Key Quest: Air and Fire by Judy Colella (first color ebook reader TXT) 📕

He took it from her, noticing the creamy paper was thick and embossed with some kind of symbol. His reading skills had been limited to the signs around the Kokiri Village, so he didn’t even try to make out what the spidery writing inside said. “What is this for?”

“You must show it to anyone who questions you about where you are or what you are doing.”

“Oh.”

She smiled. “Thank you, Link. My Attendant will show you safely out of the Castle so you won’t have to deal with the guards again. She…she’s somewhat intimidating, I’m afraid, but please don’t be afraid to talk to her.”

“I – sure. No, I won’t. I mean, uh, you’re welcome. I’ll just be going now, shall I? Yes.” He’d been backing up as he spoke, and had Navi not whispered the word “step” into his ear, he would have fallen backwards down the stairs. Mortified, he turned and went quickly down, crossing the garden with no dignity whatsoever.

Not until he was almost at the breezeway entrance did he stop, and that was only because someone very tall and frightening was standing there, her arms crossed over the biggest bosom he’d ever seen. She had white hair pulled back into a kind of ponytail but didn’t look at all old. With a muscular physique that rivaled that of every man he’d met so far, her clothing consisted of a very un-womanly pair of tight trousers and boots, a blue, skin-tight corset over a low-cut, short-sleeved blouse. At her waist was a belt to which an extremely long sword had been attached. Link almost screamed.

“I am Impa of the Sheikah,” she informed him, not bothering with any other greeting. “I am responsible for protecting Princess Zelda.”

And I bet you do a grand job of it, too, Link said with his eyes, too cowed to speak.

“Everything is exactly as the Princess foretold.”

How did you know what she told me? How – oh, I see. She probably told you about it, too…

And then, without warning, the woman’s expression softened and she gave Link a kind of admiring smile. “You’re a courageous boy.”

No I’m not, he thought. I almost wet myself just now.

“You’re heading out on a big, new adventure, aren’t you.”

Crap! Was that a question? Am I supposed to answer her?

“I was in the Princess’ dream, too, you know. My part is to teach a melody to the one from the forest.”

That shocked him into speech. “It is?”

“Indeed. Pay attention – this is an ancient melody passed down by the Royal Family.”

Apparently, this Royal Family passed down all kinds of things –

Impa was speaking again. “I have played this song for Princess Zelda as a lullaby ever since she was a baby. There is mysterious power in these notes, so listen carefully.” The woman put two fingers to her lips and blew through them, producing a melody that sounded strident, but which he suspected would be very pleasant when played on an instrument.

When she was done, she gave him an expectant look. Before Navi could tell him to try playing it on his ocarina, he took it out. Closing his eyes, he brought to mind what he’d watched Saria do, how she placed her fingers and which configuration produced which tones. Because the instrument was so simple, it didn’t take much to figure out how to reproduce Impa’s melody, so he played it slowly, carefully, and right.

“Very good, boy. Seems you have some talent with that thing. You learned Zelda’s lullaby – don’t ever, ever forget it.”

He stared down at the ocarina in his hands, somewhat surprised at how easily he’d played it, but then looked up at Impa. “I won’t,” he promised.

“Good. You know, if the Castle soldiers find you, there will be trouble. Let me lead you outside.”

He followed her through a doorway to the right of the tunnel, and then down a series of corridors. They went up a set of narrow stairs, down a wider set, through some more doors, and finally out through the door onto the walkway where he’d encountered Talon. The crates had been removed, he noticed as they walked by, and he wondered how they’d gotten them out of the water. In fact, he wondered how anyone even knew they were there.

They did meet a couple of guards after this when they got to the other side, but Impa glared at both of them and shook her head. They backed away and let her and Link pass.

Link didn’t want to know what she was like when angry.

A short time later, they stood outside the walls of Hyrule Town and Impa stared around at the field, her eyes distant. Link waited respectfully, saying nothing, not wanting to die…

“You brave lad,” she said at last, her voice so wistful and faint it took a few seconds before Link realized she meant him.

Why is she calling me that? She doesn’t even know me!

“We must protect this beautiful land of Hyrule!” She pointed ahead at the spot where she’d been staring. “Take a look at that mountain, boy. That’s Death Mountain, home of the Gorons.”

Death Mountain? Oh, great.

“They hold the Spiritual Stone of Fire.”

Ah, yes, one of the ones I’m supposed to go find. Drat. Still, she makes it sound like a good place…He sighed and took a few steps past her – not that those few feet would help the view by much. “What are those stairs?”

“At the foot of Death Mountain, you will find my village, Kakariko. That’s where I was born and raised, and those stairs lead you to it – my people built them when they first settled there.” She leaned down and spoke closer to his ear, startling him just a bit. “You really should talk to some of the villagers there before you go up Death Mountain.”

Behind him and to his right was the path that led back to the Kokiri Forest. There he would find Saria, the familiarity of home, and perhaps safety. To his left was the Castle and Princess Zelda to whom he’d made a heartfelt promise. And ahead, he knew, lay his destiny. There was no choice, really. The route to safety, he told himself, was the route to cowardice and betrayal. He’d never be able to live with himself if he broke his promise. Besides, his new loyalty to the Princess was stronger than anything else in him at that moment, so if he died trying to keep it, well, at least he would die following his heart and doing what was right.

“Okay,” he told Impa. “I will. Thank you.”

She straightened. “Remember, boy – the song I taught you has some mysterious power. Only Royal Family members are allowed to learn this song, so the fact that you know it, will help prove your connection to Zelda’s family.”

“I’ll remember.”

“Excellent. Hurry, now. The Princess will be waiting for you to return to the Castle with the Spiritual Stones. We’re counting on you, boy!” She took a step back and threw something to the ground.

A second later there was a loud bang, a blinding flash of light, and when Link could see again, Impa was gone.

“Dang.”

“I agree,” he told Navi, grinning. She was using his words now. “Well, we may as well head for the mountain.”

“Quickly, too, Link. It will be getting dark soon.”

Oh, right, he thought. There would always be that.

A small stone bridge crossed the narrow river-moat running past the Castle. On the other side were some trees, a narrow stretch of field, and the stairs that led to Kakariko Village.

Link had crossed this bridge, walked across the bit of field beyond, and now stood at the foot of the tallest stairway he’d ever seen. At some point it looked like it took a right-hand turn, but from the bottom, he couldn’t be sure. His head was still filled with all that had happened earlier – his meeting with Princess Zelda, the way she’d affected him, the frightening but admirable Impa, his new and rather complicated quest. So the grumbling from his mid-section took him by surprise, and he frowned.

“I’m hungry, Navi. Could I sit down and have something to eat?”

“No, Link, you have to get to the Village up there before the sun goes down.”

He looked at the sky. The distance from the stone bridge to here hadn’t seemed all that far, but the sun was nonetheless much closer to the horizon. “Fine. I’ll eat when I get there.”

Navi turned green and began flitting up along the stairs, encouraging Link to follow quickly. He did, of course, pausing about halfway to catch his breath – the stairway was extremely steep – and when he got to the top, saw that while the steps had ended, he would, in fact, have to turn right to keep going.

The ground ran between high walls, made by whatever means the builders of this place had used to make a passage through the rock. Ahead, he could see a high log fence, its gate standing open, and beside it, a guard.

This man wasn’t wearing metal; curious, Link stopped to talk to him before entering the Village. It turned out the man was a time-keeper, someone who always knew exactly what time it was and would let visitors and anyone else who asked know. A pleasant enough individual, he was – despite his pole arm – not a very military-looking sort. He even recommended certain things to Link, telling the boy that he would enjoy the Village shop and should visit the windmill. Thanking him, Link went through the gate.

Kakariko Village was nothing like either his home village or Hyrule Town. There were strong-looking houses here and there made of something other than wood, and some sort of building under construction right in the middle. Men carrying wooden beams on their shoulders were walking along the top of the partially-erected structure, others hammering nails, still others laying brick on one side.

Impa had told him to talk to the villagers, but he didn’t think the men busy at their construction work would appreciate being interrupted by a little boy. He went up a flight of stairs to the right of the new building, passing a large house with a fenced yard, and turned left.

“Oh! Little boy!”

He turned and saw a woman waving to him. She stood outside a fenced area beside another house, her expression one of distress. He went to her, hoping he hadn’t done anything wrong. “Yes, ma’am?”

“I – oh, dear. Can you help me? My cuckoos have escaped their pen, and I’d collect them myself, but their feathers make me itch and sneeze something awful! Could I convince you to grab them for me and bring them back here?” She indicated with a nod the fenced-in part by the house.

Thanks to the one that had hatched in his satchel – and which he’d totally forgotten about…where had it gone? Did it fly away? Uh-oh. He had promised to take care of it. Wow. Looked like he’d find out first-hand what Malon was like when she got angry if he ever met her again.

“Can you?”

“Huh? Oh! Um, sure.” Before side-tracking himself, Link had been thinking about how, because of the