Chapter 29 - Two Paths

Cole's heart dropped.

He blinked rapidly, straightening himself before turning to face the others. Whatever his concerns with Nadya were, he had to put them aside, at least for now. He had to get his team back together. Had to work on returning to Ninjago before it was too late. Taking a deep breath, Cole placed his hands upon his hips faking confidence he did not feel.

"So, the labyrinth. . ." He allowed his eyes to move past his friends, studying a tall entrance to a maze of stone. "We'll have to stick together. Find a way to Lloyd. It's simple."

"Sounds simple, sure." Jay nodded, back to his old self. "But, it never is. There's always something. It's almost an unsaid law. Destiny does not like being nice to heroes."

"Come on," Cole ignored his friend, walking forward into the mouth of darkness. Kai and Laurie exchanged quick glances before following, and Jay groaned loudly before stepping in himself.

The first thing the ninja of earth thought was that there was nothing unusual about the labyrinth. He tried to remember Nadya's words, but his heart twisted at the thought of her name.

"Doesn't seem like stories are 'thrown together' in here," Kai unhelpfully pointed out, strutting past Cole. "Smells more like a trap to me. You're a great judge of character, Cole."

"It's not a trap," Cole hissed. "She wouldn't-"

But the master of earth would never finish his statement, and the master of fire would never find out what Nadya would or wouldn't do. The ground beneath them began to shake uncontrollably, the walls twisting and turning, blocking away the exit. Kai opened his mouth to protest, but the labyrinth wasn't quite done. A thick, black wall shot upwards, separating Jay and Cole from Laurie and Kai.

The sudden appearance of the wall made the blue ninja lose his balance, falling back on his butt. "Whoa! So not cool! What is that?"

"It's just. . ." Cole stepped forward, pressing the palm of his hand against the cold surface. "A wall."

"So, now what?" Jay stood, brushing off the dirt from his back. He knocked on the wall, a hollow sound echoing in response.

"Well. . . we keep going, I suppose. " Cole ran a hand through his hair. How much did he really trust Nadya? He'd like to believe she would never hurt him, but he couldn't exactly say the same about the others. "We'll run into them sooner or later."

"You know, I really thought this place was cool, but it's getting really annoying. I love stories, when I know I can close the book." Jay trotted forward, trying to keep up with the black ninja's pace. "But here, it never ends, does it?"

"I told you, we'll find Lloyd and then we'll get out of here. It's not that hard." Jay nodded, satisfied with Cole's words, at least for now. The problem was, the ninja of earth had begun to doubt, his hope flickering like a dying flame.

The two continued to walk forward, although the path before them didn't seem very much like a labyrinth at all. It was a straight line, leading both of them forward as the path began to narrow. They reached a point in which Jay had to step behind Cole, as they were no longer able to stand side by side. If the space grew any smaller, they would be unable to move fairly soon.

"It's a door."

Cole stopped, studying the wooden surface before him. The handle was made of pure gold, the body of a dragon carved upon its surface. He placed his hand upon it, the cold metal sending a shiver up his arm.

"What do you think it is?" Jay whispered, standing on his toes to peek over Cole's shoulders.

"Only one way to find out," the master of earth shrugged, throwing the door open.