Chapter 12- Casey
The arrow missed the giant by a couple of feet.
Little Naomi wasn't discouraged though, for the first time ever when the adrenaline shot through her it wasn't telling her to run and hide, instead it fueled her arms to keep shooting and harm the giant in any possible way. Her enthusiasm was admirable but there weren't many arrows for her to use and soon she had the last within her shaking fingers.
C'mon Naomi last chance. Once again she pulled back the string and aimed except this time the arrow took pity on her and landed on the giant's shoulder. A smile spread across her face. So what if she hadn't saved the day? She'd finally done something!
The giant wasn't as pleased as the girl though. Turning away from the ninja it zoned in towards the new threat and roared angrily, covering the Kai and Jay in drool and blood the later which must have been from the monster's last victim. It pulled a thick tree from beside him and swung it at the vehicle where Naomi was frozen, shocked due to her small victory. The impact was devastating, and no one had a better view of it than Lloyd, who had been standing only a couple of feet away in case Naomi needed protecting.
Some bodyguard he had turned out to be.
The car flipped in the air twice then slammed against the ground, shooting out broken glass onto every direction. Anger and worry pulled at Lloyd's mind, the first urging him to attack the giant the second to try and get Naomi out of the wreck. Fear of what he might see if he approached the crumpled vehicle made the decision for him, the way true fear tends to do for all of us. Lloyd ran closer to the giant climbing on top of a nearby tree so he would get a better shot at the its head. Focusing his anger into a massive energy ball, he then shot it towards the giant forcing it to step back due to the impact, finally hurting him for a change.
Back inside the wreckage Naomi woke up, hanging upside down the seatbelt holding her tightly. She reached over to unbuckle herself an action that her shaken brain didn't really think through. Without the seatbelt supporting her body she fell onto the ground, a piece of broken glass lodged itself into her leg. She groaned her vision become blurry. Her bow was still in her hands, her grip tighter than what she would have expected. Knowing there was a possibility of the car bursting into flames any second she forced herself to start crawling out.
Right outside the broken car lay one of her arrows, possibly the first she had shot. Naomi looked around trying to see how the others were holding up. One of Zane's arms was missing and wires were sticking out from his shoulder, reminding Naomi that he was a robot and he'd be able to be fixed. So they didn't really need her. She turned a bit to try and catch sight of the others; Kai was laying on the ground unconscious while Sensei, Misako and Nya kept close to Jay, whose leg was twisted in a painful angle. They could still win without her; Lloyd's strength would probably be enough to defeat the giant.
Where was Lloyd? Naomi looked up slightly then waited for her vision to stop combining the colors of her surroundings. Then she saw him, a small green dot trapped within the giant's hand. If it held Lloyd too tightly it could mortally wound him. The ninja were in no shape to help so if she didn't do anything, who would? She snatched the arrow off the ground ignoring the pain from her shoulder. Placing it on the bow Naomi pulled the string back further than she had with all the others.
Her desire to keep Lloyd safe made her stronger.
Before she released the arrow worry froze her muscles. The distance was far too big. . . And she could barely see a thing, what if she accidentally hit Lloyd instead? Naomi took a deep breath, if she didn't do anything now it might be too late the next second. Trusting her instincts she shut her eyes tightly and let the arrow go. The arrow flew through the air higher and higher above the giant's head. Finally, the arrow started to lose its speed the head back down.
Right through the giant's eye.
The minute the arrow hit its mark the hand that held Lloyd loosened its grip allowing him to jump safely back onto a branch. The giant, now dead, fell back hitting the earth with tremendous force causing a small earthquake. When Naomi felt it, she slowly reopened her eyes, and relief flooded through her. The girl's moment of victory lasted less than a second, because by this time there was more blood around her than inside of her small body and darkness invaded her vision.
. . .
"Misako I did tell you to learn magic but no no no you were far too in love with that crazy guy," A young voice entered Naomi's ears as she slowly regained consciousness. "Now you look worst than a dried up prune"
"It's nice to see you too Casey," There was a small hint of sarcasm in Misako's voice.
"Of course it is!," Casey laughed a little. "It's always nice to see me isn't it? Tell me though what brings you here with a bunch of injured people? Wouldn't surprise me if that Garmadon had something to do with it. . ."
"It's nothing to do with him; we just had some problems in the forest."
"Didn't I make you a map with a safe route here? Though of course at your age it must be hard not to get lost."
Naomi opened her eyes, determined to know what was going on. Everything around her was in shadow but the light from the other room allowed her to see Nya and the ninja sleeping around her. Slowly she sat up still a bit dizzy from all the blood she'd lost. There were no bandages on her but there weren't any wounds either. The voice named Casey had mentioned magic but could it really be possible that she'd been healed in less than a day?
"Hey you're supposed to be resting," Lloyd's soft voice made her jump a little, he was sitting up too on the bed right beside hers. "You lost a lot of blood back there, I mean really it was everywhere and I-"
Naomi held a finger up to her lips trying to quiet him so she could listen in to the conversation in the other room.
"Yeah I know I was listening too and- yes of course shutting up now,"
Naomi smiled a little and felt light tickles in her stomach.
When her ears finally picked up on the conversation it was sensei's voice she heard. "- Naomi, The girl with the purple eyes, Told us the first part of the prophecy and we thought you might know the rest."
"Know the rest? Of course I know the rest, I know every single letter of every single prophecy ever written," There was a small pause. "I only write them down for the convenience of others, But since that stupid snake got ahold of a piece of my scrolls I'll probably just burn down my whole library. . . Yes, Isn't fire wonderful? Nothing can resist its powers of destruction. . ."
Misako's voice popped in again. "Yes, yes but back to the prophecy . . . ?"
"Oh you're no fun," Casey cleared her throath. "Ok the prophecy of the purple child"
"The image had flowed
A child is born
With bright purple eyes
And memories that died
Beware your old enemies
For Vengeance they seek
And for the chaotic plan
The child's the key
A sacred cave, Birthplace of all
Turns into a Tomb
Soaked with the tears
For the sacrifice"
There was quiet after she finished and Naomi laid back down. She pressed down on her eyes, hating them with all her might. Why did they have to be purple? Why did it have to be about her ? It was all so messed up and now she had the final stanza to haunt her as well. " A sacred cave Birthplace of all, Turns into a Tomb, Soaked with the tears, For the sacrifice." She'd been the cause of too much pain already and now there was also a sacrifice?
Naomi thought about her brother and tears rolled down her cheeks. She started shaking a little and for once was glad about being a mute. She didn't want anyone to see how weak she was.
Please Please Please She though furiously Don't let anything happen to my brother
She heard Lloyd lay back down on his bed. "I know it looks pretty bad right now, but no matter what I promise everything will turn out alright"
Naomi's tears stopped after hearing Lloyd's promise. He couldn't possible know the future but somehow his promise made her feel better.
Everything will turn out alright.
(Well that was my longest chapter yet! And its specially for HungerGamesAngel whose birthday is tomorrow HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY)