Evil's Bane II: Curse of the Zora [T]

I know I said I would never do this, write another fanfic, but the thought came to me - writing is writing. It does not matter what format or level of originality, it is still a training ground for stretching the fingers, the mind, and the boundaries of possibility. I am working on my novel, this is true, but I will settle down in this realm from time to time, albeit a little wiser than the last, hoping that I can live up to the stepping stones below me and make this even better than it's predecessor.

Speaking of, if you have not read the first installment, the link is here, if you are interested: http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/...-s-bane-t.html

That said, here is the first little bit.


Prologue


Log Entry -Third day of Solstice, six weeks since departure.

Sundering seas clashed against the sides of the vessel, rocking the inhabitants to and fro with the violence of a maddened tempest. Swells as high as Death Mountain, Link clung to the wheel with all the strength he could muster, trying to keep the ship on course and afloat. His arms felt as if they would break from the strain. Wiping the streams of rain and matted blonde hair from his eyes, his green tunic was soaked through to the bone, making his body feel heavy.

Thunder clapped across the horizon as lighting spread along the skies like a spider’s web, threatening to blanket the small boat in it’s fury. Irrepressible waves crashed over the sides of the ship, washing away provisions and threatening to exhale the passengers into the wild sea with a cruel dispassion.

What few crewmen were left aboard the Starry Messenger scrambled to secure the cargo and the lines with desperate fervor. Many men had been lost to this seemingly unending storm, including the captain, and Link was no sailor. He was doing his best, but he knew the effort to be futile. Sooner or later, unless the chaos were to subside, the ocean would take them for it’s own.

His thoughts drifted to those trapped below deck. Mara and Cale, his friends from Hyrule, had stayed down there to help keep the lading steady and even, as well as help pump bilge water from the hull, but he had not seen either them for hours.

Just when he thought the surge could not get any worse, a massive tidal wave came into view on the port side of the ship. It was easily five times the height of the main mast, and as wide as the eye could see, eclipsing the tiny vessel in it’s monumental girth.

Link threw the wheel to the port side as hard as he could in an effort to ride the surging wall, hoping they could scrape the outsides of it and make it over the crest. The bow of the ship rose into the air as the ship climbed, the crew grabbing hold of whatever ropes or grips they could get a hold on. Link blocked his feet against the rear of the deck as the bowsprit reached an almost vertical orientation, water gushing over his boots like a river.

Link exhaled a sigh of relief as the ship neared the crown of the wave. Almost there, just a little further, and the ship would be safe again. But as the bowsprit edged on the white curls, the torn and tattered men below cried out as the ship began to sink backwards, losing it’s momentum to surmount the great hill of saltwater. Link panicked as the rear end of the ship started to lower from underneath him, his balance starting to wane.

To his horror, the ship was beginning to capsize.

Link’s eyes widened as the crest of the colossal wave overshadowed the Starry Messenger, what little light in the dark of the storm falling into an all-encompassing umbra. He tried to solidify his grip upon the wheel, but the wet handles gave way and his fingers slipped, his body falling toward the ocean’s wild torrents below.

Barely catching the outer railing of the deck with his fingertips, his body dangled out in the exposed elements, free from all facets of protection. The white-handled Master Sword slipped from his scabbard as he careened, and he watched with his mouth agape as it plunged into the depths with naught but a whisper. Link reached for it as it fell, but his hand was too late, his fingers barely glancing across the edge of the pommel.

His other hand barely holding on to the railing, he clasped his other and held on dearly, but he knew that everything was truly lost. With the front of the ship inverting toward him, and the waves of the ocean threatening to consume him, he closed his eyes and prayed deliverance would find his friends.

Lightning struck the bowsprit, setting the carved Goddess at it’s head ablaze in the rain. Somehow managing to pull himself up enough to hook his elbow around the railing, Link held on for his life, just as the surge and the ship came down upon him.

The tidal wave enveloped the ship completely, the main mast snapping in two as if it were but a sapling in the path of an avalanche. The surge pushing downwards with the strength of a thousand giants, the Starry Messenger shot toward the bottom like a spear, deep into the ocean's heart, leaving nothing but storm and wind in it’s wake.

“Tell me, do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls? They say it is the only time when our world intersects with theirs - the only time we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits who have left our world. That is why loneliness always pervades the hour of twilight.”

- Rusl

Link’s comatose body lay on the dimly-lit ocean floor, the edges of his tattered green tunic waving in the soft current like strands of wild kelp. He was in a secluded place, surrounded by a circle of large rocks, creating a null in the powerful flow of the giant waters. Somehow, his Zora mask was upon his face, even though he lost consciousness when the ship went down.

Stirring, he sat up and gasped for air, not realizing he had his breathing mask on. His eyes wildly scanning the surroundings, he finally calmed his heart and cleared his mind, trying to remember what happened. Pushing to his feet, his boots slightly impressing upon the soft ocean sands, he was able to see over his protective ring of rock to the outside.

It was a barren waste, so to speak, with little or no life to be seen anywhere. Nothing but waves, rock, and sand as far as his Hylian eyes could see.

His thoughts immediately drew to Mara and Cale. They were below deck when the ship plunged into the deep, and he hoped they somehow managed to escape. The likelihood was slim, but he was alive so there had to be a chance.

Surmounting the wall of boulders, Link gently eased down to the other side, looking in all directions for some sort of sign that he was not alone. The lay of the sand gently drifted downwards as he walked and swam, heading deeper and deeper toward the ocean’s heart, a slight current brushing against his back like a guiding wind.

But then he saw something, glimmering in the white and brown grains. Swimming toward it as fast as he could manage, he plunged his face down to the floor and dug at the shiny object.

He at first thought it was the Master Sword, buried in the sands, but was even more astonished to find that it was a piece of the Starry Messenger’s forestay, the gilded face that once comprised the goddess at the bow. It was only half of the face, charred and shattered, with the sapphire eye missing.

Raising himself higher and looking farther into the deep, he saw more items in the sand, randomly strewn about at an increasing rate the farther it went. Following the trail of destruction, he found more and more pieces of the Starry Messenger and a deep ravine, where it appeared that the ship had run aground.

As Link swam along the trail, he began to notice a dark horizon beginning to build. Nearing that ominous line, the end of the trench, was a massive drop-off, spanning the breadth of a thousand seas and deeper than anything he had before witnessed. He dropped his feet to the ground and toed the edge, carefully looking over.

It was nothing but a black morass, hiding all of it’s secrets from his eyes. The ship must have run aground with a great force, dragged this trench out this far, and then plummeted into whatever lay at the bottom of this chasm, if indeed it had one. Whatever hope there was for his friends was quickly beginning to diminish.

Leaning a little more over the edge, the footing below him crumbled and fell, the grasping current threatening to pull him down. He pushed against it and swam backwards, trying to head back to the ravine and the pathway of debris, but the current seemed to strengthen the more he tried.

Suddenly he was hit with the power of a massive undercurrent, tossing his helpless body toward the abyss. Link struggled to fight it and stay away from the cliff, but something was calling him, beckoning him to enter the dark void, gripping him like an invisible hand. Link felt a tight cinch around his waist and he was ripped from the lighted upper crust down into the abysmal depths, all light ceding from his eyes the farther he went.

He could tell he was moving faster, and faster yet, the numbing resistance of the cold water pelting him like a sandstorm. The grip on his body tightened, squeezing his organs in an uncaring vice, ensuring he could not escape. Link struggled to resist, to break away, but it was in vain. Whatever creature or device this was, it had no intention of letting him go.

Deeper and deeper he percolated, time and distance becoming irrelevant. It was as if he had passed through the center of the world and was to emerge upon the other side, the rush carried on so.

Then, in the far off distance, a faint blue light began to appear. Small at first, it soon began to brighten all the surroundings, giving Link some view of where he was headed. Massive coral reefs and entire forests of algae and seaweed surrounded him, and large schools of fish seemed to part ways like a curtain as he thundered passed.

Whatever the light source was, it nearly blinded Link as he neared. It was like a small sun, underwater near the water’s core, lighting this oceanic world in azure-shaded brilliance. This place was teeming with life, more so than Link had ever seen, all of it surrounding the glowing orb, but tapering off near the edges where darkness ruled. Whatever this light was, it was giving or creating life.

Without warning or reason, the grip on Link’s body suddenly released it’s hold upon him and let him drift toward the light, his body quickly slowing to a stop. Floating there, looking for direction on what he should do, he noticed another ravine to the side of the light, tearing off into the darkness. He quickly swam to the ravine and gasped at what he saw, lying just a few meters away.

The aft of the Starry Messenger, torn to pieces and rooted in the ocean floor.

Link hurried to the wreckage and was even more taken aback as he neared. Only the rear of the main deck and the steering column was there, while the entire mid-section and the bow was missing. Another trail of debris wound off into the darkness, where the blue light did not reach.

Diving into the wreck, Link scoured every bit, looking for what his heart feared most, but was both relieved and exasperated that his friends were not there. Looking under planks of wood, piles of rubble, and in the ruins of the captain’s quarters, there was nothing to be found. Not even supplies were still there. It was as if the ship had been picked clean, nothing of value left behind.

Swimming back out of the ship’s remains, he looked toward the trail of devastation, scarring the once perfect ocean sands. Out there, in the darkness, Link set out to find his friends.

Silly me, this was supposed to be with chapter one.

The water in the darkness was cold, settling deep in Link’s bones. The farther away from the light he went, the harder and harder it became to breath. His eyes stung as he descended deeper and deeper into the void, the ability to see diminishing. He turned back and looked to the light, a now-faint ray of hope in the distance.

As he progressed, the icy chill began to magnify and the water felt heavier; thicker. Small beads of ice began to collect on his Zora Mask with each exhale, the bubbles of oxygen freezing upon contact. This water was strange. It almost felt...alive. Then, when he least expected it, something touched his leg. He spun around, readying his bare fists, but saw nothing. Again it grazed across him, this time over his shoulders, but the entity fleeted away before he could catch a glance of it.

He could hear something hissing in the deep, followed by small waves of parted waters rushing over his body. It was like a black wind rising from an ancient battlefield, the feel of immemorial death and destruction following in it’s wake.

“What sacrifice, will, and treasures naught...have ye yet to bring, to bargain, to wrought?" A darkly, aged voice said into the deep, ripples of sound making the waters shift and recede. “What sleeping death doth secretly toll...the ever-raking vice of the sinking narrow?”

Link did not understand what the voice was telling him, riddles cloaked in ancient tongues. It seemed to move, to circle him, speaking like a ghost from the depths.

“Search the environs for secrets forbade...and fly to the heavens in a sundered dark shay. Keep to this deep, cleave to it’s play...but find ye shall not, nor shall ye stay.”

Link caught sight of a long, serpentine tail, whipping through the waters, but it disappeared again before he could get a clean look.

“Begone, foul-earth creature, depart hence from my lair...and take these things with thee, take thy despair! Let go of thy heart, surrender thy might...give up thy courage and lose thine spent life!”

The waters began to bend and swirl, wrapping Link in the impenetrable cocoon of an icy embrace. He could feel his very breath being sucked out of him, the Zora mask notwithstanding. His body dropping to the now-dry ground, the waters parted and created a hurricane-like funnel, of which he was the eye. All the air was sucked out of the cyclone, and Link was left there, helpless and alone.

“Feel thine blood boil, thine lungs of red sand...and know ‘twas I who parted this man. Leave this grand temple, this eternity mine...and be one with the dead; the victims of time!”

“Link!” A soft, adolescent voice said over the raging storm. “Here!”

Singing through the water like supernal angel’s wings, the Master Sword cut through the funnel and lodged deep in the hard ocean floor, the white hilt glowing with heat and power.

“Cut through the darkness!” The youth’s voice said as it fled away. “Fall not to the Leviathan!”

“Beastly Zora, cursed of the cursed,” the monster rhymed, “interfere here, and thy fate will be versed!”

The whirlwind of waves seemed to weaken at the Master Sword cutting through the outer wall, a thin streak of lighter-colored streams in Link’s sight. He retrieved the fabled blade, Evil’s Bane, feeling it’s power coursing through his veins once more. He was distraught when it was lost to the sea, but now his doubt began to recede as the blade of the Goddesses was once again in his hands; the power to surmount any evil.

With one mighty vertical slice, Link sundered the rushing ocean winds, the swirling vortex tearing itself apart and settling into a dead, stagnant waste. He again saw a fleeting tail in his peripherals, flicking in the darkness, just outside of his sight.

“Escape thee may try, and thy breath thee may cherish...but live ye shall not, and verily thou shalt perish!”

A strong wave pushed through the undertow, pushing Link away a few meters. He held dearly to the Master Sword, it’s white blade giving him some scant light in the darkness. Instinctively, he spun around, seeking sly evil at his back.

Rushing towards him with uninhibited malice, a massive jaw was unhinged and threatening to consume Link in all it’s hatred. Multiple rows of barbed, decaying teeth cut through the waters, revealing a dark morass that was it’s gullet. Within that simple glance of the creature, he saw eons of slain mortals.

Barely able to swim to the side as the head snapped at his chest, Link dropped his sword down upon it’s neck, slicing clean through it’s flesh. The Leviathan reeled and screeched as it’s lifeblood escaped into the waters, thick darkness spreading from the wound. Link pushed away from the creature by planting his boot on it’s body and shoving as hard as he could, giving him some distance from the creature-enraged.

“Flee, Link!” The voice that helped him came up from behind. “Come with me!”

Link turned and saw a Zora, strangely red and orange in color instead of the blue-skinned river people that he remembered. She could not have been older than fourteen; just a child. She had a sharp face and large blue eyes, reminding him much of Princess Ruto from his own childhood.

“Come!” She said with a sense of dire urgency. “You can’t kill the Leviathan, no matter how hard you try. You must swim away!”

Link turned to look again in the direction the beast had swam, a dark trail of blood lining the waters that headed towards the blue light in the distance.

“No!” The Zora grabbed Link by the arm, pulling him away. For such a small one, she had tremendous strength. “Fight here, and you’ll die!”

Hardly ably to fight against her muscular fins, Link sheathed the Master Sword and took her hand, letting the Zora-child take him farther out into the darkness, away from the light.

Swimming through the cold waters, Link was completely blinded by the lack of light, the mass before his eyes a black veil. Once he waived his hand before his eyes, but could not even see that. The floor of the ocean was stark indeed, with no knowing what else lurked in the silent, swarthy depths.

Wordless, the Zora pulled him as fast as she could manage. He could hear her faint breaths as her fins cut through the water, but otherwise she was a ghost, a faceless phantom taking him to his fate. Albeit much slower and gentler, it reminded him of when he was pulled from the upper crust into the abyss. Perhaps it was another Zora that brought him down? He did not know. The strength that this Zora was showing was notable, but in comparison to the grip from before it was very faint.

Link closed his eyes. The salty waters were beginning to irritate them, and since he could not see anyway, he thought it better just to place his trust in this child. He was unsure of her intentions, and he did not even know her name, but for some reason, with her, faith came easily.

He felt her large eyes upon him, staring back as she swam. She must be able to see in this darkness, and took note that his eyes were closed. But even with his sight hindered, an uncomfortable mantle washed over him like a fell wind, and his instincts spoke to his mind that someone was observing him attentively.

"Almost there." She whispered, noticing his discomfort. "Just a little further. Light is coming, if you can see it."

Link opened his eyes, relieved that he could see faint traces of outlines and shapes. Scattered light was beginning to reveal itself, very slowly, but it was comforting. He glanced over his left shoulder, eying the Master Sword. He was able to see it’s white hilt, starting to gently glow as the luminance increased. He thought it strange, as it never glowed before, but perhaps there was something in the water that was making it awaken, stirring it’s power.

It had been weeks since the defeat of Ganondorf Dragmire, and after that last great battle, the sword had become just that; a sword. No more power thought to be needed, it’s evil-scathing hum had receded, and he thought many a time that perhaps it needed to be returned to it’s home, back to the ruins of the Temple of Time. But without a pedestal for it to be sealed, as it was destroyed by Dark Link, it would have been just laying there, unprotected. Perhaps his fate was to carry the reborn blade for the rest of his days, but it was too soon to tell.

Everything had been set right, and yet he felt the urge to go on. That yearning brought him and his friends, Mara and Cale, out onto the ocean’s wild expanse, and subsequently to it’s frigid core. Link wondered if they should have just stayed upon dry land, for the sake of his friends.

"There!" The Zora exclaimed. "Can you see the spire?"

Link refocused his eyes upon the present and squinted, seeing a yellowy gleam, stretching forth from the ocean floor. As they neared, it took the shape of a large tower, jutting forth like the stinger of a hornet. It looked natural, tapering downwards to the ground in an almost negligible slope, making it look as if it were formed by the goddesses themselves. No creature, man or beast, could have created such a tower. Even in this environment, such precision was unheard of.

As they neared, Link could see that the spire was honeycombed, long strands of yellowed structure interweaving through itself like a finely-tangled rope. The outside glistened, light shining forth into the impenetrable darkness, giving it the look of a sanctuary. The facade spoke of a holy place to Link, but there was something about it that sent a shiver down his spine. He wished it was just the cold water, but knew better.

The Zora-child slowed to a near stop, letting Link bask in the light and marvel. A faint warmth was coming from it, coming in waves with the ocean current; heat being replaced by chill, and heat again. Link delighted in the feeling, sure now that he was still alive.

"My father is the king of the Zoras," she said with pride, "King Ras. He rules all the ocean Zora, so be sure to be nice when you meet him." She turned and looked straight at Link. "And I am Princess Reyla." She gave a delicate, weightless curtsey. "It’s a good thing I found you before the Leviathan could get his teeth in you. He’s not a very nice one, but we’re not all like him...well, at least not us ocean Zoras."

Reyla fluttered around to Link’s left, beckoning him to follow. "This way, Hylian. My father wants to meet you, and told me to hurry. I think he has a surprise for you!"

Link was wary of the Zora’s state of un-compromised levity, put pushed against the waters with his arms and legs, following Reyla towards the city. As they went, slowly, according to her, Link noticed that she had a gold-chained necklace that draped down her neck, a finely-shaped pendant attached at the end. It was triangular in shape, much like the pendant that his childhood Zora-friend, Ruto, had worn, but this had red gems instead of blue, and was pierced through the center with a silvery trident.

"Do you like it?" Reyla asked, noticing that he was staring at it. "It was my grandmother’s when she was a child." Her self-accomplishment was beaming. "I found it only a few days ago when I was going through the spire’s underground waterways. Never go down there without me, okay?" She put on a face of somber regality. "Not that I’m saying you’d ever have to, it’s just dangerous. You wouldn’t last two seconds. Leave it to me."

Link almost laughed at her sense of gallantry, himself well-weathered in the ways of battle and forgotten tombs, but instead amused the girl and gave her a respectful nod.

"Good!" Her uppish rectitude reinforced her feeling of place and position. "Now, I have to go see someone about something that is going to happen sometime." She pointed towards an inlet that led into the spire, near the base. "Head that way and step through the bubble. The guards might give you a hard time, but just tell them that I sent you to see my father. Tell them that Princess Reyla said so, and they won’t give you any trouble."

Link watched as the young Zora flew off into the dark waters, faster than he had seen any blue Zora swim, and disappeared. Whatever it was she was up to, she seemed to be in quite a rush to ensure it was done. He shrugged it off, took in a deep breath, and approached the base of the spire.

The outer walls were thick like tree roots, every inch of them shimmering in gold and silver. Around the inlet were carved markings, much like the old Hylian script, but much more curvy and with pictures as well as text. He could not read any of it, as it seemed more a garbled mess of design, rather than written words.

Covering the inlet was a convex wall of air, looking both solid and weak at once. Link reached out to touch it, feeling the outer wall with his fingertips. It was warm like the skin of a horse, but smooth like polished marble. Putting a little pressure on his fingers, he was surprised when his hand passed through, unhindered. He could feel air on the other side, the pressure of the waters gone, and looking through he could see that his hand was dry, all the water removed.

Captivated, he pulled the rest of his body towards the bubble, using the sides of the spire to guide himself, and pushed through to the other side. It was like putting on a piece of snug clothing, like a pair of leather gloves, but instead of becoming heavier, all the water that saturated his clothing and hair was leeched away, leaving him as dry as he would have been on land. His feet touched the floor, the sudden feeling of solid ground unsettling at first, but them gratuitously welcomed.

Link gazed around, not sure to expect, finding himself in a large foyer with grand, arching beams of circular whites, golds, and silvers, intertwined like a sagebrush’s stems. The floor was of a glossy calcite, solid and yet semi-transparent. He could see schools of fish passing below his feet, like standing on a thin layer of ice.

Suddenly there was the sound of rushing footsteps and clanking armor. Raised voices and urgent shouts filled the high-arcing foyer as a group of twelve red and orange Zoras filled the space, armed to the teeth and fitted with heavy, rocky-looking armor. Not children, but full-grown adult warriors, they brandished long, bronze-tipped spears, the visceral heads as large as a Hylian Loach, each pointed menacingly in Link’s direction.

"What is this?" One of the guards said in disbelief. "More Hylians? What the heck?!?""

Link’s instincts told him to go for the Master Sword to defend himself, but he kept his calm and his arms to his sides. More Hylians? Some must have passed by recently to garner that response, shoring up Link’s hope that Cale and Mara were still alive.

"How do you Hylians keep finding this place?" The same guard asked of Link, his taller and sharper fins making him look like a captain of sorts. "King Ras does not take kindly to strangers entering our halls, let alone ones not of our kind. "Speak your business here, or be arrested!"

Link told them of the Princess, and how she said that he should immediately be taken to the King.

All stood by in silence, looking to each other for answers. An uncomfortable pause took root, the Zoras seemingly dumbfounded by Link’s claim that he was sent by the King’s daughter.

"You..." The guard captain’s face looked as if Link had just committed a great offense. "How dare you say such things?!?"

Link was concerned, unsure of what they meant or what they intended to do.

"Princess Reyla...." He did not seem capable of forming the words. "Yes, you will indeed go to King Ras. He will decide what to do with you...but know that I will have no part in it."

The Zora captain gave one of the other guards a nod. Before Link could react, a dark-red Zora, in a blinding display of speed, rushed behind him and hit him over the back of the head with the butt-end of his spear, knocking him to the floor. He strained to regain his focus, the taste of blood in his mouth, but he soon succumbed into utter blackness when the Zora hit him again, a streak of crimson flecking across the floor.

"Take this...creature to the King’s hall," the captain said, motioning for two to carry Link’s comatose body. "And ensure he doesn’t make it out...and doesn’t die until the King calls for him."

With respectful pounds to their chests, the two guards handed their spears to others and picked up Link by the arms, dragging him out of the foyer.

"And may the King show mercy upon you, Hylian." The captain looked away, churned up by the thought. "May your death be swift."

I'm rather surprised that no one has responded here, so I'll give my thoughts. Very well thought out, much as your other story was, and this has the potential to be better,s o keep up the good work.

Thank you, master.... Yea, I'm accustomed to not getting much feedback until about at least a quarter way through, even though I get lots of hits, but it's still better here than all the other places I post combined.

Excellent, Doran! You're continuing, and this time I can actually follow along instead of reading it all in two-three days. Those guards seemed pissed about something... Oh, three other things-

Originally Posted by Leviathan

“What sacrifice, will, and treasures naught...have ye yet to bring, to bargain, to wrought? A darkly, aged voice said into the deep, ripples of sound making the waters shift and recede. “What sleeping death doth secretly toll...the ever-raking vice of the sinking narrow?”

You're missing a quotation mark here...

Originally Posted by Guard Captain

"Take this...creature to the King’s hall" the captain said, motioning for two to carry Link’s comatose body. "And ensure he doesn’t make it out...and doesn’t die until the King calls for him."

...and you're missing a comma here.
Third thing- are not Captain's Logs usually written in first person?

Sure, they aren't really important, i was just seeking to help.

You got me there - was wondering if anyone was going to notice the log issue or not. I was originally intending for it to be in a ship log format, and I might still do it, but for now the typo stands. It will change or be deleted eventually, but I am undecided if I should completely redo the prologue or just merge it into chapter one and start anew.

I'll decide that later as the story takes shape. But anyhoo, thanks for spotting the dirties for me.

Link’s head tumbled and swirled. Unable to move, he desperately commanded his limbs to function, but they would not respond. He could hear voices around him, wavy and ethereal, but the words all blended together like a foreign tongue. Last he could remember, he was in the presence of those Zora guards, but now. . . he was not sure.

Suddenly he felt cold rush over his body, the feeling of being dragged through some liquid to another place was heavily prominent. Whatever he had said to enrage the Zoras had certainly garnered some ill effects. It had something to do with the King’s daughter, Reyla, but at the moment none of it made any sense.

The cold feeling then ebbed into a fiery heat. Starting at his toes, it slowly crept up his body, scorching the nerve endings like a cattle brand, white with incalescence, malevolently being dragged it up his exposed skin, creating a depression in his flesh for disfiguring scar-tissue to fill.

It was pain.

He wanted to cry out, but had not the ability. He felt as if he were being cooked alive, strips of his skin peeling off as he lay there, helpless. He had been tortured before, for days at a time even, but there had never been anything like this; there was no release, no relent. When being flogged, or when being burned, one could at least cry out, to release some of the pain and occupy the mind. This kept it all inside, scarring not only his flesh, but going deeper to his very soul.

It went far beyond simple pain. It was hell.

Link desperately searched himself for the power, the will to call upon the Sages of old to help him, but he was alone. There was nothing. Even the voices around had ceased. The pain was omnipresent without consort. Whatever it was that the Zoras were doing to him, it was vile beyond imagination.

He thought it would never end. He felt himself pass through an eternity, the very weave of time shifting into irrelevance, and yet his hell continued. He began to have base thoughts, escapist fantasies. He felt violent, corrupt, willing himself to become one with the pain, one with the madness. In his mind, he reached for the Master Sword and slid it’s holy edge upon the world, sundering it in maligned degradation.

He was slipping into darkness, much farther than he ever had before, and he did not care to wonder if he were to ever return.

"Link." A slow voice riddled with the afflictions and strains of age spoke into his mind. "Hylian...landwalker...enemy mine...harbinger of false prophets."

The pain languished, ever so slightly, but it was still intense beyond reason.

"You speak false truths...try to lead our people to false hope...death is the penalty for such heresy."

Link felt a pressure on his neck, constricting his lungs. He tried to fight it, to break free, but was still under some dark veil that disconnected his mind from his body. Akin to a night terror, where he was unable to wake up, forever to linger within the madness.

"Chamberlain!" A slyly violent voice joined the room. "Remove you hands or I will slit your green gills!"

Immediately, Link felt the pressure on his neck release and his body heaved for oxygen.

"Begone, Chamberlain! This one is for me; no other!"

Link heard footsteps pattering away.

"Now...let’s see what you really are."

With a slight pinch on his arm, Link regained full control of his body and he snapped awake, nearly toppling off of the cold marble slab where he was laying. He found himself in a room of a pearl-like color, formed like a natural cave, and decorated with hand-chiseled furniture of polished stone. Running water shimmered down the walls, making the room glisten, and with it carried the scent of wild flowers.

He looked all over his body, expecting to see open wounds and burns, but was slightly relieved to see nothing. He was intact, as he was before, save the egg on the back of his head where he was struck by the guard.

Then he caught the sight of a Zora standing next to him, tall and lean, who was more of an orange color than any of the other Zoras he had seen so far. He stood with a kind of regal stature, his shoulders back and his chin high. He had large eyes, honest, kind-looking eyes not fitting of his dark voice, and wore a strange set of jewels on his forehead.

The jewels were sapphires, arranged in a triangular pattern, with one stone between his eyes and the other two equally placed upon his forehead. They were joined together by long, sweeping strands of crystalline pearls.

Thinking about it for a moment, Link realized it was a crown.

"Link, is it?" The Zora smiled at Link’s nodding reply. "My name is Ras, and I am King of these waters. You must forgive the Lord Chamberlain; he is...hasty with his dealings. But know that as long as you are in my presence, no harm will come to you."

Link was not sure as to wether he should take that as solace or not.
"Now, word has come to me that you have some rather...outrageous claims." The King took a seat in a nearby polished-stone armchair. "Please...indulge me."

Hesitantly, Link recalled his story for the monarch. Once he was finished, he glanced over his shoulder, concerned, but not surprised, that the Master Sword had been taken.

Ras leaned forward and stared Link in the eyes, invisible fires burning behind his pupils. "I will give you one chance, and one chance only, to recant your words before I take them as fact. Once that is done, if I find you have lied to me, you will most certainly suffer. Understand?"
Link nodded. He told the story exactly as he witnessed it, and left out nothing.

"Forgive me, Link." The King relaxed, letting the tension in his muscles ease. "But I have never had dealings with your people until this last day. I thought the landwalkers had long since been destroyed when the oceans enveloped the world. You understand if I harbor no trust in you."

Link conceded the point. That made two of them.

"Princess Reyla...my daughter..." He choked on the words, finding it hard to speak of it. "Princess Reyla is dead."

Link stared him in the face. She was not dead. How could she be? She led him here, by her own hand, and showed him the way into the city.

"Who sent you here?" The King’s tone had now lost all it’s sincerity and that bitterness began to resurface. "Why would you do this to us?"
Link was baffled.

"Do you need me to show you, fiend?!?" Ras stood to his feet and moved to the door. "Then follow me."

Reticently, Link got onto his feet, careful not to slip on the smooth, moist floor, and complied.

The King took Link through a series of halls, some with passing Zoras that stared and whispered at the sight of Link, and others that simply turned and walked the other way. Stopping at the precipice of a large balcony, Ras beckoned Link to join him; to view over the side.

"Look, Hylian," he said angrily, "and then tell me your story again."

Link girded himself and walked up to the railing, gazing over the side. Down below was a large plaza, a market, by the looks of it, bustling with Zoras; thousands of them. They were swarming the place, too many to count. Link saw nothing strange with this, so he looked to Ras for an explanation.

"No?" Ras said with a leer. "Don’t see anything...strange?"

Link looked again. Nothing seemed out of order to him. There was a multitude of Zoras in a large market, trading and bargaining for goods. He was about to give up and look to Ras again when something peculiar did strike him.

All the Zoras were tall; adults. There were no children.

His Hylian eyes widened, searching the space desperately, hoping to be wrong. If it was true, if this is what Ras wanted him to see, then something was truly wrong within this white spire.

"You will find no children within these halls." Ras gripped the railing, squeezing the stone until his orange fingers turned blue. "Not since you Hylians came."

Link’s brow furrowed upon hearing his darkest fear becoming said truth.

"I am surprised the guards did not kill you on the spot." The King pulled away from the railing. "We thought the coming of the others to be a great event...but then...this."

Link did not understand. If Cale and Mara had passed this way, it would have been only a few days at the most. How could this have possibly happened in such a short amount of time? Where did the Zora’s offspring disappear to?

Ras grabbed Link by the arm and threw him against the rail. Guards that were following behind the two in the shadows entered the space, turning their backs and taking up positions to keep any outsiders away.

"What have you done with them?" Ras’ anger was turning his face red, the jewels in his crown following suit. "My daughter died ages ago, for my mistakes in the past, and I will not allow another child in my kingdom to come to harm." He grabbed Link again, his face close to his. "Tell me where they are, or I will bleed you all over this railing for all to see!"

Link glanced backward, noticing that the entire crowd below had taken notice.

"I warn you, landwalker. The children...or your life. Make your choice."

"Sire!" A runner Zora came sprinting down the hall. "Hold!"

Ras released his grip on Link’s arm, but kept his infuriated gaze upon him. "Speak your message, then be about your way."

The runner stopped at the King’s feet, pausing to catch his breath for a moment before delivering his message. "The oracle has decreed the Hylian shall not be touched by Zora steel."

Whispers started flying in the crowd below.

"The oracle decrees?!?" Ras had reached the end of his patience. "Who is the oracle to demand anything?"

The guards looked to each other. To defy the oracle was of the highest treason, as she was the seer of all things past, present, and future. Even the King was subject to her unchallenged council.

The runner bowed lower. "She says that this Hylian is to be gifted to...the Leviathan. It has called to her and has asked specifically for him as the next sacrifice."

The thousands below turned silent at the mention of the beast’s name. It had been centuries since the Leviathan had called upon the oracle for a specific offering, and for it to ask for this Hylian was disturbing indeed.

"Not until the Hylian returns the children to us." Ras said defiantly. "Tell the oracle that the beast will have his prize then, and only then!"

"She...was very specific, Sire." The runner feared for his life on both fronts. "She said that the Leviathan will...come to the city if it is not appeased immediately."

Gasps and apprehensive talk came from the mob, giving Ras pause. He knew that the will of the people was going to win out here, and that the oracle could very well replace him if he did not comply with her visions. The Leviathan was no joking matter either, as entire legions of warriors were destroyed the last time the beast decided to attack.

"Take him." Ras bitterly ordered the guards. "Get his stench out of my sight and present him to the sacrificial chambers."

With solid hands, the two armored Zoras took Link by the arms and whisked him away, the crowd below ignorantly resuming their daily routines.

How wonderfully suspenseful! This chapter leaves me wondering- What the @&%$ is going on here?, What happened to the children?, and, Why am i asking rhetorical questions?
Anywho, great chapter, and I'm glad you *finally* got it out.

I hear you, and I apologize for the long delay between postings. Work is into full holiday swing; I'm there all the freaking time. Not to mention all the mandatory family activities that are in the mix and prepping the house for the new spawn.

That, and when I have time to write, my novel comes first. I wish I could give more time to both projects, but right now the other is my number one priority.

Yeah, I understand. So long as you write something for one of your stories, I'm contented.

Wow, this is very interesting. And here I though you had me all convined you were done with fan fics, Doran. Tsk, tsk, I knew you couldn't resist.

Anyways, keep it coming. You have a very unique way of explaing the story through Link without him actually talking, which just adds to the Zelda feel this fan fic has, not to mention you are a great writer. Hurry back for more!

Sha. I dabbled with Link having dialog for both Evil's Bane and this foray, but either I just cannot write dialog for him, as it always sounded wrong in my head, or it is just too alien for it to be there. Sure, it makes him more of a blank-slate character, but it is in line with the series.

And thanks for the support, zoraluigi and Layke. You have no idea how critical even just little jots can be to a writer (actually, you might ). This tale might take some time to complete, and things are only going to become more challenging over the next few months/years, but I am optimistic.

I have invested more than just clockwork into this hobby; sweat, blood, and tears alike have been sacrificed to this keyboard. I have come so far in the past year that I truly believe writing has become my voice; my art; my unpaid profession. I would be a fool indeed if I were to ever give it up. Not for all the rupees in the world would I abscond. . . though I wouldn't mind writing in trade for some.

Link flicked the droplets of sweat from his brow, his struggling to break free from the iron chains that bound him to the wall having done little. The attempt was useless, he knew this, but he tried all the same. He did not come so far, survive for this long, just to be eaten by some monstrous beast before he had seen to his friends’ safety.

Cale and Mara were still alive, somewhere. He felt it in his gut.

He pushed the memory of his friends to the farthest reaches of his mind, hoping to stay focused on the present.

He was in a large chamber of that same slick white rock, arching above in weaves and stalactites, curving in the shape of a teardrop, with him being at the base against a lone detached wall. His cold companion out there in the arena was ornately inscribed with the beautiful Zoran language, curves and circles of characters and figures within attractive blocks. He never did learn to read Zoran. Even though this dialect was different in it’s own way, it still resembled the River Zora’s inscriptions back in Hyrule.

Back before he was sealed away for that cursed millennia in the Master Sword.

Link gazed to the rear of the chamber, spying an entry to the oceans at the pinnacle of the tear: a wide gap large enough a galleon could fit through, though it was sealed with a bubble of air, keeping the crushing depths at bay. Any number of things could fit through that gap, let alone creatures of unspeakable size, which no doubt entered to the cheers and applause of the audience up above.

Some twenty meters up, the chamber was rowed with a multitude of benches, which were quickly filling with sea of orange; anxious and apprehensive Zoras. Few within the walls of the city had ever seen the Leviathan, let alone still believed in it. Many thought it just a tale, superstition passed down from the elder days, but now that the oracle had mentioned it, the doubt had certainly ebbed and their curiosity was attracted.

Link pulled on the chains again, only to hear the heavy rings clatter upon the polished stone without much play. The links hooked around the back side of the wall and were secured by a linchpin nearly the size of Link himself; unbreakable. Whatever this room was designed for, it certainly was not intended for his meager frame. These chains could hold back a dragon; to a Hylian, it was overkill.

Ras entered the lower floor, an armed escort and grand train of servants in quick pursuit. He had adorned himself with a large crest, shaped like the rising sun, breaking from the horizon, mounted securely upon his forehead. Painfully long, flowing robes of blue and white satin coursed upon the floors in his wake, looking like breaking waves upon rock. The clamor of the crowd above began to rise, the moment they were waiting for coming to fruition.

The Zora King stopped in the center of the chamber, his escort taking up perfectly formed ranks behind him. Two of the servants raked in the robes as fast as they could manage, tucking them neatly behind the King, out of sight.

Ras lifted his arms into the air to the delight and cheers of the mob, who were quickly filing in to claim the last of the available seats.

Link’s skin prickled. He could not see the crowd, but he knew bloodlust when he heard it.

Reveling in the electricity of the crowd for a moment, the King motioned for his servants to come get him, and four Zoras, carrying a large, simple throne of carved white rock, rushed to him from the side of the arena. Wordless, he took his seat and was whisked away back to the side of the tear. They placed him down upon a pulley system, which latched onto the throne and began to cycle upwards, the green ropes circling through a multitude of gears and blocks. He was lifted higher and higher, a full level above all the other spectators, where the throne locked onto a high platform, from where he could watch the coming display at a safe distance.

Ras stood up from the throne as it settled and again lifted his hands, the rows exploding in the thirst for violence.

"Zoras of the oceans," he said, his voice projecting loudly from his place on high, his tone having leveled since the incident before. "By the word of the oracle, our most trusted sage, this Hylian landwalker has been destined to be sacrificed to the Leviathan."

Cheers flared up, which Ras tried to calm down by motioning for silence with his hands.

"By the law given by the fathers, is there any Zora amongst us that seeks retribution?"

The mob suddenly turned angry, violent even, and began throwing rocks and debris at Link, showcasing their hatred. Some screamed in alien tongues, curses upon the Hylian, while others yelled return the children as loud as their lungs would carry.

Ras again tried to calm the Zoras down, keeping a firm grip upon their emotions. "So it be said that the Hylian is not without fault to the people. Now, by the law given by the fathers, is there any Zora here who thinks the fate unjust?"

Dead quiet ensued, with not one person daring to breathe.

"Is there any Zora here who would give his or her life to spare this Hylian?"

The silence continued. There was no one, not a single soul, who thought the punishment raw. Link’s heart thundered at the thought of an entire people losing all sense of mercy and justice.

"Then, by the law given by the fathers, I hearby condemn you, Link of Hyrule, to be sacrificed to the shadow-beast; the fabled monster of the dark waterways...the Leviathan."

The crowd retained their reverence, all their eyes upon Link’s shackled form.

"Break the seal!" Ras bellowed into the arena. "And let justice take it’s course for our children!"

The muteness then caved to the rabid chants and curses, filling every bit of space within the hall with vile loathing. The people, eager to have someone to blame, unloaded all of their fears, all of their misgivings, all of their bitter tears upon Link, damning him to his fate. It escalated as a lone guard, clad from head to toe in thick, barbed armor, walked out into the chamber.

He carried a painfully long javelin, some five meters in length, which had a gilded tip that sparkled in the light. Standing in the center of the floor for a moment, his heavy breathing readily apparent, he aimed the javelin at the pinnacle of the tear; the bubble that separated water from land. Holding the pose, he glance back up to his Lord, ensuring the command was certain.

Ras gave the slightest of nods.

Turning back to the bubble, the guard’s arm shaking in consternation, making the javelin quiver and bounce, he began to run. As fast as his armored legs would carry, he sprinted at the bubble, a sharp battle cry escaping from his dominating helm. When he neared, only twenty meters away, he launched the javelin with all his might, the glinting edge spinning in a high arc towards it’s target.

Not even watching to see if he would strike his mark, the guard skidded to a stop and turned away, bolting toward the nearest exit from the ground level.

The javelin cut through the air like an arching arrow, moving ever so slowly to Link’s apprehensive eyes, coming dangerously close to shearing through the only thing keeping death at bay. The crowd hushed as it neared, wide eyes unblinking to the coming storm, not wanting to miss any moment of what might come tearing through the thin veil of oxygen.

And then it struck. With a soft slice, the javelin went right through the bubble and flew out into the ocean, drifting away out of sight. The bubble held for a moment, only a slight trickle of water pouring through the breach, but then it ripped open violently as a large, dark mass came charging into the chamber.

The crowd pushed back in their seats, gripping whatever they could find as the beast and water came crashing in. Link braced himself, keeping a firm grip on his fear as a massive wave of water came rushing at him. He pushed his body against the rock as hard as he could, preparing himself for the crushing weight of the coming surge.

The guard never had a chance to escape. Before he made it halfway to the walls of safety, the creature was upon him and he was crushed against the floor, his armor crumpled into an unrecognizable mass and indented into the rock.

It all happened so fast, Link never got a clean look at the Leviathan; only blurs and streaks of dark, spiny flesh. The moving ridge pummeled his shackled body, shaking loose all sense and reason from his mind. The breath that he held within his body as hard as he could was also expelled, leaving him there, helpless, to be either consumed or to drown. Either way, his fate was set.

The Zoras in the crowd clung tightly to their seats and each other as the wave flew up the sides of the chamber, filling each and every corner with saltwater. As fast as they could manage, Zora guards were using strange devices made of coral and shells, which seemed to be erecting new bubbles in front of the stands. Much of the upper levels flooded, but were soon returned to their dry state as all the new bubbles formed and the water receded back into the sacrificial chamber.

Link opened his eyes and gazed into the heart of darkness, coming at him with unspeakable rage. All he could see was an expanding maw of teeth, hooked and decayed, and the sight of a fresh wound, still bleeding dark matter into the water.

It was the same beast, the one he had sliced, and it had come to have it’s revenge.

The mouth encircled Link, snapping the chains as if they were but driftwood, and toppling the strong wall. The Zoras in the stands cried out in terror as the beast thrashed, many fleeing their seats to find safety, others unable to look away.

The Leviathan, in all it’s defiled glory, pulled away from the rock, it’s meal taken with pride and anger. Satisfied, it bolted out into the open ocean, leaving a thick trail of dark blood in it’s wake.

Ras folded his arms as he watched the beast go, his protective bubble keeping him dry. "It is done then, voice of the oracle," he said bitterly to a cloaked Zora woman at his side. "The beast has it’s prize, and we are left with nothing. We are no closer to finding our children than we were before. In fact, we are probably worse off."

"Fear not, Zora King." The oracle’s avatar’s voice was cold, silky, and articulate. "Time is our ally in this fight...and fight you must, if you seek to find your progeny."

"And fight I would, if you would allow it!" Ras stood to his feet, his anger uncontrollable. "If you can see all, if you can sense our fate, then why have our kin not been returned to us?!? Why can we not find them?!?"

The avatar removed her hood, revealing that she was not orange-skinned like the rest of the Zoras within the spire, but was a frigid white, like a risen copse. Her eyes were black, lidless, her face without emotion or signs of life. Only a pulsing, circular red gem gave her the slightest bit of color, which was firmly implanted into her forehead.

"Patience, Zora King. Answers will come when they are ready to be revealed. Until such time, we need but wait for the solution to unfold."

"You know that I would kill you, if I ever met your true face." Ras said boldly.

The white Zora cracked a smile, though it was unnatural and forced. "Yes, I know, Zora King. I know."

You know, when I saw 'sage' up there, I thought, of course, of the OoT sages, and then of Ruto. Could it be possible? Will only time tell? Why am I asking rhetorical questions again? Anyway, very good, though I have a feeling that this is like every other big fish- it has insides that can accommodate a person for a short time. Big fish like Jonah's whale, Jabu Jabu, or the one from Banjo-Tooie's Jolly Roger's Lagoon level that ate the girl all could be entered and walked in. I have a feeling this big fish is no different.

Originally Posted by zoraluigi

Anyway, very good, though I have a feeling that this is like every other big fish- it has insides that can accommodate a person for a short time. Big fish like Jonah's whale, Jabu Jabu, or the one from Banjo-Tooie's Jolly Roger's Lagoon level that ate the girl all could be entered and walked in. I have a feeling this big fish is no different.

Ha ha, this made me laugh for some reason.

A pretty short chapter, I think it was a bit rush if I must be honest. I don't think you quite properly built the mood for this scene. But hey, I'm just being really critical. It does move the plot forward and introduce an intriguing character.

A pretty short chapter, I think it was a bit rush if I must be honest.

Can't argue that one. I wrote it in about 30 minutes, as it was the only free time I had, and I wanted to get it posted. It will be worked on, for sure, but I'm still finalizing the plot outline so these chunks are predominantly rough draft.

As for Zoraluigi's comments...na. I'll let you think that.

The Lord Chamberlain panned his sight away as the Leviathan took it’s charge in a fury of blood and violence. He had a special seat, one seldom used for safety reasons, on the bottom level of the arena. A mere thirty meters away from the sacrificial wall, which now lay toppled and cracked, he held a hand up to his mouth, refusing the instinct to disgorge.

He was a short and rotund Zora, his orange skin flecked with dots of white all over his body, and he wore a long golden chain with a matching gilded cornucopia, made of a naturally-formed piece of coral. His dark green eyes were now closed, wishing to hide away from the sight of the kill, feeling the guilt of his own involvement.

"Lord Chamberlain?" A near guard asked, feeling somewhat relieved the Leviathan was departing. "Are you alright, Sir?"

"Yes, I am fine." The Chamberlain turned his back to the bubble, not wishing to see any more. "Nasty thing, the kill of the day. I’ve seen many, but it never seems to relent in it’s ferocity or cold brutality."

"Yes, Sir." The guard held firm to his spear. "I have seen my share of war as well."

"War is not of what I speak," the Chamberlain sneered.

The guard flinched. "Sir?"

"Your task is complete, Man at Arms." The Chamberlain faked a smile and gave him a waive. "And you have preformed to my satisfaction. You may go about your duties."

"Yes, of course, Sir." The guard bowed away and left the room, careful not to scrape his spear on the low ceiling.

The Chamberlain watched him go and walked to the door, ensuring he was completely alone and outside of earshot of any other Zora. Sighing, he worked up the courage to look again to the filled arena outside the protective bubble. A faint trail of blood was rapidly dissipating in the seawater, highlighting the path that the beast took when it fled the city, it’s meal taken. A small piece of fabric drifted in the sloshing current, black and shredded; a breathing mask. Nearby was an indistinguishable hunk of flesh, of which he did not wish to know where it once belonged.

It was assured; the boy was dead.

Guards were swimming towards the outer entryway to reinstate the wall and drain the arena. He could hear the Zoras up above shuffling out of their seats and going about their daily lives, having had their bloodlust sated for the day. Some were still cheering, the more adamant and zealous ones, but most kept their voices low, filling the hall with whispers.

They had been given their show, and yet things were no better than before. It would begin again tomorrow, as it had for years, and all his preaching and ranting had come to naught.

He looked to the sacrificial wall and thought it a pity that it had fallen and cracked. It used to be the actual outer wall of the city, as strong and as high as any other, but it had been slowly chipped, toppled, and worn away over the eons by the multitudes of deaths wrought upon it’s white facade. It was the last true piece left of the ancient spire that stood here before, far beyond the age of any living being, and yet again it was to become smaller, less grand, and of fading importance to the Zoran people.

Reflections of the times.

The Chamberlain looked to the cornucopia that dangled over his chest, it’s conical shape sealed with a crystalline stopper. Faint dances of light flickered over the crest of the seal, making a rainbow of odd shapes and design upon the floor and walls.

He smirked. Taking the cornucopia in his hands, he quickly covered the end with his palm, effectively hiding away all of the light. He turned and looked again down the adjoining hallway, seeing that he was still alone.

Nodding to himself, he scampered into the hall, taking up a hurried gait. Down numerous corridors, secret waterways, and lofty bridges, he kept his palm over the trinket as best he could and avoided every Zora that came into his path. Some stared, and some asked of his purpose as he passed, but he did not stop to entertain. He was polite, at least as much as his title of Lord Chamberlain required, but he did not make small talk of any kind. His time was limited, and if he was found out then all would be lost.

He encased his fear and paranoia behind his rank and age, daring not to let any of it shine through, lest he be discovered. Too much had been sacrificed to fail now, and if he did not make it to the oracle’s chamber fast, there would be no hope for a second chance.

"Chamberlain?!?" King Ras passed into the same corridor just as the Chamberlain scurried by.

The Chamberlain slowed, but did not stop, and turned to face the King. "There is a problem with some of the outer bubbles in the Presidium, my liege. The oracle’s avatar has summoned me to see to it personally."

"Stop." Ras’ eyes did not try to hide his suspicion, so soon after a sacrifice.

The Chamberlain did so, his shield of bravery starting to crumble before the King.

"You say the oracle’s avatar summoned you? To the Presidium?"

Ras folded his arms, enjoying watching the Chamberlain squirm. He thought him a conniving, unpleasant, fat little Zora who was always working things to his advantage, rather than paying attention to the needs of the city or it’s King. He wished to be rid of him years ago, but his hand was stayed by the oracle, as well as centuries of tradition. All the Lord Chamberlains of the city had come from one family line, passed from son to son, from before remembering.

Tradition. Ras wished to spit at the thought.

A nettlesome oracle, dated customs, and web of deceit. The trying Chamberlain, the disappearance of the children, and the return of the Leviathan. The three landwalkers, each coming to the spire three days apart. The upcoming three days of Eventide, the painfully long Zoran celebration to honor the fabled Dreamwaker. His troubles all seemed to be coming in threes lately.

"Yes, my good King," the Chamberlain gave a slight bow. "I have been summoned by the oracle to do these things, so I must not delay."

Ras saw that the Chamberlain was holding his pendant tightly, the antiquated and unsightly sign of his position. He snorted, knowing there would be hell to pay if he interfered with the oracle’s word. Even so, the distrust did not wane.

"I do wish to speak to the oracle as well, Chamberlain. I will accompany you."

The Chamberlain’s white freckles seemed to multiply as his orange color faded slightly. "If you wish, my King. But we must hurry."

His time was short. If he did not arrive in the oracle’s chamber soon...

He forced the thought out of his mind. There was no choice of pass or fail; only attainment was an option.

"Never fear the oracle, Chamberlain." Ras walked toward him and wrapped a brawny arm around his shoulder. "She is but of words, not of iron. Of poison, not of water."

The Chamberlain did not respond. Such talk was heresy and punishable by death, even for the King, though if he were to voice it his fate would assuredly be the same.

Ras started walking, keeping his arm around his retainer. "We have often not seen eye to eye, Chamberlain, and Goddesses know we have had our quarrels, but I feel it is time we put that all behind us and started anew, yes?"

The Chamberlain smiled and nodded as he tried to quicken the pace, but was held to the indolent stride by his keeper. They were nearing the last bridge that needed to be crossed, and from there it was only a quick swim through the lower catacombs to reach the oracle. Just a few more steps and he would be free.

At least that is what he had heard.

"You and I are not so different, Chamberlain. We both wish what is best for our people, and that is our charge as public servants."

"Of course, Sire." The Chamberlain hastily agreed, in hopes he could get away. "For the people."

"Yes, for the people." Ras stopped again at the foot of the bridge, his eyes looking at the sheen of the stone. "On second thought, perhaps I will see the oracle later, when she is not threatened by water." He looked the Chamberlain straight in the eye and let go of his shoulder. "I’m glad we had this chance to talk. I hope we can do it again, perhaps in a more...private setting."

"Of course, Sire." The Chamberlain stepped onto the bridge and began to hurry away. "I will look forward to it and shall ready some notes and plans for your discretion."

"Plans?" Ras was thoroughly relishing the moment and the growing fear in the Chamberlain’s eyes. "Have we plans for the three days?"

"Um..." With all the commotion over the past week, he had forgot all about the upcoming festival and had done nothing to prepare. "Yes, I feel it is time we did something...out of tradition and make the festival more...appealing to the masses. Given these stark times, I think we all need a reprieve, at least for a little while."

"I agree." Ras smiled. "We all could use some reprieve from those that would bring us down."

The Chamberlain got the message. "If you will excuse me, Sire?"

Ras sighed. "Yes, be on your way, Chamberlain. I will see you after you come back."

If he ever came back.

"Yes, King Ras."

The Chamberlain gave a quick bow and returned to his task at hand: getting to the oracle.

Ras watched him go, standing at the footbridge that led to the Presidium. Letting out a quiet chuckle, he went about his way.

Breaking out into a run, The Chamberlain’s gills heaved at the strain, the long years of working at a desk having done little for his physique. The bridge soon reached it’s end and opened up into a large vaulted dome which lay darkened and without any light sources of it’s own. The beaming light from the city torches and the glimmering stone cast an oval shape into the space, of which the Chamberlain ran, desperately reaching for the darkness.

Stepping out of the light, somewhat relieved, he kept on moving. He turned behind, ensuring he was beyond the sight of others, as no one entered the Presidium without being summoned. Satisfied, and without recourse, he took his palm off of the cornucopia and let the light dance upon the dark walls, giving him a colorful torch to find his way by.

The vault narrowed as he went and turned into an elongated tunnel, a loud echo picking up from his forlorn footsteps. The smoothness of the stone also began to fade into coarse chisels, looking as if the space had been carved out of natural rock by hand. Further down, sending chills down his spine, was the door to the oracle’s domain.

Zoran skulls lined a circular door of black rock and two blue-burning torches were mounted to each side. A sharp seam split the porthole directly down the center, and the chisel marks of the wall were so crude it was as if someone had used their bare hands to wear it down.

The Chamberlain slowed, taking in a deep breath and swallowing hard. He had never been this way before, even though he had spoken with the oracle many times, at least through her avatar. This was a grave sin to enter this space without invitation, but he had little choice in the matter. She was the only one who could help now, regardless of superstition and law.

Looking at the door, he saw there was no handle or signaling device of any kind. It seemed more like a seal than a door, as if it was made to keep both everything in and everything out, and yet everyone knew the oracle resided here.

"Oracle?" He sputtered into the dark, not sure how else approach. "Is anyone there?"

Breathing heavily in the dark, he began whimpering when the light from the cornucopia began to dim.

"Oracle!" he yelled. "I need your help!"

Nothing came to his aid. No voice, no sound, no feeling of comfort to ease his senses.

"Oracle, please!" He banged on the door, the sharp texture breaking open the skin on his hand. "You have to help!"

Suddenly a hand gripped him by the shoulder, causing him to spin around and hold his hands to his face in fear for his life.

"Peace, Zora Chamberlain." It was the corpse-like avatar of the oracle, her hood drooping low over her eyes. "Fear not, for I am but writ and song, come to comfort you in time of need."

"Oracle?" He fell to his knees, breaking the pendant from around his neck. "You must take this, before we run out of time!" He offered it to the avatar. "You must help!"

The avatar gave that same fake, forced smile as before. "And help I will, but not through your eyes. Only with them, may the Zoras be parted from this coming storm, Zora Chamberlain."

"I give anything...everything." The Chamberlain lowered his head, keeping the pendant high. "For this one chance to set things right."

"You have bore no son, Zora Chamberlain. Your line breaks, even before you. Have you considered thus?"

A tear escaped the Chamberlain’s eye, dropping to the rough floor. "Yes."

"Then so be it, Zora Chamberlain of the last." The avatar stepped back into the darkness, out of the fading light.

The Chamberlain looked up, knowing he was now alone. "Wait!" He yelled into the dark as the light in his hands finally went out. "You did not take the pendant!"

The sound of grinding rock came from behind, slow and deafening. The Chamberlain turned, albeit unable to see in the dark, holding his breath as the smell of death washed over him.

His chilling scream echoed into the hall, reaching no one's ears but his own.

Oooooohhh... Scary...
I must say, though, that was very... disturbing. However, not overly disturbing, and therefore enjoyable. I love your writing style- so much suspense, all these cliff-hangers and loose ends... I wish I had such powerful prose. Great Chapter, really. I might start doing a rubric every six chapters... maybe.

(so many ellipses[...]!)