So sorry its been so long! I wanted to do Tuesday and Firday updates like with Heart of the Oni, but uh...
School happened haha. So Im gonna try and do Wednesday and Saturday updates instead. I'm also like two updates behind so expect another one either today or tomorrow, and another on Saturday. All the updates! haha. Thanks to all of you wonderful readers! We love that you are enjoying the story! Please leave reviews we absolutely love hearing what you think!
7
"Come on, Dorhn. We don't have all day," Cole said, raising his eyebrows at the Guard walking stiffly behind him. Cole had almost backed out of the deal when he saw him; Keyda had gone and found the biggest guard she could. Like seriously…the guy was as big as two Oni.
Dorhn frowned as he eyed the Guardian.
"I…can't get on that…"
"Look," Cole said, boarding the dragon. "If you don't wanna come, then you can be the one to explain to Keyda why I didn't have guard with me today. But I'm not walking to all of the villages; that's a waste of time."
Dorhn waited a little longer before finally forcing himself to come close to the Dragon. He glanced at its face…was it just him, or did the beast look amused?!
"Atta boy…" Cole said as Dorhn clambered onto the back of the Dragon. Dorhn clenched his jaw, gripping the ridges of the dragon tightly so he wouldn't fall off when it took to the sky. He felt a rumble in the beast.
"I told you, this wasn't my idea…I'm sorry, ok?!" Cole said, and Dorhn sighed in irritation.
"I understand that…"
"Oh." Cole turned to face him. "Sorry, I wasn't talking to you…"
The guard looked at the Outsider blankly as Cole turned back to face forward. The boy was barking mad.
His train of thought evaporated into fear as the Dragon launched into the air.
"And crops?"
Cole was talking to a few Oni villagers, one of the Oni children up on his shoulders. A few other children chucked pebbles at him and he turned to give them a stern look.
"Hey! I'm having a conversation here!"
They giggled and ran off, but one went to gather a few more pebbles. Dorhn walked over to the child, and the small Oni took one look at his expression and blanched as he dropped the pebbles and scampered away.
"Dorhn!" Cole chastised, lowering the child on his shoulders to the ground. "It's ok, really."
The guard shrugged, unimpressed. He had followed this guy from village to village all day and he had discovered that this outsider was quite the pushover. Cole was talking to the villager again.
"Not enough water…our well dried out. We had to move to a different location, so we could dig a new well to live off of…but now all our crops are a few miles away and there's no way we can carry enough water down there every day. We've been trying, but…"
"And you tried to dig a new well closer to it?"
"Course… but it didn't work. It's as dry as bone over there now." the villager grunted.
"Can't you bring the crops closer?"
"They aint roots, these ones. We pull em up now, they die. We leave em, they die." The villager kicked the ground. "Pointless, really."
Cole thought about it a few minutes. "Will you show me the area? Maybe we just need to dig a deeper well…"
The villager chuckled bitterly. "You're welcome to try, outsider…"
Within the hour, Cole was digging a hole nearby a truly sad looking field of crops. Dorhn shook his head from where he stood near the Dragon. Cole glanced over and called the guard over.
"Hey, I could use you for this….just the type of job for a hulking guy like yourself…" he said. Dorhn raised an eyebrow; he was a Dragon Master, for crying out loud. He wasn't about to go…
He felt a swat on the back of his head and turned to see the Dragon giving him a very judgemental look. He blinked and turned back to where Cole was still beckoning.
"Oh, for ancient's sake…" the guard muttered, walking over to the Outsider. The ground was incredibly hard, but the two men worked and sweated for a few hours. All at once, Cole stopped digging, turning to his companion with a grin.
"See that?" he asked, but Dorhn had slipped into a grudging thought cycle and had to snap himself out of it.
"What?" he asked, sounding more than a little irritated.
"Mud….we're getting close." Cole said with a grin. Another hour went by and the villager came to see their process. His eyebrows shot up.
"Well, I'll be…"
Cole glanced up and noticed that the sun was going down.
"Hopefully that will be enough of a start for you…" he said, wiping sweat out of his eyes.
"Not willing to finish what you start?" the villager asked, but Cole could pick out a grudgingly thankful undertone to his words. Cole smiled tiredly.
"Nah…it's just I had to promise to be home before dark from here on out. And you do not want to know what will happen if I miss curfew…"
The village's expression became wary, and Cole almost told him he was kidding. Almost. He and Dorhn spent a few minutes climbing out of the deep well, and Cole headed over to the Dragon. Dorhn looked down at the blisters on his hands in disgust before climbing up after the outsider.
"Well…you survived your first day," Cole said, turning back to grin at him. Dorhn refused to look at him, fuming. He had never been so humiliated in his life, but the Outsider didn't seem the least bit abashed.
Cole glanced at fading light on the horizon and patted the Dragon's neck.
"Better pick up the speed as much as possible…I was only kind of joking about the consequences of missing curfew."
Keyda spent most of the day coughing, which was incredibly irritating. It got to the point that Heavy Metal even told her to take the rest of the afternoon off so she could go rest, but that just made her more annoyed. She didn't need a day off…it would go away. Surely she would wake up the next morning feeling fine. However, the next day she felt even worse, though she continued to stubbornly drag herself through the day.
"Seriously, lass…you need to rest." Heavy Metal's tone was stern and Keyda pushed him off.
"It'll go away…I survived quite a few disease outbreaks as a child…I'm basically immune…"
"You want people to see you like this?" Her right-hand stepped in front of her, blocking her path towards the meeting hall. "You look like you're a step from the grave. Face it, you're ill and you need to be in bed…"
"Don't tell me what to do!" she mumbled, but as she pushed past him, she stumbled and the scarred Oni barely was able to catch her in time. She swallowed, her throat dry.
"I'm fine." she muttered, but he put a hand to her forehead.
"You're feverish. Are you going to walk back to your room, or am I gonna have to drag you there?"
She muttered something else, but then she straightened and allowed him to guide her back to her room. Syn opened the door with a rag in hand, wide-eyed as she saw the state Keyda was in. Heavy Metal regarded the small child.
"Make sure she doesn't get out of bed." he said. "If she does, come find me."
Syn swallowed and nodded her understanding as Keyda came in. She wasn't sure what she would do if the Ruler didn't decide to rest, but to her relief Keyda walked over and collapsed into the freshly made bed.
"Can I get you something?" Syn asked softly, but Keyda had already fallen asleep.
"What do you mean?" Cole asked sharply. He regretted his tone immediately as he saw Syn flinch.
"She's sick…she can't see anybody right now…" the child said in her quiet way, staring at the ground.
"How long as she been sick?" he asked. He hadn't seen her the previous night…but he had been so worn out from digging the well he hadn't actually tried to seek her out. But now…
"Um…this morning she didn't look too good…and Heavy Metal made her come back and rest…"
Syn seemed to be getting more uncomfortable, and Cole sighed in irritation.
"Syn, you realize that I'm not going to leave till I can see her…"
The little slave shrank into herself, still not looking at him.
"Heavy Metal said you couldn't…that she needs her rest…"
"Hey." Cole had taken a knee so he could be at eye-level. "I promise I'm not going to wake her up, ok?"
She didn't look at him and they stood in silence for a few minutes. When she knew he really wasn't going to leave she finally sighed, her gaze flicking down the hall.
"K…"
"Thanks." He stood and entered the room. He walked quietly over to the bed where Keyda was sleeping. He frowned when he saw her feverish complexion. There was a cool cloth on her forehead, and a bowl of cold water nearby as well. He had a sudden flashback to another time he had been with a fever-stricken woman, cloth on her head…
He stumbled backwards, suddenly overcome with a jolt of nausea and panic. Syn looked on concerned.
"Are you ok?"
Cole forced himself to calm down. This wasn't like that…Keyda wasn't that sick. She just had a fever…she was going to be fine.
"Yeah…" he swallowed, looking around the room for a chair. "You…don't mind if I stay awhile?"
Syn shook her head; what was he asking her for? Cole went over and picked an armchair, sitting heavily as he looked over at Keyda. She was fine…surely she would be fine…
Keyda opened her eyes in the morning, but the light coming in the windows just made her dizzy if anything. She blinked and looked around the room, her head feeling like it was stuffed with cotton. She caught sight of a figure asleep in one of her armchairs and frowned.
"Cole?"
Her voice came out in a croak, and within moments Syn was by her bedside with a cup of water. Keyda accepted it gratefully. She took a long look at the slave; the small girl looked exhausted.
"Did you sleep last night, Syn?" she asked quietly, and the child looked away.
"Hershel should be back today…I'll sleep when he gets here," was her quiet reply. She hurried away to busy herself with getting the ruler breakfast. Keyda shook her head and turned back to where Cole was.
"Hey Idiot!" she called, her voice a little stronger. Cole stirred and eventually opened his eyes, blinking and looking around.
"What are you doing in here?" she asked, and he turned to face her.
"Keyds," he said groggily. He got out of the chair, stretching his stiff limbs before coming over. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine." She said for the hundredth time. "Did you sleep in here last night?"
He bent over and brushed some wet hair out of her face, frowning.
"I just wanted to make sure you were ok…" he started, but he shook his head as he felt how warm and flushed her face was. "You still have your fever…don't you have some kind of doctor in this realm?"
Keyda couldn't help but smirk at him.
"I'm just a little under the weather, Cole…you don't need to be so worried." She started to sit up to prove it, but he gently pushed her back down.
"You need to stay in bed till your fever breaks…." he said. He looked down at the bowl and cloth and picked it up to go switch it out for new cold water, but he was surprised to see that someone already had. Syn must have gotten up early…if she went to bed at all last night. He felt a pang of guilt as he sat the bowl back down and wrung out the cloth.
"Don't you have things to be doing?" She asked dryly, eyebrow raised as he put the cloth back on her forehead.
"Well…I guess all the physical labor in the scorching sun can wait…" he said with a smirk, but as she looked at him she could see the fear in his eyes. What was spooking him so bad?
She reached up and ran a hand through his mussed hair.
"Well, if you're going to stay, at least clean yourself up. You're in the presence of royalty you know."
"Really? And here I thought you liked my hair like this…" he said, but she could tell his mind was far away. His smile faded. "Are you sure there aren't any doctors in this realm?"
"We have healers, Cole…but there's no need to bring one in for this. Give me a day or two and I'll be fine…I'm not dying or anything."
His brow furrowed at her last comment and he rubbed her cheek with his thumb.
"Guess that means we'll finally have a few days to hang out, then?" he asked softly and she laughed.
"Guess so."
Hershel joined them in the late morning hours. He took one look at his sister and sent her to bed before busying himself cleaning the room. Cole offered to help; Keyda had fallen asleep once again and he didn't feel like leaving. Hershel wouldn't hear of him helping, gently reminding Cole of his "place." The Master of Earth didn't really know what his "place" was, but watching other people do all the work while he sat doing nothing was kind of a weird feeling. It wasn't that he loved cleaning…but it felt wrong to just watch.
Hershel finished his tasks and sat on a stool, at hand for Keyda's beckon call. Cole wondered how many slaves had passed their lives just sitting all day, waiting. It had to be incredibly boring…not to mention uncomfortable.
There was a knock at the door and Hershel went to the door and answered it cautiously. At seeing Heavy Metal he opened the door fully to admit the Captain of the Guard. The Oni's eyes narrowed as he saw Cole in the armchair.
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" he asked coolly. Cole frowned.
"Well…not technically…"
"She needs to be resting." Heavy Metal said. "It would be best if you…"
"She is resting." Cole argued, his tone and body language making it clear that he wasn't going anywhere. Heavy Metal sighed.
"I was just checking in on her. People are asking questions…but it's no good to tell em she's sick. We need her on her feet as soon as possible."
"What? Oni don't get sick days?" Cole asked, half jokingly and half irritated. Heavy Metal raised an eyebrow.
"Not since before the Baron." He answered seriously. He turned to Hershel, who was waiting nearby for any instructions. "Inform me if anything changes." And then he was gone. Hershel glanced over at Cole as he retook his seat. Cole noticed the look and sighed.
"What?"
Hershel flushed, embarrassed to be caught.
"No…nothing."
Cole gave him a look that let him know he didn't believe him, and Hershel tried to shrug, unconcerned.
"It's just…interesting to watch you interact with people. It's like you're not even scared…"
"Scared? Of what?" Cole asked, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.
"Of anybody. I mean…you got attacked, and Heavy Metal doesn't like you…and when she has her dream storms…" Hershel trailed off, not wanting to say anything else out loud, in case Keyda wasn't as asleep as they thought. Cole understood where he was going and subconsciously glanced at his arm, silent for a few minutes.
"Heavy Metal doesn't like me!?" he finally asked, and Hershel resisted the urge to shake his head.
"See? That's what I mean. You just…blow it off, like its nothing. How do you do that? How do you…not be afraid?" Hershel asked and Cole chuckled to himself.
"Look, kid…if you wanna talk to someone who's never afraid, you are talking to the wrong person. I mean, back when I was running around with my team, it felt like I was the one afraid of everything…"
"But…you never run away," Hershel pointed out. "Isn't that what being afraid is?"
"Nah, you can be scared stiff without running. Fear is one of those things…" Cole stopped, trying to figure out how to phrase it. "It's like, you don't get to decide if you feel it or not, but you always get to decide how you react….you know?"
Hershel looked at him blankly and Cole ran a hand through his messy hair.
"I never was good at explaining things…" he said. He remembered what Keyda had said earlier and stood and stretched.
"I'll be back…I'm gonna go get changed."
"Ok." Hershel said, but he seemed to be lost in thought as Cole left, the door swinging closed behind him.
8
By the time Cole came back, Hershel had brought lunch and Keyda was awake. She looked a lot better, and when Cole felt her face he was relieved to find that her fever seemed to have broken.
"I told you I'd be fine, worry-wort," she chided. Both his eyebrows shot up.
"Oh…I'm the worry-wort? Are you serious? Because given the hulking Oni guard you insist on having follow me around, I would have said…"
She slugged him. "Shut up, you promised. That means no complaining."
He shook his head in mock disbelief, taking a large bite out of his loaf. The door cracked open and Syn slipped inside, looking a lot better rested as well.
"Hey, come grab some lunch!" Cole called, but Syn just gave him a strange look before going to join Hershel on the slave stools on the side of the room.
"Leave her alone, Cole…you're just making her uncomfortable." Keyda chided, but he just shook his head.
"I'm just trying to be friendly…"
"Well, they're slaves who used to belong to the Baron. They aren't used to 'friendly.'"
Another hour or so passed by, and Keyda was insisting on getting up out of bed, but Cole wouldn't let her.
"You said when the fever broke…" she complained, but he shook his head.
"Nope…not taking any chances; you can get up tomorrow."
She blew hair out of her face, irritated.
"You are not the boss of me…" she muttered, but he just winked.
"Boss? Nah…just think of me as a concerned friend."
She was sitting up, and she raised an eyebrow.
"A friend? Is that all I should be thinking of you as?"
"No, of course not." Cole said, taking her hand. "I said concerned friend. You forgot how concerned I am…"
"You Idiot."
They hardly acknowledged the knock at the door, and Syn slipped off the stool to go answer it. What happened next occurred so quickly, it felt like everything was in slow motion.
A crossbow bolt flew through the door, hitting Syn straight on and throwing her backwards. Hershel's yell caught Cole and Keyda's attention and they turned and saw what was happening. Within moments Cole and ripped Keyda out of bed as more crossbow bolts struck the mattress and headboard and the assailants came running into the room. Cole yelled at Keyda to stay put before launching himself towards one of the assailants. He spinjitzued to avoid a crossbow bolt and the leapt out of the spin to deliver a crushing blow. The masked thug fell to the ground, and Cole looked up right as the other was about to release a bolt. Hershel let out another yell as he jumped on the assailant's back, causing his aim to be off. The bolt buried itself into a chair as the assailant threw Hershell back into a wall. The teen hit hard before slumping to the ground. In the next moment Cole was there, though the assassin dodged the punch and pulled out a knife. They dodged and swung for a minute or so, and Cole finally got hold of his arm. He forced the knife out of his grip and threw him into an ornate side-table, which exploded. The masked man tried to stand, but a blast of purple power knocked him out cold. Cole turned to see Keyda, one arm outstretched with the other wrapped around the bedpost to steady herself. There were a few moments of silence, and then they immediately turned to where a small figure was crumpled on the ground. Cole reached her first, brows knit in concern. The bolt had hit her stomach, and she was bleeding a lot. Her breath was coming out in little gasps, her deep brown eyes looking glazed.
"Syn…"
Hershel's breathy cry came out as he shook off his daze and ran over to his sister. He looked down with wide, fear-filled eyes as Keyda came up and put a hand on Cole's shoulder.
"You have to get her to a healer…now…"
Cole nodded, but then he looked at her, face ashen.
"These men just tried to kill you…I can't…I can't just leave you here..."
"Hey." She knelt down, grabbing his arms tightly as she looked intently at his face. "She needs a healer, or she's going to die. You'll be fastest on your Dragon…I'll be fine." She shook his arms a little for emphasis. "It's your turn to trust me, Cole…I'll be fine. Now go!"
He stared at her a moment longer, looking like he wanted to argue, but Syn let out a little moan and Hershel let out a horrible grief-wracked sound. Cole set his jaw and turned, scooping the frail and limp figure into his arms before running from the room. Keyda yelled after him.
"Second village to the west…the tent with the white symbols. He's the best there is!"
The Oni were finally getting used to seeing the Guardian around, so the Dragon had spent more time around the fortress. As Cole yelled out vocally and in his mind, the Dragon came quickly, and Cole wasted no time boarding.
"Second village to the west…we have to get her to a healer…"
He looked down at the little body in his arms, her blood soaking his clothing. He pulled her closer as she began whimpering.
"It's ok, Syn…we're going to help. You need to hang in there…"
She shuddered, but other than that she didn't react to his words. Cole bent over her, clutching the back of his dragon fiercely in order to stay on while the Guardian shot through the air. They made good time to the village, but it still felt like it took too long. It wasn't one that Cole had been to before, and the villagers cried out as the Guardian landed in the clearing. Cole leapt from its back and yelled at the gathered crowd.
"The Healer?! Where is he?!"
Everyone looked at him in shock, as if they were trying to figure out whether to be afraid or angry. He yelled and his arms flashed.
"NOW! WHERE IS IT?"
A few Oni finally pointed, and Cole took off running. He was shaking with adrenaline, and he felt a small shot of relief when he spotted the tent covered with white runes. He pushed his way into the surprisingly large tent, looking around.
"The healer…I need…"
"I heard you, boy. Quit your shoutin…I'm old, not deaf."
An ancient looking Oni seemed to unfold from behind a large bookshelf. He took in Cole and the pale, blood-soaked body and gestured to a nearby table with his head.
Cole immediately laid Syn down on the table. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was very shallow.
"Can you…"
"Need Quiet. Get out." The man's words cut in and Cole hesitated before obeying. He pushed his way out of the tent flap, suddenly feeling weak. He managed to keep himself from collapsing, but the adrenaline was causing him to be nauseous and shaky. He looked down at his blood-soaked arms and swallowed hard.
Someone had tried to kill them. To kill Keyda. They had shot poor little Syn for no reason and were bold enough to try to take the Ruler's life. Cole shook his head as he realized how easy it had been for them too. What if he hadn't been there? What if Keyda had still been feverish in bed? The outcome would have been…
He fell to his knees as he retched. She had a personal guard, he knew she did. They were generally stationed down the hallway outside of her room. Had they been there as he had run past? He couldn't remember…did that mean that they had all been taken out? Or did it mean that they had known, and abandoned her?
A few Oni were looking on, curious and disgusted. He looked up, still shaking.
"I…I need to get cleaned up…" he said, and a few of the Oni turned away, walking quickly like they hadn't heard. One woman frowned, but she pointed and he followed her gesture to a well. He pushed himself back to his feet, making his way over to the well. He needed to get the blood off…
He dropped the bucket twice due to slippery and shaky hands, but he finally managed to get enough water. He set the bucket down and pulled off the blood-soaked long sleeved shirt, tossing it away from him. He poured the water on his arms and hands, washing himself as well as he could. After a few minutes he sat, the scorching heat drying the water he had spilled in the dust as it dried him as well. He leaned against the wall of the well, still sick with shock as he ignored the continued stares and glares.
Hershel wouldn't stop shaking. Keyda didn't know what to do, so she locked the door, barricading it with a heavy armoire before going to both of the assailants. She tied them up with pieces of sheets that she tore from the now-hole-riddled bed. Neither was dead, and she knew she would need them for questioning. A thread of fear continually pulsed through her body and around her mind; who were these men? Had the other leaders sent them? How had they gotten past the guards? They had been targeting her…this was an attempt at assassination. This was treason.
She searched them for weapons, pulling various knives and extra bolts off their person. She shook her head, disgusted. She tossed the weapons in a corner of the room. One of the assailants moaned, starting to wake up. She decked him hard and his head dropped back to the ground.
All at once she had run out of things to do, and she looked up at the figure balled up next to the stain on the ornate rug. She swallowed hard, suddenly wishing Cole was back. He was better at this sort of stuff.
She knelt next to the young teen, trying to decide what to do. He was small for his age…she couldn't help thinking he was still just a child, really.
"Hershel…" she said quietly, and he looked up at her with grief-filled eyes.
"She's gonna die…she's probably already dead…"
She didn't know what to say. She probably was…Syn hadn't looked very good on her way out. But mentioning any of those things was not going to help.
"I mean…we don't have anything but each other…"
Keyda was surprised when Hershel started to cry. She hadn't ever seen another Oni cry, unless it was tied to some kind of pain or torture. She shoved those memories aside as she reached out to put an unsure hand on his shoulder.
"She's always been so frail…if only I was more brave. I could've protected her…"
"There wasn't anything that…"
"It shoulda been me…I shoulda opened the door…"
She shook her head. She awkwardly pulled him into a hug, and Hershel stiffened. She knew he had probably never been hugged before and probably didn't know how to feel about it, but it was all she could think to do.
"They killed her….they killed her…" he kept repeating, and Keyda noticed suddenly that aural winds were picking up. She looked down at her hands; was this moment really affecting her enough for an aural reaction? She was sick, and scared, to be sure…but…
It was when she saw the Oni boy's eyes flash that she realized with a shock what was going on.
The Healer's tent flap moved thirty minutes later, and Cole looked up, feeling a new rush of adrenaline. The old Oni stuck his head out and looked around. When he caught sight of Cole he beckoned with a gnarled finger and Cole made his way into the tent.
"Is….is she…."
"Barely hanging on." the Oni said grimly. "The wound is cleaned and she's stable, techinically…"
"Technically?!"
The Oni turned and raised an eyebrow. "She lost a lot of blood…what did you expect? She'll either pull through, or she won't. Only time will tell."
Cole looked at him, shocked, as the Healer made his way back over to the table. Cole came closer, taking in the child's ashen complexion.
"Oh, Syn…" he said, voice tinged with regret.
"Funny, getting all worked up for a little slave…"
The Old Oni was sifting through a pile of odds and ends. The entirety of the healer's tent was covered in all sorts of…well…junk. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it all.
"She's still a person." Cole said stiffly. "And she doesn't deserve to die…"
"Someone shot her. What, they just do it on accident?" The Healer was looking at him now, his eyes bright.
"She was in the way of their true target…" Cole said, before clamping his mouth closed. He didn't feel like it was a good idea to disclose what had happened, especially to this stranger.
The Old Oni nodded sagely.
"Ah…I suppose an ill Ruler makes too easy a target to pass up…"
Cole started and the Healer fixed him with an amused expression.
"How…"
"Everyone in the nation knows who you are, boy…who you're here for. You reek of fever yet you seem to be in perfect health. I merely put the pieces together."
Cole shook his head. How could someone even smell like fever? Besides, he had showered since…
"No need to look so suspicious. Why would I lie?" the Healer tutted. He sifted through another box as he continued.
"Now, we gotta discuss payment…"
"Payment?" Cole asked, and the Healer scoffed.
"What do you think this is? You came, I delivered, now you have to pay. I aint running a charity, yellow-skin."
Cole swallowed. "Well…I don't have any money or anything on me…but I can talk to…"
He trailed off as the Healer shook his head.
"I'm not looking for money…I require a different kind of price…" His tone was more than a little ominous as he finally seemed to find what he was looking for. He pulled out a thin silver dagger with what looked to be an Ivory hilt.
Cole felt a jolt of panic. "What…" He put his hands up as the Old Oni approached.
"Now, hold still, and it will be over soon…"
"HOLD ON….you can't just…" Cole had backed into a table and the Healer rolled his eyes.
"I ain't gonna kill you, kid. Hold still…"
The ninja wasn't really sure why he listened, but he froze as the Healer reached up and grasped a lock of hair. Cole flinched slightly as the sharp knife sliced through, and the Healer put the dagger down on the table as he walked away, studying the chunk of dark hair. Cole blinked, one hand going up subconsciously to feel where the ancient Oni had chopped the lock off. He frowned as he watched the Healer finger the hair, sniffing it as he muttered to himself.
"What the heck are you going to do with that?" he asked, feeling really uncomfortable with the whole situation. The Healer looked over.
"Why do you care? You paid up, fair is fair. Come back in a few days and I'll tell ya if she died or not."
Cole just stared blankly for a few more minutes as the Healer tucked the hair into a small jar, sealing it closed and tossing it into another pile of junk. He finally walked over to where Syn was sleeping, her breathing still shallow. He wasn't sure if he trusted this kook with keeping her alive, but it wasn't like they had much choice. He put a hand on her little face.
"Don't give up, Syn…"
The Healer grabbed his arm suddenly and Cole jumped. The ninja turned to glare at him as the Old Oni studied the burn on his arm.
"What's your problem?" he asked, ripping his arm out of the gnarled grasp. The Old man looked like he was thinking and then shook his finger in the air as he looked away, as if he had stumbled across some idea. A few moments later he fished a small jar out of a pile and handed it to Cole. It was filled with dried maroon flower petals, and Cole glanced at it and then back at the Healer, not understanding.
"Make a tea. It will help with the nightmares." the Healer explained. Cole opened his mouth to ask how the healer knew, but then he just shut it and shook his head.
"You want more hair for this?" he asked dryly, but the Healer shook his head.
"I'll settle for your name, kid." he said, eyes glittering. Cole just looked at him for a few moments; was this guy senile?
"It's Cole." he said finally. Half the nation knew his name now; he might as well tell the kook. In fact, he was surprised the seemingly psychic Healer didn't already know it.
The Healer nodded to himself. Then he shooed Cole out of his tent.
"Like I said, come back in a few days. Now get out."
Cole stumbled back into the sunlight, not exactly sure what had just happened. He looked down at the small jar in his hand and shook his head before heading back to find his Dragon.
9
The fortress was a madhouse when he got back. He had barely dismounted when Dorhn was right there, arms folded.
"Where have you been?!"
"Emergency…" Cole looked at all the Oni scurrying, and started for the fortress. "What's…"
Dorhn put an arm out, blocking Cole from going back into the fortress.
"We've been breached." He explained. "The Ruler is in lockdown while the Dragon Masters search for other insurgents. I'm under orders to keep you out of the fortress until it's deemed safe."
"What?!" Cole asked, angry. He knew very well that the fortress was breached, and he needed to get back to make sure that Keyda was alright. "Under who's orders?!"
"Heavy Metal." Dorhn gave him a look that made it clear that if Cole wanted into the fortress, he was going to have to fight him. Cole figured that he could take him…but after everything that had gone down he felt exhausted.
He stood down, looking annoyed. "How long before I can go in there?"
"Shouldn't be too much longer." Dorhn said, and Cole leaned back on his Guardian, arms crossed.
"Did they find out who did it?"
Dorhn hesitated and Cole frowned.
"Hey! You might as well tell me now…I'll just learn it all from Keyda later anyways."
"Heavy Metal is interrogating the two assailants now. We haven't discovered any more. Heavy Metal came to check on the Ruler and found the door barricaded. She explained the situation, and he shut down the fortress. Simple as that."
"Why weren't there guards at her door?" Cole asked angrily and Dorhn held his hands up.
"We still don't know."
Cole scoffed. "Then what do you know?"
The guard frowned at the outsider's tone.
"We know you were in the room…but that you left in a hurry." He said, his tone severe. And Cole narrowed his eyes.
"Syn got shot…"
"Who?"
"One of Keyda's personals…I had to get her to a healer…"
Dorhn raised his eyebrows in disbelief.
"You left in a hurry…to try and save the life of a worthless slave kid?"
Cole sat up, his arms flashing in anger.
"Don't ever…."
"Dorhn!"
Another Dragon Master had come out of the fortress. Dorhn turned and the Dragon Master gave him a signal. The hulking Oni guard turned back to his charge.
"Fortress is deemed safe now…"
Cole pushed past him, heading for the fortress. Dorhn shook his head and followed.
"Are you alright?"
Keyda fell into him, exhausted. Cole felt her forehead, relieved to find that her fever hadn't returned.
"Fine…" she said. "No one else came…it was just the two thugs."
Cole nodded as she turned to him.
"….and Syn?"
"She was alive when I left…and technically stable, but the Healer wasn't sure if she'd be able to pull through or not…" He unconsciously fingered the area in his hair the Old Oni had cut from. "Odd guy…how did you know about him?"
Keyda was silent for a few moments.
"The Baron didn't really care for Healers…that's why there isn't one at the fortress. He considered disease just another way of weeding out the weak. I didn't even know what a healer was until he sent for the one in that village." She shook her head at the memory. "Can't remember his name…maybe I never even knew it. But he wouldn't come to the fortress. Heavy Metal had to take me to him."
"Why did you have to go to a healer?" Cole asked, though he was almost afraid to ask. Keyda looked over at him, as if debating whether to tell him.
"He tried to break me in a variety of ways…one of them went awry. Apparently ten lashes was too many."
Cole stiffened and she sighed.
"I never understood why he'd seek out a healer for me when he let dozens of slaves die of sickness every year. The Ancient Oni was an odd man, but he seemed to know what he was doing. Told me himself that he was the best there was; guess I've just never met any other healers to figure out if he was lying or not."
Cole didn't say anything, and she could tell he was angry. When he finally spoke, he changed the subject.
"Where's Hershel? How's…how's he taking it?"
She swallowed and glanced around the room. They were in her bedroom, sitting on the torn bed. Dorhn was waiting by the door and Keyda lowered her voice.
"Something…happened…"
He looked at her, concerned. She swallowed, throat dry.
"Remember what you said, about Hershel and Syn being able to care? And…and about how other Oni should be able to access power?"
She spoke in hushed tones, and Cole's eyebrows raised as he realized what she meant.
"Where is he?" he asked, and she shook her head.
"I told him to stay in his room for as long as possible. I…I don't think it will be good if other people find out. I mean, considering how the Baron used me…" she shuddered. "I don't want him to become a target."
Cole nodded his understanding as Heavy Metal came into the room.
"Keyda. We need to talk. In private." He added the last part while given Cole a look. Cole looked over and Keyda gave him a little nod. He sighed before standing and walking to the hallway where Dorhn was dutifully waiting, and the door shut behind him.
"I'm getting cleaned up…you can wait outside!"
Cole was getting really irritated with his babysitting bodyguard. Dorhn had been pretty good at letting Cole be alone as long as he was within the fortress, but now due to the breach the hulking guard was glued at his hip. Dorhn turned and leaned against the wall outside the bathroom and Cole closed the door firmly. He sighed, looking in the polished metal mirror. The first realm was definitely not as advanced in most of their technology and standards of living. The villages used wells, but higher castes had the luxury of running water, more or less. There was a hand pump in the sinks in the bathrooms and kitchen here at the fortress, and Cole pumped it furiously until he had filled the basin on the counter. He scrubbed his hands and then splashed cold water onto his face. Apparently the dragons had been used to create a hot water option…but ever since the union the fortress had to use cold water. There were more than a few complaints about it, and Cole didn't especially love bathing in freezing water from some underground spring, but he knew better than to complain.
He turned to face the door, wondering how he was going to get rid of Dorhn. He had a feeling that if he spent too long in here the guard would come in to look for him. He sighed; he needed to go see how Hershel was doing…but he didn't want to bring the other Oni along, especially not if he really was understanding what Keyda was insinuating. He imagined the skinny teen lobbing balls of Hatred and blinked. It made sense to him, that all Oni could possess the power of true hatred. But the thought and the actual reality of that theory were totally different. What if other Oni started to gain power? It would be difficult to contain, that's for sure…especially with all the unrest right now. People had just tried to kill Keyda without any powers…what would insurgents attempt if they had the same destructive power he had witnessed? He splashed his face again before reaching for a towel. He couldn't think of any way to get rid of Dorhn; he was just going to have to take him with him. He heard a knock at the door and smacked the towel back onto the counter in annoyance.
"Can I not get five minutes, Dorhn?"
There was no answer and he sighed as he opened the door. The Guard regarded him with the same stony face he had taken to wearing around Cole and the ninja shook his head in disgust.
"What?"
"Just making sure everything was alright." the guard said and Cole sighed.
"It's fine. I'm fine. You don't need to follow me around everywhere…why don't you…"
"My orders have changed. I'm not supposed to let you out of my sight."
"For how long?!" Cole snapped. "I can't live like this, having you constantly shadowing me, even just to…"
"For as long as is deemed necessary. If you don't like it, then maybe you should leave."
Cole looked at him, incredulous, but the guard's expression didn't change. Was this a ploy to get rid of him, then? Make a guard follow him around until he went insane? Heavy Metal must hate him more than he thought.
Cole took off walking down the hall, and Dorhn followed dutifully behind him. Eventually Cole reached the slave quarters and paused at Hershel and Syn's door.
"What are you doing?" Dorhn asked, and Cole turned to glare.
"Hershel's sister just got shot…I'm making sure he's doing ok." He paused, before continuing in his most 'direct-order' tone. "You can stay out here. There's nowhere for me to go in there, so as long as you're guarding the door I should be perfectly safe."
Dorhn opened his mouth to say something and Cole threw his hands up.
"Or you can come on into the cramped slave quarters to help me comfort a little slave kid. You're choice."
Dorhns mask glimmered with disgust and Cole knew he had struck on the right argument.
"You can have 10 minutes." Dorhn said, and Cole hated the patronizing way he said it. Cole didn't answer as flung the door open and walked inside.
Hershel was sitting in the corner, his arms around his knees. At the sound of Cole coming in Hershel flinched. Cole winced; he should have been quieter.
"Hersh?"
The teen didn't answer and Cole came closer, sitting on the Syn's mat.
"Hersh. I came to tell you…"
"She's dead?"
Hershel looked up suddenly, and Cole was shocked at flash of purple in his eyes. Keyda had been right.
"Syn was alive when I left her. Weak, but she could still pull through…"
Hershel visibly sagged and Cole realized with a start that the teen had been in here for hours with no news on his sister. He felt a flash of guilt as he reached out a hand.
"How are you?"
"Stop."
Cole froze, his hand in midair. Hershel's face was full of conflicting emotions as he looked up at the Master of Earth.
"Something's wrong with me…I'm…I'm broken…"
Cole put his hand down, but he shook his head.
"You aren't broken, Hershel…you've just connected to the Oni power, like Keyda has. It's technically normal, or at least, I guess it used to be…"
"I can't be like this!" Hershel's voice was full of panic, and Cole winced internally. If they spoke too loudly, Dohrn would undoubtedly hear them outside.
"If the others find out, do you know what they'd do to me?! There's got to be a way to get rid of it…to make it stop…"
Cole reached out and grabbed Hershel's arms as he noticed that they were powering up.
"Hershel….it's going to be ok….you need to take a deep breath." Cole said, voice low. Hershel shook but he managed a breath and the power subsided somewhat. Cole tried to think of what else to say and remembered what his Dragon had said a few weeks ago.
"Oni power isn't something to be afraid of…but it can be hard to control. It feeds of powerful emotions; that's how you got them in the first place, because you were worried about Syn. Now you're scared and its feeding off of that. If you want to control them, you've got to calm down…"
"How?" Hershel looked up at him, eyes pleading. "I just want something to stop it…I don't want to be like this. I just want my sister back…"
Hershel started crying and his hands started powering up again and Cole tried to think of what to say.
"I promise we are doing all we can for Syn, ok? I'm going back to check on her in a few days…but we are here for you too, Hersh. I'll find some way to help you…"
Cole was suddenly aware of the door opening and looked down in horror at Hershel's obviously glowing hands. He grabbed the boy's small form and pulled him into a hug so that when Dorhn entered Cole's body was blocking Hershel's new-found skill from the bodyguard.
"Time's up…" the Oni said bored, and Cole grit his teeth in anger. Why was he taking orders from this guy?
"I'm going to need…"
"Time's up." Dorhn said, more firmly. Cole flushed angrily, wanting to make more of a point of standing against him. But he wasn't sure how Hershel would react if a fight broke out in here right now, and he couldn't risk exposing the little slave. He looked back down at Hershel, who was still trembling. He sighed in relief as he saw that the glowing had faded away.
"Atta boy…" he whispered. "I'll come back when I can, ok?"
Hershel didn't seem to hear him and Cole released him, giving him one last encouraging side smile before following Dorhn out. The Guard didn't say anything as they walked and Cole fumed. He finally turned to him.
"If you want to follow me around everywhere, then fine. But you're just gonna follow. You don't have any say in what…"
"You have enjoyed quite a bit of freedom in this realm." Dorhn broke in coolly. "But given the current situation, we can't just have you doing whatever you want."
Cole stopped walking in order to glare at him. "We? We who?!"
"You may have been Keyda's guest before, but you have a diplomatic role now, and as such you will follow the rules of the realm. Your place is beneath the other Oni leaders, and very decidedly below that of Heavy-Metal and Keyda. You're an asset to the nation now, and it's time you learned to follow orders."
Cole shook his head, his anger building.
"I don't belong to anyone, got that? I'm here because I want to be, and I'm helping the villages because I want to. I'm not about to be placed in your cruel Hierarchy, following your barbaric rules!"
Their argument was interrupted by the arrival of Heavy Metal, who took both of their flushed faces in with a raised eyebrow.
"Keyda wanted to speak to you." he finally said, and Cole swallowed, glaring at the scarred Oni. As far as he could tell, all these orders were coming straight from Heavy Metal. He wanted to stay and give him a piece of his mind, but he also needed to touch bases with Keyda. He shoved past the Captain of the Guard, and Dorhn went to follow him. Surprisingly, Heavy Metal put out an arm.
"I need to speak to you, Dorhn…"
Cole blinked, but hurried off quickly, glad to finally be free of his leech of a bodyguard.
Keyda looked more tired than she had when he had left, and he frowned.
"Are you feeling sick again?" he asked, and she shook her head.
"I think the sickness is gone…" she rested her chin in one hand as she studied him. "We know who orchestrated the attacks…the one against you and the one against me."
Cole sat heavily next to her.
"Who was it?"
"Warrack…the Western Oni Leader
Cole shook his head, both confused and angry.
"Were any of the others involved?"
"The others hate us just as much, it seems, but all the information Heavy Metal has gotten out of the slaves who attacked you and the two assassins point to Warrack working alone." She stretched, looking exhausted. "It makes sense, in a way…if the other leaders had been involved, they would have been able to afford a much better assassination team."
Cole just looked at her. "Um…is that supposed to make me feel better?"
She smiled briefly, but her gaze slid away and she bit her lip.
"The execution is in two days."
Cole gave a start. "Execution?"
"Warrack and those he hired organized and carried out an act of direct treason." Keyda explained, glancing at Cole almost apologetically. "I knew you wouldn't like it, but execution is necessary…"
Cole didn't say anything and she finally looked him in the face.
"I've avoided the death punishment for minor infractions that the Baron would have never allowed…but in this case we have to follow through. To do any other punishment, even life in prison…"
"I get it." Cole finally said, brow furrowed. "I mean, I do. But I still can't quite…agree with it."
"I know." Keyda said softly, reaching over for his hand. "I figure you don't do this sort of thing in Ninjago...but the fact is that it's happening." She swallowed. "I…I don't want you to come."
"Why?"
"Because." she tried to think how to phrase what she was thinking. "Cole…I don't want you to have to be there. I know you don't agree with it, and I don't want you to have to act like you do."
"Would I have to do that?" he asked, tone suddenly bitter, and she sighed, exasperated.
"Well, you certainly couldn't do anything against it. People are already unsure of you, and they don't understand mercy; if they see that you are uncomfortable with the deaths of those who committed treason, who knows what they'll…"
"So you don't want me to come because there's no way for me to behave in a way that fits with the culture here?!"
Her tone became direct.
"Cole, I don't want you there because it's going to be horrible…and barbaric…and everything that you aren't. There's no reason for you to have to witness that…and I don't want you to."
He was silent for a minute or so longer, thinking.
"I'll go check up on Syn during the execution," he finally said, and she relaxed. He turned to her, apologetically.
"I'm sorry…it's just, the longer I stay here the more everyone reminds me that I don't belong. I mean Dorhn has been driving me crazy…"
"I know…" she said with a small smile. "I'm sorry…I don't know if that's ever going to change…but…"
"You know what we need?" he suddenly broke in, and she blinked.
"What?"
"A vacation."
She scoffed. "What, getting beat up and a nearly successful assassination attempt wasn't exciting enough for you?"
"Keyds, we've been going nonstop for weeks. I honestly think stress had a lot to do with your sickness. I just think we need a few days away, free from…from all this craziness."
She was silent for a moment.
"Where would we go? Ninajgo?" she asked dryly. He smiled.
"Well, we could. There's a whole lot you haven't seen yet…"
"Like snake-people…and ghosts…" she pointed out. "I still think you made most of those stories up."
He was mock-offended. "All the more reason we have to go, then!" He fell silent. "We need to make sure Syn's ok, and we have this whole execution thing, and Hershel…"
"Heavy Metal is never going to let me take two days off, especially not with everything going on." she sighed.
"It'll be after things calm down a bit." Cole agreed. He looked like he was thinking of something else and he looked up. "Hershel can't really control the powers."
"No. I don't even know how to control them. I don't know how he will ever manage."
"If we could teach him…" Cole started, but Keyda shook her head.
"I'm not comfortable teaching anyone when I can't even figure them out myself."
"Well, he can't go on the way he's going." Cole paused. " And he can't learn how to control them the same way you did either; far too public. He's scared about what would happen to him if it got out, and I don't blame him."
"A slave kid with that kind of power? People would either use him or try to kill the threat to their own status." Keyda agreed.
"I've been thinking….when we go to Ninjago…"
"When? Don't you mean if?" Keyda asked, eyebrow raised.
"When we go to Ninjago…" Cole continued, ignoring her comment. "I could look for something with vengestone in it…if Hershel wore vengestone, it would be a lot easier to hide his new powers."
Keyda blinked, remembering suddenly the chains Garmadon had used to subdue her and Wu.
"That may just work…" she admitted. She leaned against him, worn out. "Why is it that everything just keeps getting more complicated? Is there ever going to be a day when our job gets any easier?" He wrapped his arm around her, leaning his head on hers.
"I dunno." he said finally. "Like you said, we're just gonna have to take it one day at a time."