Kai danced in an unsteady circle as fire bloomed out of his blackened hands. The hot tongues licked at the ring of soldiers who'd gathered around him and they scurried back. Kai turned again to blast another flame at some more encroaching soldiers. Like a dizzying dance he kept spinning. Though his strength had been drained beyond the point of using Spinjitzu, he could still move fast if he must.
"Take him down!" a man cried.
Something shot out of the crowd toward Kai's head. He ducked and the spear clattered against the gatehouse wall behind him. More spears followed. It was all he could do to duck out of the way and kick some of the projectiles away. His shoulder throbbed hotly, but he couldn't stop moving.
More men threw their spears at him, gathering their courage again. A slice of pain at his thigh and another at his bicep were signs that their aims were getting better and Kai's agility was getting worse. He kept spinning and shooting fire in a circle and dodging the spears, but it wouldn't be long until—
A force tore through one of his leather tassets and he felt himself jerked back. The spear attached to the tasset sank into between the cobblestone wall, and Kai found himself stuck along with it. Desperately he shot another wide wave of fire at his enemies.
"We've got him now!" the commander jeered. "Quickly, get—"
His sentence cut off with a yelp of pain and he tumbled to the ground. The platoon of soldiers hesitated, uncertain.
With a roaring battle cry of multitudes brought their attention to the open drawbridge; like a dark sea a wave of armed people burst into the courtyard. Some could be heard chanting, "For our country! For our queen! For our freedom!"
Riding a galloping pony was Tinny Bird and he wielded a large crossbow. When he saw Kai he roared, "For our Fire Mage!"
Relief blossomed in Kai's chest, and he stood up, grinning broadly. The wave of rebels swept in and crashed into the platoon. Bird led the charge and immediately took out two men with his crossbow. The rest followed viciously, and within seconds the castle courtyard became the ruthless bloodbath between red-clad soldiers and motley rebel warriors of both human and half-canine. The rebels spread out and drove the Pingousers in one direction.
"Kai!"
Jukeni appeared out of the brawl, closely followed by Kaeden. Kai laughed and exclaimed, "Boy, you guys know how to make an entrance!"
The boys came and Kaeden yanked the spear expertly out of the wall and freed Kai. "We should. We have been planning this for a long time," he said solemnly.
Kai inspected them. They were both clad in armor, though only Jukeni wore a helmet. He proudly brandished a polearm while Kaeden bore a massive club in one hand. They looked virtually unscathed and jubilant.
"You two are looking good," he said wryly.
"And you look like something the cat dragged—" Jukeni's teasing gaze fell upon Kai's hands and he looked horrified. "Good Star Guards, what in the world happened to your hands—?!"
"It's fine!" Kai interjected impatiently. "I'm fine, I can still fight!"
Kaeden's eyes had darkened with concern, almost puppy-like. "That looks very serious. We can get you out—"
"I'm not leaving!" Kai snapped. "Lord Hälogen's in this castle somewhere, right? I need to find him!"
"You're still going on about that?" Kaeden exchanged a look with Jukeni. "What do you want him for?"
"He's dangerous, Kai!" Jukeni protested. "He can use magic, and he—!"
"And he may know how to transport me back to my own world! I have to get back!" Kai snapped. "All my friends are in danger, I just know it! Those cat-people are bad news, and I'm gonna stop them!"
Kaeden and Jukeni exchanged a long look. At last Kaeden sighed and shook his head. "Very well. We will help you."
"You will?"
Kaeden gave him a kind smile. "Of course. It is the least we can do in return for your assistance, and for what you've suffered."
"Also if you could somehow get rid of Hälogen using your magic powers that'd be excellent, too, but, like, no pressure," Jukeni deadpanned. "So, where do we go?"
Kai's gaze landed on one of the doors lining the interior of the courtyard. "Follow me!"
The three of them jostled their way past the battling warriors in the middle of the courtyard; metal glinted by their faces, bodies moved and turned while the groans of the wounded and the cries of the defiant blared in their ears. Kai tried to drown out the sounds of the suffering as they reached the door. Kaeden kicked it open and they entered the keep.
No one was downstairs. Jukeni led the way and started up the first flight of stairs they saw.
"So you guys know where Lord Hälogen is?" Kai gasped as they ascended.
"Stars, no," said Jukeni. "But if I had to guess, a rich lord trapped in his fancy castle would hide in a tower."
"Or use a secret passage underground to escape the grounds entirely," Kaeden pointed out.
"Ugh, I hope not. Then all this running would be for nothing."
They reached the top of the stairs and found themselves in a large, lavishly-furnished corridor. Every chair, table and candelabra decorating the carpeted hall seemed to be lined with gold, even some of the tapestries.
What really caught the boys' attention, however, were the half-dozen guards who stiffened at the sight of the young intruders.
"Halt!" one man barked. "Who goes there?"
"Your worst nightmare, egg-head!" With that Kai leapt forward and sent a fiery blast at the guards. They cried out in shock and scurried back.
"Ha-ha, take that!" Kai crowed. "Not so tough now, are you?"
"Uhh, Kai...?" Jukeni interjected. "On your left."
Kai looked; several more Pingous soldiers were appearing from an adjoining hallway. A low growl from Kaeden alerted him to even more soldiers running in from the hallway on their right. Within moments Kai and the Pawrelesers were surrounded.
"What's your master plan now, Sir Ninja?" Jukeni muttered as he glared at their captor, gripping his polearm with both hands.
"Uhh..." Kai couldn't help feeling uncertain scanning their situation. There had to be at least fifty soldiers in all. "I'm not sure I can blast all of these guys away at once..."
"What about your Spinjitzu?" Kaeden asked sharply.
Kai laughed wearily. "I wish I could, but I've used so much of my strength already. I might end up smashing myself into the wall or—"
"But you can still shoot fire?"
"Of course I can. I'm not that useless!"
"Very well." Without warning, Kaeden stooped and snatched Kai by the ankles.
"Whoa, what the heck—?!"
"Fire, now!" Kaeden roared.
"What're you—? Auuugghh!" With a startled shout Kai was yanked off his feet and slung around Kaeden's head like a potato sack. With a grunt Kaeden spun around in a circle and wielded Kai like a stick.
"Now, Kai!"
Kai finally got the idea; once more he flexed his wrists and summoned fire. It bloomed in a fierce wave over the soldiers. As Kaeden spun Kai around in a circle of fire followed, creating a vicious ring that scathed the Pingousers. As the burns spread and their clothes caught aflame the men scurried back, panicking.
"Keep going!" Occasionally slashing his polearm at anyone who got too close, Jukeni advanced down the main corridor and Kaeden followed with Kai, still spinning. The Pingousers had no choice but to let the intruders get through, for fear of being burned alive.
"I'm—getting—dizzy...!" Kai groaned. How can Kaeden keep spinning me around like this for so long?!
Kaeden responded dryly. "Just a little longer. You make an excellent weapon."
"And there's another staircase up ahead!" Jukeni cried. "I think it leads to one of the main towers!"
As soon as they reached the doorway, Kaeden slung Kai over one shoulder and barreled past Jukeni and up the stairs. Kai felt himself behind jolted around heavily as Kaeden took un-human bounds up the staircase. Through his dizziness he could see Kaeden's tail beneath his face. At one point he thought he heard Jukeni cry out, but Kai could see him catching up.
The angry roar of men pursued them up the staircase. The occasional spear was thrown at the intruders only to clatter harmlessly against the wall. Up and up they went in a constant circle. Kai closed his eyes to shut out the dizzying sight, but that only made his head spin even more.
The sound of wood smashing made him jump; Kaeden had reached the stop of the staircase and had shoved the locked door open with superhuman strength. They found themselves in another large corridor, this one less lavish than the first.
"Hurry!" Kaeden set Kai on the ground like a child setting down their doll. Through the feeling of lightheadedness Kai could make out Kaeden slamming the door shut. The original bar lay in splinters nearby, so he snatched Jukeni's polearm and shoved it into the metal brackets.
"That should hold them for a little while," he grunted.
Groaning, Kai forced himself to stand. "Where are we?"
"Close, I think. Let's go."
They started down the hall when Kaeden stopped. "Wait. Where's Jukeni?"
They turned back to the door. Jukeni was sitting and leaning against the wall with a sick expression on his face.
"Jukeni!" They darted to his side with Kai snapping, "C'mon, man, we gotta go—!"
He stopped with a gasp. A fresh wound grinned wickedly at them from a large rip in Jukeni's tunic, just beneath the armpit between the plates of his armor. A dark stain was making its way down his pale tunic and pooling where he sat.
"Must've snagged him on the stairs," Kaeden murmured quietly. His canine eyes revealed shock.
The boy looked up at them and smiled wanly. "Go on without me. I'll catch up."
Kai felt sick to his stomach. First Garagan, now Jukeni...! "Heck no," he snapped, trying not to look as scared as he felt. "You're fine, right? We're not leaving without you—"
"Kai." Kaeden tapped his shoulder. "We— we have company."
Kai stood up and turned; six soldiers appeared down the hall were stalking toward them. Instinctively he and Kaeden stood in front of Jukeni as a shield. Kaeden drew his club from his belt while Kai set his hands aflame.
One of the soldiers took the lead bearing a handsome sword. As he stepped forward his face seemed to flicker with confusion, then recognition. "You!"
"Huh?" Kai exchanged a perplexed look with Kaeden before pointing at himself. "Me?"
The man's face twisted into a look of disgust. "I should have expected you three to be a part of something like this. Pawreles scum."
Kai peered at the man's face. The barred window at the opposite end of the corridor forced his eyes to adjust to the change of light, but when they did he at last recognized the chiseled jawline and blond hair peeking out beneath the helmet. "Gesber!"
"You appear alarmed to see me, Spiky." Gesber sneered and brandished his sword haughtily. "Is it surprising to see me leading Lord Hälogen's royal guard?"
Kai returned the sneer. "Nah, just surprising to see you've lived this long without tripping and impaling yourself on your own sword."
An ugly look crossed Gesber's face. "I would hold my tongue if I were you. It is six against three—or really, two," he added with a haughty look at Jukeni.
"I like those odds. What do you say, Kaeden?" Kai smirked up at the half-canine. "Think we can make the time to kick these bozos' butts?"
Kaeden stared back at him with something like amused bewilderment. "Oh, I suppose it is only polite."
The club went slinging and Kai's fire went blasting. Kaeden caught two men at once and sent them flying into the wall with one powerful sweep. With another he smashed the club into another man's helmet and sent him crashing into an ornate table.
Meanwhile Kai burned another man in the face—it was not fatal, but painful. He crouched over screaming and staggered out of the way. Kai shot at his companion, but the other soldier scurried out of the way and began circling him. He chucked his spear at Kai, who dodged it neatly.
The man's face twisted in mingled fear and anger, and he unsheathed his sword. With a loud yell he lunged for Kai and swung at his head.
Spinning around on one foot, Kai lashed his leg out and kicked the man's forearm. The arm now stunned and numbed, the sword dropped, and Kai kicked again, this time into the man's stomach. The soldier went reeling.
Something moved out the corner of his eye. With a yelp Kai jumped just in time to nearly avoid Gesber's blade—he felt a painful prick on one cheek. He tried to swivel around but was forced to retreat as the blade kept slashing at him in dangerously quick and methodical movements.
Something bumped Kai's back; a table. Gesber lunged for him and Kai ducked. Something shattered and shards of china rained on Kai's head. Halfway on his knees, he saw Gesber bringing the sword down upon him. Kai jumped backwards and held his arms out to shoot fire.
Abruptly Gesber was yanked off his feet and his sword fell. Kaeden had grabbed him by the collar of his breastplate and now held him up in midair; the young man's boots dangled helplessly at least four feet above the floor.
"Release me, you pathetic hound!" Gesber sputtered. He tried to swing and punch Kaeden, but the dog-man held him away like a bag of garbage.
"Hold still, this will only hurt for a second." Kaeden yanked Gesber's helmet off.
"Wait." Shakily getting up, Kai demanded, "Where's Lord Hälogen hiding? Is he in here?"
Gesber glared at him. "Like I'd tell—!"
"Upstairs, on the top floor of this tower. That is where his laboratory is," a voice croaked.
Kai looked to see one of the soldiers Kaeden had clubbed was sitting up tentatively; he'd been the one who had spoken. Wincing, he said, "We were sent to guard him. That is where he is."
"Wha—?" Gesber's face colored angrily. "You traitor! Why would you tell them—?!"
"Yeah, I'm actually wondering the same thing," Kai snapped. "Why should we believe you?"
The soldier coughed. "Not all of us in Pingous are on their side. Some of us have been secretly rooting for the freedom of our sister nation for a long time." His eyes met Kai's; there seemed to be no hint of deception or malice in them. "Go. Finish what you have started."
"You'll be executed for this!" Gesber snarled.
The old man chuckled weakly. "Nothing ever stays the way it is, young man. By tonight Jëmlen may very well have a new lord. You could be the one being executed soon."
Before Gesber could muster a response, Kaeden casually chucked him away. "I shall stay here and look after Jukeni."
The sounds of the battle could be heard, if only faintly. Kai glanced around at the groaning men in the room. "You sure?"
Kaeden gave a slight smile. "I do not know how to fight a wizard. You seem to know more about that than I do."
Something crashed downstairs. Men could be heard shouting orders and armor clattering. Kai hoped they were the good guys. "No, I mean—are you gonna be OK down here alone?"
A loud banging from the door made them jump. A man outside shouted, "Open up in there! Now!"
Brandishing his club, Kaeden went and stood over Jukeni. "I will be all right, for the sake of my friends. Go, Kai. Fulfill your destiny." His smile widened, if somewhat wanly. "We shall celebrate and drink kimbachi juice once this is over."
Kai held his gaze. "Thank you."
The banging grew louder. Kaeden barked, "Go!"
Nodding, Kai ran down the hall. Behind him he heard wood splintering and men's voices growing louder. He did not look back.
He turned a corner and saw yet another staircase spiraling up. There were no windows nor torches lit here, so he kept his eyes on the steps as he ascended. He forced himself not to think about Jukeni and Kaeden. He tried not to listen to the sounds of a struggle taking place in the hall behind him.
As he ascended eventually the noise faded. The tower was tall and dark. The only light came from a dirty window somewhere above him. Limbs aching and lungs gasping, at last Kai reached the top floor. It was a short, bare hallway, where he found himself standing opposite an old wooden door.
He stepped softly as he approached the door. A brass knocker stood out in the middle, which was elaborately carved into the face of an animal that looked similar to a dragon, although it had no horns, the shape of its mouth looked wrong, and it had four eyes.
Kai stopped. I have no idea what this guy is like, he realized uncomfortably.
Up until now Lord Hälogen had been naught but a distant story. The only threats Kai had ever faced in this world yet were the red-clad soldiers and unicorns. Now he found himself on the brink of confronting this faceless enemy.
He knew he was a magic-user of some kind. What was magic like in this world? Perhaps being an Elemental Master would give him an advantage. Kai tried to imagine what this fearsome lord must look like; he sounded powerful, so perhaps a tall, hulking figure with a booming laugh and glowing eyes...
Kai shook away the shiver running down his arms. I'm so close! I'm not about to be beaten by a wizard, no matter how powerful he is!
He took a long, deep breath—and kicked the door open. To his surprise, it swung open easily and banged against the wall. Kai ran in with his hands aflame.
"Lord Hälogen! Your reign of terror is over!"
There was no response. Holding his body at a loose fighting stance, Kai started down the room. "Your castle is surrounded and your army is beaten! Surrender, or face the consequences!"
Nothing stirred in the room. It was dark and musty. Few candles provided light and showed Kai that he was standing in a spacious chamber. The ceiling rose to a point, alluding to the fact that he was in the highest floor of the tower. Several black curtains hinted at the presence of windows, but they were all drawn, thus shrouding the room in perpetual darkness.
What caught Kai's attention were the many tables and desks filling up the room in a haphazard pattern. Most were overflowing with objects covered in dust while others looked freshly used. It was like the lab for a scientist of a different dimension. There were vials of multi-colored liquids, wooden and steel boxes, and jars of what appeared to be varying degrees of slime, plants, liquids, and even animals and organs. Maps of solar systems and constellations lay strewn about the desks and floors on one side of the room along with tools for navigation.
The wall to his right seemed dedicated entirely to weapons, which looked odd in this laboratory. From arrows to knives to chains to swords, grim weapons hung on brackets like trophies of honor. A massive sword and a black crossbow in particular caught Kai's attention. He stared at them in admiration before realizing they were most likely used for nefarious purposes. He turned away from them.
Evil-looking surgical tools glinted in the candlelight to Kai's right as he walked further. Small dark shapes lined one clean-looking table. Curious, he took a candle and held it out over the shapes. What he saw made him gag.
Small creatures had been cut open and operated upon in a professional fashion. It was bad enough seeing frogs and rodents splayed out on the table, but bile rose in Kai's throat when he inspected the smaller shapes lying alongside the other animals. They resembled tiny people. Lifeless humanoid faces could be seen in the candlelight.
He didn't care to find out if these were pixies or fairies or whatever. He turned away and stifled another gag.
That was when a glimmer of light caught his attention. Looking up, he saw at the opposite end of the room a large, elaborately-carved set of shelves bearing dusty boxes and unidentifiable artifacts. Among them, sitting proudly on the middle shelf, sat a crystal ball the size of Kai's head. It lay in a velvet cushion and protected in a glass case.
What struck him about it was that it glowed; faintly and in irregular flickers, but nonetheless the light was different from that of the candles. Tentatively Kai walked up to the glass case.
Dust coated the top and the glass looked dirty. He peered through the mess to see a tiny wood plaque attached to the foot of the case. Written into it were the words: World yäleh, World täleh, give a rub an' cry "kallemleh"!
The heck is this? he wondered.
A slight rustling behind him made him freeze. A stack of papers fell off a desk.
Whirling around, Kai snapped, "Hold it right there!"
For a second nothing moved. He stared into the shadows beyond the light of his fire and the candles. He thought he could make out a pale shape crouching behind one of the messy tables.
"Show yourself!"
Hesitating, the pale shape slowly stood and faced him. A high-pitched voice croaked, "I hoped I would not be disturbed. I do hate being disturbed."
Scowling, Kai stepped forward and waved his fire toward the shape until he could see him: a short, white-haired, bearded old man half the size Kai was stood there, wringing his hands. He wore an ancient-looking dark robe that looked as if it hadn't been washed in years.
He blinked crossly in the firelight. "Ooh, too much light, too much light! You shall set my precious things on fire and then my heart will be broken."
"I don't care about your things," Kai snapped. "Where's Lord Hälogen? He's here, right?"
The man peered at him as if trying to see him better. A crooked grin spread across his face, revealing blackened teeth. "You seek Lord Hälogen?"
"Did I stutter?" Kai took a threatening step toward the little man. "Tell me where he is!"
The old man wheezed in laughter and pointed at himself. "I am he, I am he you seek!"
"What?" Kai stared at him incredulously. "No way. You're lying."
"I do not lie! Well..." The man rolled his eyes and cackled. "Sometimes I do. But not today, oh dear me. I am much too busy with important things for lying."
Kai scanned the room searching for some hiding place where the real Lord Hälogen could be. However, nothing stirred, and nothing except the many cluttered desks and dusty drapes could serve as plausible hiding places. Is this guy for real...? Frustrated, he turned back to the little man.
"You're telling me," he said slowly, "that you're the dude who betrayed the Pawreles kingdom and helped the Pingousers take over? You're supposed to be the dude that everyone's scared of? The oh-so-great-and-powerful wizard?"
"Such compliments! I am flattered!" The man cackled and clapped his hands. "Oh dear me, yes I am! I am he!" He stopped clapping and pursed his dry lips thoughtfully. "Well, not completely by myself. I had some help from the inside. Helpful men, helpful Pawrelesers, yes."
"Pawrelesers are the good guys," Kai snapped. "Pingousers are the bad guys."
Lord Hälogen broke into another fit of wheezing laughter. "Oh-ho-ho! Silly boy! There is no such thing as 'good guys' and 'bad guys'! There are only divided guys fighting for their own agendas, selfish in one way or another!"
"Whatever," Kai huffed. "Look: your place is surrounded. The rebels are winning. Soon they're gonna be here and they'll catch you in this stupid tower. I'm giving you a chance to do at least one good thing with your life by helping me out."
"How precious, the child thinks he can make demands!" Hälogen's voice became mocking and he sneered at the flames coming from Kai's hands. "You are from another realm. You do not know how things work here. What a precious bean."
"OK, first of all: don't call me a precious bean. That's super-creepy." Kai made a face. "Second of all: yeah, I'm from another realm, but I know enough to know that you're a massive jerk and that the Pawrelesers need to win this battle."
"Do they? Do they?" Hälogen's black teeth glinted like slime from his face. "Tell me, little fire fairy. Have your precious Pawreles friends told you about all the people they've killed in order to get the supplies and weapons they want? All villages they've burned down?"
Kai stared at him. "What're you talking about?"
"Have they told you about the men and women they've tortured for information? The children they've kidnapped for ransom?" Like a sly worm, Hälogen began easing in Kai's direction. "Has your precious bean of a leader, the one they call 'Bird', told you how he plans to make himself king of Jëmlen, and after that king of all the provinces here? Has he told you he plans to slaughter everyone—men, women, and children—who claim loyalty to the Pingous royal family?"
The crazed look in Hälogen's eyes made Kai's blood run cold. Almost unconsciously he backed away from the little man. "No... you're lying. How can you know that?"
"The Crystal Eye," Hälogen whispered, eyes lighting up. "The Crystal Eye—it sees everything." With one bony hand he gestured to the cabinet behind Kai. "With the magic word and a precise commandment, the Crystal Eye shows me exactly what I want to see and takes me exactly where I wish to go."
Though he was aware of Hälogen drawing nearer, Kai couldn't help but glance over his shoulder at the crystal ball.
"Curious? Curious, he is!" The old man chuckled. "Take it out, speak, and ask the Crystal Eye to show you your friends! See how well they are faring as we speak, as we speak!"
It has to be trick, Kai thought frantically. Yet Hälogen's words made him feel cold with sudden uncertainty and fear in regard to the Pawreles rebels. Besides... hadn't he just said something about the ball "taking him exactly where he wishes to go"?
Slowly, keeping half his attention on the prowling lord, Kai diffused his fire, reached for the cabinet and pushed opened the case with the point of his wrist bone. He stared at the glimmering crystal ball.
"Give it a rub, a rub-a-dub-dub," Hälogen chanted quietly behind him. "And say the magic word, give it your command. Let it show you your friends."
Part of Kai knew it was dangerous to turn his back on the old man. Yet, as if he were in a dream, he reached into the case and cautiously wiped his sleeve on the surface of the crystal. It felt cool, but some sort of energy seemed to pulse like a heartbeat.
Kai read the plaque out loud. "World yäleh... World täleh... give a rub and cry... kallemleh."
The glow flickered and abruptly intensified.
"Show me Kaeden and Jukeni," he murmured.
The colors swirled together and began forming pictures—it looked like something out of a bizarre, old-time-y movie. As he identified the moving figures in the ball, Kai inhaled sharply.
Hälogen had not been lying. There was Kaeden, desperately fighting off several Pingous soldiers attacking him all at once. Jukeni lay in a heap in the corner of the hall like a limp doll. It looked so real...
Kai wished he could slow his racing heart. "Show me Tinny Bird."
The colors melted and mingled into one another before another picture formed: the castle courtyard, littered with the bodies of Pingousers and Pawrelesers alike. Tinny Bird could be seen in the middle of the chaos, swinging his sword and his mouth open in a soundless battle cry. Kai couldn't help but notice how viciously and eagerly the short man cut down soldiers as if they were naught but annoying flies.
So this thing works... he wasn't lying. Kai felt mistrust flicker at the sight of Bird before he caught his breath. Could it maybe...?
"Show me my sister," he said.
When the glowing colors shaped themselves into a new picture, he gasped. Nya was in somewhere dark and full of rocks. She was fighting; she held an arc of water over her head while sweat tricked down her face. Her arms were battered and bloodied and she looked exhausted. A massive dark shape lunged at her and barreled her out of view.
"No! I need to go there! I need to get home!" Kai whirled around. "I need—! Get your hands out of that!"
Too late, he realized that Hälogen had snuck behind him to grab some vials from one of the desks. He cackled "Too slow!" tossed the contents of the vial at Kai.
Smoke black as pitch washed over Kai and blinded him. He found himself stumbling against furniture as he tried to escape the thick smoke. He could hear Lord Hälogen cackling unseen.
One by one red spots of light began appearing, like fireflies appearing out of the night. They surrounded Kai all at once.
He stared at them, trying to discern what they were. "What the heck—?"
A low canine growl interrupted him. More growls followed. They sounded close, much too close... and Kai realized that the glowing red dots were the eyes of some unearthly animals. Enormous wolf-like creatures prowled into his vision; they seemed to be made entirely out of the same black smoke that surrounded him.
His blood ran cold and for a moment, he felt the urge to curl up into a ball and wait for the pain to be over. This felt too much like his nightmares, before he'd woken up in Nama's cottage... This smoke, these animals, they felt far too much like some demons who'd haunt him in his sleep and force him to watch his worst fears over and over again...
His arms shook—perhaps both from pain and from something psychological. He hadn't expected to feel this heart-chilling fear again.
His terror only lasted as long as the smoke demons held the fragile string of tension. When they at last snarled and lunged for him all at once, he almost felt relieved when cold teeth sank into his legs and biceps and he heard the cry of pain from his own lips.
This was a physical enemy. Not one in his head. Which meant he could fight it. He was good at fighting physical things.
He almost smiled.
Another one of the demon dogs had slammed into him and was tearing its teeth into his breastplate—These things can bite through metal? he thought dimly. At last instinct kicked in and he threw his body around in a circle. "Ninjaaaaa-go!"
The Spinjitzu vortex shone brightly through the smoke as he chucked the demon dogs away. Their threatening snarls became guttural grunts as they hit tables and chairs. Many of them vanished upon impact. Others got up and came back for him.
Kai stopped spinning; it sapped too much of his strength. One of the largest demon dogs ran in from his right and lunged for his throat. Kai jumped up and kicked the creature in the face. It felt like punching through thick paper or plaster, just smokier.
The dog hardly seemed to notice the new hole in its head. Instead it promptly bit Kai's leg and yanked him down. Two more followed; one grabbed him by a gauntlet while the other bit into his hair.
Pain ripped into him in three places at once. He thrashed wildly but could not free himself of the smoke demons. Over the sounds of his own screams and the dogs' eager growls, he could just barely hear Hälogen laughing and chanting, "Oh-ho-ho, foolish little fire fairy! Grab too many flowers at once and eventually you shall find the thorn that sheds your blood!"
"What're you, a fortune cookie writer?" Kai groaned between gritted teeth. He continued struggling against the smoke monsters. He managed to kick the one biting his leg away, but the ones grabbing his hair and arm were shaking their prey maliciously as if he were a chew toy.
What was worse was that, through his own struggles, he could feel his throbbing head feeling lighter—as if he were beginning to drift away into a feverish sleep. He felt close to passing out... and if he passed out now...
Is this how I die? A part of his mind thought lazily while his physical body continued to thrash. Stuck here with this crazy old man? I didn't get to go home... I still want to go home... His heart clenched. What was the last thing I did with all my friends? Like at that restaurant, where we got those stupid fortune cookies—
The dog ripping the hair out of his head seized the opportunity to bite down on Kai's shoulder. His thoughts were interrupted with a fresh burst of pain.
Sudden rage surged through him and ran down to his hands; on a burst of strength and pure wrath, a fiery fist swung around and punched the demon dog square in the snout.
With an unearthly screech, the smoke demon evaporated. Kai turned to the last two dogs and flung his fire at them. This was his last chance. He couldn't waste time trying to save his strength. Now the Fire Mage had to give it everything he had.
The fresh plumes of fire shot out like burning phoenixes and blasted into the smoke demons; with similar screeches they evaporated out of sight.
He wanted to give up there. He wanted to close his eyes and let go. He wanted to stop feeling every ounce of pain racking his body. He wanted to quit.
No. Not today. Ninja don't quit. Gritting his teeth, he stood. Every limb trembled. Blood trickled down his face. His vision blurred—with sweat, blood or tears, he knew not.
Ninja never quit.
With a drawn-out cry of mingled agony and defiance, the fire plumed out and spread into the darkness. It was the biggest wave of fire he'd ever produced; it flourished and spread high above his head and everywhere around him in one giant sweep.
As suddenly as it'd appeared, the smoke disappeared with the force of this wave. All that was left of the broken spell was the spreading fire and debris.
Through the raging flames now licking at the floor, the desks, the papers, everything—through it all, Kai could see Hälogen staring at him from the other end of the room. His mocking laughter had stopped. Now the old man was looking at him with mingled awe and hatred.
Kai roared, "Hey, Hälogen!" Fire continued to spew out of his hands. "Here's a wise saying from my world! 'An unlit candle frightens no monkeys'!"
Hälogen's hairy eyebrows furrowed. "What in the Star Guards does that mean?"
Kai laughed; it sounded crazed and bizarre. "I have no idea!"
"That makes absolutely no sense, why would you even—?"
With a roar like thunder, another wave of fire swept from Kai's body. The force of it threw him off his feet and into the cabinet. The red-hot flames flooded the room and smashed into the walls. The tower quivered and groaned and timber from the ceiling splintered.
Wood, stone, and dust rained down on Kai. He curled up by the cabinet as debris fell all around him. He felt several heavy stones bounce off his body, but he could barely feel them through the adrenaline.
Absolutely everything was covered in fire. The walls were shuddering and crumbling to pieces all around him. The desks and tables had tumbled against one another, spilling its various contents and tools everywhere.
Kai felt lightheaded. He couldn't tell if he was being burned alive or not. His vision flickered and he felt as if he would black out at any moment. He wanted to lay his head on the floor, to accept his end. Yet something nagged at the back of his mind, even through all the chaos—what...?
The crystal ball.
He snapped his head up and scanned his surroundings. Another enormous beam came tumbling down and nearly smashed onto him; the cabinet provided support as the beam smashed into the top of it. Splinters rained on Kai's head but he barely felt them. Trembling and gasping for breath, he began sweeping aside burning paper and crumbling stones.
A glimmer of light caught his eye. To his right lay the ball, just beneath one of the desks. Kai crawled toward it on his elbows and ignored the flames leaving fresh burns on his arms and face. He crawled through rubble and ashes until he reached the ball. It looked unharmed and he grabbed it unsteadily. His fingers left streaks of blood on the glassy surface.
He coughed and tasted blood. "World yäleh... World täleh..."
* * *
Things were not looking good.
Lloyd and Little Leaf were dead.
Cole and Liana were nowhere to be seen.
Half the werecats aiding the ninja were wounded or gone.
Wu could be seen lying at the bottom of the rock pile, unmoving.
Zane was struggling desperately to fight with only one arm and with many wires having been ripped out of his titanium body.
Though she continued fighting powerfully, exhaustion from the torture curses was clinging to Skylor and her movements were slowing with every cat she had to chuck away.
Nya could be seen using her water powers to both attack opponents and to defend Jay; there was only so much he could do with one hand.
Despite their powers and the advantage the ninja had, the Moon Tribe was winning. Misako, through her own torment and fresh grief, could not imagine how things could get worse.
Naturally, things got worse.
In the midst of the raging battle between humanoids and felines, an unearthly howl echoed off the dark walls of the cavern. Some of the cats paused and looked around with startled hisses and lashing tails.
Gasping for breath, Misako realized that the howl did not sound like something a cat or person would make. Rather, it sounded canine...
"Pups!" a booming voice roared.
There were alarmed hisses and caterwauls, followed by the furious voice again. "Where—are—pups?!"
"Get behind me, ma'am." Gruffly Ronin stood before Misako and brandished a pair of sai. A quick glance over her shoulder told her that Cole's father was still sticking by her side—he looked small and scared and part of his coat had been torn off.
Peering over Ronin's shoulder and the backs of many furry felines, Misako could finally see the source of the sound: an enormous wolf with a thick red-brown coat had barreled out of the entrance tunnel. All the cats seemed astonished at the sight of a wolf entering their cave. As one they scurried away with frightened yowls.
More wolves followed; shapes of gray, white and black lined up behind the red wolf. His eyes blazed like yellow fire and he bared his teeth at the crowd. "Pups!" he barked again. "Where are pups?"
Cats continued to hiss and growl as they scurried to get away from the wolves, though they had not yet attacked. Misako watched many of their opponents flee into the dark tunnels and realized that, indirectly, the wolves' appearance was aiding them in chasing away some of the Moon Tribe warriors.
A familiar voice spoke up. "Oh! Oh, you're the dad of those puppies?"
"Oh, Jay..." Misako muttered.
Jay limped into view, holding his arms out peacefully. "Hey pops, don't worry, we've got your kids! Ha-ha, we found them and put them with the kittens where they're safe! If you'll just wait a moment I can go and—"
Alpha interjected with a loud snarl. "Cats! Cats work with humans?!"
"What? No!" Jay looked anxiously at the wounded allies. "I mean, not all of them, but like, we're not with Black Blood— I mean Blood Star, we're not working with Blood Star, we're fighting against her, except for—"
Alpha glared at all the humans standing amongst the Moon Tribe warriors. "Cats fight with humans! Cats and humans steal wolf pups! Cats liars!"
"You know, you're jumping to an awful lot of conclusions—"
Alpha threw back his head and howled; the pack howled in reply and their voices rang sharply against the dark walls. Then they threw themselves into the crowd, and Blood Star's army suddenly found themselves with a new enemy they needed to drive out of their caves.
Jay vanished from sight; Misako hoped that he was going to get the puppies. She backed up against the east wall with Mr. Brookstone and they crouched down behind a boulder. Ronin joined them.
"Holy smokes, what now?!" he demanded. He cast a furtive glance toward the center of the cave, where the fresh wave of battle ensued.
Exhaustion and grief clung to Misako. She wanted to break down weeping. Yet somehow she found the strength to suppress the urge and instead peered over the boulder with Ronin. She could see wolves, werecats, and humans lashing against one another. Her eyes scanned the throng of thrashing bodies. She looked in time to see Jay and Nya racing into a tunnel, perhaps where the kittens and pups were kept. Wu had not moved, but no creature seemed interested in attacking him yet. Skylor stood somewhere in the middle of the throng using her powers. Zane was closer to the west wall, where Wu was.
So where is...? Misako's mind raced. "Ronin."
"Huh?"
"Will you stay here and look after Mr. Brookstone?"
Ronin cast a skeptical look at Cole's father. "Uhhh... I guess."
"I'll be back." Gripping her staff, Misako darted out of their hiding place.
"Whoa, wait, lady, what're you—?!"
Without so much as a backward glance, Misako raced across the cavern toward the south wall. Thrashing fur and bared teeth of cats and wolves flashed by her vision. She passed by Skylor fending off a half-dozen nekomata. She forced herself to breathe steadily as she ran.
Do not think about Lloyd. She gritted her teeth. Do not think about Wu. There is still a chance for this all to be worth it. Do not waste it. Do not think.
The tunnel entrances at the south wall yawned before her like multiple mouths of malignant creatures. The battle continued to rage behind her as Misako neared the entrances. She hesitated.
A low moan caught her attention to her right; just a few yards away lay Matilda, leaning against a moss-covered boulder. Her clothes looked stained and ragged and half her face seemed to be covered in soot. Both her hands were covered in blisters and burns.
Misako's first reaction upon seeing her was dislike. Yet she forced herself to push it aside—now was not the time for petty disputes. Even if Matilda was an arrogant know-it-all...
"Matilda." Misako ran to her side. To her relief the witch was only just pushing herself up with a feeble cough. Her iconic hat was nowhere to be seen and her hair looked scragglier than ever.
Misako helped her up and Matilda's eyes flickered with recognition. "Are you all right?"
Startled by the question, Misako muttered, "I was about to ask you the same thing."
"Well now, I haven't had a werecat queen claim my son was dead or whatnot. I'd say that would hurt more than a few magic burns." Grunting, Matilda accepted the support and leaned on Misako's shoulder.
Misako's chin quivered. She couldn't tell if that was sympathy she heard in the witch's voice. She decided not to respond to that last sentence. Do not think about Lloyd.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Lion Claw happened. Although I think they call him No Claw now. It seems Blood Star was not happy with something he did and he paid for it." Matilda coughed again and wiped her face. "Coward shot a flame spell at me and ran away. I think I saw him going down that tunnel." She pointed to the third tunnel on their left. "No idea where that leads."
Anger—an emotion that felt worn-out and strange to her—surged through Misako. "He must be trying to flee the caves entirely. We cannot let him escape again."
"Darn right. Let's get him."
Misako craned her head to cast an incredulous stare. "You are in no position to fight. You have been imprisoned for—"
"Oh, and you are better fit for fighting a sorcerer? I don't think so." Matilda added with a sly grin, "If it makes you feel better, I'll hold him and you punch."
Misako didn't feel like smiling back. Instead she led the way into the tunnel. It had a jagged, narrow mouth and both women had to duck and step carefully. Matilda lit up the tunnel with a blue glow from a blistered hand—eliciting a faint wince—and took the lead there, despite her limp. Misako clutched her staff tightly with both hands. The tunnel felt small and confining.
Do not think about Lloyd. Do not think about Wu. Think about Lion Claw—or, No Claw. She steeled herself. This must end.
She realized that Matilda had stopped walking. She whispered, "What is it?"
"There's an opening up ahead. And you hear that?"
She listened. For several moments the only sound she could hear was her own pulse pounding in her head. The unlikely team waited in the darkness with abated breath.
Then she heard it: the clatter of rocks and a male voice. He sounded anxious and grumbling.
Matilda and Misako shared a knowing look. No Claw.
They advanced. Matilda led the way to the opening up ahead. It was smaller than the first one and they both had to crouch to enter. Despite Matilda's light Misako could barely make out their surroundings. All she could surmise was that they'd entered another cavern, one large enough for them to stand up in. She stepped as carefully as she could but could not help the few pebbles she sent rolling.
The man's voice was closer, still grumbling. It seemed that he had not heard them enter.
Matilda looked to Misako; her face looked haggard in the faint light. "Ready?" she whispered.
Misako nodded.
With a flick of her wand, Matilda sent the little blue light shooting up to the ceiling, where it burst out and seemed to spread in a hazy cloud over their heads. This cloud cast a brighter blue light across the cavern—one as big as a large barn—and shed light on a lion-sized, gold-furred cat prowling at the other end of the room where a pile of rocks lay. He spun around and arched his back with a hiss.
"What's this? The powerful sorcerer is hiding in the dark?" Matilda taunted. She teetered on her bad foot and winced, yet that sly smirk of hers remained. "What's the matter? Scared of the big, bad wolf?"
"Shut up! Shut up and leave me be, you worthless rattail eater!" No Claw's voice rose to a pitch. He paced to and fro in front of the rock pile. His fur was bristling and he kept his eyes on the women, but began mumbling to himself. "Tunnel... cave-in, looks like a cave-in. Curse the stars, really, really bad timing! Why must I suffer so?"
"You are the one suffering?" Matilda's voice sharpened like a cold knife. "Oh yes, and the many villagers you've slaughtered, the policemen you've tortured, the city you've attacked, the young Sons and Daughters you've tormented and murdered—I suppose they've never suffered at all."
"They deserve it!" He swung his head toward them; Misako flinched at the sight of his eyes. The dark pupils were narrow and small as the whites of his eyes showed. He looked demonic and crazy, and the red stains at his paws did not ease the unearthly effect.
"You all deserve it!" he yowled. "Humans nearly destroyed us, our families, our culture—"
"Yes, right after you killed some of our own people," Matilda said.
"It was war! Death is the point, that's what happens!" No Claw's muzzle curled back and revealed his yellow teeth. "Death on the battlefield is honorable. Death in the homes of mothers and kittens is deplorable."
"Yes, it was wrong." Matilda spoke steadily and held his gaze. "But that, No Claw, happened a long time ago. These people alive today did nothing to hurt you until you stole away their friends. Punishing children for the sins of their fathers and mothers is wrong."
"No," he spat. "It is just. It is as it was meant to be." His yellow eyes met Misako's gaze and his whiskers twitched tauntingly. "Your son deserved to die. As did your sister."
Misako felt as if someone had kicked her in the stomach. The blood drained from her face and her vision blurred with fresh tears.
No Claw ignored her and turned back to Matilda. His usual arrogance seemed to have returned. "Do your worst, Sister of Darkness! You are wounded and weakened, and the nightmares of your fears still cling to you like mud," he sneered. "You act strong, but I have seen your nightmares and demons! Once you are dead, I shall come after your niece and nephew, and—!"
A bright silver vortex of Spinjitzu slammed into No Claw and sent him flying into the opposite wall. He had barely staggered to his paws when Misako was on him, ruthlessly lashing her staff up and down his head, his shoulders, his muzzle.
Between hits she roared, "This is—!" Bam. "—for my—!" Whack. "—family!"
With a pained yowl, No Claw at last summoned a wave of energy that sent Misako sprawling. He'd barely gotten away from her, however, when Matilda just as furiously fell upon him. Several shots of pale blue light blasted at him and singed the rocks behind him.
"Threaten any of our families again and I'll blast your hairy butt all the way to your ancestors, you two-tongued snake!" she cried angrily.
A plume of pink fire swept over Matilda. With a shocked cry she staggered back and tripped on her robes. No Claw flicked his wrists around and held his hands out as if he were holding a stringed puppet; Matilda's limbs seemed to stiffen and she lay flat on the ground.
"That's better," No Claw growled. "Now I'll just—"
Misako's staff smacked him soundly on the head and he cursed. He whirled around on her and snatched her staff with his claws. She tried to take it back but his strength overpowered hers; with a final shove he pushed her away and had the staff to himself.
"Poor little old ladies," he drawled. He stood upon his hind legs and shifted into his human form; gold fur became a grizzled blond mop of hair and a beard while the rest morphed into dark robes. "Do not fret. I shall dispose of you both quickly and honorably."
The man grinned toothily and looked at Misako. Both ends of her staff abruptly burst into pale flames and he advanced toward her. "Since you were the one who gave me this scar, I shall start with you."
Misako scrambled to her feet. She backed away from him, though he advanced with that nasty smile. Shaking, she bent down and grabbed a rock.
"Ohh, don't be like that," No Claw drawled. "Trust me. It will all be over soon—"
Like a pale tentacle, a thin string of water shot out of nowhere and promptly slapped No Claw in the head. He reeled with a yowl and spun around. Standing at the tunnel entrance was Nya.
"You're right about that!" she cried. Her bruised face was twisted with mingled exhaustion and determination. "You're not getting away this time!"
"Oh no, kitten," No Claw purred. "It is all of you who will not be getting away." He put his hands together and summoned a ball of light.
Matilda freed herself from the spell and leapt to her feet. Misako too advanced on No Claw. Together the women launched themselves at the werecat sorcerer; Matilda shot several curses at him while Misako threw herself on his back and wrenched the blazing staff out of his hands.
No Claw thrashed and chucked Misako off with a shove. He held a hand up to make a magical shield around himself—just when Nya raced in with two strings of water. They shot past the edge of the barrier and lashed at No Claw like two watery whips, leaving stinging red marks on his skin.
With that, No Claw found himself fending himself from a vicious water ninja, a lithe old witch and a very, very angry mother.
* * *
"...Kallemleh."
Once again the Crystal Eye's surface burst in a swirl of strange colors. The pale palette of pink, gold, blue, and violet looked strange in this setting of sooty debris and hateful flames.
"No!" A horrible shriek, almost inhuman, blasted over Kai's head. A pair of burned fingers shoved his head aside and scrabbled for the crystal ball. "Leave it alone, my darling, do not touch it with your filthy—!"
"Back off!" Kai elbowed Hälogen in the nose, eliciting a shrill cry, and squirmed onto his back. With a lunge of his body he kicked out and sent the little man sprawling into a pile of burning rubble. He turned and snatched the Crystal Eye again with his numb fingers.
Desperately Lord Hälogen cried, "You cannot use my Crystal, my lovely Crystal!"
"Watch me," Kai snarled.
"Leave now and you leave your friends to perish!"
That made Kai hesitate. Jukeni and Kaeden, fighting off the guards... Tinny Bird and the army down in the courtyard fighting... Garagan alone in the watchtower, possibly not even alive... Jukeni's family, Kaeden's crush, all the nice people... this war, in which he wasn't even sure anymore of who was good and who was evil... Was it really fair for him to abandon them now?
As if sensing his doubt, Hälogen's eyes lit up eagerly. "Yes... it would be selfish to leave everyone you love to die, would it not? No knight of honor would leave his comrades in battle. You are a good knight, are you not? A good little fire knight... yes, you must stay, you must help the cause—"
The snakelike tilt of Hälogen's voice made Kai recoil in disgust. "I'm not a knight, and I'm not a mage. I'm a ninja." He stared at the crystal in his hands. "And I'm going home."
He hesitated. Or should I go to where Skylor is?
His heart skipped a beat—where to go? To find Skylor wherever she had been banished to? Or to return to Ninjago to help his sister and his friends?
Hälogen could see the hesitation. Grunting, the old man started pulling himself out of the soot and debris. With a crazed grin he stepped through the fire toward Kai. "Give me my lovely!"
Kai stared at the figure lurching toward them. He could hear the flames roaring in his ears, the heat on his flesh. The ball trembled between his fingers.
He had to make a decision.
"Give me my lovely!" Hälogen screamed. With an unsteady lunge he snatched the black crossbow from the wall.
There was no time to think. Desperate, Kai leaned down and said to the ball, "Take me to where I'm needed most."
A plume of bright colors of the rainbow consumed Kai, outmatching the glow of the fire. He felt himself being lifted up and falling away, as if in a warm, hazy dream. He let himself be carried away.
With a shrill screech of rage, Lord Hälogen pulled back the black crossbow and shot it into the beam of light. Then he fell to his knees in agony as his prey escaped him and his tower fell into a million fiery pieces.
* * *
Kicking Nya away, No Claw shot a stunning spell at Matilda. She waved her bleeding hand to deflect it but it bounced off her waist. With a grunt she staggered and fell, limbs once again stiff.
The silver Spinjitzu vortex slammed into No Claw and sent him flying across the room. He rolled and landed on his feet. He faced Misako with a snarl but Nya came at him from the side. The water whips lashed from her hands and struck No Claw's body, leaving red marks wherever skin was exposed. He caterwauled.
"This is for my brother, you creep!" One water whip curled around No Claw's ankle and Nya yanked it back. He was sent sprawling.
Thrashing, No Claw cast a curse; one where green glowing knives materialized out of thin air and shot toward her. Nya gaped at them.
Misako leapt in front of the girl and twirled her staff around with the speed of lightning; the knives bounced off like rubber bullets and vanished into puffs of green mist.
No Claw glared at the two of them. Lip curling, he began an incantation in that foreign language.
Nya stepped out from behind Misako and flung a kunai knife at the sorcerer. A blur of metal would be seen flying before it sank into No Claw's shoulder. He staggered with a pained gasp.
"How— how dare you!"
"Like this!" Nya flung two more knives.
With a wave of his arm a small sphere appeared before No Claw's body, and the weapons bounced off and clattered on the ground.
Without thinking, Misako ran and lunged herself at the forcefield. With one huge swing, she brought her staff down upon the shimmering surface. For a split second, she thought she could see No Claw's eyes widen in fear.
Then her staff hit the forcefield. With a loud crack, the staff splintered and snapped in half. In the next moment she found herself tumbling over pebbles and dirt. She stopped rolling with a groan, and Nya ran to her side.
"Haa, ha-ha!" Triumph replacing fear, No Claw chortled and allowed his forcefield to vanish. "The Sister of Darkness can hardly summon a worthy spell, and you are both pathetic and weak! Now. If you all beg for mercy, I just might think about ending your lives quickly—"
A burst of light shot across the cavern and struck No Claw square in the back. His eyes widened as big as dinner plates and his grizzled mouth opened in a raw scream. For a moment he held his arms up in agony—then, before Nya and Misako's eyes, he was consumed by the light and vanished completely.
The stunned silence was followed by Misako's sputtering. "Wha— what happened...?"
Matilda's voice sounded feeble. "Transformation spell. He's not gone." She lay wincing on her side several yards away. Nya saw her drop her hand, trembling.
Confused, Nya started. "What do you—?"
"Don't look at me, child," Matilda snapped and gestured angrily at the ground. "Look at him, he's— there, over there!"
Bewildered, Nya followed the shaking finger. Movement caught her eye to her right. A fat, oily beetle was scurrying away between the boulders.
"I turned him into a beetle!" Matilda wheezed, pushing herself up on her knees. "Stop him, he can't get away!"
Heart pounding, Nya shot away between the boulders. With a jolt of panic she realized the beetle wasn't where she last saw it. Then a rock moved at the edge of her vision. Ten feet ahead she could see the tiny shape skittering away.
She ran after it, but somehow the beetle was faster than she was. He kept scurrying ahead and disappearing behind boulders. Then, with a jolt of horror, she saw the little hole in the wall. No Claw was headed right for it.
"No!" Angrily she reached her arms out and lunged for the beetle. "You're not getting away this time, you little—!"
Splurt.
Nya tripped and caught herself on her hands and knees. Gasping, head spinning, she looked to where she last saw the beetle.
There was a small puddle of juices, exoskeleton and tiny legs all crunched together beneath something—something that had appeared out of nowhere.
A boot.
She stared at the boot. Slowly, unable to believe her eyes, her gave roved up the leather boot to the pant leg—one covered in soot and torn at the knee. She looked at the ripped and ashy tassets, the thick belt wound around someone's waist, the strange sword, the dirty breastplate and bracers...
... And the bruised, sweaty, sooty, trauma-haunted face of someone very dear to her.
"Hey Nya." Kai flashed an exhausted grin. "What'd I miss?"
Nya's jaw slacked. She felt herself choke. She couldn't breathe. She stared at him... then back down at his chest.
A thick, black bolt stuck out of his ribcage, just below the breastplate.
Kai followed her gaze. "Oh." His smile faded. "That wasn't there before."
His eyes rolled to the back of his head and, with a little groan, he fainted.
"Kai!" For a moment Nya could only stand there and stare at him. The bolt protruded from his side like a black, wicked flag.
This is it. This is what I kept seeing in the visions, in the Nap Attacks. Her breath began coming out quick and shallow as panic clawed at her throat. They knew this would happen, I watched him die in front of me, and now it's actually happening in real life—!
"Get your stuff together, Water Lily!" Matilda's voice jolted her out of the hot fog in her head. She turned to see Matilda still wobbling on her hands and knees and somehow having the strength to shout snidely, "You won't help your brother by losing it! Bring me over there."
Nya bristled at being told what to do, but she acceded and half-dragged Matilda over to Kai's limp body. Misako was already kneeling by him and shifting him into a comfortable position, even lifting his feet up on a rock to bring the blood back to his head.
Matilda grunted as she plopped down on the ground. "Humph. Someone's been getting into trouble." She checked his pulse. "Still alive. Figures."
Inwardly shaking, Nya breathed a sigh of relief.
"But not for long." Matilda's eyes hardened. She reached for her waist, only to find that her belt of vials and bottles gone. "Corpus bones." Her eyes swung back to Nya. "That Amber girl—did she absorb the powers of poison?"
Nya felt bewildered by the sudden change of topic. She wanted Matilda to wave her hands over Kai, say some mumbo-jumbo and just magically heal him. Couldn't she do that? She wanted to scream at Matilda for being so helpless—
"Nya!"
"I— I dunno," she sputtered irritably. "Yes! I think so!"
"Get her, now. I don't care how bad it is out there." The witch gestured to the bolt sticking out of Kai. "There's something inside this—I hope I'm wrong, but it could be poison. A compartment of it being injected into his body."
Nya caught her breath.
"So what're you standing around for, child? Go!"
Biting back tears, Nya turned and ran as fast as she could out of the cavern. Matilda and Misako were left crouched by Kai's body. Matilda sat back with a groan while Misako bent over Kai. She took the green bandana from her neck and used it to gently wipe off some of the sweat and blood from his face. His lips quivered wordlessly and his eyelids twitched, but he did not stir.
"What all have you been through, all by yourself?" Misako murmured softly. The surge of tenderness she felt surprised her. Perhaps caring for Kai was helping ease her grief in—
Do not think about Lloyd. She continued dabbing Kai's face. Think about what you can do for others.
Nya returned with Skylor; pieces of her yellow gi had been bitten and torn to shreds and her hair was falling out of her ponytail, but other than that she looked none the worse for wear. As soon as they entered the dimly-lit cavern, her face whitened.
"I saw this, in my nightmares," she rasped.
Nya seemed calmer now. She squeezed Skylor's hand and said steadily, "Not all our dreams need to come true. You can save him."
"I can try." Skylor approached. "But I've never really used Tox's power before—especially not in getting it out of someone..."
"Well, it's either this or searching for my belt, and I hardly think we have the time to go wandering around these blasted tunnels," Matilda returned dryly. "So try your best, if you want to keep him."
Casting a wary look at Matilda, Skylor knelt down by Kai and, with gentle hands, pulled his head into her lap. For a moment her lips trembled. Then she placed her hands around the wound, closed her eyes and breathed deeply. The other women watched her intently.
Her gasp made everyone flinch. She opened her eyes widely. "It's so fast... going everywhere, every time his heart pumps—"
Sharply Matilda inquired, "Can you get it out?"
Skylor shook her head helplessly. "I— I don't know... I can move it around if I could, but if his wound were open I'd be able to take it all."
"Very well." Without hesitation Matilda leaned over and yanked the bolt out of Kai's ribcage.
Kai woke up with a raw scream. Nya and Misako shrieked in unison and Skylor looked as if she were about to be sick.
"Are you crazy?!" Nya turned her wrath upon Matilda. "You don't just yank a weapon out of someone like that!"
"I do when some fast-moving poison is about to reach his heart. Your time to shine, red-head!" Matilda snapped.
Skylor didn't have time to cast an angry look at the bossy old lady. Kai was writhing and groaning, face white and twisted. The agonized whimpers felt like cold needles to her heart, and she stroked his hair soothingly. "Shh, shh, it's all right, it's all right... you're here now, it's going to be all right."
His fingers scrabbled at the ground. His eyes, wide and wild, flickered from her to Nya to Misako to Matilda. He tried to speak but could only pant for air and cough.
"I know, I know." Skylor shushed him and put his head back in her lap. "Stay still." Arms trembling, she held her hands out over the open wound and focused. Once more she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
The others sat still and watched. Nya covered her mouth with her hands in an attempt to swallow down any whimper that might come from her. She didn't want to seem weak. She wanted to be strong.
Nya didn't want to look at the wound. She kept her eyes averted. Matilda and Misako sat still and watched. In seconds that felt like hours, Skylor fought a silent battle with the toxins in Kai's bloodstream. A somber silence fell upon the cavern.
A triumphant cry brought Nya's attention back to Skylor; between her hands hovered a small orb of some liquid colored a sickly green. The last drops were floating from the gore, blood filtered completely out of them.
Skylor spoke breathlessly. "What do I do with this?"
"Chuck it away, over there." Matilda turned and looked at Nya. "Poison problem's being taken care of. Now for healing his wounds. Go find one of our kitty friends and get them to help you find my belt. I've still got some healing potion left."
"Is he going to live?"
"If you're fast."
* * *
All the world seemed to toss and turn in a hot, hazy fog. When Kai felt anything it was pain; it lashed up and down his torso like a knife while the blood in his veins seemed to burn hotter than his own fire. His hands continued to throb, stiff black pieces of flesh they were now. When he was aware of anything it was the demons who came out of his nightmares, the ones he'd been stuck in for so long. They took the forms of giant, smoky black hounds and ripped him to shreds. He could feel every tooth, every claw on his body.
The hazy nightmares went on for... how long? Hours, days? No, years... yes, he spent years in these visions, these never-ending horrors and stabs of agony. He spent every day fighting for breath, though his lungs throbbed in protest every time he gasped. He could hear his own heart in his ears; its once-steady pulse was slowing... slowing... becoming quiet, growing sleepy and content...
But I don't want to go, a conscious thought drifted lazily. I just got here...
Something sweet-tasting and cool poured into his mouth. He thrashed and coughed, but a hand grabbed his jaw firmly and forced the liquid down his throat. He wanted to tell them he couldn't drink it. He could barely breathe without choking, much less drink something...
Yet when he did finally drink, his muscles seemed to relax. He could hear his heart perking up, getting stronger. He gulped for air again and this time his lungs didn't hurt.
The liquid kept coming, so he kept swallowing it. It left a half-sour, half-sweet taste in his mouth, reminding him of something else he'd had... What was it? Kimbachi... kimbachi juice... he thought feebly. Am I still in Pawreles...?
Eventually he was aware of the sensation of fingers running through his hair. Someone had removed his belt and breastplate. Voices clamored anxiously over his head, all female. At last he forced his eyes to open, though they felt as heavy as bricks.
He thought he saw blue-tinged stars hovering over him. Then a face appeared over his head.
He stared up at it. Mom...? Am I dead?
"Kai!" the face cried, and he realized it was Nya. Tears were running down her face. "You're back! You're OK!"
For several moments Kai couldn't speak—he was afraid if he did, he would start coughing again. Yet at last he forced himself to rasp, "Nya... are you OK?"
"Am I OK?!" She threw back her head and barked a half-laugh. "How can you ask that when—?"
"Just looking out for my baby sister." Her laughter made him grin, if feebly. He looked around and recognized Misako kneeling to his left. "Hey, Mrs. G. Am I gonna live?"
Misako's expression was one of mingled amusement and concern. "I should say so. The danger has passed." She looked past him and nodded. "Thank you, Matilda."
He looked up to see who she was talking to—instead he looked up to see Skylor's face. The recognition made him physically jolt in surprise, which in turn led to him to realize he had his head in her lap. He felt his face heat up.
They stared at each other for several long moments, neither daring to speak. For once, their usual barrier of witty banter and teasing flirtations was gone. That night, that awful night of their banishment, returned to Kai in a wave that threatened to overwhelm him.
Yet here Skylor was: alive. Safe. With him.
Finally he breathed out, "Hi."
Her lips quivered, but she stared at him with something like a faint half-smile. "Where in the heck have you been?"
He grinned wryly. "Wouldn't you like to know."
She laughed, but it sounded more like a strangled sob. Suddenly both she and Nya were hugging him tightly; Skylor behind him hugging around his shoulders and pressing her cheek against his, while Nya hugged him around his torso. Both girls laughed and cried aloud with relief and joy. Even Misako joined in with soft laughter of her own.
Finding himself half-buried in the girls' embrace, Kai chuckled, "Man, I must be in heaven."
"If that was all heaven to you," a new voice interjected. "I'd hate to see what your hell is like."
He started to get up, but the voice snapped, "Ah-ah-ah, don't you dare! The potion's only started working. You'll make yourself sick if you move."
He looked to see a soot-covered, ragged-looking middle-aged lady sitting nearby. "Who's—?"
"Matilda's right, lay back down." Skylor urged his head back into her lap, and he felt her hands stroke his hair.
He blushed and couldn't help but let his smile grow. "Lie down right here? I can definitely do that."
Skylor swatted him playfully, only to look guilty when he winced and groaned. "Sorry."
"Kai, your hands...!" Nya stared at his hands almost balefully. A quick look told him they were still burned and charred, though the pain had numbed now. "What happened?"
Lightheaded, he fell back with a sigh. "Too much." The faces of both friends and foes in Pawreles flickered before his eyes like faint pictures.
He pushed them away, so that he could drink in the moment of being here... in Ninjago.
After a moment he murmured, "I'm home."
Nya heaved a long, slow sigh. It sounded as if she were releasing a heavy burden. "You're home."
His eyelids felt heavy again. Somehow his body didn't hurt very much anymore. "I was gone for so long. What happened?"
Closing his eyes, he felt exhaustion overwhelm him into a wave of sleep. In his last moment of consciousness he thought he could feel Skylor's lips press against his forehead.
"Too much."