55
The village was farther away than Pippa had thought it was. By the time they reached it, she was sweating and desperate for a drink of water. She knew Raiyn had to be thirsty too, but he didn't mention as much as he dragged her across the desert toward the tents. As they passed the first cluster, Pippa began looking for a well. She caught sight of one at last, and Raiyn squeaked in indignation as she began toting him toward it.
"No water," the toddler begged. "Find Teag!"
"We have to drink something, or we're going to pass out!" Pippa growled, pushing her limp hair out of her dusty face. Raiyn sagged in defeat, and Pippa grabbed the bucket gratefully. Her stomach still clenched at the sight of the well's depths, but she forced her uneasiness away. She was too old to be afraid of wells anymore.
Raiyn plopped down on the ground next to the well, as if suddenly realizing how tired he was. Pippa quickly lowered the bucket down into the well and drew it back up with shaking arms. When she finally got it to the surface, she lugged it out eagerly and dropped to the ground next to her cousin.
"Here, Raiyn. Drink this," she offered before plunging her hands into the cool water and bringing them to her mouth to drink greedily. Raiyn watched for a few seconds before following suit, though he whimpered in disappointment when he wasn't able to cup the water as expertly as she could. After a few handfuls, Pippa looked over to see Raiyn desperately licking the water off his hands, and she sighed. "You can stick your face in it, if you need to," she said, demonstrating. Raiyn faceplanted into the bucket, and Pippa smiled as she watched him slurp up the water. Her parents would have a fit if they saw them drinking straight out of a well-bucket like this.
Pippa's smile faded as she thought of her parents. If she and Raiyn didn't make it back by dark, her mother would lose her mind. Standing with a groan, Pippa put the bucket back up on the well. "We got to get back home now," she told her cousin as she tied the bucket back onto the rope for the next person. "Otherwise everyone's gonna freak out trying to figure out where we went. Okay, Raiyn?"
There was no answer, and she turned to see that her cousin had somehow gotten yards away, toddling through the village. She dropped the bucket and went running after him, but Raiyn seemed oblivious as he cupped his hands to his mouth.
"Teag! TEAAAAG!"
"He's not here, stupid!" Pippa argued as she grabbed his arm. They were getting closer to the middle of the village, and Pippa finally caught sight of people milling about. She frowned as she took in their clothing—they had to be in the south. She shuddered—her father hated the south. What possessed her to transport them here? At first, no one noticed her and her cousin, and Pippa frowned as she looked around. The villagers were mainly men, and she thought it was strange that there were no other children running around.
One of the villagers caught sight of her, and she expected him to ask her where they had come from, or inquire if their parents were close by. She was used to such questions, as she had been traveling alone for much of her life. She was shocked when the man's expression twisted with anger and he drew his weapon.
"How'd you brats get out?" he demanded, and Pippa shoved Raiyn behind her as she quickly drew her own sword.
"What are you talking about?" she demanded.
"Stealing weapons to boot," he growled before turning to another man who was coiling a length of rope a few yards away. "Hey Pon...come help me put these runaways back where they belong."
"We're not runaways," Pippa snapped, her gaze cold as she held her sword. "We're lost."
"Hear that?" the other man snickered as he came over. "They're lost. Let me guess, girly...you just wandered in, and you're not supposed to be here."
Pippa's expression clouded. "Exactly."
"That's rich," the first man said. "You'd think they'd be smart enough to come up with something better than that." He came forward with his sword in tow. "Put that knife down, girl—I don't want to have to hurt you."
Pippa raised an eyebrow. "We'll see who's hurting who," she responded before launching into battle with the man. He seemed surprised as he staggered back, and Pippa used her smaller size to her advantage as she darted around him and landed a few blows. The man cursed, and she smirked a little as he tried coming on the offensive. Wherever she was, she was at least happy to see that the fighters were no match for her. She became so involved with the battle that she didn't realize that her cousin had toddled off without her once again.
Rook's lips were pursed as she studied the figurine in her hand. The ebony queen stared back with her expressionless face, and the assassin rubbed a finger against the chess piece. The ruling family's sitting room was silent apart from an occasional soft snore, and she glanced over at where the Heir was on the couch. He had fallen asleep in the middle of reading some scroll or another, and Rook's mouth twitched as she watched him. It seemed their day scouring the East had worn him out more than he was willing to admit. After all, it wasn't even sunset yet.
"Then again, based on those dark circles under your eyes, you probably haven't been sleeping well," she murmured to the sleeping Heir. She turned back to the chessboard, wondering why it drew her back to it again and again. She studied the board one last time before wandering over to where Theodynn had fallen asleep. Being careful to be quiet, Rook set the queen figurine on the low table next to the couch and sank down into the spot next to the Heir. No doubt he hadn't meant to fall asleep, and she wondered if he would be embarrassed if she woke him up. Rook was half tempted to, but then she decided against it. Better to let him sleep. She didn't have to try and distract him while he was sleeping.
Rook leaned back against the couch, exhaling slowly as she grabbed a blanket from where it was heaped nearby. She pulled it over her legs to ward off the chill of the fortress, reflecting on the day. The prince was no closer to figuring out the slave trade, but things were beginning to feel dangerous and strained. She had thought it would be easy to keep him off the right track, but she also knew that the only reason that he didn't find out clues ousting Tala's contribution to the trade today was because they searched the fishing villages rather than the market. It seemed the Heir's run-in with his old flame had left him spooked and less willing to pay the bazaar another visit. However, Rook knew it was only a matter of time before Theo dragged them back to the Eastern Markets, his sense of duty overcoming his aching heart. That was one of the things she had learned about him these past weeks—his sense of duty seemed to come before everything else. Even his own self-care.
"Hence why you're out cold," she murmured to herself as she studied him. Rook eased a dagger out of her vest, fiddling with it idly as she watched Theo's chest slowly rise and fall. "You sure must be tired...it's not like you to let your guard down around me. To think...I could kill you right now, and nobody could do a thing to stop me."
The Heir didn't reply, and Rook leaned in to rest the tip of the dagger against his chest.
"Really?" she whispered. "Nothing? It's times like these that makes me wonder how you've lasted this long."
Though I suppose that has to do with your persistent entourage, she mused inwardly. What would that cocky bodyguard of yours say if his precious charge was assassinated right under his nose?
Rook expected to feel more of a thrill at the thought, but instead, she just felt bored. Yes, her life would be far easier if she could kill the Heir and be done with it—she was getting tired of planting false trails, after all. However, she found she no longer had the desire to dispatch of him. It would be too easy, she reasoned as she finally sheathed her dagger. While also being impossible. Why do something that would put me on the Ruler's hunt list for the rest of my life? Quazie's really gotten me cornered at this point. There's no way to kill Theo without being the immediate suspect...and there's no way I'm going to be able to keep him off the case forever.
The thought made her scowl. So what choice did that leave her with? Spend the rest of her life trying to distract the Prince from the truth? Even if she succeeded, she would have wasted years in this constant game of keep away. As much as she loved a challenge, having to constantly be two steps ahead of the Oni Prince was beginning to wear on her. Of course, if she failed, then her situation would be even worse, given that she'd have more than just Quazier after her head.
Rook glanced back over at the chessboard, picturing the little archer positioned on top of a parapet...boxed in from all sides by all the other pieces. It seems rooks are doomed to be cornered. She mused bitterly.
Rook reached out and took the scroll from the Heir's hands, setting it on the nearby table. He murmured in his sleep, but didn't wake up. "I don't suppose you'll just give up on the hunt?" she asked him softly. There was a stray curl on his face, and she couldn't help but move it out of the way. "Stop looking for the slave trade and do something else with all this time you seem to have on your hands."
His expression flickered as she touched him, and she pulled away, waiting to see if he'd finally wake up. He didn't, though his breathing started getting quicker. Rook wondered if he was starting to have a nightmare again, and she couldn't decide whether she wanted to witness one or wake him up before he brought the room down on top of them.
What is it that you have nightmares about? She wondered as she studied him. Your life has been so much cushier than mine, you know. Protected by sturdy walls and loving, albeit stifling people who actually care about you. Plenty to eat and no nights spent wondering how you're going to survive for another week.
The sound of a key in the lock cut into Rook's thoughts, and the assassin's mouth went dry. Technically, she was doing nothing wrong by being in here with the prince, since the massive bodyguard was just outside of the door and knew that they were in here together. However, Rook knew that Tolan and the Ruler were already suspicious of her. What would they think if they came in and saw Theodynn asleep with Rook wide awake and staring at him?
In the thirty seconds that it took for whoever it was to unlock the door, Rook had positioned herself against the Heir as carefully as she could and promptly feigned sleep. She forced her heart rate and breathing to slow down, listening carefully to whoever was coming to discover them. Happily, Theodynn seemed to be a heavy sleeper—he didn't wake as the assassin snuggled up next to him, and Rook resisted the urge to reposition as one of his soft curls tickled her nose.
Footsteps echoed in the room, and she heard the newcomer pause right in front of the couch she and the Heir were on. Time seemed to drag as she waited to see what the newcomer would do. Wake them? Walk away? Arrest her? She kept her expression calm and lax, but inside she wished whoever it was would do something already.
"Theo." The voice was male, and soft. The Ashakar, Rook guessed, and she felt Theo's body move slightly as his father gently shook him awake. The Heir continued to sleep for a moment, and then Rook felt him lurch as he woke up.
"Whatsit?"
"Theo, you were supposed to get the ranching inventories filed today with Jaqah," the Ashakar whispered. Rook was so busy listening for an answer that she forgot to 'wake up' herself. She felt the Oni prince turn, and she realized that he was probably confused at how they had ended up in this position. The assassin kept her breathing normal as she waited for him to shake her awake, but he didn't.
"I forgot," Theo murmured back to his father. "Sorry." He inhaled deeply to wake himself up, and his father continued.
"I didn't know Rook was here."
"We spent the day in the East, with Ret," Theodynn confirmed, and Rook was surprised when the Heir carefully pulled away and eased her down onto the empty couch. She wasn't sure how to react—should she pretend to wake up? She found herself more interested in seeing what would happen if she didn't, however.
"Are you going to wake her up?" the Heir's father asked, voicing Rook's own thoughts. Theo's reply was soft.
"Nah...it was a long day. I'll come get her later." Rook felt him pull the blanket off her lap, and she was surprised when she felt the prince gently covering her with it. Careful to keep up her sleeping pretense, Rook wondered what the prince was up to. Did he know she was faking? Was this all just a show for his father?
"You're going to leave her sleeping here?" the Ahkasar asked.
"She's not going to hurt anything," the Heir said. A warm hand rested on Rook's head for a moment, then it was gone. There were footsteps as both men headed for the door. As she heard it click closed, Rook opened her eyes at last. Technically, she could take advantage of this unsupervised time to explore the Rulers' quarters or slink out into the fortress to see what valuables she could find. However, Rook continued to lie still as she tried to figure out why her head was still tingling where Theo had put his hand on it. Across from her, the ebony queen on the table studied her with a knowing expression.
Teag stared down at the shackle around his ankle, the hammer in his hand feeling heavier the longer he held it. Once he broke it, there'd be no going back. Instinct told him to wait for dark to escape and find Dee, but there was a terrible urgency burning in him now. The traders said the transport would be arriving soon—whatever that meant. Even if Quazier didn't sell Teag to whoever it was he was trading with, Dee would become impossible to reach if he was carried away by some mysterious transport.
Teag took a deep breath and turned to face the door of the forge again. It had been a while since anyone had come to check on him—he was overdue for another person coming to push him around and threaten him. He had created a few more ordinary things to try to appease the traders that he was working—nails, some utensils, and a few metal dishes that he didn't even have to purposefully mangle—most of the stuff he made was practically unusable. I'm better at weapons than all this everyday rubbish, he mused, but he certainly didn't want Quazier to know that.
The longer he hesitated, the more his mind argued with itself.
Do it now! Before someone comes in and catches you!
No, wait to escape until right after they come to check on you again...otherwise they could come in minutes after and see that I'm missing.
They're going to catch sight of you outside of this tent regardless. No matter how long you wait, it's going to be a race to see if you can find Dee before they catch you. Then you'll just have to...to transport, or something.
His stomach twisted, but he forced away his concern. Just because he had never transported before didn't mean that he wouldn't be able to when the time came. His grip tightened on the hammer as he fixed the shackle with a firm look. Reaching up to grab a chisel off the counter, Teag took a deep breath. He positioned the chisel over the links of the chain connecting to the shackle and hesitated only a moment longer before swinging the hammer down hard. One blow...two. At the third, the chain broke, and Teag's body shook with adrenaline and fear. He immediately looked back at the entrance to the forge, but it seemed nobody had found the sound suspicious. I guess there's nothing that suspicious about the sound of banging metal coming from a blacksmith forge.
With his newly freed ankle, Teag began inching to the entrance. His heart was in his throat as he glanced out. There were no traders directly outside of the forge, but he could see a few of them by tents in the distance. It took him a few minutes to determine that the coast was clear before he slipped out of the doorway as inconspicuously as he could. He felt jumpy as he darted to a shady spot between tents, looking around to try to figure out where to go next. Fear made him want to dart back into the forge, but he talked himself out of it. The chain was broken, and they would notice that, even if he did stay. He needed to find Dee and get out of here.
Teag shrank backwards as a few traders walked by. He wasn't well hidden, but they seemed distracted as they headed off to the southern end of the village. Teag could hear the distant din of some ruckus or another, but he ignored it as he tried to think through the places he had seen so far in the village. There were so many tents...surely the slaves were being held in some of them. Would they put them closer to the mountains, or farther away? They probably housed them closer to wherever this mysterious transport would come. Did the transport come from the ravine, or from somewhere else?
"Teag!"
The voice was distant, and the boy stiffened in the shadow. His heart was racing, and he scowled at himself. Now is not the time to imagine things, he chided. He prepared to go running toward the mountain pass—if he could climb up on the plateaus, maybe he could get a better sense of the village's layout from above.
"Put Raiyn down...please down!"
Teag turned then, his mind swirling with denial. "It can't be..." he muttered.
"TEAG!"
The urgency in Raiyn's voice caused him to get to his feet before he could think better of it, and he ran in the direction it came from. He was torn between disbelief and hope. If Raiyn was here, then Master Hershel was as well. He'll be mad...but he'll help me. If I can make it to Hershel...
His thoughts trailed off as he came across two traders, one of which truly was holding the familiar four-year-old. Teag stopped dead as he watched Raiyn squirm in the trader's grip.
"Please down!" the boy begged desperately. The trader scoffed, holding the boy at arm's length as he spoke to his companion.
"Didn't think we had any slaves this young," he pointed out. "How did this scamp weasel out, do you think?"
"Down! Put Raiyn down!" The young boy stopped squirming, suddenly fixing the trader holding him with a wide-eyed pleading expression, complete with a quivering lip. The trader frowned thoughtfully as he met the toddler's gaze.
"Stop staring at him and go take him back to the tents," the other trader said.
"There's something about him..." the first trader mentioned, his voice sounding distant. "I feel kinda bad."
"You feel bad?" The second trader looked dubious. "Houns, you've been in the trade longer than I have, and you've never felt bad for a single one of the kids we've sold over the years. What's gotten into you?" He reached out to grab Raiyn, who cried out in fear. The toddler broke eye contact, and the first trader shuddered.
"Careful with him," he muttered. "Quazier said we've got to keep them as unharmed as possible, remember? The buyer doesn't like getting bruised slaves."
"I'm not hurting him," the second one scoffed, rolling his eyes as Raiyn thrashed and screamed out. "But I'm about to, if he doesn't stop this racket." The traders both turned, and Teag realized with a start that he was still standing out in the open. Before he could escape behind a tent, the three figures standing a few yards away caught sight of him. The traders immediately scowled, but the crying toddler sagged with relief.
"Teag!" he blubbered, holding his hands out as if begging for the young blacksmith to come save him. Teag felt frozen, but then he realized that the first trader was coming for him. His mouth went dry as the trader drew his sword.
"Another runaway?" he asked. "What's gotten into the tent guards, to be letting all these brats squeeze through the cracks?"
"Just grab him and ask questions later, Houns," the other trader snapped, still holding the squirming Raiyn.
Teag watched the weaponed man come closer, and his mind raced. He was no match for an armed killer...especially considering that he had no weapon himself. He glanced at Raiyn.
"Where's Hershel?" he demanded, looking around to see if he could see the healer anywhere.
"Daddy no come," the toddler whimpered.
Teag's brow furrowed as he dodged the trader's attempt at nabbing him. "What?"
"Daddy no come!" Raiyn repeated as he squirmed anew. "No Daddy."
"Then...Tolan?"
"No To-to. Raiyn and Pip-Pip."
Teag ducked away from the trader's grasp again, his mind racing to try to comprehend. "You...and Pippa? But you have to have brought an adult..." He jumped back, his voice rising with anger as his hope began to fade. "How on earth did you get here, otherwise?"
"Raiyn poofed."
Teag stared at the child, not understanding. Raiyn met his eye grimly, and the blacksmith shook his head. "Poofed?"
"Raiyn and Pip-pip poofed to find Teag. Bad men hurt Teag."
A hand clamped down on Teag's arm as he struggled to process what Raiyn meant, and he fought to free himself. However, as a sword came to rest against his throat, he stopped moving. "Idiot kids, running off just to get caught," the trader sneered. "Come on...let's get them back to the tent."
At first, Teag felt a wave of anger—Raiyn had gotten him caught, and he still didn't even understand how on earth the toddler had appeared in the middle of the slave trader camp—a place that everyone else in the realm had been looking for. It didn't make sense that Raiyn could have just wandered in.
As the trader began dragging Teag along, the anger faded as the blacksmith realized what he had said. The tents...these traders didn't realize that Teag wasn't supposed to go with the other slaves. They were taking him and Raiyn to be put with the others...he was going to finally be able to find Dee.
The thought caused Teag to sag with relief, despite the fact that he and Raiyn were being forced through the camp at sword-point. It occurred to him suddenly that the toddler was still crying, and he turned to see Raiyn squirming in the trader's grip once again. The man was becoming increasingly frustrated, and Teag's heart pounded as he watched the trader's expression twist dangerously as Raiyn tried to bite him.
"Let me hold him!" he demanded. The trader turned to sneer at him, and Teag met his gaze. "Unless you want to keep dealing with that."
The trader scoffed, looking down at where Raiyn was falling to pieces. He finally rolled his eyes and held the toddler out to Teag, and Teag's own captor allowed the teen to take Raiyn. The toddler immediately latched onto him like a lifeline, hugging his neck and trembling. Teag held him close, and the trader behind them gave his shoulder a shove.
"No funny business," he growled.
Teag opened his mouth to assure him that there would be no funny business at all when Raiyn whimpered into the teen's neck.
"Raiyn find Teag. Now Teag help Pip-pip."
Teag frowned, but in the next second, the world around him had completely changed in the blink of an eye.
56
Amber sat silently, watching the world move by from the window of the car. There was a windowless van in front of them full of large men in lab coats and boxes of materials—she had watched them load up in the garage. They had tried to load her up, too, but Zerek insisted that his "guests" would ride in his car with him. Amber wasn't sure if he really considered them guests in his twisted mind or if it was some kind of sick joke.
The Oni glanced over at the driver from her place in the passenger seat, marveling at how calm he was. Even without the vengestone cuff around her wrist, she knew she wouldn't have been able to sense what he was feeling. Was Zerek even capable of feeling things? By this point she had labeled him a villain, but he wasn't like the other villains she had faced. Even after Amber had stood down and put on the vengestone like Zerek had ordered, there was no gloating. There didn't even seem to be any malice in his actions. He had simply thanked her and explained where they would be going. The large, coated men had carried Julien downstairs, and Zerek had sent one of them for the box that Julien had packed up that contained his project. Now the young scientist was sleeping in the backseat of Zerek's sport's car, unrestrained except for the seatbelt keeping him in place.
"Aren't ze mountains beautiful?" Zerek asked conversationally, his expression as collected as ever as he studied the scenery. Amber turned away, staying quiet. She had spent the entire car ride conflicted between whether she should be trying to free them or staying docile so that nothing would happen to M.
She still didn't understand how or why Zerek had abducted the young Openheimer, and part of her wanted so badly for it to merely be a bluff. However, she couldn't stop thinking about how impossible it had been to get in touch with M since he had supposedly left Metallonia. Zerek was the one who told us that he had gone home, she realized. He lied then, too. Why couldn't I sense that? I can generally tell when people aren't telling the truth.
"Ze mountains of Estyeer have intrigued me since I came to Metallonia," Zerek was saying. "Ze legends made zem out to hold some fantastic treasure...and I decided to see if I could solve ze mystery. I eventually did, but ze treasure vas not at all vat people had supposed it to be."
Amber had a feeling he was trying to pull her into the conversation by being vague, but if she was going to be a prisoner, she was going to act like one, rather than some wide-eyed history student. She sank back defiantly in her chair, staring out the window once again as she fingered the dreadful vengestone wrapped around her wrist. She hadn't worn vengestone since she was young, apart from the time M's stupid friends had laced a flower crown with it. Though not painful, she hated the feeling of wearing it. Parts of her were cut off, and she couldn't sense things as clearly. Not that there would be much to sense, with only a sociopath and an unconscious Julien for company, she mused bitterly.
"Is ze cuff uncomfortable?" Zerek asked, sounding genuine in his concern. "I created it based off your exact measurements, but ve can find you somezing more suitable at ze laboratory, if zat cuff is too bothersome."
"I would rather not wear vengestone at all," Amber snapped quietly, speaking at last despite her decision to stay silent.
Zerek nodded. "I understand. Unfortunately, it vas a necessary precaution. You are infinitely more powerful zan I am. Vithout ze vengestone, I have no way to protect myself and my various projects from you." The road was getting steeper as they began to drive up into the mountains. They passed another checkpoint—the third that Amber had counted—and the guards in the booth lifted the bar blocking the road. Zerek gave them a small wave before continuing. "It makes sense zat you are angry...but I do not vant you to see yourself as a prisoner. I have prisoners at ze laboratory, but you and Julien are more honored guests zan anything."
Amber clenched her fists, feeling a wave of anger and then a wave of nausea. That was another downside to the vengestone—it made her own emotions feel strange and far away. "No use lying," Amber murmured. "We're prisoners, and we will be, until we take you down."
Zerek looked over in surprise, but rather than seem angry, he smiled warmly. "Zat is vere you are wrong," he said simply. "Prisoners stay in cells, vere zey see nozing of ze vork I have done here. Guests vork beside me on ze projects at hand."
"Neither of us is going to help you," Amber spat, and Zerek turned back to watching the road as he continued to follow the large truck in front of them.
"Ve shall see," he mused, checking on Julien in the rear-view mirror. "I vould not expect you to villingly participate, but I know Julien and I vill be vorking very closely togezer on projects of great importance."
"Just because he's a scientist doesn't mean he's going to help you," Amber argued. "Julien would never agree to work with you...not now that he knows what you are."
"On ze contrary, ven he sees vat is at stake, I'm sure he vill insist on taking part." Zerek's confidence came across as natural and genuine, rather than cocky, as most villain's would have been. For some reason, that made it worse. Amber turned to look at where Julien was still passed out.
"What did you do to him?" she demanded, wondering if whatever Zerek had put something into her friend that would change his ability to make decisions or stand up for himself.
"Do not vorry about Julien. He vas merely injected vith an anesthesia, and vill vake up in an hour or two. I find it easiest to transport people zis vay."
"You didn't knock me out," Amber couldn't help but point out. Zerek smiled.
"I am still researching ze effect of our realms' drugs and chemicals on Oni. You are much too important to be used as a guinea pig, Amber. Zat is vie it is alvays important for scientists to be vell stocked wiz ze expendable." Amber's blood ran cold, and Zerek continued cheerfully, as if they were having a normal conversation. "Plus, I enjoy talking vith you. Ze drive is razer long to spend vith only unconscious people for company."
Amber glowered at him, and he must have picked up on the fact that she would have attacked him if she could have because he chuckled.
"Yes, I can see ve may not become ze best of friends...but you are compliant, and zat is vat matters. Perhaps it vas impulsive of me to take your friend...but like I said. It pays to stock up on ze expendable."
The battle may have started one on one, but now Pippa was facing at least three. Or, maybe four. She was too busy staying out of the way of lunging hands and swords to really figure out what the odds were. Anger and stubbornness were driving her fight, but she was getting tired. The most her father had ever let her fight were two grown western guards at the same time. These fighters may not have been as seasoned as those guards, but four at once was still a lot to take on.
One of the daggers got dangerously close to her, and she yelled out in rage as she smacked it so hard it went flying out of the man's grasp. The others tried to close in, and Pippa backed up enough to catch her breath and tense for the oncoming attacks.
"That's enough."
Pippa had barely registered the voice cutting in, but then she realized that her attackers were standing down. She refused to do the same, though she held back as she tried to figure out what was going on. As the men backed away, she realized there was a small crowd watching the fight. At the front of the crowd there was a man with close-cut hair and a close-cut beard, dripping with jewelry as he smiled at her. She glowered in return.
"An impressive show," the man said. "You've got my attention."
"I don't care about your stupid attention," Pippa snapped, not lowering her sword. "Why did these guys attack me for no reason?" The man blinked in surprise, and Pippa continued murderously. "When my father hears about this, he's going to come down and really teach you all a lesson."
"Your father?" the man frowned thoughtfully before glancing over at one of the people standing nearby. "I thought I made it clear—orphans only. We don't need any family members causing a ruckus that their children are missing."
"I thought everyone knew that rule," the other villager agreed. Pippa lost interest in their conversation as it suddenly occurred to her that she didn't know where Raiyn was. She turned and saw the place behind her was empty, and her heart immediately began to pound.
"Raiyn?" she called out desperately, fear making her legs feel weak.
"There's not a cloud in the sky," one of the villagers scoffed. "And she's screaming about rain?"
"What did you do with my cousin?" Pippa fumed, turning to face the man in charge again. She had to assume he was the village leader, though he didn't have the leather armband to prove it.
"Your cousin?"
"A little boy this big!" Pippa said, holding out her hand. "What did you do with him?"
"There was another kid," one of the attackers realized. The leader frowned.
"Where is he now?"
"I...lost track of him. Sorry, Quazier."
The leader shrugged off the apology. "I'm sure he'll turn up. But I would rather talk about what we have right here in front of us." He gestured to Pippa. "That kind of skill is rare in an adult...and here you must be ten years old."
"I'm twelve," Pippa snapped.
"Still. Impressive." The man named Quazier looked her up and down. "You remind me of someone, you know. She was just as caustic when I first met her...though younger, and not quite as skilled as you. Now she's one of my most trusted—"
"I don't care!" Pippa lifted her sword threateningly. "Give me back my cousin and tell us where on earth we are so we can get home!"
Quazier laughed, and the rest of the village joined suit. It sent a shiver of fear down Pippa's spine, and the man stepped closer. "This, sweetheart, is the Inner Ring...and as far as I'm concerned, you are home."
The mountains of Estyeer were covered in pine trees, and once or twice, Amber caught sight of a sparkling river. Dani mentioned a river, she remembered numbly. Though I can't remember what it's called.
"If you hired Matilda to take Colby, are he and Dani here, too?" she demanded.
Zerek frowned. "I am unsure of vat Matilda's plans are. She should have consulted me first."
"You don't know where they are?"
"I see you are concerned for your friends. Do not worry...I'm sure zey vill turn up."
"They're not misplaced!" the oni snapped. "They were abducted!"
"It vill all work out in ze end." Zerek smiled peacefully as he turned a corner, and Amber really had to resist the urge to strangle him. She had reached the point where she wouldn't mind causing the car to crash...but even if Julien remained unharmed in the back, she had no idea how she would get him to safety after the crash, considering that he was still unconscious.
Maybe that's another reason Zerek knocked him out, she mused bitterly.
"Ah...zere she is. My beautiful Laboratory of Estyeer." Zerek's voice gained a glimmer more warmth than normal, and Amber turned to see a building in the midst of all the trees. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but the laboratory caught her by surprise. Made of dark stone, it looked like a fortress right out of her home realm, with turrets and everything. She couldn't help but stare, and Zerek chuckled his strange, dry laugh again. "Yes...it is very different zan ze MIRI, isn't it? Not ze predictable laboratory vith a modern, boxy look of brick and glass. Just as functional as a building, of course...but I built it zis vay to to calm ze residents. I had hoped ze medieval architecture vould appeal to zem...make ze transition less shocking."
"What are you talking about?" Amber asked. "What residents?"
"You vill see in time," Zerek promised. They made it past a large fence and headed into the laboratory grounds. They were all well-tailored, and Amber shook her head as she noticed the hedges and flowerbeds. "Ze magnolias are coming in nicely," the scientist mused as they passed a few flowering bushes, and Amber stared at him. He either didn't notice her expression or didn't care as he followed the truck to the south side of the building. Despite the old-age fortress look, it seemed the building was still automated. A large garage door lifted smoothly so that the incoming cars could enter the bottom of the building, and Amber felt a wave of anxiety and adrenaline as Zerek parked.
"Zere is nozing to fear, Amber," the man offered as he turned the car off. "You have behaved very vell, and vill be able to see your friend shortly."
Chills raced up her back, and she wished desperately that she could fight back in some way. However, she knew that the best way to go about this was to stay calm until she had a plan in place on how to get out of it.
A few large guards came up to the car, and Zerek opened his door and got out of the car to address them. "My assistant is in ze backseat...he vill vake in ze next thirty minutes or so. Take him to my office, and make sure he has somezing to eat ven he comes to."
"He's not your assistant," Amber reminded bitterly. Zerek turned back to her, seemingly unaffected by her anger.
"Come, Amber. I assume you vant to see your friend?"
The Oni glowered at him, but as one of the Estyeerian scientists opened her car door, she grudgingly got out of the vehicle and followed Zerek. She glanced back at where the men were gently pulling Julien from the backseat, and she hoped he would be all right until one of them could come up with a plan. She had half a mind to insist that she stay with Julien, but she was desperate to see if M was all right.
They made their way over to a door, climbing a flight of stairs before entering into the building itself. The interior of the lab looked very different than a fortress, with walls that more mimicked hotels or small businesses. Pastel colors and abstract art decorated the walls, and the floor was a simple polished stone. Amber chewed her lip as she followed Zerek, aware that one of the large scientists with the lab coat and sunglasses was behind her.
"This doesn't really look like a scientific laboratory," she finally pointed out.
"It vill look more scientific on ze eastern ving," Zerek admitted. "Zis souzern area is designated for ze holding cells." He turned to study the walls as they travelled. "Vat do you zink of ze vall color? Does it seem calming to you, or ironic?"
"Holding cells?" Amber turned to the doors they were passing in horror. "You have people locked up in all of these rooms?"
"No, not all of zem. Only a handful are kept here...ze most important prisoners. Ze reason zere are so many rooms is because I vas going to keep ze residents here originally, but ze set up depressed zem. Zey did better ven I allowed zem to colonize. It also made it possible for me to house far more zan I originally thought I could." Zerek stroked his chin. "It is a razer intriguing set up, if I do say so myself. Ve vill have to visit ze village after ve collect your friend."
It was hard to make sense of what Zerek was talking about, so Amber just didn't reply. The hallway of doors seemed to stretch on forever, and Zerek finally came to a stop in front of one of them. It was room number 9, according to the small number by the door, and Amber wondered if they had at least eight other prisoners or if Zerek had just put people in the rooms at random. Zerek pulled a lanyard out of his lab coat that contained a keycard. Amber's gaze locked on it as she watched the scientist slide the card into the slot by the doorknob. The light turned green, and a clicking sound alerted them that the door was unlocked.
Zerek twisted the handle and pulled the door open. "Go on in," he coaxed. At first, Amber worried he was merely trying to lock her in her own cell, but as she caught sight of the figure sitting on the bed, she ignored the warning voice in her mind. M looked shocked to see her as she entered, and he stood up to greet her.
"Amber?"
Rather than reply, Amber crossed the small room quickly and threw her arms around him. M seemed shocked as she embraced him tightly, though she felt him hesitantly hug her back. She wanted to scream at him, but her throat was tight, and she was surprised at how close to tears she felt. She realized how badly she had wanted this all to be a bluff. But M was really here—Zerek hadn't lied about having him. "Did they hurt you?" she managed as she clung to him.
"Uh...no. But I don't really know where I am."
Amber pulled back to see M looking dazed. He was wearing some sort of soft grey jumpsuit and it was clear that he hadn't shaved for a few days based on the patchy blonde stubble. He scanned her expression as if looking for an explanation.
"Are you bailing me out?" he asked at last, and Amber blinked.
"What?"
"I'm assuming this is some kind of Metallonian prison." He looked around the room. "I woke up in this room and they won't let me leave. I thought I'd at least get a phone call or something, but you're the first person I've seen besides guys who brings me meals. I don't even know what I did." He rubbed at his face, and she watched as he flushed. "I probably don't look too great, either. They wouldn't give me a razor and I have no idea where my clothes ended up." He looked down at the jumpsuit. "Honestly, waking up in unfamiliar clothes and was probably the most violating part of all of this."
"How long have you been here?" Amber asked, not sure even how to explain the reality of M's situation.
"Um...a couple days? It's hard to tell." He looked up at her. "They took all my stuff: my phone, and watch, and all that. Which is whatever—I can replace those once they let me out of here. But they took the crystal you gave me, and no matter how much I yelled at them, they wouldn't bring it back."
Amber's eyes filled with tears, and she watched M's own expression lighten with surprise as she pulled the crystal on a chain from her pocket. She held it out to him wordlessly, and he grabbed it.
"How'd you get it? Did you..." M. trailed off as he looked up and realized that she had started to cry, and his surprise immediately was replaced with concern. "What's wrong? Amber, what's going on?"
"No need for tears, Amber." Zerek's voice came in over some kind of intercom, and Amber realized that the door had been shut behind her. She was locked in here with M, and her friend was growing increasingly concerned.
"Who is that? What's going on?" M. demanded, and she watched as he finally caught sight of the cuff on her wrist. M blanched as he reached out to grab it. "Is this vengestone?"
"It's...I don't..." Amber tried through her tears, feeling sea-sick from her own sadness.
"I can explain, if your friend is confused," Zerek's voice offered. "Vould you like him to join us on our tour?"
"Leave us alone!" Amber shouted. All the emotions she had been trying to keep at bay since Zerek had cornered her at the MIRI were coming to the surface, making her feel light-headed and hopeless. The door clicked open, and Zerek looked in on them with a passive expression.
"I vant you to come on a tour of ze facilities, Amber. I vould like your input on ze village I've created."
"You..." M. mumbled, and then his expression twisted with anger. "That's right...you drugged me. You said you had an internship..."
"I apologize for ze subterfuge," Zerek offered, not sounding the least bit sorry. "But having you here under my thumb vas ze only vay I could convince Amber to come quietly."
M's expression clouded, and when it cleared, his horror was clear on his expression. He looked back at Amber. "What's going on?"
"Amber is taking part in groundbreaking research on Oni power," the tall scientist offered. "Specifically on ze manifestation of power in a Xinta."
"I'm not taking part in anything," Amber hissed, feeling cold at the thought of Zerek studying her like some kind of lab experiment.
M bristled as well. "You creep," he snapped. "You're in for a world of hurt, bringing us both here against our will. My father will have the entire police force of Ninjago looking for us, not to mention what Amber's family is going to do!"
"Yes...people vill look. I expect zat," Zerek offered kindly. "But sadly, accidents happen in Metallonia all ze time. Mines collapse, vild dogs attack...it really is a barbaric place." He turned to usher the large guard outside the cell to come inside. "Sometimes tourists make poor choices, deciding to explore in places zey shouldn't."
"What are you trying to say?" M demanded. He had moved so he was standing in front of Amber, who was finally managing to curb her emotions as she realized what Zerek was insinuating.
"You don't know my family," she pointed out coldly. "They're not going to give up until they find me, no matter what you tell them."
"I expect zere to be investigation," Zerek assured with a smile. The Estyeerian guard had come in, and Zerek gestured at M. "Please accompany Amber's friend on our tour."
M tried to move backward out of the man's grasp, but he ran into Amber. Amber's fists clenched as she watched the guard grab M's arm roughly, jerking him toward the door of the cell.
"What are you doing?" Amber demanded, and Zerek looked surprised at her anger.
"I zot perhaps you vould be happy to have your friend accompany us on our tour. You vere so concerned about him...I assumed you vould vant to spend more zan a few minutes vith him."
"I can walk myself!" M pointed out as he was dragged into the hallway by the huge man in a white labcoat.
"Indeed...but zis vay, I can be sure zat Amber behaves herself as vell." Zerek turned to look at the Oni. "I am excited to see vat you zink of ze village of Estyeer, but I expect zat vat you vitness may upset you." Zerek smiled as he gestured to the door. "After you, Amber."
57
Teag felt rooted to the ground. The traders that had flanked him a moment ago had vanished, and he found himself standing in a totally different part of the camp. A few yards away, a crowd had gathered.
"What?" he finally managed, feeling light-headed.
"Raiyn poof," a tiny voice whispered, and Teag looked down at the boy in his arms. Raiyn was limp where he was leaning against him, his eyes closed in obvious exhaustion.
"Poof," Teag repeated. It was the same thing Raiyn had said earlier, but the teen was finally realizing what Raiyn meant. "You...transported us." He shook his head in denial as he studied the worn-out child. "You can transport? But that would mean your powers are unlocked, and I've never seen..."
"Stay back, or I'll blast all of you!" a voice called from the nearby crowd, and Teag looked up as he realized it was Pippa. His heart sank.
"What's that girl gotten into?" he breathed, understanding now why the traders were all gathered around.
"Blast? How exactly are you going to blast us?" another voice cut in. Teag cursed—if Quazier was involved, this was even worse. Teag felt a surge of anger. Pippa and Raiyn had showed up and made everything even more complicated.
"Help Pip-pip," Raiyn whimpered, and Teag scoffed.
"Help her how? She gone and gotten the attention of every trader in the camp! You're sure Hershel and Tolan aren't here?"
"No Daddy," Raiyn affirmed, burying his face into Teag's neck.
Quazier's voice rang out from the crowd again. "All right you lot...first one to nab our new little fighter gets extra pay when the transport shows up."
The crowd lurched forward, and Teag cursed again as he tried to think of what to do. He looked down at Raiyn, but whether the child possessed powers or not, it was clear he was going to be very little help in his exhausted state.
"Leave me alone!"
Aura exploded out from the midst of the crowd, and Teag's blood ran cold as he heard the gasps of surprise from the traders. They backed up out of range of the violet attacks, and with the gaps that formed in the group, Teag could finally make out Pippa in the middle of it all. Her eyes were violet with rage as her fluffy hair whipped in her own aural winds.
"What have you done now, Pip-squeak?" Teag murmured. He slunk into the shade between two tents, even though none of the traders had even noticed him. For a moment, he sat and tried to collect himself. It wasn't his fault that Raiyn and Pippa had decided to show up in the middle of the slave trader's den for who knows what reason. He had his plan—get caught, find Dee, and get out. If he got involved with all of this added drama, he could very well lose the chance to find his brother and escape. "It's not my fault," he muttered as he lowered Raiyn down into the shade. The toddler had fallen asleep, and Teag glowered at him as Raiyn curled up in the dirt.
"This changes things!" Quazier said as the chaos of the moment died down. Teag looked around the tent he was behind to see that the leader looked more excited than concerned by Pippa's show of power. He stroked his close-cut beard as he studied her greedily. "Now I'm torn...do I hand you over for an impressive profit...or do I keep you for myself?"
"Stay away from me!" Pippa yelled back, and Quazier barely had time to dodge the aura ball lobbed at him. "Leave me alone, or I'll do an overdrive!"
The traders looked at each other in confusion, and Quazier tilted his head. He didn't even seem irritated that Pippa had almost set his hair on fire. "An overdrive? What's that?"
"I'll destroy your whole village!" Pippa warned.
Teag shook his head. "You little idiot," he murmured, his heart racing as he tried to come up with a plan. Maybe if he could find Dee quickly enough, Raiyn could transport his brother to safety while he came back for Pippa. She could transport too, right? Or maybe it would be better to take Raiyn to the slave tents and hide out among the masses until they brought Pippa to join them, and then they could all escape together.
Except you have no idea where those tents are, and you know that Quazier is not going to throw her in with the rest of them if he wasn't even willing to put you with all the other slaves, his mind chided.
"Then what am I supposed to do?" he muttered. The easiest thing would be to leave Raiyn and Pippa to their own devices while he completed his own plan. They're the ones who got themselves into this mess, and they could both transport, after all. They should be able to easily poof themselves to safety. Besides, Tolan and Hershel were no doubt scouring the realm for them right now. Unlike Teag, they were sure to notice that their own, beloved children had gone missing.
"Give me back my cousin, or I'll destroy everything!" Pippa shouted. Teag knew he wasn't the only one to hear the waver of uncertainty in her voice, however. As he watched, Quazier didn't even seem to be listening to her. One of the traders who had run off at the first blast of power had returned now, carrying glinting black chains.
"Good thinking, Yotta," Quazier praised, grabbing one of the chains and tossing another to a nearby trader. "This should put a damper on our little firecracker if it works the way they said it does."
Another blast of power exploded from Pippa, but Teag could see her trembling even from here. Though he had never witnessed an overdrive, it looked more like the girl was about to collapse from exhaustion than destroy the whole village. The traders stumbled back as the attack hit, but then Quazier was moving forward.
"Yotta from the left, Jod from the right. Box her in from the back, you lot..."
"Stay away from me!" the girl snapped, but her voice wasn't as strong as before. Teag's heart raced as he watched the traders move in from all sides. Pippa lashed out toward the one on her right with the sword in her hand, but then one of the chains whipped out. Pippa saw the attack coming and managed to block the chain with her sword, and it wrapped around the blade. The girl growled as she grabbed the chain with her hand to free her weapon. Teag stiffened as Pippa suddenly gasped in pain, and all at once the aura all around her vanished. Her eyes faded back to brown and her hair dropped as the winds disappeared. The girl released the chain, stumbling back as she looked up at Quazier.
"What is that stuff?" she demanded, her voice breaking.
"Vengestone," the man answered easily. "Glad to see that it works."
Teag's heart was in his throat as he noticed the two men creeping up behind Pippa. Still dazed from whatever the chain had apparently done to her, she didn't realize they were there until it was too late. One of the traders managed to hook the chain around her neck, and Teag got to his feet as Pippa screamed in anger. She reached up to free herself, but the other trader grabbed her roughly, forcing her arms down so he could pin them to her sides with his own chain.
"Careful with her," Quazier chided as he came forward, watching as his men subdued the thrashing Pippa.
"I'll kill you all!" she screamed as she fought, but Teag realized that she had started to cry. "Let me go, or I'll destroy everything! You horrible, stupid men...when my father gets here—"
"I can appreciate your passion, love," Quazier taunted as he studied her. "But we're going to have to curb it in a more productive direction if you're gonna be my newest little warrior, aren't we?"
"You're not gonna sell her?" One of the traders asked in surprise. "You realize what they offered for a powered brat, don't you?"
"I know," Quazier assured. "But I think having a powered fighter as skilled as her is far more profitable than anything the buyer could offer, don't you?"
Pippa screamed as she continued to thrash in the hands of her captors. "I'll never work for you, you fat, horrible, ugly..."
"I dunno, Quazier. She seems a little too volatile, don't you think?" the trader holding her growled.
"She just needs to be broken in," Quazier pointed out. "Let's start now, shall we?" He reached for the weapon on his belt—a bludgeon of some kind—but he never got a chance to draw it. The blast hit the trade leader from the side and threw him off his feet, and suddenly all eyes were on the dreadlocked boy standing a few yards away. Teag's mind screamed at him that he was going about this all wrong, but he pushed his thoughts aside as he glowered calmly at the traders.
"Leave her alone."
Over the years, M had secretly always wondered what it would be like to take part in the kind of adventures Amber had told him about. He pictured himself beating up baddies on evil islands, or talking down villainous ghosts. However, now that he had somehow stumbled into some convoluted plot and was currently being manhandled by a massive scientist, he was realizing just how worthless he actually was in dangerous situations.
"The laboratory is composed of four long hallways, forming a box vith a hollow middle," the old science dude was saying as Amber and M walked along next to him. Well, Amber was trudging, and M was being half-dragged. The evil scientist continued conversationally as if he were giving a tour to students rather than prisoners. "Ze holding cells make up ze south hallvay, ze labs are in ze east, ze vest contains kitchens and ozer functional rooms, and ze north is vhere our more...experimental equipment is held, along vith offices."
They reached the end of the hotel-esque hallway, which held large white doors like you would see separating wings at a hospital. A large sign with red letters hung over the door, with the words Laboratories in professional print. Rather than take them through to the next hallway, the evil scientist turned to a smaller brown door that was along the wall.
"Zere is access to ze village along all four hallvays," the scientist continued, unlocking the brown door and opening it. M was surprised to see sunlight come through—it seemed that the door led outside. "Ze village of Estyeer makes up ze hollow center of ze fortress. Ze residents are used to living outside, and ze large walls of ze fortress keep zem easily contained. Shall ve go for a visit?"
The question was rhetorical, as he didn't wait for either young adult to answer before M was being shoved through by his assigned bodyguard. He turned to the sunglassed man in annoyance.
"I can walk!" he insisted. "You don't have to push me around."
"Be gentle vith our guest, 47," the scientist agreed, and M. blinked as the man's grip on his arm loosened somewhat.
"47?" M turned to the scientist. "What...are they secret agents or something? What's up with the sunglasses and numbers instead of names?"
"Zey do not mind, having assigned numbers razer zan traditional names—zey are obedient, regardless of vat I call zem," the scientist assured as they headed out into the sunshine. "Numerical labels makes it easier to categorize zem, and it seemed like a vaste of energy to come up vith traditional names for zem all."
"Assigned numbers?" Amber demanded, glancing back at the large, expressionless guard. "What did you do to them? Erase their minds to make them obedient, and turn them into a slave army?"
The man chuckled. "Ze staff here at Estyeer were specially created to be loyal to me vith no need to mess vith cranial capacities. I cannot erase minds, Amber. I am not a Xinta, after all."
The blood drained out of Amber's face, and M felt his own mouth go dry. "You seem to know a lot about Oni," he muttered, trying to figure the man out. He couldn't remember his name—something weird and science-y.
"I have made it my business to know about zem," the man said cheerfully. They walked across the large, roofless area, and M wasn't sure how to interpret what he was seeing. The ground was dirt, with a few plants scattered here and there, and tents were set up across the whole area. The set up seemed both foreign and familiar, with carts and crude fences lying around, and an old-timey well nearby. It looked like they had stepped into a different time period.
Or...a different realm, M realized as he caught sight of a few of the residents that the scientist had talked so much about. The blonde young man stopped dead as he realized that the people walking around the makeshift village were Oni.
Amber gasped softly, and M looked over to see her expression pale with shock. "What is this?" the Xinta whispered in horror, and the scientist smiled.
"Zis is ze village of Estyeer," he admitted simply. "It has turned out better zan I zot it vould, honestly. I did not expect ze residents to adapt to it as completely as zey have, but it seems zat zey vere happy enough to be given a place to live and resources to survive by. Oni are hearty creatures—zey grow zeir own food, make zeir own clothes...a perfect, small-scale replica of Oni civilization. It has been amazing to study zem in zeir own habitat."
"They aren't animals," M. pointed out angrily. They had come to a stop a few yards away from the makeshift civilization. A few of the Oni closest to the outskirts of the village noticed them, but when they caught sight of the men in labcoats, their expressions became fearful and they quickly retreated further into the village.
"Zey are less mysterious zan I zot zey vould be...but still fascinating," the evil scientist mused as he watched the oni retreat in fear. "Ze more Oni I bring in, ze more complex zeir hierarchy becomes. Zey all came in as equals, but already zey have created a pecking order. Anytime I speak vith zem, zeir appointed leader does ze talking. Zey have also split up ze workload amongst zemselves vith no additional structure from me."
"Why are there Oni here?" Amber demanded, finally finding her voice as she whirled on the calm scientist. "How did you get them here, and what are you doing with them?"
"I bought zem," the Metallonian man said simply, looking at her. "It is interesting vat I have been able to gain from your realm for minimal cost. All it took vas some mid-grade cloth, canned food, different metals and tools zat are unattainable ozervise..."
"Bought them from who?" The shock had worn off—Amber was obviously furious. She stepped threateningly toward the scientist. "How on earth..."
"I knew zis vould upset you," the man said, sounding almost apologetic. "But zere is nozing to be angry about."
"You've abducted my own people from our realm! You have them living here like...like livestock!" Amber's fists clenched, and it looked like she was ready to take the scientist down, powers or not. Rather than look concerned, the man smiled softly and looked up to meet the eye of the guard behind M. The young man gasped as his arm was suddenly twisted behind his back, and Amber looked over to see him struggling against the mammoth guard.
"Zere is no need for anyone to get hurt on our tour, Amber," the evil scientist said softly. "Are you ready to continue?"
M met Amber's eye, and he hated how conflicted she looked. He swallowed hard. "Amber..."
His words were cut off as the guard twisted his arm a few more degrees. Though only a slight movement, it was enough to cause pain to shoot from his shoulder to his wrist, and it was all M could do to keep from crying out in pain. It was bad enough this creep was using him to keep Amber in line—he didn't want to seem like a wimp besides.
"Leave him alone," Amber said, turning back to the scientist. The xinta had stood down, and seeing her act meekly in front of the villain made M's blood boil. The man smiled, and M felt the guard relax and allow his arm to fall back down to his side. M rubbed it ruefully with his other hand as he glowered at the mad scientist.
"You're sick, you know that?" he accused.
"Ze village has all but reached capacity," the scientist said, turning back to look at the tents as if nothing had ever interrupted his lesson. "I have von last shipment on ze vay, but it vill have to be ze last." His expression flickered, his smile fading for once. "As fascinating as it has been to study ze Oni culture...it vas not cultural exploration zat caused me to create ze village, or ze laboratory."
"Get to the point," M. snapped. His helplessness was making him feel angry, and he glared at the back of the man's head. "What are these Oni doing here?"
"I did not set out to gain average Oni," the man mused, his eyes darting around the village. "My research is on power...in all its forms. Oni power especially intrigues me, and I vanted so badly to acquire Oni who have unlocked zeir innate energy source. Alas, it seems zat zis power is not as prevalent in modern Oni as it vas in zeir ancient predecessors. My suppliers have yet to obtain an Oni vith zat potential."
"You're after powered Oni?" Amber sounded sick, and the man turned to smile at her.
"You mark ze first I have been able to acquire," he offered gently. "But as exciting as it is to now house a Xinta...I'm afraid my research is still at a standstill. I cannot perform preliminary experiments on so prime a sample. I need test subjects...expendable vons, on vich I can make mistakes vithout ruining rare specimens."
"You sound insane!" M. spat as he tried to jerk out of the guard's hold. "When the authorities find out that you've locked people up to experiment on them..."
"I vould appreciate it if you vould stop interrupting me," the scientist cut in, looking over at M. A hand clamped down on the back of M's neck, and he jumped. Seeing that the young man was now silent, the lead scientist continued. "After it became clear how difficult it vould be to obtain powered Oni, I tried creating zem. Zat is ven ze village vas born...a natural setting in vich Oni could live pleasant lives free from turmoil. From my research, it vas turmoil zat stifled ze Oni's power—eons of war and emotional stagnation. From my sources in ze Oni realm, I learned zat it is ze increased peace and prosperity of modern times zat more Oni have been able to unlock zeir powers.
"I hoped to create zat process naturally in my village...but alas. Zere have been no changes to any of ze Oni in regards to internal energy." He sighed heavily. "I have monitored zem all for so long...it is frustrating to not be able to move forvard vith my research. But now zat I have a Xinta, perhaps I can learn more about ze nature of your power." He turned to face Amber again. "Is it ze peace of your realm zat helps your kind unlock zier powers, Amber? Or is zere somezing else I'm missing from my experiment?"
The xinta was silent as she stared ahead at the village with wide eyes. The scientist reached out to touch her arm, and Amber flinched. "Don't touch her!" M. shouted, only to be rewarded with a painful squeeze on his neck.
"I do hope you vill vork vith me to increase my knowledge about Oni," the scientist said. "As a member of ze royal family, as vell as a creature of notable strength, I am sure you know much zat could benefit my research."
"We still don't know what makes people unlock their powers," Amber answered, her tone clipped and rigid. "It's something we're still trying to figure out."
"I see." The scientist studied her a little longer before turning to look at the village. "I am not sure vat else to try. In my experiments so far, I have discovered zat some Oni possess a different makeup zan ozers. It's not quite an extra organ, so to speak...but zere is somezing more to zem. You possess it as vell, Amber...a specific internal structure zat allows you to create your own energy. Power...from zin air." The man waved a hand as he smiled tightly. "It is no vonder Julien had you assist him on his project. You are a living replica of vat he is so desperately trying to accomplish."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Amber said, shifting away from the man. She was rigid, and M didn't know if it was from anger or fear.
"Suffice it to say, I have discovered zat some Oni have the capacity to hold power...and some do not. I tried to artificially unlock zis internal energy structure in a few Oni who contained it..." his expression clouded. "Ze results vere not ideal."
M felt sick. "What happened to them?" he demanded, and the scientist shrugged.
"It has become clear zat ven Oni's energy structure is locked, only a natural key can expose it. Try to pick ze lock, so to speak, and ze Oni's entire internal structure collapses."
"Meaning what?" M asked, his stomach twisting.
"Meaning zat ze subjects vere lost."
"You killed them." Amber's voice sounded distant. "You tried to force their aural blocks to break, and it killed them!"
"After a few trials vith ze same result, I stopped," the scientist assured, as if that made everything all right. "No need to vaste specimens."
"You're a murderer!" Amber spat, turning to him with tears in her eyes. "You've kidnapped all these people and murdered some of them in your sick, twisted..."
"Science is not vithout loss," the man interrupted softly. "Nor is it vithout failure. After zis next transport of Oni, I vill make it clear to my suppliers zat only zos vith powers vill be accepted from now on. Before now, I have had time to wait to see if my village vill produce vat I intended for it...but now zat I am starting to collect valuable specimens, I vould like to start on more promising experiments."
"Amber's not a specimen," M hissed furiously. "And if you even think that you're going to experiment on her..."
"Amber vas a promising acquire, but she does not possess ze same urgency as my ozer research. Oni power is intriguing...but it does not change as time goes on. Amber's makeup vill be ze same in a few months as it is today."
"You're not going to have a few months. People are probably already searching for us!" M. snapped.
"Do not vorry about ze details...I vill get to Amber eventually. At ze moment, it is ze ozer power native to her world zat needs my immediate attention."
Amber looked confused, but then there was the sound of a roar that echoed across the boxed in village. M frowned, trying to figure out where the noise had come from, but Amber seemed to recognize it. "Dragons?" she whispered.
"Indeed."
"You have dragons here?" M demanded, arching his neck to try and see them. "How does nobody know that? How are you hiding huge, powerful reptiles here?"
"Zey are quite docile, ven shackled vith vengestone," the man offered. "I also made sure to only buy ze smallest creatures available, to make zem easier to house. At first, I bought zem as a vay to research elemental power, but alas. It seems zat like Oni, modern dragons do not house ze same pure power as zeir anscestors. Now, zey exist mainly to help me transport goods between realms."
"You're going to pay for this...all of this!" Amber said, and M could see that she was trembling. "Kidnapping Oni and dragons, trying to steal their power...for what? You're no closer to knowing anything...and you've hurt so many people in the process!"
"I am closer zan ever," the scientist corrected with a smile. "Zere are more vays to obtain pure elemental power zan through dragons."
M. frowned as he listened to the conversation, wishing he could keep up. Amber had told him about all these types of power before, but it was still pretty confusing to him. Mainly, he was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that some psycho scientist had a bunch of Oni and dragons locked up in a fortress in Metallonia, and nobody knew about it.
"Elemental power?" Amber's expression clouded, and M watched as her eyes suddenly widened with understanding. "Colby."
"Yes." The man smiled, as if proud of Amber for connecting the dots. "Ze elements are regrettably stubborn and hard to remove ven housed too long in zeir chosen vessel. But ze elements are shifting, and during zis phase, zey are still fresh and pliable. Now is the time to try to pull zem from zeir juvenile users and into more...productive vessels."
"You're trying to steal the elemental powers?" Amber translated.
"Ze powers vere never supposed to be housed in people in ze first place," the scientist argued. "It vas an unnatural occurrence, triggered by ze First Spinjuitzu Master."
"That's why you kidnapped Colby?" Amber demanded. "Where is he now? Have you hurt him? Experimented on him?"
M tried to keep up. Wasn't Colby the guy that the Piano was always hanging out around? What did he have to do with any of this?
"I have not yet had ze pleasure," the scientist said, smiling at Amber's furious look. "But it vill need to be done sooner razer zan later...especially in his case. Ze ozer elemental users have not fully bonded vith zeir elements yet, choosing to ignore zem instead. Ze Master of Vater has been training...his procedure needs to be conducted soonest of all."
"You're a monster!" Amber shouted, and M realized she had started to cry again.
"I vill endeavor not to hurt ze boy," the scientist assured. "Zo, as he is ze first, his procedure vill be ze most experimental."
"If you hurt him, you'll lose the elemental power!" Amber threatened. "When elemental masters die with their powers, their element doesn't regenerate."
"I am aware," the scientist offered, his kind tone making the conversation all the more unnerving. "And ze loss of ze vater element vould be devastating...but it could almost be justified, if it gives me ze knowledge I need to better understand how to approach my more valuable subjects."
"Valuable like who?" M. demanded. "The Green Ninja?" It was the most powerful person he could think of, especially where the elements were involved. The scientist chuckled, as if thinking M's contribution was amusing.
"No. I recognized long ago zat ze power of ze green Ninja is too deeply rooted in him to be withdrawn. Even now, it continues to reside in him, razer zan moving on. But zere is somevon like him who's powers I vill be able to dissect. Somevon who now carries both Oni and elemental power alike, who I hope to acquire shortly."
M furrowed his brow, not sure who the evil scientist meant. While he tried desperately to remember everything he knew about elemental powers—which granted, wasn't much—Amber let out a strangled sound. He looked over to see that the Xinta's expression had become murderous under her tears.
"Don't look at me like zat," the scientist chided. "I zot you vould be excited by ze prospect of seeing your brozer."
"If you touch Theo..."
"I plan on doing far more zan touching him," the scientist cut in. "He is ze most valuable asset to my research...even more zan you, Amber. A Xinta is remarkable, but precedented. Your brozer, on ze ozer hand..."
"You'll never get to him!" Amber spat. "He's more protected than any other person in Ninjago, or the Oni realm. You'll never get close."
"Oh...I zink I vill. I just haven't offered ze right incentive yet to varrant his capture."
Amber flew toward the scientist in a rage, and the man was finally forced to move out of the way to avoid her blows. She didn't get far before the guard behind M once again twisted his arm, but this time, M couldn't keep from yelling out as something popped sickeningly.
The Xinta froze, and M could see her shaking with restraint before he closed his eyes to ward off the pain. For a moment there was silence, and then the scientist was speaking again.
"Take Amber and her friend back to his room, 47...and see if you can get his shoulder back into place. I zink zat ve vill have to cut our tour short today...but zat is all right. I have ozer business to attend to."