Summary: The Rangers discover a Nighlock symbol branded into Jayden's back after the events of "The Master Returns." Hurt / comfort, friendship, angst, drama. Jayden / Mia, Mike / Emily.

Author's Notes: This story takes place minutes after "The Master Returns."

Marked For Blood
PenPatronus
Chapter Two
Swords and Spells

Jayden's eyelids felt too heavy to move. He imagined himself lifting a mountain – knees bent, back straight, the weight balanced across his strong shoulders. He stood up and the rock rose high enough to block the moon. The visualization worked. Jayden's eyes opened and two figures came into view: Antonio on his right, programming his morpher and Ji on his right, reading the Archives. He whispered their names.

"Jayden? Gracias a Dios," Antonio gasped. He knelt beside his friend and slid his hand underneath his neck. "Good to see you, bro."

"What happened?" Jayden didn't notice that his voice was nothing but air. Antonio's fingers caused goose bumps to bloom across his skin. They were cold as ice cubes.

"What?" Antonio leaned in close. His scarf tickled Jayden's chin.

Jayden took a deep breath and told himself to shout. "What happened?" he croaked.

Antonio shrugged. "The Mavericks won by eight, some dude in Egypt found a mummy, there's a new coffee flavor at Starbucks. Whoop-dee-doo."

"Antonio." Jayden's chuckle turned into a cough before it became a laugh again. "What happened? The last thing I remember was talking to Emily."

The Gold Ranger shrugged. "You just started bleeding a little. We slapped on a few Band-Aids and now you're fine." He reached into his pocket and held out a half-eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "Want some?"

"You need to practice changing the subject, dude. That was not smooth." Jayden looked over at Ji and saw the tired smile on his mentor's face.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Antonio said, too innocently. He tossed the sandwich into the air, caught it in his mouth and said between bites, "You just need a little rest, Sleeping Beauty. You'll be all better in the morning."

Jayden frowned. He flexed his muscles and was unsurprised to feel how weak they were. He'd had the flu before – mono, too, as a kid – but this was ten times worse. There had to be drugs in his system because when he looked down at his body he saw the wounds, but couldn't feel them. "Antonio, I've known you since we were kids. I know you're lying."

Antonio's smile slid off his face. He looked expectantly at Mentor who only stared back, silent. Suddenly Antonio stood up with his back to Jayden and said, "I don't want to be the one to tell you this. It's too hard."

Jayden attempted to sit up but an avalanche of dizziness blocked him. "Just spit it out, will you?" he snapped at Antonio. Fresh sweat seeped out of his pores and the few fragile scabs he had cracked. "Come on, I don't have much time left."

Antonio whirled around and raised his fists as if defending himself. His dark eyes flashed golden in the dim light of the dojo. "Jayden! Don't say that!"

Jayden frowned. "Antonio, I meant that I'm tired and there's not much time before I fall back asleep."

Wide-eyed and shaking, the Gold Ranger slowly lowered his fists. It occurred to Jayden that he'd never imagined, let alone seen Antonio look so… serious. Or sad. Or frightened. "I…" he whispered, "I gotta go." Antonio turned, lost his footing for a brief moment and then dashed out of sight.

"Antonio!" both Ji and Jayden yelled. Antonio ignored them both.

Jayden sighed and let his head drop back into the cushions. "Are you going to tell me that I'm fine? Because I won't believe you."

Ji looked at his young pupil for a moment and then clasped his hands behind his back. "Would you like some tea?"

Adrenaline sent fireworks across Jayden's body. He forced his arms under his torso and used them like levers to lift himself up. "Ji, what I would like is to know what this symbol on my back means! I…" Jayden's arms shook and then collapsed. Mentor dove forward and caught him before he rolled off the couch.

Ji cupped the boy's pale face with his calloused hand. "Jayden…"

"Tell me," Jayden whispered, "this mark, the power it represents, the spell, the weapon – whatever – is it what killed my father?"

Mentor's lips parted slightly. With the gentleness of a parent, he lowered Jayden back onto the cushions. "Jayden, son…"

"Did this kill my father?" An almost microscopic tear scurried down the Red Ranger's cheek.

Ji chose his words carefully and spoke them slowly. "It would have. According to the Archives, Master Xandred attacks his victims on two fronts: swords and spells. While your father was busy defending himself with his sword, Xandred cast a spell so powerful that it burned itself into him." Ji cupped Jayden's cheeks with both hands and lowered his voice to a whisper. "If your father hadn't died by the sword that day… yes… I believe this spell would have killed him not long after."

Jayden's fuzzy brain tried to make sense of what he heard. "It's a time bomb," he said, mostly to himself. "Nighlock – Xandred – they think they're undefeatable. They think they only need a sword so why… Why would Xandred have a back-up plan?"

"Because he's not only powerful, he's smart," said Ji. "And that's why he's dangerous. That's why he defeated your father."

The two men sat in silence for a long moment, and then Jayden reached up and wrapped his hand around Mentor's wrist. "How long do I have?"

To Be Continued