The Fire Within a Ninjago Soldier

Chapter 59 - Glimmer of Hope

Chapter 59 - Glimmer of Hope

"Stop it, Jake!"

Jake turned his eyes away from Sam to see that a red-haired civilian woman, standing just inside the doorway, had issued the command after firing a round at the ceiling. She was now aiming her revolver at him. A tall, lanky civilian man standing next to her also pointed a weapon at him.

Jake's face turned pale as he recognized the woman. "Skylor!" he exclaimed with false enthusiasm, slowly climbing off the bed. "It's so good to see you again! We all were worried about you after we heard what happened at Kryptarium Prison!"

Sam sharply inhaled. Kryptarium! That's where Kai's being held!

"What were you doing just now, Jake?" Skylor demanded, her green eyes not wavering from his face.

Jake began to button up the torso buttons of his union suit. "Skylor, my dear, it's unfortunate that you had to see this. You see, this woman is a spy for the Yellows, and I was trying to scare her into revealing infor..."

"I know who she is, Jake. And we were watching you through the kitchen window. Don't bother lying anymore."

Both Jake's and Sam's eyes grew wide at these revelations.

Jake walked toward her, arms outstretched. "Darling, we are engaged to be married. Why would I lie to you?"

"Hold it right there, Jake." Skylor clutched the gun more tightly. "I know all about Fifi."

Jake paused, his face becoming even more pale. "Wh-who is Fifi?" he weakly stammered. "Dear Skylor, the stress you must have been suffering these past few weeks has made you delusional. Come, my dear, you're safe in my arms," He continued in her direction.

The lanky man stepped forward to block Jake's path. "You heard what the mademoiselle said, you peeshwank. So stop and put your hands in the air," he ordered, waving his weapon.

Jake obeyed, grudgingly. "Skylor, dear, would this be the, uh, gentleman - and I use that term loosely - who killed Colonel Doolverr?"

"Don't change the subject, Jake. Your last letter to Fifi, in which you said your fiancee was GULLIBLE, ended up in an envelope addressed to me. I'll bet she got the letter I should have received. Obviously you need to be more careful the next time you write letters to all your women!"

"And you seem to have formed an alliance with this...swamplander, my dear," Jake retorted, having noted Jules' accent. "So I don't believe I'm the only sinner here."

"What do you want to do with him, cherie?" Jules interjected. He was anxious to leave Ninjago before the Purple Army caught up to them, and before Jake's condescending attitude irritated him further.

Skylor scrunched up her nose. "Not sure yet." She briefly scanned the cottage. "Any weapons in the bedroom?" she asked Sam, who was still laying on the bed.

The wild events in the past few minutes had left the blonde woman stupefied; she could only shake her head to indicate no.

Skylor turned to Jules and tilted her head toward the bedroom door.

"All right, peeshwank, into the bedroom you go," Jules declared.

Jake sighed with an exaggerated manner but complied. "You could just shoot me, swamplander," he mocked, "IF you didn't have the guts of a mosquito. I myself have killed plenty of men. Knifed them, shot them, even threw them into a rattlesnake pit."

He paused to turn to Sam, who was being assisted to a sitting position by Skylor. "In fact, Samantha, I remember a friend of yours from the Ninjago Town region. We talked about you just hours before I tossed him down the snake hole. Let's see, what was his name? Duncan? No. Donner? No. It was...Donlan!"