Bionicle: Toa Bonds

Chapter 15

Master of Shadows

Zephyr didn't want to wake up. She wanted Tahu there to wake her up, to tell her it was time to get up and do more training. That would ensure her that last night was just a bad dream. However, she didn't feel Tahu sleeping next to her.

"Zephyr?" Came a voice through the sleepy fog.

"Zephyr!"

Zephyr moaned a little, still not wanting to wake up.

"Outcast!" The voice said.

This made Zephyr jump a little. Only one person called her that. But he was back home, on the human Island. Zephyr slowly opened her eyes. It was still very dark, but she could see well enough that there was one other person in the cell with her. His dusty blonde hair looked darker thanks to mud and earth, but his blue eyes were still bright.

"Trent?…" Zephyr asked, her thoughts still clouded with sleep.

"Yeah," Trent replied. "Who else did you expect? How'd that thing get you? And we all thought you were dead!" He was slowly raising his voice.

Zephyr glared at him. "You banished me remember?" She replied, almost as fiercly as Tahu.

Trent held her glare, though Zephyr saw a slight look of surprise in his eyes. "Sage did, and we thought you'd still hang close to the village. "

"We?" Zephyr asked.

"Clay, Dirk, River and me." Trent replied. "But those things caught us about three days ago. You're the first human I've seen since then."

This made Zephyr's glare soften. "Do you have an idea what happened to them?"

Trent finally looked down and shook his head. He looked much smaller than he used to be back in the forests. What did they do to him down here? "Where are we?"

Trent looked back at her. "Remember that thing from Sorren's stories?"

Zephyr nodded. "Makuta."

"His home…" Trent replied.

Zephyr didn't like the tone in his voice, it made him sound like he had given up. If she knew anything about Trent, he didn't surrender easily. "Don't worry, I made some friends. They'll help us."

"You? Friends?" Trent asked. "That's a change. Speaking of wich, you did change a lot. You're stronger looking. Where've you been?"

This time Zephyr smiled. "Remember the heroes from Sorren's stories?"

"The Toa?"

Zephyr nodded. "Found them. And you won't believe the quest-adventures I've had. I faced Makuta-son Rahkshi-Kal, killed one, and I'm a human-friend of the Toa. I've been staying mostly with Tahu, the Toa-Hero of fire and the Toa-Hero of air Lewa."

"Slow down." Trent said. "Why are you talking like that?"

"It's… a habbit. From the Le-Matoran." Zephyr replied.

Trent looked at her. "You have changed…"

"You have too." Zephyr replied. "It almost feels like we've switched places…"

Zephyr half expected Trent to retort the comment, but he looked down with a slight nod.

"Well," Zephyr said. "We can't just sit here and mope."

"Well what can we do?" Trent asked. "No one is coming."

"Thats what you think." Zephyr said, getting up and dusting herself off. She walked over to the cell and looked at it. The Cell door looked heavy, and the bars were fairly close together. But it was clear they were made for a Matoran, not a human. Though shorter, Matoran bodies were bulkier from the unbendable metals. She looked back at Trent and grinned. "Sure is a good thing I'm small. I can slip through and pick the lock."

Before he could reply to her, she slipped her shoulder through the bars and pushed. She herself had grown a bit, her muscles making it a little hard to fit through the bars, but with a last bit of effort, she slipped through. If they had been in any other sircumstance, she would have posed happily at her success. Instead she went to the cell door and started to pick at it with old Makuta Fish bones she spotted on the ground.

Trent was somewhat astonished that she could be so calm in a place like this. Once she had the door open, he carefully stepped out of the cell, where Zephyr could now see the damage done. The boy was shirtless, and his back showed many lashes, and his ribs showed easily on his now thin frame. "Come on," She said. "A week in Le-Koro and you'll be back to your old self."

She took his hand to lead him away, but he froze. She looked at him, his face suddenly pale and eyes wide with terror. It was then Zephyr noticed the already cold air suddenly grow colder, and the shadows seemed to move towards them... or towards something behind them.

Zephyr slowly turned and gasped as she saw nothing but a large blot of shadow... but this shadow had two glowing red eyes that held nothing but hatred and malice towards the humans. "Makuta..." Zephyr managed.

i"The same, Fleshling."/i Echoed a dark voice around her and Trent.

"Trent, you need to run." Zephyr said, fighting to keep her own whits about her in the presence of this monster.

Trent didn't move though. His eyes were still fixed on Makuta, and Zephyr could feel his hand shake. "Trent, I said go." Zephyr said, almost growling the way Tahu did to show he meant it.

Makuta laughed. i"Oh, I doubt he can hear you over me."/i Makuta said, taking a few steps closer to them.

Zephyr growled and quickly kicked up a stone at Makuta. It soared and smacked the evil being in one of his eyes, cracking the glass over it and making him roar angrily.

"TRENT NOW!" Zephyr shouted, gripping Trents hand and pulling him along as she ran down a tunnel. Trent seemed to wake up from his fear endused trance and followed.

"You know the way?" He asked, his voice sounding weak.

"No!" Zephyr said, but kept running.

"Well aint that a comfort!" Trent groaned, but he didn't stop either.

Tahu groaned as his heart light throbbed. Something was wrong. He could feel a panic rising in him and he didn't like it. It didn't feel like his. He took a few slow breaths to calm himself, he couldn't help Zephyr like this.

He felt Gali put a hand on his shoulder. "You alright?"

Tahu nodded. "I think somethings happening." He said. "It was a wave of panic and my heart light ached... I'm going to have to talk to Vakama about those Toa bonds and how they affect the Toa."

They were now deep underground, their only scourse of light was Takanuva, who always seemed to have a gentle glow around him. Kopaka watched the ground, carefully tracking the Rahkshi-Kals trail. "We're getting close." He said. "The trail is getting fresher."

"Hold it," Onua said, holding up a hand and closing his eyes.

"Onu-" Lewa started but the black Toa shushed him.

One closed his eyes and listened, and felt. There was a lot of movement ahead.. though it felt faint. There were two smaller sets of feet and one large. He recognized Zephyr's foot-falls out of the two smaller ones. "Zephyr's ahead." He said. "But someone is with her and they're being chased... or she is being chased by two, its hard to tell."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Tahu asked as he drew one of his swords. "We should move!" With that, he and Onua lead on with Takanuva and the others close behind him.

Zephyr was trying to think of a plan as she and Trent ran, wondering what Tahu or the others would do. What could she do on her own? And Trent was wearing out! They had to stop sooner or later!

As they ran they came to a cavern with many pillars of stone. And above them the stone came together like branches of ancient, petrified trees with mossy vines connecting them that were thick enough to make it look like an underground forest, and in the center was a perfectly round pool of silver liquid. The sight made Zephyr stop, slowly getting an idea.

"Why's you stop?!" Trent asked.

"Remember Phantom of the Forest?" Zephyr asked.

"What?!"

"Climb that pillar! hurry!" Zephyr ordered. "Lets have some fun. Trust me!"

Trent looked unsure, but the vibration of Makuta's footsteps convinced him and the two humans climbed into the stone trees. Zephyr found they were quite easy to climb, and helped Trent climb up as well.

Makuta made it into the underground forest just as the two humans hid. He stopped and looked around, taking slower steps. "I know you're here... fleshlings." He growled, making Zephyr shudder. Her heart was pounding and she put a hand over it as if to try and quiet it. Behind him several Rahkshi had come to watch, the Rahkshi-Kal leading them and awaited their masters command.

"You think you can hide, in my shadows?" Makuta went on. "I know your fears, your secrets.. and I know you can't hide forever."

Zephyr looked at Trent and motioned for him to stay were he was. He looked at her stern as if asking what she was doing, but she had already climbed higher and easily moved to another tree. She came out of hiding and whistled. "You aint the only one who can use shadows Makuta!" She called.

Makuta howled and lashed at her, but she ducked behind the pillar and moved up into the vines again. The concussion of Makuta's attack almost threw Zephyr out of the branches and she gripped them tighter. She caught her breath and moved to a different tree. "I grew up Learning how to hide and stay out of trouble!" She called again as she moved. "And the Toa have taught me that its alright to be scared, as long as it doesn't keep me from fighting! How to stay cool and calm in a fight, how to stand firm, how to think things through, how to truly have fun, and how to fight to protect my friends!"

Zephyr slid down a trunk to a branch, her eyes bright and fierce as she looked at Makuta, surpassing a shiver as the monster turned to look at her. She stood strait and held her Matron Dagger. "Right now Makuta, as a Bonded Toa Human, I'm in my element!"

Makuta chuckled. "That so little fleshing?" He asked. "Then perhaps we should test that? In the pool of Energized Protodermis!"

Suddenly there was a crack and boom at Zephyr's feet as the Blue Rahkshi-Kal shattered the branch she stood on with its staff. The blast sent Zephyr Flying into the air and towards the silvery pool.

The Turaga have told her about energized Protodermis. If you're destined to change, it changed you. But if not, it destroyed you. She just prayed she was destined to change. Maybe she could become a Toa...