Determining Destiny (Book 3 of the Enchanted DVD Player tetralogy)

7 - The Sons of Garmadon

Kai's POV

"Hey, cutie," I say, as Skylor appears on the bed once everyone left after the meeting ended. Man, these secret passageways sure do come in handy.

Skylor sighs and shakes her head. She comes to join me on the balcony.

"Miss me?" she asks, a smile forming on her lips.

"Same as always."

We stand there silently for a few moments, just staring at the stars. Finally, I decided to break the silence.

"Have you ever heard of the Sons of Garmadon?"

Skylor looks at me. "Yeah, why?"

"I heard y/n talking about it with Harumi, and I was wondering what they meant."

She blinks. "She hasn't told you about it yet?"

"Uh... no?"

Skylor sighs. "Well, I guess you should know the truth sooner rather than later. Basically, the Sons of Garmadon are a group of people who are devoted to bringing Garmadon back to this realm, only they're going to resurrect only the evil side of him."

"Uh, oh. That sounds like a recipe for disaster."

"Yup."

"What does Harumi have to do with this?"

"She's one of them. From what I gather, she's one of the new ones, but shes's slowly becoming more and more valuable to them as she proves the importance of her power."

"And where are these 'Sons of Garmadon'?"

"They have a secret lair beneath the palace. They operate without my father knowing, and Clouse is their leader. Apparently, Clouse plans to use Harumi's gift to open a portal to the cursed realm, and while she holds it open, he'll be able to recite a spell to revert Garmadon back to his evil state before he passes through."

"Wow, you seem to know a lot about their intentions."

"Yeah. One of the Kabuki--my friend Violet--is a spy for our cause. She's a very good actress; none of the Sons of Garmadon suspect that she's on our side."

"Why hasn't y/n told any of us about this? It sounds like we should be doing something."

"I'm not really sure. I think it might be because she herself isn't sure what to do... she keeps mentioning something about them appearing at the wrong time."

——————the next day————-

"Y/n!" I cry just as Cole and Harumi start their match—the first one of the day. She glances in my direction as I make my way over to where she's seated.

"Where were you?" she asks. "Why are you late?"

"I slept in," I say with a shrug, then lower my  voice to a whisper. "I stayed up late last night talking to Skylor. She told me about the Sons of Garmadon."

Her expression tenses. "What did she say?"

"She only told me what you told her," I say: "But now I want to hear it from you."

"Why? If she already explained their motives, what is there left to say?"

"It feels like you're hiding something." I crossed my arms. "Why didn't you say anything about them earlier?"

She sighs, and her shoulders sag. "I kept it a secret, because... I don't know what to do."

I tilt my head to the side, unsure of what she means.

"Think of it like a Tv series," she says. "Certain events are supposed to happen in a certain order. And I remember meeting the Sons of Garmadon much later after the tournament of elements. But now, we're going to have to deal with two pressing issues instead of just one."

I put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "We'll figure something out. We always do."

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Y/n's POV

By the end of the day, we're down two team members; both Nya and Cole lost their rounds. 

Everybody who's left is visibly exhausted, and we all collectively trudge towards the staircase in silence. Before we can climb it, however, the speakers throughout the palace crackle to life.

"It has come to my attention that some competitors are meeting after hours," he says on the speaker. "Are you not enjoying your own rooms? Is that it?"

"What is he up to?" Kai asks. 

"Well, since none of you seem to appreciate my hospitality, you'll all be spending the night in the lobby. Beds are already set up for each of you. Ta-ta!"

Everyone groans and turns away from the stairs. In the lobby of Chen's palace is a big bin full of sleeping bags, and three rows of cots. 

"Didn't think I could like today any less," I sigh, scooping up a sleeping bag and picking a cot next to Lloyd. He doesn't look thrilled, either. Nobody does.