Link stood on the rotting porch of the old vampire house and raised the ocarina to his lips. His blond hair stuck to his forehead. The night was cold and black. Somewhere past the broken fence, his horse was lost, and Link needed her before the dark things woke. He blew the song his father taught him. Six notes, clean and high, that carried across the empty field. Nothing came. Link played it again. His fingers shook on the small holes. He had one adventure left in him, and he could not walk it alone. He needed Epona. Then he heard hooves. The chestnut mare broke from the tree line, her pale mane flying. Link laughed and stepped down to meet her. But three shapes rose from the tall grass behind her. A hunched swamp creature with burning yellow eyes. A thin figure wrapped in gray cloth, red points glowing where its eyes should be. A pale ghost girl in a torn dress, her black hair hanging like wet rope. The swamp creature grabbed for Epona's reins. Green claws scraped her flank. She reared and screamed. Link ran the last steps and caught her bridle. The wrapped figure lifted one bandaged arm and pointed at him. Cold air rushed past his face. "Easy," Link told the mare. "Easy. I've got you." He pressed his shoulder against her neck and pushed her turning. The ghost girl drifted closer, mouth open, and a thin scream cut the air. Epona bolted sideways. Link grabbed her mane and swung himself up onto her back. He kicked her hard. She lunged forward. The swamp creature swiped and missed. Link felt claws tear the back of his tunic, then only air. Epona hit her stride and the ruined house shrank behind them. The wrapped figure did not chase on foot. Instead it raised both arms, and the ground ahead split with a crack. A wall of dead branches shot up across their path. Epona could not stop in time. Link pulled the reins right. The mare cut hard and jumped a low gap in the fence. They landed in the field beyond, breathing hard, the three shapes now far behind and shrinking. Link slowed her to a walk and looked back. He had Epona now. He was riding. But the wrapped one had torn the earth open with a wave of its hand, and the ghost's scream still rang in his ears. These were not lost animals or simple bandits. They had followed his horse on purpose. He patted Epona's neck. Ahead, past the black field, a faint red light glowed low on the horizon, moving. Something out there was awake and waiting. Link tightened his grip on the reins and pointed her toward it. Whatever these three served, it lay that way, and now it knew he was coming.

Link rode toward the red light on the horizon. Then Epona faltered. He looked back. The three hunters had not shrunk into the dark. They had gained on him. The swamp beast loped through the grass on all fours, its yellow eyes burning. The wrapped figure glided behind it, red eyes glowing. The ghost girl floated between them, black hair streaming, her small mouth open in a scream. Link could not outrun them. He would have to turn and fight. He reined Epona to a stop. On his back he carried a sword and a bow he had found earlier on his quest. He had never drawn them in a real fight. His hand shook as he pulled the blade free. "Come on, then," he said. His voice cracked, but he held the sword steady. The swamp beast reached him first. It lunged, claws wide. Link swung Epona sideways and slashed. The blade bit deep into the creature's shoulder. Green sludge sprayed. The beast howled and stumbled back. Link did not wait. He dropped the reins, drew the bow, and nocked an arrow. The ghost girl drifted closer, her scream rising. He loosed. The arrow tore through her thin chest. She burst apart like smoke and was gone. Only the wrapped figure remained. It raised both bandaged arms. Link remembered the earth splitting under him before. He kicked Epona hard. She charged. The ground cracked open where they had stood a breath before. Link leaned low and swung his sword as they passed. The blade caught the wrapped figure across the chest. Its red eyes flared, then dimmed. It crumpled into a heap of gray cloth. Link pulled Epona around, breathing hard. The swamp beast still lived. It crouched in the grass, clutching its torn shoulder, and hissed. Then it turned and fled toward the red light. Link had won. Three had hunted him, and now only one ran, and it ran home to warn its master. He sheathed the sword and looked at the horizon. The red light no longer sat still. It rose. Behind it, a shape lifted from the black hills. A castle of stone, its towers wrapped in carved serpents, their eyes glowing green. Snakes coiled up every wall. The whole mountain seemed to breathe. A new figure stood at the castle gate, small against the dark. It was thin and gray, with a large smooth head and huge black eyes. It watched Link across the field without moving. Then it lifted one long-fingered hand and pointed at him. Link felt cold run down his back. He had beaten the hunters, but he had shown their master his face. Now the thing at the gate knew him. It knew he was coming. Link patted Epona's neck and pointed her at the serpent castle. "We go to it," he said. "Before it comes to us."

Link rode Epona up the stone path to the serpent castle gate. The gate stood open. He climbed down, drew his sword, and stepped inside. Cold air hit his face. Green light seeped from the carved snakes on the walls. Somewhere ahead, chains dragged over stone. A thin figure shuffled from the shadows. Its skin was gray. Old cloth wrapped its arms and legs. Two red eyes burned in its skull. This was the castle's mummy, Kha-Sekhem, one of the master's guards. It lifted a bandaged hand and hissed. Link did not wait. He charged and swung. The blade tore through dry wrappings. Kha-Sekhem stumbled back, and Link struck again. The mummy folded to the floor and lay still. Dust rose from the torn cloth. Link pushed deeper into the hall. Then heavy feet pounded toward him. Three of Skeletor's monsters blocked the way. First came Beast Man, orange fur bristling, claws out. Beside him stood Klawfull, his red crab head snapping. Behind them walked Trap Jaw, blue and muscled, his purple helmet low. "The master wants your head," Trap Jaw said. His metal jaw clicked. "We will take it for him." Beast Man lunged first. Link ducked under the claws and slashed his leg. The beast roared and fell to one knee. Klawfull rushed in, pincers wide. Link rolled aside and drove his sword into the crab's side. Klawfull screeched and crashed against the wall. Trap Jaw swung a heavy fist. Link caught the blow on his blade. Sparks flew. He shoved back, spun, and cut across Trap Jaw's chest. The big monster staggered and dropped. All three lay groaning on the cold floor. A voice croaked from a side cell. "You. Boy." Green fingers gripped the iron bars. It was Merman, fish-faced and thin, locked in the castle's lowest cell. Link had never seen him. The prisoner pressed his sharp teeth to the bars. "They trapped me too. The master fears one thing. The grimoire. It holds his true name. Burn it and he burns." Link lowered his sword. "Where is it?" "Gone. The boy in the city holds it now." Merman's yellow eyes gleamed. "You cannot beat the master here. Not without it. Go back. Take the book. Then return." Behind the last door, the green light pulsed brighter. Link heard the master rise, its long fingers scraping stone. He gripped his sword and stepped toward the door. Then he stopped. Merman was right. His blade had cut cloth and fur and bone. It would not cut the thing waiting behind that door. Link turned and ran back through the hall, past the fallen monsters, out to the gate. Epona waited. He swung onto her back. "We ride for the city," he said. "We take the book first." He turned her toward the far lights and kicked hard. The castle roared behind him as he rode into the dark.

Link rode Epona hard across the cold moor. The city lights glowed far ahead. Then something crashed through the trees beside the path. The swamp beast burst out, mud dripping from its huge arms. It had escaped him once. Now it blocked his road to the grimoire. Epona reared. Link jumped down and drew his sword. The beast swung a fist like a boulder. He rolled clear and slashed its wrist. Black slime sprayed the grass. The beast roared and charged again. This time Link stood his ground. He waited, then drove his blade deep into its chest. The beast shuddered and dropped face-first into the mud. It did not rise. But the fight had drawn watchers. A cold laugh cut the dark. A thin figure in a purple hood stepped onto the path. Bright orange fire burned in his skull's eye sockets. This was Skeletor, master of the monsters who had hunted Link's ally Princess Zelda's homeland. Beside him stood a small sorceress with black hair and a glowing purple staff. Evilin. Her grimoire held the true name Link needed. She should have hated Skeletor for losing her book. Instead she stood at his side now, staff raised. "The boy killed our swamp thing," Skeletor said. "Kill him, witch." Evilin pointed her staff. Purple lightning cracked toward Link. He dove behind a rock. Stone shattered above his head. "You want my book back?" she called. "It burned my coven. It will burn you too." Link came up swinging. He cut the staff in half. The purple light died. Evilin screamed and stumbled back. Skeletor lifted his own black rod, orange flame gathering at its tip. Then the ground split open. A giant hand tore up through the mud. Green skin. Iron spikes on the wrist. A huge shape climbed out, wild orange hair burning like a torch, red eyes glaring. Gannon. He should not have been here. Link's chest went cold. Gannon looked at Skeletor, not at Link. "This one is mine," Gannon growled. "You do not touch him." Skeletor hissed. "He serves no one but the master." "I serve the master," Gannon said. He swung his armored arm and struck Skeletor across the chest. Skeletor flew back into the trees. Evilin fled after him into the dark. Gannon turned to Link. "You beat their little monsters. You will not beat me." Link did not stay to test it. He whistled sharp and clear. Epona thundered out of the shadows. He grabbed her mane and swung up as Gannon's fist smashed the ground where he had stood. Link kicked hard and Epona bolted for the city lights. Behind him, Gannon roared and gave chase on foot. The swamp beast was dead. But the master had sent something far worse to guard the road. Link bent low over Epona's neck. He had to reach the grimoire before Gannon caught him.

Epona's legs gave out at the edge of a stony field. She had run too hard. Link slid off and turned to face the road. Gannon came out of the dark, red eyes burning, iron spikes on his wrist. He was too close now. Link could not outrun him. He had to fight. Gannon swung his armored fist. Link ducked and rolled. The blow cracked a rock behind him. He drew his sword and slashed Gannon's leg. Green blood spilled, but Gannon only laughed. He grabbed Link by the tunic and threw him across the field. Link hit the ground hard and lost his grip on the sword. "You are done, boy," Gannon growled. Then purple lightning struck Gannon's chest. He staggered. Link looked up. Evilin stood on the rocks, holding a new crooked staff. Her old one had burned white in the fight before. Skeletor climbed up beside her, orange flame gathering at the tip of his black rod. "You struck me first, Gannon," Skeletor hissed. "The master will find a new champion." Gannon roared and charged them both. Skeletor's flame blasted his shoulder. Evilin's lightning locked his feet. For one moment the three monsters tore at each other and forgot Link. Link crawled to Epona. On her saddle hung a wooden bow, its grain smooth and warm. He grabbed it and pulled an arrow from the quiver. Gannon had thrown Skeletor down and turned back toward Link. His broad green chest was open. Link drew the string to his cheek. He breathed. He let the arrow fly. The shaft drove deep into Gannon's heart. Gannon stopped. His red eyes went dark. He fell to his knees, then face-down in the dirt. He did not move again. Skeletor scrambled up, robe torn, flame gone from his rod. "This is not finished," he spat. He grabbed Evilin's arm and dragged her back into the trees. Their footsteps faded into the cold night. Behind a stone wall, Link heard a small voice. "Link?" He ran to the wall. A girl crouched there in a white and pink dress, blond hair loose, hands bound with rope. Princess Zelda. Gannon had chained her near the road as bait to draw him in. Link cut the rope with his knife. Zelda rubbed her wrists and stood. "He was going to trade me to the master," she said. "You came." "I always would," Link said. He helped her onto Epona. The city lights still glowed ahead, closer now. The grimoire waited there, and the master waited far behind them. But Gannon was dead, and Zelda was free. Link swung up behind her and turned Epona toward the lights.