130
Mia burned with anticipation as their cars bumped along the quaking road, her heart in her throat. What if everything had gone wrong with Theo's plan? What if they hadn't gotten Colby out? What if...what if it had been too late—
Her phone began to buzz, and she looked down thinking it was Ashley calling from the Smith's car. She was shocked when her nindroid uncle's face popped up on the screen instead.
"Uncle Zane?" she answered breathlessly, holding the phone to her ear.
"I knew I could count on you to have your phone nearby, even with everything going on." Zane's voice sounding strained, and Mia's mouth went dry.
"What's going on? Are you guys trapped? We're on our way to the fortress to help. With this earthquake..."
"We are not at the fortress. We are not too far from where you are now, if my tracking devices are behaving correctly. I need you to come get us."
"Who's us? Where exactly are you?"
"I've sent a pin to your phone."
Mia pulled the phone away from her face, clicking on the link that popped up on screen. She switched into speakerphone as she continued the conversation. "Got it, we're heading there now."
"Who is—" her father tried from the front seat.
"It's Zane. Make a right, Dad."
"There's no road," Nya pointed out.
"Make a right!"
At Mia's shout, Jay immediately turned the wheel, sending their car careening into the undergrowth.
"What's going on?" May demanded.
"Who's with you, uncle Zane?" Mia asked as their car bounced along the bushes and rocks. Zane's voice echoed in the car on speakerphone, and the Walkers fell quiet so they could hear him.
"It is me, Amber, Julien, and Colby. Amber managed to transport us out of Estyeer...but I believe she was hit by a tranquilizer on the way out that made it so that her transport was unable to be completed in full. We are in the middle of the forest a few miles away from the laboratory, and we need assistance as soon as possible. Amber is unconscious, and Colby and Julien require medical attention."
It felt like a punch to the gut, and she could hear her family murmuring in concern. For a moment, Mia froze, but then she snapped out of her stupor. "You need to be heading further south, Dad!"
"Which is—"
"Right! Move the car more right!"
Jay obeyed, and Mia kept her eyes glued on the digital map on her phone as she watched the curser move closer to the pin Zane had dropped. All at once, her phone lit up with another incoming call, and she swiped to ignore it.
"Ashley's trying to get ahold of us—no doubt they saw us go off-road," she pointed out. "May, call her back."
The older twin immediately moved to obey, and Mia turned her attention back to the conversation with her nindroid uncle.
"How bad are they?" she demanded, her voice wavering slightly.
"Colby is drugged, but his vitals seem all right for the time being. Julien..." there was a slight hesitation before Zane continued. "I am doing what I can, but please hurry."
"Step on it!" Mia snapped, but Jay had already floored the gas. The car roared as it ripped through the forest, and Nya gasped as the side-view mirror on her side was ripped off as Jay forced the car between two trees.
"Careful, Jay! We can't help if we total the car!"
"Sorry," he offered breathlessly.
"A little more left now...there's going to be a river pretty soon, and they're just beyond that," Mia offered. Next to her, she could hear May talking to Ashley, filling in the Smiths on the latest development.
Jay slammed on the breaks just as the car nearly went careening into a churning, boulder-filled river in their path. Mia barely waited for the car to be stopped before she leaped out the door, leaving the door open as she sprinted to the river.
"Mia!"
She ignored her family's calls as they followed after her, and she ignored the swift-moving water as she moved quickly from boulder to boulder. There was a terrifying moment when her foot slipped, but she managed to get her balance at the last second. At last, she made it to the other side, sprinting toward the pin as she continued talking to Zane.
"We're almost there. Where are you? I should be right on top of—" she stopped as she realized that she could see a little group up ahead, and she began sprinting. Zane looked up as she approached, his expression grim, but Mia's eyes went straight to her brother.
"Oh my—"
"Colby!" May's scream drowned out Mia's horror, and suddenly, her family was right beside her. Mia dropped next to her brother, taking in his scruffy face, limp hair, and gaunt features. He had lost weight; the hideous jumpsuit he was wearing was hanging limply on his form.
"He looks awful," Mia managed at last. "As in...is...is he dying?"
"He has most definitely been mistreated," Zane offered softly. "But his vitals are strong."
Mia looked up at the Nindroid, and she realized with a start that something was also wrong with the blonde young man in Zane's grasp.
"What's up with Julien's arm?"
Zane looked down at his adopted son, his expression crumpling with pain. "Zerek..." he started, but then he trailed off. Horror flowed through Mia, making her feel nauseous. It wasn't like they hadn't assumed that Zerek had done terrible things to their loved ones, but to actually see what he had done—
"Is Amber all right?" May asked. Her voice came out breathy, and Mia glanced over to see her sister looking pale, taking in the group with wide eyes.
"She was tranquilized, but is otherwise unharmed, from what I can tell," Zane offered. He sounded tired, which was strange, considering he was a nindroid who didn't need sleep. He moved to stand. "Please, we have to get Julien to a hospital. He was electrocuted, and his heart rate is irregular. If not treated..."
"Let's get him to the car." Jay's tone was surprisingly matter-of-fact, and Mia glanced up at her father to see him moving to help Zane. Her mother had once commented that Jay spent so much of his time dealing with anxiety that when real crisis hit, he was usually the one who responded best. When she saw her father moving to help, Mia stood as well.
"May, help me with Colby. Mom, can you get Amber on your own, or..."
"We're here to help!" someone called from behind, and Mia turned to see the Smiths coming over from the river. Kai's pants were soaked—he must have fallen into the river, but Mia didn't dwell much on it as she sagged in relief.
"We need help lifting Colby and Amber—they're unconscious," she pointed out. Ashley nodded as she, her father, and her mother came to join them.
"I called an ambulance and it's on its way. We should intercept them when we get back to the road."
Mia nodded, fear and relief battling for dominance inside. She looked down at her brother again, clenching her jaw as the tears threatened to fall.
"You're going to be okay now, Colbes. We've got you."
The dragon roar brought Tolan out of the tent, and he shielded his eyes as he looked up at the approaching dragon. For a moment, he hoped it was the Guardian of Earth, but as he caught sight of the bushy-haired man waving frantically from the reptile's back, he realized it was Tobias Bentworth.
"I am so glad I have found you!" the man offered in the loud way he had as the dragon landed at last. The man seemed to be traveling solo, and he slid from the dragon's back.
Tolan swallowed, not sure what news the Asahkar would bring. It had been a full day since his accidental transport back to his home realm, and he had been eaten with anxiety, wondering how everything else had turned out.
"I would have come back to your realm...but...I honestly don't know how I got here in the first place," Tolan offered at last, glancing over at his tent as Syn came out to join him. He waited for Pippa to join them as well, but she never left the tent. Ever since Raiyn had vanished, she had taken it upon herself to treat Teag. It seemed even with a dragon entering the picture, she couldn't be pulled from her self-appointed task.
"The royal family will be relieved," Tobias offered, putting a hand to his chest. "You were the only person missing, when everything was finally worked out. Well, you and another prisoner who was last seen with you..."
"Teag is here, too," Tolan offered. "He's a little worse for the wear, but he's alive, and he seems to be healing."
"What about the others?" Syn demanded, cutting in as she clutched her husband's arm. "Our nephew appeared here, but then he left—"
"I was told that everyone else is accounted for, though, if I'm being honest, more then half of our forces are currently in hospitals," he winced slightly. "But no casualties."
"Then Theo's alright?" Tolan demanded. He couldn't stop thinking about the way the young man had run off without his bodyguard, no doubt right into the maw of danger.
"Queen Keyda managed to transport him and another injured Oni straight to a hospital in Ninjago. There was a bit of a stir, apparently, considering that the council doesn't like oni just transporting wherever they please, and the fact that they showed up in the middle of a surgery room of all places. Luckily no one was being operated on at the time so the staff were able to get over their shock and give the injured the attention they deserved, but—"
"How badly was Theodynn injured?" Tolan snapped, more irritated than usual at Tobias's ramblings. The ambassador blinked.
"He was bruised and barely conscious when he arrived, from the report I got...but they expect him to quickly make a full recovery. His oni friend, however, is still in critical condition." Tobias's expression clouded. "It seems she was shot."
"She?" Tolan demanded, Myrah and Amber's images flashing through his mind. "Who is she? The oni who was hurt?"
"I can't remember her name just now...something related to a game, if I'm remembering right. Monopoly? No, what oni would know about monopoly, Tobias?" He tugged at his mustache, his brow crinkled in thought. "She had a long braid, done kind of strangely..."
"Rook." Understanding dawned at last. That's why Theo had left out of the blue—he had gone to find Rook. From what he was hearing, it seemed he found her...just not in the best condition.
"Yes! That's it. You know her, then." Tobias nodded to himself. "She's in the Ninjago City hospital and they are doing everything they can for her. Everyone else ended up at the hospital in Metallonia, as it was closer to the scene of the crime so to speak. Let's see...who all was hospitalized?" He frowned in thought, counting on his fingers. "Princess Amber was, though they mentioned she would be released quickly. A young man who I was told is the new master of water...or used to be? It was a little confusing. Oh! And a young cyborg. Though, they didn't really take kindly to me calling him that, so I've got to come up with a different—"
"Hershel and Myrah?" Syn cut in. "And Raiyn? What about them?"
"Oh yes...Master Hershel and the Western Leader. They were checked over at the hospital, I believe, but neither had any serious injuries that would warrant staying. Their young son is with them, also unharmed, though the poor tyke was exhausted when I saw him."
Syn sagged in relief, and Tolan let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. "So everyone made it out okay?"
"Like I said, you and the oni boy were the only two we knew had been present who weren't accounted for. Prince Theodynn has been beside himself—he thought for sure you both ended up buried in the rubble at Estyeer. I imagine he will be thrilled—as will the others—to hear that you both made it out all right."
"I don't know that we were all right, initially," Tolan murmured, glancing to meet his wife's eye. "But hopefully we're all right now."
"I shall return to Ninjago with the news," Tobias said decidedly, moving to board the dragon once again. "It will be good to have good news to share. Things are a bit on the messy side right now with the council...what with the kidnapped oni not wanting to return to their home realm and the whole fiasco getting leaked to the news. I do believe it will all work out, though...eventually." He took a seat on the dragon's neck, raising an eyebrow. "Would you like to join me in returning? I'm sure they would all be happy to see you."
For a moment, Tolan wondered if he should. However, the thought of returning to the realm where everything seemed so complicated and nothing made sense made him shudder. "You're sure Theodynn's okay?"
"Yes."
"Let him know I'll see him when they all get back. There are things I need to help get sorted here, in the Rulers' absence."
"Very good. I will relay the message!" With that, the dragon launched into the sky with a downbeat of its massive wings.
Amber hesitated by the door of the hospital room. Over a day ago, she had woken up in Metallonia with her Dad by her bedside, hours after the rescue mission had been completed. It was a little jarring that her last memory was transporting and the next thing she knew she was in a hospital, but at least the news she woke up to was good. Estyeer had been destroyed, Zerek had apparently been destroyed as well, and authorities were combing over the remains of the horrible laboratory in the mountains of Metallonia.
Considering that Amber was technically fine and word came that Theo had been checked into the hospital in Ninjago, she and Cole had left their other friends in Bembay and made the trip back to Ninjago City to be with their family. Amber was worried about those they had left behind in Metallonia, but Mia and May swore to keep them updated on how Colby and Julien were doing. However, Amber felt more conflicted as she lingered at the door of her brother's hospital room, not exactly sure what she would find. She finally took a deep breath and knocked.
"You can come in." Theo sounded all right, and Amber turned the handle as she headed in. He was sitting on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, but he glanced over as she came into the room. His expression brightened a little. "Hey, Ams."
"Hey, Tay." She folded her arms, studying him closely. There was something about him that was different than the last time she had talked with him, but she still wasn't sure if the change was good or bad. He seemed more relaxed, at least.
"Are you all right?" he asked. "Mom said that you didn't get hurt in the aftermath of everything, but then someone mentioned you'd been in the hospital..."
"I got hit by a tranquilizer in the midst of my transport. I'm fine, though." She rubbed her arm, studying him closely. "Are you okay?"
He smiled thinly. His face was bruised, and he looked really tired. The fact that his arm was hooked up to an I.V. worried Amber a little.
"I'm...alive." He winced. "Bruised collarbone, bruised ribs...I mean, I'm basically just one big bruise right now. But nothing's broken." He glanced down at the I.V. "I pushed it a little far, energy wise. They're trying to get my stamina back up, but I shouldn't be here long."
Amber took a shaky breath. "How far?" she couldn't help asking as she lowered herself into a chair. "Not like what happened at the Island, right?"
Theo blinked, but then he shook his head. "I didn't go that far," he agreed, though he broke eye contact. Amber picked up on a whiff of shame, and she leaned forward.
"Everyone's talking about how you kinda went A-WAL, Tay," she pointed out softly. "When you were going over the plan, it felt like there was something you weren't telling us. Mom said she found you with that girl, Rook...but you didn't even mention her in the plan. You were planning on going after her all along, weren't you?"
Theo continued to avoid eye contact. "Yeah," he finally admitted.
"Then why not tell us?" she pressed gently.
Theo sighed heavily. "Because...I really wasn't sure how it was going to go down. I knew it was going to be touch and go, and I was afraid everyone would...that mom and dad especially..."
"You weren't honest because you thought we'd try to stop you."
"Something like that. I mean, we all knew Zerek was going to target me...you all knew that I was using myself as bait."
"You being at Estyeer was supposed to be enough to draw Zerek's attention...maybe send some extra robots after you. But you ended up in some collapsing room, with the walls caving in—"
"That was technically my fault." Theo rubbed his face. "When Rook got hurt I kind of...snapped. I don't know. After Zerek let me know he had her, I realized that he was going to try to use her as leverage. I thought I could pull it off, but—"
"Pull what off? You went face to face with Zerek? Alone?"
"It was the only way I could think of."
"Tay! You're the one who told us that we were not to negotiate under any circumstances, and here you are—"
"It wasn't a negotiation."
Amber fell quiet at Theo's tone. "How could it not be?"
"I...I just went to let him know that I wasn't going to play his game. I wasn't going to let myself get Evynned all over again. Zerek was not going to get what he wanted from me." Theo exhaled shakily, his feelings becoming conflicted, as if he wasn't sure if he should continue. "Even if I had to make myself permanently inaccessible," he murmured at last.
Amber just stared, picking up on his guilt and shame. It finally clicked what he meant, and her blood ran cold. "The gun you asked for..."
"Being tortured to death for the sake of some psychopath's experiment seemed a worse end, I guess. It was only supposed to be for a worst-case scenario...but from what I heard, every part of my plan ended up as a worse-case scenario."
Amber felt swimmy-headed as she processed what her brother was confessing. "Tay..." she finally managed.
"I wouldn't have done it...unless it was literally the only option." He pushed his hair out of his face. "I just...it was the only way to get him to back down. It worked, until Rook tried to wrestle Zerek's gun out of his hand and ended up getting shot."
"Who is that girl, Theo?" Amber demanded, feeling sick and strangely angry. "She's got to be someone important, if you were willing to...to risk all that..." she closed her eyes, not sure whether to be horrified at what had almost gone down or grateful that it hadn't.
"She's someone who didn't deserve to be left behind." His expression flickered, and he leaned back in his bed as he stared up at the ceiling. "Do you happen to know how she is? No one is keeping me updated. Trying to keep my stress levels down, or something stupid like that."
"I'm not sure." Amber stared at him. It was obvious he was concerned—she could feel the fear coming off of him the second he started thinking about her. There really was only one possible conclusion, and she leaned forward again. "You like her, don't you?"
Theo's expression crumpled. After a moment, he closed his eyes. "Yeah."
Amber nodded, happy that he at least was finally willing to admit it. For a minute or two, she didn't say anything, and neither did he.
Amber finally moved, and Theo opened his eyes in confusion as she began climbing into the bed. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"This was easier when both of us were smaller," she pointed out as she managed to snuggle next to him, though she couldn't quite fit her left leg on, so she let it dangle off the tiny hospital bed awkwardly. For a moment, Theo didn't reply, but then she felt the familiar feeling of him tugging on one of her horns.
"Just don't pull out the I.V," he said with a little smile. "The nurse will have my head. It took them forever just to get it in."
Amber smiled as well, though it faded. "Tay?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you're talking with me. Like...actually talking with me. For the last little while you've just felt so..." she frowned, trying to think of the right way. "Distant, I guess. Like there was so much inside of you that you were hiding, and I never knew why."
Theo was quiet, and he finally shrugged. "I guess I don't have anything left to lose by being honest. After what I did at Estyeer, our parents will never let me out of their sight again. I wouldn't be surprised if they lock me up at the fortress for the rest of my life."
Amber looked over at him. "What are you talking about?"
"I couldn't do it. I tried...but in the end, Mom still had to come to the rescue." His expression twisted, his eyes closing. "It just proves I made the right choice in giving up my title. I thought I had thought of everything...but then everything just fell apart."
"Your plan was a good one!" Amber argued, pushing herself up a little to look at him. "Tay, we got everyone out because of your plan!"
"Not everyone." His eyes squeezed tighter, and Amber's chest felt tight as she felt the guilt and grief rolling off of him.
"We don't know what happened to Tolan and Teag. They could have gotten out, Tay. The authorities haven't reported finding anyone in the rubble. At least, no one non-robotic."
"Where would they have gone?"
"They could be lost somewhere in the wilderness around the fortress! Or maybe they ended up back in the first realm. Last I heard, Tobias left to check." Amber laid back down, staring at the ceiling. "And the fact that Mom had to come help you doesn't mean anything, Theo. You did all you could do—"
"I collapsed the fortress on top of us!"
"You can't expect yourself to be perfect, Tay!" Amber snapped. "No one is perfect. Remember how Mom nearly had an overdrive the first time she visited Ninjago? She couldn't control her power and nearly took out multiple city blocks. Or the time Dad got turned into a ghost because his plan went wrong at the floating temple...back when it wasn't floating." Amber threw up her hands. "Everyone makes mistakes, even Mom and Dad. Just because we grew up with them being the heroes of our stories doesn't mean they were perfect...or that they made fewer mistakes than any of the rest of us. You may think that you don't have what it takes to be the Ruler...but you put together a plan and followed through with it. Just because you had to have help doesn't mean that you didn't succeed."
Theo finally opened his eyes, and she could see the tears swimming in them. "That's not how Mom and Dad are going to see it," he pointed out, his voice breaking. "They already didn't trust me with anything important. Everything I do just proves they were right to do that."
"But they weren't right to do that." Amber sighed. "Look, Mom and Dad do need to trust you more...but you've got to trust them too."
"I tried. When I took out the slave trade, I got them involved...I didn't try to do it alone. But they freaked, Ams...completely and totally. That's when I realized that they weren't ever going to see me as someone capable...and I realized that maybe they were right."
"They're just scared," Amber tried. "Because you haven't really let us in for a long time. I obviously still need to be filled in about the slave trade, because that's all news to me. But I don't think our parents see you as incapable. They're just terrified that you're going to get hurt on this quest you've given yourself to prove yourself to the world."
Theo glanced over at her, and she raised an eyebrow.
"Don't deny it, Tay. But the fact of the matter is, I still think you'd be an incredible Ruler. You just have to be willing to let people help you...just like every other great Ruler in history."
His expression flickered for a moment, but then he sighed. "It's all a moot point anyway," Theo murmured. "Even if I wanted the title back, there's no way our parents would trust me with it."
Amber inhaled slowly, turning back to the ceiling. "Maybe they'll surprise you," she murmured. He didn't answer, but she could tell he didn't believe her. After a moment, she reached out and took his hand, deciding that perhaps it was time to change the subject. "Hey...so in other news...I think M and I are dating now?"
Theo blinked and glanced over at her, and she smiled shyly. After a moment, he finally smiled. "Took you long enough."
"What?"
"I always suspected that you liked him...but when you guys never started dating, I wondered if maybe I was wrong. Glad to see I didn't miss the mark on something in my life."
Amber flushed. "We were always friends," she pointed out. "I just realized during all of this...well. Maybe my feelings are a little more...serious than I thought." She felt stupid saying it out loud, and she covered her eyes with one hand. "I've honestly not even let myself think about dating him, Tay...what if something goes terribly wrong, and we grow to hate each other, or what if he decides after dating me for a little while that he doesn't actually like me anymore, or..."
"Hey, it's going to be all right." Theo tugged her horn. "He can be stupid sometimes, but overall, I think he's a good guy. If it's what you both want...you should go for it."
"Really?" Amber hesitated before blurting, "But what if...what if it turns out like you and Haiven?"
Theo blinked in surprise as he turned back to her, and Amber felt horrible. Why had she let herself bring up Haiven, and that whole fiasco? To her surprise, Theo smiled gently. "If it's not meant to be, then maybe it won't work out. But...you'll still learn things along the way." He turned his attention back to the ceiling, his expression becoming pensive. Amber stared.
"Are you over her now?"
He shrugged a shoulder. "I mean, it still stings a little, I guess. But before it felt like I had done something wrong that had led to it falling apart...and now it just kinda feels like it just wasn't meant to be. I don't know how to explain it."
"Mmm."
"The point is, I say go for it."
"All right," Amber studied her brother a little longer. "Does...this Rook person also have something to do with the fact that you're not as hurt about Haiven?"
Theo's expression immediately clouded, and she almost wished she hadn't brought her up. For a moment, Theo didn't say anything, but then he looked over. "Could you do me a favor, and see how she is? I haven't wanted to ask Mom or Dad, because of how they feel about her...but I need to know."
Amber still wasn't sure how she should be feeling about Rook, but she could sense how much it mattered to him, so she nodded slowly.
"I'll see what I can do," she offered, and he smiled a little as he tugged on her horn one last time.
"Thanks, Ams."
131
Mia wasn't sure exactly how Colby would react when he woke up. She expected crying, whether he was upset or relieved...and a giant Walker-family group hug. However, as her brother finally came to in the Metallonian hospital with his family all around, he just stared.
"You're safe, Colby," Nya rushed to say, reaching out to touch his arm. "You're not in Estyeer anymore...that nightmare is finally over."
Colby's expression crumpled, and Mia watched in disbelief as her brother rolled over in bed, turning his back to his family.
"Colby—" Jay started, but he cut them off.
"Go away!"
The Walkers turned to each other, making nervous eye contact. After a moment, Jay cleared his throat. "Maybe it's just...a lot to process," he pointed out softly.
"Mia, let's wait outside," May said, grabbing her sister's arm. Mia looked over to deny the request, but her sister gave her a look that made it clear that arguing wasn't an option. She huffed and allowed her twin to drag her from the hospital room, though she couldn't help but glance back to see Colby's shoulders shaking before the door shut.
"What the heck was that about?" Mia demanded.
"Like Dad said, it's probably a lot to process," May tried, but she sounded concerned as she glanced over at the door. Mia stuffed her hands into her pockets, feeling frustrated.
"We spent all this time trying to save him...and that's how he treats us?" she finally muttered.
"We don't know what he's had to go through!" May's expression was a picture of disapproval. "He could have been tortured, or experimented on..." Her voice lowered. "Zerek did something to him. Remember how Uncle Zane said that the element of water was gone?"
Mia's stomach twisted, and she chewed her lip as she turned back to the hospital room. All at once, tears were stinging her eyes. "Yeah, okay...but I just...I was hoping that once we found him, things could finally be normal, you know?" She swiped at her eyes angrily. "The doctors said that he seems healthy."
"Physically...but he's been locked up in some creepy mad scientist laboratory for over a week." May rubbed her arms. "He's probably going to need help in other ways, right?"
The tears continued to linger, but Mia tried her best to ignore them as she pulled her phone from her pocket. After scrolling through her contacts, she located the one she had managed to put in just a few days before.
"I've got to make a call," she said, wiping at her nose as she clicked on Dani's picture.
Tolan brought the bucket of water into the tent, his gaze immediately going over to the corner where Teag had been lying. He noticed that the teen was sitting up today, which was an improvement from the day before, when the feverish teen had been prostrate.
"Eat the soup, you jerk-noodle, or I'll make you eat the soup!" Pippa was snapping, and Teag studied her through narrowed eyes.
"You've got to have the worst bedside manner I've ever seen," he croaked.
"How are you going to get better if you don't eat? You won't! So open up already!"
"You don't have to feed me!"
"You're too weak—you'll end up spilling this all over yourself," Pippa sniffed. Teag reached out and snatched the bowl from her, daring her to say something as he grabbed the spoon and shoved it into his mouth. She watched him for a few more bites before finally seeming content. "Fine...but you have to eat all of it."
Tolan moved to pour the water into their basin, and Pippa and Teag both turned. Silence fell, and Tolan glanced over at them as he set the bucket down next to the basin. "Pippa, go see if your mother needs help outside."
"But..."
"Now, please."
She frowned. She had taken her self-appointed job of nursing Teag very seriously, but as Tolan fixed her with a long look, Pippa finally sighed. She turned to give Teag one last hard look.
"You finish it—I'll be checking!" she warned before pushing herself up and heading out of the tent. Teag rolled his eyes, but then he glanced over at Tolan and his expression became wary. For a moment, there was silence, and then Teag broke eye contact as he dipped back into the soup bowl.
"I'm fine, really," he pointed out gruffly. "You guys don't have to do this."
"After what happened to you, we just want to make sure you're all right."
Teag fidgeted, stuffing the spoon back into his mouth. Tolan watched him eat for a minute, and then the teen spoke again. "It just...almost seems like a bad dream." He risked another glance in Tolan's direction. "Hershel's not back...is he?"
"Not yet," Tolan agreed. "They should be back soon, though. Not sure what's keeping them in that mad realm unless they're trying to recover." His expression flickered. "I was told they're fine, but it was risky operation."
Teag wiped at his nose. "He's going to be furious with me. He probably wishes he had never agreed to teach me in the first place—I'm nothing but trouble."
Tolan didn't answer right away, filling a bowl of soup for himself before coming over to a nearby sitting mat. "If I know Hershel, he's just going to be relieved you're all right," Tolan said at last. "As for trouble...he's caused enough of it over the years, it wouldn't be fair of him to hold it against other people."
"Master Hershel, causing trouble?"
"Oh yeah. Nearly blew up the whole realm once."
Teag's expression crumpled. "You're just mocking me."
"Ask Iona about it. He really did nearly blow up the realm. Got into some twisted stuff and it backfired." Tolan stared down into his soup. "We lost him for a bit...just like we nearly lost you."
Teag sniffed, turning away. "It's my own fault, what happened to me," he said, his voice breaking. Tolan studied him for a moment.
"I had a brother, too" the man offered at last. "He was also older than me. I would have done anything for him. Maybe you could have been safer in your approach to finding yours, but—"
"Dee didn't even want me!" Teag blurted, but then his face flushed with embarrassment, his eyes still trained on the mat he was sitting on. Tolan sipped his soup, not responding, and eventually the teen spoke again to fill the silence. "I didn't belong in the West. I was just a pity project, and a failing one at that. I couldn't stay with Hershel just to disappoint him over and over again." There were tears swimming in Teag's eyes, but his expression was hard, as if he was trying to keep them from falling. "I knew Dee thought I was a failure too, but that was back when I was bad at everything. I just thought that if he saw me now, with powers and some blacksmith skills, he wouldn't think I was useless anymore. I thought that I could do blacksmithing or something and support us, so he wouldn't have to steal anymore...and I thought he would like that." Teag set the bowl down, his expression twisting. "Then I found out he was locked up, and I thought I could find him, and help him...but when I finally found him, he didn't want my help. He didn't want me. I was stupid to think he would...that anyone would."
Tolan lowered his bowl of soup. The tears had started trailing down Teag's face, and the teen looked like he wished he could be anywhere but there. The guard studied Teag a little longer before snorting.
"Your brother is a piece of work," he offered. Teag looked up in surprise, and Tolan shrugged. "I wasn't really impressed when I met him."
"You...what?"
"The slave trade got taken down," Tolan pointed out, glancing at the door Pippa had gone out. "That's how we found Pippa."
Teag blinked, glancing at the door as well. "Oh."
"The traders ended up in the dungeons, including one belligerent, toothless sniffer pup. All bark—trying to convince us how skilled he was, and how much we needed him...but it wasn't hard to see that he's really just a coward with self-preservation on the mind." Tolan sipped his soup again. "We had a little talk, he and I."
Teag stared. "Dee's in prison?" he finally asked, his voice soft. "They're not...they're not going to kill him, are they?"
"They don't practice execution at the Central Fortress," Tolan offered. "Besides, they went easy on him, since he's still so young."
"Is he going to be locked up forever?"
"No—they don't really keep anyone in the dungeons long-term. Last I heard, the different traders got sent to various work camps for different lengths of time. I think your brother was sentenced to the hoofer ranches. Not too bad a sentence, if you don't mind the smell. He'll have to work there a few years, but I think he'll get paid for the work, even if he can't leave the ranching region during his time there. Afterwards, who knows? Maybe he'll like earning an honest living and stick around...or maybe he'll go back to his old ways and end up in a cell again." He glanced over to meet Teag's gaze. "Either way, you can't control what stupid choices your brother makes, Teag. It's his life to make better or ruin further...but personally, I don't really see any benefit in keeping connections with him."
Teag shifted, setting the bowl of unfinished soup off to the side. He seemed lost in thought, and Tolan leaned forward.
"I know you've been stuck in a living nightmare these last few weeks," the guard pointed out at last. "But have you given any thought to what your plans are going forward?"
Teag inhaled sharply, and the tears filled his eyes once again. After a little while, he shrugged one shoulder. "Guess I'll just head back to the Hidden Village or something," he mumbled.
"Mmm." Tolan finished the last of his soup and stood.
Teag's gaze flicked over to him. "You want me to leave, don't you?" he pointed out. "You told me you didn't want me near your family. By tomorrow, I should be strong enough to get to the Hidden Village...and then I'll be out of your hair." Tolan hesitated by the basin where he had started washing the dishes from lunch. Teag continued, his voice wavering. "I'm not your problem. I'm sorry that you and your family had to get involved in the mess I made. You should have just left me there."
"In that twisted fortress?" Tolan asked, dunking another bowl. "With those monsters?"
"You shouldn't have had to come for me."
"I don't blame you for what happened, Teag." Tolan set the bowls up to dry.
"I...could have gotten you killed."
"You saved my life," Tolan countered simply. Teag went silent behind him, and Tolan watched the water drip from the dishes. "You got in the way, when you could have taken the chance to make a run for it. A stupid choice, really..." Tolan went quiet for a moment. "But thanks."
Teag continued to be silent, and Tolan moved to wash the pot that the soup had been cooked in. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes as he scrubbed, but then Tolan finally broke the silence.
"Nothing's set in stone...but I have feeling that I'll be moving my family down to the south soon."
"The south? Why?"
Tolan shrugged. "Just an inkling. But I think I need to set aside more time to pounding metal. It helps me get out anger before I start pounding heads, and goodness knows there are plenty down there that deserve a good pounding. There will probably be a forge somewhere I can use. If not...maybe it's time I try and build one." He shook the last of the water from his hands before turning to look at Teag at last. "I think you should come with us."
Teag's expression was priceless, ranging from shock to confusion to wariness. "What?"
"I won't have a ton of time to dedicate to the forge...so I'll need someone else to work in when I'm not there. Fill orders, keep it clean...you know. Basic apprentice stuff."
Teag expression darkened. "That's a sick kind of joke..."
"I'm dead serious, Teag."
The teen swallowed, his gaze flicking over Tolan's face. "Why?" he finally blurted. "You hate me! And after all the trouble I've just caused..."
"I don't hate you. I think you make stupid choices...but everyone does at some point."
"Then you pity me, and that's worse! I'm just a project to you... some charity case—"
"Look, let's get one thing straight. Come, or don't...but if you're expecting charity treatment, you're not going to get it." Tolan raised an eyebrow. "I really don't have time in my life for pity projects...never had."
"Then why are you asking?"
Tolan shrugged. "You're skills are still raw and undeveloped...but there's talent there. Plus, I've seen firsthand that you've got guts. Stupid, non-self-preserving guts, but still. I can work with what you've got." He turned to look at the various weapons they had stored on one side of the tent. "Besides...I need to train somebody, or else my family's insignia is going to die out. Fluff's made it clear that she's going to have nothing to do with blacksmithing, and you deserve to do more than the menial tasks Veneick or others would stick you with. In fact, the more I see of Veneick's work, the more I feel like you'd be wasted on him."
Teag glanced up. "He quenches too quickly."
"Consistently. How that man is even gainfully employed as a blacksmith is beyond me."
Teag smirked a little then, but then it faded. "Are you sure that you'd want me around?"
"Do I generally make stuff up?"
Teag chewed his lip. "No."
"There you go." Tolan studied the teen a little longer before continuing. "Just think about it, and let me know. But if you do come with us, you'll have to leave the West...and take it from me, Hershel sees you as more than just another student." Teag's gaze faltered, and Tolan shrugged as he headed to the door. "Being the ward to the Western leadership may be a cushier job than being some blacksmith in the scorching south. Either way, you've got options." He nearly made it out the door before he turned. "And in Ancient's name, finish that soup. I shouldn't have to tell you that Fluff wasn't bluffing."
Julien woke to the lullaby echoing around him, and for a moment, he just stared at the ceiling of the room. After a moment, he swallowed. "Father?"
"Right here." Zane's voice was as calm as ever, and Julien turned to see that both of his parents were sitting nearby. The young scientist swallowed painfully, his throat feeling dry. "What...happened?"
"Amber used a taser on your arm to disrupt Zerek's connection...but it knocked you out and created an irregular heartbeat. Luckily...you've pulled through."
"Oh." Julien stared for a moment. "Then, it's over?"
"It is over," P.I.X.A.L assured. "And you all made it out."
Julien nodded distantly, and then the emotions caught up with him. His parents' small smiles faded as he began to sob, and they both came closer to the bedside.
"I am so sorry, Julien," Zane tried, and his gaze flicked down to the chrome arm that sat stiffly next to Julien's body. A rare anger crossed the Nindroid's expression. "When I saw what he had done to you..."
"How many people died?" Julien squeezed his eyes closed. "How many people did I help kill?"
"What?" P.I.X.A.L's tone was shocked, and the miserable scientist finally opened his eyes.
"That horrible machine I invented...how many people did Zerek hurt with it? He was going to use it on Oni...I think he killed one already."
Zane glanced over at his wife and then back to Julien. "We will look into it further, but from what we know, no one was killed by the machine. It was merely used to withdraw the elemental power."
"He took Colby's power...and yours."
Zane's expression flickered. "Yes. How exactly did he do it?"
"Chronosteel, charged with Oni aura. Don't you remember? We cracked the code together." Julien looked over at Zane, and when he caught sight of his father's blank expression, he exhaled shakily. "Of course—Zerek wiped your memories."
"The ones when we first visited Estyeer," P.I.X.A.L realized. "What happened?"
Julien looked at the ceiling. "He made us work on the machine until it was operational for elemental extraction. During the testing, you were having a horrible reaction, father, and..." tears trailed down the sides of his face. "I grabbed your arm with an exposed hand. Zerek had to use defibrillation, and he claims my arm was irreversibly damaged." He closed his eyes, his voice becoming a whisper. "When I woke up with this...thing...attached to me, I wished I hadn't woken up at all."
"Oh, Julien." His mother's hand came to rest on his face, the coolness of her metal skin comforting. "If there was a way to undo what has been done to you...to go back and make it so none of it ever happened..."
"Time travel is a foolish endeavor," Julien mumbled out of habit. "Far too many variables."
"The times I have done it frankly ended up not making sense," Zane mused. Julien opened his eyes and glanced over.
"What?"
"The point is, we will do everything necessary to help you recover from this...whatever it takes," P.I.X.A.L cut in, her green eyes scanning his face.
"I will never be able to recover...not fully." Julien finally let his gaze drift down to the arm next to him, and he felt another wave of loss.
"We will have it removed," Zane offered gently. "We would have asked the doctors to already, but we wanted to see what you would prefer."
Julien's expression flickered and he finally shook his head. "I...do not want surgery. I just want to go home."
P.I.X.A.L and Zane glanced at each other, and Zane looked back and nodded. "Then that is what we will focus on instead—getting you home as quickly as possible."
Julien sighed shakily. "Thank you. I...I am sorry that I was foolish enough to get trapped in Zerek's web of lies."
"There was no way to know," P.I.X.A.L pointed out. "There are still associates and employees of his that refuse to believe the reports on the news."
"Where is Zerek?" Julien asked, a sudden fear striking his heart. "Is he contained? Somewhere where he won't be able to—"
"Zerek was destroyed," Zane offered simply. "Theodynn destroyed him...and then destroyed Estyeer. Authorities are still picking through the rubble, but we are planning on helping out closely with it to be sure that Aristo Zerek is gone for good."
"I hope he is." Julien's voice broke, his eyes closing as he laid back in exhaustion. "I desperately hope he is."
Zane put a hand on his shoulder. "I do believe he is...but even if he isn't, he will be soon."
132
Theo had started to doze when he heard the door opening. He opened his eyes, hoping it was Amber with information and not another nurse, but it was neither. Cole hesitated in the doorway as Theo looked over, but then he came in.
"How are you feeling?" he asked. "Are the painkillers working?"
Theo looked down at the I.V. in his arm and shrugged. "I guess...I mean, am I supposed to see stars flying around my head?"
Cole smiled a little, coming over to sit down. Theo watched him carefully, wishing for the millionth time that he had his sister's skill in emotion reading. He had known it was only a matter of time before this talk would happen. He had avoided talks like this for the last little while...but at this point, he had no where left to go, and nothing really left to hide. Might as well get it over with.
"We just got back from a council meeting, of all things," Cole said, resting his arms on his knees as he leaned forward. "A little annoying, given everything going on...but they insisted. Mainly, they wanted to talk about the villagers we found at Estyeer. It seems they don't want to come back to the oni realm. They want to stay here."
Theo blinked in surprise. "Really?"
Cole shrugged. "The council is losing their mind a little, but I'm sure we'll get it sorted. I was a little surprised at first, but then again, I guess it makes sense." He paused for a moment. "The Estyeerian Oni are not big fans of your mom and I."
"Why? What happened?"
"They were angry it took us so long to find them." Cole sighed. "The earthquake was the only thing that really convinced them to leave Estyeer. They recognized us when we came, but they didn't want to follow orders. We thought they'd be happy to be rescued, but the first thing they asked was 'what took you so long?'" He glanced up at Theo. "Kind of an eye-opener on our part. I've been thinking about it a lot. You tried to find them faster, Theo, but we got in your way."
Theo frowned, but he didn't say anything as his father continued.
"You were right, and you've been right for a while. Even before these last few months that you were doing your own digging, you were trying to get us to pay more attention to flushing out the slave traders. And while we didn't think that the problem was completely eradicated, we honestly didn't think there could be large-scale supply demands. We had monitors on the leaders, and we didn't think anyone else would dare. I guess none of us could have predicted just how far this all went, but you were right in your gut feeling that there was a lot more going on than met the eye. Instead of listening, though, we blew you off. If we had worked with you instead, then we really could have put a stop to all of this a lot sooner. So much of what's happened—what these oni had to go through—could have been avoided." Cole paused, as if waiting for Theo to talk. When he didn't, the greying man sighed. "I guess what I'm saying is that I understand why you went behind our backs to look into all of this...and if you hadn't, these people would still be locked up and forgotten about."
"It was kind of stupid that you never took me seriously," Theo said at last, glancing away. He waited for his father to get defensive, but Cole just chuckled bitterly.
"I know." He took a deep breath. "And I should have known that you would look into it, with or without our help. You've always been that kind of person...for Ancient's sakes, that's why we named you Theodynn, after all. We wanted you to fight for good, and to have courage. And you have...but I'm wondering if in all our encouragement of you having 'courage before fear' you thought you had to be something massive...some perfect hero, like in a story. That you couldn't make mistakes, or that you couldn't ever be afraid. But your name is courage before fear, not instead of it...or without it. You've always been willing to head into danger—something I'll admit has scared your mother and I at times. But I'm wondering if we forgot to ever teach you the more important kind of courage–the one that comes from facing your fears, and even facing your mistakes. It was a lesson I had to learn, and your mother, countless times. We made so many mistakes over the years...did so many things that we could have done better. But there's a lot to be said about the lessons learned from making mistakes."
He exhaled slowly. "We always wanted to protect you...but I'm realizing that even more than protecting you physically, we wanted to protect you from having to make the same mistakes we did. But that wasn't fair, because it gave you this mentality that mistakes weren't allowed. That you had to earn the right to be the Heir, and that the only way to prove that you were good enough was to never do anything wrong. We thought we could protect you from repeating all our errors, but life has a way of teaching those lessons to us, whether we want it to or not. I think we could have done a better job at teaching you how to learn and grow from your mistakes, rather than fearing them...because mistakes have always been inevitable. It's impossible to be perfect."
Theo wasn't sure what to look at. He couldn't meet his father's eye, so he kept his eyes trained on his hands. However, as he heard the loud sniff, he couldn't help but glance over. He almost regretted doing so when he saw the tears in his father's eyes, and Cole offered a shaky smile.
"You're an amazing man, Theo," Cole said at last. "And you've really grown into your own. When your mother and I saw the way you brought everyone together, and made the plan, and handled all those moving parts...it made us realize just how much we've been holding you back."
Tears flooded Theo's eyes, and he cursed himself as a wave of emotion flooded through him. He turned away, but couldn't stop himself from crying, and he wished there was a way to block his father from seeing it. As he felt Cole's hand on his arm, he looked back to see that the tears had escaped from his father's eyes as well.
"You did good, Theo."
"I failed!" he blurted. "I tried to do it alone again...I tried to face Zerek alone and I collapsed the whole fortress on top of us, Dad! Because I'm not strong enough—"
"Of course you're not! No one is!" Cole smiled, his eyes pleading with Theo to understand. "That's what I'm trying to say. I've carried the earth element for decades...and with it, I was arguably the strongest person in either realm. But I still was never strong enough. The things I tried to do on my own failed as well...and sometimes even the things I did with others. There is nothing wrong with drawing strength from the people supporting you, Theo. Your mother and I wouldn't have lasted two weeks in the Oni realm when she was first ruling without Heavy Metal and Wu...and there have been so many other supports over the years, through every chapter."
"But you didn't get anyone killed," Theo argued, the tears still streaming down his face. "Rook's in critical condition...and Tolan—"
"Tolan's alive," Cole cut in. "I really should have started with that—I forgot you didn't know."
Theo looked up. "He is?"
"He transported with Teag. Tobias said they're both in the first realm, handling things there in our absence."
Theo's shoulders shook as he broke down further, relief coursing through him like a natural pain reliever. "But... how? Tolan doesn't know how to transport," he finally managed to say. Cole smiled.
"You're never too old to learn new things," he pointed out. "And speaking of...your mother and I...we want to do better." He took a deep breath, running a hand through his greying hair. "I know we've made that promise before...multiple times. That we were going to start letting you be more independent, that we were going to start trusting you with more. We did try, but we realize we've missed the mark. That day, when you took down the slave trade, for instance..." He shook his head. "I should have handled that all differently. I wish I had. If we've burned too many bridges over the years, then I understand...but please, don't let any of the mistakes—ours or yours—make you feel like you aren't good enough for certain paths."
He gave Theo's arm a squeeze. "We really do hope that you'll reconsider taking back your title. It's your journey, and we will respect whatever you decide to do, but if you're not going to be the Heir, then please let it be because there's something else you truly want to do. Don't give up on that path just because you're afraid you won't measure up. You're worthy of whatever path you choose. If I learned anything from carrying the element of earth, it's that our mistakes and our losses and all the times we get beaten down are what make us worthy. If stuff went right all the time, we'd never know how strong we are. Maybe that's why you don't realize that you have what it takes—because we kept you in a bubble of protection so long. I just hope that you can realize true courage is learning from mistakes to make a change for the better. It's something that I want to do...and that your mother wants to do too, if you'll let us."
"I just...I don't know." Theo wiped at his face. "About taking back the title, I mean."
"Okay," Cole said simply, squeezing his shoulder one last time. "Maybe just think about it. You don't have to make any decisions right now."
Theo nodded, wiping the last of the tears from his face. Cole seemed to be waiting to see if he would say anything else, but when he didn't, the ex-master of earth pushed himself to his feet with a groan.
"I'm going to go get something to eat. Do you want a burger?"
Theo almost turned him down, but then he paused. "Yeah," he finally said. "That does sound better than hospital food."
Cole smiled. "Okay, one burger coming up."
"With one and a half sides of fries and chocolate shake."
"One and a half?"
"I know if you order me two things of fries, you'll eat half of one of them before you get back here. You've got no self-control when it comes to junk food, Dad."
Cole chuckled. "Fair enough. Anything else?"
Theo hesitated. "How's Rook?" he finally asked, though he wasn't sure how his father would respond. To his surprise, Cole answered easily.
"She's starting to recover. The doctors said she isn't quite out of the danger zone yet...but she's not on death's door anymore. They said if she's strong, she could pull through."
"She's strong all right," Theo murmured, looking back down at his hands. He could feel his father watching him, but Cole didn't press. He turned to leave, and Theo glanced back up. "I'm...I'm worried about her," he blurted. "I know that you guys don't have the best impression and you probably don't like her much, but she didn't deserve to have this happen."
Cole hesitated by the door, and he turned to smile at him. "I know," he offered. "I promise I'll keep you updated, okay?"
Theo nodded, and a knot of anxiety that had been sitting in the pit of his stomach loosened somewhat. "Okay. Thanks, Dad."
Teag took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air and the fact that he finally felt strong enough to walk. The stars winked down at him, and shifted on the boulder he had found. Inside, he felt conflicted. Part of him just wanted to slip away now—run away and choose nothing, rather than having to choose one path or the other. In the darkness, it was harder to push away the memories from the previous weeks, and he shuddered as he rubbed his arm. It wasn't that he wanted to be back in that terrible place with the Asahkar who had hurt him so badly so many times...but there was a guilt sitting in the pit of his stomach that was trying to convince him that he didn't deserve to be rescued.
The sound of footsteps approaching him made Teag stiffen, not sure if it was Tolan coming to ask him what he was doing or Pippa taking the chance to tell him why he wasn't well enough to be out in the chilly night air.
"The stars are beautiful tonight, huh?" a voice asked, and Teag felt a little relieved when he realized it was Syn. He glanced back at her as she approached, and she gave him a little smile in the starlight. "Seems you're feeling better, if you managed to come out here."
"I am. Thank you for all you've done, ma'am."
"It's Syn," she reminded good-naturedly as she took a seat next to him. "I imagine you have a lot to think about. Is it all right if I join you?"
Teag shrugged, not meeting her eye. For a few minutes they sat, listening to the wind whipping through the rock formations nearby. "Did you put Tolan up to it?" he finally asked. Syn looked over, puzzled.
"Up to what?"
"Inviting me to the south with you guys?"
Syn didn't answer, and Teag finally glanced over to see her giving him a blank look. "The south?" she finally asked. Teag flushed, realizing he had been the victim of a cruel joke after all.
"That's just what Tolan said," he tried, feeling humiliated. "But obviously, he was just—"
"If Tolan said it, I'm sure he's planning on it," Syn cut in, glancing over to the tent. "He just has a habit of forgetting to run things by me, sometimes. But you said he invited you to stay with us?"
"I'm not planning on doing it," Teag assured, rubbing his hands together in the cold. "I'll be out of your hair soon."
"Oh. Why aren't you planning on it?"
"Even if he meant it...which I'm not sure if he did...he'll get sick of me after a week or two. Everyone always does. Then he'll wish that he had never asked me."
"Teag," Syn murmured, turning to face him more fully. "I don't know exactly what Tolan said when he talked to you, but if he made the offer, he meant it. He isn't really the type of person to take this sort of thing lightly."
"I guess." He risked looking over at her again. "Wouldn't I just get in the way?"
Syn smiled kindly, and Teag stiffened as she reached out instead of answering. He wasn't sure what to do as she embraced him, but he didn't pull away. "Pippa told us what you did at the slave camp, Teag."
His eyes immediately started to smart with shame. "About how I failed?"
"You refused to fight back," Syn argued. "You wouldn't play their game, no matter what they threatened...and I find that admirable." She continued to hold him, her voice softening. "I don't know everything that you've had to go through these last few weeks, but you deserve better."
Teag sniffed loudly, not sure what to say. Syn seemed to be waiting, but after a few minutes, she finally released him, rubbing his back as she pulled away.
"I obviously need to touch bases with Tolan...but I would hope you would consider whatever offer he gave you." She reached out and pushed a few of his dreadlocks out of his face. "I know it may not seem like it, and maybe didn't even seem like it before you left the west, but you really do feel like family to us. Whether or not you want to be part of such a crazy family is another thing, but..." she shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "At least stay with us until Hershel gets back. He'll never forgive us if we let you trek off on your own before you get your full strength back."
"Master Hershel would have been better off without me," Teag said bitterly. "All I've done is cause him trouble—"
"Oh, Teag, no." Syn grabbed his hands, her expression becoming firm. "You gave my brother a purpose, whether you see it that way or not. Before he started teaching you, Hershel was kind of just...floating. He hadn't really had control over his own life until a few years ago...but once he finally got to decide what he wanted to do with himself, he felt lost. After he met you and started training you, we saw him get his old spark of purpose back—a spark I hadn't often seen since our father died, a long time ago." She went quiet, but then she smiled. "Teaching you and the others how to control your powers is what Hershel loves to do—and truth be told, he always had a special place for you, above the rest."
"Why would he?"
"Because you remind him of himself, Teag. When we realized you were missing, he scoured the realm for you. From what Myrah told me, he even had it out with the Eastern Leader when she wouldn't help them find you."
"He did?"
"Yelled at her, and accused her of being a liar. Tala didn't take it very well, but after what we've learned, he wasn't wrong. The point I'm trying to get to is that you should never apologize for your impact on Hershel. You shouldn't apologize for your impact on any of us. It's probably us who should be apologizing to you...for not helping you feel more at home when you were with us."
Teag's eyes continued to swim with tears as he looked away. "I'm telling you, I'm not the kind of person you want to stick around."
"I'm telling you that I've known enough people to know exactly what kind of person you are...and you're one of the good ones, Teag. We would be honored if you chose to stick around." She gave him another hug, and Teag's shoulders shook as he tried to suppress the tears. When Syn finally pulled away, she lifted his chin so that he had to look into her kind brown eyes. "But if dealing with Pippa is going to be too much for you, we also understand," she said with a wince. He couldn't help but chuckle a little at that.
"Well...if you could get her to stop trying to force-feed me..." he said at last, and Syn laughed.
"I promise, I'll see what I can do." She stroked his cheek with her thumb for a moment in a gesture that made Teag think of his mother. "Your bedroll is still laid out by the fire, if you decide to come in," she offered before glancing at the stars. "The sky is beautiful, but you should be getting your rest, with everything you've endured."
Teag nodded, though his stomach twisted at the thought. At last, he blurted, "I'm afraid of what I'll dream of." He waited for Syn to judge him for sounding weak, but instead, she sighed sadly.
"I don't blame you," she offered. "I've dealt with nightmares myself over the years...we all have. We're here to support you through yours, if you'll let us."
Teag swallowed, not trusting his voice enough to speak. "Thank you," he said at last. Syn smiled.
"After what you've done for my family, I should be thanking you," she offered, and then she was walking back toward the tent. Teag watched her go and finally turned to look off to the horizon. If he set off now, he could be halfway to the Hidden village by dawn. After thinking a while longer, however, the teen pushed himself to his feet and headed back to the tent.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come? It's...kinda my job." Amber shifted from foot to foot as she watched her parents heading for the door of her grandfather's home. Keyda gave her a tight smile.
"You've been through enough—you shouldn't have to deal with the council's continued harassment." She shot a look Cole's direction. "When we arrived and begged for help, they blew us off, but now they're sending constant summons. Funny how they have enough time for us when it's to reprimand."
"They're super angry, then?" Amber deciphered, feeling her stomach drop.
"We're getting it handled," her father assured. "It's a long process, but there is technically an emergency clause in the treaty stuff we put together four years ago. The difficulty at the moment is convincing them that Theo was working under that clause when he transported here to come find Raiyn and the Oni slaves."
"Did you let them know that he had information that no one else did?"
"Yes, but they say he could have used a communicator. And we did tell them that the communicators weren't working, but they're dragging their feet about accepting that. They're infuriating to work with!" Keyda said.
"No doubt, they're embarrassed." It was Lou who spoke as he came into the room, smiling as he studied his family members. "People tend to snap the most when they feel backed into a corner. This whole fiasco is no doubt humiliating, and they're trying to prove that they aren't in the wrong."
"But they are in the wrong," Keyda muttered.
"Try stroking a few egos—little is solved in round-about blame games, in my opinion," Lou offered.
"We'll get it sorted, Dad," Cole assured. "I assume Amber can stay with you in the meantime?"
"You're wasting time with stupid questions," Lou laughed, shooing them out the door."
"We'll be heading to the hospital after this meeting. If you visit Theo today, let him know we'll be popping by," Keyda said before they headed back out. Amber nodded, and the door closed behind her parents. The Xinta plopped onto the couch, feeling conflicted.
"Are you feeling all right, Amber? You could sleep in, if you wanted," Lou pointed out. "It's a little early."
"I feel like I should be doing more," she admitted. "I feel like my parents are always stuck cleaning up the mess after things like this go down. I don't know...I guess I just expected everything to go back to normal after Zerek got taken down, but there are so many politics. Hershel and Myrah can't even go home yet because the council was adamant that no one else could transport without permission. It's another reason my parents are answering all these dumb summons. The sooner they can get the council to sign off, the sooner Myrah and Hershel can get back. They're stuck in some hotel in the meantime, probably hating it...and everyone else is traumatized and in the hospital." She dry-washed her face. "It just all feels so complicated."
"Cleaning up is never the fun part," Lou agreed, lowering himself slowly to be next to her. Amber looked up with a bewildered expression.
"Grandpa, there was no fun part to this!"
"True," he agreed with a wince. "I suppose I should have said that cleaning up sometimes feels like the worst part, especially when all anyone should be doing is resting and recovering."
"Exactly. I mean, people almost died trying to get our people back, and the council is more concerned about where the oni are going to end up. Not only is there not so much as an apology for the atrocity that's been done against our people, but they're trying to get rid of them as soon as possible. They just have such a double-standard. The villagers need to leave ASAP but no one is allowed to transport without permission...so what exactly do they expect us to do?"
"They're trying to get their act together as quickly as possible," Lou mused. "I watched an interview on the television last night, and the councilman was stammering. People in charge rarely enjoy being blindsided."
"But my parents told them that all this stuff was happening. It's not our fault that they didn't take it seriously." She slumped on her place on the couch. "Honestly, I feel like this whole fiasco isn't truly going to feel like it's over until we can find a conclusion for all these loose ends. The villagers are refusing to go back to our realm, Grandpa. My parents are afraid that we're going to have force them back against their will, and they already have a chip on their shoulder against my parents, and for good reason, I guess..."
"Well, why can't they just stay here?" her grandfather finally asked. Amber blinked and turned to him and he raised an eyebrow. "You live in Ninjago. Is it really that bad if more oni were to?"
"Well, I don't think it would be a bad thing for them to stay, but the council would probably never agree to it."
"I see," Lou frowned thoughtfully. "I can promise you, if Zerek had been stationed in Ninjago City instead of Metallonia, the council would have no choice but to address this more apologetically. They would have to accept the Oni. But based on the interview last night, they're all claiming that they aren't responsible because it all went down in another country, which to me is the lowest form of—"
"Grandpa, that's it!"
Lou looked over. "What?"
Amber pushed herself to her feet. "It did happen in Metallonia. Maybe there's some way that we can get in contact with the leadership there. If the council doesn't care what happens in Metallonia, and we could get Metallonian leadership to agree to have the Oni live there..."
"Metallonians can be a little rough around the edges. Do you think they would agree?"
"I don't know," Amber said honestly. "I don't even know who's in charge in Metallonia—I'd have to do some research. But Agatha talked about how Oni are such a big part of their culture." She took a deep breath. "I guess we never know until we try."
"Mmm. Fair point."
"Maybe I'll call Agatha. If I can figure out how to get ahold of the leader, or leaders, maybe I could take a train or something to Metallonia. I would just transport, but given the whole council ban..."
"Nonsense." Lou pushed himself to his feet. "If you get a meeting set up, I'll drive us to Metallonia for it."
Amber blinked in surprise. "But, Papa Lou..."
"No buts." Lou tapped his cane emphatically. "I have been useless this whole time while my family fought dangerous battles—just as I always am. If this is a way I could help, then please, let me be useful in at least this." He tilted his head with a twinkle in his eye. "I am more than just a man with a home for people to sleep in, you know."
Amber smiled sheepishly. "I know, Grandpa. But you and I can't just leave to Metallonia—especially not after everything that happened."
"I'm not saying we sneak off without letting anyone know. But with Theodynn in the hospital and your parents sorting out the mess with the council, we could see what we could do in Metallonia. Besides, I am not without connections in that country, you know. Bev and I did a few tours there, back in the day."
"Mmm, any chance your connections are with leadership?"
Lou tugged at his mustache thoughtfully. "Not exactly."