Chapter 48: The Voice in the Forest
(Mag's POV)
I thought I was going to be sick. I just watched my mother be killed right in front of me. I turned my head to look at father, Crystal, and Ally. I saw Crystal holding her hands to her eyes, Ally had her hand on her forehead probably feeling sick like me, and father… he was crying. I can't imagine what he must be thinking. This entire time mom was trying to get a cure for him, and he only thought of himself. I turned the other way to see Lloyd crying and Donovan curled up in aunt Abby's lap. They should have left the room, them and Molly. I leaned back in my seat and felt my stomach. I honestly thought I was going to throw up right then and there. Then the tears came from my eyes like waterfalls. I leaned into Cole's shoulder and I couldn't hear anymore.
(Ally's POV)
I was sick. My heart was literally smashed to pieces seeing this. Why did mom apologize? She did everything we could have ever asked of her and she still thought she hadn't done enough. I guess that's where we get it from. She was noble, trying to stop Lloyd from facing dad and find dad's cure as well. I had my hand on my forehead. I was sweating and my stomach was clenched in a ball. "It's all my fault," the whole room looked to see Lloyd blaming himself. "If I hadn't opened the first tomb, none of this would have happened." I got up from my chair and sat next to Lloyd and hugged him. "Lloyd, don't ever blame yourself," I stroked his hair as he cried into my shirt "nothing here is to be blamed on any of us." Crystal got up and sat next to me. "Mom wouldn't want you to regret what you've done," she rubbed his back. Mag came and sat next to me, "If that tomb was never opened, then we wouldn't be here now as a family." She tilted his head to face her. "We'd still be living in our shack in the woods, Molly and Ben would still be in the orphanage, Donovan would never had met us, you'd still be off somewhere alone, I would have never gotten pregnant, none of what's happened would have been real." She smiled at him and he smiled back. She hugged him and he wiped away his tears. "There's an old saying in Ninjago kids," aunt Abby said. "The past," nana began. "Is the past," Uncle said. "And the future," aunt Abby said. "Is the future," dad said. "Nana," Donovan said "can I show Lloyd my room?" He smiled so bright he looked like a star. Nana smiled and nodded her head. Donovan grabbed Lloyd's wrist and dragged him up the steps to his room to see whatever he had.
(Mag's POV)
"He is really is just like you Laurence," aunt Abby said smiling as she sipped her tea. "Right down to his skills with a katana. He beat your record of disarming someone in a fight by a minute," nana said. "I don't honestly know what to say of the boy," father said. "I'd like to know who picked his name," I said. Aunt Abby smiled and set down her cup, "Your mother picked his name. She chose it because it means 'dark warrior'." I smiled; mom could really pick a name."So the names mean things?" Kai said. "All names have some meaning," Ally said "our aunt's name means 'head of a monastery' for example.""But if that's her name why did Sensei get the monastery?" Jay asked."I left after our father passed for my own training, so Wu was next in line. Laurence said he didn't want the responsibility from the start of things," aunt Abby said. "And our nana's name means 'of water, wind, fire, shadows, earth, plants, animals and loved by God'," Crystal said. "As I am one with all parts of the world," nana explained pouring her own tea. "Well when should we leave to find the other needed parts of the spell?" I asked out loud to no one in particular. "Anytime dear," aunt Abby said "but please see the garden. We have worked very hard on it since last you were here." I nodded my head and got up from my seat. "Anyone coming with?" The whole room got up to come see the garden with me.
(Cole's POV)
We strolled the garden paths for a while when we came to the edge in a forest. "Been a long time since we've seen this place," what does Ally mean? "Yeah, I can still remember her voice here," what is Crystal saying? Mag let go of my hand but I was struggling to hold on. She yanked away and they left the garden for the forest. "Girls, where are you going?!" I called out. They didn't stop but Ally called back, "Come and catch us!" We walked as a group trying to find our way around the forest. We reached a large oak tree with a carving in the trunk. "What's it say?" Jay asked. "It says 'No Serpentine or else'," I read the carving out loud. "What does that mean?" Nya asked. Then an arrow came flying across my face and hit the tree trunk. I stumbled back into Kai and Zane and tried to stand again. "Who enters my forest?!" some voice called out. "It's ok," Mag's voice was in the trees "they're our family." "Yeah," Ally said "we brought them here." "Why did you bring them? The one with for arms has a dark aura. They could easily be a trap!" "The one with four arms is our dad, Kasumi," Crystal's voice was in the trees behind us. "Fine," the voice they called Kasumi said. Then the girls were jumping to the ground from the trees and landing on their feet. Crystal showed up behind us, Ally was on our left, and my precious Mag was right in front of me. She wrapped her arms around me and kissed my cheek, "Hi honey." "Why did you guys run away?" Zane asked. Then a new woman dropped from the trees. "For her."