Chapter 21

  Coming Storm - Link

  Not long into the walk, Link noticed that Conquest had stopped at the top of a dune for a full minute. He was looking out to the southeast. Link could see he was shaking his head.

  Conquest raised his voice without the normal yell, "We're going to have to move faster. We cannot afford to get stuck out here. Come on, let's go."

  Link looked off in the same direction, and in the distance, he saw clouds, a lot of them. A storm of some sort, he could tell. He wasn't familiar with the desert, so he didn’t know what kind of storms one would have.

  Link thought about the last few days. He had been surprised and pleased that Max had been able to keep quiet for so long. However, he thought, no, Max has been with non-talking animals for several seasons. Not talking has to have become his norm.

  Link shook his head. Talking was his norm, and he knew it. But he'd also learned that there was a time to be silent. Clearly, now was the time. He was glad, though, that he didn't have to walk in this desert. The heat and the dryness were difficult even here, riding on Max.

  Link could feel it in his body, despite being able to swim and get some small fish in the oasis. Link could feel the abuse the desert was doing to his body. Link shouldn’t have been surprised; this whole adventure, this whole mission, had been difficult on Link. Yes, there were times when he was able to stay in his element for long periods, but not enough. The times when there was nothing to do but to walk on dry ground or be carried by Jezreel were too frequent.

  Link shuddered, remembering being in the sky. No, he thought, walking is better.

  He had been carried down to the Lower Plains by Jezreel. It had been faster than walking down the Bridge of Hope, but even so, it had been terrifying. Yet, he was certain Jezreel would have liked the water even less.

  Now, however, Link had to wonder, was Jezreel okay? He knew she was tough, but he had seen no sign of her. No indication that the majestic bird had survived. He had told Max that Jezreel was tough and could take care of herself.

  Surely she was okay, He thought, but Link had lots of time to just look up and around for his ally and saw no sign of the bird. Now he was wondering, could the bola have taken her down? Was she left there to die?

  No, Link knew better.

  The creator didn't bring us this far to let us down, he told himself. She's going to be okay, I'm going to be okay, and this is going to work out. I know it will.

  And then he looked ahead, and his faith wavered. He saw something that troubled him. The clouds in the southeast were getting bigger, and he could feel that Max was moving faster. Link was wondering if the elephant knew something he didn’t.

  Looking around, Link could see that the ground around them was changing. The sand had given way to more and more stone. Link could tell the terrain was getting ready to change radically. The cliff that was far off in the east when they first started this journey was now far closer. And unless Link was mistaken, they would be at its edge by early afternoon.

  Link looked again at the way that Conquest was moving. The gorilla who stood against the entire Forest of Animals seemed to be afraid. From what Link had heard, Conquest, the leader of the rebel gorillas, wasn't afraid of anything. Even in defeat, one of the birds reported, he showed no fear, and yet Link could see it. Conquest would take a few steps, then look to the southeast, walk a little further, then look out again. Link guessed that if Conquest was afraid of something, he might need to be.

  Finally, when the sun was high in the sky, Conquest looked back and yelled, "We need to move faster. Now! The storm is coming."

  "That little storm,” Storm sneered.

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  Link couldn’t see everything, but in that moment, he saw the hatred and contempt in Storm's eyes. That hate quickly turned to fear when Stome heard Conquest's next words.

  "That is a sandstorm, you dumb monkey. That is what took Lalo."

  And with that, Conquest turned and walked off. Link didn't know who Lalo was, but the shiver that went through Storm's body and the terror on his face told Link everything he needed to know. Storm's countenance convinced Link that whatever a sandstorm was, he didn't want to see it.

  Now, everyone was moving faster. Beneath him, Max's speed picked up, and when a wail came from the storm, Max ran. Link wondered what Max was thinking, but seeing what was coming their way, he understood. The clouds were getting closer, and there was a strange movement in them. From the highest point in the sky, all the way down, a gray wall seemed to be writhing like some great monster.

  Link said, “Yes, I think I would hurry.”

  Bond was running to stay with him, holding onto the lead rope, but not needing it to lead Max to keep up. Bond dropped the guide rope and tried jumping up behind the otter.

  Bond started to slide off. Link, without a second thought, pulled his hands free from the ropes and grabbed the gorilla. Link couldn’t pull Bond up, but the momentary help gave Bond all the leverage he needed to get up and on Max’s neck.

  Link expected Bond to tell Max to slow down, but he did quite the opposite.

  "Go on, buddy. Go on, go on, fast as you can.” Bond yelled, “Go, let's move."

  They were getting closer to the cliff and the eastern edge of the desert. Link could see that the cliff in front of them was not the edge of the desert. He could see clearly that there was a chasm between them and the cliff. A drop-off into what Link wasn’t sure, but it was in front of them with the cliff on the other side, and Max was running straight at it.

  Link saw there was a strange path if they turned south. As they got closer, Bond reached up and pulled one ear and said, "Come on, Buddy, turn this way a little bit. Turn this way a little bit."

  Max responded, and Link spotted it. Carved into the ground was a ramp heading down. Max headed straight toward it, and Link watched as they followed this path down. The path was a wide switchback going down at least fifty feet into what seemed to be a river.

  When it finally, it leveled off, Link could see the chasm was at least 50 feet wide, on one side the desert, and on the other side, several hundred feet tall was the cliff that led up to the Upper Plains, in between a river, and on this side, a path just wide enough for a large elephant.

  Link sighed. Water, oh, he would love the water.

  Max, as if in response, walked straight over and stuck his trunk into the water.

  Link knew what was coming in. Clearly, Bond did too, because Bond jumped off just before Max sprayed down his back with water, dousing Link completely.

  Bond walked over to the water, took a drink, and then looked up at the otter at Link. "I'll make you a deal."

  "All right. What are you offering?" Link said, knowing that Bond wasn't going to let him go.

  "I will let you loose, so you can swim in the river, maybe get yourself something to eat and drink. If you come back immediately when I tell you to.”

  “I can do that," Link said, knowing he had no intention of trying to escape.

  "I want you to promise on the Creator."

  Link shook his end. "No, I will give you my word, and if that's not good enough, then that's not good enough."

  Bond nodded, “acceptable.”

  And Bond jumped up on the back of Max, who didn’t move.

  Link suspected that Max was acting a little too calm for a non-talking elephant. Bond didn’t notice and quickly untied Link. Link began to think about diving into the water, but Bond picked him up and threw him into the middle of the river.

  Link, though not expecting it, but he quickly changed course and turned his body so he could dive into the river.

  Oh, this feels wonderful. So cool. Link said under the water. He wiggled his body, allowing the water to get between his fur to remove the sand that had been so irritating. He didn't realize how much until now.

  He turned this way and spotted something in the water. Fish! Link reached out and got it, then went over and grabbed another one. Link swam to the top and began eating.

  Looking back toward Max and Bond, he studied the two. Max stood there calmly, as if he had not a care in the world, just like any other elephant, maybe a little too calm. Link dismissed his concern when he remembered that whatever ointment Bond was routinely putting on the elephant was meant to keep him calm and obedient.

  Link knew by watching over the last couple of days that the ointment wasn't having the effect the gorillas expected. Link was proud of Max for mostly not showing it. However, when Bond would spread it on Link could feel Max flinch just a little, so he knew the effect wasn’t a calming one for his friend.

  Link took a couple more bites out of the fish he had caught, knowing by the look on the gorilla’s face that he would need to get out soon. Link just hoped that he could get some questions answered. Link guessed that Bond might be more open to talking than the rest of the group. Link was, in fact, shocked at how silent the group had been. They weren’t a team. Something was missing; they were obeying Conquest, but they were not treating him as Link expected.

  Link ate the last of the fish and dove down to swim back toward his captivity. As he swam, he smiled because he was able to snatch something else to eat before getting to shore. He just hoped he had time to eat it.