A/N: Hey guys! I know I left you on sort of a cliff hanger last chapter, so I won't talk much. I just wanted to say thank you in advance to all the people who reviewed so far! That's all, so now I'll let you get to the story!
Note: I do not own Ninjago.
Chapter Four: Mission Impossible
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Jay whispered to Cole as the four ninjas hid behind a clump of bushes on the outskirts of Jamanakai Village.
"It has to," Cole whispered back. "As soon as Nya comes back with the Traveler's Tea, we can go to the Underworld and rescue Anna."
"Remind me again why we can't just use our dragons," grumbled Kai. "Isn't that how we got to the Underworld last time?"
"I told you," Cole said frustrated, "the dragons are too tired from flying us around all day. They need to be at full strength to cross over into the Underworld, and we can't afford to wait any longer."
"But isn't that what we're doing right now? Waiting?" Kai argued.
"It's not like we have much of a choice," commented Zane.
"Yeah, Nya should be back any minute now," Jay added. "So just sit tight."
"It feels like all we're ever doing is sitting," Kai muttered. Of course, he wasn't necessarily anxious about rescuing Anna, but he still felt like they should actually be doing something.
Besides, Kai was starting to reconsider his suspicions about Anna. She sure hadn't looked like a spy for the skeletons when she was dragged away in the forest. Then again, how would the skeletons have known where to find them if she wasn't a spy? Kai didn't have an explanation, but he did have a feeling that he'd find out soon.
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Nya was starting to get annoyed. She'd already been at Mystake's tea shop for half an hour, and she still didn't have the tea she needed. A few minutes later, Mystake returned from the storage room in the back.
"So do you have the Traveler's Tea?" Nya asked expectantly.
"All sold out," Mystake said gruffly. "Lady came in earlier this morning and must have bought my last jar."
Nya wasn't convinced. "Look, what's it going to take to get Traveler's Tea?" She planted her hands on her hips.
"I told you, little girl, I don't have any-" she stopped mid sentence as Nya threw a pile of gold coins on the table.
"Give me the Traveler's Tea," Nya demanded.
"There might be one jar left in my emergency supply," Mystake said sheepishly. "I'll go grab it for you." She swept the coins off the counter into her pocket, then ran back to the storage room. Seconds later, she returned and handed Nya a small glass jar filled with a strange gray powder. Mystake glanced around the room as if to make sure no one was watching, then pulled Nya closer.
"I don't usually sell my most dangerous teas to mere children," she whispered. "You know those who use Traveler's Tea are said to never return."
Nya shrugged Mystake's bony hand off her shoulder. "Thanks for the warning, but I'm sure I'll be fine." Then she turned and headed out of the shop to meet with the ninjas.
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"Okay, I have a really good one," Jay promised. "Why was the skeleton too scared to face the ninja?" He paused to create suspense. When no one answered, he blurted out, "because he had no guts! Huh? Huh?"
Cole and Kai groaned while Zane kept his eyes fixed on the village, waiting for Nya.
"Jay, you really need to stop telling jokes," Cole advised.
"Why because you're jealous of my awesome abilities?" Jay bragged.
Cole rolled his eyes. "No, it's because your jokes are so terrible that they could be your secret weapon. Just tell one on the battlefield and all your enemies would immediately fall down moaning and covering their ears."
"I was just trying to lighten the mood," Jay grumbled.
"Ugh, how long does it take to get a stupid jar of tea? I'm tired of waiting!" Kai complained.
Suddenly, Zane turned to face the other three. "There she is now," he said pointing at a small figure coming towards them. Everyone collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
"About time," Kai said.
"Yeah, if I had to hear another one of Jay's lame jokes, I think I'd go insane," added Cole.
"Hey!" Jay protested.
As nonchalantly as they could, the ninjas got up from their hiding spot and sauntered over to meet Nya, trying not to attract much attention.
When they reached Nya, Cole asked, "Did you get the tea?"
As an answer, Nya produced a small jar filled with gray powder from a bag she was carrying. "You will not believe what it took for me to get this."
"Alright, I guess we owe you one later, but right now we have to figure out how to use this," Cole said.
"Oh, that won't be a problem," replied Nya. "I've seen Sensei Wu use Traveler's Tea before. I'm pretty sure I can handle it."
"Okay, so what do we do first?" asked Jay.
"Well, Traveler's Tea only works at a high altitude," said Nya.
"Then we're in the right place," Zane said. "The mountains surrounding Jamanakai Village are some of the highest points in Ninjago."
"What are we waiting for?" yelled Kai. "Let's get climbing!"
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"Finally, we're here!" Jay's voice rang out through the crystal clear air at the summit of a snow-capped mountain. "See, I told you we'd make it."
"What are you talking about?" Cole questioned. "The whole climb up you were complaining how it would take years to reach the top!"
While Jay and Cole were arguing, Nya looked around at their surroundings.
"This is perfect!" she exclaimed. "Now, let's get this tea started."
She bent down and cleared away some snow to reveal a small circle of partially dry ground. Then she took a few pieces of wood from her bag and arranged them campfire style on the ground. Looking up, she said, "Kai, will you do the honors?"
"Sure thing, Nya!" Kai drew his Sword of Fire and shot a bolt of white hot flames at the wood. The dry fuel hissed and smoked, igniting instantly. Everyone gathered close to the warmth except Zane, who seemed completely unaffected by the near-freezing temperatures on the mountain. Nya took two last items from her bag: a tea kettle from the Bounty and the precious jar of Traveler's Tea.
Setting the tea down gently, she filled the kettle with snow. As soon as she placed the kettle over the fire, the snow inside melted into fresh water. When the water reached a boil, Nya removed the kettle from the fire, sprinkled the Traveler's Tea in, and replaced the kettle's lid.
"This is the most important part, guys. I need you all to stand close together around the fire," Nya directed. "As soon as I pour the tea around us, a portal to the Underworld should appear, but it will only grant access to those inside the circle I pour."
The ninjas did what Nya said, and she poured the tea around them, being careful to stay within the circle herself. Right after she poured the last drop, the wind began to pick up, and suddenly a giant, swirling portal appeared in front of them, identical to the one they saw in the forest.
Everyone stared at it for a few seconds, then Jay asked, "Do you think this will take us straight to Garmadon's dark fort?"
"There's only one way to find out," said Cole with determination. He dove through the portal, followed closely by the other ninjas and Nya, until all that was left on the mountain was a small, slowly dying fire and an empty tea kettle.
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Kai wished he had never stepped through that portal. After all, why did he care what happened to Anna? But still, here he was, hurtling through the darkness at nauseating speeds. He glanced around trying to get his bearings, but there was nothing to see. Just when he thought he'd be falling forever, his body connected with solid ground. He slowly sat up, rubbed his head, and asked, "Where are we?"
Kai could see his fellow ninjas sprawled out around him, trying to get up.
Cole was the first one to recover. "It looks like we're in the right place," he said, glancing at their gloomy surroundings.
"Yeah, but how did we even survive that fall?" Jay questioned as he brushed dust off his ninja suit.
"That doesn't matter," said Cole. "We have to find where Garmadon's keeping Anna."
"Like maybe the giant fort that we happen to be standing on top of?" guessed Jay.
"What?"
Only then did the ninjas realize that they were not on the ground. By sheer luck, the Traveler's Tea had deposited them on the west turret of Garmadon's fortress.
Peering over the edge, Kai could spot skeletons carting supplies over the drawbridge into the fort, or simply milling around the plaza.
"We're definitely not going to be able to get in the main entrance," Kai pointed out.
"Then we'll just have to find another way in," Cole said.
Everyone crouched down and started scouring the floor for some sort of trap door. Finally, a panel of the floor slid away, revealing a staircase leading into blackness.
No one made a move to enter.
Then, Jay cleared his throat. "Uhh...ladies first?" he said to Nya.
She scowled at him. "Oh, why thank you, Jay. You are such a gentleman," she said sarcastically, and started down the narrow passageway. The ninjas followed her, single file, descending flights into the darkness.
After what seemed like an eternity, a small rectangle of dim purple light appeared in front of them. One by one, the ninjas climbed through the opening into a spacious room. Realizing they were exposed in the open, the ninjas ducked behind a large bone pillar and scanned their surroundings.
"Look, there's Anna!" Cole exclaimed as he pointed to their missing teammate standing in the center of the room.
"Yeah, and there's Garmadon," Jay whispered, gesturing to the throne where the Lord of Shadows sat looming over Anna.
"What are we going to do now?!" Nya panicked. "We can't risk getting spotted, or we won't be any better off than Anna!"
Kai, however, wasn't so concerned with their predicament. His gaze was transfixed on the woman standing next to Garmadon. "No..." he breathed. "It can't be."
It was the same woman from his dream – Anna's mother.
Feelings of anger, confusion, and resentment washed over Kai, but for once in his life, he was able to keep his emotions in check.
From where he was positioned, Kai could just barely make out a few words of the conversation between Anna and her mother. He leaned forward as much as he could and strained to hear more of the discussion.
"Mom?!" Anna was saying. "Why – how – what are you doing down here with Garmadon?"
Anna's mother started to speak, but Garmadon broke in and answered for her. "Oh, you'll find that Lillian is working for me now."
"What?" Anna asked in wide-eyed horror.
"Anna, honey..." Lillian tried to explain. "There's so much more at stake here than you realize."
"Oh, really?" Anna said incredulously. "Like what?"
Lillian sighed. "Look, I'm only doing this so your father-" she stopped abruptly, realizing what she had just said. It was too late, though.
Anna had already heard enough. "You know something about Dad?! He's alive? Where is he, then?"
"The point is, you're too powerful," Lillian tried to quickly change the subject.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Anna yelled.
"The last time children were born into the line of those trained in the way of the First Spinjitzu Master, they had to be...taken care of," Lillian explained. "They were too powerful to be allowed to stay with their family."
"Wait – kids of someone just as powerful as the First Spinjitzu Master? Who?"
"I'm sure you're familiar with Kai and Nya, right?" Lillian asked.
At that point, Kai couldn't stand it anymore. Completely disregarding the fact that he was supposed to stay hidden, Kai charged towards the throne, yelling, "What did you do to my parents?!"
Lord Garmadon just laughed. "So, Kai, you were foolish enough to follow my skeletons here? Where's the rest of your team, boy?"
"They're still back at the surface," Kai lied, not wanting to get his friends in further trouble. "I'm the only one that came."
He shot Nya and the others a look that said, Get out. Now. He figured that there was a way back to the surface around here somewhere, and he had faith that Nya would be able to find it. Kai watched his teammates sneak away into the darkness, then turned back to face Lillian.
"Kai, your parents were great people, and I was very close friends with them," Lillian began.
"I don't want to hear it, you witch!" Kai shouted. "Just fess up already. What did you do to my parents?"
Lillian winced at Kai's tone. "I did absolutely nothing to them."
"Right," Kai said disbelievingly. "Okay, so then where are they?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you."
Kai balled his fists. "You better tell me something, or else you'll be in for a world of hurt!"
"Okay, fine!" Lillian said, holding up her hands. "All I did on that night many years ago was merely separate you and your sister from your parents. Trust me, it was for the better."
"For who?" Kai seethed. "Me or you?"
"For everyone!" Lillian replied, slightly loosing her cool. "You don't know what I know, Kai. It's not your fault, and I know you can't change who you are, but you and Anna have to stay here."
Now it was Anna's turn to start yelling. "What? I didn't really understand much of what you just said, but I am most definitely not staying here!"
Lillian looked close to tears. "I'm sorry, Anna, but this has to be done. I hope you'll be able to forgive me someday."
Then she said in a louder, more confident voice, "Guards! Lock these two up in the dungeon and make sure they don't escape!"
Before Kai and Anna had time to react, skeletons emerged from the darkness on all sides and seized them. Kai and Anna were tied up and gagged, then the skeletons dragged them, kicking and screaming, deeper into the castle.
A/N: So, what do you all think? I hope I didn't make it too confusing. I know this chapter left a lot of things unanswered, but don't worry! Everything will be explained eventually (I hope!).
A gigantic thanks to the people that reviewed last chapter: ZaneLoverFan88, zella5752, Darkrainbow, and KaiRulesSuckers. Your reviews help me keep on writing, and I'm so glad that you guys enjoy it so far!
Response to Reviews:
ZaneLoverFan88 - Thanks for telling me I'm not alone! It made me feel a lot better!
Darkrainbow - Your OC sounds awesome! I don't really know if I can fit her into the story, but I'll think about it. Thanks anyway!
KaiRulesSuckers - That is pretty catchy...I like it!
Again, thank you so much, and I'll see you all next week with Chapter 5!
~Shadow
