115
Maybe he had done something to his wrist after all. Tears were streaming down M's face, partly from the pain of having his arm twisted and partly because of the insanity that was going down. The Defender seemed a little uncomfortable to see him crying, and his voice was gruff as he tried to explain himself.
"You were interfering with official NCST business, kid," he tried. "I had to remove you from the situation. Now, tell me who your parents are and I can…"
"Matilda O'Keefe!" M. finally managed. "The President. She's my Mom…I was trying to get to her."
The man's expression became more uncomfortable, and he seemed to be trying to decide if he should believe M or not.
"Are…you sure?"
"Yes!" M. snapped, glaring through his tears. "I'm sure! Let me talk to her…please!"
The defender hemmed and hawed and finally glanced over at the crowd in the distance. M. followed his gaze, and his stomach twisted in knots as he made out figures being loaded into a police car. This couldn't be happening…they had just come to see Amber! His mom had to know that, right? Why on earth would she arrest them for that?!
"You'll have to wait a second, bud," the man finally said, and M. scowled. He did wait though, mainly because there wasn't really anything else he could do at this point. They were standing next to a large van with the letters NCST printed on it, and after a few more minutes the crowd seemed to be filing towards them. M's heart pounded as he caught sight of his mother, and he went to run towards her.
"Hang on, kid; she's still conducting business. You'll have to wait."
"She's my mom!" M. argued, trying to wrench out of the man's grasp. The defender's grip became tighter on his shoulder, however, and M. realized he didn't want the guy to grab his arm again. He stood down, seething as he waited for the group to get closer.
"…Straight back to Headquarters. I need Stevie and Jan in the studio with your team; we need the footage as soon as possible. We want the newscasters to eat this up, but only what we give them, understood?"
He could make out what his mother was saying, and her assistant was nodding as he made notes on an electronic device. M. couldn't help it anymore.
"Mom!" he called out. "MOM!"
Matilda finally looked up, her brow wrinkling as she looked around. Her eyes finally caught sight of him near the van and she shook her head.
"Marty?"
The defender finally released his hold and he darted over.
"What's going on? Mom, why are you arresting…"
"What are you doing here, Marty? This is no place for a kid."
His mother's voice was sterner than he'd ever heard her, and her generally sunny expression was cloudy with anger. He blinked.
"I…I was coming to visit Amber, and I saw what was happening…"
"The Oni?" Matilda sighed heavily, putting a hand to her head. "Marty…I warned you to stay away from that Oni. You insisted on disobeying me, and now look at what's happened…."
"The beach thing wasn't her fault though! It was mine!" M. argued desperately. He was so sick of trying to make this argument; the guilt was eating at him enough without people making it seem like it was all Amber's fault. "She's in bad shape, Mom. Her family just came to help her…"
"Well, that's the story, at least."
M. blinked at the bitterness in his mother's voice. He was trying to figure out what to say when he caught sight of Amber's brother Theo. The pale teen was being loaded into the back of the large NCST van, and M's stomach clenched when he saw how rough the Defenders were being with him. The Oni seemed furious, but a silent kind of furious as he allowed himself to be pushed inside. M. swallowed hard.
"That's what happened, Mom, I swear! I was there! I saw everything…we're lucky Amber isn't dead after everything that…."
"We're lucky you aren't dead, Marty!"
"The only reason I'm not is because Amber saved me!" he tried, and his mother pressed a hand to her head like she was getting a headache.
"Does your father know you're here?" she finally asked, and dread filled M's small frame.
"Well….he…."
"I'll take that as a no, then," Matilda said, shaking her head. She looked up at the defender who had grabbed M. in the first place. "My son will be accompanying us to NCST."
The man blinked.
"You want me to put him in the van?"
She stiffened.
"With the Oni? Are you insane?" she glanced down at M, and he frowned at the expression on his mother's face as she continued. "He's already been tainted enough by Oni influence."
She brushed her hair out of her face.
"He'll be in my car. Alejandro and I will be over shortly. And make sure he stays in the car, Pete. Something tells me Marty has a penchant for running away."
With that, M was lead away until they reached his mother's fancy sportscar. It was the same one she had picked him up in for various trips to the movies or ice-cream, but there was no exciting trip this time around. He realized his mother would probably call his father, and he wanted to throw up when he pictured his father's reaction. He had a sudden panicked feeling at the thought of seeing his father again, or even going back to school. Even the thought of seeing Amber again filled him with dread and he wanted to sink into the earth as he made a horrible realization.
Amber was in the hospital because of him. Her family had come to visit her in the hospital and accidentally broken Ninjagoan law…and now they were going to prison! And if they were in prison, then no one was going to be able to help Amber….what if she died?!
He leaned back on the seat of the car, tears streaming down his face again. His head was pounding with a headache now, and his wrist still felt like it was on fire. Even if Amber did pull through…even if her family got everything figured out and they got out of prison and they were able to help her…she was still going to get kicked out of the school. And it was all his fault. He sobbed as he realized that this wasn't like the time with the vengestone chain…or even like that interview. She had been angry those times and had barely forgiven him.
But now she would never forgive him. After everything he had done, Amber was going to hate him.
Somehow that was worse than his father hating him, or even his mother's cold disappointment in him. It was worse than that look his grandfather would give him sometimes when he was worried about what he was doing with his life. Those things hurt, of course, but it was almost like he had come to accept that they would always think of him like that. A failure…a disappointment. But having Amber hate him was so much worse, because there had actually been a time when she had liked him. And she had trusted him…with so much. But now he knew that she would never trust him again, if she even managed to pull through at all!
He cried for a while, but it took Matilda a long time to return to her car. By the time she and Alajandro were unlocking the sportscar, M. was half awake, the tear streaks dried on his face. He woke up as he heard them talking, and he went to wipe his face with his hand. He moaned as he remembered too late how badly his wrist hurt, and at the sound Matilda turned in surprise from the passenger side seat while Alejandro started up the engine.
"Oh…Marty. I nearly forgot about you."
He grimaced and Matilda's expression softened.
"I suppose I was a little harsh on you earlier, but you have to understand what's at stake here. I've committed myself to protecting Ninjago City, and I have to take all threats seriously."
"Amber's family is not a threat," he argued, but his voice came out hoarse. She sighed, as if she was having to explain something very simple to someone either too young or stupid to understand.
"Marty, I know you see her as a friend. What I wish you would do is see her for the threat she could be."
"She's not…"
"It's a perfect cover, don't you realize? The Oni knew that people were turning against her, suspecting her, and she decided to clear her name by endangering children. She blasted that hole in that cave, Marty; I did the research. Then, after putting all of your lives at risk, she transports you out in the nick of time."
He wanted to throw up.
"Mom, that's not how it happened at all!"
"And suddenly she's the hero! And what better way to really establish herself as such than to get put in the hospital? And yet those I've had report on all of this have discovered that the doctors can't find a thing wrong with her. Every test they run shows her to be in perfect health…"
"It's because it has to do with her powers; it's only something that her family can help with!"
"How convenient!" Matilda snapped bitterly. "Unless, of course, she's merely acting. Considering that she attends a performance arts school, she must be quite the actress. And since she's on her supposed deathbed, of course we as a community of compassionate individuals would allow people from a different realm to just pop in and out whenever they need to, while everyone else in the entire realm is held to a different standard."
M. was holding his head; it was pounding so hard that he couldn't even think of the words to convince his mother how wrong she was.
"They…they were just here to see Amber, Mom. They aren't dangerous and you've arrested them!"
"They're beings of destruction! If I had allowed them to break the law, then I'm not the woman I have told everyone I am. I am not someone capable of protecting the city, and I'm not someone worthy of a councilwoman position."
A horrible suspicion suddenly planted itself in M's mind…one that made his eyes fill with tears. Surely…surely his mother wasn't doing all of this just for a councilwoman position….right?
"Mom…"
"I will not apologize for my actions, Marty. If anything, I'm erring on the side of safety…which is far better than those in Ninjago City's past. There were far too many tragedies because we were too afraid to be firm."
M. shook his head.
"I'm telling you, they aren't dangerous. You didn't have to do this… trust me on this, Mom!"
She sighed heavily.
"Oh, Marty…still so young." Her voice had a strange tone to it. "You never seem to see people as they really are."
"Why were those guys putting Theo in the van?" he said, suddenly remembering what he had witnessed before. Matilda frowned.
"Theo?"
"Amber's brother!" M. found that he was getting angry. "The one you arrested; why isn't he going with the police like his parents?"
Matilda sighed, as if she was getting worn out by pesky questions. But he wanted to know her reasoning, at least; how she could really see any of this as necessary for Ninjagoan safety.
"The NCST are not monsters. We aren't going to throw children in prison…"
"He's nearly eighteen," M. countered. "He could have gone with them."
"The police may have the right to detain adults," Matilda explained. "But we have been granted the right to hold onto minors. It makes it a little harder for them to slip away; to be honest, the police force is a little too lenient when it comes to bail…"
M. just stared at the back of her platinum blonde head.
"Wait…you took Theo just so he wouldn't be able to get out on bail?"
Matilda was silent and he glared at her, leaning forward as his tone became loud and angry.
"He just wants to go see his sister! He would be better in prison at this point…"
"We are perfectly humane, Marty. The Oni will be fine at our headquarters until the trial…"
"His name is Theo, not "the Oni." He's a person, not a wild animal!"
He really was yelling now, and Matilda finally turned again to fix him with a disapproving look.
"We are in a car, Marty! There is no reason for you to be speaking that loudly. Honestly, you are reacting over nothing; his presence at the NCST is both to protect him from the experience of spending time in prison, as well as to ensure that none of the family pops back to their realm before the trial."
M. scoffed.
"What are you talking about?!"
"Do you realize how easy it would be for them to leave and avoid their court case altogether? They possess the power to transport in and out on a whim; if they were all allowed on bail they could escape quite easily, and it would be nearly impossible to catch them again to force them to face their charges."
"They wouldn't leave!" M. tried, but then he couldn't help wonder if they would. Not that he blamed them; the whole situation was insane; they hadn't done anything wrong!
"Well, now we have ensured that they cannot." Matilda shrugged, as if she was teaching her son an important life lesson. "You cannot leave things up to chance, Marty. You cannot just trust people to act a certain way. That is how things get so out of hand…because people choose to believe the best. I have to be the one who runs on cold logic so I can ensure the safety of Ninjago is never jeopardized."
"You aren't keeping Ninjago safer!" M. challenged, and his mother's calm expression flashed with anger. He pressed on regardless; he was still afraid of losing his mother again, but after everything that had happened over the last few days he was tired of dancing around things. "You've just arrested three people for no reason other than the fact that they wanted to see their daughter and sister in the hospital!"
"They broke the law…" she started, her voice calm and slow like she was trying to convince him how ridiculous he was being.
"Everything that happened was my fault!" M yelled at her, this time so loudly that even Alejandro glanced back at him in the rearview mirror to give a disapproving scowl. The teen didn't even care. "Amber's in the hospital because of me! Her parents came to Ninjago because of me! If you want to punish someone punish me!"
His mother was rolling her eyes now, and M. glowered.
"I swear, mom…you have to let Amber's family go, or I'll…"
"You'll what?"
Her voice cut in like a knife as she raised an unimpressed eyebrow.
"You'll yell some more? Maybe threaten to run away, or something like that? You Openheimer's always loved your yelling and your threats."
It was unexpected…and it stung. M sat in stunned silence, and Matilda's next words were like a physical blow as she turned around to face forward again.
"You're just like your father."
Theo pulled at the chains around his wrist as the van bumped and jostled those packed into it. A moment later someone yanked the end of the chain, causing his whole body to lurch forward.
"Stop messing with it, you Oni freak."
He clenched his jaw but didn't say anything. It smelled strongly of body odor in here, and the lighting wasn't great. He longed to at least light up a hand to fill the space with the warm, familiar purple glow…but the vengestone rubbing his wrists raw made that impossible.
It didn't take too long before the van must have reached its destination. It pulled to a stop and the NCST people stood and stretched. Theodynn wasn't exactly happy with anything in this situation, but it would be nice to get out of this cramped space, full of men talking about how well their threat take down had been. He wanted to yell at them that he and his parents weren't threats, but at the same time he didn't relish the idea of attracting their attention. There was a lot of jeering and name calling during the ride, and he wondered if that pale-haired lady had only hired those who obviously hated Oni to do her dirty work for her. It burned him up inside that she would pull something like this, but he forced himself to remain calm.
The only thing to do now was to wait out the idiocy until someone realized how stupid this all was. He was pretty sure that his parents would be alright; Grandpa Lou or one of the Ninja would post bail and they'd be free to go. Plus, that police officer had seemed more embarrassed than anything. But as Theo was jostled from the van and herded into a building with a large NCST emblazoned on the front of it, he couldn't help but think that he had landed in the belly of the beast.
Only a few guards stayed with him after they entered the building; the rest trailed away, presumably to change into their normal clothes and head home, their ambush successfully complete. Theo glowered at everyone in the building, and he glared especially hard at the woman from before who eventually came through the doors.
"Stevie and Jan had better be raring and ready to go with the footage editing; I want this on the ten o clock news," she was saying. She glanced over and saw the Oni glaring daggers and got a funny look on her face.
"Ah yes, the Oni. What are you waiting here with him for?"
"Umm…" the man to Theo's right started uncomfortably. "You…told us to wait for you to get back and not to do anything with him until then."
Matilda put a hand to her head and sighed.
"Right, right. My mind's been doing flips just to keep everything sorted, you understand." She paused, as if remembering the cause of one such mind flip, and turned as a sullen boy trailed in after her. Theo was surprised to realize he recognized that kid; it was M, Amber's friend.
"Alejandro, take my son up to my office. Inform my doormen that he is not to leave for any reason until I have time to get up there later on tonight and deal with him."
Theo blinked in surprise. Her son? M was the son of this…this monster? For a moment, Theo felt a flash of rage towards the sandy-haired teen, but then after seeing how miserable M. looked, he calmed a bit. It didn't exactly look like M was that stoked about the arrangement, after all.
"I could just call Mr. Openheimer now to come pick him up."
The man called Alejandro spoke, and he seemed to have traces of some fancy accent. Matilda's expression soured.
"Not yet; that man makes a huge deal out of everything. If he comes here in a rage then I'm not going to be able to get anything done. No…I will deal with all of that later."
M. didn't even seem to be listening, and with a small push from the man the teen started down the hall obediently. He was staring at the ground, and seemed to be holding one wrist almost protectively.
"M!"
The boy blinked and looked up; it was the first thing Theo had said since being separated from his parents. He looked over to catch the Oni's eye, and Theo was shocked by how fast the teen's expression crumpled. The older boy frowned.
"Are you ok?" he tried, but before M. could answer Matilda had click-clacked her way over to Theo in her dark heels, glowering at him.
"Don't talk to him," she snapped. "As if your sister hasn't done enough damage!"
At the mention of Amber, Theo immediately swelled with anger. M. looked sick as he paused to cut in.
"Mom, please…."
"Come on," Alejandro interrupted, pushing the kid on. M. hesitated a second, but as his mother turned and fixed him with an icy blue stare he sagged in defeat and headed on. Theo watched the exchange with both disgust and interest. Matilda turned back, and this time she talked to his captors.
"Holding cells are on the fourth floor, you'll remember," she said. "Ask Frederick at the floor's front desk for the vengestone cuffs; I ordered them a few weeks ago, they should definitely be in by now."
Theo's heart pounded. A few weeks ago? He burned with the injustice of it all; this had all been planned! Whoever this woman was, there was so much more at stake here than just some stupid broken law.
"The cuffs will work a lot better than the chain," she was saying. "Chains are too easy to weasel off; and we wouldn't want our little criminal here to be able to poof back home."
"I'm no criminal," Theo cut in, his voice calm, but intense. "You have no right to keep me here, or arrest my parents!"
She looked at him again in disgust. He was taller than she was, actually, but it didn't seem to affect her sense of superiority.
"Don't worry, Oni," she said coldly. "You'll have plenty of opportunities to plead your case over the next few days…but for tonight you can keep your little comments to yourself."
He narrowed his eyes, but then she was strolling away. He bit back the insults he wanted to hurl at her; he needed to stay in control. If he ended up going too far there was a chance that this crazy woman would just make it that much harder for him to get to Amber.
His guards were forcing him onward again. A hallway…a silent elevator trip…and then a visit to Frederick at the front desk. Sure enough, the heavy-set man pulled out a set of round cuffs.
"Don't try anything, Oni…" one of Theo's guards hissed at him as they moved the chain just enough to click the cuffs around his wrists, locking them with a key. Theo grimaced; they were tight. He wondered bitterly if Matilda had expected the minor she was going to be apprehending to be younger.
There was a moment in the process that he knew he could have probably taken them by surprise and fought back. Maybe he could have even gotten the chain off and transported to the hospital to see Amber. But the chances were slim and he was hesitant to do anything that could end up with things becoming even worse for everybody.
The cuffs were securely in place, so the chain could have been removed…but the guards kept it on. Theo wondered dryly if it made them feel safer somehow, having two forms of vengestone locking him up.
They got to the holding cell, which was a small room with a cot and a desk. It looked comfortable enough, actually…more comfortable than the dungeons back home if he was being honest. But a cell was still a cell, and as one of the guards gruffly shoved him in, he turned to glare at them both.
"Behave, Oni."
He scowled, and he wished so hard that he had been capable right then of doing something that could have at least startled the two huge jerks. It was odd to him, really; he had visited Ninjago dozens of times over the years, and sure, there had been the occasional comment, or the people who would stare. On rare occasions people would make more of a big deal, but overall Ninjago hadn't been that cruel to him. Now, here was an entire group of people that seemed assigned, and even eager, to treating him poorly. He had never been ashamed to be an Oni, but he hated the way these people kept saying it. Like it was an insult.
The door closed. It was a heavyset door, making up half of the wall between the cell and the hallway. The rest of the wall was some extremely thick clear substance…maybe bulletproof glass or something like that. He peered out of it, trying to look around at the world outside the cell. Were there more cells? How many? What were these people planning on doing with so many holding cells?
Lights out
He turned as a voice crackled over a speaker, and he spotted it up in the corner of his room. Suddenly the entire floor was plunged into darkness. That was the point that everything seemed to hit home; the events of the day caught up with him and he collapsed wearily on the cot. He had no idea if his parents had been able to get to Amber, and he suddenly felt very, very alone.
116
Hershel sipped the tea thoughtfully, the sunlight warming the tent slowly that morning. Syn was sitting with a stretch of cloth on the floor, measuring it out.
"I'm going to have to start adding an extra inch to the bottom of her clothes," the woman was griping. "Sheesh…who knew children grew so fast."
Hershel didn't answer, and she looked up to see him smiling to himself. She smiled as well.
"You seem to be feeling a little better today," she added, and the Master Healer looked over.
"Hmm?"
"You seem happier," she repeated, glancing back down to start cutting the fabric. "Did you talk to Phos last night like you were planning on?"
Hershel glanced over at the jar of poppies.
"Oh…no. I got a little distracted."
Syn shrugged, finishing off the cut.
"I can keep the tent going if any customers show up, if you want to talk with him now."
Hershel's gaze lingered on the poppy jar a minute longer, but finally he just shook his head.
"Maybe later."
"Alright."
Syn didn't think much of it, holding the cloth in the air.
"Is this going to be long enough for a tunic, do you think?"
Hershel smiled, taking another sip of tea.
Myrah poured over the scroll for most of the morning. She had enjoyed the quiet time to research as well as internalize everything that had happened the night before. Part of her wanted to be humiliated, but instead she found that she couldn't stop smiling. Not a huge grin, or anything. Just a soft little smile…like Hershel's.
The door to the library banged open and she jumped. Her heart sank as she caught sight of Bula; there went any chance of having a quiet, restful afternoon.
"I assume this is about the meeting yesterday," Myrah said quickly, rolling up the scroll as her Senior Advisor marched straight over to her table. "I'm sorry if it seemed…"
"I'm not listening to any more excuses."
Bula's tone was hard, and Myrah frowned as the Advisor fixed her with a glare. After a few moments the shorter woman heaved a sigh.
"Myrah…I've known you since you were a young girl. Trained you since then. Together we've seen plenty of leaders come and go. You know what it takes to be a good leader, one who isn't going to be overthrown at the toss of a hat."
"Of course."
Myrah frowned, as if she wasn't sure where her Advisor was going. Inside her heart was pounding.
"You've always had such clear focus, such balanced ambition. And here you are, on the cusp of greatness. And you're floundering!"
The Western Leader glanced away, down at the scroll on the table. She fingered the red ribbon with a shrug.
"It takes time for anyone to find their footing in a leadership role. Perhaps I just haven't quite…"
"No. If it was anyone else, I would believe it. But this isn't like you at all." Bula's hands went to her hips. "You had your footing! You were golden for a few straight weeks! But then everything started to unravel. And it isn't you acting odd a day here and a day there; you've been all over the place for nearly a month now!"
"I'm fine. I've just been a little ill…"
"I know what ill looks like, Myrah. What you are is distracted…and it wasn't until yesterday I let myself realize why."
Myrah turned to fix her advisor with a steady stare, to give nothing away. But Bula was already sinking into a chair of her own with a sigh. The Senior Advisor dry-washed her face with one hand.
"I just can't believe it…after everything I've taught you…after everything we've had to do to get you to this point…"
Myrah clenched her jaw, prepared to counter where ever it was that Bula was headed. The advisor banged one fist on the table.
"Years! That's what you're throwing away, girl! Years of dedication and trails and success...and for what? Some Healer?!"
Myrah's words froze in her throat. She stared at Bula, her heart pounding so loudly she thought for sure the other woman would be able to hear it. When the Western Leader finally spoke again her voice was calm.
"What do you mean?"
It tremored a bit at the end, and she kicked herself mentally. Bula scowled.
"I couldn't figure it out, you know. You participating in those classes, having all those private conversations with him, sneaking off to his tent to research history. I tried to figure out why you had this sudden fascination with Healers and their history…but it hasn't been about that at all, has it? No….that was just the silly excuses to throw old Bula off the track. Stupid Bula, who you thought would never see what was really happening…"
"Bula…"
"You're in love, Myrah!"
The words echoed in the library, and Myrah froze. Bula scanned the leader's face, and when Myrah didn't immediately deny it she sagged and shook her head.
"You're in love...how could you do this to me? To yourself?!"
"You're wrong!" Myrah finally managed, but her denial had come too late. Bula continued on, getting angrier as she went.
"Do you realize what this could do to your plans?! If people were to know you and this Healer have been…been…"
She went pale and cursed as she shook her head.
"Ancients…what have you been doing, girl!? If you've gone and…"
"There was nothing!" Myrah cut in, pushing herself to her feet. "My plans for the future are as secure as ever…"
"They are not!" Bula contradicted firmly. "This puts everything at risk! It's going to be hard enough to convince that air-headed prince without having to explain some affair you've been entertaining on the side! You are in love and who knows what consequences will come out of your actions…"
"It's not love!"
The advisor finally shut up as Myrah yelled at her, the words confident and sure. Bula blinked, and then scoffed, and Myrah went on quickly. She gave up on trying to convince her Advisor that nothing had happened.
"There was a kiss, alright? But all of that, it doesn't mean anything!" she pressed, her hand gripping the scroll on the table unconsciously. "It's not love. It's just….just…"
"Just what?" Bula asked dryly, throwing her hands in the air. "Just for pleasure, huh?"
Myrah looked away, and her advisor continued sternly.
"These sorts of things have consequences, Myrah…whether romance is a part of them or not! What happens when this Healer thinks it's more than just a one-time thing, hmmm? When he tells the heir about it, or when he starts expecting commitment and a place next to you on the…"
"That won't happen."
Myrah fixed Bula with a cold, firm look; the same look she had mastered over the years. The kind that commanded respect.
"I understand you're worried about what's at stake, but you need to trust me, Bula. You're right; I've worked too hard for what I've got to put it at risk now. So you need to trust that it isn't at risk; that I've thought about what I'm doing and it will be fine!"
"But…"
"Hershel needs this to remain as secret as I do," Myrah pointed out. "He's not going to come after the Western throne, he's not going to ask for commitment. There are Healer Oaths against political involvement, remember."
Bula frowned, and though she didn't seem convinced she did at least seem to be listening.
"I am the leader, and I am free to make my own decisions. I am no less committed to my goals; I'm just allowing myself a few other freedoms in the meantime. And I do not appreciate your constant interference!"
Here the advisor flushed as Myrah narrowed her eyes.
"I know you think you know what's best for me…but I'm at the point where I don't need someone coaching me on every step. You're an advisor, Bula…and if I want your advice then I will ask for it!"
Bula pushed herself to her feet as well, holding her head high.
"Myrah…think about what you are saying. You would have never gotten to where you are without me."
"I know that. I'm not saying I don't need you anymore, Bula. But I also know that it's time you start trusting the decisions I make, instead of telling me what to do." Myrah's voice became a little softer. "We will stay on track, I promise you that. Just trust me."
Bula stared at her a few moments longer, and then her gaze went down the scroll with the red ribbon in Myrah's grasp. Finally, the Senior Advisor heaved a sigh.
"Alright. Perhaps I have been rushing to the worst possible conclusion a little too quickly. There is still time to get back on path…to set everything right."
"Then you believe me? When I say that everything is under control?"
Bula rubbed her face again and shrugged.
"At this moment, I'm not sure if things really are. But," she said, glancing up at Myrah again. "I do believe that you'll get there."
Myrah relaxed a little and nodded.
"Good. There's nothing to be worried about…I know I've been flighty the past few weeks, missing meetings and seeming distracted. But I've figured out what I'm doing now. You'll see, Bula. Things are going to be alright."
Bula nodded, though she seemed to be distant now, lost in thought.
"Alright, Myrah. If you say so."
She headed to the doorway, and then paused.
"Yesterday's meeting was rescheduled for noon; prove to me that you've got things under control, and do not be late again."
Then the library door was closing, and Myrah was sinking back into her chair. Confrontation didn't usually leave her shaken, but suddenly her knees were weak and she realized she was trembling. Myrah spent the rest of the time before the meeting trying in vain to stay focused on the scroll in front of her.
The cell door opened and the policeman who led Cole and Keyda out was acting a little strange. Cole decided he couldn't tell if he was embarrassed or scared to death. But as the ninja glanced over at the expression on his wife's face, he wouldn't blame the policeman for being scared.
He caught sight of his father as another officer unlocked the chains binding their wrists.
"Pop!"
Lou caught sight of them and sighed heavily in relief.
"Oh, thank goodness…"
He made his way closer with his cane and Cole rubbed his wrists ruefully.
"I have no idea what's going on, Pop…it's like the whole city lost its mind," the ninja murmured. Lou tugged on his mustache.
"I watched from the hospital window…but by the time I made it to the parking lot, everything was over." He sighed again. "I'm not nearly as fast as I used to be."
"It's alright, Dad. There wasn't really anything you could have done anyways."
Cole dry-washed his face, but then he felt Keyda grab onto his arm and glanced over.
"We have to go find Theo," she said, her eyes flashing. Cole nodded, but then he rubbed his face again.
"I don't even know where they took him," he admitted. "That woman…I met her. She was at Amber's audition."
"Matilda O'Keefe," Lou said quietly, and they glanced over at him. Cole nodded.
"That's her…."
"She used to be married to Marty IV, I believe. I never followed the story that closely, but she left him and his son a while ago. Now she's taken the city by storm again, with this NCST business. Seen some of her stuff on the news; always passing some safety law or another."
"The one she arrested you for is relatively new," a police officer offered nervously. They glanced over and he swallowed when he saw Keyda's angry gaze rest on him. "It's called 'Safe Visitation for Ninjago.' Basically, it makes it so anyone who wants to visit the city has to check in at a booth on the edge and get a permit. It's supposed to make the city safer. When you sort of…you know…poofed into the city you broke the law and that's why the NCST ordered your arrest."
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Cole growled. "We never had anything like that before…nor did we even know about the law. They can't hold us accountable for it."
The man looked like he wanted to say more, but he glanced at Keyda again like he was afraid to.
"Oh, out with it, son," Lou cut in irritably. The officer jumped, his words coming out in a rush.
"Well….Ms. O'Keefe has been pressing the Oni issue for a while now."
"Oni issue?" Keyda asked, her voice dangerously soft. The man shied away, pulling at the collar of his shirt.
"Y…Yes…Um...she claims that we shouldn't trust anyone who could just come into our realm at any given time without permission. I mean, I'm not saying you guys are dangerous, or anything…but, um, she's gained quite a few supporters in the city lately."
Keyda's eyes flashed and the officer finally excused himself. Cole shook his head again.
"That law is too random….and that woman and her safety team got to the scene too quickly. This was a set-up; she's been planning this."
Keyda stiffened as a thought hit home, and she turned to Cole looking sick.
"Do you think she's behind Amber being hospitalized?!"
He blanched, but Lou spoke up softly.
"I don't believe that's the case. I've talked to Amber a few times when she's been awake, and from her description it sounds more like a freak accident than anything else."
Keyda didn't look too convinced and Cole pulled her close.
"We'll figure this out, Keyds. We will…they can't do this to us."
"You need to get to Amber sooner rather than later," Lou cut in again, putting his arm on the Oni's. "She mentioned that she needed an aura transfer."
Keyda nodded her understanding, but she still looked on the verge of tears.
"We still don't even know what they've done with Theo," she whispered.
"I'm sure he's fine, Keyds. They can't do anything to him…the harshest punishment in Ninjago is prison time, and they weren't even willing to throw him in with us."
"But he's with that awful woman, Cole. Besides, that didn't feel like she was sparing him from something. That sounded more like she wanted to keep him hostage; hold him over our heads…"
"I know." Cole whispered back.
Lou tugged on his mustache again.
"Let's get back to the hospital. A few of your friends are going to meet us there, actually. They contacted me on my way over to place bail."
Cole nodded his understanding, but Keyda's eyes were filling with tears.
"If I see that woman again, I swear…"
"We'll get our children back, Keyda. And we'll get this sorted." Cole kissed her temple. "I promise."
117
The wind on the mountains was strong, and Bula grimaced as another gust tried to push her over the side to her demise. There were rumors of Ancient Healers in the South, and she had spent the majority of the day traveling to get to one. She kept the scroll tucked firmly in the satchel she had brought; it had been tricky, leaving the meeting early enough to filch it from the library before Myrah returned. Bula had realized she had suspected right the second she opened the fragile parchment; it was from the Healer's histories…the very histories that Myrah had mentioned. The ones that were never supposed to leave the Healer's care.
She trudged further on, hoping those imbeciles in the last village had given her correct information. They had said it would only take an hour or two to reach the…
The short woman paused as she made out a tent in the distance.
"It's about time…" she muttered under her breath, and she pressed onward. A little while later she was pushing her way into the tent.
"Is there an Ancient who lives here?" she called out, and she was met with an immediate irritated groan.
"Why is it nobody seems to respect solitude anymore?" a voice griped, and the advisor scanned the room until she had found the speaker. She was surprised to see how short he was, though she was hardly one to talk when it came to height. Best to get straight to the point, she decided.
"Are you the person I should see if I have a complaint against a Healer?" she asked, her nose in the air. "Specifically about one who's broken an important oath?"
The man scoffed, as he sat back turned to her, grinding something or another.
"Come to tattle on some traveling healer in the West, have you?" he asked dryly, only glancing up a moment to scan her attire. "As much as I love being interrupted for such trivial matters, I'm afraid that it's the Master Healer who's handles such things."
Bula felt miffed to be spoken to in such a condescending way, but she continued regardless.
"And what if the person in question is the Master Healer himself?"
The grinding stopped. After a moment the man turned and glanced up at her again, his gaze becoming more interested than irritated.
"The Master Healer, you say?"
She nodded, and the man tugged on his earring, as if in thought. A small smile was stretching across his face.
"Well, then….I happen to be the exact right person to tell," he said, and Bula was happy to see the change in tone. "What exactly is it that our young Master has gotten himself into?"
"He's fallen in love with Myrah, the Western Leader," Bula explained. "I know there's an oath that forbids Healers from becoming involved in politics, but I must say he seems bent on holding political sway. As it is, he's influencing her to change policies and lead our providence in a whole different direction. Not to mention that his romantic ambitions are the sole factor putting an entire political binding at risk…"
The diminutive Healer's smile was stretching wider and wider, like a predator coming across easy prey.
"How unfortunate," he murmured. "Certainly not the type of action appropriate for a Healer…and most definitely not the Master."
"That's not all," Bula continued with a sniff. She held the scroll up for him to see. "He's been allowing the leader access to and even own bits of the Healer's History. Which, if I'm not mistaken, is never to leave his care…"
The man laughed out loud and quickly moved forward to claim the scroll. Bula pulled it back, her eyes narrowing.
"Not so fast…this information comes at a price."
The man stopped short. Irritation once again flashed across his face, along with grudging curiosity.
"What sort of price?" he finally asked warily, and Bula smiled tightly.
"I trust you will do your duty and apprehend the Master Healer…see that he's properly punished for such oath-breaking," she said. "But if I'm to give you this scroll, you must swear that you won't identify me as the one who exposed him."
The Healer frowned in thought.
"You want to be anonymous to protect yourself," he guessed. "Don't worry…he won't be able to target you. Not after we finish with him."
"It has nothing to do with protection," she clarified coolly. "It's about the principle of the thing; If you are to apprehend him, you're to tell him that the incriminating information came straight from Myrah herself. That is my price."
The Healer first seemed confused, but then he seemed to catch on. A glimmer of cruel mirth suddenly lit in his eyes. He smiled, and Bula finally allowed him to take the scroll.
"Now that's a price I don't mind paying."
They didn't dare transport, just in case. The bus wasn't that crowded at this hour, and luckily it was a relatively straight shot from the police station to the hospital.
Keyda still hated this place, lit up with brilliant white light even in the middle of the night. She shuddered; somehow, a place that never slept seemed eerie. She and her husband pushed their way into room 204, and her breath caught as she saw how frail Amber looked in the big bed.
"Ams…" Cole murmured next to her, and Keyda made it to the bed in a few strides. She pushed Amber's hair out of her face. Amber seemed to be asleep, and the Oni let out a shaky breath as she moved her hand to the back of her head. She placed the other on Amber's chest and closed her eyes, trying to remember what Pazzol had told Hershel all those months ago. After a moment her hands glowed softly, and color seemed to come back into Amber's face. Keyda didn't know how long to go, and would have gone until she had exhausted herself completely. However, Amber's eyes opened before that point.
"Mom?" she croaked, and Keyda sagged, her eyes filled with tears.
"My sweet girl…" Keyda murmured, and she pulled her daughter into a tight embrace. She felt Amber sag in her arms and then hug her back.
"I'm sorry…" Amber started. "I'm sorry if I worried you. I just…I didn't know what else to do. They were going to die, and it was my fault…"
"It wasn't your fault, Ams."
Cole had come up to her then, and Amber opened her eyes to turn to her father. He gave her a sad smile.
"How are you feeling?" he pressed, and she swallowed hard.
"Um, definitely better than I did. I'm still a little dizzy. And I just kept having this horrible nightmare over and over, and it was so hard to wake up…"
Her eyes filled with tears then, and Cole sat down on the other side of the bed from where Keyda was.
"What kind of nightmare?" he asked quietly, and Amber cradled her head.
"It's the same one I've had for a while," she admitted. "I didn't wanna tell you guys about it, because I thought it would just go away, but…"
She looked up in a sudden panic, and Keyda's heart pounded at Amber's expression. It only pounded harder at her daughter's frantic question.
"Where's Theo?"
Climbing out a window and then down five stories with a sprained wrist was impossible, M. finally decided glumly as he stared out the bathroom window. There was no way he was going to be able to make it past those huge men by the glass doors…but it seemed climbing down was even less of an option.
He nearly shut the window and gave up when he noticed something strange off to the side of the window. A small ladder had been built from the window to the roof, and his heart pounded as he realized it was some kind of utility ladder, probably to reach that satellite at the top of the building. As he scanned what he could see of the roofline, he realized that this building was squashed up against other buildings. Buildings that probably had roof-access doors with unguarded fire-escape stairs down to the ground level.
M's heart pounded again as he realized that a ladder was probably something he would be able to climb one-handed.
"It's too big!" Pippa moaned, tugging at the tunic. Syn swatted her hand.
"Stop pulling at it, Pip. I made it longer this time around so that you'd be able to wear it for a while before it gets too short again."
"It's going to get in the way!" the child pouted. She heard her uncle chuckle and turned around to direct her pout at him. "It's not funny! It gets caught on things…and makes it harder to fight Dad when he comes home on the weekends. Plus Baffa likes to chew on the part that hangs down and now so much of it is hanging down!"
"Sorry, Pip," Hershel said evenly as he washed tubers in a basin. "It's just maybe there are more important things than tunic lengths."
She sighed dramatically, as if there wasn't anybody in the entire world who understood her. After a moment, however, she was as bouncy as ever as she headed over to the worn box on the shelf. She began digging around and Syn sighed.
"What are you doing?"
"Lookin for a crystal." She glanced over at Hershel, her expression pleading. "Can we doing some training today, Uncle Hershel? You haven't done anything with me forever cuz you were so busy with training Dad instead. How am I supposed to stay better than him if you never train me?"
He chuckled again at that, and Syn smiled a little to see him so relaxed.
"Alright, Pip," he conceded as he went to dry his hands. "Go sit on the rug."
She beamed and plopped down, waiting for him to come over.
However, the impromptu lesson was interrupted before it ever started as a pop and a flash occurred outside the tent. The three Oni in the tent turned and frowned, but as a short and imposing figure pushed his way into the tent, Hershel's blood ran cold.
"Imgloss," he started carefully, scanning him. "What are you doing here?"
The Healer scanned the freckled Master patronizingly, and a moment later two other figures pushed their way into the tent. Hershel frowned as he tried to remember their names. The woman was Pernue, but he couldn't remember the other.
"What's this about?" Syn cut in, her tone icy as she instinctively made her way over to where Pippa was sitting. The child was scowling at the man and the black chest in his hand.
"Did you bring it back?" she asked. "You finally decided to give it back to Uncle Hershel?"
Imgloss scoffed at the child's question.
"Hardly. In actuality, I'm here with a panel of Healers to issue judgement."
Hershel moved slightly as he began supporting his weight on his hands, gripping the edge of the table.
"Judgement for what?" he managed, and the Ancient barked a short laugh.
"You know better than anyone, don't you?"
Syn was looking between her brother and the Ancient, her heart pounding in the growing tension in the room.
"Hersh…what's he talking about?"
"Maybe we should just get on with it, shall we?" Imgloss cut in. "Hershel, Master Healer of the line of Archtivus, you have been charged with breaking our most ancient oath by fraternizing romantically with a realm leader with the intent of…"
"This is insane!" Syn cut in before the Healer could finish. Her fists were clenched as she yelled at Imgloss. "Hershel hasn't done anything! You can't just come in here without proof!"
"You are not to interrupt these proceedings."
Imgloss's tone had become almost dangerous as he turned to look at Syn, his expression cruel.
"I have put up with your persistent disruptions in the past, but no longer. You are not part of the true Healing art. You will be silent or you will be punished for interference."
Hershel looked like he was about to say something, but Pippa beat him to it. Her eyes flashed as she darted in front of her mother, drawing her small blade in a flash.
"Don't you dare talk to my mom like that!" she yelled, and Imgloss took a step closer to the child as Syn pulled her backward.
"Pippa…."
"Your Master has broken his oath and will be punished," he sneered. "And I'm just realizing that under Healing law you are to be reassigned under a more dutiful Healer…"
"She is not my apprentice."
Hershel finally found his voice, and they turned at his firm, unwavering statement. Pippa staggered a little, hurt by the finality in his voice, but he was glaring at Imgloss.
"She is not my apprentice, so no matter what you say I've done, you have no claim on her. She is not bound to any Healing law."
Imgloss sneered but he glanced over and seemed to realize that the child still did not have any apprentice bands on her arms. Hershel continued, though now his voice was quieter as he addressed his sister.
"Syn…get Pippa out of here."
Her eyes widened slowly as she glanced between the Healers and her brother, and she shook her head.
"Hershel, I'm not leaving…"
"This is between us Healers," Hershel insisted, and his look became pleading. "Please…I'm asking you to take Pippa and get out of here. There's no reason for her…for either of you to have to be part of this."
Syn scanned his face, and suddenly she knew. Tears filled her eyes as she shook her head.
"Hersh…" she murmured, and he glanced away. Imgloss harrumphed impatiently.
"It's time for us to get on with these proceedings…"
"If you touch my Uncle, I'll kill you!" Pippa seethed, fighting to get out of Syn's grasp.
"Syn, take her out." Hershel ordered again, and his sister looked helplessly between her daughter and her brother. She swallowed hard as a few tears escaped. By now, Hershel had left the safety of the table, coming over to put a hand on her arm.
"It's ok," he murmured. "Please, Syn…I don't want you here."
Pippa was still yelling threats, and a few obscenities. Syn finally began pulling her towards the doorway of the tent.
"Pippa…" she tried, but her daughter just writhed. They made it outside and Syn knelt down, the tears running down her own face now. "Pippa stop!"
"I don't like him!" Pippa spat, glaring at the doorway of the tent, as if she could reach the diminutive Healer on the other side with the hatred in her gaze. "We can't leave Uncle Hershel alone with them…"
"Your Uncle is a strong man," Syn tried, though her voice broke a little at the end. She cleared her throat, her own heart pounding with the hopelessness of the situation. They needed to do something…they had to do something. "There isn't anything we can do…but we can go get help."
"Help like who?" Pippa demanded, and Syn straightened as she looked over at where her hoofer was grazing.
"We'll go to the fortress. Cole and Keyda…they're the Rulers. Surely…surely they'll have some sway."
She was talking to her herself more than to her daughter, but Pippa finally stopped fighting to go charging back into the tent.
"That Healer's gonna be sorry," she growled. "Prince Theo will help us too."
Syn nodded absently, looking back at the tent. Part of her wanted to bolt back in there and defend Hershel…but the worst part of this situation was that she knew there was nothing she could do. She was helpless against those Healers and their stupid laws…and if she tried she knew she could be endangering Pippa. All she could hope for was that Hershel would hold his own until she could get back with someone who could actually help.
She and Pippa mounted the Hoofer, and she glanced back one last time before kicking the beast, all the while praying that the Rulers would be able to do something.
Hershel watched his sister and niece disappear from the tent and felt a small stir of relief. It was short-lived as Imgloss spoke again.
"Do you have anything to say against the charges brought against you?"
Pernue and the other Healer were inching towards him now, and Hershel clenched his jaw, trying to decide what to do. His mind was still half frozen in the shock of the situation; it was one of those horrible times where he kept wishing that at any moment he would startle awake. That this was all just his brain manifesting his fear of the secret he had decided to keep…
"And, you should know before you try and lie, we already have proof of your guilt. The question was really only a formality."
Hershel watched dumbly as the Healer pulled another scroll out of his satchel and tossed it onto the floor in disgust. The Master Healer's eyes scanned it; it was strange, he recognized it immediately but couldn't seem to process how it could have possibly…
"We don't even need your testimony, since the leader already told us everything herself."
Hershel lost all feeling. A numbing wave swept over him, making it impossible to process anything…to do anything but stare at that scroll on the ground. Imgloss laughed cruelly, seemingly amused at his reaction.
"Don't you get it, boy? She's the one who turned you in."
"No…"
The first thing that broke through the numbing fog was a hot flash of denial. That it couldn't be…that she would have never betrayed him. But it faded quickly, replaced by horrible internal pain. It was the sort of pain that started small, but escalated quickly until it was almost unbearable. The blood had all rushed out of his face as he continued staring at the frail scroll, sitting alone and vulnerable on the ground. It became all he could do to stay upright as he trembled with the horrible realization. He had been wrong…he had been so wrong about everything.
Hands closed around both his arms, and he balked as he finally looked away from the scroll. The two Healers had grabbed hold of him, and Imgloss's eyes were glittering as he opened the black chest he had brought.
"We as the Healing committee have seen circumstantial proof that Hershel of the line of Archtivus has been harboring a romantic relationship with a realm leader, thereby clandestinely involving himself in the politics of the realm. I, Imgloss, one of the sole surviving Ancients of the realm, condemn this Healer and sentence him to the Ruling of the Law of the Ancients."
He had pulled out a black scroll from the chest, and Hershel's heart pounded with fear and warning as blood red runes suddenly flared to life across its surface.
"No…" he breathed, but no one seemed to be listening as the two Healers forced him to his knees. Imgloss's eyes flicked quickly across the page, and Hershel watched the Ancient scowl.
"It seems the First Ancients have chosen to be far more lenient than I would have been," Imgloss sneered, and his eyes flicked up to catch the frightened look in Hershel's eyes. "But I suppose the punishment fits the crime."
He nodded to himself, and Hershel tried to struggle against the Healers holding him down. Their grip only tightened, and Imgloss approached.
"Indeed…a good punishment for one who abuses power and entertains wandering eyes…"
Hershel's mouth was dry and he was trembling hard, unable to process anything over the confusion and the overwhelming emotional agony that threatened to drown him. How could she do this? How could she do this….
Imgloss began reading the scroll, his voice echoing around the tent as he became the mouthpiece of the First Ancients. Pearly aura began to swirl around the Ancient's hands…aura that Hershel had only ever seen one other time in his life.
"Phos," he breathed. But his old Master had warned him of the consequences, and there was nothing that Archtivus could do for him now.
Imgloss yelled the final words of the spell, his eyes glowing white. Suddenly there was no sound at all in the tent besides Hershel's panting as the Ancient turned his gaze on the Master Healer. He lowered the chest and the scroll, and then came over until he was inches from Hershel's shaking frame. He was short enough that he was still basically looking into Hershel's eyes as he gave a final sneer. Then he lashed out, his aura-clouded hands gripping Hershel's wrists tightly.
Lightening erupted through his body. At least; that's what it felt like. Hershel screamed in agony, and then suddenly all he was aware of was darkness as his consciousness began to fade. The last things he heard were Imgloss's smug words, spoken softly.
"It could have been so much worse, foolish Master," he murmured threateningly. "The ancients didn't even give you a permanent punishment. It could be revoked someday…given that you don't mess up again." He chuckled cruelly. "Of course, the hard thing about perfection is that it's impossible to obtain. Even Archtivus' little protégée makes mistakes, it seems…and you can be sure I'll be back the second you slip up again."
Hershel grimaced as Imgloss's words became hazy. He couldn't make sense of anything except the darkness as his consciousness faded completely.
25