"I am sick to death of being down in this hellish pit!" Rauru bawled. "Already the Sage of Water is gone! Which of us will be next? The Sage of Spirit? You, Darunia? Link, I do hope you intend to put more effort into saving us, because right now you aren’t doing much at all!"

"Rauru, he’s doing his best!" Nabooru snapped. "And I really don’t see how you’re contributing to the cause, except by giving us migraines the size of Death Mountain."

Rauru shut his mouth. Everyone else glared at him, though Link took no notice of the situation. He was busy bandaging Saria’s leg with his good hand. The Sage of Forest had tripped over some rubble as they were escaping the scene of Ruto’s death, and had scraped her knee.

They were resting in the crossroads of four different pathways. Each looked identical, and seemed to stretch for eternity into darkness. Darunia still held the torch high above his head, shedding a warm glow over the entire party.

"Which one are we taking?" asked the Goron.

Link stood and looked around, taking in each of the paths. He was hesitant to pick one for fear of leading his comrades astray. They would only blame him more if another of them died. Finally, he turned back to them and shrugged.

"You decide, Rauru," he said. "You’re the only one who seems to know what’s going on around here."

Rauru said nothing for a moment. The others didn’t notice, but in that moment, Link saw a flicker of fear in the old man’s eyes. He shivered, unsettled, for it was the look of a man who knew not what to do. He had seen it many times before in the eyes of dying men, and though their situation was not quite the same thing, they were comparable.

The Sage of Light turned and nodded to the left passage. Darunia held up the torch, throwing a soft light over the first few feet of the tunnel. The darkness beyond looked all the more ominous and forbidding. Link’s mind screamed at him to move on, but his feet just didn’t seem to want to obey. He finally took a deep breath and let it out as a long sigh.

"Alright…" he said slowly. "Let’s be on our way…"

Nobody else moved. He walked past them, his strides slow and tentative. He couldn’t let the others see his fear; if he faltered, their weak resolve would crumble.

Darunia fell into step beside him, lighting his way with the orange flame of the torch. Its glow made Link feel somewhat better, sparking hope deep within his heart. And hope was something he desperately needed.

"This place is like a sewer," Nabooru commented. "It’s huge and confusing, smells awful, and there are rats."

"R- rats?" Darunia questioned.

"Yes," said Nabooru. Her voice was very solemn. "Us."

Although Link did not admit it, he knew she was right. They were the rats, and Ganondorf was the bloodthirsty cat ready to pounce on them at the end of the maze. For he knew that there would be no escape for them this time. Ganondorf would not have put them in such a place if he thought they might make it out alive.

He shifted his arm in his sling, wincing from the brief pain that shot up through his shoulder. He seriously hoped that he wouldn’t have to fight anything. If such a thing were to occur, he would be in deep, deep trouble, as well as his companions.

They came upon a red carpet. It was then that the flame of the torch dwindled to nothing, and they were left in heavy darkness.

"Shit!" Link cursed. He peered around and saw the faint outlines of his friends. "We have to find another torch. Everybody hold hands so we don’t get lost."

He felt Saria’s small hand take his. He squeezed it gently in reassurance. The girl’s hand was trembling, and though he couldn’t possibly hope to understand the depth of her fear, he understood why she was afraid. He was afraid too, but he would never admit it. And there was nobody there to be strong for him.

He reached out in front of him, and the full severity of their situation hit him. Anything could be lurking in the darkness, waiting to ambush them, and they wouldn’t have a clue. The Gibdos and flesh-eating Re-Deads of his childhood nightmares returned to him then. His heart jumped into his throat and stuck there, the fear of the unknown choking him.

No! his mind shouted. You must be strong for the others! You have no choice!

He made a conscious attempt to slow his pounding heart. He remembered that Saria’s hand was holding his, and the thought gave him strength. He could not let Saria be harmed; he would die preventing such a thing if he must.

"I’m hungry," Darunia grunted suddenly. "Isn’t there are food? I’m dying here."

Nabooru laughed. Link heard her long hair brushing against her clothes, and supposed she must have been shaking her head.

"What’s so funny?" he asked.

"Just Darunia saying that he’s dying," she answered. "I think that’s the intention, my brother."

Link stopped suddenly. Was it his imagination, or had he heard a door slam somewhere close by?

"What’s wrong?" Saria asked.

"Is everyone here?" he asked. "Zelda? Rauru?"

"I’m here," said Zelda. "But I’m not holding Rauru’s hand. Now that you mention it, I he hasn’t spoken for at least ten minutes. Or rather, I think it’s been ten minutes. It feels like forever."

"Rauru!" Link said sharply.

The Sage of Light did not answer. Link swore loudly, using words that would have given his mother a reason to slap him, and let go of Saria’s hand. The young Sage gasped and shouted for him to come back, but he paid her no heed.

His boots pounded on the stone floor with each resolute stride he took. He could see light up ahead. He smiled grimly, but only for a moment, for he suddenly slipped on something on the floor. He flailed for a few seconds, then fell hard on his broken arm. Blinding white pain coursed through his entire body, and he was certain he heard his bones crunch more.

"Fuck!" he screamed. "Oh, fucking Nayru!"

He managed to get to his feet, slipping and sliding on the dark liquid on the floor, bile rising in his throat. He forced it and the pain away, not entirely certain if he could go on. The others skidded to a stop next to him; in the dim light, Link could see that Rauru was not with them.

"What is that?" Nabooru asked.

"If I’m not mistaken, it looks like blood," said Zelda. She glanced up at Link. "You’re covered in it! What happened?"

"I slipped," Link grunted, wiping some off his face and inspecting it. "This is revolting. Where did it all come from?"

They looked around, but found nothing. Darunia took a torch off the wall from further up the hall, and held it near the ground. They could all see, quite clearly, the thick, crimson substance glistening on the ground. Link felt his stomach turn, and leaned over to retch. Nabooru, seeing him, held the longer strands of his hair away from his face. He felt more miserable than he had ever imagined a Hylian could be. His arms felt sticky, and the bottom half of his tunic clung to his legs like a dying man holding to his last shred of life. And how could he forget that the blood he wore on his person very likely was the blood that once coursed through his companion’s veins?

"Link, there’s a door!" Saria piped up.

He leaned back on his heels, Nabooru’s hands falling away from him, and, peering down the hallway, saw that she was right. It was with a sense of dread that he found the trail of blood led under the door and into the room beyond. What would he find on the other side of that door? The bloodless corpse of an old man that he, at one time, might have considered a friend? If he made it through this forsaken place with his sanity intact, he would praise the goddesses for such a miracle.

He nodded. "Alright. Let’s go."

Darunia picked Saria up and placed her on his shoulders. Link retrieved his sword from the ground and led the way. He stepped slowly, careful not to slip again. His arm still throbbed and ached terribly, but he had no choice but to live with it. he would probably be dead soon anyway.

He stopped outside the door, his fingers just inches away from the knob. His hand was trembling uncontrollably. The others saw, and said nothing. They waited patiently for him to regain his composure. But they did not understand his fear. He had seen too many dead bodies in his young life, and was afraid that he might crack should his eyes fall upon another.

But then again, he really had no choice.

He turned the knob, and the door swung open.

Author’s Notes: Muhuhuhu!! We’ll just have to see about Rauru next chapter. And some of you have been wondering who’s going to survive at the end. Only two will make it alive; care to guess who?