Chapter 2 - Midnight Shadows

Lloyd waited. He waited until every light inside his uncle's mansion had been snuffed out. Waited until there was nothing but silence wafting through the house. Waited until the sky was coated in darkness.

For the hundredth time, Lloyd raised the spyglass against one of his bright green eyes. The ship was still there. A small speck, even harder to see at night that it had been during the day. Lloyd moved away from the window.

He tugged down the black curtain beside him, wrapping it around himself as a makeshift cloak. Lloyd made sure to hide every inch of his bright blonde hair. He was not going to get caught.

Pushing the door open as slowly as possible, Lloyd slipped out into the darkened hall. Hopping down the stairs was simple. He'd since long memorized which steps would creak and which wouldn't.

The thought of meeting his father had always seemed like nothing more than a dream. Lloyd had wished for it with all his heart, and he'd had more than his fair share of daydreams about it, but for the most part, meeting him had seemed unreasonable. And now that it could be real, now that it was so close, Lloyd felt shaken with emotions.

But he couldn't think about them all, not yet. Or he might miss the opportunity.

If it even was his father.

And yet, who else could it be? Most ships never hesitated to dock in Ninjago's port. The island had an abundance of positive aspects, luring merchants and travelers alike. There was no reason to stay so far away from the island.

Unless, of course, you were a pirate.

Lloyd slipped out of the mansion through a small backdoor located in the kitchen. The cook had often invited Lloyd inside, and the young child quickly learned about the inconspicuous exit.

A breeze welcomed Lloyd into the outdoors, and he pulled his cloak tighter around himself. Most of the guards were lazily keeping watch by the main door, more preoccupied with sharing rumors than doing their jobs well.

Except for one, as usual.

Zane paced around the grounds, his sharp eyes always ready, always searching. Lloyd briefly wondered if the man ever slept. As far as Lloyd knew, Zane seemed to always be working.

Although Zane was an excellent guard, his eyes were searching for danger, not a small child attempting to escape. And even if Zane did know the grounds better than any of the other guards, he did not know them quite as well as Lloyd did.

The young kid crawled forward, not minding the bits of dirt sticking to his skin and clothing. Soon enough Lloyd reached the tall walls surrounding his uncle's pompous mansion. Climbing over seemed impossible, and with Zane's eyes drifting throughout, it no doubt would wind up ending in failure.

Lloyd didn't plan on climbing. He searched around, pressing the palms of his hands against the wall, searching for the couple of loose bricks he knew were there. Once he'd located them, Lloyd patiently slid each one out of place.

"Bye everyone," Lloyd whispered, with a smile planted firmly on his face. He had better places to be.

Pressing his body against the ground, Lloyd wriggled out of the small hole he'd made. Once outside, he stood slowly, waiting for any signs of having been spotted. Nothing. His mom and uncle would both be asleep. Neither of them would figure out Lloyd was gone until it was too late to pull him back. He was going to make sure of that.

Lloyd ran.

He sped through the path, aiming to reach the town faster than he ever had before. He couldn't miss this opportunity, he didn't know if it would ever come again. For a moment the town appeared before him. For a moment, Lloyd could almost picture his father, arms wide, welcoming Lloyd into a long awaited embrace. For a moment, it all went according to plan.

But that moment ended quickly, when a rough grip on his cape pulled him back.

Cole walked through the town, invisible against the darkness.

Every shop was closed and each window was shut tight. There was no light within any of the houses. Cole had made sure to wait until the whole town was asleep. And now, there would be no one between himself and the map Garmadon desired.

Cole turned into the town's small plaza, remembering the blacksmith shop from the time he'd lived on the island. He'd never paid too much attention to it, and he couldn't bring himself to remember who ran the shop. Not that it mattered. They wouldn't even know he'd been there.

Or. . . Maybe they would.

Cole stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes locked on the small window of the blacksmith shop. There was a small candle, still lit, throwing shadows and light every which way. After a few seconds of staying still, Cole began to walk forward again, moving to glimpse a better look inside the shop.

There was a woman, arms resting upon the table where the candle sat. Her head was down, short hair covering most of her features. Cole stepped even closer, searching for her eyes. Closed.

Cole breathed a sigh of relief, then stepped towards the door of the shop. It didn't take more than a couple of flicks of his nimble fingers to open the simple lock. He pushed the door open as gently as he could.

The woman stirred. "Kai?"

Cole cursed under his breath. He hoped she wouldn't scream before he could silence her.

"Is. . . That you?" The chair creaked as the woman stood. The floorboards mapped out her footsteps as she headed towards the door.

Before the woman could get any closer, Cole stepped inside the shop, aiming to use the element of surprise to his advantage. When the candlelight revealed Cole's features, confusion clouded the woman's eyes.

He knew what many of his crew mates would do in his position. One quick movement with a sword in hand, and the problem would be solved in a matter of seconds. Cole was a pirate, and murder came with the territory. But Cole simply couldn't.

"I'm sorry," he muttered instead, before landing a swift blow against the woman's neck. He used nothing more than two fingers, making sure not place excessive force on the attack. The woman's eyes rolled back, the sudden cut-off of breath causing her to fall limply against Cole's arms.

That's when Cole spotted the tattoo.

It took up most of the woman's right arm, starting from her shoulder, all the way to the image of a small island etched around her wrist. Cole followed the lines, quickly making sense of the black ink.

A map. The map.

Cole almost laughed. He couldn't say this was anywhere near what he'd expected.

But orders were orders, and his were quite clear. Bring the map.

After working out of his disbelief, Cole threw the woman over his shoulder.

Kai reached the edge of the town, a stubborn ache traveling through his legs. There was nothing but darkness all around as everyone had long since retired to bed. Kai sighed, wishing he'd had the energy to walk a little faster on the trip back. His sister was no doubt still waiting up for him, as she always insisted on doing.

Nya was stubborn, and Kai was never able to convince her to do anything. But then again, Kai himself shared the same attitude, so he knew he didn't have much room to complain. Giving a small smile at the thought of his sister, he continued to walk, reaching the town's plaza within a couple of minutes.

Once again, nothing but darkness surrounded him.

There was no candle at the window of the shop. Kai's steps quickened, his stomach suddenly churning with worry. She's just asleep. I took longer than usual and she's just asleep. The thoughts flew around his mind, but they felt like nothing more than lies. Kai knew something was wrong.

Kai fumbled to reach the key buried within his pockets, but his fingers never reached the cold metal. He didn't need the key. The door was unlocked, a small sliver of the darkness inviting Kai to step inside.

Maybe I forgot to lock it. Maybe Nya forgot to check.

Lies. Every single thought in his head was a lie, but Kai couldn't bear to face the truth. With a shaky breath, he pushed the door open. "Nya?"

Silence. Kai searched the darkness, but there was no one inside. His sister's candle lay on its side by the floor, the flame long since gone out. "Nya?"

Slowly, Kai allowed the truth to unfold. Nya wasn't here. Adrenaline burst through him, and he searched every inch of their small house, tossing and pushing things aside in desperation. "Nya! Where are you?"

There was nothing in the house, and he was only wasting time by searching. Kai ran back out into the town, his eyes dancing rapidly, bouncing from one shadow to the next. But where to go? Where to check? The town wasn't immense, but there were still enough paths to leave Kai at a loss.

He began to run forward, moving from street to street. He didn't have a plan, but he knew he couldn't stand still. "Nya!"

There!

A shadow moved across his vision, running with purpose towards the beach. Kai forced his legs to move faster, ignoring the throb of his muscles. He wasn't going to allow anything to happen to his sister.

Lloyd fell back, slamming hard against the ground.

A man towered above him, his features half hidden in the shadows, but Lloyd still recognized him.

"You're the blacksmith," he stated, for lack of anything better to say. He felt dazed, still bursting with adrenaline. "What. . . What do you want?"

"The Admiral's kid? What are you doing here?"

"I am not his kid," Lloyd growled, getting to his feet. "And I'm going somewhere."

"In the middle of the night?" Kai held the kid back, preventing him from running off.

"My real father is here." Lloyd tried to wriggle out of Kai's grip, blinking away tears of anger and desperation. He was going to miss his chance. "Let me go."

"Real father?"

Frustrated, Lloyd continued to struggle. "Yes. Captain Garmadon. He is my father. And he's here and you're going to make me miss him."

"You've been reading too many stories, kid. Garmadon doesn't have any children."

Lloyd shifted, sliding his spyglass out of his pocket. He pressed it against Kai's hand in a rough manner, then pointed at the ocean. "He's there. He's waiting. Just let me go!"

Shaking his head, Kai tightened his grip on the child before placing the spyglass against his eye. At first, there was nothing but an empty horizon. Then he spotted it. A small speck against the distance. It could be anything. There was no reason for the boy to believe what he did.

As he began to lower the spyglass, Kai spotted something else. Another shape, another shadow. A boat, he realized, once he spotted it again. In it was a man. His clothing suggest that he was indeed a pirate, at least as far as the soft moonlight would reveal. And he wasn't alone.

Kai dropped the spyglass, his grip weakening enough for the boy to run. "Nya."

He didn't understand. Why would anyone take her? As far as Kai was aware they didn't really have any enemies. Neither of them had even stepped foot outside the island. And now a pirate showed up out of thin air to take his sister? And not just any pirate. Captain Garmadon, if the boy was to be believed.

The boy.

Kai shook his head, focusing on the world before him. The kid had run far, his legs moving faster now that he knew someone had spotted him. At that pace he would reach the sea in no time.

And then what?

"Wait!" Kai shouted, running. The kid was fast, but Kai's legs were longer. He was able to close the distance between them in a matter of seconds. Kai grabbed the kid's arm, pulling him back. "What are you, crazy? Do you think you can swim all the way to the ship?"

"I can't miss him," the kid hissed, pulling against Kai's grip. "What if he doesn't come back?"

"Kid, you can't swim all the way out there." Kai lifted the child, placing him over his shoulder. He began to make his way back to the town, wondering what his next move should be. As much as he wanted to go after Nya immediately, Kai knew he wouldn't make it very far on his own. He'd need help.

He thought of the Admiral, knowing the man had attempted to capture Garmadon himself more than a couple of times. He could be willing to help. With a ship and an army, Kai would have a shot at rescuing his sister.

The path split before him. One would take him back to town, to the shop. The other would lead straight to the Admiral's mansion.

With a sigh, Kai chose the path towards the town. He didn't think he'd be able to travel the path to the Admiral's mansion a third time, much less while carrying the kid. As much as it pained him to wait, Kai knew it was the right choice.

"I'll take you back home tomorrow. You can stay with me for the night. And don't think of running off again. I'm a pretty light sleeper. You won't get far."

The kid's only answer was a long, defeated sigh.

Kai reached the blacksmith shop, closing the door behind him. The darkness and silence throughout it was eerie. The shop had never felt so empty. Nya had always been there and, without her, everything just felt wrong.

He headed to the floor above the shop, where his and Nya's rooms were. Kai went into his room, finally putting the kid down. "You can sleep on my bed. And like I said, don't run off again. There's no way you can swim that far. And even if you could, they'd probably leave before you could even reach them."

Once again, the kid didn't respond, choosing to climb onto the bed instead. Kai watched him curl up, making himself as small as he could so that his whole body hid beneath the cape.

"I'm sorry you couldn't see your dad."

The shape beneath the cape grew smaller.

With a sigh, Kai headed to Nya's room. He didn't know if he'd be able to sleep, but getting a few minutes of rest was worth a shot. He sat on his sister's bed, trying to make sense of everything, but no matter how hard he tried the pieces didn't quite fit.

In his room, he could hear the kid sobbing softly, making Kai's heart wrench. If Garmadon truly was the kid's father, Kai could understand the feeling all too well. He still remembered watching his own dad sail away in a ship, going on a trip he would never return from.

Weeks had become months and months had become years, causing Kai's hope for his father's return to grow dimmer and dimmer, until there was nothing left but a feeling of emptiness. Eventually, Kai had gotten back on his feet, but not on his own. Nya had guided him back, while somehow still supporting herself.

"Please be safe," Kai whispered, laying back against the bed, and forcing his eyes shut. "I can't lose you too."