Abdication

Zane and Wu moved silently through the tall palms, trying to stay hidden in case a stone warrior was hiding nearby. The Nindroid wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and looked over his shoulder to make sure the old man was still following. They had been flying over the sand for nearly ten minutes, making good time as they ran toward the beach where Zane had first seen Nya's mech land.

"You are sure the mech landed over here?" Wu asked. His voice was urgent, only adding to Zane's concerns. The prince was such an easy, laid-back man that any amount of concern on his part had to mean something dangerous was coming.

"Yes," Zane answered without hesitation. "They're probably about a half-mile away, if they haven't already traveled-"

"Hush." Wu stopped suddenly and ducked behind a small, bushy plant. He waved to Zane. "Get over here."

Zane stopped immediately, boots skidding in the sand as he turned on his heels and ran to Wu. He ducked behind the bush and looked at his elder, waiting for more instructions.

The prince held a finger to his lips and gestured to the other side of the plant.

Zane got to his knees and crawled toward the base of the bush, making less noise than a breath of wind as he examined the area beyond their shelter. "I see nothing," he whispered.

Wu hushed his younger companion and crawled up beside him. "Stone warriors," he muttered under his breath. "Don't tell me you don't hear their vehicle's motor."

Zane listened harder, closing his eyes to help him focus on the sounds. He heard birds singing all around them. Somewhere, that eagle was screeching again. The distinctive sound of an osprey met his ears, and he opened his eyes in surprise. "It's Lloyd's bird," he hissed.

That's when he remembered the day he had first woken up on the Dark Island after being thrown over the edge of the ship. The memory was fuzzy and unclear because of his exhaustion, but it was there. He had seen both the green and the orange dot flying over water. Lloyd and Nya's birds! The thought made his head swim with excitement. "Nya is here, I think." He whispered. How he could have forgotten such an important detail was beyond him.

"Ah," Wu nodded in understanding. "Your girlfriend?"

Zane turned and gave him a confused look. "Beg pardon?"

Wu shrugged his frail shoulders and grinned. "Aren't you courting Nya?"

Zane furrowed his brows and studied Wu's eyes, trying to discern if his companion was teasing him or not. "Um...no." He said. "What gave you that idea?"

Wu chuckled. "My mind can come up with the strangest ideas."

The Nindroid finally looked away and examined the world outside of their hiding place again. "The fact that your mind is strange was old news," he whispered back. "But I am reassured by the fact that you know it as well as I do."

Wu scoffed. "Zane, was that a low blow-"

Zane held up a hand for silence and closed his eyes again. He pressed his palm into the sand and took a deep breath, slowing his heartbeat. The ground beneath his hand was rumbling ever-so-slightly, and his ears picked up a distant hum. Despite his best efforts, his heart rate skyrocketed. "I hear it," he whispered. "Behind us, perhaps a mile away. But it's coming fast."

Wu nodded regretfully. "Nya's mech is a loud machine," he said. "It probably attracted the attention of a few scouts."

Zane backed out of his hiding place and helped Wu to his feet. "Let's hope that's all it is," he said grimly. "If it is only a scout, we have a chance to get the prince, the Blue Knight, and Nya out of there. If it is more than a few scouts, however, our chances of escape dwindle considerably."

Wu broke into a jog, and Zane followed on his heels. "Let's hope you're right," the elder said. Despite his grim tone, his eyes were alight as he looked over his shoulder at Zane. "I'd hate to have my nephew and your date get caught by Kozu's men."

Zane shook his head wearily and sighed, arms pumping at his sides as he sped toward the beach. The thought of me and Nya courting... He mused. It's almost too wild an idea for even Wu. I guess living alone on a hot, tropical island for twenty years will do that to you.

Wu stopped again suddenly, and Zane growled his frustration. "What is it this time?" The Nindroid asked.

The prince gave an apologetic smile. "I'm terribly sorry," he said. "But I feel like I am needed at my home. Someone is waiting for me there, and I cannot delay another second." He looked over his shoulder hesitantly as he came up with a new plan. "You go and meet the others," he said. "Once you have them, follow me back to my home. I will be waiting for you there with a...special guest."

Zane frowned, but nodded. "Okay," he said. "I'll meet you back at the hut." He turned and continued running, parting ways with the old man without another word. What was that about?He wondered.

Sweat beaded at Kai's brow as he knelt in the sand, digging with his hands at the base of a strange bush. Cole stood nearby, searching the ground for more of the same bush his prisoner was digging up. The sun had gone down many hours ago, leaving the two men in the somewhat safe shadows of darkness. The stream sat nearby, gurgling pleasantly in Kai's ears, although he suspected that Cole wished they were a little further away from it.

"Why do these roots have to be so deep?" Kai grumbled as he pulled at the thin stalk. "It's so hard to dig them up when they're all splayed like thick tree roots."

Cole dropped to one knee and used a stick to push the dirt away from the base of the broad-leafed, narrowly shafted plant. "Because the ground here doesn't offer a lot of nutrients," he said. "In order to survive out here, the plants have to spread out their roots and go pretty deep."

Kai grunted and went quiet. Root digging was boring, tedious work, but Cole had made it clear many days ago that they would have to begin scavenging their own food. The one thing they could both agree on was that their food supply in the cave would not last much longer. If they wanted to withstand the hardships that living here would present, they would have to at least pretend to not detest working together.

"So what are we doing after this?" Kai asked.

Cole shrugged. "I thought that we might go down near the mouth of the river to see an old man."

Kai raised a brow. "Since when has there been an old man on the island?" He asked.

"For a long time," Cole replied. "I've never met him in person, and I don't think he even knows I exist. But I've seen glimpses of him and his hut near the mouth of the river, and I think that he might be able to help us escape this place."

Kai finally pulled his root free and added it to the pile. "Great," he said sarcastically. "Let's just go and talk to some senile old hermit and hope he won't turn us over to Kozu. Serious props to you and your great plans."

"How many roots do you have?" Cole asked, clearly stating that he was done with this conversation.

Kai looked at his bundle of already harvested plants and shrugged. "Not many," he said. "Less than you."

"How many?" Cole asked in a firmer tone.

He doesn't have to be all angry about it, Kai thought bitterly. He riffled through the small heap. "Thirteen," he said. "I have total of thirteen."

Cole easily pulled out a plant and added it to his pile. "Twenty-one," he said. "I think that's probably enough for-" A large plant came flying for his face, and he cut himself short as he ducked to avoid it.

He turned and looked at Kai, who was on his knees chortling loudly. "What was that for?" He asked. "Are you trying to irk me?"

Kai got to his feet, another root in his hand. A cocky grin played with his lips. "You totally deserved that," he said.

Cole arched his eyebrows and pointed a finger at his white-shirted chest. "Me?" He asked. A spark ignited his eyes, although his lips stayed straight. "I deserve to have a root vegetable thrown into my face?"

Kai ducked behind a tree and held his ineffectual weapon close to his chest. "Yeah," he replied. "So what are you going to do about it?" He was hoping to finally get Cole to break his composure and have some harmless sport, a thing that the stoic man always refused adamantly.

Cole lowered his brows and bent to pick up his gatherings. "Nothing," he replied. "Let's get back before a stone warrior finds us."

Kai left his hiding place dejectedly and sighed. He didn't care if it made him look immature; it had been too long since he'd last done anything that resembled fun. He had not sparred with a sword since accidentally injuring Cole's shoulder aboard the Black Bounty, and the Dark Knight's home seemed devoid of any type of entertainment. Opening any of the books on the shelf was strictly forbidden, and even going near the crates would send the broken man into a mad frenzy. What was so important about those boxes, anyway?

But Kai decided that he would not give up so easily at his game. He looked long and hard at the back of Cole's head before winding up and throwing the plant with all his strength.

Cole dropped his armful of wild vegetables with a grunt and fell forward, catching himself on his hands at the last second.

Kai scooped up his remaining roots and ran into the woods, toward the river. They were about a quarter mile downstream from Cole's cave, so all he needed to do was follow the water upstream until he found the rocky hill that his captor called home.

But that plan was intercepted by a hard blow to the back of his head, making him cry out in pain and fall forward.

Cole was on top of him a moment later, legs straddling his prisoner's back as he grabbed a handful of Kai's hair and shoved his face into the sand. "What do you think you're doing?" He asked in a whisper-shout. "There's scouts out there, and-"

"You always say that," Kai interjected. He shut his eyes to keep the sand from getting into them, although his mouth was half as fortunate. "But..." He spat out the gritty sand and coughed. "But I haven't seen anything in days. I think you're just paranoid."

"No," Cole argued. He let go of Kai's head, but allowed himself to get comfortable straddling Kai's prone body. "No, Kai. I know that they're out there, I've just been keeping them off of our scent."

Kai turned his head to the side and got his ear full of sand. "Well," he began, still grinning. "You do realize that you're rubbing my scent all over the ground, along with a good portion of my skin."

Cole shrugged and glared fiercely at him, though his eyes glinted with amusement. "It's worth it to see you brought so low," he said. He placed a palm on the side of Kai's head and pushed him deeper into the sand. "Not to worry, all those stone warriors will smell when they come through here is the hot-headed arrogance that radiates from your pores. That'll be enough to deter them. Thanks for letting me use your face, by the way."

Kai ran his tongue over the roof of his mouth in an attempt to get the sand out. He was beginning to think that encouraging Cole to play had been a bad idea. "Glad to be of service," he said. "You know how much I love to help you out."

"Quiet!" Cole turned Kai's face and filled his mouth full of sand, making him splutter as he tried to unseat the muscular man on top of him.

"H-hey!" Kai exclaimed. "What are-"

Cole slapped a hand over Kai's face, forcing him into silence. A twig snapped in the distance. He leaned close, eyes narrowed. "Urruk-uk." He hissed. "A scout. Shut your trap."

Kai immediately went limp and shut his sand-filled mouth. He watched as Cole got to his feet and pressed his back to a nearby tree as footsteps came nearer. He motioned for Kai to stay down.

"Shakk, urruk-uk crite?" A voice in the woods called out.

Kai watched with a mixture of worry and interest as Cole's features became extremely anxious for half a second. The Dark Knight then pulled his mouth into a firm frown and steadied his eyes on a bush near his feet. He began to talk to the voice in the woods in his Dark Tongue, all the while keeping himself out of the scout's sight. His voice grew gravely and strange as he conversed with the stone warrior.

Kai never saw the man Cole was talking to. All he heard was an angry, gruff voice that seemed to be prodding him with questions, which he answered readily and without reluctance.

What is he doing? Kai wondered. Cole was easily keeping up a conversation with this scout, seemingly unafraid and unconcerned.

But Kai knew enough about Cole to know that his captor was afraid, however much it was not showing on the outside. Years of pain had inhibited his ability to properly express himself and show his real feelings. And as Kai looked at Cole's face, he could see that behind that mask of nonchalance and boredom was a man being torn to pieces moment by fear and insecurity.

"Ark weck srin-gote," Cole replied to another question from the man in the woods. He still kept his eyes trained on that one plant at his feet. "Crite kose." He waited a moment, then ran from his hiding place and helped Kai to his feet. "We need to get out of here," he said. "The scout says that there's activity down near the beach. Two men."

"Wh...what?" Kai shook the sand from his hair and gave Cole a quizzical look. "How did you get this information out of that scout, and where is he now?"

Cole grabbed Kai's hand and started running. "He thinks that I'm another scout," he whispered. "Stone warriors aren't very bright, and he never saw my face. As far as he knew, he was giving his superior an update."

"I thought you said that they were intelligent," Kai whispered back.

Cole growled under his breath and skirted around a tree. "Now is not the time to sort through my lies," he said. "We need to beat those scouts down to the beach."

"Why?" Kai asked. He was having trouble keeping up with Cole's panicked animal pace, and his wrist hurt from Cole's violent squeezing. "Why aren't we going back to the cave?"

"Because there are people down by the beach," Cole whispered back. He began running faster. "They need to be warned."

Kai paused a moment and tried to sort through this. Cole cares? Since when did Cole care whether or not people were captured by the Overlord? "Hold up!" He whispered loudly. He dug his heels into the sand and forced Cole to stop.

Cole turned and looked at his breathless companion with narrowed eyes. "We don't have time for explanations," he said. "We need to get down there before that scout realizes that-"

"Stop it," Kai said angrily. "Cole, you aren't making any sense at all!" He threw his free hand into the air. "You say that you just talked to a scout who says that there are two men just traipsing around the beach?"

"Yes," Cole said impatiently. "Can we go now?"

"No!" Kai put his hand down. "Cole, does this not look like a trap to you?"

Cole glared darkly at Kai. "Does it look like a trap to you?" He asked.

Kai hesitated. "I-I don't know," he said finally. "What do you think?"

Cole pointed to the east with a finger. "I don't know what to make of this," he said firmly. "But you should remember that I wanted to go downstream and see an old man anyway, so this is just a little extra incentive for us to get there sooner." He grabbed Kai's hand and pulled him forward again.

Kai was forced to run so that he would not get dragged along by Cole's loping pace. He looked at Cole's firm, unreadable face and pondered it as he bounded along beside his captor. Why is he acting so strange? He wondered. This doesn't seem like something Cole would normally do.

They ran several miles through the moonlit trees with nothing but the sounds of their own footsteps to break the unearthly silence. Everything seemed quiet.

Too quiet, Kai realized. He was breathless and dizzy. There were no birds chirping, and the air was undisturbed; unnaturally still. But he continued to run, telling himself that now was not the time to feel nervous about the way the air felt. The stone warriors were following, and neither of them wanted to be prisoners in the Overlord's dungeons.

"Stop," Cole said finally. He slowly came to a halt, chest rising and falling in a steady cadence. "I hear something."

As much as Kai tried to control his ragged breaths, he could not. His chest was misbehaving terribly, making him gulp and choke on the hot air as he listened for the sound that had Cole rigid like a nervous deer.

Snap.

Both Kai and Cole turned their heads as one and examined the dark trees. Several shadows were closing in on them, whispering loudly. The uneven pounding of their footfall echoed loudly in Cole's mind.

Cole's Adam's apple bobbed with his hard swallow. He let go of Kai's hand and stepped forward shakily. "Run," he said. "Don't let them get you."

Kai gaped at his shorter companion in shock. "I'm not leaving you," he said firmly. He picked up Cole's sweaty hand and pulled hard. "So help me, you're not going to kidnap me, then leave me here for dead after a week and a half." He jerked Cole's arm again, finally getting the man to move. "Don't just give up like that!"

The first stone warrior strode out of the trees, dark and scowling as it brandished its weapon. Six others followed behind it, all wearing those dark, grinning scowls.

Kai turned on his heel, got a good grip on Cole's hand, and shot off like a rabbit. "Don't freeze up on me like that, Sir Cole." He said in a firm voice. "I know you're better than this."

Cole's eyes were wide with alarm. He was too full of fear and panic to resist Kai's forceful hand. Oh, please no! He screamed in his mind. I can't go back to there. I can't let Kai be taken. We'll both die. Just like my father, my sister, and my-

"Cole," Kai interrupted the internal rant. The sounds of pursuing feet were heard close behind, followed by shouts and wicked laughter. "We will make it."

"But we've only run about three miles so far," Cole argued. "A-and it's nearly fifteen from my cave to the beach. Even I can't keep running for that long, and you-"

"As soon as we get some distance between us and them, we can hide and rest for a few minutes." Kai interrupted again. "Relax, focus on your feet. We can do this."

Cole did not waste any energy arguing further with his naive companion. If Kai honestly believed that they had a chance, then good for him. At least he had hope. Cole, on the other hand, was only running because of Kai's death grip on his hand. If he had been alone in these woods with stone warriors in hot pursuit, he would have given up the moment that ugly black stone face became visible through the brush.

He looked at Kai's stern, albeit red face and found it comforting. Kai would protect him. Kai was trustworthy. Kai was-

He cut his thought off and looked away from Kai's face. How infuriating, he thought bitterly. I am putting all of my trust in a prisoner who certainly fantasizes my guts spilled out on the sand. Kai hates me, and I won't deny it. When the time comes, he'll use my body as a shield to protect himself.

He looked over his shoulder and felt his pulse spike. The stone samurais were closing in rapidly. "Kai, we'll never get away from them," he croaked, forcing his dry throat to make the strangled sounds.

Kai looked over his shoulder as he continued to breath heavily. "Just keep moving," he said. The lead stone warrior was no more than ten paces off. "I can't believe that I'm doing this, Cole. But no matter what happens, don't turn around, and don't look back. You got it?" He stared into Cole's wide green eyes and gave him a stern look.

Cole nodded reluctantly. "What are you going to do?" He asked.

"Eh," Kai grunted. "Something stupid." He let go of Cole's wrist and slowed down. "Keep running," he ordered. "Remember that, Cole. Don't stop, don't look back."

The Dark Knight stopped short and turned to face Kai. "Excuse me?" He asked angrily. "How is this a plan, Kai? Do you want to die?"

The stone warriors closed in faster than Cole would have thought possible. Within seconds, three of them had their hands on the Southern nobleman. "Go!" Kai shouted. "If you run, they might leave you-" A sharp blow to the head made him grunt and fall to his knees. Blood seeped from the open wound.

Cole's feet shuffled indecisively for a moment. He went through every curse he knew in his mind as he watched the terrible scene before him. These curses were directed at himself, at Kai, and at the Overlord. But he mostly just cursed himself. He cursed himself for being such a coward, standing with his feet glued to the ground as he watched Kai get bound in those terrible, rough ropes that felt as though there were wire barbs woven between the fibers.

And Cole should know; he'd felt those same ropes in his own wrists many times. He had many scars from those evil cords that would be his constant reminders of those days of terror.

...And now Kai was going to those horrid dungeons to be tortured, broken and, if he was fortunate enough, killed.

Just like my family...

"Kai..." Cole took a step backward and swallowed hard again, getting the lump in his throat free. Kai, this is beyond stupid. This is suicide. Why are you doing this?

Four more soldiers caught up to the group and joined in on the fun of beating Kai. Some jeered and prodded him with the flat side of their swords, others struck him with their gauntleted hands, drawing more blood.

Kai looked up at Cole one last time, blood trickling from a cracked lower lip. "Go, Cole," he said firmly. His brown eyes were full of fear, but he did nothing to resist as he was dragged to his feet and checked for weapons.

A stone samurai turned and looked at Cole, then chuckled and began walking in his direction. No... Cole's mind repeated it over and over. No, no, no, Kai!

He hated himself for what he dared to do next. He hated the Overlord for making these creatures that could not be resisted. He hated Kai for allowing himself to get captured. An execution on Ninjago Island would be far more merciful than what Cole knew was in store for his companion.

Cole backed up slowly. His heart pounded so hard in his chest that he feared it might burst. His hands trembled and hovered over the hilt of his sword. Kai, the protector. Kai, the sacrifice. Kai, the one who was going into the darkest pits of Hell to save the man who had captured him in the first place, injured his sister, and unintentionally killed two nobles from the North.

Kai, the savior. The one who jumped into the fray to save those in jeopardy, no matter the personal cost. It was what he had done with his sister in the cove almost two weeks ago, standing between Cole's blade and his sister. In a way, it was what he had done on the Bounty when Cole was suffering in the middle of the night from those terrible wounds on his back.

This hotheaded man from the South was a mystery indeed. He could be violent, temperamental, and extremely rude. But he could also be gentle, pleasantly witty, and considerate. He was loyal, sacrificing everything he had to save those he loved. It was the thing that made Kai so great, in his own way.

With one last look at Kai's broken face, Cole ran. He took off so fast that the sand beneath his boots flew up and into the face of the one stone man who seemed halfway interested in chasing him. Of course, they weren't too excited about capturing him now. They had one prisoner, which would undoubtedly sate Kozu's sadistic desires until the next scouting party was sent out.

In short, Cole was free to go. He would not be pursued. In a few hours, he would make it to the beach, and then he would find the strange old man and ask him for help.

I will come back for you, Kai. He looked over his shoulder and tried to find them, but the shadows concealed every movement in the brush behind him. I promise, I will return for you.

As much as Nya hated to admit it, Lloyd and Jay did have a point when they continuously told her that she should not be working herself so hard. Her injury had been minor and superficial, having only punctured skin and muscle, but it hurt.

Of course, she would never make such a statement out loud. Her pride would not permit any such action. So she toiled along behind the two men, carrying her pack without complaint. She was strong. She could do this. She did not need any men to help her out, and she accused Lloyd of being sexist every time he offered to take her bag and give her a rest.

But she was beginning to wonder if she was the sexist one, not them. She had been trying so hard to get it through their skulls that women are not helpless that she had, as a result, made herself look foolish and weak. They were only being kind, after all, and she was treating them like inferior beings. It wasn't right, but she had trouble convincing herself that she needed to change.

"You all right back there, Nya?" Jay looked over his shoulder and smiled at her. His face was red and coated in slick sweat, though it did not seem to dampen his mood. "You look like you could use a break."

Nya quickly picked up the pace despite the pain in her abdomen. She got between the two men and shook her head. "No," she said stubbornly. "I'm fine."

Lloyd hiked his pack higher on his shoulders and looked at Nya's face to his left. "Well, I was ready for a break about three miles ago," he said. "And had anyone else noticed how the ground seems to be vibrating?"

Nya looked at the sand around them and sighed breathlessly. "I don't feel anything," she said as she blinked a bead of sweat from her eyelid. "I think the heat is making you hallucinate."

"Naw," Lloyd shook his head. "Hallucinations are when you see things that aren't actually there. I just feel like something is moving in the ground, so maybe it's vertigo."

"You don't have vertigo," Jay argued. "And hallucinations occur when the mind perceives something that isn't actually there. So you could be hearing, seeing, or even feeling a hallucination."

Lloyd chuckled. "Always the smart one," he remarked. "You could have been a professor in the Northern realm, you know."

Jay's face darkened, and he looked away. "No," he said in a quiet voice. "No, I don't think that would have been possible."

"Why not?" Lloyd pressed.

"Because," Jay replied tersely. "You sort of need money to be anything of importance in this messed-up world. My parents weren't exactly in a position to send me to a good school just so I could be a teacher, or an inventor, or any other cool person like that."

That answer surprised both Nya and Lloyd. This was the first time that Jay had ever mentioned his parents, and he sounded very bitter about it.

"Oh," Lloyd said finally. "Sorry."

Jay sighed slowly and smiled at his younger companion. "It's fine," he said. "I haven't seen either of my parents in fifteen years. You can forgive my acidity."

"Of course," Nya filled in the tense silence. Walking in the stale, humid afternoon heat was tedious and a bit boring. The only directions they had been given were to follow the river upstream until they found help. King Garmadon had been extremely vague, preferring to think that this was a guessing game rather than a detail of importance.

"If you don't mind me asking," she continued. "What happened to your parents?"

Jay stared off at the distant trees and frowned. "They're not here now," he said. "And that's all that matters."

Nya elbowed Jay playfully and gave him a grin. "Fine," she said. "Be that way, then. See if we care, right, Lloyd?" She turned her head to look at Lloyd and paused. "Lloyd?"

The young prince stared out at the trees to their right, disinterested in the whole conversation. "Did you hear that?" He asked after a moment. "Maybe I'm just going crazy, but I could have sworn that I heard something in those trees." He lifted a finger and pointed in a somewhat westerly direction.

Jay seemed relieved by the change of subject. He looked in the direction Lloyd was pointing and squinted. "I hear it too," he said.

"Hear what?" Nya asked. "What are you guys looking at?"

"Shhh," Jay held up a hand for silence and slowed his pace. "There's a voice over there, and I hear a set of footsteps with it."

"Who could it be?" Lloyd asked. "Surely it's the enemy since Kai, Zane, and Pixal are all in a prison somewhere on the island."

"Sir Cole?" Nya suggested. "Or maybe some slaves. I've heard that there are still some slaves on the island and that they live in some of the old villages left over from the time before the Overlord's takeover."

"No," Lloyd said. "My father says that all of the slaves on the island are women. I heard a man's voice in those trees."

Jay suddenly gasped and wrapped an arm around Nya. "Get down!" He hissed. "Lloyd, get into the bushes. I've got Nya."

Lloyd wasted no time in following the order, leaping into a nearby clump of palm bushes.

"What is it?" Nya asked as Jay gently shoved her to the ground. "What did you see?"

Jay's eyes were wide with alarm. "I saw him," he whispered. "Crawl under that bush with Lloyd. I'll be right behind you." He let go of Nya and allowed her to scramble to shelter.

The sound of pounding feet followed Jay's order. Whoever was out there had heard them talking and was in hot pursuit. The sand beneath Nya's hands began to tremble, and she looked at Lloyd in surprise. "You were right," she whispered. "I can feel the ground now. It feels like a motorized vehicle."

Lloyd's eyebrows went up closer to his blond, windswept locks. "How could you tell?" He asked. "I just felt the rumbling, and you can just suddenly deduce that it's a motorized vehicle?"

"I'm an engineer," Nya answered as Jay crawled into the thick foliage beside her. "I can just tell."

"Your highness?" A man's breathless voice called out suddenly, hushing the trio. "Nya? Are you here?"

Nya's heart went up into her throat. That sounds like... She slowly peeked through the branches at the figure who was fast approaching. Sweaty blond hair, flushed red face, and a long sleeved white shirt that rested above black pants and leather boots.

"Nya?" The man called out again as he ran past their hiding place. His breathlessness inhibited his speaking abilities. "Prince Lloyd? Please stop...hiding, this is serious!"

Nya's eyes widened as her mind found the face's name. "Zane?" She called out. "Zane, is that you?"

The tall figure skidded to a stop and whirled around. "Nya?" His blue eyes narrowed in on the bush she hid under, and his face flooded with relief.

Nya crawled out from underneath the vegetation, ignoring the shocked looks from Jay and Lloyd. "Zane, what are you doing here?" She asked.

Zane offered her a hand, which she took gratefully and used to pull herself to her feet. "I...I could ask you the...same question," he said between his gasps for breath. His eyes softened, and he pulled her into a tight embrace. "You...would not believe how...good it is to see you," he said softly. "It's been so long since I've seen a familiar face."

Nya returned the embrace with a smile. "And I'm so relieved to find that you're all right," she replied. "Where's Kai and Pixal?"

Zane stiffened, then pulled away. He looked over at Jay and Lloyd, who were cautiously crawling out of hiding. "Kai is with the Dark Knight, presumably in the dungeons." He said. Whatever softness he had retained while speaking to Nya dissipated. "And Pixal...she is not here anymore."

"Not here?" Lloyd asked. "What do you mean? She was here?"

Zane looked into the trees nervously. "Your uncle is here," he changed the subject abruptly. "He said that there were pressing matters at the house that he needed to take care of, and that I was to take you to him." He took Nya's hand and began walking. "And I suppose that I must be the one to inform you that we've got a couple stone warriors on our tails. That would be the motor sound that you've presumably heard- or felt, I suppose."

He pulled Nya along rather forcefully, and the others followed behind. "Sorry for being so abrupt, but you must come with me if you want to live through the afternoon."