Everyone woke early the next morning, and the whole monastery was bustling with life and movement as the grounds keepers and servants rushed to and fro preparing the master and his students for the road ahead.
Cole rose with the sun and ate a hastened breakfast before changing into his ninja garb which had been delivered to his room that morning. He pulled the dark hood over his head, grabbed a mirror from his closet, and inspected himself thoroughly. On any other occasion he may have been going to a Day of the Departed party, a time to goof off and see friends, but a huge reality set in on him when he looked at himself, dark eyes peering from black fabric. This was real; this was serious. He was going out into the world on a dangerous mission and he needed to hide his identity for fear of someone discovering that he had an elemental power. His stomach squirmed anxiously.
‘Just calm down,’ he told himself. ‘Now is not the time to get cold feet. This is the biggest thing you’ll ever do in your entire life. You have to focus.’ He felt his skin grow warm under the mask, so he pulled it off and held it in his hand as he made his way to the courtyard on the ground floor.
When he arrived he saw Wu, Ann and Keaton standing next to eight saddled and bridled squat horses. Although, the eighth horse was not saddled, but burdened with a large bundle of supplies.
Ann was unusually tall, with long, dark hair pulled back in a ponytail by a band of engraved gold. Her calculating eyes were a deep blue, and she was wearing ninja garb like he was, although hers was a deep teal colour. Keaton was much shorter than her sister, and much scrawnier, with dark brown hair pulled back into two half-buns, and pale green eyes. She wore exactly the same as Ann, save for the colour which was grey, with a purple sash at her waste.
“I guess I’m the first one here,” Cole said stiffly as he approached. He flashed a smile at Ann but she merely nodded. He felt his heart sink a little, so he turned to Keaton. “Hey. I don’t think we were properly introduced. I’m Cole. What’s your name?”
Keaton seemed a little apprehensive and glanced at her older sister before saying, “My name’s Keaton. Nice to meet you.” Out of the corner of her eye, Keaton watched as Ann walked to the other side of the horses to fiddle with something. Then a smile grew on her face. “It’s not just nice to meet you, it’s awesome!” she cried. “We haven’t had anyone new around here for forever! What’s your element again?”
Cole laughed a little and his smile brightened. “My element is earth. What about you? Are you water like Ann Jing?”
“You can just call her Ann, and no. I’m air,” Keaton explained. “Have you ever ridden a horse before?”
“No, never,” Cole chuckled.
“I can show you!” Keaton said gleefully. “See, first thing you gotta do is mount her.”
“Which one’s mine?” he asked.
“Doesn’t matter so long as you don’t take Thunder over there. He’s got a special comfy saddle for Kai. But Seaspray is really nice and calm, so you might like her,” said Keaton.
Cole looked at the white mare just a few feet away from him and eyed her suspiciously. He had heard about how horses can kick and bite, so he approached with caution.
“Okay, now watch me,” Keaton continued. “You put your foot here, in the stirrup, and grab the saddle like this, then you push down on the stirrup, lift yourself up and swing your leg over at the same time, and boom! Nothing to it!”
Cole watched nervously as Keaton swung onto her brown horse’s back and wondered just how old she must have been, and how easy she made it look. He placed his foot in the stirrup, but then felt like if he put any weight on it, he might cause the saddle to slip, or cause the horse to fall over from being lopsided.
“She can take it, don’t worry. Seaspray knows how to stay on her feet—er, hooves. Just trust her,” Keaton encouraged.
Cole looked from Keaton to Seaspray and then back to Keaton. “Are you sure?” She laughed and nodded.
He took a deep breath then grabbed the saddle the way Keaton had showed him and pulled himself up. He just forgot to swing his leg at the same time and ended up with his stomach on the saddle instead, while his leg flailed near the horse’s behind.
“You almost got it!” said Keaton, laughing now. “Just straiten up a bit.”
It took a few seconds of squirming and pulling himself upright, but finally Cole was sitting in the saddle, both feet placed firmly in the stirrups, hands clutching the reins apprehensively.
“Great!” Keaton cried.
“What’s great?”
Cole turned around to see Zane walking towards the group in his own black ninja garb.
“Cole’s riding his first horse!” Keaton explained.
“Don’t get too attached to that saddle, though,” said Ann as she reappeared, Wu by her side. “You’ll all be doing some long distance running and walking today to build up stamina.”
“I don’t think I could ever get attached to this saddle,” Cole said as he squirmed in the uncomfortable seat.
Soon, Jay came bounding into the courtyard, followed by Kai, who had an escort, but was walking without his aid. He did accept a little help when he mounted Thunder, but he quickly shooed everyone away. Cole really wanted to talk to him, to make sure everything was okay after they had such an alarming first meeting, but the timing always felt awkward. Besides, Kai didn’t really seem like he was in a talking-sort-of-mood.
After Jay was firmly on the golden horse, Butterscotch, and Zane easily mounted Carrots, a very plump, brown horse, Wu came to the front of the group to address them all.
“Outside of these walls we do not exist. Everywhere we go, we are in enemy territory. Put on your masks now,” Wu ordered. They all obeyed. “Keep in mind that now is your last chance to turn back. If you choose to follow me out of those gates, I am your Sensei, and you are my students. You will do as I say, under any and all circumstances, and heed the guidance of my pupil, Ann. Understood?” All the boys nodded with various degrees of confidence. “Then so be it.”
They were off. The gates were opened and Wu lead the way, followed by the supplies horse, Zane, Kai, Keaton, Jay, Cole, and Ann. Their horse train slowly began to twist through the dirt paths of the mountains, heading away from Ninjago City. Cole could just see the sun shining brilliantly through the dense overgrowth of the forest and for a moment he wondered if his father knew that he wasn’t at school anymore.
Then he turned his attention back to the people in front of him and he immediately spotted Kai up ahead. This was going to be rough, but he couldn’t shrug off this conversation forever. He took a breath and then urged Seaspray forward until he and Kai were side by side.
“Hey. I’m real sorry about the other night—how we met and all. Let’s start over. I’m Cole.”
“Charmed, I’m sure,” Kai replied dryly. He didn’t seem very eager to make friends as he scowled at the road ahead. After a few moments, though, he breathed a small sigh and relented. “I’m Kai.”
“Cool,” Cole said, grinning under his mask. “Where are you from?”
“Harper Vale, in the south... You?”
“Brookeside, north coast.”
“So you’re rich?” Kai asked.
Cole stopped short. “Why would you say that?” he asked.
“Because only rich people live in Brookeside, or that’s what I hear at least,” Kai explained.
“Well, I guess...” Cole really didn’t want to talk about his family, or his home town. A subject change was majorly in order. “And what about Harper Vale?”
“What about it?” Kai asked.
“What’s it like there?”
Kai looked thoughtful for a moment. “It’s slightly warmer down there; closer to Stix, and the swamps, you know? There are fireflies in the summer, and swans and geese in the winter. We don’t get many visitors, but sometimes there’ll be a boat filled with tourists coming down the river.” His face hardened then, and he was silent for a while longer.
Cole cleared his throat. “So, how much do you know about the ‘elemental’ stuff?”
Kai looked up. “I dunno. Probably as much as you do, or less.”
Cole didn’t know what kind of answer he was expecting. Something about this elemental business intrigued him, probably because it felt like he had finally found others like him and he wanted to fully understand why he was so different. But Jay had never even used his powers before, and Zane only knew that he could use his powers if he was careful not to let them control him. Aside from that, neither of them knew anything about where the powers came from. It probably wasn’t that important, and maybe Cole was just excited, but the question never fully went away from him.
“All right, you three,” Ann called from the back of the group. “Play time’s over. What I want you to do is get off of those horses and try to keep up on foot.”
“Three? What about Kai?” Jay asked.
“He has to rest. Doctor’s orders,” Ann explained. “Now get to work.”
Their party came to a stop while Jay, Zane, and Cole dismounted, then they started again, the horses instinctively following Wu up ahead. The animals were moving at a brisk pace, and the boys had to jog most of the time to stay with them.
Jay was the only one of the three who had any real trouble keeping up, as he had never done much excessive exercise in his life, unlike Cole and Zane.
The day was long, tiring, and sweaty. They stopped for lunch at noon and let the boys ride their horses for another hour, then it was back to running and walking. They passed out of the mountains late that evening and set up a camp in a dense forest near the mountains’ base. A fire was lit and dinner prepared; rice and shredded, dried pork. Wu ate very little, drank some tea, then retired for the night, settling down on a cushioned, unroll-able mat just beyond the firelight.
“So, does anyone have any idea how long it will be before we get to the Caves of Despair?” Jay asked after he was sure Wu was asleep.
“It should only be another day and a half before we get there,” Ann said quietly and calmly.
“Are we sure that this is the correct first destination?” Zane asked after a while. “Would not the Nunchucks of Lightning prove more powerful?”
“I suppose so, but our spies have informed us that Garmadon’s forces are attempting to move in on this location, meaning that he must also know the whereabouts of the Scythe,” said Ann.
“How does he know? I thought he didn’t get the map?” asked Jay.
“We don’t know. But that’s hardly of any concern at the moment. Right now we need to focus on getting the Scythe before he does,” Ann said.
“So, is the weapon just hidden in a secret chamber somewhere in the caves?” Cole asked, his heart thrumming with nervous energy.
“Yeah! And the legends say that a noble guardian was placed to protect it,” Keaton piped up.
“What kind of guardian?” Jay asked with wide eyes.
“Well, it—“ but Keaton was cut short.
“Doesn’t really exist,” said Ann, giving her sister an icy stare. “Those legends were made centuries ago. Besides, no man or beast could have survived for that long.”
“Way to suck the joy out of it,” Jay complained.
“You’d rather fight this ‘guardian’?” Ann challenged.
“I dunno.... maybe....” said Jay. They fell silent again.
Ann sighed. “I’m going to sleep, and I suggest that you do the same. Come on, Keaton,” she said as she rose from her mat; Keaton followed her, glancing sorrowfully at the boys before she left.
“So....” Jay began. “Scythe of Earth... I guess that means you’re up first,” he motioned to Cole.
“Yeah.... I guess,” Cole said. His heart thrummed again. He looked down at the ground and fiddled with his hands nervously. What was the cave going to be like? What would the weapon be like? How would it feel to hold it? He was excited and terrified to find out.
There were a few more attempts at conversation after this, but in the end the boys retired for the night and in the morning they packed up and continued heading east. They all felt a bit more at ease with one another as they went, but the seriousness of the situation kept everyone firmly grounded.
Now heading south, the troop continued for another day and a half before they finally reached the caves at about two hours past noon. They drew near from a forest at the north head of the cave entrance but stopped before it was in view. Wu sent Keaton to scout ahead and she returned shortly with unfortunate news.
“They’re already here,” she said with wide eyes. “There’s a squadron guarding the entrance.”
Wu dismounted his steed. “Then Garmadon has indeed found the locations of the weapons,” he said gravely. “We must hurry and retrieve the Scythe of Quakes. No doubt my brother has already sent platoons to secure the other three; we must beat them to it if we stand any hope of obtaining all four of them.” Wu began to lead them forward on foot.
“Why not just send Imperial troops to secure the weapons for us?” Cole asked Ann in a whisper.
“Our forces are spread too thin defending the boarder and the Emperor,” Ann explained. “Besides, dividing our army up like that would certainly get the Skulkins’ attention, and the longer we can keep our intentions a secret, the better.”
The forest soon ended and at the tree line there was a sharp drop off dipping down into a dusty basin about sixty yards wide. There were several small holes in the walls of the crater and one large opening to the main cave system sticking out of a large rock formation in the far left corner. There were at least a hundred soldiers milling about in the empty space below, all heavily armed. Kai even recognised a few of the swords they brandished.
“We can’t enter here,” said Ann as they all crouched behind a sunken boulder. “There’s no way around them.”
“Maybe there’s another entrance somewhere?” Zane suggested.
“It’s possible,” said Wu, tugging at his beard.
“But there is to telling how long it will be before we find one, or if there are already soldiers guarding it.” He looked up at Cole. “I think I know of a way, but I require your help, Cole.” Wu lead them back into the forest, far from any prying eyes, and said, “I realise that your powers are still in their infancy, but do you think that you could open up a passage into the caves below?”
Cole wasn’t sure about that. Back home, the largest rock he had ever moved was the size of his torso. “I will try, Sensei,” he replied. He took a deep breath and knelt down so that his hand could touch the ground. He wanted to see if there were any tunnels beneath them and he imagined reaching out with his mind, connecting to the earth, but he couldn’t see anything but the back of his own closed eyelids. He was embarrassed that he didn’t know how to use his powers better, and felt somewhat ashamed when he rose up and told everyone that he couldn’t see anything below. Wu was saddened by this fact.
“Ann,” the old master said. “I suppose this part is up to you.” Ann stepped forward confidently and created a large orb of floating water in front of her. She then sent it shooting down into the ground and placed her hand just a few inches away from the tips of the grass. She was using the water in the soil to map out exactly what was below them.
“There’s a decent sized tunnel over there,” she said as she pointed past Sensei Wu and they all moved toward the spot Ann had indicated to. Now Cole had to use his powers. He was the only one who could get them down there.
“Just relax,” Ann told him as he stepped forward. “Don’t think about us, just think about your element. Try to get in touch with it.”
Cole smiled weakly and closed his eyes. He reached out his hands, palm-side facing down, and thought about moving pebbles like he had back home. Only this time, there were a lot more pebbles to move. Some loose dirt began rise toward him, and he could feel his connection growing. He imagined grabbing the earth with his mind, pulling it toward the surface. Then he clenched his fists and pulled his arms inward. A large chunk of earth, bigger and taller than Cole himself, jutted out of the ground dripping crumbs of dirt beneath it. He moved his arms forward and pushed the earth away from the opening he had just created. When he let go of it, and it plopped onto the ground, he sucked in a breath of air; he hadn’t realised that he had been holding his breath.
“Good work, Cole,” Sensei Wu said proudly.
“Thank you, Sensei,” Cole replied. His hands felt a little shaky, perhaps from the excitement or the energy it took to do that, but he was glad that it was over all the same. It felt extremely odd to use his powers in front of people for a change.
“Now, before we head in, I must tell you, Cole,” Wu began. “Your mission is to retrieve the weapon, but under no circumstances are you allowed to use it. I have no idea what could happen to you, or to everyone around you, if you attempted to use the weapon’s power. Understood?” Cole nodded.
Wu wasted no more time and lead them down into the hole, landing in a dark, wet tunnel. There were no noises nearby, leaving an eerie feeling riding up Cole’s spine.
Wu looked into the darkness beyond them and lifted his hand. As he twirled his fingers, a golden light began to glow around them, lighting up the dark tunnel. He led them quickly through the cave system, and every so often Cole was sure he felt a sharp rumbling somewhere far off. Perhaps it was the Skulkens trying to drill their way to the weapon?
Suddenly, a large tremor knocked them back a bit. The walls, the ceiling, the floor, all shook with great intensity, spraying them with loose dirt.
“The Skulkens are nearby,” said Wu. “We must hurry, before their rash digging brings the caves down on top of us.”
They were heading down another hall, and there was a slight turn up ahead, which might have led to another larger tunnel.
“We are very close. The weapon should be just ahead,” Wu explained.
Cole moved to the front of the group, next to Wu and Jay, to see if the weapon was in the next cave, when suddenly another tremor hit, much larger than the last. Wu fell backward, but Zane caught him just in time. However, that was the least of their worries. As Cole soon began to realise, the cave ceiling was giving way. Huge chunks were beginning to fall now, and in a matter of moments they would all be buried.
“Cole, look out!”
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