Stolen Hearts

Chapter 3

The train lurched forward and began to chug on its way. Alfonzo set a course for the tower, and Audrey turned to Zelda, who was seated on the cushioned bench across from her.

"Why is it you wish to go to the tower of spirits your highness?" She asked again. She now really wanted to know, since the princess had been acting rather strangely about the whole thing.

"Please, call me Zelda." She said with a kind voice. Audrey nodded, "alright then, you can call me Audrey." She said back, still waiting for the blond girl to answer her question. Zelda peered out the window, watching the landscape race by with a concerned look in her eyes. "I've felt it for a while now, I wasn't sure until the chancellor started acting strange...or strange-er around me, which is why I fear he may have something to do with all this. A darkness is growing over the land, and I fear it won't be long before it makes itself known to all." She had brought her hand to rest over her heart, with a worried frown on her lips. Audrey could clearly see how serious Zelda was about all this. "I wish to visit the tower so that I may speak with the lokomo 'Ajean' to know if she can feel the same darkness. She will know the best plan of action if we are indeed facing what I fear is coming." She was now facing Audrey again, a grim look in her eyes.

Audrey stared at her for a moment in curiosity and was about to ask what it was that Zelda feared, when the princess gasped and stood to get a better look out the window. Audrey gave her a questioning look before also standing to look out the window. Her eyes grew wide and panic gripper her heart as she took in the situation before them; the tracks ahead of the train were disappearing right before their eyes, and the train would soon run off the tracks and onto raw dirt.

Audrey spun around and ran to the door of the train car that would take her to the engine room where Link and Alfonzo would be. She flung the door open and looked around wildly for Link. He was sitting and talking with Alfonzo about some nonsense and was clearly paying no attention to driving the train. She shut the door behind her and yelled to get their attention.

"Link! Pull the break!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. Link was startled out of his seat and almost tripped over himself. Alfonzo jerked at the sudden noise and gave Audrey a surprised look but soon frowned in concern at seeing the panic and fear in her eyes. "Audrey, whats wrong?" He asked in a worried voice and stoop from his seat quickly.

"The tracks are gone! We have to stop! Now!" She pointed out the front window with a shaking hand. Both Link and Alfonzo looked out to where she was pointing and gasped at a disappearing line of tracks. It wouldn't be much longer before the train would tear into the dirt ground and no doubt wreck. Link was frozen in shock as the train kept chugging along at full speed.

"Link! Pull the break!" Audrey shouted and watched in terror as the trackless ground came closer and closer. Link turned and looked at her as if he hadn't quite heard what she said. He had locked up in fear and confusion. He just stared at Audrey with a dazed look in his eyes, then she shouted at him one more time. "The break Link! THE BREAK!"

He shook his head and gasped after understanding what she was talking about. 'The train.....I have to stop the train!' He thought. Spinning around and locating the gear, he grabbed the handle and yanked it all the way down in one swift motion. The train jolted and they were all flung forward. The train shook at the sudden stress of the wheels screeching on what track they had left and started slowing the trains speed.

Unfortunately, it hadn't been soon enough for the train to remain on the tracks; as expected the wheels tore into the ground after sliding off the end of the disappearing tracks. The train was thrown at an angle while catching the ground and everyone was thrown into the wall inside the train. Audrey had tried to grab something to hold onto but her hand slipped and she was slammed into the wall, rather hard. Her shoulder took the brunt of the hit and she felt a sickening pop as it crunched under the weight and force of the rest of her body being thrown. She gave out a cry of pain and slid down the wall, grasping her shoulder and trying not to be flung around even more as the train lost complete control of where it was headed.