Chapter 26: Judgment

Ghirahim was enjoying a very relaxing bath of boiling water. Of course, eventually it was all going to turn into steam, but that was good, too. Bathe in the blood of my enemies? Do I look like I bathe in blood? That would be disgusting. He looked up at the skylight. Then again, I won't say that I haven't occasionally-tasted it.

Ghirahim slowly extended his long tongue to taste the air, which was filled with the essence of his lavender soap. He retracted his tongue slowly back into his mouth and watched the clouds go past the moon through the three diamond windows on the ceiling. He felt his eyelids lowering...

He was standing in a field, only it was actually a chessboard. On the other end stood Hylia, standing tall as the King, and Impa as the imposing Queen. Fi and Link were pawns. Tala was a bishop, and other Sheikah filled the rest of the roles, excepting the second bishop, which was gone. One of the knights stood out in particular. The Sheikah teleporter.

He turned his attention to the closer pieces. On his side, Ferrik and Orynx were knights. The rest of the Order of the Diamond Table made up the rooks, pawns, and one bishop. The bishop was Terrin. He scowled at it.

"You don't belong here," he said.

"Yes, I do," Terrin replied. "In any event, I don't answer to you." He jabbed one of his long claws towards the demon lord.

Ghirahim looked over at the pawns to each side of him, and then realized he was a pawn as well. As he turned back again, he noticed there was no Queen behind him. He saw a King on his side, but unlike the other pieces, it didn't resemble anyone and only seemed to be a generic piece. As he continued to examine it, the piece seemed to grow more-alive, until it suddenly materialized the Unbreakable Sword. Ghirahim held out his arms as it was brought down on him.

He jolted awake, sitting up straight in the bath. After a few deep breaths, he calmed himself down. He hadn't had a dream like that-in a while. The Shard of Truth had caused most of his dreams to be about actual events in his life. Now that it was gone, his dreams would probably become considerably less-literal.

At least I'm not a Seer. As far as I know, anyway. As useful as that might be, I'd rather not see the future in my nightmares. Not that he didn't still find the dream disturbing. Even as he took a few slow breaths, he could feel it had left a deep impression on him. Still, it seems a somewhat accurate assessment of our current situation. What he found deeply unsettling was the feeling in the dream that events were spiraling out of his control. He didn't need to be a Seer to know that.

He brushed the fingers of his right hand absently over the top of his left hand, where the shard had been most recently. He was unused to this silence. Usually the Shard of Truth had something insightful, if occasionally obnoxious, to say about his thoughts. He wanted it back. He had thought, had hoped, that having the Shard in a different hand might throw the Sheikah off. So though he had usually kept it in his right hand, he had changed it to the left after Impa's first attempt to take the Shard. He had hoped that would be enough to throw her off if she tried to steal it again. Unfortunately it hadn't helped.

Ghirahim again looked up at the three diamond skylight windows through the steam as his thoughts wandered back to the dream again. He was probably only having nightmares about Terrin because the trial hadn't yet happened. Then again, Terrin hadn't been the threat to him in the dream. Even the Sheikahs hadn't been the threat. The King on his own side had been. Makes sense, I suppose. I wasn't exactly on the best terms with the last one. Still, Releris is very dead now, so there is that to take comfort in, I suppose.

He sighed. Someone was knocking on the door.

"Yes?" Ghirahim said.

"It's been 3 hours and one minute," a metallic voice said suddenly through the door.

Ghirahim sat up straight and materialized his black saber in his hand before he realized the voice was not a threat. He leaned back in the bath again and let the sword dissolve back into diamonds. Steam filled the air around him in a thick white fog. The bath was almost empty of water now, with the bubbling remainder of it rapidly joining the steam in the room.

"My immense patience means you are obligated not to cover me in any of that wretched sand. There is much I'd like to discuss with you."

The demon lord sighed again. "You'll have to wait a few more minutes, I'm afraid," he said. "I fell asleep and lost track of the time. But not to worry, there's quite a bit I'd like to discuss with you as well, Wise."

"Wonderful," the sorcerer's metallic voice responded.

Ghirahim stood and stepped out of the tub, drying himself off and putting his recently cleaned clothing back on. He took a few minutes to preen in the full-length mirror, using his magic to ensure that not a hair was out of place. Once he felt presentable, he opened the door. Wise stood there, flanked by Orynx and Ferrik, who had been guarding the outside of the room the entire time. The older sorcerer was as Ghirahim remembered him-still dressed in concealing clothing that covered him from head to toe, leaving only his brown eyes and black wings visible. Even his claws were covered completely in a sheen of silver metal. Ghirahim wondered idly what drove the other sorcerer to such great lengths of secrecy, but decided the question could wait.

"I hope you are feeling more rested, Lord Ghirahim," Wise said.

Ghirahim quirked the side of his mouth into a smile. "That is the advantage of falling asleep in the bath. Now, what did you want to discuss with me?"

"I've been on the surface for a little while now, and I hadn't realized so much had changed in the demon realm while I was away. I'd like to know a bit more about how you run things and what you have planned."

"Ah, of course." Ghirahim yawned and stretched his arms. "Why don't we walk to my quarters?"

Wise gestured towards the hallway. "Lead on."

Ghirahim turned and walked in the direction of his room. As they walked down the corridor, he stopped as he saw someone walk towards them in the hallway.

"Lady Pyre," he said to the bokoblin woman walking towards them. "What are you doing up at this hour?"

The red demon stopped and leaned on her spiked club. "What do you think? I want to hear what happened!"

"I've sent out messengers to inform all of the Order of our-predicament," Ghirahim said.

"No, I don't want to hear it from them," Lady Pyre said. "I want to hear it from you. And another thing. Bards make terrible messengers."

Ghirahim frowned. "I think they make much more entertaining messengers."

"They are exasperating. I need news, not five different ways to describe your pointy cape!" Lady Pyre said.

Ghirahim smiled at that. "So glad to hear they're focusing in on the important details."

"Don't test me," she grumbled.

"Very well, then. Hylia escaped. The Sky Hero escaped. Terrin is being tried for treason. Lanayru is an accursed place with too much sand. I found a mysterious and powerful sorcerer there, though." He gestured to Wise.

Lady Pyre looked up at Wise. "Hmmmm, yes. I remember you."

Ghirahim's eyes widened. "You've met?"

"No," Lady Pyre said. "But I know this is the same sorcerer who helped bring about the end of Thressan's reign." She looked back over to Wise. "Though I think you might have chosen a better champion for that than Releris."

Wise nodded. "I agree. I never thought Releris to be worthy of the throne, but I tired of waiting for one who would be. Thressan had to die."

"I suppose that's a reasonable assessment. Though I must ask, why didn't you take the throne for yourself?"

Wise looked down at the floor. "Because I can't wield the Unbreakable Sword. By that time, Thressan had become so powerful, it was the only means to destroy him."

Ghirahim felt a tinge of disappointment. Wise was a powerful sorcerer, and if he had proved himself trustworthy, Ghirahim would have been willing to allow him to wield the sword. Apparently that wouldn't be possible, though. Still, he wondered how the sorcerer could possibly be lacking in any of the three qualities necessary to be a bearer of the sword.

"Oh. Sorry to hear that," Lady Pyre said.

"Anyway, since we've never crossed paths before, how did you know I was the same sorcerer who helped Releris? I doubt he would have ever mentioned it."

"It was hardly difficult. After Releris died, some rather more reliable accounts of Thressan's defeat were written," Lady Pyre said. "You were mentioned in those accounts. Also, it seems that was the first thing Ghirahim's bards picked up on, even before their refrains of pointy capes and perfect hair."

"What? No," Wise said. "I don't want to be in a song!"

Lady Pyre shrugged. "Sorry to hear that. Seeing as since you're in five of them now."

Ghirahim smiled. "I see your reputation precedes you, Wise. Anyway, as it seems this is your first time meeting Lady Pyre, you might like to know that she serves in the Order of the Diamond Table."

"The-what?"

Ghirahim frowned. "Oh, I haven't explained that yet, have I? Each of the Order members has a vote on new policies or laws put in place, and duties based on their abilities. They are also my heirs if I should die. Much better to choose heirs who I know are actually qualified to do something than simply going by blood relation, I should think."

"Diamond-Table." Wise looked between Ghirahim and Lady Pyre.

"Lord Ghirahim is rather fond of diamonds," Lady Pyre said, her eyes rolling slightly. "I personally think we should have gone with a round table, you know, as a nod to the old traditions, but in the end none of us thought it was worth the trouble to fight him over it."

Wise stared at her for several moments, then at the windows, which were all in the shape of diamonds, and the banners, with Lord Ghirahim's three yellow diamonds on a field of red. Then he looked back at the demon lord, seeming to scan his clothing from top to bottom. "I see."

"We could have gone with the diamonds-arranged-in-a-circular-shape design," Ghirahim said defensively.

"Only if we wanted to worry about stabbing ourselves on the table every meeting," Lady Pyre replied crisply.

"Lord Ghirahim, you mentioned heirs earlier," Wise said. "Just how many of these, ah, heirs, have you chosen?"

"Well, six right now. I'll need to replace Lord Terrin soon, though, I imagine."

"You made Terrin one of you heirs?!"

"A miscalculation," Ghirahim said.

"Ah," Wise replied. "Well, I'll not criticize you for such mistakes considering the ones I've made." He looked back at Pyre and bowed slightly. "It was nice meeting you, Lady Pyre. If I may ask, what are these duties of yours that Lord Ghirahim mentioned?"

"Certainly," Lady Pyre said. "I'm the Minister of Finance. I make certain the realm's money is managed properly."

"Oh?" Wise said. "Is that a difficult job?"

"Seven Order members with very different priorities can sometimes make it so," Lady Pyre said. "But finances are probably the least of our disagreements. I for one feel comfortable carrying but a single spiked club to every meeting." A corner of her mouth quirked up and she glanced over at Ghirahim.

Ghirahim laughed. "Yes, sometimes the debates in our meetings can get a bit, ah, heated. You should attend one, Wise! How about the one scheduled for tomorrow?"

"You don't need to persuade me," Wise said. "I'm going to have to see this-Diamond Table of yours."

Lady Pyre yawned. "Ah, excuse me. I'll have to make sure to present my most exciting financial report for the meeting. Though now that I finally have a clear account of what happened in Lanayru, I'm going to get some rest." She glanced over at Ghirahim. "Nice to know you're in one piece." Lady Pyre glanced at the sword that Orynx carried sheathed on his back "Well, technically two pieces."

"Yes," Ghirahim said. "Thank you."

Lady Pyre grinned, showing her pointed white teeth. "Just make sure you don't end up in any more." Then the bokoblin woman continued down the corridor.

"What was that about? What she said about-two pieces?" Wise said as they started walking towards Ghirahim's rooms again.

"Oh, she was referring to the fact that I'm bonded to the Unbreakable Sword," Ghirahim said.

He thought he saw the other sorcerer's eyes widen. "But that's-incredibly dangerous. You could have died!"

"Yes, well, I wasn't consulted. Releris saw both me and the sword as mere tools. He was the one who did it."

"That's terrible! Is it painful?"

Ghirahim chuckled. "The process itself was extremely unpleasant. But no, I'm not in any pain from it. I actually rather like being bonded to the sword, especially since I no longer need to serve Releris." He stopped. "And here we are, at my quarters." He opened the door and the four of them filed into his room.

"Please, have a seat, Wise," Ghirahim said, and gestured to a large cushioned chair.

Wise settled into the chair and looked between Ferrik and Orynx. "These two appear to be your guards. But you also said that Orynx here was-"

"Taking up Lord Faust's duties, yes," Ghirahim said. "And Ferrik is also temporarily standing in for Lady Embers, at least until we win the war. She's managing the affairs of the Lower Realms right now, but I'm sure she'll want to resume her position once it's all over."

"So they both serve on this Diamond Table of yours?"

"Yes," Ferrik said enthusiastically. "It's a very prestigious position!"

"You must trust these two very much," Wise said.

"With my life," Ghirahim responded.

"Interesting," Wise said. "This has all come as a surprise to me. So much has changed since I left for the surface. But anyway, what is your strategy for winning this war?"

"Ah, well I need to rethink that. I had planned to prevent the Spirit Maiden from recovering Hylia's memories, but unfortunately I was too late."

"How did you plan to do that, though? Surely you know that if her vessel is killed outright, she will simply be reborn."

"Of course. I was going to capture the Spirit Maiden before she regained Hylia's memories. The Sheikah would have had to surrender then. I suppose I should still do that, but it will be much more difficult."

"True," Wise said. "Though the goddess is still mortal, I agree that it might now be very difficult now to hold her captive for long enough to perform the spell to destroy her essence."

Ghirahim tilted his head. "The-what?"

"You mean that wasn't what you planned to do?"

"No! I-I didn't even know that was possible." Ghirahim's thoughts reeled with this new information. He could kill the goddess? Permanently? He hadn't even considered that that might be a possibility. But if it was...what would it require of him? To do magic of that magnitude surely wouldn't come without a price. Perhaps...perhaps it was a price worth paying, though. "I suppose if that's a possibility, then it might come to that," Ghirahim said, "Still, I think my original plan will better prevent the Sheikahs from retaliating against us."

"And what is that plan?"

"I will capture Hylia and have her swear a vow to stop the war. To never seal the demons away again. The Sheikahs and her other champions will have to abide by her vow as well because this time it is their magic at stake. If they do, they keep their magic. If they don't, then they lose their magic, giving us an overwhelming advantage against them."

Wise leaned back in the chair. "It might be difficult to convince her to make such a vow."

"That's true. However, if it really is possible to destroy her entirely, then that is an option if she refuses. Perhaps mentioning that possibility will convince her to make the vow."

"Hmmmm," Wise said. "Yes, that just might work. Not that I consider myself any judge of this sort of thing. You need to find someone who can help you with this war."

Ghirahim looked at Orynx. "I still think the one who can do that is right here."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Wise's metallic voice said sharply.

Orynx frowned. "Wise is right. I'm not-I shouldn't be involved with that."

"And I shouldn't be a ruler," Ghirahim said. "But sometimes we just have to do the best that we know how. I appreciate your advice, Wise. But I think you are wrong in this case. Both of you."

Orynx only frowned and looked away.

Wise steepled his silver-clawed fingers. "Very well."

"That's it? You don't want to insist, perhaps challenge me to a duel?" Ghirahim asked, smiling.

Wise chuckled. "Do I want to challenge the Unbreakable Sword to a duel? No. I just hope you know what you're doing."

"So do I," Ghirahim said. "I suppose we'll find out."

"I suppose we will," Wise said, his gaze lingering on the guard.

Wise had left, and Ghirahim had dismissed Ferrik for time being. But he had asked Orynx to stay a bit longer.

"Let's talk," Ghirahim said.

"About what?" Orynx asked, his expression guarded.

"About the Shard," Ghirahim replied, pacing around the room.

"Oh," Orynx said, his eyes widening. "Yes, that's a problem, isn't it?"

"I know that half the reason I've been able to keep the throne for as long as I have was that Shard. Now that it's gone...I don't know what I should do." Ghirahim threw up his hands and sank into his cushioned armchair. "I am no expert on political machinations. I know I've only succeeded because politics are a lot easier when people can't lie to you."

"I understand your concern," Orynx said. "I will do whatever I can to help you, but I know nothing can replace the Shard."

"I have to get it back," Ghirahim said, putting his face in his hands. An overwhelming feeling of dread washed over him. "It could be anywhere by now, though!"

"Maybe Impa still has it?"

"Possibly, but why would they have her keep it? It would make more tactical sense to hide it away with someone who wouldn't be easy for me to encounter. Like Tala. Or some random Sheikah."

"Perhaps," Orynx said. "Even if she keeps it, she might not stay with the Goddess. The Sheikahs could change her guard now that speed is no longer a priority."

"Yes, that too! But I can't go on some wild chase for it while I'm trying to find the Goddess!"

"Send the spies," Orynx said. "They'll be able to find out what happened to it."

Ghirahim looked up. "Yes...that's an excellent idea! I can bring it up in tomorrow's meeting!"

"Well, maybe it would be better if you didn't mention that you lost the Shard to the other Order members," Orynx said.

"Yes, of course," Ghirahim said. "I know I can trust the spymaster, though, so I'll just say I want them to track Impa during the meeting and give them the rest of the details later. And-if the spies can track what Impa did with the Shard, they might even find the Goddess as well!"

Orynx smiled. "That's true."

Ghirahim smiled back. "See, this is why I know you'll make a good warmaster."

Orynx frowned. "I have to disagree with that."

"I know you can do this!" Ghirahim insisted.

"Sure I can," Orynx growled. "But there's a very good reason I shouldn't. I am not the best person for this task. And I want you to win this war."

"Orynx, you are the one who is the most suited to this task."

"Fine. Then the first thing I'm going to do is find someone else to do it," Orynx said.

Ghirahim shrugged. "Very well. But only I can appoint them to the position."

Orynx scowled. "I didn't ask for this."

"Why do you think you would be such a terrible person for this?" Ghirahim crossed his arms. "You know how to fight. You know how to plan. You deposed a king!"

"My lord, do you remember who actually wanted this position?"

"Lord Faust, of course, but he's-"

"No, I mean the other lord who wanted it."

"I don't know what you-" Ghirahim began. An old memory surfaced. "Don't be ridiculous. I would never let Lord Terrin have such power!"

"Of course not," Orynx said. "What you don't realize is that giving me that power would be just as dangerous, perhaps even more so."

"Orynx, I realize you have some sort of guilt complex about being trained from birth to be an unfeeling killing machine, but-you're not like that now. And you're nothing like Lord Terrin!"

Orynx took a deep breath. "I understand why you think that. But I don't have a guilt complex, I just know what I am. War is about causing destruction and death. And yes, I am good at that, probably more than you, or even Wise, realizes.

It's just that I am too good at it, and enjoy it too much. So much that I might lose sight of any other purpose than the complete destruction of our enemies, even if that sabotages our true goal entirely. You aren't fighting this war just to see the Sheikahs die. If we don't get to escape the Lower Realms, then nothing else we've done here matters.

That's why you didn't give the position to Terrin, is it not? Not because he wouldn't revel in the destruction of war, not because he has no experience in such things, but because he would become focused on the destruction itself, and not the purpose of it. Do you think his recent mistakes the result of mere carelessness? No. They are deeply ingrained in his being. And in mine."

Ghirahim stared at Orynx, stunned. "This is incredible."

"What do you mean?" Orynx asked.

"You're telling me you don't want the job because you want it too much. Also I can't believe you to have any of Terrin's disposition."

"You don't know what I'm capable of," Orynx said. "I doubt even Wise does, though he probably has a much closer conception of it."

"Orynx, how long did you know Wise before we met him again in Lanayru?"

"Not very long. A year, maybe. Events happened very quickly after I convinced him I was truly willing to help depose Thressan."

"Then how could his opinion of you be more informed than mine?" Ghirahim asked. "I knew you longer, even if he knew you before I was born. I've known you most of my life, Orynx."

"Wise knew me before I learned to repress most all of the habits Thressan cultivated in me," Orynx said. "And I'm not saying I won't keep doing that. Unlike Terrin, I don't want to be like that anymore. It's just that, right now, I only need to defend, and I only need to fight people who are a direct threat to those around me. I can handle that. But if I have to lead a war, I'm going to have to decide who lives and who dies. On my own side. I'd need to be less-attached to others. And that's a mindset I am very familiar with, but only in a way that is completely disastrous to those other people. I don't want to be that person ever again."

"All right. Even with everything you've told me, I'll admit there's a lot I don't know about you," Ghirahim said. "But I know you want to do what is best for the realm. That you care what happens to our people. The fact that we are having this discussion proves that."

Orynx's frown deepened, and he seemed to tense.

"So I will trust your judgment on this," the demon lord said.

Ghirahim could see the relief in Orynx's expression. "You will appoint someone else, then?" Orynx's voice was hopeful.

"I-yes," Ghirahim said. "I'll find someone else to lead the war."

Orynx's shoulders slumped over. "Thank you," he responded. "I never wanted to be involved in any of this Order nonsense, anyway."

"Well, I meant you won't have to be warmaster," Ghirahim said. "But you'll still be replacing Lord Faust in the Order, so I'm sorry to disappoint you there."

Orynx raised a thick black eyebrow. "But what exactly will I be doing, then?"

Ghirahim smiled. "Lord Rend has been telling me for forever that he needs help with his duties. I think you will make an excellent Second Ambassador! Anyway, we need someone to be a proper liaison to the Mogmas, who are currently our closest allies on the surface. I'm afraid that Rend isn't exactly their favorite person right now, haha."

Orynx's eyes widened. His mouth opened, though no words emerged.

"It's perfect isn't it? No killing involved, and you'll finally get to develop your eloquence and ability at persuasion." Ghirahim said, smiling. "Though-you might need to wear something a bit more formal than what you have now. Oooh, I could help you pick it out!"

As Ghirahim settled down in his bed, he realized that he was feeling much more hopeful. He still believed he could win. That he would win. Hylia was going to be an unknown factor. With her return, the demons had been dealt a terrible blow. But he would find her, and capture her, and then the war would end. One way or another.

Orynx wasn't happy to hear about his new job. But he didn't fight me on it, so Second Ambassador it is! Of course, what to do about this warmaster business is an open question I suppose. But perhaps I'll get some ideas if I bring it up with the others tomorrow.

Tomorrow was going to be the next meeting for the Order. And while there were a lot of topics for that meeting, the one that was preoccupying Ghirahim's mind was Lord Terrin's upcoming trial.

Terrin the Traitor. Has a good ring to it. I still can't believe Orynx thinks he's anything like him. At least he didn't fight me on the Ambassador thing. Though perhaps he was just too tired to. I hope he's getting some sleep right now. I have three other guards, so I don't need him sulking outside my door all night.

Ghirahim walked into the meeting room for the Order to find that everyone else was already there. He stopped in the doorway when he saw everyone staring at him expectantly and gave them a resigned smile.

"I apologize for my lateness," he said. "Yesterday was quite a long day for me."

"You are a bit late," Amelia said. She smiled. "But fashionably so, hmm?"

Ghirahim returned the smile. "True. But given that I am always fashionable, I would much prefer to be fashionably on time." He took a seat. "Shall we begin?"

Lord Grendel cleared his throat. Ghirahim looked over at him. His eyes narrowed. "Lord Grendel? Are you quite all right?"

"Hmmm?" Grendel said. He looked down at the brown shirt and overalls he was wearing. Then he laughed. "Ahem. Yes, of course my name isn't Grendel. He is sleeping in so I just took his place here since he'll be sleeping 'til noon and then actually eating breakfast, which I noticed is missing here. It seems I haven't mentioned that this accursed pointy table has a distinct lack of edible items?"

It has to be him. Also that is exactly like something he would say. And yet. Those clothes look like they are for working with something more strenuous than scribbling ink on paper, and are also not yellow, so Grendel would never wear them. A paradox.

Ghirahim waved a hand. An enormous fruit bowl appeared in front of the portly green demon. "What a shame Lord Grendel has chosen to miss the meeting. Well, you can take him back a souvenir, at least."

Grendel took two Deku pears from the bowl. "What an excellent idea. I'll just-taste test these first."

"Of course," Ghirahim said. He snapped, and food appeared in front of the other Order members as well. "I do regret my lateness, and I'm sure a snack will go a long way towards improving meeting quality. Let us commend not-Grendel for the recommendation."

Ghirahim heard a familiar squelch-pop sound from behind him. Well, there's only one teleporter who sounds like like, he thought. "Ah, and please allow me to introduce Wise. He is a powerful sorcerer who has agreed to help us defeat the Sheikahs."

There were murmurs around the table.

"It's good to know we have another powerful ally to help us, especially with all the bad news we've had lately," Rend said. "But-apologies if it seems that I am prying-I understand that Wise is not your real name, and that you always hide yourself and even your voice. For what reason do you conceal your true identity?"

"That's a good question," Wise said. "I can't tell you the specifics, but I have powerful enemies who have brought me to great harm in the past. Some of them still live, and I fear their knowledge of me. Also, I've been betrayed so many times that I've come to fear that today's friends may be tomorrow's foes, and the less my foes know about me the better."

"That's fair," Rend said. "I hope we can prove ourselves true friends, then."

"As do I," Wise said.

Grendel cleared his throat. "Yes, I think you will find that Lord Rend is quite trustworthy and fair," he said. "Even with those who he might have been on-less than good terms with."

Ghirahim looked between Grendel and Rend. What exactly had happened between them while he'd been away? It looked like Rend had made good on his threat to have Grendel work in that hole in the ground he was trying to excavate his relative's relics from. Which hardly seemed like it would have inclined Grendel to put in any kind words about Rend. Well, perhaps I'll find out later. At least Wise might feel more at ease given how civil they're acting.

Wise did in fact seem more at ease. Ghirahim noticed the other sorcerer took an apple out of the fruit bowl in front of him and put it in a satchel attached to his robe. I guess he can't exactly eat that now if he wants to continue concealing his face.

"I'm glad to hear that," Wise said. "So, what happens now?"

"Now, I ask everyone the customary question. Does anyone plan to kill anyone else during the meeting?"

"Seems kind of a-foreboding question." Wise tilted his head.

"I suppose," Ghirahim said. "But it's just a formality, ha."

There was a chorus of no's and Ghirahim was heartened to hear that Grendel did not in fact say yes this time, even if the lack of the Shard made that answer more foreboding than he would have liked.

But I'm not worried about Grendel trying kill anyone during the meeting, anyway. If he was going to kill someone, he'd do it when they were alone, and stab them in the back. Or rather, get someone else to stab them in the back. I don't think Grendel would ever deign to actually use a real weapon himself.

Turning his attention back to the meeting, Ghirahim cleared his throat. "Now, let's begin."

"Ahem, yes," Grendel said, looking down at his neatly organized papers. "The first item of business is, ah, your report, Lord Ghirahim."

Time to tell everyone about the bad news, Ghirahim thought. While he was sure they had all heard already, if they hadn't guessed from his less-than-excited demeanor, he still wasn't looking forward to this.

"I'm afraid that I was unable to capture the Spirit Maiden before she retrieved the last of the goddesses memories," Ghirahim said. "She went through the Gate of Time, which was destroyed as she and her Sheikah guardian fled into it. I might have caught them in time, but I was attacked by the Sky Hero and his sword."

The room was silent for several moments.

"So, what do we do now?" Amelia asked.

"Did the goddess also regain her-power?" Grendel asked tentatively.

"No, not as far as I can tell. She still seemed to rely on the assistance of her Sheikah guardian, Impa, for protection."

"So then this is not that bad, right?" Grendel said, smiling hopefully.

"Wrong," Ghirahim responded. "With her memories returned, she will be a much more formidable foe."

"Oh." Grendel frowned and made some sort of note in his notebook. "What now, then? This hero sounds dangerous. What are we to do about him? Kill him?"

Ghirahim scowled. "I'll need to think about it. The agreement I have with his sword still holds, and if it didn't, she would surely attack our base at the Sealed Grounds again. Still, he is clearly a threat and needs to be recaptured at the very least."

Grendel frowned. "Yes, that makes sense, I suppose. Still, what are we going to do about this sword spirit, Fi? Do you think she might break her end of your agreement, if she sees an opportunity to win?"

Ghirahim frowned. "I'm-not really sure."

"How powerful is she?" Amelia asked. "You said she nearly leveled the camp in the Sealed Grounds before you made this agreement with her."

"I can only conclude she must be near equal in power to me," Ghirahim responded. "That's why I chose to negotiate with her rather than fight. I might have been able to defeat her, but it would have been at the cost of turning Faron Woods into a wasteland and killing everyone in it. There must be a better way."

Amelia frowned, looking down at the table. "There must be some way to contain her."

"I don't know of-" Ghirahim stopped. "Wait-you're right! There is! There's a type of stone that confines her to the sword." He thought back to his first encounter with Scervo, and how he had used a stone in his chest to confine Fi to her sword. "I've seen it used before. We'd need to prevent anyone from moving the sword away from that stone, but if we could find one of those, then we could safely confine her."

"Then we have a chance to stop her," Rend said.

"Yes," Ghirahim responded.

"I'll add 'discuss mysterious stone' as a topic for our next meeting, then," Grendel said. "I do hope everyone will make an effort to find out more about what kind of stone this is, and how to obtain one. The next item on the agenda is Lady Amelia's discussion of Terrin's upcoming trial."

Ghirahim rubbed his hands together in anticipation. Now this was what he'd been waiting for! "Yes, Amelia?"

"Ah, I can see how much you're looking forward to this, Lord Ghirahim. Now, as the Minister of Justice, I would usually be the one to pass judgment on a case like Lord Terrin's. However, I must appoint someone else to this case, as I have a conflict of interest."

"What?!" Ghirahim said, surprised.

Amelia sighed. "Two, actually. Firstly, as I am a personal friend of the accuser, Lord Ghirahim, I may appear to have a vested interest in convicting Lord Terrin regardless of the evidence."

"But surely that isn't-" Ghirahim said.

"Second, as the accused has incidentally warned me of an attempt on my life, I may appear to have a vested interest in acquitting him regardless of the evidence."

"But he didn't-"

"So no matter which way I might judge him, I might have unfairly weighed these factors in my judgment."

"But maybe they cancel out?" Ghirahim asked hopefully.

"No," Amelia said. "No, they don't."

Ghirahim tried not to look too sulky. "So who are you appointing?"

"No one you'd know. What's important is that they have had no prior encounters with Lord Terrin. I'm not sure there is anyone who, hmmm, has no opinion on him whatsoever, as he is very well-known, but this was the best I could do."

"So when is the trial?" Ghirahim asked.

"Tomorrow," Amelia said. "I have spoken with the accused, and he expressed a desire to 'get it over with'."

Ghirahim felt a pang of...something, but quickly squelched it. It seems rather less satisfying to destroy him when he's not even putting up a fight. But not that much less satisfying. I'll live.

"Well, that's good to know," Ghirahim said. "Is there anything else?"

"No," Amelia said.

"Very well, then," Ghirahim said. "Thank you, Amelia. What is our next order of business?"

Grendel picked up his paper and eyed it with a look of absolute disgust. "Our new temporary Order member, Ferrik of the Elite Guard, wishes to make a statement."

Ferrik stood and said, "I'm, ah, honored to serve at this prestigious, um, Table. I was wondering, though-Lady Embers is only temporarily absent. Once we win the war, she'll take her place here again and of course that means I'll be out of a job! Though I have two jobs right now so I guess that's not so bad, ha. But-I was thinking! And-since it looks like Lord Terrin's slot is going to be open now, I was wondering if-"

"No," Grendel said, a look of horror on his face. "Absolutely not."

"Hey," Ferrik protested. "I didn't even finish my question! And it has to be put to a vote!"

Grendel flashed the guard a scowl. "And I just cast mine! A firm and undeniable no! It is bad enough that this ogre-" and here Grendel pointed towards Orynx, "-holds such a lofty position. At least he doesn't seem inclined to submitting suggestions or what might pass for 'ideas' in his mind. You, on the other hand, asked me to give you no less than three agenda slots. Three! Who do you think you are?! You're just some nobody, that's who, and to have the audacity to..."

Ghirahim yawned and tuned out the rest of Grendel's rant. Note to self-give Ferrik encouraging talk and let him down gently when he doesn't get Lord Terrin's slot in the Order. Play practical joke on Grendel for his harsh words. Make sure it is his least favorite one.

Grendel finally seemed to have finished his rant.

"That's nice," Ferrik said. "But I only asked for three agenda slots because you said that each different issue had to be a separate slot. I have some important questions, but they won't take long. Unless you'd like me to ask for another slot to vote on whether I should get those three?"

Grendel's scowl deepened-his right hand was crumpling a piece of paper. "Fine. But this had better be quick."

Ghirahim looked over at Ferrik with interest. That was bold. Though I suppose Ferrik wouldn't be particularly intimidated by Grendel. I could only wish Orynx would be as communicative.

"Sure," Ferrik said. "So, you all already heard my first question, right? My second question was about the fortification of our defenses against the Sheikahs. Basically, we have Lord Ghirahim's shield but not much else. I wanted to ask what our defenses are if we're attacked by them somewhere besides the Sealed Grounds. Like here."

Ghirahim heard concerned murmurs from around the table. "This place is shielded from their discovery," Lady Pyre said. "Lord Ghirahim renewed the spells after the Sheikah teleporter freed Hylia's chosen from his cell."

"Yes," Lord Rend said. "Even the teleporter won't be able to find us now."

"Yes, I actually got lost yesterday because I accidentally crossed the spell boundary," Amelia said.

Grendel looked shocked. "Were you hurt?"

"No, I encountered one of our soldiers patrolling the area and they contacted one of the sorcerers," she said. "Who got me back here. Anyway Faron Woods is quite charming."

"As long as you don't encounter any Sheikahs," Lady Pyre chimed in.

"As long as you don't encounter any Sheikahs," Amelia agreed. "I suppose I was lucky."

"Yes," Ferrik said. "And we've been lucky so far that the Sheikahs have only found their way inside this area once. But we should probably have some contingency plans for when they try again. Now that they know that we've set up this place, they'll surely consider it a prime target for attack. Anyway, that was my second item. Now I want to address my third item." Ferrik looked over at Orynx. "We need a better way to protect the Unbreakable Sword."

Ghirahim gave Ferrik a bright smile. "Hmmm, yes, that thought has occurred to me. Unfortunately, the only way to do that is to find a sorcerer who can wield the sword. And, I'm afraid I'm going to have to be quite picky as to the who."

"That's why I wanted to ask for permission to return to the Lower Realms, my lord," Ferrik said. "To see if I can find any relic containing my magic."

There were more murmurs this time, and louder than before.

Oh. Well, I should have expected this. I did tell him that his magic was probably still being stored in some relic in the palace. And, it would be good if he could regain his magical abilities.

Still, he wasn't quite sure how he felt about this. Ferrik was-well, he would probably be more formidable with his magic back, and then he would also be able to use the full power of the sword, which was something Orynx couldn't do. And yet.

Uncomfortable decisions. Still, there's only one reasonable answer to such a request.

"Permission granted," Ghirahim said easily. "How long did you want to search?"

"An hour per night, if there's time," Ferrik said. "I don't expect to find it right away, and I don't want it to interfere too much with my other duties. But I do believe it worthwhile to try to find my magic."

Ghirahim nodded. "I agree. I'll arrange it."

Grendel looked exasperated. "That last one wasn't even Order business! We don't have to vote on that type of thing. It's a personal matter."

"Nevertheless, it's good to be informed of such things," Amelia said. She tilted her head at Ferrik. "I didn't know you used to be a sorcerer."

Ferrik shrugged. "I didn't think it mattered much before since I assumed Releris just got rid of my magic. But Lord Ghirahim pointed out that he probably wouldn't have spared my life if he hadn't wanted to keep my power. Releris wasn't exactly known for mercy towards sorcerers, so it seems the most logical reason for why he didn't kill me."

"Yes, that makes sense," Amelia said. "I think that could help our cause considerably. Don't you agree, Grendel?" She narrowed her eyes at the green demon lord.

"Yes," he said reluctantly. "We do need a sorcerer who Lord Ghirahim will allow to wield the sword. Ahem. Anyway, we should cast the vote on whether or not Ferrik will take Lord Terrin's place on the Diamond Table."

In the end, only Ghirahim cast a vote for Ferrik, so his request was denied. The guard didn't seem overly disappointed, however. Girahim still planned to chastise Grendel for his lack of tact, though.

Grendel spoke again. "Now that that is done with, would you like to deliver our financial report, Lady Pyre?"

"Hmmm? Oh. Yes," She picked up a paper and began to read from it. "We are facing a true financial emergency. A critical amount of inflation is soon to occur in our currency." She held up one of the small brown seed coins. "The problem is that these are, well, everywhere on the surface."

"Why don't we just use whatever the surface dwellers use?" Ferrik asked.

Lady Pyre laughed. "We can't do that yet, either." She held up a cut gem. "Not when they use this as their currency."

"A rock," Ferrik said, his expression puzzled.

"A shiny rock," Lady Pyre said. "But yes. A rock."

"So what should we do?" Ghirahim asked. "I mean, certainly the inflation thing is a problem, but it's a good thing we have a lot of the surface dweller's money, right? The mogmas seemed happy about it, at least."

"Well, in the short run, it's going to be fine," Lady Pyre said. "And since the surface dwellers can't access the gems we have in the Lower Realms, yes, we are comparatively wealthier than they are. But in the long run?" She held up the seed coin again. "These grow on trees. I'm sure you've noticed how-abundant trees are here on the surface, Lord Ghirahim."

"Hmmmmm, true," Ghirahim said.

"And since the surface dwellers use gems for money, we can't simply switch to their currency. So unless we make a drastic change, this is going to ruin our internal economy," Lady Pyre said. "Which is built on the idea that one can't just go outside and collect coins whenever they might need to buy something."

"Hmmmmm, yes, I've noticed quite a few of the soldiers like to collect things from the trees in their off hours."

"Yes, fruit, wood, money," Lady Pyre said. "And while I'm loath to ruin the bonus to their salary, something must be done."

"Yes, I suppose," Ghirahim said. "We'll need to change our currency to something that's not trivial to collect then."

"Well, that's one option," Lady Pyre said. "The other option is to use an abundant material, but decorate it with a design that would be difficult for just anyone to reproduce. If we only accepted money with that design, then we could use any material that lasts a long time. Even an abundant one, like rocks, or gold."

"Hmmm, gold coins?" Ghirahim mused. Gold was soft and malleable, easy to shape. It was also very common in the Lower Realms- in fact many of the roads were covered with it since its reflective surface helped to scatter the firelight more effectively.

"Yes," Ghirahim said. "That sounds good. What do the rest of you think?"

There were murmurs of agreement. Ghirahim prodded Orynx, who finally grunted and said, "Sure."

Ghirahim grinned and said, "Then it's unanimous! You have immediate authorization to begin the conversion, Lady Pyre."

"Yes, that's going to be a bit complicated," she said. "But I'm going to work out an exchange method. I'll save the details for the next meeting."

After that it was Lord Rend's turn.

"Negotiations with the Kikwis are going better than expected," Lord Rend said. "They've indicated that I might soon have the opportunity to talk with their leader."

"Hmmm, yes, the reclusive Kikwi leader," Ghirahim said. "If they might consider allying with us, that would be most useful."

Grendel looked doubtful. "Lord Rend, don't you think there might be more, well, powerful allies we could be cultivating on the surface? I mean, don't you think your considerable skills might be more useful if turned towards, say, the lizalfos?"

Lord Rend smiled. "Well, I have been talking with some of them, but the Kikwis are also very important. He gave Ghirahim a significant look. "We will, of course, have to return their spy to them in order to get any agreements from their leader."

"Of course," Ghirahim said. "Though we shall wait until they allow you to meet with their leader to discuss that."

"If perhaps you could explain," Grendel continued. "Why we so badly want to be allies with the Kikwi?"

Rend held up a map. "This is our best current map of Faron Woods," he said. "But the Kikwis know the woods better than anyone else around here. They know places that aren't on this map. Places the Sheikahs might hide when they aren't in that temple of theirs. They are also the least hostile. If we could convince them to share their information with us..."

"Ah, I see," Grendel said. "Yes, well you're the expert on these sorts of things. I could write up the treaty for you if you'd like."

"Why, thank you," Rend said. "Yes, I think that would be a good idea."

Ghirahim again wondered what happened while he was away that Rend and Grendel seemed to actually be on good terms with each other. Perhaps I will find out later. A relaxing mystery to ponder in my free time instead of the considerably more stressful question of how I'm going to successfully detain a goddess.

The rest of the meeting took long enough that Ghirahim called for two breaks in between. He mostly felt bored by that time, and frustrated that he wasn't doing something more-active. Though at least he did get the chance to bring up the request for the spies to track Impa, which seemed to annoy Grendel because it also wasn't on the agenda. The portly demon lord also gave him a pointed look when he started tapping a popular song out on the table with his fingers. But there was nothing he could do. I suppose one of my few consolations is that Grendel's constant flurry of obvious lies don't annoy me anymore, but I can certainly annoy him.

Ghirahim gestured for Darrow to take a seat. Darrow looked between Ghirahim and the enormous armchair. Slowly, he walked over to the chair and settled down into it, sinking down into the cushions.

Clasping his hands together, he cleared his throat.

"I apologize for failing you yet again, my lord," he said, seeming to examine his hands. "I was tasked with bringing you the Sky Hero and reaching the Temple of Time to block the Spirit Maiden's escape. It's clear that I failed in both tasks."

"I do not blame anyone but Terrin for the Sky Hero's untimely escape," Ghirahim said, pacing across the room. "And I can hardly blame you for failing to stop the Spirit Maiden when I have failed at the same task. Her guardian is unnaturally fast, and teleporting in the desert was not possible at the time. The fact that you managed to capture Link at all is impressive. The only other person who's managed to do that is, well, me." Ghirahim laughed.

"I-suppose," Darrow said reluctantly.

"Also, I hear you did manage to capture someone," Ghirahim said.

"Oh," Darrow said. "Well, yes, but he was just some desert riffraff who tried to loot us." He rolled his eyes.

"Really?" Ghirahim said, his expression tinged with interest. "Did you get a name from him?"

"Scervo," Darrow responded.

Ghirahim grinned. "You don't say?"

"Yes," Darrow said. "He kept asking to talk to whoever was in charge, said he had information about the Sky Hero and a traitor to the demons who was traveling with him."

Darrow hesitated. "He wouldn't say more, but I was wondering, since you were the Sky Hero's prisoner for some time, if-you knew what demon he was referring to?"

Ghirahim gave Darrow a calm smile, though internally he was screaming. "Myself, of course," he said. "I didn't want him to guess who I was, so I pretended to be in league with the hero."

"Ah, of course," Darrow said. "That makes sense."

"I'd actually like to talk to him," Ghirahim said. "Where is he now?"

"Oh, certainly," Darrow said. "He's in cell 2C."

"Thank you," Ghirahim said. "I'm not sure yet what the Sheikahs will do now that their goddess has returned to them. However, Ferrik has brought up the need to further fortify our defenses against her soldiers. I'm putting you in charge of that."

"I'll do my best," Darrow said.

"Excellent!" Ghirahim said. "I have great confidence in your abilities!"

"Thank you. Erm, there is one other thing," Darrow said.

"Yes?" Ghirahim asked.

"While we had the Sky Hero in our custody, Trelan attempted to torture him for information," Darrow said. "It was-rather difficult to dissuade him from doing so. I insisted on following your orders, however, at least until we could receive confirmation as to your whereabouts. Still, I must wonder if my decision was the right one, if it allowed the Sky Hero to later attack you and-"

Ghirahim waved a hand. "Those were my orders. I thought I could convince Hylia's Hero to take our side. If you had tortured him, Fi might still have found a means to heal him. He might still have attacked me, perhaps with less delay, and more certainty. There's no need to second-guess yourself."

"I suppose," Darrow said.

"Anyway," Ghirahim said, frowning. "Trelan should not have attempted to override your orders. I'll talk to him about it."

"Thank you," Darrow said.

Ghirahim had called Trelan to his room. The guard looked around the room with concern.

"Trelan, we need to talk," Ghirahim said, clasping his hands behind his back.

"Yes, my lord?" Trelan responded.

"I have been told that you tried to have the Sky Hero tortured, against my express orders," Ghirahim said.

"I-," Trelan said, his eyes going wide before he deflated, folding his wings close to his back. "-I did. Please, my lord, I was only upset because I believed that the Sky Hero had killed you."

"Hmmmm, that's understandable. However, I gave Darrow the command, so you shouldn't have tried to override his decision."

"Understood, my lord," Trelan said, bowing his head. "What are you-going to do with me?"

"Just a warning," Ghirahim said. "Please understand. We have to be unified if we are to defeat the Sheikahs and reclaim the Surface. If we work against each other, we will surely fail, and then we will die, or be banished to the Lower Realms again. The Goddess would be only too happy to see us fall to our own internal squabbles."

Trelan grimaced. "Yes, that's true. I apologize for my rashness."

"I think it would be best if you apologized directly to Captain Darrow as well."

Trelan bowed. "Of course, my lord. As you command."

Ghirahim frowned. "I don't want there to be further issues. If you have any concerns, I ask that you discuss them with me. A failure of anyone under my command is also my failure."

"No, there's nothing else. I dislike Captain Darrow," Trelan said, crossing his arms. "Still, he can be quite clever. It simply rankles me to be ordered around by him, as if I were a common soldier. But I can put aside my distaste for our common cause. I was the one at fault, not him. If there is anything else you wish to ask of me, please do, but Orynx has already discussed this matter with me, and I agree with his assessment, as well as yours. My only duty is in defense of you."

Ghirahim wondered what Orynx had said. He knew that Trelan and Nix had a lot of respect for Orynx, but he hadn't realized the other guard had known what had happened. Orynx had always seemed to be able to pick up on the actions of the other guards, though.

"Good. Then all I ask is for you to personally apologize to Captain Darrow."

Trelan bowed. "I will. Is there anything else you wished to discuss with me?"

"Hmmm, yes," Ghirahim said. "I believe you placed in a request to bring someone to the surface?"

"Yes," Trelan said. He looked nervous. "My niece. She's fallen ill, but I think-I hope-that the sunlight, or the plants, or something on the surface might be able to help her out."

"Request granted," Ghirahim said.

"Thank you, my lord," Trelan said, relief evident on his face.

Ghirahim walked down the brightly lit hallway. These were the cells that most of the prisoners would spend their time in. Though they only had a few prisoners here at the moment.

Scervo was one of them.

Ghirahim stopped abruptly and turned toward a cell. The cell was labeled 2C. Ghirahim grinned from ear to ear. Then he teleported into the room.

A low grinding sound filled the room. Scervo was standing in front of the window. It looked like he had been slicing futilely at the corners of it with a saber that was built into his arm.

"I see you're enjoying the view."

The grinding stopped. Scervo turned abruptly. "Ye!" he said. It was difficult to read his expression, since it hardly changed, but his voice was tinged with shock. He soon recovered his equilibrium however and charged at Ghirahim with his saber.

Ghirahim materialized his own saber and their swords clashed. Yes, I love this.

He toyed with Scervo, pretending to leave openings but blocking them as soon as the other tried to take advantage of them.

Then he grabbed Scervo's sword hand.

"Tsk, tsk, you shouldn't have that here," Ghirahim said.

Scervo electrified the sword. Ghirahim watched in interest as the electricity played over his glove. His opponent gaped at him, looking from his electrified arm to his relaxed face.

"Let's talk, Scervo," Ghirahim said, an amused smile on his lips. "But first, why don't you put this thing away, before someone gets hurt." He tilted his head towards the hand that held the electrified sword hand, while he held his black saber toward Scervo's neck. "That someone, by the way, won't be me."

"You're a strange one," Ghirahim commented. "But I'm fairly sure you'd like to stay in one piece. As opposed to several."

The electricity subsided, and the sword retracted and became part of Scervo's arm.

At that moment, a guard opened the slat in the cell. "Lord Ghirahim! Are you all right?! We heard what sounded like sword-fighting!"

Ghirahim chuckled. "No worries, just my sword clashing against this metal creature," he said, tapping his sword against Scervo's arm. "He did try to attack me, but I do believe I've convinced him to stop such foolishness. No need for concern."

"Oh," the demon guard said. "Well, we'll be right here if you need us, my lord."

"Of course," Ghirahim said smoothly. "Thank you."

The slat closed.

Scervo's mouth gaped. "Ye are-Lord Ghirahim? The ruler of the demons?"

"That's right!" Ghirahim posed with his sword. "Lord of the Surface and Lower Realms!"

The lights in Scervo's eyes dimmed, giving the effect that he had narrowed his eyes. "Ye are the same demon I saw with the Sky Hero."

"Also correct! My, you are just filled with correctness today!"

Scervo just stared at him silently for several moments. "Well, scratch that plan! Clearly I can't sell ye out to yeself!"

"So true, so true," Ghirahim said. "You know, I think we got off on the wrong foot, though, Scervo." He waved his sword dramatically. "You, thinking I was someone you could ransom as a traitor, either dead or alive as preferred." Another dramatic sword wave. "Me, captured, and having to pretend I was just some lackey of the Hero. After all, bad enough to be captured once. To be captured after already being captured? What an embarrassment that would have been!" Ghirahim dematerialized his sword. "But, I have some good news for you!"

"Really? Are ye letting me go?"

"Well, that depends on you," Ghirahim said. "You know Fi."

"Yes, I do," Scervo said guardedly.

"Well, that's good to hear," Ghirahim responded. "You see, I could be convinced to trade your freedom for what you know about Fi."

Scervo's eyes looked sideways. "We haven't really talked much in a long time."

"You're on bad terms, yes," Ghirahim said.

"But I don't exactly want to sell her out," Scervo said. "She's a good-well, whatever she is."

"But you see, I don't need you to tell me her weaknesses or anything like that," Ghirahim said. "I'm actually only interested in one thing."

"And what's that?"

"I want to know if the Goddess bound her to serve the Hero. And, if so, what you know about that."

"Oh." Scervo placed his hook near his chin and his eyes moved first left, then right before focusing back onto Ghirahim. "I suppose there wouldn't be anythin' wrong with tellin' ye that."

Ghirahim settled down into a wooden chair. This should be interesting, he thought.

"Th' answer is yes," Scervo said. "It's one o' th' reasons I don't deal with any Goddess any more."

"Really?"

"Yes," Scervo said. "I suppose you could say I had a similar thing goin' in my case, just not for Hylia's Chosen."

"And-who were you compelled to serve?"

"Lady Death, O' course," Scervo said. "Hence my, ah, distinctive appearance."

"And how did that binding come to be broken?"

"It didn't," Scervo said.

"It-didn't? But-then how-?"

Scervo looked over at the window. "She died," he said abruptly. "And when she died, it simply had no meaning any more. I suppose-I do miss her," he said. "But freedom has been-good."

Ghirahim frowned. "If your binding was only ended by her death-"

Scervo looked back over at Ghirahim. "Yes, I think you understand now. Fi cannot be freed that way. Hylia's Chosen will always be reborn."

"Yes, I think I do," Ghirahim responded. He looked thoughtful. "Thank you for explaining that to me."

"So am I free to go?" Scervo asked.

"Yes," Ghirahim said. "I am a demon of my word. I shall tell the guard to release you immediately. You'll, ah, have to figure out how to get back to Lanayru yourself, however."

"Fine by me," Scervo said. "It'll be an opportunity to do some sightseein'. Been a while since I've been anywhere 'sides Lanayru."

What am I going to do about Link? Ghirahim pondered, pacing agitatedly in his room. He looked out the window. Shouldn't he give up his foolish notion to get the Sky Hero to join him? Ghirahim still felt a burning anger when he thought about what happened at the Temple of Time. He had been so close to victory. And then it had been snatched away by the very person who he had hoped would help him. He clenched his fist. I should destroy-no. I need to think about this. Also, there is the matter of Fi.

Ghirahim sighed and sunk into a cushioned chair, staring out the window.

Fi had made it clear what would happen to the demons if Link was brought to harm, much less killed. Anyway, her loyalty would transfer to whatever new hero was born. Who, even if he was otherwise amenable to reason, would probably have no interest in dealing with someone who had killed his predecessor. No, Ghirahim couldn't just kill Link.

The other sword spirit was very clever indeed. Still, it was clear that she saw him as a threat to be dealt with. So why hadn't she killed him yet? She must have considered it. Ghirahim still didn't know how her magic worked, but he knew she sometimes possessed great power, even if that power wasn't constant. She had demonstrated that. Were her actions simply in deference to Link's wishes? Or perhaps did she have her own misgivings about eliminating him? It was clear that she took the threat he posed seriously. But perhaps she too preferred to deal with a known threat than an unknown one.

Ghirahim wondered why Hylia would have felt the need to bind Fi to serve her chosen hero. He also wondered whether Link would do anything about her enforced servitude. If the surprise and horror Ghirahim had seen in his expression was any indication, he seemed like he hadn't been aware of Fi's binding.

And at first Ghirahim hadn't given much thought to the matter, either, since he had been more occupied with the threat she posed him. But when Scervo had brought it up, it had reminded him of some of Fi's earlier words. And eventually it had seemed quite clear to him what the situation was. And now he had confirmed his suspicions to be true.

Scervo said he once served Tala's sister, and that only her death released him from that service. Unfortunately, it seems he doesn't know how to free Fi. Of course, I'm not sure what she would do if she was freed. Still, such servitude to Hylia' s purposes can't possibly be a good thing for the demons.

Ghirahim snapped, and the green hat he had taken from Link in the forest temple appeared in his gloved hand. He stared at it in contemplation. I'm not sure I could kill Link, even after what he did. I want to believe that he can be persuaded to see reason. But I need to convince myself that he will never help the demons. I can't trust myself around him until I do that. I've already given him far too many chances.

He remembered the horror on Link's face again, when he had told the hero that Fi was a slave, proof that Hylia could be ruthless and calculating. Was that all just an act? Would he rationalize it all in some way, and continue serving his goddess unquestioningly? Ghirahim didn't want to believe that. He sighed. I can't do it. I really am a fool. But maybe he is not truly set against us yet. Maybe he can be convinced that his Goddess is not as pure and good as he seems to believe.

Ghirahim gazed towards the window in contemplation. I suppose I can't give up on him just yet. Not if there's still a chance he might help us. Still, if my fears of his deception are proven correct, that would be unacceptable. No matter what I feel for him, I won't let him stand in the way of this. If I find he truly has betrayed my trust, then there will be no more chances. If that happens-

The green hat Ghirahim held burst into flame. He watched as it slowly turned to ash.

Ghirahim walked with Amelia through the dungeon. As they walked through the dark hallway, Ghirahim shivered slightly. He didn't like being here. It reminded him of his time as Releris's Fool. The difference being, of course, that this time he was on the other side of the bars. Still, he rarely saw fit to put anyone in this place, preferring to use the much less unpleasant rooms on the upper floors. Instead of being crowded with a large number of beings as Releris's dungeons had been, it was mostly empty. Excepting the one they were going to visit.

After a few more turns, they reached his cell. The blank mask tilted upwards in their direction, as if to see them through the bars of the cell. The demon was chained with thick manacles at the wrists and ankles to the wall.

"Oh," Lord Terrin said. "What do you want?"

"You are aware of the charges against you," Lady Amelia said.

"Of course," he responded.

"And the punishment if you should be found guilty?"

Lord Terrin chuckled. "If I'm found guilty. Amusing."

"Well?" Amelia asked.

Lord Terrin waved a long-clawed hand from its manacle. "Yes, yes, of course. It will be quite interesting. I've seen a lot of executions, but obviously have never been a participant in one. I imagine it's quite a different experience. If Lord Ghirahim needs suggestions on execution methods, I know a few particularly painful ones."

"I don't. This is not about your pain," Ghirahim said, though a part of him very insistently disagreed. "It will be a standard execution."

"Ah, well," Terrin replied. "Up to you. Are you done yet?"

"There are a couple matters that need to be resolved first," Amelia said.

"Which are?" Terrin asked. "A session devoted to Ghirahim's gloating? Do you want to tell me off for attending your party uninvited? I suppose that's only fair."

"No," Amelia said. "The first matter is that of your will. We need to know who you would like to receive your estate in the event of a guilty verdict, as you have no living heirs."

"Oh," Terrin said disinterestedly. "I never wrote a will. It wasn't really something that concerned me."

"Yes, I thought that might be the case," Amelia said. "So I came to ask if you'd like to assign someone to inherit your possessions. Otherwise they will become property of the State, or, more specifically, Lord Ghirahim, in the event of your death."

"Well, we can't have that, now can we?" Terrin chuckled. "I suppose-Lady Embers will do," Terrin said. "Not that I think she'll find much use for any of my old trash."

"Very well," Amelia replied. "We'll let her know."

"You said there was another matter?" Terrin asked.

"Yes," Amelia said. "It concerns your employment as Lord of Wightslayers and Bonfires. As I'm sure you are aware, it is a very important position."

That's an understatement, Ghirahim thought. It was one of the bigger problems for Ghirahim that Terrin had actually been extremely good at his assigned task as a member of the Order. It was going to be difficult, if not impossible, to find a comparable replacement. And we will need one immediately. He shuddered to think what would happen without that position. The redeads were a constant threat.

"Hmmm, yes," Lord Terrin said, with slightly more interest in his tone. "What did you wish to ask about it?"

"Do you have a suggested replacement?"

"Well, I was training several demons to manage the task before I left for the surface. From the results I saw from them, I would recommend Medusa Wrellworth. She is exceedingly effective at tracking and destroying redead hives, though I should mention that she does not read or write. She should be accompanied by a scribe if written reports are necessary."

Amelia raised an eyebrow. "I see. Well, thank you for your time, Lord Terrin."

"Of course, it's no problem," Terrin said. He chuckled. "It's not as if I'm busy."

Ghirahim walked with eager anticipation into the stadium and filed into a front row seat. It was a beautiful day. The sun shone on the verdant forest and the stadium placed in the center of it. The space in the center of the stadium contained a circular grassy field with the center ring occupied by a diamond-shaped stage and podium. It was the day of Terrin's trial. And hopefully, he thought, a decisive judgment for execution.

"Bring out the accused," the judge said. Ghirahim rubbed his gloved hands together in anticipation.

Trelan and Nix walked up towards the podium, with Terrin in chains between them. His arms were chained behind his back and an enormous metal ball was chained to his leg. He walked with his back bent over, his mask facing the ground. The three stopped before the judge, a blue bokoblin woman dressed in black robes. The judge introduced herself as Judge Sharpclaw.

"Lord Terrin," the judge began. "You stand accused of treason. Due to your disobedience of Lord Ghirahim's direct orders, the Sky Hero escaped and nearly killed Lord Ghirahim just as he was about to capture the Spirit Maiden. How do you plead?"

"I plead-" Terrin began woodenly, then stopped. He straightened. "-innocent!"

Ghirahim stood. "What?!" This wasn't good. After seeing Terrin's earlier reaction, he had believed the other demon had at least accepted blame for his wrongdoing-even if he wasn't concerned with committing treason or disobeying orders, Ghirahim would have expected that the escape of the goddess's avatar at least would be a crime by his standards. "That's not what you said before!"

Sharpclaw banged her gavel. "The prosecution will be silent until he is called!"

Ghirahim scowled and then slumped back into his seat, crossing his arms sulkily.

Amelia looked over at him, a look of annoyance crossing her otherwise composed features. "Wait your turn, prosecutor," she whispered.

The judge turned back to Terrin. "State your case, Lord Terrin."

"I-just a moment to collect my thoughts, please. It just came to me, but I think-I think I am right." He was silent for perhaps a full minute before he spoke again. "Yes, yes. It's true. You see, it's not my fault the Sky Hero escaped," Terrin said quickly. "His sword spirit released him. She would have done so anyway even if not for my interference. If not for her, I would have killed him before he could cause further harm."

Ghirahim moved to stand again, his mouth opening in indignation. Amelia grabbed the back of his cloak and pulled him down. "You will wait the entire five seconds until you are called," she whispered.

The judge appeared to make a note on a paper in front of her, then turned to Ghirahim.

"Lord Ghirahim," she said slowly. "Do you have anything to say to this?"

"Yes!" Ghirahim said. "The location Terrin took him to was much closer to the Temple of Time than his original location! Even if his sword had managed to free him there, I could have captured the Spirit Maiden before he arrived!"

"Do you have any other statements to make in your defense?" the judge asked, turning to Terrin and frowning.

"Yes," Terrin said. "Ghirahim asserts he would have had victory if not for me. And I do regret that I inadvertently aided the Sky Vermin. But that wasn't my only act in Lanayru. I also captured Hylia for a time, before she escaped. If I hadn't delayed her, it is likely she would have reached the Temple of Time long before Lord Ghirahim even arrived. Her assistant, who I encountered while in Lanayru, is unnaturally fast. So, in fact, if I hadn't interfered, he never would have had the opportunity to capture her anyway."

"I see," Judge Sharpclaw said. She looked down at her podium for a moment before turning her gaze back to Terrin again. "And what of Lord Ghirahim's statement that you disobeyed a direct order to not travel to Lanayru?"

"Well...," Lord Terrin said, tilting his head slightly, "I hardly see why that matters."

Amelia prodded the now gaping demon lord beside her, and Ghirahim looked over at her guiltily and squelched the purple energy that was forming around his fist.

She was silent, but gave him a sharp look.

The judge frowned. "You still stand accused of treason."

"Yes," Terrin said, sounding irritated, "But that's nothing more than a formality. If Lord Ghirahim accused everyone who ever disobeyed his orders of treason, he'd have to accuse his own guards."

"Explain," she said.

"Certainly," Terrin responded. "I have heard told that his guards allowed the Sky Vermin and Spirit Maiden to be taken by the Sheikah in order to save his life. If they had instead followed his orders, Lord Ghirahim would be dead, but we would have had Hylia's Chosen and her avatar in our possession. And I would have killed both of our biggest adversaries then, before they had the chance to become the menaces they are to us now."

Murmurs filled the stands around Ghirahim.

"I should have killed him back in Lanayru," Ghirahim muttered. He glared over at the masked demon.

Amelia frowned. "This is going to be a lot messier than I anticipated," she said quietly.

The judged banged her gavel and the murmurs around the stadium died down.

Terrin pointed a single long claw towards Orynx, then Ferrik. "So if I am guilty of treason, then so are they. Guiltier, actually, because as I've said, my miscalculation was not responsible for our current misfortune."

The judge looked over at Ghirahim. "Do you have anything to say about this?"

Ghirahim stood and cleared his throat. "Yes, I do." Ghirahim looked around. "Lord Terrin presents a fair point," he said grudgingly. "Of course, I am allowed to give leniency to those who I feel acted with good intent. Still, I should not treat anyone-unjustly due to my own personal feelings on the matter. There is something I believe that Lord Terrin is forgetting, however."

Terrin tilted his mask.

"If I had died and he had managed to kill the Hero and the Spirit Maiden, The Sword Spirit Fi would certainly have attacked our base in retaliation, likely killing everyone in it. Her only motive for not destroying us is the agreement I have made with her. The spell I used to conceal this place too would fade with my death, and the Sheikahs would have found the rest of us here."

"But-The Hero and Hylia's avatar-" Terrin hissed.

"Would be dead, yes, but so would we," Ghirahim said. "Terrin's actions in Lanayru not only disobeyed my direct orders, but put us all in great danger. We need time to figure out how to defeat Fi. I have issued express orders not to kill the hero because of this. We need to conquer our enemies, yes, but not at the expense of destroying ourselves."

Ghirahim heard more murmurs, then, and was gratified to see many of the audience nodding their heads in agreement.

"Do you deny this, Lord Terrin," the judge asked.

Terrin sighed. "No, we probably all would have died. I suppose that matters to you."

The crowd erupted into a roar. "Order! Order!" The judge said, pounding her gavel.

She looked over at Lord Terrin, her eyes narrowed. "Do you have any further defense of yourself?"

"I do."

"And what is that defense?"

But Lord Terrin said nothing. Instead, he abruptly shifted his chained arms from behind his back to the front of his body. Then he hit his chained hands over Nix's head and kicked Trelan in the groin. Turning, he ran towards the crowd, who began screaming and crawling out of their seats in terror. Terrin began to run up the stands, levitating the heavy metal ball attached to the chain around his leg at the same time.

Ghirahim froze when he saw Terrin stop briefly in front of a wide-eyed Astaroth, who was sitting halfway up the stands. He could hear that Terrin was saying something to the other sorcerer, but he couldn't make out the words over the crowd's screaming. However, though the sorcerer's reply was also drowned out, he saw that Astaroth held up a hand and shook his head, and then Terrin continued to run up the stands. Ghirahim breathed a sigh of relief. One less thing to worry about at the moment, at least.

The demon lord turned his attention back to his guards. He saw that Nix, recovering from the attack, had launched herself in the air towards the fleeing demon.

"Halt!" she said. Terrin ignored the flying demon's command as he continued to run up the tops of the seats.

Ghirahim grimaced at the scene of chaos before him.

"I should have mentioned that Terrin is double-jointed," Orynx said, grimacing.

"We need to go after him!"

"No."

"What?!"

"You need to stay here. And I need to make sure you don't go after him and get yourself killed."

Ghirahim breathed a sigh of relief as Nix tackled the fleeing demon.

"Fine. But I'd like you to guess which one of you is getting a raise," Ghirahim said.

Nix was punching the masked demon repeatedly. Terrin held his arms in front of him defensively.

"Mercy! I surrender!" Terrin said desperately.

"You'd better!" Nix said, standing up. "Don't make me punch you again!"

"I won't," Terrin said, slowly trying to rise from the ground. As he was halfway to a sitting position, he collapsed back to the ground. "But you might have to carry me back to the trial box."

"Seriously? Fine." Nix bent down to grab the green demon, but was suddenly felled to her side as the other demon kicked her feet out from under her. As she rose in a flurry of limbs, Terrin jumped up and ran into the forest.

Blazing anger burned in Ghirahim's heart. He teleported to Nix.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine. I'll go after him."

"So will I," Ghirahim said. Then, before Orynx could say anything, he ran in the direction Terrin had disappeared in.

"Stop or I will make you stop!" Wise's metallic voice echoed across the field.

Terrin laughed. Ghirahim looked around the trees, trying to spot the other demon. Where was he?!

"Never! I will avenge Demise!"

Ghirahim heard rustling sounds.

"Oh, no you don't!" Wise said and brought their hands together in a crushing gesture that the trees in the forest copied, lacing their branches together like fingers to try to block Terrin's path. The sorcerer held up a hand. "Done. Now let's see if I caught him."

Wise had begun teleporting before abruptly re-materializing. "Ghirahim?" Wise turned his concealed face to face the demon lord. "Are you coming?"

"Of course," Ghirahim said, hastily trying to conceal his shock. "I hope you'll teach me how to do that, though."

"Maybe later," Wise said. "Let's get Terrin first."

"Agreed."

Both sorcerers teleported to the tangle of trees.

Ghirahim was starting to experience the air loss that accompanies continuous screaming, but still it was difficult to convince himself to stop. It seemed the best way to externalize how he felt internally at this moment.

"My lord, please calm down," Orynx said. "He can't have gone far, and Wise and some of the other sorcerers can teleport-"

Ghirahim stopped screaming to glare at Orynx from his position of being wedged between two tree trunks. He took a few slow breaths before he felt able to speak again. "That's useless! We can't teleport everywhere in the forest to look for him. Anyway, Terrin is extremely dangerous. I-I can't risk people searching for him and finding him. I'm the only one who should-"

"No," Orynx said. "You're right. Terrin is dangerous. You shouldn't go looking for him by yourself, either."

"Orynx is giving good advice, my lord," Wise said. "Though I can't believe I just said that."

Orynx gave Wise a blank stare. "I do my best."

Ghirahim sighed. "You're both right." He clenched his hands into fists. "But if I see his-cursed mask again he's going to regret this. Very briefly. But he's going to regret it."

"Don't worry about Terrin," Wise said. "When I get my hands on him, and I will, I'll be sure to deliver him right back to you."

"Thank you," Ghirahim said.

"My lord!" Darrow's voice called out. Ghirahim turned to face the soldier, who was panting for breath.

"Yes, Darrow?" Ghirahim asked.

"The Sealed Grounds are under attack!" the bokoblin soldier said, his eyes wide.

"By the Sheikahs?" Ghirahim asked.

"No!" Darrow said. "By a dragon!"