Ninjago - Heart of Stone

Chapter Twenty Two: What Must Be Done

"Go, go," Lloyd cried, already on his feet and shoving her sister along. Lexi stared back at Cole, not wanting to let him go, unable to let him go. He looked up at her, with red eyes that were full of pain, and she remembered when they were soft and brown, and she wanted to cry.

"Lexi," he said, and then he was gone.

The rain ceased to fall, and the wind stopped blowing, and the earth froze. Lexi stared at the dark, empty shell that had been Cole and she wished she was dead.

"I'll hold them back," Lloyd said, breaking the spell. Lexi was on a mission, and she'd known how it had to end. If she succeeded, if she did what must be done, all of this would be erased, and her friends, her Cole, would be free.

Never mind about her. She didn't matter.

Lloyd held them back, and Lexi ran ahead. She heard fighting and screaming, and she wondered if Lloyd would die. Probably not. He was strong, and he didn't need to kill them to fight them off. She didn't stop running until she was at the top, which was only a few feet away. There, she was face to face with him. With Overlord.

And by extension, with her father.

"You've made it." He sounded pleased, impressed. He sounded like a proud father. Lexi didn't move or speak.

"You have killed no one." Overlord was grinning wickedly. She'd imagined his smile being very wide and filled with teeth, but now that he could smile, it appeared he didn't know how. The corners of his mouth barely inched up, and the smile was all in his eyes.

"I expected something like this from you," he went on. Lexi stiffened. She'd known what Overlord would say, but she'd half been hoping he wouldn't really say it. She didn't need any more reminders of what she was about to do.

It's what must be done.

"You know who I picked, then?" It was amazing, how steady her voice was. Liars, she knew, didn't just lie with their words, but with everything. Her tone and her expression and her posture lied just as well as her lips.

Overlord nodded. "I won't get in your way," he said, and his eyes flashed like a glinting blade. He drew in a deep breath, and he stepped back. He stood as a black mass, a shadow with arms and legs, like clay molded in the shape of a man by clumsy, childish hands. Before this black mass knelt Garmadon.

"Father." Lexi couldn't stop herself. He was kneeling, his hands planting firmly on the ground to keep himself upright, his head bowed. When he heard his daughter's voice, he looked up with hollow eyes, and a little bit of life bled back into them.

"Lexi..." he pushed himself upright to embrace her, and she found that she still fit perfectly in his arms. He smiled at her weakly, but she couldn't muster a smile in return.

"You know about the deal, don't you?" She asked. He nodded, pulling away and rocking back on his heels. Lexi crouched before him, the dagger clutched in one hand. It felt heavier than anything she'd ever held, and she wanted nothing more than to fling it off the tower and let it fall into the darkness, forgotten, useless.

"I'd move quickly if I were you." Overlord's voice cut through the air like a ship through the sea. "Your brother is fighting off four ninja at once, and the stairs are awfully slippery..."

Somewhere down the stairs, where Lexi couldn't see or hear, Jay was unconscious, Zane's feet had been frozen to the ground with his own ice, and Nya was tied to Zane's wrist with a belt. Kai and Cole still fought, and Lloyd didn't want to anymore. He only needed to hold them back until his sister used the dagger. He only needed a few more moments, and then they would all be free.

Lexi nodded, rising to her feet. To her surprise, Garmadon rose as well, facing her with a look that she couldn't quite read. She peered at him, and he smiled bitterly.

"I'd rather die on my feet than on my knees," he said. "My life has been one of slavery, but I would prefer to control my own death."

"It's a pity that you can't," Overlord said silkily. Lexi grit her teeth, holding the dagger up. She stared into the blade, her green eyes staring back at her. She looked so fierce, like someone who could kill their own father.

"Do it quickly," Garmadon said. He was clever, like her. She was like him. "I promise, I still love you, Lexi."

Lexi couldn't meet his eye. If this was the last she ever saw of him, she didn't want to see him cry, or know that he hadn't. "I'm sorry, father. I have to do this... it's the only way."

She looked at Overlord, who might have been trying to smile if he had a face. He knew what she would knew. He'd always known, since before they even made the deal, that Lexi would have to kill her father, and that when she did, she would go right to him. Murdering someone you loved tore at your heart, no matter why you'd done it. She wouldn't be able to live with herself when she'd done it, and it would bring her to him.

He had taken all her friends, her brothers and her sister, and Cole... she would kill her father, and her mother and uncle and brother would think her a monster. Nya would never again treat her like a little sister, and Kai would never tease her, and Jay would never make her laugh. She would lose Zane's wisdom and kindness and compassion, and Cole's beautiful brown eyes would go red and he would forget her ever had her love.

Lexi had known this, too. She'd known what would happen if she ever killed her father. She never intended to kill him. She'd never even considered it a possibility.

"Goodbye," she whispered, and drove the dagger into her own chest.

For a second, no one moved but her. Overlord stood so close, and he wasn't moving. The power flowed out of her almost as if it needed to escape, and he was struck by a flower or darkness, blackness that spread over his entire form, consuming him. His scream, mouthless but so, so loud, sounded like an animal, wild and desperate. His dying scream, his final scream.

Vaguely, Lexi was aware of what was happening around her. Warm blood soaked her, and she felt a dagger still sticking in her chest. She tore it out, letting it fall to the ground. It was useless now, it's purpose completed. Garmadon was screaming, and he was holding her, keeping her close to his chest...

I'm sorry, father. I could never have killed you. I love you too much, no matter if you love me.

She heard footsteps, and she felt eyes on her. "Lexi!" That scream sounded ripped, like someone had reached into Lloyd's mouth and torn it from his throat. Lexi closed her eyes, letting the rain wash over her.

I'm sorry, Lloyd. I'm sorry I have to leave so soon, and I'm sorry you have to bear the burden of missing me.

The rain swept the blood from her body, washing her clean. It ran across the ground in little crimson rivers, rivers that Lexi couldn't see.

I'm sorry, mother. I wish I'd forgiven you sooner, and I wish you'd always been there.

I'm sorry, Wu. I don't know if you'll miss me, but I want you to know that you don't have too.

Nya and Jay and maybe even Kai would cry over her. Zane would try to be strong and break inside instead. Cole would stand by and watch in silence as they buried her. Lou would be angry, because his son loved her and now she was gone. And Lexi knew how they would all feel, because she, too, had lost someone. She knew the agony of missing someone you would never see again, and she understood the torment of yearning for their presence when you knew it would never grace you again.

I'm sorry, everyone, she thought, and then she was falling, the ground beneath her gone, still wrapped in her father's arms, but so, so far away from his touch.