Veil of Twilight

Chapter II
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He heard her voice in his sleep, whispering his name, but it was not what woke him. It was the smell. He opened his eyes and registered the odor. Smoke.

He sat bolt upright. Ilia was beside him, already dressed. Her eyes were wide with unease.

“What’s happening?” he asked her, reaching for his breeches and dressing himself.

“I don’t know,” she replied, her voice quivering slightly. “I heard screaming from the village.”

Link finished dressing and got to his feet, rushing to the entrance of the stable. The sky was still painted with nightfall, the stars bright, yet choked by the acrid shroud of smoke. Down the hill, Link could see the flames upon the rooftops. Ordon Village was burning.

He turned around to see Ilia, but she was already beside him.

“Stay here,” he said shortly, turning to leave her. She grabbed his arm.

“What? No! You ass!” She protested. He opened his mouth to argue, but she started for the village before he could. He hurried to her side and they proceeded down the hill.

Rusl was running up the hill as they neared the village, a sword gleaming in his hand. Another was sheathed at his hip.

“Link!” he said. He tossed the unsheathed sword to Link, which he barely caught. His eyes were wide with unease. Rusl couldn’t be expecting him to fight with this? He had never even held a sword before.

“Come with me!” Rusl cried, already turned and retreating back down the hill, his other sword brandished. “Ilia, get inside!”

Link did as he was asked, sprinting to catch up with Rusl. Ilia huffed and stomped. What was she, a child? Still, with the order coming from Rusl, she did as she was asked, running for her house.

Link finally caught up with Rusl, who had stopped in the village square.

“Rusl,” he panted. “What’s going-” he didn’t finish. He saw what was going on. The houses were being set ablaze. It was a raid. But that wasn’t what had taken his breath. It was the raiders.

They were monsters. Hunched and horrible, their eyes glinting malevolently in the flames of their torches. A few of the villagers were fighting with the beasts, but they looked to be of little match.

Directly ahead of them, staring at them with it’s glowing eyes, was a giant. It had a small head and a giant, molted green body. It rode upon a mammoth, hairy boar. The giant clutched in it’s hand a long halberd. In the other, it’s arm raised above it’s head to let them see, was a child.

Colin. He appeared to be unconscious; at least, Link hoped so.

Rusl charged forward, sword raised. “Let go of my son!” he cried. The giant grunted and raised his weapon, waiting for Rusl to get close enough. It was going to kill him, Link saw. Rusl was not focused, as he should have been. His eyes were only on his son.

Link raised his weapon, not thinking, only acting. With all his might, he heaved the sword forward, hoping dearly that it didn’t hit Colin.

The giant had it’s weapon arced back, prepared to strike Rusl. Just as it began to swing, Link’s sword struck him between the eyes. Hilt first, causing no damage whatsoever. All it did was refocus the giant’s attention.

The monster glared at Link, the boar beginning to stalk forth. Link made to back up and tripped over his own feet. The boar was upon him in seconds, the giant ready to stab it’s weapon down into him.

“Link!” Both he and the ogre snapped their heads to the side, their eyes falling on the one who had shouted. Ilia stood on the bridge that arched over the river. Her eyes were wide with fear, but in her face was also the look of determination.

Link turned back to the giant, and saw it’s face crack with a malevolent grin, showing it’s broken, stumped teeth.

“No, wait!” he cried. The giant paid him no mind. It spurred the boar and charged towards Ilia. She turned to run, but the giant was upon her in moments. The vile creature swooped her up onto it’s shoulder, then turned the boar in a sharp about face, charging back through the clearing towards Link.

Link dove out of the way, rolling and stumbling back to his feet to see Ilia screaming upon the shoulder of the ogre, her hand reaching out to him as the thing carried her through the village gates and into the woods.

“Ilia!” Link Sprinted after them, crouching to retrieve his sword from the ground as he went.

“Link, wait!” Rusl cried after him. Link didn’t acknowledge that he had heard, only continued on foot through the woods. Rusl turned to his son, who stared forward blankly, as if in shock.

“Colin, get Ilia’s horse,” he shouted, waking his son from his stupor. “We have to help Link!”

…

Link rushed through the tangle of the forest, jumping roots, ducking under branches. Somewhere in his rational mind, he knew that he was quickly losing himself in the Forgotten Woods, that people who ventured in more often than not were never seen again. But his irrational mind pushed it away.

Ilia, he thought. I have to save Ilia. There was a rough path that had been left by the boar trampling through the brush, and he followed it. But he was losing them, he knew. He wasn’t fast enough.

As he continued, the foliage began to thin, and the ground became actual ground under his feet, rather than a mat of fallen leaves. Before him, in the distance, was what looked to be a spring. There was a sharp elevation in the rock under the spring, creating a small waterfall within the pond. Imprinted in the soil of the spring’s shore were hoof prints, tracks of the giant. Ilia.

Out of the cover of forest, Link saw that he had escaped the cover of smoke, as well. The sun was out and rising into the sky. The world was bright in the early morning. He had been in the woods that long?

As he watched the sky, he noticed something strange. The sky was, darkening. The blinding, early morning blue was rotting, turning a tainted, blackened gold. Link felt a chill, and noticed that he could see his breath before his lips. He jumped when he heard the shriek echo throughout the spring.

It was a husky, hollow sound, completely and utterly alien. It seemed to come from everywhere at once. He looked around, panicked, and saw something approaching from the other side of the spring.

It was humanoid, in the vaguest sense. It was hunched over, walking on all fours, it’s disproportionately long forearms carrying most of it’s weight. It had a flat head, and no eyes. Where it’s mouth should have been, there was a writhing nest of tentacles.

It shrieked again, making Link shudder, freezing him in place. The thing approached him, but Link couldn’t find the strength to move.

The monster stopped inches from him, it’s face unbearably close to his. The tentacles lashed, and he could feel the wind from them on his face. The thing shrieked again, and this time Link screamed, too, in fear, and in… pain.

His body was burning, as if his skin were on fire. There was a piercing pain in his left hand, as if someone had driven a stake through it. The creature backed away, as if it were afraid.

Link fell to his hands and knees, his entire skeleton feeling as if it were crushing itself inwards. His skin’s burning sensation intensified, and he felt like he might be sick. From the corner of his vision, he saw the thing closing in again, apparently no longer afraid. Link’s vision blurred; he felt the thing’s hand upon him, cold and clammy and terrible, and he passed out.

…

When he opened his eyes again, the world was still hazy, painted in black and white. He was in a cell, stone walls and iron bars. He had know idea where he was being held, and why he was alive, rather than being eaten alive by the tentacle thing.

Perhaps it had only been a nightmare, he thought. He remembered rushing through the forest, then coming to the spring. Then the sky had turned to a corpse and that thing had revealed itself. The more he thought about it, the more the explanation of a dream made sense. Things like that couldn’t exist. He must have passed out in the forest. But that still didn’t explain how he was now… wherever he was.

He tried to get to his feet, and fell over on his side. He found it difficult to get up again. He thrashed his legs around pathetically, unable to get to his feet, or his back, or anywhere. As he flailed, he heard a wicked giggle. He looked around from the ground, looking for the source of the laughter. Finally his eyes caught it, and he knew that he hadn’t dreamed anything. It was real.

Standing, or floating, outside his cell, was a little demon. It was only a few feet tall, and was colored in black and grey. It had large yellow eyes with red irises, and giant stone looking horns.

Link screamed. Or tried to, anyway. What came out was more of a short, throaty, exclamation, like an animal’s bark. The thing giggled again, showing it’s sharp teeth.

“Having trouble, are you?” It asked, with an interest that might have or might have not been mocking. Despite it’s appearance, the imp’s voice was strangely beautiful, light and feminine, suggesting it‘s gender. “Try getting on your hands and knees.”

Link, still panicked, tried to calm down and took the devil’s advice. Surprisingly, it worked fairly easily, and Link was on his feet. All four of them. He looked down at his legs and saw they were attached to canine paws. The demon giggled again, watching his confused distress.

“Surprised?” She asked, certainly mocking this time. As Link watched, the devil seemed to dematerialize, vanishing in a cluster of squares. She reappeared within his cell, causing him to jump back, which in turn caused him to fall over again.

“Oh come on,” she said, watching Link get to his feet. “Stop being such a baby.” Before Link could attempt to speak with his foreign mouth, the little imp jumped on his back. He immediately bucked and jumped, trying to get her off of him, but she held fast.

“Well, that was fun,” she said. “You’re going to make a great pet. I can tell.” Link tried to shout in frustration, but again, he only barked. The imp began to dematerialize once more, taking him with her. It was a strange sensation that made him close his eyes. When he opened them, they were on the outside of the cell.

“What’s your name?” the devil on his back asked. “You can just think it. I can hear you.”

“Link,” Link thought. “Now get off my back!” His thoughts were accompanied by ferocious barks.

“Link, huh?” The demon said, ignoring his demand completely. “That’s a weird name. Well, I’m Midna, in case you’re wondering.”

“Get off of me, you annoying little imp!” Link thought and barked. Midna just giggled again.

“Maybe if you’re a good dog,” she said. “For now, we should move, before those things come back. I know the way.”

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*Here's the next chapter. I told myself that I would finish my R.E. fic before continuing with this. We can see how that turned out.
*Thank you all so much for the reviews. It's so encouraging to know that you're eager to see what happens. I'm plotting out more twists and surprises all the time, and if this turns out the way I'm hoping, it'll be great!
*Next chapter soon! Hopefully(or perhaps, un-hopefully, for you guys) after I finish my other fic. Read, Rate, Review, and Enjoy!!!