Quarrel

Truthfully, Kai had wanted Cole to run. Really, he did. But he had hoped that maybe- just maybe- Cole would show a little more hesitation. Maybe the cliche "I won't leave without you!" or a distressed "No, Kai!" The poor nobleman might have even been satisfied with a simple "Thank you."

But nope. Cole took one look at the scene, backed up a few steps, and then ran. High-tailed it as if he had no intention of ever coming back.

That's what some people get for trying to be a hero, I guess, Kai thought bitterly. About a mile away from where he had been captured, the stone warriors had a few small vehicles parked. But since the light that permeated the air was dim, he had not been able to make out many details. And since he had been blindfolded mere moments after reaching the site, he had little time to try.

How did Kai feel, being bound, blindfolded, and bruised on the floor of a car-like contraption, surrounded on all sides by cruel hunks of talking stone?

In all honesty, he wanted to kill something. That all-too-familiar rage that seemed to control him in times like this was screaming bloody murder over and over again in his overwrought mind.

The fact that he was repeatedly envisioning a stone warrior's head getting burned to a crisp by bright red and blue tongues of fire was not helping him, either. But it sure was a satisfying mental picture.

If I live through this, Kai thought as the car came to a sudden stop. I will kill Cole. His head will be looking up at his body as I...

He took a deep breath and calmed himself as the clamorous sounds of shouting and thumping was heard. Had they arrived? He had no definite way of knowing for sure, but judging by the racket, yes. He was probably at the Overlord's prison. And it was about time, too. He'd been stuck in the car for longer than he thought could ever possibly be necessary.

Watch what you wish for, Kai warned himself as he was lifted blindly to his feet by cold hands. As long as I'm in this car, I'm not in the madhouse that made the Dark Knight so...dark. He allowed himself to be lifted without compassion or sensitivity from the transport, where he was then set roughly on the ground.

The ground is hard, he realized as he stumbled forward confusedly; his legs had lost all circulation at least fifteen minutes ago. It isn't sandy, like down near the beach. Where are we?

The black rag over his eyes reeked like death. It scratched his eyelids as he blinked. Was he blind? Unlike the blindfolds he had used while playing games with Nya as a kid, this one made everything feel confining, lonely, and dark despite the fact that a warm breeze was blowing in his face, he was surrounded by stone warriors, and had a hot sun cooking his back. It was absolutely, positively, and horrifically stifling.

Death by blindfold, Kai thought jocosely. I am having such a great day so far...

...And things are only gonna get better...

For a man who's threatening to kill me, Jay thought anxiously as he watched Cole drag a rag across the floor, absorbing whatever liquid he had spilled. He's exceptionally calm about it.

Nya cautiously sidled up to Zane and took his hand. "I...see that you two don't get along very well," she remarked.

Cole glanced up at her from his position on his hands and knees and nodded once. "We've tried to kill each other once or twice." He said it casually, in a tone that would have worked better with the phrase, 'We've seen each other a few times in the park.'

"Once or twice indeed," Jay repeated dryly. "It's more like you tried to kidnap me and I defended myself."

Sir Cole snorted. "You tried to steal my katanas," he said.

"Only after you stole them from me," Jay argued.

"Look," Cole snapped. He snatched up his cup from its toppled position on the floor and slammed it down on the table. "I don't know what kind of lies you've been feeding that pea-brain of yours, but that was my shipment. I ordered those swords from that Southern blacksmith, and you snatched them up while I was busy on a raid."

Jay's face turned a shade of red from his fury. "Oh, that does it, you little-"

"Little what?" Cole snarled back at the thief. He began to pace back and forth in slow, controlled strides. "Don't you dare insult me more than you already have."

Lloyd stepped into the house slowly, cautiously observing the two fighting men. "That's what this is all about?" He asked skeptically. "A couple of katanas?"

"Not just a couple," Jay said hotly. "There were thirty-seven katanas in that shipment. Borg pays good for weapons from Lord Kaytake's blacksmith." He jabbed a thumb into the grey material of his shirt. "I needed that money."

"Have you ever considered getting a real job?" Cole asked.

Jay's hand fell from his chest and clenched tightly at his side. His knuckles turned white. "Many times," he hissed. "Have you ever considered a real job?"

He knew he'd gone too far. Cole stopped pacing and gave the thief a look so strange that it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight up.

"Yes," the green-eyed man said in a low tone. His expression traveled between the extremes of hate, confusion and, to Jay's surprise, regret.

Cole resumed his pacing in a more aggressive mode. "My desire for the freedom to choose my own path is the reason I'm in this hut instead of with Kozu." He reached the left wall and turned sharply on his heel. "Do you really think that I enjoy being the Overlord's lap dog? Do you think that I enjoy destroying people's livelihoods by burning their homes to the ground?" He blew a sharp puff of air through clenched teeth before finishing his statement. "I watched my mother and my sister die horrible, slow, nightmarish deaths. And my father..." He trailed off, turned again, and looked at Jay straight in the eyes. "Don't ask me such an imbecilic question again, okay?"

Jay blinked a few times as he tried to sort this information. He had never seen this side of Cole before. Who would have known that this heartless man actually hated his job?

"Don't you dare pity me," Cole warned. "I don't want or need it."

"Jay, Cole, behave." Wu said in a firm tone. "Fighting like this is making you both look foolish." He gave them both stern glares. "Yes sir?"

Jay growled in the back of his throat, frustrated. "Yes sir," he said finally. However much he despised Sir Cole, he had to accept Prince Wu as his superior and obey him.

Cole's eyes narrowed as he visibly struggled to control his fury. He exhaled something that sounded like a cross between a groan and an angry sigh of frustration. "Yes...sir..." He said with bitter reluctance. Jay could practically taste the malice dripping from his mouth like hot dragon saliva.

Dragon saliva, Jay thought. A small grin crossed his face. Heh. Cole is just like a dragon, isn't he? All scary and brooding. The fact that he is always kidnapping people doesn't really help his image, either.

"Stop smiling at me!" Cole barked. "Good grief, this is why I can't stand you! You're always smiling!"

Jay unclenched his fists, then balled them up again. "Forgive me, my prince," he cast Wu a sidelong glance. "But...can I please hit him? Just this once?"

"No," Wu answered. "You need to learn to get along." He lifted his staff, then slammed it back into the tile. "Sit down, all of you."

Zane quickly dropped onto the stone tile and crossed his legs. He held out a hand for Nya to take so that she could slowly, painfully, get onto the floor next to him. She tucked her legs under her and folded her hands on her lap.

Jay reluctantly sat down next to Nya- he did not trust Zane, the brother of the noblewoman who had spent years trying to capture him- and sat with his legs tucked close to his chin. Lloyd made a move to sit down next to Zane, but Wu stopped him with a frail hand on the shoulder.

"Wait," the elderly man said. He turned the young prince around so that he could examine his face. "You're Lloyd?" He asked.

The blond teen's green eyes found the floor before traveling back up to Wu's identical oculars. "Yeah," he said. "You're my uncle?"

"Your father's brother," Wu responded. This was old news. Everyone in Ninjago knew of Garmadon's less fortunate younger brother who had died tragically during a storm at sea.

He reached out with a wrinkled hand and ran it gingerly over Lloyd's soft, curved cheekbone. "My goodness," he whispered softly. "You look just like me, when I was your age."

Lloyd brushed Wu's hand away and took a step backward. He looked offended. "Where were you?" He asked. "Why didn't you come home? You've been here for twenty years, why..." He inhaled deeply. "Why didn't you come home?"

Wu looked hurt by this reaction. "I've been keeping Ninjago safe," he said. "For the first five years, I was secretly protecting the Western lord and lady. But-"

"They're dead," Lloyd interrupted. "Them and their son were executed by the Overlord's cronies. We've all heard the story, Wu. So it was your fault?"

Wu sighed regretfully. "Yes," he said. "But their son...he is not dead." He watched as Jay visibly stiffened. "Yes, Jay?" He addressed the tense man. "Is something wrong?"

Jay shook his head quickly. "No," he said. His larynx became more pronounced with his swallow. "The news just...it surprised me. For fifteen years, I've thought that the Lord Keith's family was completely gone."

Prince Wu nodded as he lowered himself onto the floor beside Cole. "Even my brother doesn't know this story," he said. "I was actually able to save their ten-year-old son, John, before the execution was scheduled to take place." He shook his head sadly. "But I was unable to save his parents."

Zane lowered his chin into his palm as he pondered this new information. "What did you do with the child?" He asked. "If I am correct, he would be twenty-five years old, now. Does he have a life in Ninjago somewhere? The Middle realm, perhaps?"

Wu shrugged. "Maybe," he said. "I actually gave him to a family in the Southern realm." He stroked his beard with a thoughtful hand. "But the past is in the past. Lord John Keith will make himself known when he feels that the world is ready for him."

Nya cleared her throat. "I hate to change the subject," she said. "But I think we should get to work. Where is my brother?"

Cole dropped onto the floor and crossed his legs. "Caught," he said casually. "Let me tell you, your brother is as asinine as they come. We were running from some stone warriors, and he suddenly just...gives up and lets himself get caught."

Zane started, the shock evident on his face. "And you just ran away?" He asked. "Please tell me that you at least tried to save him, Cole."

The Dark Knight shook his head. "There was nothing I could have done," he said. "Even though I'm stronger than all of you combined, it'd be pointless. Those men are tainted by evil and the Overlord's Darkness. Nothing can penetrate their accursed black hides."

"Which is why Cole ran," Wu explained. "He came to me for help."

"Help?" Zane asked incredulously. "Cole asking for help?"

"And what about this laser-eyed bird?" Jay asked. "Do you expect us to believe that Cole actually saw that?"

"It was an eagle," Cole asserted. "The lasers were green, and the stone warriors were terrified of it." He lifted his eyebrows and stared into Zane's eyes. "I was standing there, completely surrounded by the scouts. And just as I was about to give up, this eagle came flying down from the sky. It's eyes were glowing green, and-"

"Pixal's eagle," Zane gasped. His eyes went wide. "Cole, what else did it do?"

Cole blinked at Zane curiously, but continued with all the fervor of a man who desperately wanted to be believed. "The eagle shot its lasers in a wide circle around me. The stone men were surprised. They backed away, calling me a gurrah-kah." He hesitated. "There's no perfect translation for that, but it basically means that they thought I was a mortal spirit."

"Don't you mean immortal?" Lloyd asked. He shifted his legs uncomfortably on the stone floor. "Spirits are immortal."

"No, nephew," Wu said. "As Cole said, there is no perfect translation for gurrah-kah. 'Spirit' is a very loose word"

Cole dipped his head in agreement. "The gurrah-kah are their worst fears; their gods, if you will," he explained. "And for them, a god is anything with the power to penetrate their stony armor and ultimately kill them."

"Huh," Lloyd grunted. "So when Pixal's bird shot its lasers, the stone warriors thought that it was a..." He made a face. "A gurrah-kah, and ran away?"

"With their tails tucked between their legs," Cole affirmed. "Then, the eagle began to fly toward the beach, stopping every once and a while, patiently guiding me to Wu's shack. But as soon as I reached it, the bird flew off. I haven't seen it since."

There was silence for several seconds as everyone processed this radical tale. The sound of crashing waves could be heard outside, as well as the familiar cries of Zane's falcon and Lloyd's osprey. The air smelled warm and salty.

Jay looked over at Nya and saw that there were tears in her eyes as she stared down at her hands. She sniffed.

The sound drew Zane's attention, and he turned his head to look at her. "Hey, Nya," he reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder. "We'll get Kai back. Everything will work out-"

"Stop," Nya snapped. "Just...stop. I don't want any sympathy." She wiped her eyes and looked up. "What do we need to do, Prince Wu?"

Wu hummed thoughtfully and stroked his beard yet again. It seemed to be some sort of a habit for him. "Are you done speaking, Cole?" He asked.

Cole opened his mouth, then shut it again quickly. "No," he said finally. He looked over at the Northern nobleman. "I...want to apologize to you, Zane." The sentence came slowly, as if he was forcing each word out with a mallet.

Zane examined the Dark Knight's sweaty face with a disbelieving eye. "For what?" He asked.

If Cole had been any slower with his words, Jay might have thought that he was watching snails race across broken glass. "For your sister," he answered finally. His bright, cat-like eyes flitted around the room uncomfortably before landing back on Zane. "I just want you to know...I didn't want to kill her."

Zane cringed as he glanced over at Lloyd's stunned face. "Cole," he sighed. "Now was not the best time to bring that up."

In a few short seconds, Lloyd's skin turned from handsomely tanned to eggshell white. His fists clenched. "What happened to Pixal?" He whispered.

Cole made the mistake of showing no sympathy. "A knife in the chest," he said. "I was aiming for her leg, but-"

"You killed her?" Lloyd's voice rose steadily. "You killed Pixal?"

A glimmer of pity showed in Cole's eyes, but it was gone before anyone could properly identify it. "She was going to jump over the edge anyway," he said. "You could say it was assisted suicide."

Lloyd leapt to his feet. "You pig!" He shouted. His eyes were dry, but the rage was made evident by the sudden red flush that enveloped his cheeks. "How could you?"

Zane stood slowly and went to comfort his younger friend. "Lloyd," he said calmly. "Please, take a deep breath."

Lloyd shoved Zane away. "How are you acting this calm?" He asked "Do you not care?"

Zane's face contorted into a wounded frown. "I care," he said. "I loved her more than you could ever understand."

"Love?" Lloyd spat. His rage-filled eyes remained dry. "Don't treat me like a child. You weren't the only one who loved her, you know. I understand exactly how you should feel."

He pointed an accusing finger at Cole. "That man," he hissed. "He may be on our team, but I will never work beside him." He brushed Zane's hand off again and stormed out of the hut.

"Lloyd!" Zane called out. He turned his head and looked at Wu. "What...what should I do?"

The elder prince got onto his feet faster than Jay would have ever imagined possible for a man of his age. "Go after him," he ordered. His wrinkled face had something relatively close to panic traveling across it. "See if you can get him to come back. We still have to discuss the maps."

Zane nodded once before shooting out of the house.

"Speaking of maps," Wu said after Zane was long gone. "Who has them?"

"I might be able to tell you," Cole said. A slight smile stretched across his lips. "If I knew what you were talking about."

Slap.

Without any warning, faster than anyone could so much as blink, Nya reached out with a hand and smacked Cole across the cheek.

"How dare you," her tone was low and venomous. "Have you no sympathy? Just a few seconds ago, you were twisting a knife through Lloyd's guts with the sudden news of Pixal's death. And now, of all things, you have the audacity to smile?"

Cole lifted a hand and felt the skin where Nya's palm had landed. He looked mildly surprised, but was by no means shocked or even mildly amused by her actions. "Your punches are very feminine," he said. "I might be tempted to laugh if I wasn't so busy trying to decide if that hurt or not."

Jay barely reacted in time to stop the furious woman from shredding Cole's inexpressive face. "Easy, Nya," he said. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back onto the floor.

"Feminine?" Nya nearly screeched. "What's that supposed to mean? Do you think that women can't throw a good punch?"

Jay was trying very hard to keep his hands from opening her healing wound, but he feared that he was miserably failing. "Hey, calm yourself-ouch!" He winced and gripped his leg where Nya's elbow had landed a solid blow.

Finally freed of Jay's grip, Nya shot like an arrow from a longbow into Cole's territory.

It was a sad misfire. The moment her hand reached for Cole's face, he reached up and caught her wrist. "No," he answered her without expression. "I have never seen a woman punch decently before in my life." He reached out and grabbed her other wrist.

Now unable to move, Nya yowled angrily as she tried to free herself.

After about six seconds, Jay decided that her efforts were nothing if not pointless. She might as well be pushing against a mountain.

"Do you enjoy fighting?" Cole asked calmly. "That's to be expected, I suppose. Remember the cove, where I first cut you? Surely your heroic brother asked you to run away so that he could take the fall alone. Very typical of him." He got to his feet, hands still wrapped around her thin wrists, and looked into her animalistic eyes. "You're very cute," he said randomly. "You have a girly face. How old are you, anyways? Fifteen?"

"Fifteen?" Nya tried to kick Cole's leg, but he stepped calmly out of her line of fire before she could make impact. "I'm twenty-four, you creep!"

Jay had to admit, this scene was incredibly pitiful. Nya's face was red with rage, and anyone could tell that she was putting all of her strength into this fracas. But Cole, on the other hand, looked like a father playing with his child. His victory was inevitable.

"Cole," Wu was clearly trying to hide a smile of his own. "That's enough."

Cole gestured with a dip of his head to Nya. "You tell her that," he said. "This is self-defense, and you know it. Don't start reprimanding me."

Being distracted by his defensive argument, Cole's grip loosened enough for Nya to jerk her left hand free.

She apparently had not expected to get herself loose, because the force of her jerk threw her whole body backwards. She hit the floor with a muffled thump as sat there in a stunned stupor as Wu turned his head to keep them from seeing his smile.

"Whoops," Cole said impassively. "Was I supposed to catch the feral dragon lady before she fell?"

Seeing that it was now safe to come close, Jay helped Nya to a sitting position and dragged her away from the Dark Knight. "Great work, Nya," he praised her. "Look at Cole's face. You see that scowl? He hardly ever does that. He must like you a lot."

"Jay," Nya hugged her stomach with a light moan. "I'm bleeding again. Quit the sarcasm and get more bandages from my bag."

The thief patted her head kindly and did as he was told. "Yes, m'lady," he said with a smile. "Right away."