124
Amber embraced her grandfather tightly, and Lou finally pulled back.
"Good to see you back on your feet, Amber," he said with a smile. She returned it.
"It's good to be out of that hospital," she admitted.
"Who was that girl who was with you when we got there?" Keyda asked, hanging her coat on a peg. Amber turned.
"That's Dani…my roommate."
"That's right; you've told us a little about her," Cole remembered. "She seems like a sweet girl."
"She is," Amber agreed, thinking back to their conversation. It occurred to Amber that Dani had never mentioned before that her sister June had been in the hospital. She felt a pang of guilt; she should have asked her more about it. No wonder Dani had been hesitant to come visit her—she probably had spent more than enough time in a hospital to never want to go back.
"You hungry?" Her grandfather was saying now. "You're father's bought enough food to last a few years."
"I did not," Cole argued as he headed to the kitchen. "It's just I don't know how long we're going to have to stay here, Pop. I didn't want you to have to pay for the food…"
"At least let me cook it," his father cut in good-naturedly as he came over to gently push his son out of the kitchen. "So people can actually eat it."
Amber smiled a little as she watched her family interact; her mother had already started to set the table. But then the Xinta's smile faded as she remembered who was going to be missing from the family dinner…and many family meals to come.
"I'm going to go to the temple tomorrow," she said, and her family all looked over at her. "To see what I can do to get Theo back."
Her mother looked away, her grip on the plates she was holding tightening. Cole seemed to sense her frustration because he came over and put a hand on her shoulder.
"We'll find some way to help too, Keyds," he promised, and she put the plates down angrily.
"I hate that our hands are tied…" she started, but then the doorbell was ringing with its usual cheery song. Lou looked up with a frown.
"Who could that be?"
Cole's expression darkened.
"It better not be the news," he muttered, but when the bell rang again the ninja went over to answer it. Amber watched her father take a step back in surprise.
"Ronin?"
A man came into the entryway, and Lou looked over in surprise.
"Well well…it's certainly been a while," he commented, and Ronin shrugged.
"Not a social call," he said. "You should at least know me better than that."
Amber came over with a frown; she had never met this man before, but the name was slightly familiar. She had probably heard his name come up in Ninja stories over the years, but she couldn't remember who he was.
"Then why are you here?" Cole asked, and Amber wondered why her father sounded so suspicious. Ronin was scratching his head, like he actually wasn't sure. He was an older man, Amber realized. Perhaps he was a little senile?
"I came to give you this."
Ronin pulled something out of his pocket, and Cole looked down in surprise at the medallion placed in his hand.
"An…old dancing medal?" he asked carefully. Amber came a little closer, and her heart pounded as she recognized at once what it was.
"That's M's!" she said, and she immediately glared at the man. "Where did you get this!?"
Ronin looked a little taken aback as he looked at her, whistling low.
"That's your daughter, huh? I've heard some things…"
"Where's M? What did you do with him!?" she continued, and her eyes and fists lit up. Cole turned as if to calm her and Ronin put his hands up.
"Easy, you horned wonder. The kid's fine…"
"Then you know where M is?" Cole asked, turning back to him. "Amber's friend told her he's been missing."
"Yeah, saw that on the news," Ronin admitted. "Though, to be fair it was pretty easy to see that he was a runaway. And a rather amateur one at that."
"Where is he now?" Cole continued. Keyda and Lou had come over now, and the ninja continued. "Your shop?"
Ronin rubbed his face again, looking a little sheepish.
"No, actually…he's probably long gone."
They looked taken aback and he shrugged.
"He was wandering around in the middle of the night so I took him in and put him to work. Gave him something to eat. In the morning he said he needed to disappear so I gave him a few ideas…"
"What?! Why?" Amber demanded. Ronin scowled a little.
"I'm not exactly the type to contact the police," he said, as if she should know as much even though she had never even seen him before in her life. "No point having them poke their nose around my business…"
"Where did he go, Ronin?" Lou asked, getting the man back on track. "Where's the boy now? Do you know?"
Ronin shrugged.
"I gave him some tips on places where he could lay low. A few villages farther north will generally take people in, if they know how to work."
"Why did you even come to tell us, if you were going to let him try and disappear anyways?" Keyda demanded, eyeing the man warily. Amber wondered what it was about this man that made her parents seem so suspicious but also grudgingly trustful. Ronin sighed again.
"He gave me that trinket as a thank you," he said carefully. "Said since I obviously love old, useless stuff so much I could keep it. Which was rather offensive, especially since I had just helped him and he was insulting my wares…"
"Ronin!"
"But then on the news there was this whole thing about how he was missing. He mentioned knowing you, so I figured maybe you'd be the next best option than calling the police." He scratched at his beard again. "It was obvious to me that he was a runaway, but the news almost made it sound like they were suspecting foul play."
"From his mother?" Amber demanded, thinking of what Dani had said. Ronin shifted his weight.
"No. She actually said his disappearance probably had something to do with you."
Pippa froze as she heard the fire pop, but as she glanced over she was relieved to see that her parents were still asleep. She bit her lip, concentrating on her task in the dim lighting. She managed to pull a few petals out, sealing the lid back on the jar silently. She climbed down as carefully as she could, making sure not to knock over any pots or other items that were cluttering the table. She ducked down underneath it, one fist full of petals while the other held the cold metal cup full of water. She glanced at her parents again before lighting her hand up with power. A few seconds later the water was boiling, and she quickly dropped the petals in. She chewed her lip as she looked down at it. How long was she supposed to wait? One minute? Two? She felt a little bit of fear, because she wasn't exactly sure what she should expect. But she also knew that her Uncle Hershel needed help, and the only person that her mother said could help him was Phos. This was how her uncle talked with his father, so why couldn't Pippa do it?
She waited for the tea to be cool enough to drink without burning her mouth, and then quickly drank as quickly as she could. She didn't even finish the potent tea before her eyes were drooping, and suddenly she was pitching forward into the dirt, the rest of the tea spilling out underneath her in a warm puddle. And then there was nothing.
Her eyes flew open, and she was suddenly outside. It was daytime, and she frowned as she pushed herself up off the dirt. What had happened? Had the tea not worked?
"What am I doing here?"
She spun at the sound and saw an old man standing with a rickety old cane in one hand, looking around the wilderness in confusion. Pippa recognized him at once.
"You must be Uncle Hershel's Dad."
The man looked over and seemed to notice her for the first time, his eyebrows raising.
"You must be Pippa," he finally said, scratching his chin. For some reason it made Pippa secretly pleased that he recognized her.
"Is your name Phos, or Archtivus?" she asked, wiggling a toe in the warm dirt. "Cuz I hear different things."
The older man studied her for a few moments, as if unsure how to answer.
"I suppose I've been called both," he finally admitted, and she scowled.
"Dad's right. You're confusing."
Phos chuckled, which confused her. He walked over to be closer.
"What is this place?" he finally tried. "We wouldn't have been brought here if it wasn't important to you."
Pippa looked around.
"It's not too far from my house," she decided. "This is where I play sometimes. One time I climbed that huge formation and didn't even fall! My mom was mad after but I don't get why she would be mad if I didn't get hurt, you know? And over there is where me and Dad sword fight sometimes…and that's where I met Baffa…"
He listened quietly as she pointed out the different places, and finally pointed off to the distance.
"And if you go that way for a long time…well, a long time walking but on Baffa it doesn't take long, you get to Uncle Hershel's tent…"
She trailed off as she remembered why she had drunk the tea in the first place.
"He's broken, Phos," she admitted quietly. "That's why I had to drink the tea…so I could ask you how to fix him."
The old man's demeanor changed immediately. He had been looking around with a kind of distant curiosity, but now he was looking at her severely. He was kinda scary looking, when he looked at her like that. Pippa wondered why Hershel loved him so much.
"What do you mean?" Phos demanded. "Something's happened to Hershel?"
Pippa nodded, and she looked down at the ground to avoid the stern man's piercing gaze. She gave a little shrug, her toe digging into the dirt some more.
"He did something wrong," she said really quietly, as if she was confessing something that she had done herself and was ashamed of it. "I don't know what; no one will tell me. But that short, mean man came. Dad says he's an Ancient, and that's why we can't kill him even if we really want to…"
"Imgloss," Phos muttered to himself, and she risked a glance up. His expression made him look like he was thinking really hard…and not liking what he was thinking about. He finally turned back to the young girl. "What did he do to Hershel?"
Pippa chewed her lip. She was rarely ever this shy, but for some reason all of this was hard to talk about.
"He can't see anymore," she finally said, staring at the dirt once again. "And he doesn't have magic anymore. That's why….that's why the tea doesn't work for him. He tried and it didn't work and he was really, really sad…"
"How could you do this?"
Pippa glanced up again as the man spoke softly, but he wasn't looking at her. She wondered if Phos was even talking to her anymore, because he seemed to be staring off into the distance as he rubbed his face with one hand.
"Hershel….how could you do this?"
"What did he do?" Pippa demanded. Even this old guy knew, and she didn't? It wasn't fair that she was always the last to know. "What did he do?"
Phos just scowled.
"I can only guess…"
"It wasn't even his fault!" she tried. For some reason it hurt to know that even Hershel's Dad thought he had done something wrong. Like…like he deserved this. "Mom says it was Myrah's fault…she told on him…"
The Ancient's eyes flashed brightly, his hands clenching into fists. She took a step back as aura whipped around them in a raging burst, but then it had died down almost as quickly as it had happened, leaving her confused.
"That poor boy."
Phos was talking to himself again, and Pippa hugged herself when she heard how angry and sad he sounded.
"This is all my fault. He didn't deserve this…"
"Then tell me how to fix him!"
The old man glanced up, as if remembering she was there. Pippa continued passionately, in the way only a six-year-old can.
"How can I fix his eyes? Or his magic? How can I make him happy again?"
Phos just studied her, and her own eyes flashed. Why wouldn't he answer?!
"He was so happy," she pointed out. "He smiled a lot and he didn't get mad at me so much. But now he's so sad. He won't even eat. How can I fix him? Please tell me…."
Her eyes filled with tears, her emotions tanking as hopelessness set in. She had thought his Dad would care…that he would help her. But he wouldn't even say anything!
Phos scratched his chin, lost in thought. He finally spoke, his voice more businesslike.
"Is he still the Master Healer?"
She blinked.
"I…I dunno…"
He looked up and met her eye. His voice became softer.
"Does he still have all the scrolls in his tent? Did they…did they strip his tattoos?"
Pippa thought about it.
"He still has the scrolls," she admitted. "And he still has his tattoos. And new, glowy ones…"
"Glowing ones?" he asked, and she nodded. She gestured to her own wrists.
"Around his wrists, there are new ones. They look like all these loops connected together. And they glow white, even in the dark…"
Phos sighed, and Pippa realized that he seemed relieved.
"It's not a permanent punishment," he murmured, and Pippa frowned.
"What do you mean?"
The Ancient Healer leaned on his cane, looking at her in that way adults did. When they didn't think she would understand. She bristled.
"What do you mean, it's not permanent? So it could be taken away?"
"Imgloss used the Law of the Ancients," he said, talking to himself. "He had to have, if that's the punishment issued." Then he spoke louder, addressing Pippa again. "Sometimes punishments aren't forever; the first Ancients give you a second chance."
"So…"
Pippa frowned in thought.
"If Uncle Hershel doesn't make the mistake again, he can get his powers back? And his eyes?"
Phos hesitated, but then nodded. Pippa felt a wave of relief.
"How long? How long does he have to be good for?"
"It's hard to say," the Ancient admitted. "It could be months…it could be years. Or longer."
Pippa didn't want it to be years, but she felt like this was still good news. She just had to tell her Uncle Hershel…and he didn't have to be so sad anymore.
She ran up to the old man and gave him a hug around his middle. He stumbled a little, as if surprised. She looked up at him and gave him a crooked-toothed smile.
"Thank you, Archti-Phos," she said, and he looked down at her in surprise. He reached out hesitantly, and she could feel his hand on her curls. When he spoke again, his voice was soft…and he sounded kind of sad.
"You look so much like your mother."
125
Amber looked out the window and frowned.
"He's here…" she called out, her eyes scanning the black sports car. After a moment a man got out and began quickly making his way up to the door. He seemed furious, and Amber steeled herself as she heard the pounding knock.
Lou answered, and Marty IV stormed into the room.
"Where is he?" he demanded, but Lou shook his head.
"I told you when I called you…we don't have him here, we just may know where he went…"
"How?!" the headmaster demanded. "You mean you had him here and you let him leave?!"
"M. didn't ever come here," Cole cut in, and Marty looked up. The two men studied each other for a moment before Cole held out the medal that had more or less been worn smooth. "A friend of ours came over with this and mentioned seeing him…"
The Headmaster took the medal with a look of disgust.
"What is this?" he sneered, and Amber felt a flash of anger.
"That's his medal!" she snapped, and everyone looked over at her. She usually would be more careful talking to the Headmaster, but this was more important than whether he was going to let her into the school, or what he thought of her. This was about her friend. "He always has it; he carries it around with him everywhere. He says it reminds him of his mom…"
Marty's hand closed tightly around the medal at the mention of Matilda, his expression twisting with loathing.
"How would you even know?" he started, and Amber's eyes flashed as she took a step closer.
"I know him better than you!" she countered. "He knows he can't talk to you about anything!"
"You little…"
"The point is, we know where M. went. Or, we know where he was headed. That's why we called; to let you know," Cole cut in.
"Why not call the police?" Marty snapped, turning his sneer on Cole as he pocketed the medal in his suit pocket. Cole didn't answer, and the Headmaster sniffed. "I suppose you are all trying to avoid interactions with the police right now, aren't you?"
"We just wanted you to know, so you knew where to look," Keyda said, her own expression hostile as she put an arm around her husband. Amber scoffed.
"Forget it. He doesn't care about M."
The Headmaster bristled and turned to glare at her, and she glared back.
"I'll go find M. He'll listen to me…"
"You will do no such thing!" Marty IV started, and Lou came forward, trying to take the tension from the situation.
"Amber, you were going to go meet up with your cousins today, remember? We still need to figure out how to get Theodynn home."
At the mention of the Oni teen, Marty's angry demeanor faded slightly, like he was remembering back to something. When he spoke again his voice was more even.
"Where is my son?" he asked, turning to Cole.
"We think he was headed to the northern villages…"
"You think? I thought you said…."
"We only know which way he headed. Our friend admitted that he isn't really sure where he went."
Marty seemed ready to boil over, and Cole spoke softly, as if trying to talk down a wild animal.
"When I ran off all those years ago, I headed to the north first. It's a safe place to disappear…I'd say it's a good bet."
"When you ran off."
Marty said like he was coming to a realization. He looked up at Cole, his eyes hardening.
"Of course; he's only following the path you did all those years ago. Despite everything I've tried, he's determined to be a failure, like you…"
Keyda and Cole both bristled, and the Oni's eyes flashed.
"How dare you!" she started, but Marty continued and took them by surprise.
"Help me find my son."
The room went silent…even Amber was taken by surprise. Marty continued; he sounded like it was painful for him to even ask, but also like he didn't have many other options.
"Help me find M, and I'll do what I can to clear your name," he offered, and Cole ran a confused hand through his hair.
"I don't understand…"
"I cannot scour the entirety of Ninjago!" Marty yelled, throwing his hands up. "M. could be anywhere by now…I'm forced to realize that. I have to get to him as soon as possible…before anything happens to him."
His face twisted briefly, but then the Headmaster got a hold of himself. He straightened, letting out a long breath as he straightened his tie.
"I need to know where to look, and that's something you can help with."
Cole and Keyda were still hesitating, and Cole finally sighed.
"Normally, we would be willing to help. But things are complicated at the moment…"
"We have a commoon enemy right now," Marty argued coldly. "I have no love for Matilda and would gladly help you take her down. But I need to make sure my son is safe first…that is my number one priority."
Cole and Keyda looked at each other, and Keyda's expression finally hardened with resolve. She turned back to the Headmaster.
"We'll help you find your son. But then you're going to help us free ours."
She held out a hand, and the Headmaster looked down at it with a hard to read expression. After a few tense moments he reached out and shook it.
"We leave immediately," he said. "In my car…"
"I'm coming too," Amber insisted, but her parents were the ones who turned and rejected the idea.
"No, Amber." Keyda said. "You just got out of the hospital. You should be resting…"
The Xinta scowled.
"I'm fine now! I want to help find M…"
"Ams…" her father started, and her eyes flashed.
"He's my best friend!"
Cole knelt down to look her in the eyes, and she tried one last time.
"Dad, let me come!"
"I know you want to help. But you can do things here that we can't. You can help Theo. You do what you can for your brother, Amber…and we'll find M. Alright?"
She hesitated, the images of both Theo and M being on their own right now competing in her mind. Suddenly her mother was there, looking down into her daughter's eyes with her own.
"Promise you'll stay safe, Amber," she said, and the Xinta finally sagged in defeat.
"Fine. I promise," she said with a sigh. Marty was already at the door, and he was watching the entire exchange with what looked like curiosity mixed with irritation.
"We need to leave now!" he reminded, and Amber watched her parents look over.
"You be careful too," she said to them, and her mother nodded.
"We will. We'll call your grandfather and let you know when we find your friend."
There was nothing else to be said at that point, and Amber watched as her parents went outside and climbed into the dark-colored sportscar. Then, with nothing left to do but worry about everyone in her life, she gave her grandfather a hug and headed off to the temple.
"Iced Latte, extra sugar, less foam."
The receptionist looked up in surprise as Ashely set the coffee on her table. After a moment the woman blinked.
"How…"
"I hope you don't mind," the young woman said, brushing her hair out of her face. "I noticed the mug on your desk yesterday and figured you could start your morning off right. No doubt you've all had a run of long nights here at the NCST, what with saving the realm and all…"
The receptionist snorted a little bitterly, and picked up the mug. She took a sip and smiled, but then she looked troubled as she glanced back at Ashley.
"I can't offer you a position; you only applied yesterday, and nothing has opened up…"
"I'm not looking for a paid position. Honest; I just need an internship in order to apply for the competitive political science major at N.U."
The receptionist took another sip and hesitated. Ashley pushed a little harder.
"Just let me work here today, on trial? And if I can find enough ways to help out, you'll keep me on for the next few weeks?"
The receptionist sighed heavily.
"We do struggle finding people to do the drink runs, now that Andrew's been promoted to filing downstairs…"
Ashley beamed.
"That sounds like something I can help with."
The man looked half asleep, and Ashley wanted to slip by. But she knew that was too risky; she needed to be smart about this.
"Franklin?"
The man blinked awake and squinted up at her.
"Hey, I'm Ashley, the new intern…" she started, balancing the tray of drinks on one hand so she could flash her badge. "I just got back from a drink run, and someone downstairs said you'd appreciate a hot cup of tea…"
"Really?" The man frowned and rubbed at his eyes. "Didn't even know people remembered I was here."
He was grouchy, and Ashley flashed him a comforting smile.
"Well, I only know about you because someone suggested you deserve a treat. I guess you have one of the more important jobs…"
He perked up a little at that, but then he was scowling.
"Some important job. I'm just supposed to sit here to guard the one kid we have sitting in a cell. Not exactly rocket science."
Ashley's eyes widened.
"Wait…this is where they're holding that Oni?"
The man nodded and she gave him her best impressed look.
"You're guarding the Oni…one of the very people who attacked Ninjago a few nights ago! I mean…that sounds like a pretty important job. No wonder everybody knows your name."
She was laying it on pretty thick, and she kicked herself. But the man seemed to enjoy having his feathers gleaned, and he straightened.
"Well, yes…I suppose it is an important prisoner. It's just that there's not as many now as there could be."
It made Ashely queasy, but she didn't let her smile falter.
"What do you mean?"
Franklin ran a hand over his balding head, as if taking to his new role as a very important person.
"Well, if and when an invasion does happen, this whole floor will be full of those devil people," he explained.
"Really? So, do you really think there's going to be an invasion?" Ashely asked, resisting the urge to hit him upside the head. He shrugged.
"Looks that way."
She handed him the tea, and then looked at the last cup on her tray.
"This one's for some guy named Earl. But I've checked all the floors and I can't find him…"
"Earl?" Franklin frowned, stroking his chin as if he were deep in thought. She tried not to roll her eyes.
"Why, I do believe Earl's the one who's in charge of the Oni," Franklin admitted. "You know, when he's out and about."
"Is he out and about now?" Ashley asked, eyes wide, and Franklin shook his head.
"Nah, Oni's in his cell. Earl just dropped him off an hour or so ago. Not really sure what happened to the big guy after that, if I'm being honest.
Ashley bit her lip and looked down the hallway.
"Do you mind if I head down and look for him? He's the last one on the list…"
Franklin frowned.
"I'm not sure that he's on this floor…you'll have better luck on the second floor."
Ashley kept calm, giving him her best panicked look.
"I already did," she said, her tone pleading. "Can I just check really quick? It's just…the coffee's already going to get cold, and it's my first day…" She bit her lip, like she was trying not to cry. Not necessarily age-appropriate for an 18-year-old, maybe, but it seemed to convince the balding man in front of her. He leaned forward, tutting.
"Aw, alright. I really don't think he's down there...but you're free to look."
She flashed him a grateful smile and headed down the hallway. Julien had managed to break into security and had already told her where Theo's cell was, and she headed there quickly.
"Hey, girl!"
She stopped, trying to not be annoyed that the man couldn't even seem to remember her name.
"Yes?" she asked, turning with an innocent look.
"If you see the Oni, don't be afraid. He's got cuffs and chains on him; he's locked up tight. You're nice and safe…alright honey?"
She wondered briefly what he would look like with a coffee dumped on his bald head, but instead she nodded like she was relieved.
"Alright…I'm glad to hear it."
He nodded and turned back to his newspaper and warm cup of tea. Ashley turned and finally allowed herself to scowl. She felt furious, but she pushed away her thoughts about Franklin. That tea would have him sleeping like a baby again in seconds, and considering how often the guard was seen sleeping on the job, she doubted it would strike suspicion in anyone.
She set the tray with the coffee down and glanced at the cell numbers. In a few moments she came across the right one and felt a twinge of sadness as she caught sight of Theo through the thick glass. Or was this clearstone? He was lying on his cot, gazing up at the ceiling as if lost in thought. It made her sick to see that he really was cuffed and chained. She knocked on the window.
Theo turned, and the look on his face was priceless.
"Ash?"
His voice sounded distant and distorted through the glass and she gave him a smile.
"Hey, Theo. You doing ok?"
He sat up and turned to face her, giving her a confused smile.
"Well…I'm fine, I guess. What are you doing here?"
Her smile faded as she put a hand on the glass.
"I needed to let you know that we aren't giving up on you, alright? There's a plan in motion for getting you out…"
"Obviously," he said. He stood and started to come over to the glass, but Ashley watched him get stopped short. They both glanced back at the short length of chain stretching from one of his cuffs to a large ring on the wall, and Theo sighed. He turned back to look at her.
"I hope you brought something that cuts vengestone…" he said, and she winced as she realized that he thought she was there to rescue him right then. Ashley shook her head.
"We're going to get you out of here as soon as possible, ok Theo?" she promised, and he nodded. She continued awkwardly. "But not today…"
He frowned, not comprehending. She sighed.
"If we bust you out of here, it's just going to give Matilda more ammunition."
"Oh." He looked like he wanted to say more, but he finally just sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Then…what's the plan?"
"We're going to force her hand," Ashley explained. "Basically, we're going to make it impossible for her not to release you."
Theodynn didn't look convinced, and Ash bit her lip.
"I'm not going to be able to tell you everything now," she admitted. "But we're on the case; the twins, me, Julien…we're going to get you out. You just have to trust us…"
"I do trust you."
She trailed off at the pure way he said it, and Theo smiled in that shy way he had.
"I guess me disappearing would only give Matilda more charges to throw at us, huh?"
Ashley nodded.
"Exactly. But you hold on, ok? I know that she has a way of twisting words, of getting under people's skin, but you can't give her anything. Don't talk to her. You technically should have a lawyer in there with you anytime she questions you, but because you aren't a Ninjago citizen it seems she doesn't feel the need to follow that law. So don't say anything, alright?"
He hesitated a moment.
"Alright."
She wished he sounded a little more confident. She gave him a comforting smile.
"Hey."
He glanced back up at her, and she knocked on the window.
"You're a prince, Theo. Not some push-over. Don't you forget that…and don't let her forget it either, k?"
He scanned her face and finally smiled.
"K."
She nodded and then turned to glance down the hall.
"I should probably go. I don't want anyone to come looking for me; I'm pretending to be an intern here at the NCST…so if you see me again, pretend you don't know me…k?"
He nodded his understanding and she went to leave.
"Ash, wait!"
She turned in surprise, and she saw him straining against his chain as he tried to catch her.
"What?"
"Amber…is she…?" Theo trailed off, his expression falling. "I haven't heard anything…"
She realized immediately, and felt horrible when she realized that Theo had been sitting here for days, not even knowing what had happened to his family.
"Amber's fine," she assured. "She's at the temple with the others right now, working on finding evidence against Matilda. Your parents are out of jail too; I think they're staying with your Grandfather."
He sagged in relief.
"She's ok?" he repeated, and Ashley smiled.
"She's fine. Angry as anything that you're locked up here, of course…but other than that…"
He smiled a little.
"Sounds about right. Thanks, Ash."
She nodded.
"We're your friends, Theo. We aren't going to let anything happen to you, alright?"
"Alright."
She gave him one last comforting smile and then headed back down the hall. She picked up the cold coffee and threw it away as she passed the sleeping guard at his desk. She felt angry all over again, thinking about what Julien had told her about Matilda slapping Theo. He was such a genuine guy, she thought…how anyone could be heartless enough to hurt him was a mystery. But one thing was for sure; they were going to get him out of there before Matilda could do anything else.
126
Pippa went into the back of the tent. Hershel was still on his bedmat, staring up at the ceiling with that weird expression he always wore now. He was awake, but Syn hadn't been able to coax him to get off his bed that day. So now he was just lying there while Syn went out to do the Healing visits, telling Pippa to keep an eye on her Uncle.
Pippa frowned as she studied him. His eyes used to be brown…but over the last few days she had noticed this strange milky film that made the brown murky. It looked like the same stuff that was wrapped around his wrists, Pippa realized, and she felt a spur of excitement as she remembered what Phos had told her.
She came over and sat down next to him.
"Uncle Hershel…"
He didn't answer her, and she shook his shoulder.
"Uncle Hershel, this is important!"
"What is it, Pippa?"
His tone was distant and numb, and she scowled as she shook him again.
"I talked with your dad!" she blurted. Something flickered across Hershel's expression.
"You…" he started, not understanding, and Pippa scowled.
"I talked with your Dad," she said again. "Last night I made some tea and I talked with him. And he said this punishment isn't permanent. He said that the…" she frowned, trying to remember. "The first ancients will give you a second chance!"
He was silent, and for a moment she thought that he was ignoring her. But then he was sitting up.
"A second chance? What do you mean? You…you talked with Phos?"
Pippa rubbed his glowing wrist with a finger.
"Yeah, I talked with him. I told him about these and he said these tattoos meant that it wasn't a forever thing. He said it may take a while but eventually you can have your magic back…and your eyes. You just can't do any more bad things."
Hershel's eyes were scanning in front of him; they did that when he was lost in thought, Pippa realized. Like he was looking for something in his mind, since he couldn't look for anything in the world around him anymore.
"Imgloss," he remembered softly. "He…he mentioned it wasn't permanent…"
Pippa smiled a little; there was a little bit of hope in her Uncle's voice now. He turned to face her.
"Did Phos say how long it would take?"
Here she frowned.
"N-ooooo, he said it's hard to tell. But he said that you still having your scrolls and tattoos is a good sign."
Hershel didn't respond, but he was nodding to himself a little now.
"There's a chance…" he whispered.
"Now you can be happy again!" Pippa said, and she saw a glimmer of relief cross Hershel's face. But then it faded, his expression drooping again.
"But I could still be like this for who knows how long…completely useless…"
Pippa scowled.
"You aren't useless, Uncle Hershel. You just can't see. You just have to learn how to do things without seeing…"
He sighed heavily.
"It's not that simple, Pip…"
"Stand up!"
He blinked at her tone, but she was on her feet, tugging on his arm.
"Stand up, Uncle Hershel!"
"Pippa…"
"Please! I want to show you…but you have to stand up."
He sighed heavily again, but her heart pounded with hope as she watched him push himself to his feet.
"Show me what?" he asked, and she tugged him towards the tent door.
"It's outside…"
He immediately stiffened.
"Pip."
"There's nothing scary out there!" she argued. "You need to go outside, Uncle Hershel. You can't just sit in this tent all day…"
"Pippa, I can't," he pointed out woodenly, and tried to reclaim his arm. "I can't go outside. Not like this…"
"I'll help you! I'll help you, Uncle Hershel. It's not far."
He didn't answer and she tugged his arm.
"Please?"
The Master Healer was staring at the ground, and Pippa tried again.
"You'll get your sight back, Uncle Hershel…you will. Phos said so! But you can't just sit in here for months until it happens. Please…it's not far…"
It took a little longer, but he finally wiped his face with one hand.
"Alright," he said quietly, and she beamed at him.
"Let's go," she said, and Hershel took hesitant steps as she guided him to the doorway, talking nonstop as she went.
"There's something on the ground, wait I'll kick it out of the way…alright, the doorway's here. Can you feel the sunshine? It's warm today…wait, there's kinda a step here in the dirt, remember? Step up now…"
Hershel followed stiffly, and Pippa finally told him to stop walking.
"Where are we?" he asked softly, and she glanced back.
"Um…we're still pretty close to the tent," she replied honestly. He actually cracked a smile at that.
"What is it you wanted to show me?" he asked. "Because…Pip, I can't see anything…"
"I know," she said. "It wasn't a seeing sort of show. It was a doing sort of show."
He frowned and she tugged him a little further down the path.
"You didn't think you could do this…I'm showing you that you can!" she explained cheerily.
"But, Pip…there's more to what I have to do than just walking…"
"Remember when you were teaching Dad how to control his powers?" she prompted, taking him a little further. "And sometimes he'd get frustrated and say he'd never get there and you'd say that he has to just take small steps, and not to get overwhelmed by the whole picture. That's what you have to do too, Uncle Hershel."
He stopped then, and she frowned as she realized his face was all twisted up. But then he was reaching out, finding her curly hair.
"Sometimes…it's hard to believe you're only six," he murmured, and she shrugged.
"I'm tall for my age," she explained easily, and then let out a shrill whistle. Hershel jumped and she turned back sheepishly.
"Sorry, Uncle Hershel. I was just calling Baffa…"
"Why?" he asked. He was kinda looking around, but in a weird way.
"What are you doing? Trying to see him?"
Hershel smiled self-consciously.
"I'm trying to hear him," he explained softly, and Pippa blinked in surprise. She paused, and then shut her eyes too, trying to see if she could hear Baffa. After a minute, she could hear the pounding and shuffling of a running Sniffer, and she opened her eyes and turned. Hershel turned to face the same direction.
"There you are, Baffa!" she said with a grin, and he came bounding over. She put out a stern hand. "Stop! Uncle Hershel can't see…you can't just run into him!"
She felt her Uncle stiffen with anticipation, but the sniffer managed to stop in time. He began snuffling her, no doubt looking for a treat, and she pushed his head away.
"Later," she promised, and she released Hershel's hand so she could climb on. Her Uncle's expression became concerned.
"Pip…what are you doing?" he asked, and she realized he sounded a little scared. Having boarded Baffa, she reached out to grab her Uncle's hand again, guiding it over to Baffa's long mane.
"Hold on here, Uncle Hershel…"
"What are you doing?" he asked again, and she watched as his hand clung to Baffa's mane like a lifeline.
"We are going to go pick herbs," she explained, and Hershel's expression darkened.
"No…Pippa, I can't see…"
"You don't have to see…you just have to walk. I'll make sure Baffa goes nice and slow!" she explained. "Just hang on to him. I'll tell you if there's anything in your way, ok?"
He seemed rooted to the spot, his one hand still frozen where it was clutching onto the fluffy sniffer. When he wouldn't move, Pippa bit her lip and nudged Baffa to step forward. He did so, and Hershel was forced to either follow or release his grasp. He moved forward.
"Pippa…" he tried again, but she cut him off.
"You're doing it, Uncle Hershel! You're doing it."
He let out a shaky breath, and Pippa nudged Baffa to move forward again. The sniffer began walking and Hershel walked alongside him, much to Pippa's relief.
They headed for the nearby herb caves, and the whole time she kept up a constant banter, telling Hershel about things happening in different villages and making sure to warn him about different things that he would have to step around or over. There were a few times he stumbled, but he never let go.
"Ok…final draft. What do you think?"
Mia swiped a finger across her screen, and May looked down at her phone as the document appeared. She opened it quickly, scanning what her twin had written.
"I still think you shouldn't use the word 'lust', May…Matilda's not in love with Theo, she's using him as a political bargaining chip…"
"It says lust for power, May. That's a thing! Don't you read?"
"I get that it's a thing…I just think that it may pull away from the point we're trying to make. This is war, May…we have to be sure of every word…"
"What are you doing?"
The twins looked up as Amber walked into the room, hugging herself self-consciously. Mia gave her a little wave.
"Hey. We're putting the finishing touches on our social media campaign. It's a pretty hard-hitting expose, actually. Between the two of us, and the 4 different social media platforms we use, we should be able to make a lot of headway."
May turned her tablet towards Amber and the Oni frowned.
"Set Theodynn Free; Stop Government Cruelty," she read. "And…this will work?"
"It tells the whole story in a hard-hitting way," May explained. "This is just step one, just to give #FreeTheodynn a foundation."
"Hash-what?"
"You know what would help, actually, is some interviews with some of the kids involved in the incident in the cave," Mia said.
"Wasn't Matilda's son part of that?" Her twin added. Amber felt a little overwhelmed, and she took a step back. Mia rolled her eyes.
"M's missing," she said, and then May slapped her forehead.
"Oh, shoot. I forgot about that. It was on the news…"
"Any idea where he is?" Mia asked, turning to Amber. "Matilda is using his disappearance to further her agenda. If we could get an interview with him to discount everything she's saying, that would help."
Amber scowled.
"What do you mean, using his disappearance?"
"She's an absolute witch," May answered, going back into her tablet to edit the post one last time. "Here her son is missing, and she's saying that you and your family must have something to do with it. It's horrid."
"While I was at the NCST, Theodynn said that his mother had locked him in her office," Julien pointed out. He had set up an entire surveillance system in the upper room of the temple, scanning the screens filled with camera footage from different parts of the NCST. Amber wandered over to him.
"Is he still there?" she asked, and he shook his head.
"I have not seen anyone that matches his description. I'm trying to hack into the system enough to get access to previous footage. If he escaped from the office somehow and I can find the shot, we can use it to our advantage."
It made Amber uncomfortable, hearing all the ways people wanted to use M and Theo. She hated it.
"Why do we need to pull M into all this?" she finally asked. "I mean, if he's run away, he's already in a bad place…"
"We didn't pull M into this. His mother did. And if we don't make it clear that he's on our side, then the world will assume he's on hers." One of the twins pointed out, but Amber wasn't paying enough attention to know which one. She hugged herself, and May looked over.
"Did you see Colby on your way in? He insisted that we bring him, but we haven't seen him since we got here."
Amber nodded.
"He's outside, trimming the hedges into weird shapes."
Mia scoffed.
"Figures. Hey May, have you linked the post to the injustice websites yet?"
"I was about to, but I'm thinking we should re-think some of these. There are a few radical ones that we probably don't want Theo affiliated with…"
The conversation continued, and Amber felt so small and useless. She didn't even know what anyone was talking about at this point, let alone how she could help. Julien must have noticed because he waved her over.
"Would you like to see your brother?"
Amber felt something catch in her chest and she nodded furiously. He beckoned her over on a seat next to him and then began typing.
"Here we go…Floor four, camera 3, cell 4…"
He pushed one last button with a flourish, and the middle screen flicked to a different view. Amber leaned in. It wasn't the best camera angle, but she could make out a figure behind some murky looking glass and her eyes filled with tears.
"Tay…" she whispered. Julien smiled.
"He is ok. We have been watching to make sure that they are feeding him, and they are. He is safe, just trapped."
She watched the camera, and could see Theo move in his cell, changing positions.
"Is this what's happening now? Or is it a recording?"
"It is a live feed," Julien assured. "That is him right now."
Amber let out a breath, and the robotics major turned back to his other screens.
"You can watch him if you want. Let me know if he gets pulled out for any more interviews…"
"What kind of interviews?" she demanded, looking over. Julien frowned as he continued his hacking.
"Matilda talked with him for a while yesterday. And the police pulled him out for an interview today."
"The police? Why?"
"They were asking him what he knew about M." he explained.
Amber sighed heavily.
"What did he say?"
Julien shrugged.
"He told them the truth, but only time will tell if they will believe him. But I need all interview footage so that we can have visual evidence that goes against whatever other lies Matilda spreads."
Amber frowned as she continued to watch the screen with her brother.
"A war of words," she remembered softly. "Hang in there, Tay."
Syn rubbed her face again, worry causing her whole body to tremble. She shouldn't have left them. Where would Hershel have gone? He couldn't even see….
Suddenly she could hear her daughter laughing, and she raced to the back of the tent. Syn threw open the door flap and her whole body sagged in relief as she saw Hershel and Syn coming back to the tent. As the relief of seeing them faded, Syn realized that Hershel was outside. He was walking slowly, one hand grabbing onto Baffa for support…but he was walking. She hurried out to meet them.
"Where have you been?" she demanded, and Pippa and Hershel both glanced up.
"We were picking herbs!" Pippa offered, holding up a satchel, but her mother scowled.
"You gave me a heart attack," she chided, and when she reached Hershel she immediately took his hand to guide him. "Here, Hersh…I'll take you back to the tent."
He hesitated, and she frowned. But after a moment he released Baffa's scruff, following after Syn in halting steps. Syn wrapped one arm around his waist, making each step as slow as possible. After a few steps Pippa caught up.
"He doesn't need to walk that slow!" the child argued, grabbing Hershel's other hand to pull him along. "The ground's all flat, Uncle Hershel…there's just that step right before…"
"Leave him, Pippa," her mother chided. "Go take the herbs inside and start bundling them."
Pippa folded her arms, but Syn gave her a stern look and the child finally huffed and headed inside. Syn turned back to her brother.
"I'm glad you're ok. I was terrified when I got home and you were gone…"
"It was just a walk up to the caves," he said testily. "It wasn't dangerous."
She sighed.
"But it…it could have been. I want you to get out of the tent more, Hersh…but you should have waited for me or Tolan. Pippa wouldn't have been able to help you if something happened."
"Pippa was fine," he argued. He paused, and then slowly pulled her arm away from where it was wrapping around him. "You don't need to guard me so closely. I'm fine…"
He tripped then on the slight step going into the tent. He threw his arms out as he pitched forward, and Syn was only barely able to steady him in time.
"Hershel!"
He sighed, and slowly straightened.
"I'm alright."
Her heart was pounding, but as he got up and hesitantly walked back into the tent, her protectiveness wore off enough for her to realize what this meant. He was walking around…he was wanting to get out of the tent more. Her eyes filled with tears as she suddenly realized that maybe, just maybe he hadn't given up yet.
25