The only major change that Kai noticed when he finally did cross the border half an hour later was the fact that it was getting warmer and more humid. But perhaps that was from the sweat he was working up as he adjusted the heavy weapons on his back. He tried not to feel how heavy each of his footsteps were, not just with physical weight, but also with the weight of what he was doing. Not a second went by that he wasn’t constantly checking over his shoulder to make sure that the others hadn’t woken up and were following him. He had a plan. This would benefit everyone. This would work.
The Fire Temple was a large, mostly stone, building carved into a volcano. The dark bricks were painted with red murals and banners that looked fairly weathered, but compared to the Sky Temple it looked to be in pretty good shape. A great staircase, similar to the one at the Sky Temple, led up to the front entrance, but thankfully if was not quite as far up. There were statues of dragons that accompanied the staircase all the way up to the large, dark doors, chiseled with astounding detail. The volcano itself sat out in the middle of nowhere beside a lake, and in the dim morning light the torches which hung from the dragon statues’ mouths looked very foreboding.
Kai crested a hill and saw all of this from a distance. He could see Skulkens soldiers down below and said to himself, “I hope you know what you’re doing,” before he commanded his legs to go forward.
When he finally did arrive, perhaps at four in the morning, maybe five, just as the sky was lighting up with pale sunbeams, he was greeted by a proper-sized legion of Skulkens. They all jeered and stared are him as he walked passed but they did not attack. In fact, they backed away when he drew near and created a path for him up to the temple stairs. There must have been several hundred of them outside alone, with no telling how many were inside.
‘This is it,’ Kai thought as he ascended the stairs. ‘No turning back.’
A thousand red eyes followed him as he slowly stepped up to the front doors and grabbed the massive, brass handles. He bit his lip and pulled hard, taking a deep breath as he braced himself for whatever was on the other side of this door.
There was a large, red foyer in front of him, but no one inside. As he slowly stepped inside, however, he noticed light coming from another room across from him. The door was left slightly open and waves of heat oozed out from it. Inside, the room was a furnace heated by streams of lava which surrounded a main path culminating in a small pedestal where the Sword of Fire sat proudly in the warm light. Kai peered over the edge of the walkway and, even though the lava was a long way down, he felt his eyes sting and grow dry. Pulling away, he directed his attention once again to the sword.
“Well, well, well...”
The voice was low and very smooth, but it did not provoke feelings of comfort. If anything, it made Kai’s skin crawl and his hairs stand on end.
“So the rumours are true... Wu has assembled the Elemental Masters...”
It was impossible to tell where the voice was coming from, which left Kai turning in circles. He pulled out a regular dagger and held it firmly, but it was hard not to notice that his hand was shaking.
“Where’s my family?” he cried. His voice bounced off the walls and left a surprisingly loud echo.
“My, my, so impatient... what would dear Sensei Wu say?”
“Give it a rest, whoever you are! I have the weapons! Now give my family back!”
“Whoever I am?”
Kai silently gulped and felt sweat trickle down his neck when he turned around to see a shadow of a man towering over him. He was very tall, with a grotesque, misshapen face full of sharp teeth and red eyes that glowed like the lava beneath them. His skin was the colour of tar, his samurai armour polished and sharp, but the most disturbing thing about him was his extra pair of arms that stuck out from the side of his rib cage—or at least, where his rib cage should have been.
He gave a sickening chuckle. “Now, don’t get scared, Kai. You were doing so well.”
“L-Lord Garmadon,” Kai breathed.
“Oh, you’re very quick, aren’t you?” The Dark Lord went on, amused.
Watching Garmadon closely, Kai very carefully untied his pack and dropped the weapons at his feet.
“Here,” he said and breathed in deeply. “Now give me my family.”
Garmadon looked and then snapped his fingers. Two Skulkens eagerly rushing forward from the foyer and scooped up the parcels before scurrying away with them. Then he turned back to Kai. He began walking toward him and Kai, not knowing what else to do, edged away from him until he was very close to the pedestal. “I’m afraid my messenger left out a tiny detail. You see, the lava down below—this whole temple, really—has been warming that sword so long that it burns to the touch.” Kai took a quick glance at weapon, half of its blade submerged in the stone of its display. “None of my guards can even get it to budge before their hands begin to burn away. But a fire elemental? Well... as long as you use your powers correctly, you should be fine.”
“You said—“
“Ah, ah, ah,” said Garmadon, wagging his black finger in the air. As he spoke, the most sickening sound Kai had ever heard tore through the air like a hot knife.
“AAAAAHHHH! KAI!”
Nya’s scream was clear and bloodcurdling. When he finally spotted her, she was hanging by a rope and dangling over the lava trench behind the Sword. She was wearing dirty, plain linens and her hair was unkept and frizzy.
“Nya!” Kai cried. Their panicked eyes met and nearly filled with tears.
“Get me that sword, or your dear sister will join the Departed,” Garmadon said cooly.
Kai already had one foot forward when he stopped and looked around. The rope Nya was hanging from lead up to a balcony high above them and he could just make out three or so Skulkens standing there, awaiting the order to drop the girl. He turned and peered passed Garmadon, all the way to foyer, but he still didn’t see what he was looking for.
“Have you got cotton in your ears, boy?” Lord Garmadon quipped. “Your sister’s life is hanging by a very non-metaphorical thread.”
“Where are my parents?” Kai asked suddenly, and he glared bravely at Garmadon’s cold eyes.
“You do think very highly of yourself, don’t you?” the warlord mused.
“You said you’d give me my family back!” Kai was shouting now, and he didn’t intend to back down. “Where are they?!”
“I would hold my tongue if I were you, boy!” Garmadon snarled, his yellow teeth twisted in a frown. “You dare demand anything from me when you’ve already given up your most valuable bargaining chip?” He gave a cold laugh and forced Kai back against the pedestal. “The Golden Weapons belong to me, now. Give me the Sword, or your sister dies. Then maybe once I’ve knocked some sense into that thick skull of yours, we can talk about dear old mom and dad.”
“Kai! Don’t do it!” Nya shrieked, obviously terrified. “It’s okay!”
Kai turned around and looked her in the eye. “No,” he said quietly. “No it isn’t.” He had only one chance to make everything right.
“Don’t try anything stupid,” said Garmadon.
“Too late!” Kai replied. He leapt upon the sword and heaved with all his might, both hands wrapped firmly around the golden handle. The Sword slid from the stone easily, trailing flames behind it, and he sprang from the pedestal toward Nya who had begun to free fall. Kai used the sword to cut the rope around her, but they were both falling now, closer and closer to the lava.
Kai wrapped his left arm around his sister, and she clung to him tightly, but in his other hand, the Sword began to draw his attention. It was pulsing very brightly, as if it was trying to say something. With all that was happening, and the overwhelming elemental awareness that the Weapon brought to him, Kai felt more like a marionette being pulled by invisible strings. He raised the Sword forward and
—
SPLOSH!!!
They had hit molten rock. Garmadon starred down in disbelief and gave a ferocious roar of anguish. “Curse the name of Rayson!” he spat. “Men! Begin to siphon the lava into a separate chamber and comb through it until you find that sword!”
“But sir,” said a dim-witted Skulken commander as he stumbled toward his master. “There’s no way the weapon could have survived.”
“Do not talk back to me, you bone-headed imbecile! Get down there! Now!” Garmadon fired a blast of what looked like purple energy at the skeleton’s feet and he scrambled away faster than a roadrunner on caffeine. The area of stone which the energy had touched began to crumble into dust, but Garmadon paid no mind. He was too busy catching his breath and clutching his arm.
Down below, however, quite a different scene was playing out. Kai opened his eyes, expecting to see the afterlife, and saw bright yellow-orange light all around him.
‘Maybe I am dead,’ he thought. But the more he looked, the more he saw to disprove that theory. Nya was still very much by his side, holding on to him like a python, and the sword was still in his hand, glowing brightly. The bright light all around him must have been the lava they had fallen into, but none of it was touching them, and as he began to realise, no heat burned their skin either. It was, however, very difficult to breath. The seconds blurred as he stared off into space, blinded by the light, but he held on to Nya as tightly as he could even when he began to lose consciousness due to lack of oxygen.
Kai gasped for air as a cold wind slapped him in the face, chilling his whole body. He thought that he was laying on solid ground, Nya beside him, the sword in his hand, but Garmadon’s voice was gone. He forced himself to sit up and looked around. They were laying in a dark room which had many small windows near the ceiling. Warm, red light glowed softly behind them and Kai soon realised that it was a pool of lava barely big enough for the both of them to fit through.
“Ia it over? Are we dead?” Nya asked, audibly frightened.
“No, no. We’re alive... I think,” Kai replied. He helped her up to her knees but she still had her face buried in his shirt. “We must be in another chamber... but how?” He looked down at the sword and thought for a moment.
“Ggggrrrrrrrrrrrrr...”
“What was that?” Nya squeaked.
Kai’s eyes bulged when he spotted a heavy, iron chain laying in front of them. It was dark, and his eyes were still adjusting, but he followed it toward a large, lumpy animal covered in red scales.
“Eeeerrrrgggrrrrrr...,” it moaned, but didn’t move.
“Nya, wait here for a sec, okay?” He got up slowly, letting Nya detach, and crept ever so carefully over to the beast. The chain he saw wasn’t alone; there were dozens of them attached to the walls and floor, most of them designed to confine the animal’s massive claws, teeth, and tail. Kai was halfway around its body when he finally figured out what it was. Its face was toward the wall and Kai soon saw why. A large muzzle, made of iron and leather, had been strapped over the poor thing’s snout and it looked like it was fastened on extremely tight. If weren’t for the dragon’s scales, he was sure there would have been blood. Then it opened one of its humongous, yellow eyes and peered directly at Kai.
“By the First Spinjitsu Master...” Kai breathed as more and more of the scene came alive in his weak eyes. There were cuts and blood all over the dragon’s body, not to mention one of its front legs looked shrivelled. “Garmadon did this, didn’t he?” Their gaze met again. “You’re the guardian of this temple?” The dragon closed its eyes mournfully.
“Kai? What are you doing?” Nya asked, less frightened but very uneasy.
What was Kai doing? He needed to help this creature. No time was wasted in melting off the metal chains thanks to the Sword, and as each one was removed, the dragon seemed to regain some of its strength. Soon the two children were sitting side by side again and looking on at the beast as it licked its many wounds.
The fire dragon was by far the biggest dragon they had ever seen. Not that Kai had seen much of the other dragons, but it did take up most of the room in the large chamber. It had massive horns on its head and beefy limbs covered in thick scales.
“So now what?” Nya was much more calm now, but she refused to take her eyes off of the beast. It looked back with confused interest.
Kai sighed frustratedly. “I don’t know. I already gave Garmadon the other three weapons... and,” he looked up at the windows where sunbeams were sparkling. “Wu should be here any minute... or nearby, at least.”
“Who?” Nya asked.
“Oh, that’s right,” said Kai, brightening up. “There’s a lot I need to tell you.”
“Like why Garmadon called you a ‘fire elemental?’” She turned to look at him and he sighed again.
“Okay... I guess I need to start from the beginning. After you were... taken, I was also kidnapped. I woke up in this monastery somewhere near Ninjago City...”
* * *
One long explanation later the brother and sister were silent again as they stared up at the dragon who was laying down and staring back at them.
“So... you have special fire powers?” Nya summarised. “And you were trying to find all these ‘Golden Weapons’ to stop Garmadon?”
“Yup.”
“But you just lost three of them?”
“Yep.”
“And now Ninjago is probably doomed?”
“Most likely.” Kai cleared his throat and held his knees closer to his chest. “I feel like I really messed up.”
“Yeah,” Nya agreed awkwardly. “But you did save me. That’s something at least.” They both looked at each other with a special look only they knew, and felt the familiar spark of kinship flicker in their eyes. “I don’t wanna think about what they would have done to me if I had stayed any longer.”
“What did they do to you?” said Kai as he reached for her hand.
She swallowed hard. “They, uh... took me to a labour camp... I didn’t see mom or dad,” she said, in answer to Kai’s hopeful expression. There was a long pause as the dragon scratched himself loudly.
Then there came an odd sort of noise. It was almost like someone was whispering into Kai’s ears.
“Serrdie grogchu djorg...”
“What?” Kai asked.
“Hmm?” said Nya.
“Did you say something?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head.
Kai looked around a bit before his eyes finally landed on the Sword sitting beside him. Its glowing seemed to intensify the longer he looked at it, and he was almost certain that the whispers had come from that general direction.
“So what are we gonna do?” Nya’s question jumped out of the silence and hit the hard walls sharply.
“What is there to do?” Kai asked, shaking his thoughts out. “I mean, it’s not like we can just waltz back into the temple while Garmadon has three Golden Weapons.”
“True... but we have a dragon,” Nya pointed out.
Kai looked from the beast to his sister then back again. “You think it’ll help us?”
“Only one way to find out.”
With a deep breath, Kai got up and started walking over to the dragon. It didn’t growl, it didn’t flinch, it just watched him get closer.
“Hey there, little fella,” Kai said awkwardly and he held out his hand like he would with a dog. “I wonder... do you understand me at all?” The dragon cocked his head to one side. “You’re the guardian of this temple, right?” It almost seemed like the dragon had nodded, but it was such a slight movement. “Well, uh—this feels kinda stupid—um... then could you help us take it back? Drive away Garmadon?” He reached out and touched the dragon’s snout gently and it leaned into his palm. It let out a low, rumbling sound from its throat.
Now it was Kai’s turn to cock his head a bit. He could have sworn that he had understood what the dragon was trying to say. “I think... I think he’s gonna help us,” he said, turning back to Nya.
“How do you know it’s a ‘he’?” she asked.
Kai shrugged. “He sounds like a ‘he’.”
“So what’s the plan?” said Nya, walking over with more calmness than Kai would have expected.
“Uh... working on it,” he answered. “First things first, we need to get out of here. Any ideas?”
They both looked around. The room they were in looked like a tower that had a very high ceiling. Upon closer inspection, they found no doors, only the windows above them which only looked small to them but were, in fact, quite large up close.
“Well, how did the Skulkens get him in here?” Nya wondered out loud, looking from the smooth, black walls to the large—but not quite dragon-sized—windows.
“That’s a good question,” said Kai. He was pacing up and down the room, feeling the wall for any latches or buttons or—
CLIIIIIIICK!
Kai must have stepped on something—probably a button—because there was a loud sound like grinding gears and scraping stone. Then, a section of the wall began to roll back and disappeared into the darkness of a hallway beyond. Now this was a dragon-sized exit.
“Oh... that’s how,” said Kai. “All right, Nya, I want you to stay behind me the whole time. If I say run, you run. If I say duck, duck. There’s no point in trying to get you somewhere safe, cause nowhere here is safe for miles. Just stay close and try not to get into trouble, will you?”
“How can I? You’re the one making all the trouble,” Nya quipped.
With nothing but their wit, Kai’s ankle-deep knowledge of his powers, the Sword, and a dragon, they entered the pitch black hallway.
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