Roots of Earth ~ A Ninjago Fanfiction

Chapter 45: The Fur Flies

Zane scanned the crowd in the grand hall. He took in the scene acutely, searching for a sign of the coveted moonstone piece. Men and women in both rags and riches brushed by him idly, chattering and laughing loudly with one another. Because there was no threat of policemen or spies, everyone within the thick, towering walls of Dog Bone's massive fortress felt quite secure, and thus allowed themselves to relax. Nobody took note of the tall, lithe man with a shiny metal face and the girl in the raggedy black ponytail.

"Anything?" Nya muttered.

"Nothing," Zane murmured in reply. "I doubt the moonstone Dog Bone owns would be out here on display. Despite the fact that many of these guests are people he knows and trusts well enough, he may not put stealing past them."

On his visual screen, Pixal said, "The most likely place for the moonstone piece to be would be in a smaller, secluded room private to Dog Bone, perhaps in a container like a safe or vault. If you wish to gain the moonstone, you would have to search the other rooms of the castle."

"We could be caught, but we will risk it," Zane replied quietly so that none of the guests could hear him. He turned to Nya and murmured, "We should find a way to leave the hall without drawing attention to ourselves. I suggest we go separately using small, unnoticeable exits in order to—"

Whatever plan Zane was suggesting was interrupted when the rise of voices and some sort of commotion stirred from the front of the room, where the marble platform stood. He and Nya peered over the tops of many heads turned in this direction and caught sight of someone ambling idly out into view from behind the curtains. The voices at the front sounded confused and questioning, but Zane couldn't make out what the guests were murmuring about.

"Let's get closer," Nya said and dodged into the crowd, barely giving Zane enough time to follow. They pushed and jostled their way to the front of the crowd, ignoring angry curses and hot glares the other bystanders gave them. Zane lifted his gaze up at the few steps leading up to the throne and took in the scene.

A young woman stood in the center facing the crowd, wearing ragged black and dark blue robes. The fire from the torches reflected off her pale complexion and her bright green eyes, though her face was slightly shadowed by the waves of black hair falling about her shoulders and down to her waist. She was decisively beautiful, but the sneer spread across her red lips could make one's heart freeze. There was something very dark and menacing in the way she gazed into the crowd and ran her tongue over her lips—Zane had a sense of ill boding as soon as he set eyes on her.

"Who is that?" Nya wondered out loud, though under her breath. "She looks familiar..."

"Who're you, lady?" one man cried out suspiciously from the crowd. "An' where's Dog Bone?"

The young woman arched an eyebrow down at the crowd and smiled. "That hideous, egotistic creature you call your leader has been... delayed in his appearance for the party. I have been left in charge in his stead." At this her eyes flashed dangerously. "And I control what happens in this castle."

"That's a bunch of bologna!" Another man shouted, "You tell us what happened to ol' Bone right now, or we're gonna have some trouble!"

The girl's eyes narrowed, and her grin widened. "Very well, good sir," she sneered. "As you wish." She gestured to someone behind the curtain, and a man in animal skins walked into view, dragging along something big and heavy behind him. With a grunt, he dumped the bundle unceremoniously to the floor before the crowd.

Several women shrieked shrilly, and someone cursed in shock. Nya gasped and shut her eyes, and Zane couldn't help but shudder. Many of the guests backed away quickly from the platform where the remains lay, as if worried of catching some disease.