous as all Hell. There were too many large, strong men in here for him to take on with only his sword and wits alone. Although Din knows I'm smarter than all of them combined, Link thought, smiling.

His mind kept wandering back to the events of a week past. He had awoken on a dusty plain, to find that his traveling companions had been switched. Roxanna and Oliana were waiting for him now, outside the tavern, waiting for him to return with some information. If only Flynn was there with him, then he would have all the information he would need about the Sunset Orb. He doubted he could dig up much here, in this barren place.

Where they were, Link wasn't entirely certain, although he was sure they were still on Caseree Isle. This part of the land seemed to hold the Normals. They were nice enough folk, to be sure, although none of them treated him with the respect he deserved. He really couldn't expect them to, since they probably had no idea whom he was, but it would be nice to have some people enough in awe of him that they would pay him attention.

Like they were ever in awe of you before, a sardonic voice at the back of Link's mind nagged him. Your own advisor betrayed you. Link sighed and hung his head resignedly. He had been so blind, not to see it before. It was obvious what Nicodemus was up to, but Link was so busy with everything else that he hadn't seen it. Now he felt a fool; he hadn't listened to one of his best friends and now his people could pay for his mistakes.

One man kept Link's attention. This man seemed to have the shadows wrapped about him like his own special cloak. Something about him seemed vaguely familiar, but Link couldn't figure out what. Cautiously Link stood and began to approach the man's table. He flipped a coin to one of the barmaids and motioned to where the man was sitting, the continued on by himself. When Link approached, the man looked up.

"Can I help you lad?"

"You look like a traveler, sir." Link said softly. "I was wondering if you might have some information I'm looking for."

The man nodded. "Sit down, son. Tell me boy, what's your name?"

"It's Link, sir. And yours?"

"Zephyr. Nice to meet you." The man held out his hand.

Link took it and gave it a shake. "Pleased to meet you."

"Naught with the formalities boy." Zephyr said. "Tell me, what is the information you're looking for?"

"I need to know about the Sunset Orb." Link told him. "It is very important to the welfare of many that I find it."

"Ah yes." The old traveler nodded. "In the mountains, somewhere." Zephyr waved his hand vaguely. "Something about the Orb being powerful…something about it being connected with the Sunrise Sword. That's all I know."

"Have you any idea of its origin?"

"I believe it belongs to the Fairies, something about the time when they were at war with the Dragons…"

Link was listening no longer. He now noticed that many of the patrons of the tavern were eyeing him suspiciously. Of course they were, he was the new person in town. Plus everyone there had darker hair, where as Link's was golden. It stood out like a scarlet jay in a flock of ravens. Quickly Link stood, just as the barmaid was approaching with a tray of ale and food.

Link ducked away from her and scrambled out of the tavern. Oliana and Roxanna stood as he came out the door and ran to him. They looked very relieved to see him and Link could guess that people had been eyeing them with more than just suspicion. He lifted his hands to calm them down and then led them around to the back of the tavern.

"Did you find the information we need Link?" Oliana asked.

"Only a little." Link told them. "We'll need to climb those mountains there to find the Orb, but I get the feeling it won't be easy to get our hands on it."

"You mean more monsters?" Roxanna asked with a shudder.

"I mean, Hell has come to meet us, and it wants to fight."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Raylan glanced anxiously at the very still body lying on the travois she had fixed. Sora had only awoken once since the fight and that had been for less than a moment. Raylan shouldn't have let her take on the lead HellHound all by herself, but she had been so busy fighting off the other Hounds. If only Sora hadn't tried to use magic…but it was her silly little verse that had saved them all. Now it could cost her her life.

Bree walked silently along, tugging the travois herself. Raylan had told her that Raz or the wyvern could do it, but the girl insisted. If Sora was too much weight for her, Bree didn't complain. Raylan gained a new respect for the centaur filly as she pulled the travois through even the thickest mud. They were very near to the Centaur lands now, but from what Bree had said they probably wouldn't get much help.

Sora stirred on occasion, mumbling things in her sleep, but she never seemed to wake up. Raylan began to worry more and more as time slipped by. Just what had the girl done to take so much energy out of her so fast? Raylan knew she was headstrong and sometimes leapt into things without thinking, but risking her life in such a way?

Sora began to mumble again and she tossed around in the travois. Raylan walked close to the edge, to make sure she didn't fall out and hurt herself worse. Bree slowed her pace to make the ride steadier; one small bump could jolt Sora out of the travois. Raylan had determined that Sora was, despite her protests, very powerful and if that truly were so, they would need her more than weapons for this fight.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Link didn't want to open his eyes. He knew he was dreaming and he knew that if he opened his eyes he would see Sora. Oh, how he longed for her company again. She was smart and very good to talk to when he had problems. If he had to put up with Oliana and Roxanna one more day Link feared he would go insane. But he sensed deep in his soul that something was wrong with his friend and he was so very afraid to open his eyes.

"Come on, boy, I know you're awake." Saba's voice rang out. "You have to face facts sooner or later."

"Is it bad Saba?"

"No. It's worse."

Link opened his eyes slowly. The room was dim, but still the little bit of light was painful. He could see Sora from where he lay; asleep on a stone slab, so still that she might as well have been dead. But Link could feel that she was still alive. She's holding on by a thread, Link thought. Oh Sora, what have you done now? Link pushed away thoughts of her dying and stood. As he did, Shadow Clad stepped forward.

"You have to let him do something Saba." Shadow Clad said. "She is the only hope we have now."

"They cannot remember this." Saba replied softly. "No matter what you say, their love will be Hyrule's doom."

With that, Saba turned on her heels and left. Shadow Clad sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, like Link often did when he was frustrated with his people. Shadow Clad turned to him and motioned to Sora, laying deathly still on her slab. Then he disappeared, leaving Link with that strange déjà vu feeling all over again.

"Now what?" Link asked the air in front of him.

Sora stirred slightly on the slab, mumbling something inaudible. Link approached her slowly, uncertain if he should wake her or let her sleep. His mind gave him the sensible answer: she's tired, let her sleep. But his soul spoke differently: the poison, the darkness, she can't fight it while she is dormant. Those thoughts made Link shiver uncontrollably; just what was going on in Sora's mind right now?

Link sat down next to Sora on the cold stone and gently gathered her limp form in his arms. The thought of his long time friend being in any kind of danger bothered him. Maybe it was because it was she who had led him into his first adventure and taught him what it meant to be a friend. She hadn't questioned him about anything at all; she had simply let him tag along with her even though he had barely been out of the castle at all in his first 15 years of life.

"How do I heal you, Sora?" Link asked her motionless form. "You have to tell me, you always have before."

Sora's lips moved as she spoke something, but Link couldn't understand. Vaguely it had sounded like "story" although that was very unlikely. Maybe it was something in Link's mind that made him think so. He was recalling an old fairy tale that Cara had once told him, about the Princess who wouldn't wake up. She'd been put under a curse and only a kiss from her true love would wake her.

If I kissed her she'd probably wake up just to hit me and then go back to sleep, Link thought wryly. But then again, it was the only idea he had and worth a try, he supposed. After all, a hopeless action was better than no action, right? Sora had always done something when something needed to be done, even if it had been pointless.

Slowly and carefully, Link gathered Sora's mouth to his own. Her lips were cold and chapped; from that Link figured she had been out for a week, maybe more. Gently, ever so gently, he pressed his lips to hers, then released his hold on her. She still did not wake. Link sighed and put her back on the stone slab. Maybe doing nothing would have been the better idea after all.

Suddenly Sora began to cough violently. She rolled over onto her side and Link looked away as she began hacking something up onto the floor. It slid from her throat as slow as molasses and pooled thickly on the ground. The substance was blood red and quickly turned to black, as the puddle became wider. The stench that came with it made Link's eyes water and his heard pound in terror.

"Ugh!" Sora gasped. "I finally got it out! Thank the Goddesses!"

"What is that stuff?" Link asked.

"HellHound blood. That's how I defeated the leader: by taking away its power." Sora explained. "But it went into me and I almost became a Hound myself. I've been fighting it for what seems like an eternity!"

"But you're okay now!" Link hugged her tightly. "Din, you scared me!"

Sora laughed. "Think of how my new traveling companions feel. They were there when I went out."

"New traveling companions? I guess we have some catching up to do."

They settled together on the stone slab, completely forgetting about the acrid smelling puddle at their feet. Link explained his dilemma about the Sunset Orb and the girls. Sora laughed merrily at Link's exasperation and his story of how Frat wanted to tear him apart when he had left her. Sora then told her story, about meeting up with Raylan and Bree and their strange pets.

"So Raylan did find you! Are you on your way back to the Dragon lands?"

Sora shook her head. "I have to help Bree first. Something is very wrong with the Centaurs."

"I'm sorry, I can't help you." Link sighed. "Oops! I think we should go now! I'm starting to…

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"…Wake up." Link murmured.

"I am awake!" Oliana snapped. "You're the one still in bed!"

"Huh? What!?"

Link sat up and looked around wildly, for a moment uncertain of where he was. Then he noticed Oliana and Roxanna staring at him in confusion. He sighed and fell back into the warmth of his bed; he was still able to smell the traces of Sora's spicy scent. The Inn they were at was a good one, with heat, plentiful food and soft beds. Link had spent quite a bit of money for the room, but he figured it as a treat, before they had to climb the mountains. The girls had been relatively calm about the idea and he had decided they deserved a night in a decent place.

Link climbed out of bed and pulled his shirt on over his head. He laced the cuffs and the front of it, then pulled a jerkin on over that. Oliana and Roxanna were packed and ready to go. They headed downstairs, all three of them feeling refreshed, and settled down at a table in front of the fire. Their breakfast would have to be sparse, since Link needed most of his remaining money to buy supplies for their climb. He was glad he'd taken so much with him.

"I don't care how little this meal is, it tastes like heaven!" Oliana exclaimed.

"Don't get used to it." Link said. "From here on out it's nothing but trail rations."

"Ugh! I hate salty, dried fish." Roxanna said. "Link, when we get home you're going to order a banquet, right?"

Link grinned. "Try to stop me! My stomach is really angry with me for not eating enough."

"You do mean for not eating as much as you can shove down your throat." Oliana said dryly.

Link chuckled softly and shook his head. His mind kept wandering back to Sora; he was certain he'd had a dream about her, but he could remember nothing. It was a paradox: he was allowed to see his friend yet he could never remember the dream afterward. All he had left now was a faint sense of danger and also a warmth that refused to leave.

"Link!"

Link jumped as Oliana snapped her fingers in his face. "Hey! What's the big idea?"

"We're ready to go." Oliana said, her hands resting on her slender hips. "Unless you want to spend the whole day daydreaming?"

Link could feel his cheeks flushing as he stood up. Some impression I'm making, he thought. I'm supposed to be the leader of this little expedition and I'm siting here daydreaming. Link tossed his pack over his shoulder and put a few coins on the bar top. He then walked out of the Inn with Roxanna and Oliana close on his heels. He knew they were very nervous about this whole thing.

"Well, there it is." Link said.

All three of them stared across the plain to the mountains beyond. The peaks were so tall that they reached into the clouds like crooked, accusing fingers. A slight breeze stirred the air, lifting Link's hair off the back of his neck and he swallowed thickly. This was going to be some adventure. He only hoped he was ready for it.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Flynn eyed the servant girl warily. He still had his doubts about how easily he and Frat had been accepted into Farreach Keep. The place was old and had gotten run down after so many years of little or no tending. The rose garden was mostly dead, the small pond there was murky and unclean and the once high, whitewashed fence had mostly fallen down. The castle itself was badly in need of repair. One whole corridor was off limits because it was crumbling and three of the six tall spires that gave the Keep its name were blackened from the flames of a long ago fire.

It was sad to see what had become of the once beautiful place. The servants here now were mostly the older ones, the ones who would be unable to get jobs elsewhere. No one walked with their head held high or had any shine or willpower left in their eyes. The new Lord was said to be cruel and loved to torture those who didn't obey. Flynn only hoped that he and Frat weren't in for some torture themselves.

"Even the sunset has lost its shine." Flynn murmured sadly as he stared out one of the large windows of their room.

Frat stirred on one of the nearby beds, but did not wake. Everything that had happened lately had taken quite a bit out of the older boy and it left him exhausted. Flynn was pretty tired himself, but he forced himself to stay awake. One of them had to be on guard at all times and he was in better shape than Frat was. Though, Flynn thought with an inkling of amusement, the absence of the lady Sora is fair disturbing to me as well. He shoved the notion aside and focused on the sunset.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Flynn whirled to see who spoke to him. It was one of the younger maids, who had to be about his age. She had dirty blonde hair that was pulled back in a tight braid and one cheek was smudged with dirt. Her once clean white apron was stained with some sort of berry juice and a number of other things. Flynn figured that she was from the kitchen. Under all that dirt she's probably quite pretty, Flynn mused.

"The sunset I mean." She went on. "'Twas always prettier though, when Lady Oliana was 'ere to share it with me."

"You knew Oliana?" Flynn asked, suddenly interested.

"She was a close friend of mine." The girl sighed. "Last I 'eard she 'twas betrothed to the king of Hyrule 'imself."

Flynn nodded. "That's true."

"Ya lookin' for information, aren't ya?" The girl asked.

"Maybe."

"I 'ave all the information you could ever need." She smiled. "But you 'ave to do somethin' for me first."

"Maybe." Flynn repeated. "A name?"

"Sayolin. And yours, milord?"

"Flynn. Well Sayolin, I suggest we leave the room for this. I wouldn't want to wake my friend here. He's been under a lot of stress lately."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Sora came awake with a jolt, sitting up abruptly and reaching for her weapon. It wasn't there; instead she saw Raylan staring at her in amazement. The moving thing she had been on turned out to be a travois, pulled by Bree. Sora blinked sleepily and took a better look around. They were in a clearing, much like the one they had been in when the HellHounds attacked, but not nearly as protected.

"How long?" Sora rasped.

"A week." Raylan told her. "Are you feeling okay? Nothing broken?"

Sora went through a quick wiggle check of all her body parts. "Nope. My head aches a bit, and my throat is sore. Mostly though it's just my stomach that's the problem."

Raylan smiled and helped Sora to her feet. With Bree's help camp was quickly set up and a fire was started. Raylan's wyvern had brought in a few rabbits, which Raylan skinned, spitted and then put over the fire to roast. The smell was terribly enticing but Sora knew she would have to be very careful, since the only thing that probably went in her stomach all week was water, or juice from some sort of fruit.

When the dinner was finally done cooking, Bree passed out bread and chunks of cheese while Raylan cut the meat into strips. They ate in silence the whole time, with Sora attacking her food like a vicious predator. Raz and the wyvern must have already eaten, since they had settled down to sleep. Sora looked at her traveling companions and finally asked the question that had been on her mind for so long.

"How long 'til we reach the centaur lands?"

"We're already here."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"I can't believe you!" Frat muttered as he and Flynn walked down the hall together.

Flynn shrugged. "Hey, did what I had to to get some information. Didn't see you doing anything."

Frat sighed and hunched over, bundling his robs tightly around him. Flynn was really starting to get on his nerves these days. He was cynical and critical, always complaining about how 'pure' and 'gentle' Frat was. It wasn't Frat's fault that he had had such an upbringing and Flynn hadn't. They were two entirely different people…and they were driving each other crazy. It was only the memory of the hope in Oliana's eyes that made Frat continue on with this hopeless, insane quest.

"What did you find out?" Frat asked, albeit grudgingly.

"The servants adored Oliana." Flynn said. "They loved her to pieces. Even the younger ones, many of the male youths would fight for her, if they had a chance."

"Isn't that what we're doing?"

"Yes, I know, but maybe if we have some help…" Flynn let his voice trail off, then continued. "Look, it can't hurt can it?"

Frat sighed. "I guess not. Tomorrow we find those boys."

Frat was rather disturbed by the thought of getting other boys to help take back the Keep. What if there was one boy Oliana liked more than Frat? The thought bothered him greatly. After all, he had come here to fight in her name. It would be really rotten luck of she chose someone else over him, not to mention rather embarrassing. And painful too; Frat wouldn't be able to take the heartbreak of losing her.

Chapter Seven: Problems

Sora pulled the cowl of her hood down over her face as she watched the activity in the Centaur Village. There was a crowd of older centaurs in the Village Square, and in the middle of them, standing on a pedestal of sorts, was a centaur that matched the description of Malance that Bree had given her. It took a lot of willpower not to pulled out and arrow and pick Malance off now, while she had a good shot at him. Sora was absolutely furious that anyone would try to tear a part a family, and send a little girl out all by herself on a death mission. What ever happened to centaurs being peaceful?

Behind her Raylan was crouched into the deep underbrush, holding a knife in one hand and her sword in the other. Sora would not allow her to make an attack, but Raylan insisted that they have some weapons ready. Bree and Raz had gone off to see one of Bree's friends, to gather the children of the village and ask for their help, and Raylan had sent her wyvern off to do something, although she refused to tell Sora what. Sora was worried and even the Fay girl was a bit nervous; centaurs weren't known for violent tendencies but they were known for their great fighting skill. If it came down to a fight, it was unlikely that the centaurs would lose.

Sora's head snapped up as a nearby twig snapped. As her hood slipped back from her eyes she noticed Bree standing stock still, one hand held out as if to motion them forward. Carefully Sora moved along the ground on all fours, stepping over twigs and dried leaves with the ease of a wolf. Raylan did the same and when they reached Bree they both stood and brushed themselves off. Bree began to carefully back away and Sora and Raylan followed.

The walk was a long one but finally they reached their destination. A group of centaur children, ranging from age 5 to even close to 20 were crowded under a blossoming Flare tree. In the middle of them, one handsome young centaur of maybe 13 or 14 years was standing on a smooth rock, making gestures, waving a stick and making loud, obnoxious comments. The other centaur kids laughed and shouted out insults. Bree trotted over to the group and grabbed the stick from the centaur's hand, nearly pulling him off the rock.

"This is serious!" Bree snapped. "The future of our village depends on us!"

"What can we do?" One of the older centaurs asked. "We're just kids. We don't have any rights or anything."

"But you're wrong!" Sora argued, stepping into the crowd. "Just because you're young, doesn't mean you aren't important too. As the future of Caseree Isle, you need to stand up and fight for what you believe in!"

"We'll help you." Raylan added.

"Why should we believe you?" The same centaur asked. "You're a Fay!"

"I am an Alima." Sora retorted. "And you know very well that I would not be traveling with this girl unless she was trustworthy."

"Listen, boy," Raylan snarled. "What's your name?"

"Jackal."

"Well, Jackal, you do know that I could snap your neck if I wanted to, correct?" Raylan sneered. "I think the fact that I haven't yet, you impertinent little brat, is enough proof that you can trust me, don't you?"

Jackal quivered under her gaze. "Yes…m-ma'am."

"Raylan, I hope you don't plan on having kids in the future." Sora sighed. "Now, listen up everyone…"

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Link!" Roxanna whined. "I can't climb anymore."

Link rolled his eyes and ignored her. They hadn't been climbing for more than an hour and they were still in the foothills as it was. If they stopped now they'd never reach the Sunset Orb in time to help their friends. The mountain they were climbing was the largest of many craggy peaks. The top could not be seen because a thick veil of clouds shrouded it and the foothills were so tall they seemed like mountains themselves.

Link, Oliana and Roxanna were carefully anchored and tied together with ropes. Link was on the bottom, in hopes that he could catch one of them if they fell. Besides, ladies first, Link thought, humorlessly. Unfortunately they weren't making as much progress as he'd wanted to, because Roxanna was hell bent on 'taking it easy'. She had complained each time a nail broke and Link was happy she had no more to break. She whined that she was dirty, hungry, that her hair was messed up and her clothes were uncomfortable. Oliana seemed like she wanted to throw Roxanna off the mountain.

The mountain air was really cool and got cooler and fresher the further up they went. Link was enjoying it up here; with the exception of Roxanna's whining it was really quite relaxing. He'd never been much of a fan of heights before, but he thought he could get used to it, especially since these heights weren't moving or dipping or twisting or flipping. He liked the feel of the rock and dirt beneath his hands when they came to the steeper places and had to climb on all fours. Truly, this was what he had always dreamed adventure was about.

Link was now very grateful to be able to add such an experience under his belt, along with all his others. Magic and fighting and rescuing princesses was all well and good, but he had a feeling he'd never find anything better than this. Always he had liked to sit out in the Courtyard, for hours on end, reading, playing or annoying his grandfather, because it was an open space and although small, it was no where's near as choking as the confines of his room. He'd only wished that he could truly be outside, and not just in a courtyard in the castle.

It was more of Roxanna's whining that awakened Link from his reverie. For a moment he was furious with her, until he realized that they'd come along a solid wall of rock, going straight up. The climb would be tough, since there seemed to be so few handholds, but there was no way around it. Oliana didn't seemed too disturbed by the wall, but Roxanna flat out refused to go. She sat down on the ground and wouldn't budge.

Link shrugged. "Fine, we'll leave you here."

"You can't be serious!" Roxanna shrieked. "You can't just leave me here!"

"You can either go up with us," Link said, running out of patience, "Or you can stay here."

Roxanna whined, huffed, puffed, and whined some more, but started up the wall all the same. This climb was the most treacherous one they had come upon yet but Link reveled in it. He was also extremely happy that Roxanna was keeping her mouth shut; she was probably too busy concentrating on climbing to whine. She was, Link noticed, a rather good climber, although not as good as Oliana, who had spent much of her life climbing trees. Link never got to climb trees before. He hadn't been allowed to.

Link forced himself to focus on climbing and to think later. Each hand and foot hold was just a slight dent in the wall, and the rock was slippery. More than once the whole line of them nearly fell. The wall had to be twenty or so feet up, large but not impossible if they kept at a steady pace. Link concentrated on where he was and what he was doing and before too long they were at the top, over the edge, and sitting on the ground, trying to catch their breath.

"I hope," Roxanna panted. "That we don't…come along a…lot of walls…like that one."

"Me too." Oliana agreed. "A good climb is one thing, but a straight up scramble for your life…"

"Can I faint now?" Roxanna asked, looking at Link.

Link laughed. "No…oh a cave…"

"Where?" Oliana struggled with herself a minute before turning around. She looked back at her friends with a sheepish smile.

"We should probably check it out." Roxanna said.

"You want to go in there?" Link asked, incredulous. "There could be monsters in there."

"Exactly." Roxanna said. "Better we find it than it find us. Or it find us and throw us off the mountain side."

As much as he hated to admit it, Roxanna had a really good point. A monster could really be a problem up on the steeper ledges of the mountain; in a cave, with slightly more level ground and the possibility of surprising it, there was at least a chance they'd beat it. And even if it were a small monster it would cause trouble on the peaks. Better to take care of it now, while they had a chance, instead of waiting for it to come to them.

They untied themselves and exchanged the ropes for lanterns. Link took out some flint and lit them; they would burn a while, since they used a special magical substance that helped them burn. Carefully, with Link in front, they stepped into the shadowed entrance of the cave. How come I get the front this time? Link thought, smiling wryly to himself.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Flynn rested against the brick wall of the University as he waited for Frat to finish speaking. Many of the younger servants had been sent here to learn, after the Keep had been sold. Some of the older ones had gone of their own accord, to become scholars or warriors, and those were the ones Frat was talking too, although the younger kids seemed eager to help too. Flynn was amazed at how much patience Frat had for them; he never could have handled those little brats swarming around his feet like kittens.

"Excuse me?"

Flynn looked up, snapping out of his reverie. Before him stood a girl of maybe 14 years. She was dressed more like a warrior, in discarded pieces of armor that were sewn back together. Pieces covers her knees and elbows, she wore old leather gauntlets, with metal wrists guards over them and travel worn boots. Her face was painted with an intricate design over the left eye and down to the right cheek, and her hair was twisted back into a tight, plaited braid that hung down to the middle of her back. She was one of the Azon Warriors, Flynn guessed. They were an all woman tribe of warrior wanderers.

"May I…" Flynn paused, choosing his words carefully. "Be of service to you?"

She smiled. "The name is Emiri."

"Emiri." Flynn rolled it around in his mouth, liking the sound of it. "Well, Emiri, I ask again, can I be of service to you?"

"You're looking for people to fight, correct? For Lady Oliana?"

When Flynn nodded slowly, she continued,

"Me an' mine, some of us were friends with her." Emiri explained. "We want to help you."

"Now, no offense," Flynn said slowly. "But I've never heard of Azons helping anyone."

Emiri looked down. "She saved the lot of us from slavery. We got to help her!"

Flynn nodded and said nothing more. Emiri seemed to take that as a sign to wait, and leaned up against the wall next to him. The crowd of boys around Frat's feet was quickly diminishing and Flynn could guess that most of them wouldn't help. It was a very good thing that Emiri had found them, because they were going to need the help. Flynn knew from experience that women could be tough warriors. After all, he did have 67 sisters, half of whom were great fighters and the other half, magic workers and magi. And if everything he had read about Azons was true, then they were just what was needed.

Frat finished with the last boy, who was only 9 years old. Flynn knew that he would probably be a runner of some sort, bringing water or whatnot back and forth. Flynn waited patiently as Frat gave a sigh of relief and frustration and headed over. He stopped when he noticed Emiri and raised one eyebrow questioningly. Flynn just nodded slowly; giving off the impression of someone very laid back, as he always did.

"This is Emiri."

"An Azon." Frat said. "What are you doing in the city?"

"Oliana is a friend of ours." Emiri said. "We've come to offer our help."

The eyebrow went up. "Oliana is a friend of yours? Tell me, what did she do to earn such high status amongst your people?"

"She saved us." Emiri said. "We owe her our very existence. If this man will not hand over her Keep, then we will fight to take it back."
A slow smile spread across Frat's lips. "Wonderful! I hear you are some of the best warriors on Caseree Isle. I am so pleased you wish to help us."

"Skip the courtesies." Emiri said. "Come with me. There is someone who'd like to meet you."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Sora finished peeling the bark off the twig in her hands and began to smooth it down with a rough piece of paper. All around her centaur children were helping to make arrows and sharpen swords. They didn't have any plans to kill, but they did have a clever trap and once set in motion, they would be able to get all the elders in a situation where they would have to listen. The arrows were important, because they would need to have a good distance between themselves and their target. The swords would come later on, and they were also an important part of the plan.

Sora glanced at the pile of arrows she made, and then at Bree's pile. The centaur children were much better at this than she was, that was certain. Sora had made maybe two dozen arrows in the last 6 hours, while Bree had made a hundred or more. Jashga, the master smith's apprentice was in the forge, making more swords. They were simple weapons, a blade and a handle, which was all they would need for this. Sora felt a smile come to her lips; she was happy that some people at least could do things without being violent.

"Sora." Bree's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Its almost dark."

"I know." Sora said. "Are you ready Bree? Do you think you can do it?"

"I hope so." Bree sighed. "But you have the tough part. Malance is good with his arrows…make sure you're careful."

Sora nodded. "Don't worry for me, Bree. I can handle myself."

Sora finished smoothing down the twig and tied an arrowhead to the top with a leather thong. She dropped it in her pile and stood, suddenly feeling a bit of apprehension at what she'd been chosen to do. She walked over to where Jackal and a group of other children were waiting for her. Jackal handed her a dark cloak, one that would blend in with the night. Sora took it and threw it over her shoulders with a flourish, trying to look confident although she was very nervous.

"Are you ready?" Jackal asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Sora answered.

She pulled her cloak tightly about herself and hunched over. She knew where she was supposed to go and what she was supposed to do; they had been through it a million times. Why the centaurs had nominated her for this part, she wasn't sure. All Sora knew was that the whole mission depended on her. Never had such a responsibility as this one been placed upon her shoulders, and she was worried that she wasn't yet ready for it. Don't think like that, Sora! She thought. You've cleared higher hurdles than this one, one more won't kill you!

Sora nodded, once and short, then took off into the dark, leaving her companions to go their separate ways. The darkness was so still, almost chilling, and Sora was beginning to feel slightly more confident. Something about the darkness, about the feeling of total fear, was what gave her her most confidence. Maybe it was because she'd always won against those odds. A breeze blew, fluttering her cloak. Sora licked her lips; the air had a tangy taste to it. Something was wrong, not here in the village but elsewhere.

Sora pushed the premonition to the back of her mind and hunched further into her cloak as she approached Malance's home. He was still awake, apparently, because the lights inside the house were blazing brightly. She stepped over to the door, her bare feet making not a sound on the soft turf of the ground. Slowly she lifted her hand and rapped her knuckles against the smooth, oak wood of the door. In the night the sound echoed through the streets, bouncing against each and every surface. Sora winced as it struck her ears.

She heard hoof beats approaching the door and backed up, preparing to make a run for it. The door opened slowly, with a creaked that also echoed painfully. The light blasted her and she covered her eyes for a moment. Malance shouted when he saw her and scrambled back into the house, most likely to get his bow. Sora took this as her cue to leave as fast as she could. She turned and started off down the street, heading in the direction of the village green.

Sora heard hooves pounding behind her and felt a thrill of victory; he had taken the bait. She moved in a swerving, jerky motion, to make it harder for his arrows to hit her. Some whizzed past her ears, one brushed her hair and another sliced across her arm. It had hurt, but none of them hit her straight on and she knew she couldn't give up for one little cut. Plus, she was so close to the village green. She pounded through just as the other centaur children were approaching.

"Now!" Raylan cried, jumping from the bushes.

Arrows whizzed through the air, striking ropes that were strung up high in the trees surrounding the green. Large cages, made out of some material that looked like wood and was a strong as metal, came crashing to the ground, capturing the elders. The other centaurs moved quickly, tying the cages to the trees and the ground, so that even if they were lifted it wouldn't be enough to get free of them. Sora sighed with relief and almost fell.

"Good work." Jackal praised her.

Sora nodded weakly. "Let's finish this."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Link lifted his lantern higher, studying the pictures on the walls. They were so strange, and yet rather primal. The only other place he'd ever seen anything like this was the one time he'd been taken into the caverns below Death Mountain. Cara had told him that the pictures were ancient writings, known as Glyphs. She had said that they told a story, when read in the correct order. But none of these Glyphs looked like any of the ones he had seen.

"Well, I'll be damned!" Oliana exclaimed.

"What is it?" Link asked.

"These Glyphs…they're of the Ancient Dragon Tongue."

"So they are writing! Can you translate them?"

"Frat taught me only a little." Oliana answered. "But I can try."

Oliana lifted her lantern to study the walls around them. Most of the pictures looked very intricate and difficult to figure out, but some others were simple words like 'horse' or in one case 'centaur'. Oliana gazed thoughtfully at the pattern for awhile, her eyes moving slowly over the wall. Roxanna was sitting on the ground, sipping from a canteen and looking at the patterns on another wall. Link, on the other hand, was on his feet and very impatient to be moving again. They had been walking for an indeterminable amount of time and from the way the trail climbed steadily upward, Link got the feeling that they were moving up through the mountain. Suddenly Oliana gasped.

"What does it say?" Roxanna asked, jumping up.

"Well…if I've translated it right…" Oliana took a deep breath. "'O' ye who should walk this path know, thine fate lies ahead in these very caverns. For those who seek out the Sunset Orb must be of true blood, or surely the monster Morgue shall rise from its eternal slumber, and ye shall perish.'"

Link coughed. "Someone actually wrote that?"

"I guess so." Oliana said.

"I'm thinking, whoever it was couldn't have been a professional writer." Link commented.

"Either way, its saying that there is something in this mountain, correct?" Roxanna asked. "Something with teeth and claws and all that stuff?"
"I'm thinking more along the lines of a demon." Oliana said. "Something sufficient to protect the Sunset Orb from those who aren't 'of true blood'"

"Whatever that means." Link muttered. "Come on, let's get going."

They left the small passageway with the writings and came upon a small chamber. It was ordinary, with a relatively flat floor. Link guess it was man-made, so that there would be a place to camp on the way up. Unfortunately none of them knew what time it was outside and so they would just have to continue on up. After the chamber came another long passageway, with writing on the walls. This one was slanting up too, even steeper than the last, and Link began to wonder if this tunnel had ever been finished. Maybe it was too difficult to climb further up. It would be terribly disappointing to find out that they had come so far for nothing.

"'Watch ye're step'" Oliana read, holding up her lantern.

"It really says that?" Link asked.

"Yep it-"

Oliana was cut off as she stumbled and fell, tumbling down a hole they in the floor that they hadn't noticed. That must be what the writing meant, Link realized. He shoved Roxanna down the hole after Oliana, then jumped in himself.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Flynn was good at navigating the woods near his home, but here the foliage was so thick, it would be terribly easy to get very lost. Emiri moved fast, even for an Azon, who could be faster on foot than most men were on horseback. Only sheer skill and determination kept him and Frat following her through the forest, and even that was rapidly dwindling down. He was relieved when Emiri pulled to an abrupt halt in front of a rather large oak tree.

She jumped up and grabbed the branches, scrambling for footing. Flynn began to follow, and then Frat, although not without complaining first. The climb was long and arduous and when Flynn reached the top, Emiri was nowhere to be seen. He frowned and looked around, wondering if she had jumped across to another tree, but there was no sign of her. Suddenly part of the tree opened up, spreading like the petals of a blooming flower. Emiri reached out and grabbed a hold of Frat and Flynn, pulling them into the tree.

They slid for a long time, plunging at top speed down the dark insides of the tree. Finally they landed at the bottom, crashing into each other and the hard floor. Music that had been playing in the room stopped abruptly and many faces turned to gazed curiously at them. Emiri stood, looking slightly flustered, and brushed dirt off of her leather tunic. She turned to the group of onlookers and glared at them.

"I have brought guests." Emiri said. "We must meet with Sarice at once!"

An older Azon stepped forward. "What is the meaning of this, Emiri? These are men! They do not belong here! We should kill them and you, for bringing them here!"

"They are friends of the Lady Oliana!" Emiri snapped.

Everyone in the room gasped in unison, then fell silent. Twenty pairs of eyes turned on Flynn and his companions. Apparently Emiri had not been lying when she said that the Azons held Oliana in high regard. Heads bowed deeply in respect, though Flynn knew that an Azon would never kneel to a man. The older Azon who had threatened to kill them rested her spear on the floor and he knew she would not give them anymore trouble.

"My apologies for my rudeness." She said. "I am Kalok, Heir to the Tibertektic Tribe. You wish to see Sarice?"

"Isn't that what I said?" Emiri snapped. "You may be Heir where you come from, Kalok, but you're not here! You dare make such a judgment on me again and <I>I</I> will have <I>you</I> executed!"

Emiri pushed Kalok out of the way and motioned for Flynn and Frat to follow her. Kalok gave the younger girl a dirty look when her back was turned and Flynn guessed that they had been rivals for a very long time. Apparently since Kalok was only a guest here, she couldn't make any protests about the way Emiri had spoken to her. Oh well, Flynn thought. That Emiri's quite a spark anyway. I'd hate to see her lose her temper.

Emiri led them through many vast chambers, each filled with jewels, gold, or other precious items, such as Keeln furs and ivory. The Azons never stole; what they had the sought out. They fought Keeln for their furs and the ivory was usually bought. They were very rich in material items, culture and history. Also, being smart, clever hunters, tough warriors and well-educated women they had managed to survive where lesser races had died off.

Finally they came upon a room that was heavily decorated with furs and tapestries. Incense burned, giving off a vanilla scent. In the middle of it all was an older woman, dressed in a gown made for cases where survival was urgent. Her dark hair was pinned up and held in place by a jeweled and feathered headdress and although she wore boots and leather gauntlets she had the air of someone held in high respect about her. Flynn figured that this must be Sarice, the leader of this particular tribe of Azons.

"You bring men, Emiri?" Sarice asked, although her voice was calm and patient, unlike Kalok's had been.

"They are friends of the Lady Oliana." Emiri answered.

Sarice opened her eyes. "My Lady…you come as her messengers?"

"No." Frat said. "We come mainly because Emiri brought us here."

"Don't be smart with me, young man." Sarice said, although a small smile tugged at her lips.

"What he means, ma'am," Flynn said. "Is that we were looking for help to take back the Lady's keep when Emiri approached us and brought us here."

Now Sarice grinned outright and leapt to her feet. "At last! Boys brave enough to stand up for My Lady!"

"Not to sound rude," Frat interrupted. "But why didn't you help her yourselves? Apparently you don't need men to help you out."

"Yes I know." Sarice sighed. "I suppose I should have…but I have spent too much time already neglecting my tribe…well enough of this. Sit, I will tell you my story."

Emiri dragged out mats of Keeln fur and placed them in a half circle around Sarice's own mat. Sarice offered them pieces of dried meat and shalock; Flynn noticed with slight amusement that Frat didn't even glance at the shalock.. He himself took a chunk and chewed it thoughtfully. Indeed it was considered a drug here on Caseree, because it heightened certain magical senses, but Flynn just like the flavor.

"When I was young," Sarice began, "I was brought in for stealing apples from a stand and thrown in the dungeon. The food was never good and poor nutrition would soon cause me to perish. Then one day Oliana wandered into my cell. I was at the time unsure of how she'd gotten in…"

"She must've been really young." Frat said.

Sarice nodded. "Oh aye, she was just a wee bit of a thing, back then. But she had brought me some good food from the kitchens. She did many nights. And she brought me blankets and clean water. Then one day she showed me an escape from the dungeons and I fled and became an Azon. I and many of us have long been in Oliana's debt."

"So you'll help us?" Frat asked eagerly.

"We will fight to the death."

Chapter Eight: Challenges

Sora sipped eagerly at her mug of tomato broth. She was cold and tired, and the meager meal tasted like heaven to her. It was accompanied by a fresh baked loaf of bread, tangy cheese and some dried fish. She'd seen Link finish off more than that, while she barely nibbled, but now she was certain she could eat all this. She'd barely been able to eat much since her encounter with the HellHounds, but now she was starved. And, Sora grinned to herself, she had grown a full inch since arriving at Link's castle…was it really more than a month ago? Time goes by fast, Sora thought. Faster than the Dragon flies.

Many of the adults of the village were outraged by what the children had done, but Raylan had magicked their homes so they were unable to get out. On occasion arrows would fly about, but none of them were ever aimed at a target. The centaurs only wished to stop their children, not to kill them. Sora, on the other hand, was a prime target and so she was kept away from any windows, which wasn't easy.

"Sora."

Once again Bree had come up on her unnoticed. "Yes?"

"Thank you so much…for everything…"

Bree…" Sora stood and turned to face the centaur girl. "You don't have to thank me. I would have done this for anyone."

"You're so nice." Bree said. "You'd help anyone, even the Fay. Caseree Isle doesn't deserve a person like you."

Bree turned and trotted away, leaving Sora to stare after her, jaw agape. No one had ever made such a comment about her, and she didn't really think it was true. Sora just felt a strange need to help people, no matter who they were. It wasn't that it was the 'right' thing to do, but what she wanted to do. For so long the Alima had been considered snobs among society, although they were respected. Sora didn't want to be respected because of her status; she wanted everyone on the Isle to know that she was a friend to all.

And Sora certainly wouldn't have considered herself as nice. I guess Bree never paid attention to what a grump I am in the morning, Sora thought, grinning. It was true, Sora couldn't stand mornings and often she was an awful brat when just woken up. Although she had been better lately, ever since the attack of the HellHounds. Maybe Bree was just being nice…

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Link groaned and reached up to rub his head. He was sore all over from his headlong plunge down the rocky tunnel. The lanterns had shattered, but it was not quite dark in the chamber. A kind of moss the glowed grew on the walls of the cave. Link had seen such before, although not quite like this. Most GlowMoss looked like a rainbow of lights on the walls; this moss was actually black and the light it was giving off was rather dim. Link stood and worked kinks out of his sore muscles.

At his feet Oliana stirred. She was a little rumpled and dirty, but otherwise none the worse for wear. Roxanna looked like she was okay too, although once she got her hands on a mirror and saw how unladylike she looked, she'd most likely have a screaming fit. And even worse, Link had absolutely no idea as to where they had fallen to. He had slid for maybe 5 minutes before striking his head and falling unconscious. He could have fallen for any amount of time after that and they could easily be trapped down here too.

"Link…?"
"Right here, Oli." Link responded.

"Those who do not heed the warning signs…" Oliana sighed.

Link chuckled. "We've been in worse situations than this one."

"Let's see…we've been inside a crumbling building, captured by people who wanted to spill your blood…but I don't see trapped inside a mountain anywhere on that list."

Link shrugged. He had just now noticed a small exit in the chamber. The tunnel looked narrow and it would be very difficult to navigate in the dark, but he had to try at least. Unfortunately they had to wait for Roxanna to wake up, because as much as he would love to get going, he didn't want to have to carry her. Besides, it would be much easier if all three of them went on their own feet.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Flynn lounged in the hammock that had been offered to him, while he watched Frat and Emiri spar.