Roots of Earth ~ A Ninjago Fanfiction

Chapter 88: Flight of the Fire Mage

"You sure you're up for this, Jukeni?" Kai whispered.

"My arm's good as new, I swear!" Jukeni protested. He flexed his bicep for emphasis. "If I'm well enough to help you with sword practice, then I'm well enough to take down a few Pingousers."

"Would you two muzzle it?!" Rantan's voice snapped irritably through the underbrush, a few feet away from them. "The Pingousers'll hear you a mile away with that racket!"

"Relax, Rantan, jeez," Kai muttered, smirking. "Those red-skirts won't see us—or hear us—coming."

The only response to that was a snort. Jukeni and Kai exchanged a grin at one another, but fell silent. Kai shifted on his feet, feeling the chainmail shirt he wore weigh down on him. That morning he'd been given a new Pawreles outfit along with a set of armor, a sword, a couple of small sparring knives, a scabbard, a small buckler, and a kit for cleaning said armor and sword— courtesy of the rebellion, whose members now regarded Kai with either awe or wariness. He enjoyed the attention.

Along with the gifts came an order from Tinny Bird: if Kai wanted to fight with the rebellion, he needed to learn how to use the Pawreles longsword. Thus, after spending the night in the crowded soldier's quarters, Kaeden, Jukeni, and Kai met in the courtyard, where they trained Kai in the art of the longsword. Initially Kai had protested, saying that he could do just as well using his powers, but finally relented when Kaeden told him Bird wouldn't let him fight otherwise. It took several long hours of training, but Kai was a quick learner and soon got the hang of using the foreign weapon. He was far from being an expert, but they didn't have time to teach him any more, for an attack was to take place today.

Kai, along with a few dozen other cloaked rebellion fighters, lay in wait in a forest that topped a steep mountainside. For about an hour they'd been crouching among the thick green undergrowth, still and silent. According to Tinny Bird—whose source came from spies set in a city whose name Kai had already forgotten—two Pingous airships carrying some sort of valuable cargo were flying from one big city to another. Judging from the size of the aircraft and the number of armed soldiers on each, there was a good chance the ships were carrying something of military importance, which was exactly what Tinny Bird was after. Thus, after getting the coordinates from the spies, the ambush party lay in wait for their prey, Kai among them.

Kai felt bored, but he was used to waiting in stealth. He dared not move too often, even when his entire body felt sore all over from sitting in one position.

At length he became aware of a faint buzzing sound. He shot a perplexed look at Jukeni; he gave Kai a small shake of his head in an order to keep silent. Kai noted the other cloaked warriors shifting slightly, some sharing hurried whispers.

The buzzing noise grew louder. First it sounded as if a horde of giant wasps were flying near, before it grew to a roar. Kai felt the ground vibrate with the sound waves, and his ears rang. A breeze picked up and surged through the trees, sending leaves and limbs waving. Pulse racing, Kai wondered what could make such a tremendous racket.

"It's time!" came the cry, making him jump. "To the cliff, archers forward!"

The first row of cloaked figures sprang to their feet and darted out of the fringe of the woods, disappearing with their mismatched bows and crossbows. Then Rantan's voice came again: "Everybody else, shields up! Forward!"

Freeing the wooden buckler from the attachment on his belt, Kai sprang up alongside Jukeni—Kaeden was somewhere behind them—and raced through the bushes. When he escaped the cover of the forest, the sunlight blinded him for a few seconds, making his eyes tear up. When he blinked and got used to it, he looked up into the sky—and gaped.