Healing
Zane left the infirmary under the cover of darkness, followed by the two female slaves and Kai, who carried Cole's rapidly fading body. Zane had not seen many sick men in his life, but he could tell just by looking at Cole's face that he was about to depart.
Zane did not understand. Wasn't Cole supposed to be one of the prophesied knights? If so, he couldn't die. The fate of the Islands depended on him and his team.
Unless Wu was wrong?
They skirted around the side of the brick building, pausing to avoid a guard, then ran into the trees that made a ring around the clearing where the Black Bounty lay.
There is no water, Duskweaver commented. What kind of power runs the ship?
I don't know, Zane answered. It has rockets on starboard, port, and stern. It's probably run on gasoline. But don't take my word for it; I'm not an engineer.
"Look out!" Varasach hissed, pressing a hand to Zane's chest. She shoved him against a tree, then buried her head into his shirt. A little boy, probably eight or nine years old, trotted past with a basket of lemons. He was headed toward the Black Bounty.
"Are they preparing for a voyage?" Zane asked once the boy was gone.
Varasach stepped away, then turned to check on Kai, who was leaning against a tree beside Besai. "Yes," she whispered. "Overlord made the announcement yesterday morning. He is sending Kozu and Sanguine Knight to Ninjago tomorrow afternoon."
"Sanguine Knight?" Zane asked.
"You called him Kai," Varasach said, grabbing Zane's hand and pulling him forward. "Quiet now. We don't want to be caught."
Zane looked over his shoulder at Kai. He looked exhausted. When was the last time he had slept? It made Zane feel guilty; he should be the one carrying Cole's dead weight. Kai was not healthy enough to exert himself like this. But Zane needed to keep his hands free, just in case he needed to draw Duskweaver.
In the distance, he heard a noise. It sounded like Jay was having a conversation with a woman. The foolish boy, he thought, pushing himself faster. He's going to get us caught.
Behind him, Kai gasped. "Nya!" he shouted, making Zane flinch.
The voices stopped.
They are going to get us all caught, Duskweaver added.
Kai began to run through the trees as if Cole weighed no more than a pillow. Besai stayed behind.
Nya ran to her brother. "Kai!" She sounded both excited and relieved.
Kai set Cole down on the ground and threw his arms around his little sister. "Nya," he whispered.
"You're alive," Nya said as her arms flew around his neck. "Everyone was afraid that we were too late. But..." She made a strange sound that crossed between a laugh, a hiccup, and a sob. "But you're okay!"
Kai did not say anything. He held onto Nya as if he were afraid she would disappear if he let go. His face went into her hair, and he stood still as she continued to cry into his shirt.
Kai and Nya are...siblings? Duskweaver gathered from Zane's scattered thoughts. They look like they love each other a lot.
They do, Zane agreed. I am glad that they are together again.
"Are you hurt?" Nya asked. "I-I just can't believe that you're alive!"
"I'm...fine," Kai said, although Zane knew that he was lying. "What about you? Is your wound healing?"
"I can hardly feel it now," Nya said. She pulled away, then stroked his hairy cheek. "You've gotten uglier since I last saw you."
"I was about to say the same thing," Kai said running a hand through her hair. "When was the last time you showered? You smell like a dragon."
"It's been a few days," Nya admitted. She shoved his face away with a small snort. "I want to kiss your cheek, but it seems that you've forgotten how to use a razor and shampoo."
"Have I?" Kai brushed some dirt from her shirt. "And you've been shirking duties. Your laundry is stained."
"At least I tried to wash mine," Nya giggled, then punched his left shoulder.
"Ah!" Kai leapt back, one hand clutching the skin where she had hit him. "Don't do that, please."
Nya's features darkened. "Sorry," she said. "So...you are hurt?" She reached for the buttons on his shirt. "Let me see. Maybe I'll be able to-"
Kai slapped her hand away. "No," he growled. "Don't touch my... It's just a bruise."
He's lying, isn't he? Duskweaver asked. There is a lot of pain hiding under his clothing. You should make him take it all off so that we can see his skin.
What? Zane started. We don't do that!
Why not? The blade asked innocently.
Because we don't. Zane sighed. Humans must maintain their modesty at all times.
Oh... Are there any times when it's okay to not maintain modesty?
Thankfully, Cole began to moan right then, so Zane ended the conversation. He knelt beside the shivering man and felt his forehead. "Can you hear me?" He tried to open one of Cole's eyes.
No response. Cole was still unconscious.
Can you heal him? Zane asked.
Only you can heal him, Duskweaver said. Think, and do.
That makes about as much sense as it did this afternoon.
Harness my power, Duskweaver said. Channel it into energy and point it toward Cole.
Zane took out his blade and looked at it, gears spinning with his thoughts. The diamond in Duskweaver's pommel glowed faintly. The power. He closed his eyes and imagined the light seeping out, swirling in the air.
A moment later, he opened his eyes and smiled triumphantly. A cloud of moonlight hovered over Cole's chest. He wasn't sure what the powers were supposed to do; he hoped they would fix everything on their own, without his direct guidance.
Lots of damaged tissue, Duskweaver noted. I'll get to work on that and-
No, Zane said. The external wounds can wait. We need to get rid of the poison. Can you do that?
I think so, the blade said. But it will take a lot of energy. You might use all of my light.
I don't care, Zane said. We can recharge it. Cole is dying; we have very little time.
A pause. All right, Duskweaver said. Unwrap the bandages above his heart.
Why above his heart? Zane asked as he pulled away the white cloth on Cole's shoulder.
The heart will pump the poison from his veins easier if the cut is made there, Duskweaver said. Although...it is strange. I sense something there that I cannot heal. A...scar?
Zane undid the rest of the wrap. "Oh, Cole," he breathed, fingering the Ouroboros brand. Zane could not imagine the agony that this ugly scar hinted at. What kind of tortures had Cole endured before and after being marked? How much of his blood had been shed in those dungeons?
The same dungeons that Kai had just escaped.
Zane felt sick. Did Kai have this branding too? Maybe that was why he had shied away from Nya's hand.
Gape at his scars all you want later, Duskweaver said. We're running out of time.
Reluctantly, Zane undid the leather strap on his sheath and pulled the blade free. He positioned Duskweaver over the spot- was the knife moving on its own, guiding its master's hand?- and pressed the sharp point into Cole's pale skin. Blood began to flow unreservedly.
"What are you doing?" Kai asked, shocked.
"I wish I knew," Zane answered. "Please, give me a minute of silence. This is important." He set down the knife and manipulated the light so that it entered the cut, swirling in a pattern similar to water in a sink drain.
Good, Duskweaver said. Now, draw more power. Imagine my light filtering through his body, catching the poison and drawing it out through the cut.
Like a net, Zane said, pulling more power from the gem. I drag it through his body, catching whatever is not supposed to be there.
If you visualize a net, it will work. Duskweaver said. Purifying his blood will drain my energy faster than any other type of healing. You must hurry.
After a moment of deep concentration, clear liquid began trickling out with the blood.
The drug.
Good...
Was it Zane's imagination, or was Duskweaver's voice fading?
That should be enough, Duskweaver said sluggishly. I sense that whatever remains of this drug will be...beneficial to him. Heal the cut.
Beneficial? The flow of blood and drug began to slow as the skin was repaired. What do you mean by that?
No answer. Duskweaver stopped glowing. The cut, not fully healed and no longer glowing, oozed lightly.
"What happened?" Kai asked. "Is the knife dead?"
Zane shook his head. "No. I think it's asleep." Just his luck. The moon was going through its darkest cycle so he would have to recharge his blade later in the week. He slipped it back into his boot.
Cole's breathing leveled out, and his face relaxed. Zane felt his forehead, which was still burning like a furnace, and shook his head. They no longer needed to worry about poison, but this fever was dangerously high. High enough to cause permanent damage to his body.
"You...drew out the poison," Varasach said.
"Sort of," Zane answered dumbly. He was exhausted. "I never got to the wounds on his back, or his actual illness. I fear that my efforts were not enough."
Prince Wu, who had been quiet up until this point, rested a hand on Zane's shoulder and squeezed. "It was enough," he said. "Now that the poison is gone, his body has a chance of defeating this malady."
"I hope so," Jay said. "We need him to wield the fourth blade."
"Is that the only reason you hope he survives?" Kai asked cynically.
Jay looked hurt. "I-"
"He doesn't need to answer that, Kai," Zane said firmly. "Don't be so rude."
A low chuckle permeated the thick blackness behind them. "That's right," a voice said sarcastically. "Don't be so rude to the poor boy. Hasn't he suffered enough?"
The voice sent shivers down Zane's spine. It sounded wholly evil. ...Overlord?
Hagar sat on the floor in the infirmary, infant held close to her breast. "Hurry, Chedva," she whispered, stroking the child's dark peach fuzz. "We don't have much time."
There were footsteps in the hall, followed by intense voices. Hagar hunched her shoulders and tensed her body, preparing for a quick leap to her feet. The stress was unbearable. What if Sanguine Knight and his tall friend had been found out, and had told Overlord that she was in Building Four?
All the more reason for her to leave quickly.
Chedva pulled away from Hagar, lips moist from the milk. She yawned, then burped loudly.
"Good girl," Hagar tied the strings on the side of her bodice and wrapped the baby in her sling. She stood and ran for the open door.
"Hokph." The voice made her stop, heart sinking to her stomach.
Two stone men guarded the hallway outside her door, blocking the exit.
Kai stood, one hand on Nya's shoulder. "What are you doing here, Overlord?" He asked angrily.
Overlord stepped out of the dark shadows, surrounded by a company of fifty stone men. "I was about to ask you the same question," he retorted as he walked toward them casually, hands clasped behind his back. His men stayed behind, standing at well-disciplined attention.
Overlord laughed again. "Look what I caught in my trap," he cooed, eyes looking Lloyd up and down. "The prince? What is he doing here?"
"That's none of your business," Jay drew his blade and held it up. "Let us go, or I'll-"
"You'll what?" Overlord came within a few paces of Stormstrider's sharp edge. "Cut me with that letter opener?" He examined Jay carefully. "Kerr sochpa wrethgel...Keith sota?"
Jay took a step back, eyes wavering. His knuckles were white around the grip of his blade. "N-no," he replied.
Overlord stood quiet a moment longer, but eventually shrugged and turned to Wu. "You know how much you all are worth?" He whistled. "Two princes, two noblemen, a noblewoman, and...a commoner." He said that last word as if he did not quite believe it. "If I were to hold you for ransom, I could control the entire kingdom. Garmadon would do whatever I tell him. He might even give me his crown."
He turned his cold green gaze to Besai. "Good work, darling," he said, placing a hand on the brunette's shoulder. "You have pleased me."
Kai slapped Overlord's hand away from Besai. "Don't touch her," he snarled. "She does not belong to you."
"Yes, she does," Overlord retorted. "She's always been mine."
The words sank in like a bitter wine. Kai held Nya a little tighter. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Overlord seemed to draw strength from Kai's pain. "Besai is my whore," he explained. "She has been a sweet little bird, keeping me posted on all of your activities since you arrived at my camp."
Betrayal. Kai felt it in his mind, his gut, his heart. It ate through his insides like fire. His knees felt weak. "You're lying," he growled, grabbing her arm and pulling her close. "She is my friend."
"Is she?" Overlord raised a thick black eyebrow.
"Yes," Kai said adamantly, although he feared otherwise. "Tell him, Besai. You're leaving with us. You're going to be free."
Besai closed her eyes. "No," she whispered. "No, Sane-gwine."
No.
Kai's mouth fell open. This was not happening. "You were his...this whole time?" He should have seen it sooner. The way that Overlord had caressed her before Kai entered sensory deprivation. The way that she had almost seemed too eager to make Kai happy. She had been a tracker; a way to make him trust her, just so that Overlord would always know what his precious Sanguine was doing.
Besai sidled up to the Overlord, eyes on her feet. "Herengla'asi," she said softly, "Kai."
Nya placed a hand on Kai's chest. A gesture of comfort, or restraint?
"You sick, twisted monster," Kai said, shaking his head. "It is one thing to kidnap me and threaten my family. But what you've done," he gestured to the tattoo under his shirt, "taking away my freedom, forcing women like Besai to serve you? It is absolutely perverted."
"Kai," Nya said.
"No!" Kai gently pushed her away. His eyes seemed to glow fiery red in his fury.
Zane pulled his blade from his boot and unsheathed it. "Please try to keep cool, Kai. We'll think of-"
"I'll kill you!" Kai lunged at the Overlord.
Overlord seemed to have expected such a move. He got both arms around Kai's neck and squeezed. "Never," he hissed.
Pain shot up Kai's spine, and he gasped. He grabbed Overlord's wrists and tried to get free.
Overlord was too strong. He lifted Kai over his head and threw him across the green. "No one!" Overlord shouted. "No one resists me!"
Kai landed on his back, wind knocked from his lungs.
"Kai!" Nya screamed. She ran to his side and helped him sit upright.
Pain. That was all Kai could feel. His lungs were paralyzed. His neck was surely developing bruises as dark as the Overlord's smile. He couldn't move.
"Perrenztas ckon!" Overlord shouted.
The stone warriors advanced.