Chapter 12-Lightning heart
Nya struggled, aiming to be released from the bony grasp that had begun to dig ferociously into her skin. Her throat was burning, the painful dryness around her overused vocal chords prevented her from shouting any more insults at her kidnappers. Darkness was all that surrounded her, as a raspy black cloth had been tightened around her head, blocking Nya's sight by painfully pressing against her eyelids.
"Ah. . . You've got the girl!" A soft soothing voice crawled into Nya's ears, causing her whole body to be washed with goose bumps. Her legs weakened, and it took all of her mental strength not to fall onto the ground and curl up as a lost, frightened child would. She recognized that voice. The voice that, along with a certain quick-witted thief, had ruined her life. The voice that haunted her nightmares, muttering threats with a calm tone, each word oozing with evil.
It was the voice of King Pythor, the man who had taken away her brother. And now he had finally come for her as well.
"I presume my other order was carried out as well?"
Other order? He must have sent the dark one to murder the prince as well Nya slowed her breath, wanting to be able to hear every bit of the conversation. The Dark One never failed. Did that mean the Prince had been killed? How many had died in the attempt to protect him?
Nya heard a deep sigh beside her, then flinched when she heard the Dark One's voice so close to her shivering body. " No. . . The boy lives you will not make me murder my son. . . I hurt him once. I will not do it again,"
Son? Nya's breath gulped in a small gasp. That would mean the Dark One was no other than Ouroboro's former king. But how?
"Oh Garmadon, Garmadon , Garmadon ." Pythor chuckled running his slender fingers through his dark soft hair. "You forget who is in charge here. You will not be able to go against my will for long."
"Please. . .," Garmadon closed his eyes, anger rising in him like a turbulent storm. Yet he could not strike against Pythor, as the bounds of magic prevented him from harming the smug king. " I will do anything. I will make sure you remain king. . . But please. . . Do not make me harm my own son. . ."
"Don't you see Garmadon? Your son is the only thing standing between me and ruling this wretched land for years to come," Pythor's voice remained calm, Though his footsteps quickened slightly as he stepped throughout the length of the room. " Which means. . . If that boy gets anywhere near here. . . You will murder him."
The Dark One gritted his teeth, spitting out the words Pythor's magic forced him too. "As you wish . . My king."
The last word was sputtered with rage, Garmadon's crimson eyes glinting fiercely as he blended back into the castle's shadows.
"Now then," Pythor snatched the blindfold around Nya's head in a harsh manner, pulling out a few of the girl's short tangled hairs. Nya kept herself from flinching, covering any emotion with a cold calculating façade. " Long time no see Miss Nya,"
Nya continued to glare at the king, fantasizing about the many ways his death would be carried out once the true king sat upon the throne. Intense violet eyes studied her face, searching for the small ray of fear clinging to her eyes.
"You are most likely wondering why I brought you here," Pythor allowed a chuckle to spread his thin lips into a smile. " Well, Miss Nya, your brother has been rather rebellious lately and I thought. . . Perhaps your presence would encourage his obedience."
Nya's eyes flashed with anger. Adrenaline pumped through her body, and she forced her mind to think fast, to create an escape route, to do something. She couldn't be allowed to be Pythor's prisoner, or Kai would yield to his commands with no hesitation. It was imperative that she escape.
"I don't care about the barking weapons!" Jay snarled, desperately running his slender fingers through the waves of brown hair on his head. " Nya should be our priority! We need to rescue her now, you don't know what Pythor is capable of."
"We cannot ignore Sensei Wu's orders." Zane's voice was firm and intimidating, he stood in front of Jay, staring the thief down with his dangerous ice cold eyes.
"I don't take orders from Anyone." Jay hissed, fists shuddering with the energy of his bottled anger.
"Then perhaps you should attempt to rescue Nya on your own,"
"Well perhaps I will!"
Lloyd stood, his dark cloak sliding down, unveiling his messy blonde hair. He placed one of his hands on Zane's shoulder while the other rested upon Jay's. " That's enough. If we fight with each other we won't get anywhere."
"I am sorry , My prince." Zane's tone changed dramatically as he turned to face Lloyd, his head bowing in apology. "But I have trust in Nya's abilities. She is more than capable of taking care of herself. We need to focus on recovering the rest of the golden weapons, not on unnecessary rescues."
"Well," Lloyd bit his lip, scouting his head for a reasonable answer to their predicament. What would a good leader say?. "The weapons are in the castle. Nya is somewhere in the castle. We can rescue her and get the weapons."
Zane sighed sharply, not daring to go against Lloyd's wishes. " That is. . . a reasonable solution."
"As long as we get Nya," Jay crossed his arms.
Lloyd smiled, his green eyes sparkling with pride. Maybe this world wasn't his, but he was doing a fine job at getting it back in line. Yet behind the pride there was something else, a loose thread of greed as he slowly began to realize that he had people at his command. Unlike how it had been in Ninjago city, he wasn't just some kid that needed protection. In this world he was a prince. The unlimited possibilities filled him with an ecstatic rush of adrenaline.
"Either way. . ." He shook off the lust for power stopping its stubborn endeavor to take over his mind. "We'll need a plan, We can't wonder right into Pythor's hands without one."
"And, may I add, he will most likely be expecting our presence, as he might have kidnapped Nya for the sole purpose of luring us to him," Zane 's eyes shifted towards Jay for a brief second, his pale fingers stroking the gold of his shurikans. " Which is another reason why a rescue is an unsuitable idea."
"You heard , we're rescuing her and its final." The thief's voice was coated in a vexed tone, that was soon replaced by a hint of sorrow as he uttered the next words. " Besides. .. That wouldn't be the reason Pythor would want Nya."
A brief silence echoed after his words, the phantom of an unspoken memory lingering around Jay's crestfallen aura. Lloyd cleared his throat, thrusting away the tension in the room. " Jay and me can get back the nunchucks, Zane can find the sword of fire, then Drake and Logan can look for Cole and get him to meet us at Sensei's."
"No, no wait," Jay shook his head, hands planted against his hips. " Zane can get the nunchucks, I need to get the sword of fire, then me and Lloyd can rescue Nya."
"I'm afraid I'll have to agree with Jay," The blue-eyed assassin uttered. " The nunchucks will most likely lay within the walls of Pythor's treasury, which is most likely protected by a large amount of his guards."
"Excuse me, Night Angel, but the sword of fire is inside Pythor's own room, would it not be too risky to send the Prince there?" Logan's voice was soft, cautious.
"Do not dwell on that risk Logan," Zane's thin lips curved up into a small smile. " I will make sure to get King Pythor's attention."
Cole accompanied Nya to her cell inside Pythor's dark dungeons. His grip was lighter than the skeleton's, as his hand lingered carefully around the girl's wrist. It would be rather simple for Nya to pull away and attempt to run into the welcoming arms of freedom, but the heavy, golden scythe strapped against Cole's back kept her from doing anything drastic.
"So where are you taking me again?" Nya questioned, the fear lingering in her mind finally disappearing as they walked further and further away from Pythor.
"He wanted you be in the cell in front of our most. . . Interesting prisoner." Cole's mind wondered back to the moment he had first witnessed the strange man change his body into the shape of a large wolf. "Whatever you did sweetheart, you must have really ticked him off."
"I've always been a bit rebellious." Nya's words caused the guard to smile, and she sensed that, despite the fact that he followed Pythor's orders, his heart wasn't rotten. Her eyes wondered once again towards the golden weapon on his back. Her brain sluggishly put the puzzle pieces together. Sensei had mention the weapons. Jay had mention a guard. "Are. . . Is your name Cole?"
The guards thick eyebrows were raised by his surprise, but only briefly. "Yes it is. . . Are you one of the little friends that thief told me about?"
"Oh he said friends did he?" Nya scowled, her feet moving once more. " Well yes I suppose he did mean me. Though I don't consider him a friend at all."
As they stepped into the dungeons, Cole's metal armor clinking with each step, Nya's heart grew heavier. She did not think she was ready to face her brother. She didn't want the memories, the pain, the tears to overwhelm her again. Her feet became rooted to the cold stone floor. Turning to face Cole, she pleaded. "Please, can't you let me go? I know you don't want to be another of Pythor's lambs, mindlessly following his commands. You need to let me go. You can fight Pythor alongside us."
Cole's eyes flooded with guilt, but he forced Nya to keep moving forward. "I'm sorry, I already allowed the thief, Jay, escape and Pythor punished my father for that. I can't help any of you until I can be assured of my father's safety."
Each step they took sounded like a ticking clock to Nya's ears. A clock that was counting down to her irrevocable demise. Her mind was numbed with worry, and she could not see a clear path out of the dark predicament that was closing in around her.
"Here we are," Cole nudged Nya forward, then locked the door. "I'm sorry. I wish I didn't have to do this."
"I understand. . . Family comes first."
Cole nodded, stepping out of the dungeons and large noisy steps. Without his body blocking the cell in front of her, Nya could clearly see a dark shadow, chained against the stone wall. Her cheeks soon became wet with tears as a familiar voice was uttered by the darkness.
"Nya. . . Please don't tell me it's you."
"Is. . . Climbing. . . Really. . . Necessary?" Lloyd panted, a patch of blood pressing against the bandages around the wound on his arm. With his other arm, he clung tightly to the side of Pythor's castle, following Jay who moved so swiftly that his body appeared to be in flight. "Still kind of recovering from a werewolf attack here."
"What do you want to waltz in through the front door? Don't be a milk-drinker,"
"Milk-drinker?"
"Yes," Without visible effort, the thief swung himself onto one of the castle's rooftop. "Or you could go with Ninny, that works too."
Groaning as pain shot from his wounded arm and leg, Lloyd landed beside Jay, in less graceful movements. "How about we don't call me names."
"Well what am I supposed to call you? You're crazy if you think I'll go around calling you 'My prince' like your bootlickin' assassin." Jay's body easily blended with the shadows as he peeked into each window, trying to find the one that belong to Pythor's grand room. Behind him, Lloyd's tired limping body made no effort to hide.
"Can't you just call me Lloyd?" The green eyed boy suggested.
"Oh that's no fun," Jay complained. " There's just so many possibilities. . . Royal whelp, Dunce, Dull-born, Halfwit, Rump-fed, Wen-"
"Lloyd," He hissed, finally catching up. "Just Lloyd,"
"Blimey you're so uptight you'd think there's a dog's butt on your face," The thief shook his head, a mischievous grin lighting up his childish features. "In another note, I've found King grumpy's room, your Highness."
"Lloyd," He grunted once more, before looking into the room. "It's empty. You think Zane's plan worked?"
"Well, considering the fact that all your whining hasn't gotten us spotted, I'd say the know-it-all assassin got their attention." Jay slipped a thin metal bar under the window's frame, using it as a lever to push it open, allowing him and Lloyd to enter. " Now we just have to find our fiery target."
They both treaded carefully into the room, their senses heightened by adrenaline as they each listen intently for Pythor's footsteps. When nothing but silence ringed through their ears, the thief and the prince relaxed their guard and begun to search.
Pythor's room was immense. A massive mirror took over most of the wall to Lloyd's right. The chandelier looming above their heads shone intensely, creating golden sparkles against all of Pythor's expensive possessions. The floor was made of cool marble, a hypnotizing pattern displayed through all the tiles. Two wardrobes stood beside each other, each with breathtaking images carved into the exquisite wood. And then, carefully placed against the wall, lay the sword of fire.
A locked glass case blocked them from retrieving the priceless weapon, but the golden lock soon succumbed to Jay's nimble fingers, opening with a satisfying click.
"Someday Pythor will learn to protect his things better," Jay chuckled. "Lucky for us, today was not that day."
"You," Pythor growled, before his voice broke into hysterical bits of laughter. "Of course it's you! Oh I knew I should have tracked you down when I had the chance."
"Do not blame yourself too much Pythor," Zane's calm voice replied while he strapped the electrifying nunchucks against his back. Twirling one of his shurikans in his long fingers, the assassin stepped through the mass of bodies littered all around him. "Even if you had attempted to capture me, you would have failed."
"Is that so?" Pythro unsheathed his silver sword, the golden handle glinting against the sunlight that shone through one of the castle's windows. " I will admit you are rather talented my dear boy, as half of my guards seemed to have been no match for you."
"They were all sloppy. I came here hoping to face a challenge, yet you have disappointed me."
"A challenge you say?" Pythor stepped closer. " I'll gladly force you to lie down and bleed to death!"
Without delay, the King swung his sword towards Zane's body. The fierce attack was blocked by Zane's shurikan in a nonchalant move. Once again Pythor attacked, anger fueling his muscles. Zane remained calm, predicting each move before Pythor executed it. Silver merged with gold as both weapons flew against each other at a rapid rate. Zane flicked his wrist, making one of his shurikans glide across the room, doubling back when it was perfectly aimed towards Pythor's vulnerable neck.
A swish of air gave away the golden weapon's positon. Pythor rolled to the opposite side, but not before one of the sharp edges of the shurikan sliced a deep cut across his pale cheek. Warm red blood trickled down. The king grunted raising his sword to block Zane's next attack. The blow was powerful, and Pythor's legs slid back a few inches. Just as a triumphant glint glowed on Zane's ice blue eyes, The king moved back, then swung forward, slamming the hilt of his sword against the assassin's stomach.
Oxygen escaped from Zane's lungs as he staggered backward. Pythor's face contorted into a psychopathic smile, forcing more blood to flow from his wound. The king swung again, this time slashing open the skin on Zane's shoulder. Gritting his teeth, Zane ignored the flash of pain. He regained his footing long enough to block Pythor's next attack. Breathing heavily, Pythor kicked the assassin's wrist, sending one of the shurikans flying and making a sickening crunching sound echo throughout the room when his foot made contact.
Mirroring his move, while holding his now limp hand against his chest, Zane kicked at Pythor's sword. It flew out of reach, leaving the King unarmed. That did not slow Pythor down. Instantly, he tackled Zane to the ground, a vicious smile spreading across his face.
Zane's eyes flickered upward, as a shadow crossed across the large window. It sneaked by fast, but not before the assassin spotted a weapon of pure gold. A smile spread across Zane's lips.
"Your fighting skills are impeccable," He said calmly, earning a frown from Pythor's face. "But they won't be enough to save you when the true Prince comes to reclaim his throne."
And in a flash of smoke, the assassin was gone.
"I'm so sorry dad," Cole closed his eyes tightly, pressing away any tears that might try to escape. " I should have followed my orders."
"Oh don't worry about my son," Lou stood, his legs shaking with effort, his body only remaining upright thanks to the wooden stick that was supporting the weight that his legs could not. " At least I can still walk. And you know, I am very proud of your actions."
"Proud?" Cole scoffed, running his sunbathed hands through his messy black hair. " Thanks to me you'll never dance again."
"But you did the right thing."
"Maybe," He shrugged. " But I got you hurt. I need to get my priorities straight. Protecting you comes first Dad, I can't join some random rebellion or help a petty thief if it's going to end up on you getting hurt."
"It doesn't necessarily need to end up on him being hurt." A shadow leaning against the window spoke, startling both Cole and his father.
"Who are you?" Cole's eyebrows frowned as he tried to see the owner of the voice.
"A friend," The voice insisted. "Jay said I might find you here. . . We need you and your wonderful weapon. Oh, and we have a perfect place for your father to be safe. . ."
"Yes. . . It's me," Nya sighed. " I'm sorry,"
"You need to get out of here Nya," Kai pleaded. " If you're here. . . I will not be able to go against his will."
Nya shook the bars of her cell, searching for a weakness. "I am going to get out. . . And you are too."
"You know I can't. He'll force me back. He has the sword. And with that, he has my will. I can resist it, yes, but not for long."
"I. . . I'll get the sword. Then we can both escape. T-together," Tears threatened to overwhelm Nya once more. Memories rushed back to her, Jay's daring smile, the dark cave, Kai's screams and the pain of betrayal. Once she'd regained control, Nya locked the memories away again, knowing that pain would make her useless.
"Jay. . . Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," The thief shrugged, as both of them walked into the dungeons, dark shadows cloaking their bodies while the thick stone walls muffled their voices.
"What happened between you and Nya?"
For a second, Jay's body froze, his mouth opening as if to answer. Then he shook his head. " It's a long story. And it won't matter anyway. I'll fix it."
"She seemed really upset each time she looked at you," Lloyd said with a stubborn tone as curiosity took over.
"I know she did," Jay sighed. " Let's just say, I was a gullible idiot and leave it at that."
"But how-"
Lloyd's words were cut short as Jay pressed his dirty palm tightly against his lips. Anger sparked through the green ninja at the unexpected move, but then he heard it.
Not too far away, somewhere in the darkness, the voice of a girl could be heard.
"Nya," Jay smiled weakly, then ran towards the voice, his eyes shining with contentment. His footsteps echoed throughout the hallway, causing Nya's voice to vanish." Nya? Nya where are you?"
"Jay," For a brief moment, the girl's voice shook with longing, but it was soon replaced with a cold calculating tone. "It took you long enough to rescue me. What, were you having a chat with your friend Pythor!?"
Following the sound of the voice, Jay and Lloyd found Nya's cell. The moment Jay stepped into Kai's vision, he shook against his chains. "You! You better get out of her before I rip you to shreds!"
"Could you please just stop yelling at me for a second?" Jay's voice shook. " This is a rescue I'm fixing all this okay? A bit of gratitude might be nice."
"Gratitude?" Kai scowled.
Angered, Jay threw down the sword of fire in front of Kai's cell. The weapon lay there, looking out of place in the dirty ground. " Here's your sword, your freedom, your whatever. Now can we please pretend that you like me so we can all get out before we're killed?"
