Chapter 11 Logical insanity…

Chapter 11

 

 

Logical insanity…

 

 

The group spent the night in the hospitality of Impa and Sheif. The next morning the group made ready to head to Zora’s domain. Everyone was in high spirits though Lucius, against normal character, was the most excited.

“Excited to be going home are we?” Gerad asked him as Lucius walked past with the biggest grin on his face.

Lucius laughed, “Just a little.”

G-Link was sitting on Bob looking at a torch that hung on the wall. He stretched out his hand towards it and the fire leapt from the torch to his hand haloing it. G-Link stared at it his face showing no emotion, he held up his other hand and looked to it. The fire followed his eyes to his other hand. G-Link turned both hands towards each other and stared at the space between them. The fire rolled from around his hand to the space between the hands and continued to roll; it soon became a sphere inside the confines of his palms.

G-Link pulled his hands apart slowly and the fire sphere grew. He moved his hands inward and the sphere shrank. He continued to move his hands inward till the fire was a bright pinpoint of light.

Selene cocked her head to the left and bit her lip in thought; she stretched out her hand towards the pinpoint. She sucked the light from the fire, for lack of better word. The firelight went out but its warmth stayed in the dark spec where the fire had been between G-Link’s hands.

The firelight swirled above Selene’s palm and finally settled into an orb of yellow light. Dahrin reached out his hand and touched the orb, it was solid. He picked it up and held it gingerly, afraid to drop or squash it.

He handed it to Gerad as G-Link slowly closed his eyes and the energy of the fire dissolved away. Gerad held it up and peered at it; he finally had to look away, when he did a purple blot stayed across his vision for a bit.

“So, what was that Calhan?” Sheik asked looking from the globe to Calhan.

“It’s called something unpronounceable unless you have four tongues, but it is basically a torch.” Calhan answered as he took the globe from Gerad.

He passed his hands in front of the globe and it dimmed. Moving his hands in the opposite direction the globe once again became bright. The others were impressed as they passed the ‘torch’ around and each turned in on and off.

“So how come it solidified?” Selene asked once the globe made its way back to her.

She dimmed it and waited for Calhan to answer. The length of time for his answer made more than one head turn in his direction.

After a few more moments Calhan answered, “Well, I’m not sure.”

Selene raised her eyebrows at him. Calhan shrugged in apology for his lack of information. She looked back at the globe in her hand curious then put it away in her saddle bag. “Could I make it bigger?”

“Well the size depends on the intensity of the flame.” Calhan replied turning back to saddling Slaughter, “From what I do understand.”

Selene thought some more, “How close does it have to be?”

Calhan sighed in thought, “I don’t know, apparently the author of the book didn’t find it prudent to write down that information.”

Nodding to herself Selene went back to saddling Starfire as the rest of the group finished and slowly filed out the stable door. Outside Impa and Sheif said their goodbyes to Sheik and the rest.

The group made their way out of Kakariko village and into Hyrule Fields. The sun was just coming up above the rim of the distant mountains, burning the skies with vibrant oranges and reds.

Gerad breathed deep the crisp morning air of spring, “So which way Lucius?”

Fish didn’t wait for instructions as it walked to the front of the group and headed east along the river. The rest of the group formed a ragged line behind it; Gerad rode next to Aerica then Calhan and G-Link, Selene and Dahrin, and finally Sheik and Meria.

“So what kind of work do Zora’s do, Lucius?” Gerad asked him.

“Different things, fishing, architect, music; our society isn’t much different from yours.” Lucius turned in the saddle to look back at Gerad as he answered his question.

“Hey Lucius I was thinking.” Sheik called form the back of the group, Meria had a grin on her face but let the chance to pick on him slide.

“Ye-?” Lucius began to ask him.

“Did it hurt?” Dahrin asked with an even bigger grin on his face. Sheik scowled at him and stuck out his tongue.

“Well, your home is under water correct?” Sheik turned back to Lucius as he asked him hesitantly.

Lucius smiled, “Yes.”

“Well, um…how are we gonna breath?” Sheik asked rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. Surely anyone as smart as the Zoras would have figured this all out; but not knowing made him nervous.

Lucius smiled and turned back forward, “You’ll see.”

 

The group rounded the last bend of the river and came to Zora’s waterfall. The tallest waterfall outside of Zora’s Domain it stood one hundred feet tall. The clear blue water cascaded down with thunderous force onto the arch that split it in two.

The Zoras had built the arch to allow travelers who wished to visit the Zoras to do so easily. Before the Hero of Time had saved Hyrule the Zoras were a secluded people much like the Gorons. The massive stone bridge carved from indigo colored stone reached from the ground and went under the arch and up to the entrance of Zora’s Domain. It was wide enough to drive two carts abreast over it and still have enough room on either side.

The group marveled at the amazing architect that was put into this work of beauty. Lucius smiled at their reactions.

“Nice isn’t it?” He asked gazing back at it with pride.

“That is an understatement.” Gerad said nodding his head.

Meria leaned over and shut Sheik’s mouth. He looked at her sheepishly and she smiled back in return.

“This is the reason ya’ll don’t have to worry about breathing underwater, recently we built a cavern for visitors to come and trade with us.” Lucius said, answering Sheik’s question from earlier.

“What kind of trading do ya’ll do?” Dahrin asked nodding in the direction of the carts that were lined up to enter the city.

Lucius looked to where he indicated, “Ah, different things. Fish mostly, we do have the best.” He smiled looking back at Dahrin.

The others nodded then edged their mounts into line. The guards checked inventory logs of every cart that rolled past. When it was the groups turn the guard looked up at Lucius then dropped to one knee with his right fist touching his left shoulder.

“Lucius you have returned; welcome.”

“Rise Ferloth.” Lucius replied. The guard stood immediately and glanced at the rest of the group.

“These are the delegates of the other nations treat them with the same respect and courtesy you show me.” Lucius said as he nudged Fish forward again.

 The guard nodded and saluted. The group rode past him and each person nodded at him in greeting. As they made their way up the bridge behind a cart they marveled at the scenery around them.

The vegetation on each side of the river flourished. Aerica thought about manipulating a small River Tangler tree but thought better of it with all the witnesses around.

The arcs on the bridge were beautiful beyond description. The group marveled at the delicate engravings, carvings, and statues that flowed around, about, and sometimes through the arcs.

Lucius smiled at the groups wonderment, “Fascinating isn’t it?”

“That doesn’t even begin to cover it.” Selene murmured.

The group moved slowly up the bridge behind the cart till they came to the last arc, the one that split the waterfall.

The arc was made by two statues that had to be at least fifty feet tall if not more, the statues were two Zoras curved around the bridge to where their outstretched arms touched at the fingertips creating the tip of the arch.

As they made their way under it the sunlight hitting the water sent rainbows dancing around them. Selene looked back down the bridge and grimaced at how high they were. She also noticed that Ferloth wasn’t at his post but had been replaced by another Zora. She shrugged and turned forward again. She noticed Dahrin looking at her and she smiled at him. He smiled back as he faced forward again.

The group finally made it into the mouth of the entrance to Zora’s Domain and was greeted by Lucius’s parents, Ruto and Vespa.

“I’m so glad you all made it here safely.” Vespa said holding his left hand up in a fist, the Zora sign of greeting.

The group returned the gesture and Ruto stepped forward as Lucius dismounted. They hugged each other; Ruto squeezed Lucius tightly till he had to push away to breath.

“We welcome you to Zora’s domain, and hope your stay with us is enjoyable. Ferloth will show you where to stable your mounts and then Lucius will show you to your quarters.”

At the mention of his name Ferloth appeared at Lucius’s elbow, he gave a salute to Ruto and Vespa.

The group followed behind Ferloth as he navigated his way through the crowd that flowed from the entrance to the city. There were Gorons, Zoras, Gerudos, and Hyliens of all shapes and sizes.

The entrance to the city was a market crammed full of the different races buying and selling their wares. The girls craned their necks trying to see who was selling what. The guys subconsciously shrunk away in fear of the shoppingness that was in the air. The horses behaved well till a loud boom startled them. Normally they would only prance slightly when startled but the horses became more and more agitated and started bucking.

In the close quarters of the market packed with citizens the situation quickly got out of hand. Meria, Selene, and Gerad were thrown from their horses; the rest kept their seat but had a hard time of trying to calm the horses.

“What’s wrong with them?” Gerad cried as the horses screamed on, he made a grab for Artimus’s reins and got a kick towards the face.

Meria had pulled him back in time to keep him from getting too clobbered; she shoved Gerad behind her as she used her training to calm Artimus down. Artimus settled down enough to stop bucking, but his eyes were still wild with fright. Meria left Artimus to Gerad’s care as she moved on to help Dahrin settle Desertstorm, and then Sheik to settle Spider, Calhan with Slaughter, and finally Aerica with Orchid.

Gerad looked around to see how everyone was; the crowd was staring at something on the ground behind him. He turned curious to know what it was that made them have sad looks on their faces.

Selene was on the ground unconscious, blood pooled under her head. Starfire had settled down after Artimus and was standing over her, gently nudging her nose to Selene’s face.

Gerad ran to her side; before he could get to her two Zoras scooped her up on a stretcher and began to carry her off. Another Zora began to clean the blood from the floor.

“Hey!” Sheik said as they went to pass him; he made a grab for the leading Zora’s arm. He yelped in pain when he was shocked.

“Stop!”

The two Zoras stopped dead in their tracks and slowly turned. Seeing who had spoken; they immediately knelt down like Ferloth had. Selene rolled off the stretcher and came to rest in front of Lucius. Lucius exhaled in exasperation and knelt beside Selene. He lightly touched her forehead as he closed his eyes. His fingertips glowed a light blue, then dimmed and went out. Selene’s breath returned to normal as if she were asleep. As Lucius stood back up he opened his eyes and started walking towards the two Zoras.

Sheik shrunk back away from Lucius when he passed; Lucius was frightening, his turquoise eyes flashed with anger, his stance made him seem more like the prince he was.

“Explain your behavior.” Lucius commanded.

The two Zoras cringed, “My lord, we were bringing her to the healing ward.”

“Why did you not explain this to them?”

The Zora who had spoken glanced at the group in confusion, “My lord forgive us; we did not realize they were with her.”

“You are forgiven, bring her to the healing ward, we will accompany you.” Lucius said turning his back on the Zoras.

“But my lord-“ the other Zora began in horror but fell silent from the look Lucius gave him. The two Zoras picked Selene back up and continued on their way, this time more slowly.

Lucius turned to some more Zoras in the crowd, “You; take the mounts to their stables, the rest of you continue about your business.”

The Zoras he had selected came forward and led the horses off in the opposite direction the two Zoras and Selene had gone.

“Follow me.” Lucius said to the group then started off without waiting for a reply from the group.

Gerad didn’t need any further prompting. He followed after Lucius trying to keep up with his longer legs. Sheik almost had to sprint to keep up. The two Zoras had slowed but it was still faster than a walk; they were soon out of sight from the group.

Lucius picked up his pace, which in turn caused Sheik to have to run to keep up. The looks they got from the people they passed ranged from curiosity to aggravation.

Gerad ignored them as he kept pace with Lucius, Calhan trudged behind them, Aerica and Meria smiled apologetically as they passed, Sheik ignored them concentrating on keeping up, and Dahrin didn’t notice them, his mind full of worry for Selene, G-Link rolled along easily keeping pace.

They rounded corner after corner till the group was hopelessly lost in the labyrinth of Zora’s Domain. Lucius stopped so fast in front  of an archway that Gerad slammed into him, Dahrin slammed into Gerad,  G-Link into Dahrin, Meria into G-link, Aerica into Meria, Calhan into Aerica, and Sheik slammed into Calhan and bounced back to the floor; Meko floated above them and couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Ow.” Sheik said as he picked himself back up off the ground. His head was buzzing; he put it down to the shock the Zora gave him.

Lucius paid them no attention as he walked through the doorway into a cavernous room filled with beds. Zoras with white sashes walked between the beds attending to the people in them.

Most of the beds were occupied, there were mostly Zoras, some were Gorons, others Gerudos, and the rest Hyliens.

Lucius led the way to a back corner where Selene was put and attended to. The group gathered around her bed trying to be out of the way of the healers. The healers paid them no mind and continued about their tasks.

Gerad couldn’t help but notice that most of the occupants of the healing ward were unconscious just like Selene.

“What’s going on Lucius?” Meria asked him in a hushed whisper so as not to disturb the quiet atmosphere.

Lucius didn’t answer but looked to the healer that attended Selene. The healer didn’t meet his eyes.

“Well?” Lucius asked.

The healer squirmed under Lucius’s hard gaze. Meria felt sorry for the guy.

“We are not certain milord.” The healer whispered.

“Make an educated guess.”

“Well my lord, we can deduce from the number of unconscious victims that they are somehow connected. So far only females have been affected by whatever is causing this.”

Gerad hadn’t noticed before but all the occupants of the ward that were unconscious were indeed female.

“Meria?!”

Gerad turned to see Meria pitch forward into Sheik’s arms. Sheik turned her over to find her unconscious; she was also bleeding from her right ear.

“Meria!” Sheik called shaking her.

“Sheik calm down. She is still breathing.” Dahrin said as he reached to pick Meria up.

Sheik knocked his hands away, “DON’T TOUCH HER!”

Dahrin was startled backwards, Gerad had never heard Sheik talk like that or glare with such ferocity.

“Sheik calm down, it’s going to be ok; we need to get her off the cold floor.” Lucius said gently slowly reaching his hands out towards Meria. Sheik seemed to calm down but still remained tense as if for a fight. Lucius took hold of Meria’s right wrist; Sheik lunged at him with a snarl.  Gerad hit Sheik on the back of the head and he went down unconscious. Dahrin scooped Sheik up and put him on the empty bed next to Selene, Lucius had put Meria on the other side.

“Ok, that was bizarre.” Calhan stared down at Sheik’s unconscious face.

“No kidding. I’ve never seen Sheik act like that no matter how mad he was.” Dahrin folded his arms and stared down at his best friend.

“Lucius, do you have any clue about what is going on?” Gerad asked him.

Lucius shook his head, “Not any that would explain all the incidents. Unless it’s some new disease but I couldn’t see anything affecting females one way and males another.”

“Is Selene going to be ok?” Aerica asked from where she knelt by Selene’s head Meko on her shoulder. She yawned hugely covering her mouth with her hand.

“Oh pardon me, don’t know why but I got really…..sleepy…” Aerica fell over unconscious.

Meko flew off her shoulder as she went down but hovered near her head.

“Aerica?” Gerad cried. Another healer picked her up and put her on another empty bed. He looked her over, checking her eyes, ears, pulse, everything.

When he was done he looked up at the rest of the group, “She is just asleep.”

“Can you wake her up?” G-Link asked.

Before the healer could respond Gerad shook Aerica’s shoulder, “Aerica? Aerica?”

When she didn’t respond Gerad shook her harder. “Gerad!” Dahrin said putting his hand on Gerad’s shoulder. Gerad spun swinging his arm up and around Dahrin’s trapping him in a hold; he put his other arm around Dahrin’s neck.

Gerad came to his senses just before he finished the move and snapped Dahrin’s neck. Dahrin stood still as Gerad slowly let him go, “Dahrin! I’m so sorry.” Gerad whispered.

“It’s fine.” Dahrin said rubbing his neck as he stepped away and turned to face Gerad.

Sheik groaned and started to stir, the guys moved to his side, “Hey Sheik, you ok?” Calhan asked him as Sheik’s eyes flickered open.

“What hit me?” Sheik asked as he sat up with Gerad’s help.

At their silence he rephrased the question, “Ok, who hit me?”

Gerad cleared his throat, “You, uh, kind of went crazy and attacked Lucius, he hit you.”

Lucius stared at Gerad with raised eyebrows, “Yes, it was the only course of action left to,” Lucius cleared his throat, “me.”

Sheik raised his eyebrows, “Ok, well I apologize for my conduct.”

He closed his eyes in pain, “Is there anything the healers can give me for the pain in my head? I think that shock messed me up more than I thought.”

“What kind of pain are you experiencing?” Lucius asked him tilting Sheik’s head down and probing the bump on the back of his head.

“Sharp, then dull, then sharp again. When it’s dull it’s more of a buzzing.”

Lucius stopped, “It can’t be!”