Hello all! Back with another one! I just graduated from high school the other day and now summer vacation has officially begun so now I'll really be able to write more. Here in this chapter, we visit three different perspectives: the ninja, the search party, and the outlaws.
Responses to reviews!
ProfessorYeti: I'm glad the last chapter was mad scrumptious for you! Today we tone it down a bit in terms of angst, but I hope you'll still enjoy it regardless.
Guest: Here it is!
Warning: Underage drinking. For the record, I do not support underage drinking nor do I do it, I just added it for the sake of the story.
"Zane." A voice whispered. "Zane, wake up."
Zane groaned as he was roused from his sleep. He cracked his eyes open, half expecting to see the outlaw staring down at him with his gun but instead saw the dark sky as it was beginning to lighten as sunup neared.
Zane threw the cover of his bedroll off of him and sat up. He no longer felt as sore in his body, his wounds didn't ache, and he was actually able to move his limbs. Zane gingerly reached up to touch his face. His cut on his lip had begun to heal as well.
"Y'all feeling alright?"
Zane looked up and saw Hailey holding Ranger's and Gale's reins. Zane cleared his throat and cautiously got up, relieved when his knees didn't give out from under him.
"Y-yes." He said. He bent down and picked up his hat. He dusted it off and placed it on his head before strapping his holster around his waist.
"You forgot this." Hailey said. She held out the outlaw's gun. Zane grimaced as he took it, it's weight settling in his hand. He sighed and slipped it into the back of his waistband, shivering as he felt the cold metal against his skin.
The other three already had their belongings packed and were waiting on Zane to lead the way. Zane hastily packed his bedroll and tied it to Gale's saddle before swinging up into the saddle. He tapped his horse with his spurs and they were off to continue the chase after the Untamed.
Zane watched the dust rise from Gale's hooves as they loped along. His nightmare last night had felt so real. He could literally feel the outlaw's knife and bullet in him. It terrified him, it had been such a long time since he had felt something so intense.
But despite last night's incident, he felt slightly better. His mind felt a little clearer than when he had gone to sleep that night. The weight on his shoulders that had been dragging him down since he killed the outlaw felt a little lighter now. The outlaw's gun felt a little less heavy in his waistband.
Zane adjusted his grip on Gale's reins and fixed his hat with a sigh. He looked out at the vast expanse of desert still ahead, with a dark strip shimmering in the distance: the plateaus.
He knew this ride would be no easy task, but with each day it was becoming a lot harder than he could have imagined.
…
Picazo's hand twitched at the reins as he carefully guided his horse and his men up the hill. The ground had gotten steeper as they neared the base of the plateaus. They were approaching the last leg of their journey, which was to travel along the river as it flowed along the bottom of the canyon that split the plateau in two before they would reach the top. Then they would reach their hideout after a day's ride. After the disaster during the storm, the trail had not been too harsh on them.
Picazo's horse stumbled under him. He patted its neck and whispered some encouraging words to it as it regained its footing. As they travelled farther up the hill, the ground became rocky. The outlaw was sure to take things slow. Many of his men's horses were also having trouble staying on their feet as the hard sandstone gave them little traction. When he had reached the top of the first hill, he turned around to see that some of his men were lagging behind.
"¡Vamos hombre! ¡Agarrar el ritmo! *Come on, men! Pick up the pace!*" He called to them.
He felt a jerk at his saddle. He turned and saw the horse Samuel was tied to prancing nervously. Samuel sat on it's back, head drooping as the desert and the journey had begun to get the better of him.
Picazo smiled as he saw their prisoner. He was despondent, broken, and hopeless. He didn't look like someone who would try to escape anytime soon.
Once the rest of the group had reached the top of the hill, the thieves continued on. They ascended more hills as they climbed higher still before the terrain finally began to level out. They weren't anywhere near the top of the plateau, but as Picazo turned to look back, the hills still towered over the desert, giving a sweeping view of the expanse of the hills and sand below.
They continued on, carefully picking their way through the sandstone flats. The canyon was still a day's ride away, so at nightfall the band of outlaws made camp.
…
The sun hung low in the sky, turning it red and orange. The shadows of Samuel's search party grew long as the day was coming to an end. Zane and Tony rode up and stopped at the edge of a hill with Hailey and Christopher bringing up the rear.
Zane stood in his saddle, carefully looking around them to see any signs. He saw that they were on the edge of a flatland and off in the near distance was a band of sparkling light- a river with the sun's rays reflecting off the water's surface as it flowed quietly across the desert. Zane knew that the thieves and the horses would have needed to stop for water at some point, and if his predictions were correct, this was the first source of water on their route.
"I think I may be able to pick up clues down there." Zane said to the others, pointing to the river down below. "These men and horses need water, so this would be a likely place for them to stop and rest."
Hailey rode up to Zane's side.
"Lands alive, I never thought I'd be happier to see the Thunder River in my life." She said, a smile across her face as she saw the running water.
Zane tapped Gale with his spurs and the four rode down the hill and across the flat. As they neared the riverbank, Zane saw the remains of campfires, abandoned cans of beans, and several piles of horse dung.
"There are obvious signs that indicate the Untamed have camped here. Look," He said, pointing to the charred ashes and manure. Then he looked up at the darkening sky. "And I think it's wise that we do the same."
They got off their horses and led the herd to the river's edge to let them drink their fill. After they had been watered and tied, the four went down to the river to refresh themselves. Hailey knelt down and splashed water on her face and refilled her canteen. Christopher and Tony did the same. Zane peeled off his shirt and soaked it in the river, wringing it out. He splashed water on his back and face and put his shirt back on, sighing in relief as he finally felt clean for the first time in days.
Feeling refreshed, Zane made his way back to the camp. He went through to ensure all the horses were secured before mounting up on Gale. He and Hailey would be taking the night watch tonight.
As night settled across the desert, the two watchmen took up their positions. Hailey was on Ranger at the far end of the camp with Zane at the opposite side.
Gale shuffled impatiently and pawed at the sand. Zane leaned over and patted his horse's neck.
"There, there, Gale." Zane told him before taking hold of his reins. "Everything is going to be okay."
Zane shuffled in his saddle and checked his stirrups before taking a deep breath of the cool night air. He watched as the moon rose into the sky, washing the landscape in its soft blue glow as he settled in for a long night.
…
It was a quiet day at the Ninjago Public Library as the ninja walked through the door.
"If we're heading to the southern frontier to find Zane, we need to do our homework." Nya said. "This library's archives have millions of books from a long time ago. We're bound to find something about this strange place."
The Ninjago Public Library was a large two story building in the heart of the city. Walls were lined with tall bookshelves chock full of almost every kind of book imaginable. A winding grand staircase led to the second level. Throughout the shelves were tables, chairs, and couches as well as computers. Sunlight poured into the building through a large skylight on the roof and a series of large glass windows.
Nya and the others walked up to the reception desk. "Hi, do you have any books on Ninjago's geography and history?"
The receptionist pointed them to the section and they made their way over, pulling books off the shelves. With each ninja carrying a stack of books in their arms they all picked a table and sat down. Nya pulled out a tote bag filled with notepads, pencils, sticky notes, and pens and distributed them to the others.
"If you see anything interesting that might help us, be sure to write it down." Nya told them as she took a book from her stack and flipped it open. "Even if it's the smallest detail, anything helps."
Lloyd furrowed his brow and jotted some things down on his notepad.
"Let's see here…" He muttered to himself. "We know the frontier is in the south, and almost unknown…"
They went through stacks upon stacks of books over the course of several hours, cleaning out entire sections of the library. But despite their intensive research, they hadn't turned up a single piece of information.
Jay clutched his head and groaned. "My head hurts!" He complained. "Too much reading!"
Kai stood up. "I had an idea."
The others turned to him. "What is it?" Cole asked.
"The Ancient Library of Domu. They have a really big collection of ancient books too. Maybe there's something there?"
"Hey, that's actually a good idea!" Lloyd said.
"Okay, new plan." Nya said. "Kai, you and Lloyd head over to Domu and see what you can find. Cole, Jay and I will stay back in case there's something we haven't found yet."
"Alright," Kai said, getting up and scooping up his supplies. He jerked his head at the door. "Let's go Lloyd."
The green and red ninja left the library. Cole got up from the table.
"I'm gonna get on the computer and see if I can find anything that way." He told them before getting his things and walking over to one of the desktops.
"I don't get it." Nya said to Jay. "Why is this place so mysterious? It's part of the Ninjago continent, why doesn't anyone know about it?"
Jay sighed. "I don't know, Nya. What confuses me more is that even Sensei knows hardly anything about it, and his own dad was the one who created this place. Maybe he kept it a secret?"
"But why?" Nya asked him. "What could possibly be so dangerous or powerful to cause the FSM to keep his lips sealed?"
"Maybe a weapon? Maybe he banished some evil beings there or something?"
"Hmm." Nya said. "Sensei said his father visited it after he had banished the Overlord and thinks it might be cursed with his energy." She jotted that down on her notepad.
Jay gasped. "What if the Overlord is there?!"
"He can't be, silly. Zane defeated him, remember?"
"Oh, right, right." Jay said. Then he thought. "Maybe someone related to the Overlord?"
Nya raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, related?"
"I dunno, maybe like allies or family members?"
"I don't think the Overlord had family members, Jay." Nya told him. "He was a dragon before the FSM defeated him, remember?"
Jay rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Okay. Maybe there's like dragons or something there?"
"That's...actually a good possibility." Nya said, scribbling that on the paper.
"Since the Overlord's energy might be there, they could be evil dragons and that frontier is their territory." Jay pondered aloud. Nya nodded.
"That's another good theory…" She said, taking note.
Images of dark, twisted dragons flashed through Jay's mind. Pointed teeth, jagged claws, and with Zane being crushed, shredded, or chewed between them. He shuddered. Just how bad of a position was he in right now? Had he still held onto hope they would find him, or did he give up?
Nya must've knew what Jay was thinking about. She leaned over the table and rested a hand on Jay's forearm.
"We'll find him Jay." She told him. "I won't give up hope, and I know you wouldn't either. After all Zane has done for us, it's only right. I know that no matter where he is, he'll fight tooth and nail to get back to us too."
Jay nodded and sighed before flipping open another book in his stack.
…
Kai and Lloyd landed their energy dragons at the entrance of the Ancient Library of Domu. It was a tall spire-like structure with few windows. Its entrance was marked by a set of heavy wooden doors. The two walked inside. The walls were also lined with bookshelves and tapestries and scrolls hung from near the ceiling. Wooden tables, chairs, and benches were scattered across the floor space.
Kai and Lloyd walked throughout the rows of shelves and grabbed any book they thought would be of use. Soon they both had a huge stack of books in their arms.
"Remember, if you see anything even the slightest bit helpful, write it down." Kai told Lloyd. The green ninja nodded.
"Right."
Together they began the studious task of reading books upon books upon books. But even after flipping through pages until their eyes felt glazed over, they still haven't gotten any answers.
Kai groaned and threw down the book he was holding in frustration. "There's nothing!" He cried. "After almost an entire day of searching and we haven't even found one thing!"
Lloyd sighed. "I know it's frustrating, Kai, but we have to keep looking if we want to get Zane back." He picked his book up again. "I'd tear apart all the libraries in Ninjago page by page if that's what it took to find him."
Kai sighed. "How is he?"
Lloyd held up his hand and breathed a sigh of relief as ice sprouted from his fingers. "Still hanging in there."
Kai felt a sinking feeling in his chest: guilt. Lloyd was obviously very concerned about getting Zane home, but when Lloyd was still in Morro's hands, he didn't feel the same way. He'll admit, he was more concerned about Lloyd than Zane. It wasn't until they had Lloyd back that he realized just how important the nindroid was to the team and how much of a gaping hole his absence had left. What would Zane think if he found out? Or even Lloyd?
Lloyd must've seen the look on Kai's face. "Hey, you okay Kai? It looks like something's bothering you."
Kai stared down at his hands, unsure of what to do. He couldn't lie to Lloyd, but he didn't want him to find out how he truly felt either.
But he couldn't lie to him. Not in a situation like this.
"If I tell you," Kai began. "Promise me you won't judge."
"Me? Never." Lloyd said. "Why would I?"
Kai took a deep breath. 'Here goes nothing.'
"When Zane went missing, I wasn't as worried about him as I was about you."
Lloyd looked confused. "What? Why? Zane is just as important as me. He's just as important as anyone on this team."
"I know, I know." Kai groaned, covering his face. "Now I see that. But at the time I was so focused on getting you back I was neglecting the others when they were trying to find Zane instead of you. Before this all went down I made a promise to protect you no matter what, and I wasn't ready to break that promise. I said things I shouldn't have said and we got into some really bad fights. I almost tore the team apart because I was being so narrow-minded. I even hurt Cole and drove my own sister away…"
Kai went quiet. Lloyd sighed and rested a hand on his shoulder.
"What you did was wrong, Kai, but you realized it before it was too late and you fixed it. Now we're as strong as ever. People make mistakes, even us ninja. But the important thing is that you're making up for it. I don't judge you for that.
Kai uncovered his face and heaved a sigh. "Thank you…"
Lloyd smiled. "Of course. We can't hold grudges, especially in a time like this." He said.
"We've been sitting and reading for hours. How about we catch a break?"
Kai nodded and got up, grateful to stretch his legs and refresh his eyes. They got a drink of water and walked around the library to look at the paintings and tapestries before going back to their table and sitting down.
Lloyd settled into his chair before picking up a faded and yellowed copy of "Ninjago's Ancient Beasts and Where to Find Them." He flipped through the pages, the tattered paper filled with ink drawings of different unusual animals and creatures of legend and their descriptions. He saw the usual ones: dragons, leviathans, treehorns, and Grundles. But he saw something that caught his eye.
"Hey Kai, have you seen this before?"
Kai looked up from the book he was reading. "What is it?"
Lloyd pushed his book across the table to Kai. Together they looked at what Lloyd was pointing at. It was a four legged and hooved animal with a flowing tail, a long neck with a mane, and a tapering face with large eyes and pointed ears.
"The horse," Kai read. "Unlike any other animal, the horse is said to be the perfect balance of power and grace and has capabilities for many tasks. But not much is known about them and not one has been seen in Ninjago for thousands of years. It is likely they no longer exist. If they do, they might live in a place that has been untouched by Ninjago's civilization, though it's unknown where."
"Huh." Lloyd said, furrowing his brow. "That's strange. I've never heard of a horse before."
"Neither have I." Kai said. "But where would they have gone if they do exist?"
"The southern frontier isn't known by anyone at all, so who knows what lives there. Maybe that's where the horses are? Or were?"
Kai grabbed his pencil and wrote Lloyd's theory on his notepad. "I think we're getting somewhere now…"
"But the book doesn't mention whether they're good or bad." Lloyd said. "If they still exist, they might be dangerous."
Kai scribbled that alongside the previous note he made. "Alright. Good point."
Lloyd thought for a moment more. "Maybe doing research about horses might give us better clues." he got up. "I'll go see what I can find."
He returned a short time later with a book and a couple scrolls. He examined them, but they all stated what the first book already had.
"I can't find anything else." Lloyd said as Kai was getting up to put his books away.
"Well, let's head back and see how the others are doing. They might have picked up some clues too."
They put the other books away, but Lloyd decided to check out the copy of "Ninjago's Ancient Beasts and Where to Find Them." in case it provided them any more clues.
…
"Any luck?" Nya asked as Cole came back from the computers. The earth ninja shook his head.
"No." he said. "What about you two?"
Jay and Nya looked at each other before looking back at Cole.
"No, not really." Jay said. "Except-"
The front door to the public library opened as Kai and Lloyd walked back inside.
"Hey guys, did you find anything?" Nya asked them as they approached the table.
"Not anything obvious." Kai said.
"But we did find something interesting." Lloyd said to the three. He set down his book on the table and flipped to a page. He held it out to them as they read it.
"A horse?" Jay asked. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"The book says here, 'they might live in a place that has been untouched by Ninjago's civilization, though it's unknown where.' And as of right now, there's only one place where the entirety of Ninjago doesn't know of."
Understanding dawned on the other's faces.
"So you're saying that where the horses are, Zane is?" Cole asked. Kai nodded.
"It seems like it." Nya said, spreading out multiple maps of the Ninjago continent. "While looking at different maps of the island, I noticed a pattern. Look how detailed and labeled everything is throughout the rest of the map." She gestured to several maps. Then she trailed her finger down the papers. "But when it gets farther down south, it's literally blank!"
The others peered at the maps and saw that Nya was right. The island's maps were intricately drawn, labeled, and detailed. But at the southern tip of the continent, there was nothing, except boundaries that marked the coast, and even then they seemed hastily drawn compared to the rest.
"This is the only unmarked place on the entire continent. So it's obviously not well-known at all. Anything could be there. And if that book is right, that's where the horses are."
"And dragons too!" Jay said. Cole, Kai, and Lloyd turned to look at him.
"Dragons?" Lloyd asked. "What do you mean?"
"Jay actually came up with a viable theory." Nya explained. "Remember when Sensei said that his father visited the southern region after he sent the Overlord away and how it might be cursed with his energy?"
"Yes…" Kai said.
"Well the Overlord's true form was a dragon, and if the south is cursed with his energy, then maybe it was a festering ground for other dragons."
"Like, evil dragons?" Lloyd asked.
"Yes," Nya continued. "And if that's the case here, we're gonna be in for an even bigger battle we could have ever suspected."
"But it seems like horses live there too, and they don't seem that bad." Kai said. "So what does that mean?"
"Remember Kai, just because something looks harmless doesn't mean that it is." Nya reminded him. "We have no information if horses have any dangerous abilities."
"Maybe they're prey for the dragons." Cole said.
"That could be it too." Nya said. "But there's still a lot we don't know about them."
"Okay, we're getting something here." Cole said. "Did we find anything else?"
The others shook their heads. Nya stood up.
"Okay, I think we've done all we could here." She said. "We can still ask around though. Try people who work with Ninjago's past, maybe like the museum, archaeologists, or historians. We'll bring our findings to Sensei Wu as well and get his take on it too."
Nya and Jay put their books away as the others went their separate ways. Jay was confused when Nya reappeared with another stack of books in her hands. She set them on the librarian's desk to check them out.
"Cookbooks?" Jay asked. "Why do you need all these for? We have plenty of them at home. And what's this?" He picked up a book off the top of the stack. "Sixty Shades of Gray?" He looked at the water ninja like she was crazy.
"Give that back!" Nya hissed, snatching the book from his hands. "This isn't for me!"
"Then who?"
"I've been trying to help PIXAL cope with Zane's loss." Nya explained as she handed them to the librarian. "One thing I recommended to her was learning how to cook since it was one of Zane's favorite things to do too. She's been picking it up pretty well, so I'm getting her these so she can try new recipes." The librarian finished scanning the books and handed them back to Nya. "Thank you."
"Okay, maybe so," Jay said as they walked out of the library. He pointed to the black book sitting at the top. "But it doesn't explain that!"
"It's none of your business!" She said, slapping Jay's hand away.
"Yeesh, okay!" Jay said, rubbing his hand. "I was just asking…"
Nya and Jay walked down the city streets until they reached the doors of Borg Industries. They walked up to the front desk, checked in with the receptionist, and caught a ride up to the one hundredth floor.
"You can go ask Borg if he knows anything about the frontier." Nya told Jay as they rode the elevator. "I'm gonna go find PIXAL and give her these."
Soon they reached the top floor. The elevator doors opened. As they stepped off, they saw Cyrus Borg tinkering with something on his desk.
"Hello, Mr. Borg!" Nya said as they walked in. Cyrus looked up.
"Oh! Why hello Jay and Nya!" He said. He set down the piece of machinery he was messing with and wheeled over to them. "It's a pleasant surprise to see you again! What brings you here?"
"Well a few things actually," Jay said. "We got Lloyd back."
"Splendid!" Borg said, looking delighted. "How is he?"
"He's doing well!" Nya said. "He was in kind of rough shape when we got him back from Morro but with some hot food and bedrest, he's back to a hundred percent."
"That's great to hear!" Borg said. "I hope the radio telescopes helped."
"We wouldn't have been able to find him without them." Jay said.
"Any word on Zane?"
"Erm, yes and no." Jay said. "We know he's alive because Lloyd can use ice, but we still don't know where he is."
Borg heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank the FSM! PIXAL will be so relieved!"
"Speaking of which, have you seen her? I have some things I want to give to her." Nya asked.
"She's on the floor below. Ever since your last visit she's picked up the habit of cooking. I must say, she does it rather well!" Borg said. "I think it's been helping her cheer up, I noticed that she's been a lot happier."
"That's good!" Nya said. "I'll go find her."
Jay and Borg watched Nya go, leaving the two alone.
"Speaking of Zane, Mr. Borg, we were researching some things and wondering if you had any more information that could help us." Jay asked.
Borg pushed his glasses up. "Of course, Jay!" He said. "What is it?"
Meanwhile, Nya descended to the ninety-ninth floor of Borg Industries. She stepped out of the elevator and walked down a hallway with doors. It was the Borg's living space where both PIXAL and Cyrus lived. Nya looked around.
"PIXAL?" She called. "Hey, you here? It's me, Nya! I have something for you!"
PIXAL's head poked out from one of the doorways. She smiled.
"Hello Nya." She greeted her warmly. "What brings you?"
Nya held out the cookbooks she had checked out at the library. "I brought these for you! I figured maybe you'd want to learn how to cook some new things. How is it going?"
"Thank you, Nya." She said. She took the books from Nya and walked back to the kitchen, Nya following her. "It's been going well, I've mastered doing a handful of dishes, particularly Violet Berry soup."
Nya grinned, glad to see PIXAL taking pride in her ability to cook. She followed her into the kitchen, where two steaming plates of food sat, presumably for her and her father.
"I'm sorry, had I known you were coming I would have made you a plate." PIXAL said apologetically.
"It's okay Pix." Nya said. "Kai's making us dinner tonight."
"What cookbooks have you brought me?"
"Hmm, lets see here." Nya said, looking at the stack. "A couple seafood cookbooks, a barbecue one, and some baking ones. But that's not the only thing I brought."
"What? What else did you bring?"
"I brought some good news." Nya said. "We rescued Lloyd a few days ago, and when he was showing us his powers, he was able to use ice."
PIXAL was confused. "What does that mean?"
Nya rested a hand on PIXAL's shoulder and looked her in the eye.
"We still don't know where he is PIXAL, but Zane is alive."
The next thing Nya knew PIXAL had her in a tight embrace, tears of happiness flowing down her face.
"I can't believe it…" she whispered, clinging to the water ninja. She released her. "So what now? I miss him so much, every day he's gone it's slowly killing me…"
"We'll bring him back to you, Pix, I promise." Nya told her. "We've been doing research and trying to formulate a plan to find him." Nya leaned over to the pile of books and picked up the book. A mischievous grin spread across her face as she handed it to the female droid. "Which is why I also brought you this."
PIXAL took the book in her hands, a confused look passing over her face.
"Sixty Shades of Gray?" She asked, looking at the water ninja. "What is it about?"
"Read it and find out." Nya told her. "You and Zane have been together for a long time, I think you guys should kick things up a notch. Maybe this will give you a few ideas." Nya said, winking.
Poor PIXAL was still as confused as ever. When Nya saw she still didn't understand, she facepalmed.
"You'll understand when you read it." She said, right as Jay and Borg walked in.
"Good evening, PIXAL dear." Borg greeted, rolling his chair to give his daughter a hug. "Did Nya tell you the good news?"
PIXAL smiled. "Yes, she did. Now that I know Zane's alive, I'll be able to sleep easier tonight."
"I'm sorry I couldn't give you any more information, Jay." The inventor said. "But history and geography are not my strong suit."
"It's okay, Mr. Borg." Jay said. "We got some good information today anyways."
Nya looked at the clock on the wall. "We better get going. The guys will be wondering where we are, and you know how my brother gets when you and I are alone together."
Jay groaned. "Okay…"
Nya gave PIXAL one last hug and the ninjas bade the two goodbye. PIXAL and Cyrus enjoyed their meal. Once the dishes were put away, PIXAL went to her room with Sixty Shades of Gray. Curious as to why Nya meant by giving her some ideas, she settled at the foot of her bed and flipped to the first page and began reading. She wasn't too sure that she liked it at first, but the more she read the more she was pulled in, soon completely engrossed by the novel.
"PIXAL dear, I'm going to be- what are you reading?"
Startled, PIXAL slammed the book shut and set it down, looking at her creator sheepishly.
"Erm, nothing father." She said, blushing. "Are you heading to bed?"
"Yes, I wanted to say goodnight."
PIXAL got up from her bed and hugged her father goodnight. "Sleep well."
Borg chuckled as he returned the hug. "I will, darling. Don't stay up too late now."
PIXAL bade her father goodnight. As he rolled down the hall, she walked back over to her bed and picked up the book and continued where she left off.
Even though PIXAL had attempted to hide the book when her father had come to say goodnight, he still caught a glimpse of the cover. When Borg reached his room and shut the door, he buried his face in his hands.
"Sixty Shades of Gray?" He groaned. "Oh, good heavens…"
…
The moon had slowly made its way across the vast desert sky as the night wore on. The river babbled, the crickets chirped, and the cool breeze moaned as it blew through the dry sagebrush.
Zane sat upon Gale's back, standing vigilant for anything that would pose a danger. Hailey was posted up on a small hill at the end of the camp, her and Ranger's silhouette shining in the moonlight.
Zane watched as something seemed to get Hailey's attention. She sat straight up in the saddle and drew her gun from her holster as she slid off of Ranger and disappeared down the hill.
Concerned, Zane drew his gun and rode over to the other side of the camp where Hailey had left Ranger. He got off Gale and scanned the sagebrush at the bottom of the rise, unable to find her.
"Hailey?" he whispered loudly. "Hailey! Where'd you go?"
There was the sound of rustling and snapping branches as a dark figure making its way through the brush. Zane thought it was danger until a head poked out from the sage, the moonlight illuminating a luckily friendly face.
Zane sighed in relief and re-holstered his gun as Hailey walked back up the hill. "It's only you." he said.
"Well of course." Hailey said, putting her foot in the stirrup and swinging back up into Ranger's saddle. "Who else would it be?"
"There are many dangers present in the desert." Zane explained. "We have the Untamed, rogue convicts, and many dangerous animals."
"I know Zane, I know. I was just saying."
The two sat in silence for a time, sitting on their horses and looking out at the desert. Hailey reached over to one of her saddlebags and pulled out a glass bottle. She unscrewed the lid and took a sip of the dark amber liquid inside.
"What is that?" Zane asked. Hailey swallowed and wiped her mouth.
"Whiskey." She told him. "I got it from the liquor cabinet before we left."
"Alcohol?" Zane asked again. "But you're underage!"
Hailey shrugged, seeming unbothered.
"Why is it with you?"
"It helps." She told him, taking another swig. "When you're out on the trail, high proof whiskey is the next best thing to a fire. It warms you up."
Just as she finished, a cold breeze blew, prompting Hailey to take another sip. She held the bottle out to Zane. "Do you want some?"
Zane shook his head. "No thank you. I do not consume alcohol."
Hailey shrugged again. "Alright." She took another drink.
The silence stretched between them again. After a time, Hailey turned to Zane.
"Hey, Zane, may I ask you a question?"
"Of course. What is it that you ask of me?"
"You don't have to answer this…" Hailey began, choosing her words carefully.
"But what caused y'all to wake up screaming in the middle of the night last night? I think I already know what, but I wanted to ask you first to be sure I ain't jumping to conclusions."
"What do you think it is?" Zane asked her.
"Because you killed that outlaw."
Zane looked away and sighed, the events from the other day replaying in his mind.
"Yes." he said. "That's correct…"
"Look Zane, I know you feel bad about what happened, but you had no other choice. He was clearly trying to kill you. You had to defend yourself one way or the other."
"I understand that." Zane said. "But it still doesn't feel right…"
"I know it doesn't. There's no magical way to get over it. You come to terms with it over time. It took me a few months to get a grip on when I shot that home intruder that broke into the ranch house. But with you, even though you're a ninja, y'all are still innocent in some ways, and this is the first time you've killed someone-"
"Actually, it's probably not…"
Hailey looked at the nindroid. "What? What do you mean? I thought you said you haven't."
"Yes, I recall saying that. But after I shot the man I realized something else."
"What?"
"I used my elemental powers the most during our battles with the Serpentine. Even though they live peacefully amongst us now, they allied with Garmadon when we were trying to stop him from dominating Ninjago. I often froze them solid. Serpentine are just like you and I, they feel, they have families." Zane shifted in his saddle and looked down at the reins in his hands guiltily. He sighed. "Killing the outlaw made me wonder: how many families would have been happy but are broken because of me? The outlaw had sixteen notches on his gun. Those people he took could have had someone that loved them, but now they feel despair. What's my tally? I was built to protect, not to kill and rip people apart. Does that make me just as bad as the Untamed?"
Hailey rested a hand on Zane's shoulder. "Of course not. Zane, you were never like the Untamed and you never will be. You have to remember, they're thieves that murder and steal for their own personal gain at the expense of others. You killed the outlaw in self-defense, and any Serpentine that ended up freezing to death wasn't your fault, you were protecting your home and they chose to take that risk and faced the consequences. Yes, killing people isn't supposed to feel right, but there's a clear difference between you and them. Understand?"
Zane took a moment to think about what Hailey said. He nodded in agreement.
"Understood."
…
The orange walls of sandstone towered over the Untamed's heads as they rode along the canyon floor. The bottom was so narrow that only three horses could walk abreast. The ground was rocky and uneven, and the Thunder River, now just a little stream, flowed along the ground, carving its way through the rock. The sun shone in the sky, which was only a narrow strip of blue above their heads.
Picazo and his men had been riding through this canyon, known as Chacam Run, for almost the entire day. This would be the last leg of the journey before they got to the plateau and their hideout. The trip had been difficult and they had ran into some obstacles, but they were almost there.
Clopping hooves echoed off the canyon walls as they continued. The farther they went down the canyon, the wider and deeper the river became. At one point it covered the entire canyon floor.
Picazo held up his hand and signaled his men to stop at its bank.
"Alright men, make sure you and your horses are well on their feet! This is the last part before we reach the pueblos!"
Picazo tapped his horse with his spurs and the water sloshed as the men rode through the river, horses stumbling over slippery rocks and the men securing their guns to ensure they didn't get wet. After several hours of trekking through the water, there was a small beach on the side that led to a narrow twisted path carved out of the rock face that led up the canyon. Picazo got off his horse and waded his way to the beach.
"You know what to do!" He shouted. "Off your horses and one by one!"
The outlaws got off their horses. Some grabbed the reins of their mounts and made their way to the beach before stepping up on the path while leading their horses. The ledge was so narrow that you would fall if you tried to ride your horse up it.
One by one, Picazo's men shimmied their way up the canyon. Some stayed at the top but others came back down to lead the stolen horses up the path. Once all the other horses and men were at the top, it was Picazo's turn. He untied Samuel from the horse he was secured to and shoved him toward the beach.
"Get moving." The leader growled. Not wanting to put up a fight, Samuel obeyed and together they inched their way up the canyon. They reached the top where the other men and horses were waiting and Samuel was tied back to his horse.
Brushing himself off, Picazo climbed back on his horse. He looked out at the vast desert beyond and smiled. The hardest part was over. It was smooth sailing from here.
Picazo scanned the faces of his men, who were all waiting for his next command. He tightened his grip on the lead of Samuel's horse. "Mudarse!"
The group began to move and soon they were all riding across the plateau. Picazo smiled as the wind blew in his face. The cards were stacked in his favor. Now all he had to do now was wait.
There you go! I hope you enjoyed! Be sure to follow, favorite, and drop a review on your way out! Stay safe and healthy! RealtreeGal, out!