Family (A Ninjago Fanfic)

Chapter 15

Kai was bouncing up and down with anticipation. They finally had him. They know where Scales is going and they were going to meet him there. On foot, from the Anacondrai tomb to the Caves would take about a day. On the Bounty, only a couple of hours, but they had to go the long way around, to avoid being spotted or heard by the Serpentine. So it would take closer to five or six hours.

"Are we there yet," Jay asked for the fifty millionth time.

"For the last time, Jay, no! Be patient, would you?" Cole sounded as exasperated at the Lightning Ninja as Kai felt.

"I can't help it! We're finally rescuing Lloyd, after, what, four days! I was dying on the inside!"

"I think we all were," Kai said. "But imagine how Garmadon feels. Lloyd is his son. He's the most precious thing in the world to him, and, to make matters worse, they have to battle to the death one day. I think we've got it off easy."

"Wow, I guess I've never really thought about that." Jay was finally quiet, watching the desert of Ninjago fly by beneath them. For a whole hour, no one spoke. It should be a world record for how long Jay's been quiet. He's not even quiet when he's asleep; he either talks in his sleep or snores the whole night. Finally, the Blue Ninja spoke up again:

"Do you think Lloyd's alright?" His voice was quiet; Kai could just barely hear him.

"I mean," he added, "What if Scales faked everything, just to make us worry and freak out? Lloyd could be okay!"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Jay," Cole said. "But those pictures looked pretty real to me."

"What about the letter, then?" The poor guy sounded desperate now. "He still could've been lying about breaking his ribs and puncturing his lung."

"I doubt it," Zane spoke up. "Did you see how his lips were blue in that picture? He wasn't getting enough oxygen. I'd say that is a very real fact."

"Oh..." They all went quiet again. Several hours later, none of them had moved from their positions looking over the railing of the ship. Nya's voice over the intercom jarred them all out of their silence.

"If you look to the front of the ship, you will see we've arrived at the Caves of Despair. Ahead of Scales, too."

She landed the Destiny's Bounty, and everyone hoped off the ship, making their way toward the entrance to the Caves.

"Now," Kai said. "All we have to do is wait."

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Lloyd was jarred yet again as the Serpentine stopped. By now, he was used to having every little bump against his body send waves of pain through him. It happened every thirty seconds.

"We're here," Scales said, and the Serpentine carrying his sarcophagus started up again, jostling him in the process.

A few minutes later, he heard a loud cry. It was muffled, but it sounded familiar. His mind was too fuzzy with the pain of his ribs and back to focus on it. The Serpentine stopped. Everything was silent for a long time.

A loud, piercing whistle echoed through the air, emanating from right in front of him. That could only mean it was Scales. Then chaos ensued. A humungous uproar started outside, and the familiar battle cries were lost in the clamor.

Out of nowhere, Lloyd felt temporarily weightless. Then the sarcophagus hit the ground, and his head bounced of the lid. Everything went black.