As the smoke and dust cleared, Nya's eyes fixed instantly on Jay. She turned again to Zane, also unconscious; though at least he had stopped smoking or sparking. She barely gave a thought to the dragon as she tried to stand up, to see Jay first only a couple yards from her. As she stepped on her ankle weird again, she fell back down into the dust very dry now from the electric storm.
Her noise made the dragon turn to her violently with a sharp snort, and Nya threw her head up at hers. Their eyes met, and although the dragon looked at her dangerously, Nya looked just as dangerously back. Though, she had no strength to fight and she knew it, maybe the dragon really didn't either. The dragon arched her back like a cat and swished her tail in warning as she lowered her head to the ground and clenched her weary teeth into a growl.
The friction between Nya and the dragon was almost a physical, tangible thing. Jay was still in between them, though he was closer to Nya. The silence was like the silence before a pointless dual to the death in a Samurai movie, but Nya had her water ready. It was the only thing she had. Maybe if she washed the dragon hard enough, the dragon would electrocute itself.
In the silence, there seemed to rise up a most cinematic quiet sound. It suspended both ninja and dragon in time.
It was a song on the breeze. It was a sigh in the trees and an echo in the canyon. Maybe Nya was going crazy, but it started to take shape into a real solo piece. A real song played by a real instrument. Maybe she was so hurt and devastated by what was happening that she was half hallucinating.
Nya's glare faltered. Her eyes softened, and as she looked up at the animal, the dragon's eyes seemed to soften also. She gasped.
Either she really was hallucinating or the dragon was hearing it too.
"Please..." Nya said as quietly as the music. "Please let's just end this... we both know we're good at acting like tough girls, and we both know inside we're as soft and gooey as jelly. Please..." She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Jay..." she whispered.
Just as the words past her lips, the music suddenly became the distinct sound of a flute like nature itself was playing it, but it was definitely a flute. Now, she knew for sure she was hallucinating. It sounded so much like Master Wu's flute— the same flute that had calmed her as a child.
She was practically adopted by Master Wu, after all, and she remembered his flute like the words to a lullaby. She remembered evenings when she felt sulky or worried and she would be noisily shifting in her cot bed after a few minutes of first lying there. The boys would all be instantly dead asleep like fallen logs in the next room, and she would be by herself. Then she would her hear Wu's music wafting from another room like a pleasant aroma for the ear. She would relax and fall asleep like one drifting on a warm bath-like current on a gentle river.
That flute from the other room was the best times she would hear it, because it would sound like it was coming from the wood of the dojo or, later, the structure of the airship. It would be like music from her own heart like water down a pleasant falls or like steam from Master Wu's favorite tea.
How befitting that she would hallucinate it at a time like this.
Tears fell from her eyes.
The music tamed the beast in her heart— its fear and its rage. As she opened her eyes, she saw that it tamed the dragon also.
She was taking up her egg!
With a limp and a babyish pout, the dragon spread her wings, and, after a few moody flaps, she took flight.
Nya crawled forward with the flute even louder. With it, came the sound of a quiet but distinct engine.
The Bounty, thought Nya.
A pair of speakers perched on top of it, and the flute echoed like an outdoor concert from them. Nya's mouth was gaping as she craned her neck up towards the sight of it in all its crimson glory touched with black ebony and golden trim. The chrysanthemum floral patterns looked as mighty as the dragon figurehead. The music continued to play, and Nya watched from her spot until the electrical dragon was out of sight.
Then the music stopped with a very beautiful and passionate finish. Perhaps even a bit theatrical, but it wouldn't be Master Wu without exaggerated flourish. In fact, the last note was timed perfectly with the landing of the airship.
She still did not move until she saw Lloyd's mom as the first to come out. She was dressed just like her old pictures. Her huge engraved clasps shone brilliantly; her cool half-helmet half-headdress was even cooler than Nya thought it would look. Sure, Koko would look older closer up, but as she leapt from the deck of Destiny's Bounty to the ground in a graceful swoop, she looked like she might have leapt right out of the past, and Nya, already in a sort of stupor over what had just taken place with the flute and the dragon, stared like she was staring at a spirit.
As Koko ran up to Nya, Nya breathed like one in a dream, "Lady Iron Dragon..."
"Are you alright?" cried Koko; her tone broke the illusion as it sounded just like a concerned mother and not a mythical warrior.
Then, Nya supposed a mother had to be just as strong as a warrior— maybe stronger, especially when your son was Lloyd Garmadon, the prophesized Green Ninja himself.
To carry that and still be upbeat and a good nurturing mother would sure take a lot of stuff. Nya was not sure she would be able to do it. Though, she would never marry someone like Garmadon— that was still a weird bit of information about Lady Iron Dragon that maybe she would never quite understand. Though, Koko did not expect anyone to. No one was arguing the fact that she had been stupid to allow herself to fall in love and marry a psychotic megalomaniac, but the way she dealt with that now was more admirable than anything, Nya thought.
Nya was not even able to deal with Jay.
Suddenly, Nya clamped her mouth shut as she remembered everything else that had just transpired. Tears struck her wide eyes as she stared at Koko, and she shook her head. Falling into her arms like she was her own mother, she just started to cry, and she cried and cried and cried until Master Wu appeared examining the state of Zane and Jay.
"Lady Iron Dragon," he said suddenly quite calmly to combat the emotions of poor Nya.
Koko looked up from comforting her.
"Help me get the others inside," he said promptly.
Koko nodded and headed for Zane as Wu indicated already that he was going to help Jay, but just as he reached him, he closed his eyes and said, "Where are the others?"
"I..." choked Nya. "I don't know. We got separated. Please, Master Wu! Please tell me Jay and Zane are gunna be okay!"
"Zane, I think will be fine once we're out of the canyon and he has time to reboot; we can fix any other damage then."
"What about Jay!" sobbed Nya tripping towards him. "Ow, ow!"
"He's alive," said Wu with a candid nod. "That's a good sign for now. His pulse is good considering the circumstances. We can't know for sure what has happened to him otherwise until he wakes up."
Koko was already returning from bringing Zane into the ship and was coming for Nya. Wu then picked up Jay, and Nya hugged Koko as she lifted her.
"I'm sorry, Koko, I'm sorry!"
"Shh..." said Koko; she was deeply concerned for Nya and the others with her, but Nya could see in her eyes the distant longing for her own son.
Nya swallowed hard. She had been sorry at first for what had happened to Jay, but that was not her fault as much as it was her fault that Lloyd was gone. That was all the stupid ninja force's fault.
"I'm sorry that we didn't bring Lloyd back," said Nya.
Koko closed her eyes briefly, and she smiled a little as she said, "Don't worry about that now. We all have mistakes that we've made, but it's too late to take them back. We just have to go forward from where we're at."
#
"Where are we going again?" asked Lloyd in a strange sort of whispery voice that was getting all the more whispery the closer they got to Kinkomi's place.
Cole frowned.
So did Kai.
They both knew why Lloyd sounded so bad. It was his lungs now too, but it was not his lungs that either of them was thinking about. As for Cole, he hated the fact that he had to answer. Lloyd had already asked that same question at least fifteen times.
"We're going to stop Kinkomi," said Cole; though his tone sounded the exact opposite of confident unlike how strong the answer had been the first two times he had given it.
Lloyd's mind was going.
It was going fast.
"Do you really have to answer him every time he asks that?" Kai wanted to know.
Their pace was exceedingly slow so that Kai could keep up at his sluggish— almost slow-motioned, trot. As Cole glanced back at him, he saw that Kai looked like he was going to fall into unconsciousness at any moment. Cole knew that he himself could go on physically for some time. Lloyd on his back was no problem. Lloyd had always been light no matter how wiry. He was still the lightest of the group, actually, but he knew that Kai and Lloyd would be good for nothing when they actually reached Kinkomi. They were good for nothing now.
Lloyd had fallen out of a tree twice and had staggered on muscles that no longer worked for some time before he finally allowed Cole to carry him.
Cole groaned as he grumbled back at Kai in answer to a question that he would much rather ignore, "Yes, Kai, I do have to answer him every time he asks."
"Sorry," murmured Kai.
Cole was not sure if he felt relief or regret when he finally saw the walls of Kinkomi's monkey city.
"But where are we going?" asked Lloyd.
"To Kinkomi's," said Cole. "And we're here."
"Do you even know who Kinkomi is anymore, Lloyd?" asked Kai as they continued on a little further.
"Yes," said Lloyd stubbornly, but he had never been a good liar. "Of course, I do."
How he lied to his mom all those years about being the Green Ninja was anybody's guess.
"Just don't, Kai," said Cole.
"Well, does he even know who we are?" Kai demanded like an overtired child about to have a tantrum.
"I don't know!" Cole snapped as answer.
"Lloyd!" said Kai. "You know me, right bro?"
They came to a stop. Lloyd slowly turned his leafy head to Kai and blinked strangely as he looked Kai up and down. He shivered a little and blinked again with pain and terror. His green teeth clenched.
"Kai!" he at last broke out.
Kai sighed in relief. Lloyd looked relieved too, but only miserably so, Cole saw, as he looked back at him dropping his head past Cole's shoulder.
"That's not gunna help, Kai," said Cole.
Kai yawned. Cole knew that he could not help it anymore than he could help answering questions, but it still irritated him.
"What're we gunna...do though, Cole?" Kai wanted to know, but he sounded like he was asking from a dream.
Cole jumped as he saw Kai lean against a tree and slump with eyes closed.
"Kai!" snapped Cole.
"Kai!" cried Lloyd too, though it came out like a windless wheeze.
Cole tried not to think that Lloyd probably did not even know why Kai was like this anymore or why it was so urgent that he stay awake.
"We're not in any condition to... figh...tuh..." Kai slipped onto the ground and was asleep before he hit it.
"I'll fight," said Cole in answer to his slumbering companion.
"Cole..." said Lloyd with exasperation. "You can't alone."
Maybe he remembered more than it seemed.
"I'm the only one well enough for a fight, Lloyd. I'm sorry, but this is one of those times that the Green Ninja has to sit it out."
"Mmph!" protested Lloyd.
Cole set him on a rock.
"Don't get down, Lloyd," said Cole firmly. "Don't touch the ground."
With teeth clenched, Lloyd shook his head.
"I already told you. Stay here. I'm the only one who can fight. Try to think about that clearly. Just try."
"But you won't be for long," said a snide voice from the wall.
Cole looked up in alarm. Sure enough Kinkomi, with a gaggle of monkeys, was there sneering down at the ninja trio with ugly teeth from ear to ear. He reminded Cole instantly of the way Garmadon sneered when he thought he was on top of things.
"What have you got to say for yourself, ninja?" demanded Kinkomi still grinning.
"No wonder you and Garmadon were friends and no wonder it didn't last too," snorted Cole, and he readied his fist to punch the ground enough to make all the monkeys fall of their wall.
Kinkomi shrugged. "Yes, well... now you get to help me with the rest of my revenge. It should not be long before, not only are you obedient in answering questions, little ninja, you will be obedient in everything else too."
Cole stopped and stiffened.
"So, why don't you be a good little lump of coal and bring the Green Ninja to the gate so we can... cure him?"
"You mean kill him!" said Cole. "I can't bring him because you'll kill him."
But Cole could feel his brain fuzz up again and start to race. Some part of him was compelled to obey. He could feel it like resisting the last slice of cake in the fridge before anyone else could get to it, but Cole knew it would not be long before it was far stronger than that. Either way, he was immobilized from fighting as his mind went into conflict.
"No, I mean cure. The poor banana plant needs good earth, good water, and some warm sun and recharge of nutrients and a little shade to keep it cool, right?" said Kinkomi.
"Righ— No! Lloyd is not a banana tree!" snapped Cole back.
"Isn't he?"
Cole looked at Lloyd. His eyes were becoming rather blank, and he seemed to be showing no sign of reacting to Kinkomi's words in any fashion. Cole bit his lip as he glowered back up at Kinkomi.
"He looks like quite the banana tree to me. Those bananas on his head almost look yellow already from here."
"Man!" snapped a voice, which although plenty sarcastic in tone held a lot of built up anger too. "All this talk, talk talk! No wonder you always lose, Kinky!"
"What?" snapped Kinkomi looking directly down at a familiar figure.
Cole turned too to see Garmadon in the glow of the sun filtering in through the leaves of the tree he was leaning against with theatrical flair to rival his younger brother's.
"Garmadon?" cried Cole.
"In the flesh," said Garmadon, and he paused as he tried to remember Cole's name, "Uh... Luh—loyd's... earth friend."
"Pff," sniffed Kinkomi haughtily. "So you decided to finish this man to beast then, hmm?"
"No," said Garmadon with a very sober sort of expression as he took off his hat with atmosphere that was perhaps more than warranted. With even more atmosphere he spoke: "Despite the fact that you are right to call yourself a beast... I'd rather settle this BEAST to beast!"
And he threw something suddenly from out of nowhere towards Kinkomi with true ninja stealth and precision. But in spite of Kinkomi's shriek and a few other monkey whimpers from his servants around him, Kinkomi dodged it just barely so that only his hair piece was taken off.
Angry, but completely unhurt, Kinkomi did not even have to climb down from the wall to pick his hair piece back up again from the perch just behind the wall and the throwing star that had taken it off.
"Hmph!" snorted Kinkomi. "Petty. At least you admit you're not a man."
Then he sniffed the throwing piece.
"What's on this? It smells funny?" demanded Kinkomi suddenly in alarm.
He took his hair piece off again and sniffed that as well before plopping it on again.
"It smell like—"
Garmadon shrugged.
"I didn't mean me," he said. "And it's catnip."
Kinkomi frowned. "What? Catnip. What the stink, Garmadon? It's not like I'm going to start rolling all over the ground and be drunk with it like some silly little house pet so that you can save your son and get out of here and escape my revenge. I'm a monkey man not a—"
He did not even have a chance to shriek as the great beast leapt over the wall and tackled him. Then there was an awful lot of screaming from Kinkomi and his servants alike once they realized that the giant cat was not going to leap back out again.
"Good job, Meowthra!" laughed Garmadon, but he did not gloat long. He ran up to Cole— right up so there was barely an inch between his face and Garmadon's.
"Did he spray you?"
Cole nodded.
"Good," hissed Garmadon. "Now where's my son?"
Blinking widely, Cole pointed to Lloyd lying on his back on the rock Cole had left him on. Sure enough, there were roots coming out of his feet, but Garmadon wasted no time mentioning it. He took out a vial.
"Is that Kinkomi's cure-all?" asked Cole.
"No!" snapped Garmadon as he sprayed Lloyd in the face with it.
"Then what is it?" cried Cole.
"It's my cure-all!" snapped Garmadon. "I'm not touching his filthy cure-all. Yuck!"
"Your cure-all?" Cole demanded.
Garmadon only answered by spraying him in the face.
It was really strong and made Cole cough, but it was not overly terrible. It seemed to have a hint of cardamom in it and it tingled like pepper or even cinnamon in the back of his throat and up his nose like wasabi.
"Sure! I always had my own. I woulda got here sooner if I didn't suddenly remember I had one back at the volcano. Developed it myself too. Ever heard of Four Thieves? Well, those thieves didn't know that my mother was the best herbalist in history, and she taught me everything she knew!"
Shoving the vial into Cole's hands to spray at Kai, Garmadon went right back to his son.