Deadfall
Cole glanced behind him momentarily to make sure the others were still following. Sweat beaded at his forehead, and he found that his fingers were trembling as they brushed against the hilt of his sword, more for comfort than anything else.
His boots crunched through the dead spruce needles, making him grimace every time he cracked a branch. He looked at the distant mountains, black against the pink backdrop of the sky, and tried to draw his mind away from the raging torrent of guilt that had been threatening to rip him to pieces for hours.
"Isn't is beautiful?" A voice asked next to him, cutting the relative silence.
Cole drew his sword in a heartbeat and pointed it at the man.
Zane took a step back, his hands in the air as he cooly regarded the blade before him. "Is something wrong, my friend?" He asked.
Cole held up the blade shakily for several seconds before slowly lowering it and sliding it into his scabbard with a low hiss. "Sorry," he was bewildered by Zane's ability to be so quiet, and even more by the fact that his captive looked so nonchalant about the whole ordeal. Torture? He mimicked Zane's tone in his mind. Not a problem, my dear captor and best friend in the world. Fruitcake, anyone?
"I'm a little on edge." Cole said out loud, trying for a cool apology.
Zane took a step forward, gesturing for his two companions to follow. "I can see that, my friend." He said gently.
Friend? Cole hesitated. How many times has he called you that now? He strode forward, unwilling to let either captive know of his weak underbelly, so he acted like the whole ordeal with the sword was a big joke, and pretended to forget that it had happened. I am in control. I have no weakness.
Zane looked at him, a faint and reassuring smile lifting one side of his mouth. "I ask again, my friend. Isn't it beautiful?" He looked at the mountains ahead of them, and at the sky.
Friendship leads to trust. Trust leads to betrayal. Cole's heart raced, pounding him with guilt. You can't make friends. Friends are a weakness.
He looked at Zane and nodded. "It's a very nice color of black, isn't it?"
Zane nodded. "Nice is a good word for it, but it is beautiful when placed in contrast with the colorful sky, is it not?"
Cole looked at the mountains through narrowed eyes, a little incredulous of the thought that someone could find the sky beautiful. It's just sky, for Heaven's sake.
"Sure," he said eventually. "I guess so." He cleared his throat and spoke again. "We need to move faster, otherwise we'll be caught."
Kai came up on Cole's left side, the black look fixed on his face. "Caught by who, Cole?"
The Dark Knight cringed at the tone. The way that Kai says my name, he thought to himself, I will have no trouble not making friends with him. Zane, on the other hand... He realized, not allowing himself the benefit of the doubt, that he might have to kill Zane, if only to protect himself from the dangers friendship presented.
He glared at Kai and spoke in an equally harsh tone. "My men. They are currently raiding a little village nearby." He looked over at Zane, who was watching the ground before his booted feet intently.
Cole continued. "The stone warriors are suspicious of something, I am sure of it. I never send all my men on one raid together, especially to just one small town. Someone needs to guard the ship. And I always go with them on the raids, so making them go alone is another big indicator that something is up." His face grew pale, looking less tanned and more careworn. "They are not fools. We only have about a ten minute head start, and we still need to find a place to hide until they give up the chase and go home."
"And when would they give up?" Zane asked.
Cole shook his head and fingered the hilt of his sword. "I don't know," his voice was suddenly strained. "Days, if we're lucky enough. But they could go on for weeks before facing defeat. No one wants to go home and face the Overlord's whi-" He caught himself and whispered out, "his anger." A shudder followed his words, a movement almost lost in the rippling of his cloak.
"Whips?" Zane said softly, guessing what the broken word was supposed to be. "The Overlord uses whips?"
Cole blinked away a thousand horrid memories. A thousand memories from both ends of the whip. "Zane, hold your tongue or I'll cut it out." He said, a little rougher than he had first intended. But he made no move to apologize.
Zane simply nodded in understanding. "Yes sir."
Cole's heart bled. Zane had called him 'sir' that time, not 'friend' or even simply 'Cole.' He was suddenly 'sir' to this man.
He pushed away the thought and pulled his lips into a tight line, setting his eyebrows close to his angry green eyes. He clenched his fists with enough force to crumble stone, telling himself that he did not care. He was above them both, and they were his captives, his slaves. No need to get all upset about one of them showing due respect. His heart was not bleeding.
At least it wasn't 'friend' that time, Cole. His trust must be weakening. He stopped the thought and hesitated. He needed trust for his plan to work. He needed to at least pretend to be their friend, until his plans were complete.
Silence reigned for several more minutes as all three men jogged at a fair pace, trying to put at least a few miles between the ship and themselves before they had to stop and hide from the pursuers.
Kai was breathless before they had even gone five miles, and Cole grudgingly obliged him a rest.
They were in the middle of a dense forest of spruce and pine, and the ground beneath their feet was compiled of mostly gravel and fallen needles, now browned and turning to a dusty substrate that suggested that not much rain fell in this area. A large river was raging loudly about a hundred yards off, concealed by the dense trees.
Cole heard the tremendous roaring noise off to their right, and sweat started to bead at his forehead. The water is far away, he told himself. Don't get all worked up, or the others will find out. But as hard as he tried to stop it, the color still drained from his face. His fingers trembled all the more, and his heart sounded like a drum as the blood ran through his ears and made them ring. Don't be a coward, Cole. He reproached himself, but to no end. It's just water.
Kai plopped down, red in the face and breathing hard, on the ground. He grimaced and shifted his position on the sharp rocks and spruce branches.
Zane sat down as well, though he was not tired. He took deep, slow breaths in his nose and let them out through his mouth in a controlled fashion as he looked up at Cole, who scowled at them with his arms crossed over his loose white tunic. His long black hair was once again, Zane noticed, tied in its usual fashion down to mid-back. An easy thing to miss, because of the black cloak and feathered hat. His face was pale and white, a stark contrast to the black. All the tan had left his skin as soon as they neared the water, he added to his list of observances. A sign of fear.
Cole shuffled his feet through the gravel impatiently. "Two minutes, you weaklings." He growled as he stepped back a ways and lightly reprimanded himself for his fears, and for letting it show in his tone. He was certain his face was almost translucent from the lack of blood.
We have to get out of here, he told himself. Not because of the water, but because we'll be caught.
Is that right? Cole was vaguely aware of the fact that he was arguing with himself, much like a lunatic.
Yes! The side of him that still wanted to be what the Overlord wanted spoke up.
You're a weakling, Cole. Is there anything you're actually not afraid of? He argued back.
I'm not afraid of anything. Period.
You go ahead and believe that, my friend.
"Cole?" Zane slowly got to his feet and took a tentative step toward his captor.
Cole started and glared at the blond haired man. "What?" He hissed.
Zane sighed sadly and locked his eyes on Cole's, taking another step. "We need to talk about this." He blinked. "You need someone to listen to your story. It will help."
Cole glared at him and took two steps back. "No, I don't think it will."
Zane took three steps forward, still not breaking the gaze. "We could argue all day, and let those stone samurai's capture us, or you could talk to me, and we could leave within two minutes."
Cole took two steps backwards, frustrated by the fact that he couldn't break away from the icy blue eyes. He swallowed hard, his hand automatically going to his hilt. Stop retreating, you weakling.
Zane saw the movement in the edge of his vision, but did not flinch. He took another three steps and planted his feet a good distance apart, crossing his arms over his chest casually. "Why can't you trust me?" His face was gentle, and his movements calm and slow.
Cole blinked, his feet glued to the ground. His hand wrapped around the cold steel. Cold like death, cold like those that I killed. He snarled, wrinkling his nose. His knuckles grew white around the sword. "Trust kills people, prisoner." His voice was low and guttural. And you wanted them to trust you...why?
Zane's eyes filled with compassion, and a smile stretched his lips slightly in a warm, welcoming grin. "Everything kills people, in its own time."
Cole blinked again. "Some things faster than others," his voice was still low and wary, but was now mixed with mild interest. "In my experience, trust is a brittle, flaky thing, pretty to look at, but won't hold your weight." Get a hold of yourself, he shouted in his mind as a thousand alarms started to blare. He's leading you into a trap.
Zane nodded. "Brittle things break easily, don't they?" He took a step forward and put a hand on Cole's left shoulder. "Friendship is a wonderful thing, Cole. It is the salve that eases the brittle texture."
Cole flinched, but did not try to break free. He stared at Zane, and watched his wall of defense start to crumble. He snarled, the sword hissing as it came an inch out of the sheath. "Get your hand off of me, boy."
Zane did not move. He stubbornly stared into the green eyes, as if trying to peer into his captor's soul. He shook his head slowly. "No, my friend." He said in a firm voice. "I'm not letting go."
Cole's eyes widened in alarm. Kill him! He told himself. That's what you said you would do, right? Just kill it! He tried to growl, but found that it had turned into more of a whimper. He shook his head in terror, but was careful to not let it show in his eyes, which were narrowed to angry slits.
You've done it already? His hand tightened even more around the sword hilt, then went limp. A short click told him that the blade's hilt had fallen into the scabbard again, and his hand fell to his side. No...
Zane put his other hand on Cole's right shoulder. "Just let us be there, Cole."
Cole started breathing fast. His eyes traveled to the woods over Zane's shoulder, then to the nobleman's face. He's too close, Cole told himself. Curse this strange creature with the ability to make his head glow. What is wrong with hating your captor? It makes it so much easier to hurt the prisoner when he hates you.
He clenched his fist, hardening whatever resolve he had left, and pushed Zane's hands off of him roughly.
Zane seemed unconcerned about his rough treatment, and let the smile continue creeping over his cheeks. "'A one man show needs no friends,' says the man who lives with an army of heartless stone warriors."
Cole wound up and punched Zane so hard that the nobleman flew into the dirt with a sickening crunch.
There was a short yelp, then dead silence as Cole's throat constricted.
The weakling passed out, he thought to himself as he forced a chuckle, opening his throat again.
Cole kicked Zane roughly in the ribs in an attempt to wake him up. He gave up after a few hard jabs and glared at Kai, who scowled back unflinchingly from where he still sat under a tree.
Cole slung Zane roughly over one shoulder, the long, pale arms dangling over his back, head lolling in a way that reminded Kai of a rope swing in an autumn breeze.
Cole wrapped one arm around Zane's black pants and held him there. "Get up, Kai." He growled angrily. "It's been well over two minutes, and we need to move."
That's right, Cole. His mind taunted him. Run away from the water, tail between your legs. Cowardice at its epitome.
Kai shook his head angrily as he stood up. "I'm not going anywhere until you hold that man in a more cultured fashion."
Cole tightened his grip on Zane's legs. "I'll do as I please, prisoner." Count on an arrogant nobleman to reprimand me on culture...
Kai walked straight up to Cole and looked down at him. It was almost humorous, how much taller he was than this man. The top of the Dark Knight's head was at Kai's nose. It wasn't that Cole was really that short, it was just that Kai was tall.
Kai smirked. "I thought we were escaping together, as teammates, and you had given us our freedom."
Cole scowled back. "Until you are back to your weakling father and ugly wench of a mother, you belong to me." He jabbed at his chest with his free hand to accentuate the point.
Kai's jaw went tense as he grabbed Zane's body from Cole's shoulder in sharp, almost mechanical movements, and cradled him gently in his own, one hand under the knees and another under the slumped shoulders. "Be careful what you say of my parents, you brute." He snarled with enough heat to melt iron, his teeth bared and eyebrows riding low on his eyelids. If only looks could kill.
Cole shrugged cooly, telling himself that he was enjoying this. A dispute like this is what prevents good companionship, he told himself. This is good. This is safe.
Kai turned on his heel, a sharp noise in the gravel, and began walking toward the direction the water was gushing.
"And where do you think you're going?" Cole barked. His mind was reeling, because he already knew. Does Kai realize that I can't follow him to the water?
Kai didn't even dignify the man enough to look back. "I hear water over this way," he called out, voice no less heated than before. "You can help me revive the poor man, or go on your own path. I honestly don't care which you chose." He walked into the trees and left Cole behind him, open mouthed and silent in shock.
Pixal sat on her horse, watching the family reunion from a distance. Perhaps I should just leave, she thought to herself as she looked at her prisoner.
She let an attempt at a friendly smile cross her face as she spoke to Jay. "What do you think, Walker?" She asked in a casual tone.
Jay jumped, startled out of his thoughts by her voice. He looked up at her in a bemused way, wondering what had possessed this woman. One minute snarling, teeth bared like a wolverine, the next smiling warmly, as if taking to an old friend. "About what?" He asked cautiously.
Pixal shrugged nonchalantly. "Should I take you to my father right this minute, or should I..." Her face became distant, and she let her words trail off as a loud beeping started playing through her computers.
Jay looked up at her again, one eyebrow raised and a snarky smile on his lips. "I wasn't aware that I had more than one option, my lady."
"Quiet, Walker." She snapped back. "I'm getting a transmission." Her eyes began to glow a brilliant green, and she allowed the person on the other end to make communications. "Is that you, Zane?" She asked quickly, peering into the green haze of her bird communicator.
"Still haven't been able to make contact, huh?" A deep voice replied.
"Lloyd!" Pixal exclaimed, a real smile gracing her lips. "No, he hasn't tried to make contact. It concerns me somewhat."
"Why is that, Pix?" The voice asked though the green haze.
Pixal sighed heavily and let the smile drop. "He turned off all means of communication and tracking. As far as me or father know, he fell off the face of the earth."
There was a long pause, in which Jay decided to speak again. "Excuse me?"
Pixal reached out with one hand and slapped his face without even bothering to look at him. Her head stayed rigid and erect. "I want silence from you, Walker." She hissed as Jay backed up a single step and shut his mouth.
"Walker?" Lloyd sounded amused. "So you finally caught him, Pix?" A short chuckle. "After all these years, your obsession will finally come to an end."
Pixal frowned. "I told you, it's not an obsession."
"And I'm not your boyfriend." He countered.
She was surprised by his audacity. "No, you're not, actually." She pursed her lips.
"Mmm. Pity." Lloyd's tone suggested teasing. "Sorry about Zane," he tried to cover for his joke with some formality. "But that's actually the reason I called. My father requests counsel with you, Lord Julien, and Kaytake. The situation is getting to be pretty bad."
Pixal nodded, although she knew Lloyd could not see the gesture. "Sounds good," she replied. "A week from today?"
"How about...tonight." Lloyd answered. "Father says it's urgent."
"Tonight?" Pixal's mouth opened wide. "Where do I keep Walker?"
"Relax, Pix." Lloyd's tone was condescending. "Bring him with you. I'm sure our prisons are secure enough for him." His tone was heavy with sarcasm.
"Please stop that," Pixal said with a frown. "You know I don't do that dry humor."
"Fine, sorry." Lloyd's laugh filled the receiver. "Anyways, I've already contacted your father, but since you still haven't made Kaytake a bird, you'll have to tell him yourself."
"And what makes you think I'm in that area?" Pixal shot back. "I could be halfway to the Northerns right now."
"Or you could be three miles to the west of Kaytake's mansion, with Nya in tow," Lloyd let the sarcasm drip back into his tone. "No, you're right, I apologize. You're too busy to deliver a message for the prince."
Pixal rolled her eyes. "Fine."
"Excellent." She could hear the smile in Lloyd's single word reply. "See you tonight."
"Fine." Pixal reprimanded herself for reusing the word. "Over and out."
"Over." Lloyd was gone.
Pixal blinked the dryness out of her eyes as the glow disappeared, and she looked at her surroundings. Everyone was staring at her, mouths agape. She was certain the sound a pin dropping might be loud enough to make them jump in surprise.
"What are you all staring at?" She snapped, kicking her horse. "I have orders from Garmadon. Kaytake is to go to the Middle realm for an urgent meeting tonight."
She turned her mount and rode off at a brisk pace, ignoring Jay's loud protests when her horse went off at a loping stride, leaving him in a fight to keep up.
Kai looked behind him once, just to see if the black cloak and ugly purple feather were trailing him. To his satisfaction, the Dark Knight was nowhere in sight. He let out a chuckle and shifted Zane's weight to a more comfortable position.
What a story I'll have to tell when we get back, he though to himself. I simply walk away from Sir Cole, and he does not follow. I took my freedom from a man with a four day scruff and humiliatingly long hair.
He walked on at a brisk pace for several minutes before Zane began to wake up.
The Nindroid let out a deep-throated groan and opened his eyes. The blue orbs darted around until they found Kai's face. "Don't tell me you actually walked away, my friend." He said in a tone that told the Southern nobleman that Zane already knew the truth.
Kai set him down on the ground gently and nodded. "What do you want me to say? The beast wandered off."
Zane rubbed his jaw, where the blow from Cole had landed. "He wandered off, or you chained him to the ground and wandered off yourself?" His voice was dry and reprimanding.
Kai gave him a sly grin. "Yeah, I just found a coil of rope randomly and challenged the strongest man in the world to a tussle. Winner ties the other up and takes the Nindroid away." He crossed his arms and transitioned his weight to one leg. "No, you tin head. I just walked off. He didn't stop me."
Zane raised an eyebrow. "And it doesn't seem suspicious to you?"
"Should it?" Kai offered a hand to him.
The man grasped the hand and used it to pull himself to his feet. "He is not called the island's most notorious criminal for nothing."
Kai let go of Zane's cold hand and rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, my lord."
Zane's face turned into a frown as he adjusted the cloak on his shoulders. "I am simply suggesting that we use caution. He is crafty."
Crack.
Kai tensed as the sound rang through his ears, then was gone. He turned his head to the right, wondering if he had imagined it. His heart caught in his throat as the figure who had broken the branch became visible.
A stone warrior! The black figure was walking toward them, a perverted smile fixed on its face as it brandished a sword.
Kai exchanged a glance with Zane. The Nindroid gave him an 'I told you so' look.
"So what do you suggest, Zane?" Kai backed up a step. "Which direction do we run?"
Zane pursed his lips and turned in a full circle before responding. "We should run to the river." He took off running before Kai could stop him.
Kai let out an exclamation of surprise and followed right on the Northern nobleman's heels.
The stone warrior gave chase with its slow, marching stride. The heavy soldiers obviously weren't built for speed.
Zane reached the water within a few minutes, and Kai was right on his heels. Fortunately for them, the stone warrior was moving slowly, as if relishing in its foreseeable victory.
Kai surveyed the large tributary with one quick sweep of his brown eyes, and immediately decided that the river was too deep to cross safely. Surely at its deepest point it would be at least six feet, and the churning white water somehow looked more unpleasant than capture. At least if he was back on Sir Cole's ship, he would be alive. This water screamed out its bloodlust in the white foamy waves.
He backed out of the water and turned around hesitantly, his knees trembling to the point of caving in on themselves as his eyes once again surveyed the territory. "Zane?" He whispered. "You got a plan?"
Zane gave him with a cool look, free of anxiety or fear. "Yes, I do."
The ring of nearly four dozen black samurais were moving in steady, long strides toward him, each with either a sword or bow clutched in black hands.
Kai nodded, grateful for the android's courage. It helped him stay calm. "Great, care to elaborate?"
Zane rubbed his jaw, where Cole had punched him almost ten minutes before. He pointed at the trees. "I need to cut them down."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "We have no weapons, Zane." He reasoned.
Zane gave him a tricky smile. "My friend," he said quickly. "You stand in the presence of a weapon." He rolled up his left sleeve and flicked open a panel.
Kai looked at it with amazement. If he hadn't seen the Nindroid open it, he would never have known it was there. It was virtually seamless.
Zane pushed a button, then examined the tree before them with a clenched fist. "This one will do nicely," he said with a determined nod and a smile that seemed strangely out of place in their situation. "Stand back, Kai."
Kai did as he was told, and watched with curiosity as Zane opened his fist. A bright blue laser suddenly flashed from his palm, shooting into the base of the large tree and making an incision straight through to the other side of the trunk, damaging a nearby bush.
Kai looked up at the top of the tree, which towered more than thirty feet over their heads, as it swayed and began to fall to their left, into the river.
Zane shut his panel, extinguishing the blue beam. He leapt forward and shoved the tree away from the water. It crashed into the gravel, parallel to the riverbank, leaving a gap of about thirty feet between the thick, tangled branches and the bank.
Kai's mouth was opened wide in shock. Zane had just pushed a tree out of its original crash course, and made a sort of barrier between them and the stone samurais.
Zane turned to face him, a look of pleasure and satisfaction on his face that melted away when he saw Kai's expression. "What?" He raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"
Kai blinked once and clamped his jaw shut with an audible snap that made his teeth hurt. He pointed at the tree, which stood between the stone warriors and them. "You just chopped down a tree with a light from your fist, then redirected its fall singlehandedly!" He shouted. "How else was I supposed to react?"
Zane gave him a queer look and smiled awkwardly. He adjusted his cloak's position on his shoulders and looked at the trees around them that still stood upright. "I am glad you liked the show, my friend." He said quickly. "But we are not done yet." He flipped his wrist panel open again and went for the next tree.