Waging War | The Amber Duology #1

42 | Pieces of a Puzzle

General Garmdon instructed his men to drag Skylor back to his tent when he finished addressing the crowd that had gathered around them to continue with their tasks.

The sun had finished setting now and the familiar row of lanterns that hung above the entrance of each tent illuminated a path that led directly to the General's. Unfortunately, it also provided a view for the soldiers to see her being escorted to the center of the camps.

She found Nya pushing past the crowd to try and get to her. "Sky! Skylor, what's going on?" She called when she was held back by a pair of soldiers. "Let go of me, I need to get to her."

If only Skylor had the answer to her question. "I'm fine, Nya." She called behind gritted teeth.

Skylor continued to struggle under their hold, even threatening to use her fire powers if they wouldn't release her.

"Your chains are made of vengestone." One of the soldiers answered her threats with a wide smirk. "It blocks your elemental powers."

Skylor groaned in frustration as she tried to summon the fire that usually appeared on her palm. When she confirmed they were right, she let out a huff and continued walking.

However the plan for escape was also rendered moot when she studied her current situation. She had nowhere to go and the place was crawling with soldiers that followed the General's commands without question.

She would be caught before she even made it to the edge of the camps, let alone find Blaze and fly back to Ninjago City.

One moment her cover was safe and she had successfully fooled the entire army into thinking she was nothing but a normal citizen of the city. Or at least, that's what she thought had happened.

It turns out, the General was smarter than he was given credit for. And Skylor's secret was easily exposed under his watch.

There wasn't anything she could do now but face the consequences of her own actions. Skylor couldn't run or hide, not when she wasn't sure what they'd do to her yet. It didn't stop the racing of her heart or the constant thoughts that ran around her head.

You didn't do anything wrong. You just hid your real identity, it's not like you stole someone else's. Was one of her thoughts, trying to bring a sense of calm and comfort into her senses.

But there was no telling what the consequence her father would face for hiding a child from the government despite the strict requirements. In Skylor's defense, she did join the army during the reaping and went along with the procedure.

Where did the wind come from? Another countered, changing the topic in her head.

Skylor had thought about it for a good few minutes and came to the conclusion that it couldn't have possibly come from her, it wasn't possible to be able to control two elements at once let alone have three.

Her mind thought back to the dream she had when she was knocked unconscious. How her mother switched from the element of fire to wind to nature in one go. Could it be possible Skylor could do that too?

What else are you hiding from me, mom? She asked, ducking her head into the General's tent when they arrived.

"Sit down." One of the soldiers commanded, forcing her down with a harsh push on her shoulder. He stood on the left side of her seat, hands behind his back, eyes trained forward and waiting for further instruction.

The man was a compilation of a buff build in a big frame. His robes were tight enough to highlight the strength in his arms. Skylor moved away from him and settled for the slightly smaller frame of the soldier on her right.