Roots of Earth ~ A Ninjago Fanfiction

Chapter 51: Beneath Earth and Stone

Such a quiet, innocent sound, like water leaking from a faucet, yet it sent a cold chill down Liana's spine.

Cole's aching groans fell to quiet little gasps, even whimpers. She gripped him firmly around the waist, grabbing his own arm around her shoulder so as to hold him in place. Cole had enough consciousness to attempt to walk on his own, yet he clung to Liana like a lifeline.

She led the way down the silent, cold tunnels. She still had her own senses about her, being able to locate walls and adjoining tunnels by sound and feel, but Cole's senses were in complete shock, thus he was utterly helpless. For once, it was Liana leading Cole in replacement of sight. The irony did not escape her, and she allowed herself a grim smile.

After a while, Cole began to try to talk. "Liana— my eyes... I can't— where are we? Where're we goin'—? Ugh... I can't feel my eyes..."

"Shh," Liana shushed him quietly. Were there other werecats in the tunnels? She couldn't hear any, but still... "You're going to be all right. Just hang on."

Cole tried to pull away from her. "Lemme go... I can walk by myself..."

"No, you can't." Liana tugged him back firmly. "You're in shock."

"Nah..." His speech was slurred and uneven, as if he had just been woken from a nice nap. "I'z fine... I can walk— lemme go—" He yanked himself away from her and stumbled.

"Cole!" Liana gasped when he heard his body tumble head over heels with low grunts away from her. She reached out and felt a stone doorway; a tunnel leading downstairs. She stepped to where she heard Cole's body disappear, and cautiously made her way down a steep, uneven flight of steps. "Cole?"

She heard him groan at the foot of the staircase. Stepping quickly but carefully, she reached down and groped for him. When her fingers brushed over the surface of his jacket, she crouched down beside him. "Cole, you idiot! You're in shock. You have no idea what you're doing."

He was shaking now. Trembling. With shuddering gasps, he said through gritted teeth, "I can't see... my eyes— Liana— Liana, I'm blind. What happened to my eyes?"

Liana felt her stomach clench painfully. How could she tell him what Raven Frost had done... the same thing the werecat had done to her years ago...? She still remembered that day Raven Frost had ripped out her eyes, but that memory was faded and distant. She could hardly imagine what Cole was experiencing.

Almost automatically, she grabbed him by the shoulders and helped him sit up. He was the invalid now, and it was up to her to take care of him. Horrible pity made her chest ache—how could pity taste so bad in one's throat?—and gently, she touched one hand to his cheek. The shock would make everything seem like just a weird, disturbing dream later on, but that didn't stop the feeling that she ought to comfort him now. After all, it wouldn't be long until the initial shock wore off... and then it would start to really hurt.

"Shh..." She murmured gently, "Yes. You're blind. Raven Frost ripped out your eyes... like he did to mine."

Cole didn't seem to hear her, but he uttered a low groan and slumped forward, resting his head on her chest. She didn't care that his blood was staining the front of her dress. She allowed him to sit there, and ran one hand through his hair in a pitiful attempt to comfort the wretched shell of the young man. For a little while they just sat there in the dark; Cole pressing his head to Liana's chest and she wrapping him in a gentle, pitying hug, her fingers running through his hair.

Liana stiffened when her ears caught the sound of voices. Very faint at first, but they were quickly drawing closer. Her heart raced. She didn't recognize the voices. Most likely they were Moon Tribe warriors. If they walked by the doorway, they might glance downstairs and see the two humans crouching at the bottom.