Lies and Fools
King Garmadon still wore his outdoor gear: leather boots with red velvet accents, thumping against the floor as he paced. A stylish crimson half-cloak, fluttering with every swing of his tense arms, and his gold circlet, sitting atop gray hair wet with melting snow.
"You let Kai go?" he asked, snarling.
Misako couldn't explain what was happening to her husband. It wasn't just his personality or iris color that was changing. Everything about him was darker. His sneer. His stride. Even his voice. He was becoming a different person entirely.
"I didn't say that I was involved," Misako said. She spoke with as much strength and clarity as she could muster, but her body trembled. She wondered if she was the only one who could hear her heart beating.
"It was implied," Garmadon said, turning on his heel and storming in her direction. "Stupid woman. You thought you could outwit me?" He raised his open hand for a blow across her cheek.
Misako forced herself not to flinch as his hand landed. "I..." She breathed in shakily, the pain blinding her for a moment. "I was in the study when it happened. Ask any of the staff, they'll tell you."
Garmadon growled. "That's just it, though. There were no witnesses. The Guards claim that you sent them away minutes before Kai's disappearance. Those two Guards in the prison say that their drinks were drugged. What do you think of this, hmm?."
Give me strength, Lord, Misako prayed, then spoke. "Surely the Dark Knight is not above drugging our men to save his ally."
"Our men?"
"Yours, My King. Your men."
Garmadon grabbed her wrist and twisted. "I'm not opposed to locking you up until your flesh falls from your bones, wench. Are you going to come clean?"
Misako cried out as she was knocked to the floor, arm twisted painfully behind her.
Garmadon squeezed. That was another strange thing about him since the poisoning: he'd become stronger. And much, much more cunning.
"You helped the rebels, I know it. Confess, and I might go easy on you."
Misako's body shuddered in terror and pain. I can't confess yet. What good would I do him- and my country- in prison, or dead?
"I...I... No, Garmadon. I never touched Kai. I was in the study."
The moment of truth. Would he be convinced by her half-lie- she had been sitting in the study following Kai's rescue- or would he see through it and lock her up? Or would he not care, and beat her just out of frustration?
Garmadon wavered. His eyes, for an instant, softened. He released her.
"Go away," he whispered. "It's doing it again. I can't control it."
"But Garmadon-"
"Go!" he screamed, face hardening again. He tried to grab her dress. "Leave me alone!"
Misako dodged his fist and fled for the door. She flung it open and retreated down the hall, stumbling in her high-heeled boots, still hearing his rage-filled echoes in the stone corridors.
Finally, she reached the library. She pushed the door inward and careened inside.
"My Lady," Zane said, rising from his chair. He took her hand in both of his. "Are you all right?"
Misako shook her head, wiping tears and paint from her face. "I can't do this anymore," she said. "Not alone, Zane. I...I can't fight him by myself."
Zane held her hand gently for a long spell, remaining quiet. "That's why I'm here," he said at last. "I'll help you, Your Majesty. What do you need me to do?"
"Thank you," Misako said. "I-I don't even know where to start, though. I need...information."
"Information?"
"Y-yes. On ancient lore. Poisons. Religions. Assassinations. Anything that might be relevant."
"You believe that will help cure him, Your Majesty?"
"With respect, your Blade isn't doing much."
She thought about that day when Zane had drawn all the poison from Garmadon's body. Yes, it had all come out. His eyes had cleared, his skin regained its natural tone, and he had been...normal. Kind. In fact, the first thing he'd done was apologize to Misako and tell her- with Zane, Lord Julien, and all the servants to hear- that he loved her more than he loved himself.
But then, a minute later, he'd started to change again. He began to shout, as if talking to a voice in his head. He told it to leave him alone, that it was hurting him, that he didn't need it... He paced and sweated for many minutes. And then he stopped abruptly, teetered for a moment, and fell to the floor, unconscious.
When he'd awakened a few minutes later, his eyes had changed back to red.
Things only got worse after that, until the real Garmadon was all but gone; he only showed up in rare moments, like a few moments ago when he'd told her to run.
"We have an extensive library in the North," Zane said. He let go of her hand and stroked his chin. "I got all the poison out that day. I could feel it. I saw it. So what happened? Hmm. It might be a good idea to start with botanic and biological poisons. I know those fields well enough. It should be an easy place to start."
"I'll do religions, then," Misako said. Finally composed, she went to a wall nearby and plucked out an ancient, thick book. "There's one in particular that I'd like to study."
"What's it called? Perhaps I've heard of it."
Misako paused. "Perhaps. It's been out of practice since the beginning of this age. Only a few people still follow its god."
"So this is before the First King?"
"Yes. As you well know, the First King is said to have taken the place of a now retired god. The one mentioned in this book."
"Does it have a name?" Zane asked again.
"No. It was a nameless god. If the religion has a name, it's long since been forgotten. But..." She stroked the cover, smiling softly despite herself. "...it's a good religion."
"Oh, no," Zane said. He gripped her shoulder. "Your Majesty, must I remind you, you are married to a descendant of the First King. It's blasphemous to put your faith in a retired god."
"I know," Misako said. "But..." No, she didn't dare say it out loud. She slipped the book back onto the shelf. "I'm sorry. Religion might not be a very helpful subject. At least, not for my husband. I've got to search folklore. History from ages before us. Maybe what's happening to Garmadon has happened before. A poison that continues to corrupt for weeks after being removed?" She sighed.
"It's been a long day, Zane. Malian's rescue, Kai's escape, Kaytake's betrayal... Go home. Do your research. We'll rendezvous in a week and share what we've discovered."
"Yes, My Lady." Zane took her bruised arm and healed it with a quick- but reverent- wave of his hand. He did the same to her face where Garmadon had struck her. "I'll do my best, night and day."
Misako kissed his forehead. "Thank you. Go."
Zane bowed and backed out of the room.
Once the door was shut, Misako stepped over to another nearby shelf and began collecting books. "Wu," she whispered. "If only you were here. We need your insight."
It had taken much longer than expected for the group of four to reach Cyrus' fortress, hidden underneath the modest village of Prengda.
The storm was bad: though it was only dinner time, the sky was dark. Pixal held the saddle of Jay's horse as they stood outside a house, waiting. Cole's horse stood on her right, head down and mask up. Bits of snow and ice stuck to his eyebrows, making them look even larger than usual. He held Varasach in his arms.
Pixal's eagle, which had been keeping out of sight since the beginning of their journey, now sat with its claws clinging to Cole's saddle. She was unhappy with her predicament, being stuck without flight.
Finally, a man rushed from the house and stopped next to Jay's horse. They exchanged a few quick words, and the man was handed the reins to both horses. Jay flew from his saddle and helped Cole and Varasach from their horse. Varasach was barely conscious, and Cole had to carry her.
The horses were led away, and the eagle let out a startled screech. Pixal hastily grabbed the large bird before the horses were out of easy reach. "Oh, Suki," she said, holding the bird close to her chest. "Can't you fly, stupid bird?"
The eagle Suki gave no response to the tease, of course.
They battled the wind across the road to another small, snow-covered house with a single window, which gleamed with firelight.
Jay hit the door twice, then waited. He hit the door again three times. Another pause, and then he hit it twice again.
The door opened immediately, revealing a woman in her early twenties with curly black hair.
"Come in," she said. "Please. The fire's warm."
"Thank you," Jay said, stepping inside behind the others. "I won't be staying long though. I've got an important appointment with the Doctor. Is he in?" He removed his scarf, letting the woman see his face.
"Oh!" The woman shut the door and bowed. "It's you, sir! Yes, of course. This way."
"Thank you," Jay said, tailing her into a side room.
The house, though small, did a fine job of keeping out the cold. The angry howls of the blizzard were muted, and Pixal felt herself relax as she picked up the scent of herbs and vegetables from a pot over the fire. She set her bird on the floor, and it walked beside her with its awkward waddle, too large to fly with the low ceilings and abundant furniture.
In the side room- a bedroom, apparently- the woman pried four planks of flooring up and set them next to her, revealing a dark staircase.
Jay patted the woman's shoulder. "Thanks, Christi." He descended into the hole, relying on his cane for support. Pixal picked up Suki again- the bird couldn't do stairs- and kept close to Jay, prepared to grab him if he lost his balance. Cole carrying Varasach took up the rear, and the floorboards were replaced, leaving them in shadows. A lantern glowed at the end of the stairwell, held aloft by a single sentinel.
"Can you make it that far, Jay?" Pixal asked. Her voice sounded hollow in the earthen tunnel.
"I've done it a thousand times," Jay said distractedly.
"But your leg-"
"Let's just focus on our predicament, okay?" Jay snapped. "I don't want to talk about my leg when Kai is missing."
Pixal shrugged. "Fine." She didn't blame him for his coldness. After finding Kai's Blade shining in the snow an hour ago, even she had gotten a bit uneasy.
"Three others," Jay said to the guard when they reached the bottom.
In the light of the lantern, Pixal noticed how frozen Jay's clothing looked. Was his cloak wet when we left the White Rose? she wondered. Stupid boy. He must be chilled to the bone. Why can't he just tell us when something's wrong?
"Welcome back, sir," the guard said. "The Doctor will be happy when he hears the news."
"You informed a messenger, I assume?" Jay asked.
"Yes, sir. You'll probably run into him on your way to registrations."
"Good. I need to talk to him."
The guard opened the door and let them through. They entered a large, rectangular chamber with many doors. It was lit with a few white electric lights.
"That was a different house than the one we passed through last few times we came here," Cole said. "Are we even in the same place?"
"Yes," Jay said. "Most of the houses in the village are connected by tunnels that lead to chambers like this one. Come." He crossed the room, then entered a hallway that eventually opened into another identical chamber. Then he walked to the right wall and opened the third door, which led to another hall filled with people- mostly women. Some turned their heads to look at the newcomers, but went back about their business without giving them much thought.
Except for one little girl, who wriggled out of her mother's grasp and barreled into Jay's open arms, giggling. "Gdand'dy," she said, hugging his neck.
"Hey, Shisa," Jay said, rubbing noses with the girl. "Sorry, we're a bit busy. I'll play with you another time, I promise."
"A'ah," the girl said, giving Jay one more hug. Then she returned to her mother, and they were lost to Pixal's eyes in the sea of people.
"It's almost dinner," Jay said. "So Cyrus is probably in his study organizing his planner for tomorrow. This way."
Pixal set Suki on the floor. The bird waddled along beside her master, shaking her tail feathers, and examined everything up close with animated expressions. The door latches, especially. The bird often fell behind as they traversed to the end of the passage because it was admiring the shiny iron catches on each door.
Jay punched a code into a door at the end of the hall, then lifted the latch and pushed it open.
"Uncle," he said. "Sorry to intrude, but..."
Cyrus looked much different now than when Pixal had last seen him. He looked older. Though, when he set down his pencil and saw Jay's face, his eyes sparkled like a child's.
"Jay!" he said, forsaking his scattered papers and rolling his chair toward them. "You're back! That took longer than I expected. Ah...where are Kyle and Kai?"
"Kyle's missing too?" Jay asked, gripping his cane a little tighter.
"Well, he came here mid-morning for the antidote," Cyrus said. "He informed me that you would all come back...hmm, an hour ago, now."
"We're only late because we were waiting for Kyle to return to the inn," Pixal said. Her eagle wandered the room excitedly, peeking into boxes and scratching the smooth stone floor with her talons. "When he didn't, we assumed that he stayed here to wait out the blizzard."
"And...Kai?" Cyrus asked, looking troubled.
"He stormed off at breakfast," Cole said. "We had assumed he'd made his way here hours ago, but..."
Jay pulled Kai's Blade from his pack. It was missing its sheath and glimmered weakly, like a dying ember. "We found his Blade under two feet the snow," he said. "It was messing with our minds as we traveled past, and we stopped to dig it out."
"Kai's buried in the snow?" Cyrus asked, incredulous. "Why didn't you-"
"No," Jay assured him. "The Blade made it clear- by tampering with our emotions- that Kai was gone. We-"
"Sorry I took so long, Father." Liana entered the room, a baby sling on her back and a tray in her hands. "But I figured I could grab your dinner since I was passing that way. It..." She saw the four extra people in the room and stopped.
"Liana," Cyrus said. "I told you earlier, I wanted to eat in the main room with the others tonight."
"I know, but... Sorry." Liana set the tray on his lap and turned to Jay. "You look terrible."
Jay coughed. "Thank you. How've you been?"
Liana threw her arms around him. "When you rescued me from the Dark Island, I assumed I'd actually get to see you every once and a while. You're never around!"
The baby in Liana's pack started wailing, and she sighed. "Cole, your Chedva..."
"What about her?" Cole asked. His tone was so innocent that Pixal almost wondered if he was being sarcastic.
"You're her father. Could you please not dump babysitting duty on me anymore? You owe me that much."
"All right." Cole nodded to Varasach. "Let's trade. You take this big baby to bed, and I'll take that one."
Liana snorted.
"So..." Cyrus began. "I'm not worried about Kyle; the weather can't hurt him. He's probably just sitting out the storm in some tree. But...do you have any idea what might have happened to Kai?"
"He was separated from his Blade," Jay said. "And believe me, that's not something that I would do willingly."
"The Blades are like an extension of our minds," Cole said. "Giving that up willingly would be like cutting off our ears."
Pixal looked at the Blade in Jay's hand. "If he was hypothermic and not thinking straight-"
"No," Cole said. "Not even then. It's not possible."
"Okay, so...bandits on the road? Kidnappers?"
"We'll have to assume that's what it was," Cyrus said. "The Overlord would want Kai's Blade, right? So we can assume Kai's disappearance isn't Overlord's fault. It was bandits."
"That doesn't make sense either," Pixal said. "I still think it was hypothermia, and we made a big mistake leaving the site. If he wasn't dead before, he is now."
"You don't understand," Cole said. "You're not human, and you couldn't feel the Blade's power. It...did something to our minds. I know Kai's alive. I can feel him through the Blade."
"That still doesn't make any sense," Pixal said. "Please tell me I'm not the only one."
"Nope. I'm lost too," Liana said. Chedva was still crying.
Cyrus held up a hand. "It's all right. Cole, Jay, if you say Kai isn't dead in the snow, then I trust you. Still, if bandits are the culprit, then there isn't much we can do until the blizzard ends. I could send out some Nindroids, but-"
"Do it," Cole said. "We aren't waiting for this blizzard, Cyrus. That could be weeks."
"But I don't know where to start," Cyrus said. "There's no way to track them."
"I don't care," Cole said. "I just want him found."
"Let's discuss this over dinner," Cyrus said. "Liana, dear, please take Varasach to her room and get her warmed up."
Cole set Varasach's feet on the floor, and she stood, holding his arm tightly to steady herself. She still seemed only half-awake.
Liana undid the sling on her back and set the shrieking child in Cole's other arm. "There you go. Don't make me do that again."
"Sorry," Cole said.
"Yeah, sure. Come on, Vara." She grabbed Varasach's hand and led her out of the room.
Cole cradled Chedva, frowning. "Has she been this upset the whole time I was gone?"
"Most likely," Cyrus said.
"Aww." Cole held up the screaming bundle and made a face. "Did you miss me, love? Was that it?"
Chedva's cries tapered for a moment. Then she whimpered and started up again with more ferocity.
"It's her hormones," Cyrus said. "Infants have a hormonal bond with their mothers. Since her mother is..." He adjusted his glasses. "...you know. She hasn't had any stability since then. One person after another has been caring for her, and her body is confused. She has no one to permanently bond with."
Cole held Chedva close again and kissed her nose. "Well then, I'm not letting you out of my sight. You're mine, and I'll be the one to take care of you from now on. Okay?"
Suki took a giant leap, spread her wings, and landed on Pixal's arm. The bird stooped and stared at Chedva, orange eyes round and intense. She made a series of clicking noises in her throat, then twittered.
Chedva stopped crying. Suki made more noises, then hopped from Pixal's arm with a great flutter of wings that gave flight to every sheet of paper in the room.
"Suki!" Pixal snapped her fingers. "Floor, you Mena-cursed bird. Now!"
"Language," Jay said in a sing-song voice.
Suki landed and gave Pixal a shameless stare. Almost a smile. See what I did? she seemed to say. I made the baby happy. You can't scold me.
Cole looked hurt. "Why does the bird make her stop crying?" He shook off one glove, put it in his pocket, and stroked Chedva's cheek. "I'm your daddy, not that bird. Got it, love?"
Chedva cringed at Cole's cold hand and mewled.
"You've got your work cut out for you," Jay said, grinning. "She's a problem child. I can tell already."
Cole pointedly ignored him.
When Kai awakened, he was in chains and shivering. His arm- the one that had been cut by multiple stone warriors' swords- was still dripping blood.
He tried to remember what had happened. I fought. I lost, and was tied up, and we...we walked. We went all the way up to Prengda, where we...waited, hidden by the swirling snow...
He tried to push himself up from the warm, filthy stone floor but was too weak. Then they gave me a drink of...bitter water. Drugged, probably. And I slept.
Chains rattled as he moved his uninjured arm to feel his head. I shaved at the inn. My face still feels clean, so I haven't been asleep for too terribly long. Also, my arm... He peered at it through the darkness, broken only by a flickering candle somewhere above him. ...Ouch. It probably needs stitches. Some of these are really deep...
"So you're awake," a soft voice said to his right.
Kai lifted his head. He was in a small cell, he now realized. Both his wrists and ankles were shackled to short chains on the floor, leaving him prostrate. A damp cloak- his only clothing, apparently- covered him up to his shoulders; the cause of his chills, no doubt.
"I'm supposed to tell Overlord when you've awakened," the voice continued. "But I'll give you a few seconds to catch your breath. That won't hurt anybody."
Kai found the owner of the voice, sitting slouched in a chair next to the door- elbows on his knees, hands clasped tight. His blond hair was held back by a piece of string, exposing his childish face. He watched Kai solemnly with pale, colorless eyes.
"You're Senzo," Kai managed to say. His voice sounded like sandpaper.
"I am." Senzo dipped his head.
"You're a fool."
Senzo sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. "Maybe I am," he said. "I mean, I'm the only one who stood up to the stone warriors when they attacked Genesan. I'm the only one who fought back. And now..." He shook his head, laughing breathily. "...look at me. Enslaved to the thing I tried to destroy. Only a fool would be duped into that."
He moved from his chair and bent low, hand on Kai's shoulder. He opened his mouth to say more, then decided against it and stood.
"I'll see you around."
He retreated quietly, leaving Kai alone.
It's warm in here, Kai thought, feeling the air outside his borrowed cloak. Either I'm very close to a fire, or...
No, it couldn't be. He looked at his arms again, at the blood still trickling from his wounds.
...or I'm on the Dark Island.