Chapter nine: Tragic Ends
Sora stumbled backwards, almost losing her hold on Link. The floor beneath them trembled, as the walls began to fall in silent death. Kyrissam dumped Kaley and Mica on the floor and Faylah knocked Impa unconscious before dumping her on the floor as well. Faylah pulled out a small, jagged edged dagger and Kyrissam pulled out his sword. Sora remembered Link's sword; she had tied it to her back before going to see Impa, once again feeling a strange comfort in its presence and marveling at how it was warm to the touch.
Kyrissam laughed as Sora tugged the sword out of its cloth bindings and held it put in front of her. With of flick of his wrist the sword flew through the air and slammed into the wall, before clattering to the floor. Sora's mouth fell open and she stumbled back once again, feeling sick to her stomach. Frat stepped forward, which caused Kyrissam to laugh all the more. "You really think you can defeat me, Prince Fratello?" Kyrissam asked, laughter and hostility on the edge of his voice.
"I can try!" Frat replied with determination.
Faylah cackled. "Little idiot! You're as gullible as your so-called king! Hand over the boy, and we won't hurt these people any more." Faylah swept her hand in a wide arch, pointing her fingernails to Impa, Kaley and Mica. "Never!" Sora hissed.
"No." Link rasped. He pushed away from Frat and Sora. "I can't let them suffer."
Sora grabbed his arm. "You can't do that Link! As much as you want to save them, if you give yourself over to them, that will bring the worst suffering down on your people. Do you really want that to happen?" "No." Link said, shaking his head.
"Good." Frat said. "Oliana, get him out of here!"
"You're not going anywhere!" Faylah screeched.
Stone and dust rained down from the ceiling and two pillars near the entrance began to come loose. Oliana grabbed Link and dragged him toward the doors of the infirmary as fast as she could. Faylah moved forward to stop them, but Sora stepped into her path. Faylah flicked her wrist and Sora flew across the room and slammed into the wall. The pillars fell and shattered on the ground, but Link and Oliana were already safely away. "No!" Faylah screamed. "NO!"
"Patience, my love." Kyrissam soothed. "We will have the boy in our hands soon enough."
Kyrissam spun, swishing his cloak behind him and disappeared. Faylah stayed behind a moment, glaring at Frat and Sora, then she too disappeared. Frat ran over to Sora when they were gone and helped her up. Already Kaley, Mica and Impa were climbing dazedly to their feet. Sora ran up to them. "Where is Skysong?" Sora demanded.
"Don't worry!" Impa gasped through the heavy dust in the air. "She wasn't in the infirmary when this started."
"Good." Sora said. "You three need to get out of here."
"What about you?" Impa asked.
"Just go!" Sora said.
"You have to get out." Impa insisted.
"I said go!" Sora snapped.
Impa, Kaley and Mica hurried out of the collapsing infirmary. Sora watched them go and sighed heavily. Frat grabbed her arm and tugged on it but she shook her head and began looking around the room. Frat grabbed her and started hauling her towards the doors of the infirmary. The floor trembled in time with the walls, but Sora still refused to go.
"I just have to find something!" Sora said.
"We don't have time!"
"Have to Frat!" Sora looked at him pleadingly.
Frat sighed. "Link sword." Sora nodded.
"Just help me find it, okay?"
"Okay."
They both scurried around at opposite sides of the building, choking on the acrid, dust filled air around them, searching for the lost sword. They could clearly hear the walls tumbling down around them. Sora searched the floor, clawing around wildly with her hands because she couldn't see through the thick veil of smoke. Her finger tips brushed cool, hard steel just as the pillar above her came crashing down.
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Link collapsed on the cool grass outside the infirmary, gasping for breath. Oliana sat down beside him and held his hand tightly. He looked up at her and tried his best to smile, but to no avail. He just could not get his lips to move that way. He didn't think he would ever smile again, much less feel in the mood to smile. Oliana gave him a quick hug. "Are you okay?" Oliana asked.
"Yeah." Link wheezed. "I'll be okay."
They looked up as something crashed inside the building. Impa, Kaley and Mica raced out of the infirmary, covered with dust and tumbled to the ground as soon as they reached Link and Oliana. Link looked them over, and then his eyes darted back to the collapsing building. "Where are Frat and Sora?" Link demanded.
"They're still in there." Impa panted.
"But why?" Oliana asked, incredulous.
Impa shrugged. "I don't know."
The small group looked up at the sound of stone hitting stone. The top of the infirmary building fell in on itself. The walls crumbled into heaps of rubble and dust filled the air. When the dust cleared the building was no more then a pile of stone and dust.