The Silent Man's Whisper [ninjago]

20 | fled

The sun shone brightly in the early morning hours. The clouds had disappeared a long time ago, and not a single raindrop made its way down to the ground.

The flying kingdom of Shintaro was thriving during the summer months. Their crops were growing, their people hosted more public events, and their days became longer than their nights, meaning everyone had more time to be productive.

Especially inside the large Royal Palace, where the staff got to work immediately when nine uninvited guests stood at the entryway.

They were sent to Queen Vania, who was sitting in her throne and talking to Hailmar when she realized who the guests were. "Oh goodness," she said, standing up. She handed Hailmar her scepter, placed the heavy crown on the pillow beside her throne, and lifted her gown to step down the stairs without any hinderance. "What in the world has happened to you?"

That question was loaded with worry. The ninja looked rough.

Master Wu was barely able to stand, even with the help of his staff. Pixal and Misako stood on either sides of him to steady him. Nya, Kai, Jay, and Cole were standing around Lloyd, who was clutching Zane's arm to stand as well.

"Ninjago..." Lloyd couldn't bring himself to say the words on the tip of his tongue.

"What about Ninjago?" Vania quickly waved over two guards and ordered them to spread word to the other staff to prepare guest rooms for each person as well as to tell her kitchen staff to prepare food. Then she turned back to the others. "Tell me. What is going on?"

Wu shook his head. "Ninjago...is overrun by evil."

— — — —

The hot brew burned the inside of Lloyd's mouth. He willed himself to keep drinking, though, because he was both incredibly thirsty and tired, so tired. He was sure the burning sensation would wake him up, even if only a little bit.

But his eyes could barely stay open. And his limbs were begging his brain to give out already.

"That should help you a little," Kai said, looking at the bandage on Lloyd's bicep critically, making sure it was tightly secured around his flesh. The bleeding had stopped a while ago, but that didn't mean it didn't need to be bandaged up. "You okay, bud?"

Lloyd sighed. He brought the tea cup down and set it on the brown coaster in front of him, holding it with both hands to warm them up. "Yeah. I think so."

"Tell us what happened down there," Cole urged him on. The Green Ninja had yet to explain every detail of what had happened down there to them; the only information he had told them was the bare minimum, enough to ensue fear in the others, enough for them all to decide to seek refuge in Shintaro.

Lloyd closed his tired eyes and let out a shuddered breath.

The thrill of being chased by six of his enemies kept Lloyd going. He needed to get out of that confined space, or else he would be done for. Harumi and the Overlord had tried to kill him once, and he was sure they were fueled by the desire to finish what they had started now.

He didn't wait for any of them to realize what was going on. While the five on the ground had just started to get up, Lloyd turned around and ran down the path he had come from with the moving cart. The path was long, dark, and didn't seem to have an end, but he kept running and running, without looking back once.

He heard loud screams and dubious laughter. One of them—he guessed the Overlord—told the other villains Lloyd just escaped, and after that, everyone was in that same tunnel, after him.

They had weapons. He didn't.

The Scythe of Quakes, although only able to be controlled by the Master of Earth usually, was now wielded by Vangelis. Lloyd couldn't see what exactly the older man was doing, but based on the rock formations appearing in front of his running path, he guessed Vangelis found a way to control the weapon.