Chapter 23 -  Shifting Sands

The demons had covered Link's cell during the sandstorm, at least. Darrow's earlier threats worried Link, but he hadn't actually done anything horrible to him yet. There wasn't much to look at inside the darkened canvas-covered cell, so Link slept. And dreamed.

Link saw Ghirahim standing at the edge of the Sealed Grounds. The area was as dark as night, but no stars or moon shone in the sky. The only light glowed a deep yellow from the pit. The demon lord turned around.

"I knew you would come," he said, his voice soft. "However, it is too late to save her."

Too late to save her? He could only mean Zelda. Link felt chills down his spine. Some part of him was aware this was a dream, and tried to think about what it meant. This seemed to him to be some kind of prophecy, but the prophecy had unraveled, hadn't it? Anyway, the dream was different every time. And yet, perhaps he was wrong about that. He wondered if there was a new and unavoidable constant of destiny. One that did not favor the hero or the goddess.

"But you can save yourself," Ghirahim said, his expression earnest. His deep brown eyes reflected the odd yellow light emanating from the pit on Link's right side. He walked towards Link and stopped a few feet in front of the hero, holding out his hand. "Join me. Your surrender will end this war."

Link stared at Ghirahim in horror. No! This couldn't be what would happen! If this was the future, if this was truly how it would end, then he had failed. Link ran past Ghirahim towards the pit, if only to confirm what his dread told him he would see, but abruptly felt a wrenching in his chest. He collapsed to the ground. Turning himself slowly to face the empty sky, he looked from the red bloom on his tunic to Ghirahim. The demon lord looked down at him, his expression cold, though the tears running down his face were at odds with his seeming indifference. "That was your last chance, Link. You've made your choice, and I've made mine. The Seal must be broken."

Ghirahim raised his rapier again and the dream grew dark, until the only thing left was the sensation of falling.

The motion abruptly subsided, but without pain. Vision returned to Link, but he wasn't in the pit where he expected to be. Instead, he was standing in a darkened cave, lit by a fire on one side. At the other side of the cave was Zelda.

"Link!" Zelda said. "Oh!" Her eyes widened when she saw him. "It worked!"

Link looked at her with a mix of shock, relief, and wonder. He ran to embrace her, but stopped abruptly several feet from her her, remembering the curse that was still on him. He looked around the cave and gave her a puzzled look.

"Sorry! I should explain. Impa showed me how I could talk to you from a distance. I didn't quite believe her when she said I could do something like this. but it worked!" She smiled and twirled around.

Link smiled back.

"Oh, but you must be asleep right now, or the connection wouldn't be this strong. So of course you might not be sure this isn't just another dream." Zelda frowned at the ground for a moment, then looked up. "You always remember your dreams, though. So when you wake up, you can check that what I say is real. This is important." She gave him a serious look.

Link listened closely.

"Impa plans to seal the Temple of Time to prevent the demons from entering it. But that means you won't be able to enter it, either."

Link frowned. It made sense, but what should he do then?

"At the center of the curved walls there is an ancient ruin. That ruin contains a secret entryway leading to the temple." She unfurled a map to show him what she meant.

Link nodded when he had committed the location to memory. Since Zelda had assured him that this was a dream, he attempted to hug her, but his arms went right through her. He settled for giving her a bright smile, which Zelda returned. "I guess this is the one time I'm glad you're such a sleepyhead, Link. I've missed you."

Link jolted abruptly awake. He yelped as he realized he was being jabbed with one of the batons the demons used as weapons. Fortunately it wasn't electrified, but it was being prodded firmly into his ribs.

"Has anyone ever told you that you sleep like a rock?" Captain Darrow peered down at Link, who was lying on the floor of the cell. "Time to rise like the blazing sun, Sky Hero."

Link slowly sat up, rubbing gingerly at his ribs and then yawning. Darrow was sitting on a stool this time. Taking off his helmet, he scratched the top of his head between his two black horns.

"I have some news for you."

Link's eyes widened and he felt a knot of apprehension form in his stomach. News on what the demons planned to do with him? He knew they didn't exactly like him...

"We received a communication a little over an hour ago. Lord Ghirahim is alive and well," Darrow said. He grinned. "That means you will also stay alive and well."

Link smiled and sighed in relief. Now that he was awake, he no longer felt that his dream was as certain, or as unavoidable, as it had felt when inside its terrifying confines. Whatever the future might bring, he wouldn't trust to his dreams to define it.

"Of course, it also means that I need to assign new guards to you. My entire contingent can't simply hang out here in the middle of nowhere indefinitely, after all."

Link frowned. He didn't like thinking about who might guard him.

"You are very strongly despised, though. So I have to make sure your guards aren't likely to accidentally stab you or set you on fire after I leave." He smiled. "I suppose that disqualifies Trelan."

Link gave the bokoblin a small smile in return. Perhaps things would not be so bad after all.

"Of course, there is the additional problem that you are a sneaky, slippery little troublemaker. Don't think I have forgotten your previous escape from Lord Ghirahim's prison." Darrow pointed the electrified baton at his face, though he seemed to take care that the crackling electricity didn't stray too close to the Sky Hero's face. "You need guards who won't let their guard down for a moment and who also won't kill you. I hate to leave anyone competent behind, but even if there were any incompetents in my contingent, I wouldn't leave them guarding you."

The red bokoblin stared off into the distance. In a low voice, he said, "But I would be greatly deluded to think this inadequate cell, even with the best of guards, would be enough to contain you." He chuckled. "No, that's probably just an amusing puzzle for you to solve!"

Link frowned.

Darrow lowered his voice. "There are entire prophecies that speak of your triumphant victory. There are no prophecies about me. I have a choice, though. I could disobey Ghirahim's orders, the orders to keep you among the living, even if it costed my life. Perhaps then you would not be able to destroy us all."

Link felt a chill run down his spine.

"But if I have a choice, so do you," Darrow said, his eyes boring into Link. "Remember that, when you are called upon to bury my people under the ground."

Darrow stood, and dusted off his helmet with one of his thickly gloved hands, placing it carefully back on his head. He raised his voice then. "Hope you like the view in that cell, Sky Hero. It's all you'll be seeing for a while."

Link pondered his options for escape. It seemed that there weren't very many, despite Darrow's paranoia about his eventual escape. He didn't have his sword, or his other items. He had his drawing materials, and some bottles of water, and that was about it. The guards gave him food from time to time, and they watched him intently.

Link knew he had to escape, but he also knew that he was guarded by five demons. Three were bokoblins-two blue males and a single green female. The fourth of them was a green winged female demon, and the last was a large red demon woman who towered over the other four. The two male bokoblins stood farther out, whereas the three female demons stood close to his cell.

The green bokoblin fidgeted with the skull she wore on her head. "This is the most boring job ever."

The tallest one shrugged. She was not only taller, but considerably larger than the other four. She had floppy ears like a bokoblin, but the similarities ended there. Perhaps twelve feet tall and built like a Goron, she looked considerably more formidable than the bokoblin. She was even taller than the second tallest demon in the group, the winged demon, who Link thought was probably close to Ghirahim's height. She was a deep red. She wore a large golden collar around her neck, a simple straw-colored tunic, and held an enormous wooden square shield. "There's no heavy lifting, at least. I hate lifting things."

The green bokoblin raised an eyebrow. "That shield you're holding looks heavy."

The larger demon laughed and looked between her shield and the bokoblin. "Well, it's bigger than you are, so I guess you'd think so. But it doesn't bother a moblin like me any. Wood is lightweight. No, it's the metal shields that are the worst."

"Certainly not!"

As the demons argued the finer points of shield use, Link noted the term 'moblin'. He supposed that must be a race of demon, much like the bokoblins. He wondered how all the demons could look so incredibly different from each other. Hylians and Sheikahs looked very similar to each other, though most of the Sheikahs he'd seen were darker-skinned, and they had a larger variety of eye colors than the Hylians. Kikwis all had the same basic body shape and seemed to differ mostly by having slightly different facial features and plant features, and the Parella he'd seen were sometimes nearly indistinguishable from each other. But demons didn't even all have the same number of appendages—the winged ones had six!

The two demons seemed to have gotten very involved in their argument about shields while Link had been lost in his own thoughts.

"-but they offer better protection!" the bokoblin insisted.

"Not necessarily," the moblin said. "I could hold this wooden shield up all day, but no one can hold up a metal shield this size very long without getting tired. It saps your strength, and you don't want that in a battle."

"Huh. Well, I guess you're right about that. Though I still don't think I'll be using wood in place of a nice sturdy metal. Even the Surface wood like you have there can be cut through too easily."

"I can see we're just going to have to disagree on this. Hey, you work for Lady Pyre, don't you?" the moblin said.

"Eh, why do you say that?" the bokoblin asked.

The moblin gestured towards the bokoblin.

"The little gold flame-thing on your belt. That's Lady Pyre's symbol. All her soldiers wear it."

"Oh. Heh. I guess that would be very obvious. How silly of me not to think of that."

The moblin shrugged. "Not silly at all. Obviously I'm just a genius."

"Ha, yes. Of course."

Suddenly, the wind blew, tumbleweeds and sand breezing past the crumbling walls in Link's view. The demons coughed and mumbled complaints about the sand getting into everything. Link squinted. He saw something moving in the distance.

When the wind subsided, Link could make out a green, masked figure. A chill crawled up his spine as he recognized who it was. But there was nothing he could do. The five soldiers around his cell seemed to notice the figure, but showed only mild curiosity.

Eventually the demon reached them.

Lord Terrin stopped in front of the moblin. "Good day, soldier. I notice you have acquired quite an-interesting prisoner."

The moblin gave him a doubtful look. "Lord Terrin. What a surprise to see you."

"A surprise? A pleasant one, I should think. I'm here to take this dangerous nuisance off your hands." He gestured lazily towards Link.

Link felt a shudder of fear.

The moblin sneered at the masked lord. "We were told that you're not supposed to be in Lanayru, and that if you were here, it was 'cause you were disobeying the Table's orders and we should tell you to get lost.'"

The green demon chuckled. "Ah, Lord Ghirahim knows me all too well. Still, does not the fact that I am on the Diamond Table mean anything to you? Also, if you assisted me, I could make it worth your while."

"Are you trying to bribe us, Lord Terrin? Because we don't work for bribes." The other four guards nodded their agreement.

"Ah, so you are loyal soldiers. That makes this harder for me. I have a deep and abiding respect for those who do not desert their honor for fleeting rewards." He drew his sword. "Still, I came here for the Sky Vermin, and since you refuse to hand him to me, I have no choice but to fight you. Regretfully."

"You're the only one who'll be regretting anything," the green bokoblin said. She swung her axe at Terrin, who dodged, though Link saw and heard the axe clash against the tip of the sword. The moblin jabbed her spear at Terrin, and growled when it only grazed his arm. The masked demon hissed and waved his sword around as the other five demons closed in on him.

At that moment, Link saw a red dragon swoop down and land near the other demons in the sand. The creature stood as tall as the moblin, and gave an enormous roar before it seemed to dwindle and dissolve. A familiar sorcerer stood where the dragon had been before.

"Ah, Astaroth," Terrin said. The five soldiers stood around him, glancing between the sorcerer and the masked lord. "Perhaps you could assist? I don't really care for solo melee fights."

The sorcerer held up a hand. "Of course. But, while I am loathe to make trouble for you, my lord, we must resolve this peaceably."

"I do not believe the current situation is conducive to that outcome," Terrin said. "I believe that not everyone here is going to be alive at the end of this, and I would prefer that any dead parties not include me."

"Apologies, my lord, but demon should not fight demon." He turned his head, which Link noticed was blindfolded, between the soldiers and Lord Terrin. "Any demon killed is one less that Hylia and her dogs will have to fight. Let us not spill each other's blood when we can resolve this matter in another way." He clasped his hands together and tilted his head, a frown etched onto his face.

"I'm not even going to ask what's up with that blindfold, sorcerer," the moblin said. "Honestly, you shouldn't even be out here if you have to be wearing that. But do tell us what you think this other way is. Because I'm thinking of resolving this by giving any troublemakers some missing limbs." The moblin said, not taking her eyes off of Terrin.

"Yes, do tell," Lord Terrin said, still holding up his sword, though he didn't move.

Astaroth cleared his throat. "Well, I believe that it may be best if the Hero-" He said, turning his blindfolded head between Link and the other demons, "-stays with these soldiers."

"That is not what we agreed earlier, Astaroth," Terrin said.

"I was not aware that the Sky Hero was already in our custody, my lord," Astaroth said. "They will surely bring him before the Diamond Table to answer for his crimes. You sit on the Table yourself, my lord-do you really think they will look kindly upon him?"

"If we leave him here, he will escape," Terrin hissed. "He is much stronger than he appears."

Astaroth fidgeted nervously. "I understand your concern, my lord. But you do recall that I placed two curses on him earlier, do you not?"

"Yes, and failed to kill him!" Terrin growled. "Just as you failed to-"

"Ah, that is true," Astaroth said quickly, his tone soothing. "And I see that one of the curses was removed. But the other shall ensure that he will have no escape from us, wherever he may be." He looked over at the soldiers. "Even so, you might be better off if we took him off your hands. Would you really want his escape on your conscience?"

"You are considerably more well-mannered than the lord whom you serve," One of the blue bokoblins commented.

Astaroth gave a nervous laugh. "Manners are not the chief concern of my lord. If they were, I am certain he would excel at them."

"We still can't give him to you," the green bokoblin said, holding her axe in front of her.

"Understandable," Astaroth said. "If unfortunate. But as I've said before, I will not fight you for him." He turned to Terrin. "You know who the real threat is, my lord. This mere mortal is but a fly compared to her. It would be preferable if we could destroy him now, yes, but I will not fight our allies to accomplish that."

"I do not have allies," Terrin said. "There are those who are assisting me, and those who are in my way."

Astaroth spread his hands, grinning. "But I am assisting you."

Terrin was still for a long moment. Then he slowly inched his sword back into its scabbard. "Yes," he said resentfully. "There is one troublesome sorcerer assisting me. How fortunate I am." His mask turned to the soldiers gathered around him. "Well. It looks like I won't be taking this little vermin from you after all. May I go now?"

Astaroth smiled widely and clasped his hands together. "I know he's been a bit of a bother to you, but I would most appreciate it if you released my lord. And I would be most obliged if he could be returned in one piece. As I've said, I find bloodshed most-distressing."

"Seems fair," the moblin said, frowning. "Just as long as all of us stay in one piece, then so does he. And he can leave. Preferably sooner rather than later."

"Ah, of course. Understood," Astaroth said. "And you have my thanks. My lord and I will take our leave now."

Astaroth transformed into the dragon form again. This time the dragon form was considerably larger than before. As he leaped into the air, he grabbed Terrin.

Link breathed a sigh of relief. Then he heard a loud wrenching sound and felt his cell lift into the air.

Alarmed, Link heard his cell creak as it rocked back and forth. He also heard Lord Terrin's laughter. And, rapidly receding into the distance, the sound of the guard's dismayed yells. Now Link understood why the sorcerer had made his transformation larger this time.

Eventually, the dragon-sorcerer landed, placing Link's cell and Terrin on top of a wall. Link didn't see or hear anyone nearby except Terrin and Astaroth. The masked lord walked over to Astaroth, who had transformed back into a demon.

"So, you planned to get the Sky Vermin from them after all?" Terrin said, his tone considerably more approving.

"Of course!" Astaroth said. "I apologize if my earlier reticence dismayed you, my lord, but I have told you before that there are limits to what I will do for you. Still, I would not have you leave without your prize." The sorcerer gestured towards Link. "I know you desire to destroy this vile creature more than any of Hylia's servants."

"Finally," Terrin said. He unsheathed his sword and stalked towards Link. Link tried to move within the cell, but felt a force pushing him towards the side Terrin was approaching from. The demon lord pointed his sword towards Link as he moved inexorably closer. Link struggled to move away again, to move against the force pushing him towards death, but time had run out. Terrin stood in front of him, so close that Link could see the scratches in his mask. Link held his arms in front of himself as a shield and closed his eyes.

A long moment passed, and Link heard two yells of dismay. Opening his eyes, he saw in disbelief that Terrin's sword was being held back by Fi. One of her fluttering wings had clenched onto the end of the sword and despite Terrin's obvious attempts to pull it free, continued to cling to it with the strength of steel.

"Astaroth! The stone!"

"Yes, I have it! But-it's not working!"

Fi tilted her head. "That will not work here. You have made a miscalculation."

Terrin hissed. "It seems I have, Sword Mistress."

"Ghirahim is bound to his word not to kill those who have not killed any demons. That agreement includes my master, Link. Therefore I know he would not allow you to be attacking my Master."

"Oh. You don't say? I guess I should kill the little vermin now then, and make sure he doesn't find out." Terrin growled as he continued to pull at his sword. "He was a fool to ever make such an agreement."

"If he had not, I would have no reason to leave you alive now. I must not attack any demons as long as Ghirahim holds to his end of our agreement. That is, unless my master should decide that I should break that agreement."

Link shook his head.

"My master has generously decided that you will live." Fi flicked her other wing and Link saw the blindfold that the sorcerer was wearing unravel itself all at once.

Astaroth blinked in confusion. Turning to face the sun, he started to wander away, muttering something about a shiny gold pebble in an ocean above his head.

Terrin cursed. Then he yanked hard on his sword, finally dislodging it from Fi's wing. However, as he pulled back, he froze, as if he had turned to stone. Even the sand in the wind around him stilled.

Link stared at the frozen demon, a thousand questions racing through his head. Fi turned around. "He is still alive. I have abided by your wishes. However, I have slowed the time around him. He will not be troubling us again any time soon."

Link gaped, wondering how Fi had been able to freeze time. He had never seen her do that before. He had never known it was even possible to do that before.

Fi replied in her usual calm tone. "One of the primary abilities of the timestones is to slow the passage of time, which is what I have done to the space around Lord Terrin. My current increased powers and invulnerability to the Silent Realm stones is due the unique nature of this place."

Link frowned. Silent Realm stones? She must mean those green stones with the flower engraved on them. But what was the Silent Realm?

"The Silent Realm is a realm created by the three goddesses to protect this Realm from outsiders," Fi answered simply. "We stand near the Lanayru Mining Facility. The power of the timestones is so strong here it alters the very fabric of our realm so that it cannot merge with the Silent Realm. In this place, I cannot be affected by their connection to that realm. In addition, the Timestones are a source of power which I can draw upon. For these reasons, I was able to eventually draw sufficient power from the timestones that Darrow carried away with him to teleport myself here."

Link watched as Fi dissolved the lock of his cell and opened the door. "I return to you the vessel in which I reside, the Goddess Sword," she said, and held out her wings in front of herself. The air around them glimmered, and the sword materialized between them so that she held it out to him, blade downward. Link clasped the hilt, and took the sword from her. He missed his other missing items, but the sword was the only one he truly needed.

On the other hand, he was deeply worried about Firestar, who was still trapped with the demons. What would happen to her? He knew he couldn't look for her now. He closed his eyes. He had to focus on finding Zelda. He had to.

He looked over at Terrin, and Fi turned to consider the frozen demon as well. "It is fortunate that the timestones were discovered after the demons were Sealed away. He couldn't have known of my advantage here."

Fi turned to look at the symbol of a Loftwing holding aloft the Triforce in the distance. "We must reach the Temple of Time. However, I detect a field of power shielding it from outsiders."

Link showed her his memories of his dream with Zelda.

"Ah," Fi said. "I see. In that case, we are already where we need to be."

She turned back to Link, floating just above the ground as was typical for her. She pointed one wing towards the other demon, who was currently chasing a tumbleweed. "Also, there is an 80% chance that we will obtain useful information from questioning the sorcerer. I suggest we do that before we enter the mining facility."

Link scanned the vista, but while it looked like the place Zelda had shown on the map in his dream, he didn't see the mining facility that Zelda and Fi both claimed was located here. Where was it?

"I will show you. I advise we question the sorcerer first, however."

Link nodded, though the first question that came to his mind was why the sorcerer seemed to be busy building a tower made of rocks.

Ghirahim kept pace with Orynx as they walked through the sand. Or tried to, anyway. Orynx had said nothing since he had discovered Ghirahim hours ago and they had begun to head for the Temple of Time, which was where Ghirahim knew Hylia would be travelling to. She's also Zelda, of course, he brooded. Who always seemed nice enough whenever I met her. Of course she would be, since Link and her get along wonderfully. But she is still a threat to all of my kind.

Ghirahim looked over at Orynx's scarred face.

"You need to rest," Ghirahim said.

Orynx grunted. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, it's either that or you have developed an exceedingly long blink."

Orynx glanced briefly over at him. "Does it matter?"

"Why, yes. When was the last time you slept?"

"Two days ago."

Ghirahim frowned. "You should rest, then."

"I am accustomed to minimal sleep-"

"And I am accustomed to guards who don't keel over because they think they don't need rest."

"We need to get to the Temple."

"That won't be any good if you aren't alert enough to fight. I insist."

Orynx stopped. "Fine."

Ghirahim crossed his arms. "You really are tired if you give in that easily. But you won't get any rest just standing there."

Orynx sat down in front of a large boulder. "Fine."

"Now, go to sleep. Or do I need to sing you a lullaby?"

"No!" Orynx said, his eyes widening as he stood abruptly.

"That was an unexpectedly violent reaction. I apologize if you found my suggestion that unduly insulting."

"No," Orynx said more calmly, slowly sitting back down. "You misunderstand. You didn't offend me. I-" he sighed. "Never mind. Just-you didn't offend me."

"Alright." Ghirahim sat down in front of Orynx. "Perhaps you can tell me what I did do?" Something about what I said clearly upset you. If I knew what it was-"

Orynx's mouth creased downward in a frown. "I should tell you...but it is not something I have ever discussed."

Ghirahim tilted his head slightly. "This must be about that secret of yours, then. Am I right? About how you were able to defy King Thressen."

"I suppose it's related, in a way. In a very twisted, unpleasant way."

Ghirahim gave him a wide smile. "I am all ears. Of course, I do suggest you get some sleep first, or your recounting of it might be amusingly incoherent."

"Hmmm. Sounds like a good idea. And maybe it was just a crazy idea to think about telling you anyway. But don't you go disappearing anywhere while I sleep. Or you'll never know."

"I'll be right here," Ghirahim said.

"You'd better." Orynx leaned back on the rock and was asleep in minutes. Ghirahim watched the sandy horizon, ready to attack any foes with his magic. A couple of times, he jumped at a rush of movement, only to realize it was a tumbleweed. He created some small dust devils to amuse himself and chase the tumbleweeds.

After some time, Orynx stirred and opened his eyes. He looked over at Ghirahim and spoke. "Fine, I promise to tell you, if you first tell me what I wish to know. Since I cannot detect lies as you can."

"Are you calling me a liar, Orynx? Still, I will agree to those terms. What is it you wish to know of me?"

Ghirahim felt some anxiety at the idea of discussing what had transpired while he had been captured by the Sky Hero, but if that was what Orynx asked of him...

"I want to know what it is like for you to be separated from the sword. It's of utmost importance, especially here."

Ghirahim watched another tumbleweed roll past and sighed. It wasn't that he enjoyed discussing that topic. But it seemed he no longer felt any strong need to keep it to himself. Orynx was right-it was important. If that is really the secret you wish to know of me, then. "I have been bonded to the sword for most of my life," Ghirahim said. "I just barely managed to finish my meeting with Guld when I was disconnected from it."

"What about when you were captured by the Sky Hero?"

"That was difficult for me, but not as bad."

"How could it not be as bad? He could have killed you!"

Ghirahim sighed. "No, he couldn't have. It is against his nature. The Sky People are pacifists, Orynx. They don't believe in ever killing anyone, naive as that sounds."

"The last one certainly wasn't a pacifist," Orynx said darkly. "But you're right that the current one doesn't seem to be similarly inclined. Can we really hope he won't change his mind?"

"I do not think it is something he would bend on."

"I wish I shared your optimism. But please complete your explanation of the bond you share with the sword."

"Yes, of course. Without my connection to the sword, I lack the desire to rule. I also lack...a certain sharpness."

"That sounds dangerous," Orynx said.

"I am not completely crippled without it," Ghirahim said vehemently. "But it has always been a source of strength for me. It galls me that it must be physically separate from me—worse still is the thought that I could be cut off from it again, at any time."

"If you could find a way to wield the sword for yourself-"

"Not possible," Ghirahim said, slouching as he stared at the glittering sand.

"But why?" Orynx sounded puzzled.

"I don't know. I know only that Din, who created the sword, must have made it that way, that one so bound to the sword could not also be its wielder. If I were to guess a reason, it would be that she wished to ensure that the powers of the sword were kept separate."

"Separate? What do you mean? You have all of the abilities of the sword."

"Not—entirely. It is true that I have all the skills that the wielder would have, and many more besides, as I understand the source of those skills much more intimately. But as a demon, I am not unbreakable, nor do I possess an unbreakable weapon to use for myself. And my other half is incapable of self-movement."

"I see," Orynx said. "I think I understand you better, now."

"That's good to know. If anyone deserves to understand me, it is the one who wields my sword." Ghirahim looked up at him.

Orynx shrugged. "We both know that I am no true wielder of the sword. I have no power of sorcery for it to bond with."

"If I can find some way to change that, I will."

Orynx gave him a puzzled look. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I must wonder what advantage that would be to you."

Ghirahim smiled at him. "What advantage? Orynx, it is difficult to find a good wielder for the sword. Also, try not to be so cynical. Perhaps it is not all about me."

Orynx snorted. "Not all about you? Is that why your favorite person to see is the one in the mirror?"

"Did you just make a joke, Orynx? Perhaps my attitude is catching."

"Huh. Not likely."

"Unfortunate. You suffer from a deficit of humor. But I digress. I have answered your question. It is time you answered mine."

Orynx grimaced. "Yes. That is only—fair." He paused for a moment. "For you to understand what happened, you will have to know something of what I was like before." The guard's nose wrinkled in distaste.

Ghirahim waved a hand. "Well, go on."

"I was nothing but a weapon that served Thressan without question. That is all that the Elite Guard are. Weapons forged from the complete loyalty we are instilled with. Understand, I cared only whether Thressan was pleased or unhappy. As you might imagine, I was a monster. I don't think I ever stopped being a monster, but I did come to realize that I was one."

"And how did that come to be?"

"It happened because of my love for music."

"Music?" Ghirahim said. "That seems—unlikely. Did someone sing you a tune and make you see the error of your ways? Please tell me that is not what happened."

Orynx scowled. "Not exactly, but music was an important part of what-happened. Where should I start? I suppose...well, everyone knows that Thressan had an endless fascination with torture. What they may not have realized was that torture was his sole means of relating to other people. It was very much the equivalent of saying 'good day' for him. And his guard was certainly not exempt from fulfilling such needs."

Ghirahim grimaced. "Sounds like charming company. Still, wouldn't it be in his own best interests if his guards were not weakened by-?"

Orynx shook his head. "Of course. He didn't torture his guard physically. No. Rather, he wished to see if he could induce psychological pain in us." Orynx looked speculatively at the sky. "It was always a source of perplexing questions for those of us in the guard, because he was actually very good at it, and yet we always wondered if we were really suffering as much as he wanted us to. Because we were all pained greatly by what he did to us, and yet we were happy to be the ones responsible for carrying out his instructions, so that he could derive satisfaction from that pain..."

"So you were happy that you were miserable-I'm confused."

Orynx snorted. "I count that in your favor. To explain it all-his motives, or even my own twisted reasonings at the time, is not something I care to attempt. But to explain his methods—well, I loved music. So Thressan bade me to kill any musician who practiced their craft."

"He made music illegal?"

Orynx shook his head. "He would not have bothered with a law. That might have given them more warning."

Ghirahim felt a deep unease imagining what horrors Orynx was responsible for. Not that I haven't realized, for as long as I have known him even, that he has done horrendous things. I've always known he served Releris, after all. And when he first told me he served Thressan, I knew that wouldn't have been any better. Still, I don't think anything could have prepared me for this. Ghirahim thought of all of the times long past when he had seen Orynx standing in the throne room while Ghirahim had sung as a Fool at the command of Releris. All the times the guard had grimaced in seeming disapproval. Unnervingto think that perhaps that was not annoyance at my singing voice at all, but rather the repression of old habits. "I see. Do continue."

"Of course I did as he asked. I—remember every melody I ever heard, except that I was ordered to always kill the musician before they finished. Whenever I came back with another bloodied instrument or singer's head, Thressan would always ask me to play or sing the tune for him, and then he would finish it with some atrocious off-key humming. Tone deaf, you see."

Ghirahim would always despise Releris. But if there was one good deed he ever did... "So what happened?" He asked.

"One day," Orynx said. "I heard someone playing a flute in a crowded marketplace. Of course I sought the source of the music out, intent on killing whoever played the tune. But as I approached, the sound disappeared into the crowd, only to reappear somewhere else. I kept following it, but each time it faded from my hearing. It drove me into a rage because I had always prided myself on taking my victims quickly. No one had ever eluded me before."

"How long did you follow this person?"

"Until the music faded completely and did not return. Afterward I calmed down. I reasoned that as the last part I'd heard could not have possibly been the end of the song, that I would still be able to carry out Thressan's orders. I just had to look for someone with a flute. But despite my careful searching, I didn't find anyone with such an instrument."

"At the edge of the market, I heard the sound again, though. I followed it through the Rock Pillars-"

Ghirahim suddenly realized where Orynx must have ended up.

"As the sound grew louder, I quickened my pace until I was running. I didn't realize where I was until I barged through the thick cloth covering the entrance to the cave of the Breach. I had heard about the place, but never actually seen it—Thressan, perhaps because of his love for pain and despair, did not wish for his guards to ever see sunlight. I saw the musician standing not more than twenty paces away. And that was when she finished the song."

"And?"

Orynx looked away. "I-fainted." His eyes examined the sand at his feet before he looked back up at Ghirahim. "Do. Not. Ever. Tell. Anyone."

Ghirahim held up his hands. "I would never consider it. But I must wonder what happened after that."

"Nothing much for a very long time. I woke with the first feelings of doubt I had ever had. The musician was gone. Next to me I saw a dagger and the flute she had carried. I think she had planned to kill me, but had underestimated what her own reaction to the Breach would be."

"Did you ever find out who she was?"

Orynx shook his head. "No."

Ghirahim sighed and crossed his arms. "How disappointing."

"I would know her if I saw her again, though that is not possible—she is dead."

A feeling of dread filled Ghirahim. "Did you-?"

"No. I didn't kill her."

"Then how do you know?"

"I am good at finding things out, when I want to know them. I made a few discreet inquiries and found that the song she played was specific to a certain small village. I went there to see her."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I know I didn't plan to harm her, though, or allow her to finish her attempt at killing me. I just wanted to know something about this person who had almost managed to end me, and who had somehow managed to use something I loved to make me feel so much worse than Thressan ever had. I admired her accomplishment. That was all."

"An unusual thought process."

"I suppose. But anyway, I never had a chance to talk with her-her village was overrun by redeads less than a week later. The village I arrived to had been burned to a cinder. To prevent the infestation from spreading, of course. That was the common way the locals would deal with such things in Thressan's time, as they would no more trust the Torturer and King of the Dead to help them than they would the redeads themselves."

Ghirahim shuddered. "I see. Please forgive me, Orynx, but I think all of this may be much more useful than you believe." So it was sunlight, then, that finally ended Thressan's hold on Orynx. That is why he said it would never work for Terrin.

"I am sorry if it pains you to tell me these things."

"You don't need to be," Orynx said. "It has always been mistrust, much more than pain, that drove me to hide this information. Anyway, as I said, it was a long time before I did anything about—my new outlook on life. Even though I never felt the same afterwards, still I continued to serve Thressan. I thought—" he gave a bitter laugh. "I thought something had gone wrong with me, that it was some flaw in myself that I no longer viewed him as my sole purpose in life-that more and more, I spoke lies to him rather than truth. And then one day, I realized that everything I had done to serve him—meant nothing to me anymore."

"And so here you are."

"Here I am." he said the words as if he meant now you know.

I told you what you wished to know. And yet, with what you've told me now, I feel as if I may be keeping more secrets than you.

"Orynx?"

"Yes?"

I should tell him. "I wanted to talk to you about the Sky Hero..." Ghirahim began. He was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Lord Ghirahim!" Ferrik called out joyously from the bottom of the dune, his eyes reflecting the sun behind them. He was happier than Ghirahim had ever before seen him. "I knew it! I knew we'd find you!" He gave Orynx a brief smirk. "I told you so! I told you! You were wrooooong!"

Orynx's expression became unreadable. "Yes. Yes, I was."

Ferrik only gave him a smug look before turning to Ghirahim, an excited expression on his face. "Shall I show you what I found, my lord?"

"Please do!" Ghirahim said.

Ferrik dug into his pack and produced a piece of rolled-up cloth. Rolling it out, he showed Ghirahim the stylized blue bird emblazoned on the white cloth. "I'll bet this is from the Sky Hero!"

"You're right," Ghirahim said, wondering where Link was at that moment. He tried unsuccessfully to not feel the worry that rippled unpleasantly through him. He would never have carelessly left that. It has some great significance to him. "Good job, Ferrik. Here, I'll take it." he held out his hand. Ferrik jogged eagerly up the dune and held it out to him with a flourish.

Ghirahim took the cloth and turned it over in his hands. It smelled vaguely of some perfume, and he suddenly remembered where he had smelled that scent before. Zelda. Of course.

"That must mean we're going in the right direction!" Ferrik said.

Ghirahim rolled up the cloth and casually tied it to his sash. "I'll have to examine it for any spells it might harbor."

"Hmmm," Orynx said. "So, what was that about the Sky Hero?"

"Ah, I'll tell you later, Orynx."

"Fi. That's a funny name," Astaroth said, and giggled.

"My master wishes to know what Lord Terrin's actions in Lanayru have been. Why is he here? Does he have other allies? What are his plans?"

Link sighed. This didn't seem to be getting them anywhere.

The sorcerer looked over at Link and gave him a good-natured smile. Fi had assured Link that she would be able to overpower the sorcerer here if he became a threat. Also, she had said that she did not think that would happen. When Link had wondered why the sorcerer was acting so oddly, she had explained that demons initially became confused and disoriented upon seeing sunlight. Link thought Astaroth's behavior was better described as weird.

"Ah, the Sky Hero," Astaroth said, examining Link. He held out two fingers next to each other. "He's kind of, hmm, shorter than I thought he'd be, you know."

"My master is aware of his current height," Fi said with her usual neutral expression and tone, though Link thought he heard an edge of impatience in her otherwise even voice. "My master wishes to know what Lord Terrin's actions in Lanayru-"

"Fish!" Astaroth said, giggling again.

"I doubt that Lord Terrin's motives for coming here had anything to do with aquatic-"

"Oh ho ho," Astaroth laughed. "They don't! Ha! You've been asking me the same question for half an hour now, sword spirit. Why don't you try something else? I think you're getting bored interroga-roga-rogating me." He laughed again. "Oh, I think that word was too much for me right now! I should try another long one. I know! Insou-insouci-insouciance! Ah, too easy! But it does describe how I'm feeling right now. Not a care in the world!" The demon began twirling around in a circle.

Fi turned to Link. "My apologies, Master. I do not think he will tell us anything useful."

Link looked at the sorcerer. Maybe Fi was right. No matter how strange Astaroth was acting right now, it seemed he wouldn't tell them anything about Terrin. Link had an idea, though. He drew a picture and held it out to the sorcerer.

"Eh?" Astaroth said, stopping his spinning. He crossed his eyes a few moments and then leaned into the image.

"Ah, yes! Lord Ghirahim. He is most clever, despite his youth. And the most powerful sorcerer I have ever met. Though of course there is much he does not yet know about how to use that power. It is a pity my lord dislikes him so."

Even before Link could ponder that, Fi spoke. "Why is that?"

"Eh?" Astaroth said, frowning. He seemed to be trying to concentrate on something. Then he looked up suddenly and smiled. "It's quite simple, Sparkly. May I call you Sparkly?"

The sword spirit stared at him silently for a long moment, her face expressionless. "Yes," Fi said. "Please continue."

"Oh! Excellent! Well, Sparkly, it's like this-Lord Ghirahim is the only one with the power to break the Seal. So that's why I say it is a pity my lord dislikes him so. I feel that at some point there must be a confron-fron-tation. And I do so dislike those."

Fi turned to Link. "I think we are done here. While there is surely more information that this one could impart to us, we cannot spend too much time here questioning him, and I do not recommend taking him into the Lanayru Mining Facility."

Link nodded. What should they do with him, though? He would certainly follow them into the Mining Facility if they just left him here, wouldn't he?

"If I slow the time around him as well, then he will not be a threat for now. By the time the effect wears off, we will be out of Lanayru."

Link considered what she had said, and nodded.

Fi glanced over at the sorcerer, who was currently frolicking contentedly in the sand. "I am unaccustomed to leaving such dangerous foes alive. But I estimate the agreement between Lord Ghirahim and myself has resulted in 45% fewer casualties thus far. I only wish-"

She paused to freeze the sorcerer, then turned around. "Ah, I apologize for thinking aloud. I always wish to maximize all desirable outcomes. But that is not possible. We should enter the mining facility now."

Link turned to face the vast expanse of quicksand she gazed across at.

Fi raised her wings, and Link felt the wall rumble and shake beneath his feet. An enormous building rose above the sand. "This is the building to which I am referring. My power is much stronger here than at the other temples, due to the energy of the timestones. I do not anticipate any delays in reaching our destination, as I will be able to assist you here in ways I could not in other areas."

Link looked down the steps leading into the mining facility, but saw only darkness. Cool air gusted up from the stairway, along with a sharp and decidedly unpleasant smell. Link realized what it reminded him of-the corpse of the lizalfos he and Ghirahim had encountered. The air gusting out of the circular stone edifice smelled of death. Link took a deep breath and looked briefly over at Fi, who stared impassively back.

At least she seemed unafraid of what might dwell within the ancient ruin. Link took this as an encouraging sign, and began his descent.