Little Leaf sat silently in Nya’s lap at the table, trying to keep herself as inconspicuous as possible. Zane could tell from her flicking tail that she wanted to add her opinion to the group, but they’d agreed beforehand not to reveal to Kenzo’s family that one of the werecat warriors was with them, since it would most likely only cause confusion and mistrust. Zane’s mind kept wanting to return to one detail—the one concerning the old man the Moon Tribe was allegedly keeping—but he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. “If Black Blood is planning something more than simply gaining the power that comes with nine lives,” he spoke up grimly. “I am sure it involves something such as a full-scale attack or ambush on either us or innocent civilians.” “I think it’s becoming pretty clear what it is we do next,” Lloyd spoke up, looking at his companions. “Stopping whatever is going on here could ultimately ruin the Moon Tribe’s scheme. We need to save this town.” “And just how are we going to do that?” The question sounded skeptical, but Cole’s eyes glittered savagely when he said it. Zane briefly wondered if he was feeling more aggressive than ever toward the Moon Tribe after the events of the other day. Zane found himself replying with uncharacteristic authority. “I will tell you what we are going to do: we are going to find a way into the ore mining factory, free everyone in this village, destroy the Moon Tribe’s work, and ultimately foil Black Blood’s scheme. She is not going to get away with this.” While his teammates cheered and agreed, Zane added to himself, And find my uncle, whatever it takes. Even if it is the last thing I do.
“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.
The Pingous airships were enormous. Each about three times the size of the Destiny’s Bounty and twice as tall, they looked like maroon-colored hot air balloons squashed into narrow ovals. Their exteriors were adorned with gold-colored plating that seemed to serve as both fanciful decoration and armor for defense. Below each was a wide wooden deck not unlike a sailing ship’s, the difference mainly being with less rigging. There were three of these massive airships, and on each deck of them were at least two dozen armed soldiers. The ships were so low and so close to the cliffside that he could see the men’s individual faces—only a few yards away from brushing against the side of the mountain. “Shields up!” Kai jumped when the sky suddenly started raining arrows. He glanced up quickly and caught sight of maroon-clad soldiers standing in a row at the railing of the closest airship. His heart skipped a beat when he saw a dozen loaded crossbows aiming down at him. “Kai!” A heavy weight slammed into Kai’s side and threw him to the ground, just as a volley of bolts sank into the grass where he’d been standing a second ago. Momentarily stunned, Kai gasped for breath, sprawled out on his belly. A gloved hand cuffed him sharply around the head. “Idiot! I’ve seen kiders move quicker than that!” Rattan snarled over him, having knocked him over. “Get yourself together, Fire Mage! We have to move fast!” He leapt to his feet and raced away before Kai could think of a snarky comeback or defense. “How do you move so fast with all this amor?!” Kai groaned as staggered to his feet—clutching the buckler with one hand and feeling his longsword bang against his side—and continued running. He heard another volley of bolts hit the ground behind him. Several people cried out in shock and pain as they were hit. The sight of one of the dog-people stumbling with an arrow sinking into their shoulder flashed by Kai’s vision. He gulped and pressed on, seeing the other Pawrelesers running ahead of him. He’d completely lost sight of Jukeni.
The first wave of Pawreles rebels nocked their bows and shot into the sky. Dozens of razor-tipped arrows flew through the air, the majority of them finding their targets: several Pingous soldiers fell back with pained cries when struck, while other arrows pierced the hide of the first airship, sinking into the thick, maroon-colored material or into the wood of the deck. The second wave of archers stepped forward, these hefting large crossbows. Smoothly, they raised their weapons up and shot at the airship. This time, long ropes trailed behind the thick bolts like wriggling snakes. Kai realized the bolts being shot at the ship were actually grappling hooks; they struck the side of the hull, most sinking into the dark wood. As soon as these were firmly in place, the rebels took their thick cords and tied them quickly to stakes that had been shoved into the ground just seconds beforehand by their comrades. At first, Kai was sure the ropes would be torn free of the stakes by the force of the airship. Yet, dozens more grappling hooks were shot into the body of the structure, so fast and so efficiently that he barely knew what was happening until it was already done. The airship kept moving, but was yanked to an awkward stop; the many ropes were holding it in place. Some snapped and fell free, but for the moment, the first Pingous airship was held in place by the cliffside. “Third wave, shoot!” Rantan cried, barely giving the rebels a moment to cheer. Both archers and crossbowmen came forward and prepared their weapons. Then half a dozen were suddenly thrown off their feet or stumbled to the ground immediately in a chorus of shocked and pained cries. He risked a glance upward once more to see the Pingous soldiers shooting down at their attackers furiously; dozens of crossbows were firing rapidly down upon the Pawreles rebels, most hitting their targets. More came from the other two airships, though they were soon getting too far away to make any hits. The air was suddenly filled with the shrieks of the wounded.
Kai finally remembered that he was among the Pawreles rebels; he yanked his buckler hastily over his head just as several bolts rained down around him. More cries followed. His heart pounded in his ears. He stood there stiffly, expecting a bolt to hit him at any moment, to break through his weak defense of the small circle of wood he clutched over his sweating head. Through it all, he felt a stab of frustration over his own helplessness. Then, with the loud buzzing noise of the airship’s engines came a new sound: the snap of ropes. The massive ship creaked and groaned as it heaved against its constraints. Many of the lines tying the ship down were coming loose, flying through the air in defeat as they snapped free. “No!” Kai could hear Jukeni’s groan of defeat nearby, though he couldn’t see him through the fray. Rantan stared at the sight before him. Then he waved his sword in the air, gesturing to the troops around him. “Fall back! Back to the trees! Get the wounded!” The scene on the cliffside became chaos. Men and women struggled to get back to the cover of the forest, many hastily attempting to help the wounded to their feet or carry them in their arms. More still were being struck down by flying bolts. The enemy soldiers in the airship had the high ground, and were now breaking free of their opponents’ trap. It was quickly becoming a massacre. “Kai!” Through the near-panicking throng, Kai could see Jukeni gesturing desperately to him, with Kaeden running close by. “Come on! Hurry!” Kai hesitated. He scanned the crowd of wounded rebels who were unable to get back to the trees themselves. Then he looked back up at the airship; already it was moving away, with the Pingousers still firing. Within moments, it would be completely out of reach. Abruptly, Kai became aware of just how serious the plight of the Pawreles rebels was; if they were so desperate as to attack a fully-armed enemy airship with so few warriors and weapons, it couldn’t take much more for their force to be quashed completely and to be wiped from history. They needed this victory—and he did, too, if he ever wanted to find Skylor and return to Ninjago.
He took off running—toward the airship. Kaeden and Jukeni cried out after him. “Kai! What are you doing?!” Yet he kept running. He tossed his buckler, yanked his sword out of its scabbard, and threw them both behind him. The wind hit his face, with the buzzing roar of the ship’s engines growing louder as it picked up speed. He took a deep breath and plunged forward. The massive airship was a few yards ahead of him, nearing the edge of the cliff. He summoned a burst of speed, praying he could catch up with it. The sound of snaps filled the air again, and several bolts flew past his face and buried themselves in the ground behind him. He ignored them, keeping his eyes on the ship. Too late. The airship moved past the edge of the cliff, yards out of Kai’s reach. It began to take off into the sky. Yet Kai kept running. He neared the edge. “No! Stop!” Kaeden’s voice called out desperately behind him. “What—?!” Kai felt a little grin crawl up his face. He saw where the ground dropped off, meeting empty space. He ran off of it, throwing himself into space— And summoned a vortex of Airjitzu. Back on the ground by the trees, both Kaeden and Jukeni’s jaws dropped open. They gaped in astonishment, watching the figure of their friend fly up, like some bird caught in whirlwind. Other rebels also watching gasped and cried out, pointing at the sky. Rantan joined Kaeden and Jukeni, gazing up in wonderment. “Did you know he could do that?” “No,” Kaeden responded faintly, still staring. “But, truth be told, I’m not all that surprised.” Wind roaring in his ears, Kai flew up, over the half-shattered hull of the airship, somersaulted and landed neatly on the deck. The Airjitzu vortex dissolved, and he was left standing there, dizzy but pleased with himself. Meanwhile over two dozen Pingous soldiers gaped at him in astonishment. Kai grinned at his dumbstruck audience. “Hi there. Name’s Kai. But some people call me the Fire Mage. Just thought I’d drop by.”
When the pun received no reaction, he went on casually, “I believe you guys have something my friends need. So, if you don’t mind, I’m just gonna steer this nice ship you’ve got here back to that cliff over there…” “Someone grab him!” a voice from the back cried out. The order broke the soldiers from their trance of amazement. With loud shouts, they grabbed their crossbows and pikes and started toward the young man smiling so arrogantly at them. Kai feigned a sigh of regret. “I was afraid you’d say that.” He wasn’t. With quick, agile movements concerning several flips in the air, Kai dodged the first few bolts from the crossbows that came hurtling at him; he heard them smash into the wood of the railing behind him. He lunged himself at the nearest few soldiers to his left and kicked them aside, sending them sprawling. Then he ran to the other side of the deck, with the Pingousers hot on heels. With a burst of speed and a leap into the air, he grabbed one of the main riggings, used his weight to swing himself around on the rope, and kicked again at his opponents. They were thrown back like pins before a bowling ball. “Things are heating up in here!” Kai announced wryly as he landed back on the deck again. He held his fists out as they burst into flame. The enemy soldiers still standing balked at the sight. “A wizard!” one of them cried. “Wizard, mage,” Kai remarked casually as he shot a blast of flames at the majority of his audience. “What’s the difference?” He watched in approval as the force of his heat blasted his opponents away, throwing them in the air and smashing them to the floor. Then he darted for the helm. More soldiers stood before it, gritting their teeth at the wild-haired young man coming toward them. They too lunged themselves at him, as if they hadn’t just watched their comrades get blasted away. Kai was ready for them. The first few who came at him with their long pikes stumbled when he darted smoothly out of the way. He then proceeding to kick them down in a series of twists of his body within seconds. Switching to martial arts, Kai kicked and punched wildly yet precisely at his opponents.
The crossbowmen barely had time to shoot before they were thrown to the ground. The men bearing pikes too found either their stomachs suddenly heaving in want of air or their legs throbbing as they tumbled to the deck before they could manage to stab Kai. A series of groans, cries, and grunts replaced the defiant shouts of the Pingous soldiers. A brief vortex of Spinjitzu finished off the stragglers. Adrenaline made Kai’s heart pound in his ears—he was thrilled. Using Airjitzu to toss himself up and onto the helm of the airship, he landed before several more soldiers. Having spent the last minute watching the rest of the crew get pummeled, most of these men greeted Kai with expressions of astonishment and fear. “Excuse me, hot stuff coming through!” Kai shot a blast of fire out of each hand at them. The heat barely scalded them, but the Pingousers staggered back with terrified shrieks. Pushing and shoving at each other, they ran as fast as they could off the helm and away from Kai. “Huh, guess I’m too spicy for their taste.” He was enjoying himself. Kai turned toward the large, old-timey-looking steering wheel— And was met with something slamming into the back of his head and neck. Head spinning with stars, he fell on his hands and knees. Though his ears were ringing, he had enough wits to look up in time to see an older man—one adorned in more decorative armor, perhaps a general—standing over him. He wore a heavy scowl and bore a large pike.The scowl didn’t scare Kai as much as the glittering steel blade and point at the end of his staff did. “Hey—!” Kai groaned. The Pingouser snarled and slashed the pike at Kai. Kai heard himself give a high-pitched yelp as he scrabbled back. Frantically, he avoided the deadly swipes and slashes. The man adjusted his grip and drew the weapon back, preparing to strike at a lower, more precise angle. That single second of hesitation gave Kai the chance to spring to his feet and jump back, teetering at the far end of the helm. “Hi-yah!” Kai grunted as he summoned a large burst of fire; the flames flew in the Pingouser’s face, sending him reeling and swiping desperately with his hands.
Immediately, Kai delivered a side kick into the man’s stomach. Though his armor protected him from the worst of the blow, the older man was thrown off balance, and he teetered off of the helm with a panicked cry. When his body disappeared over the edge, Kai ran and peered over the railing. The officer had fallen safely onto the deck just a few feet below. Fortunately, he didn’t look injured, if stunned and a little out of breath. Satisfied, Kai stepped back, planting his hands on his hips. “That went well.” Abruptly, he became aware of the smell of smoke. He looked down at the deck again, but all he saw were the Pingous soldiers either lying in a heap or getting up and moving warily to the other end of the ship, as far away from Kai as they could get. “What’s that smell…?” He glanced over his shoulder. Orange flames, pale in the sunlight, from his fire blast were now licking greedily at the rigging that connected the deck to the balloon-part of the airship. Kai felt his stomach drop when he saw how fast they were crawling up the thick cords, and that they were heading straight up to the balloon. Kai didn’t know a whole lot about airships, but he was pretty sure the big balloons weren’t really meant to be on fire. “Aw, man…” he groaned. Hastily he snatched the wheel and gave it a violent twist. Faster than he’d anticipated, the massive structure made a wide turn to the left; the buzzing engines gave an extra roar, and he felt the ship moan in protest. The crew members cried out in surprise when the deck tilted beneath them, sending those who were standing stumbling and falling again. Kai stole a glance over his shoulder again. The flames had reached the giant balloon. “Isn’t there a way to make this thing go faster?!” He looked down at the wheel. Beside it were two levers. Impulsively, he grabbed one and yanked it forward, as far as it would go.
The engines’ voices grew to a high-pitched roar. Kai was nearly thrown off his feet by the force that propelled the ship, the wind whipping his face and hair. He gritted his teeth and clutched the steering wheel like a lifeline. Through his watering eyes, he could just barely make out the mountainside; he was getting closer to it, fast. He overheard some of the Pingous crew members shouting frantically to one another, but he ignored them. For a moment, he caught sight of a large group of the maroon-clad men clambering desperately into a small vehicle that looked like a miniature version of the airship, minus the giant balloon. The small metal air-boat then detached itself from the side of the deck and flew off. At least most of the Pingousers were escaping. Kai wasn’t sure if he should have been glad about that or not. One of the men’s voices caught his attention. “Someone get him!” Kai looked down at the deck in time to see a few straggling soldiers—one of them being the older man, now having picked himself up—aiming crossbows at him. A few bolts shot through the air. Kai ducked, still gripping the wheel, but the shots missed him by several feet. The ship shuddered, and the soldiers were thrown off their feet once more. Kai looked forward. The green mountainside was rushing up to him. “We’re coming in hot!” His voice was lost to the screaming wind, stealing away his breath. A loud explosion sounded above him, along with a ripping noise. A wave of heat slammed into him—it was hotter than he’d expected. A pained cry burst out of his mouth. Kai felt himself fly up, thrown off his feet, before slamming hard onto the deck. His arm and leg burned where the heat had struck it. His other side throbbed from hitting the floor. The force of the ship’s speed shoved at him, until he was pressed against the railing at the back of the helm. He tried to move, but pain from both sides of his body made him gasp.
Then all the world stopped—the ship smashed into the mountainside. A great shudder, like a massive earthquake, ran through the ship; wood smashed. Splinters flew. Fire roared. Kai felt himself being thrown around against everything, bumping and hitting both the deck and the railing. Metal screamed in protest as it was bent and twisted out of shape. Then the broken ship fell back and settled on the ground. More groans, screeches, and the sound of things shattering filled the hot air. The deck tilted, and Kai’s body slid with it. He felt himself bump against the wheel, and he clung to it. As the ship finally lay down at an awkward angle on the ground and crushed trees, the smell of smoke thickened and pressed itself against Kai’s nostrils. He breathed in and coughed. The balloon was supported by thick metal beams and its metal adornments around the sides, so it didn’t crash down on the deck. Still, flames continued to blossom, eating at the material furiously. Dark smoke rose to the sky in thick plumes as the heat roared loudly. Staggering, Kai picked himself up and stumbled down the stairs leading to the main deck. His body throbbed from head to toe, but he made himself move. He couldn’t see any of the Pingous soldiers through the stinging haze of smoke. He didn’t really care what had happened to them. He just needed to get out of there, out of that blazing heat… He made his way down the shattered deck; the ship was slanted downward toward the stern, both wood and metal beams shattered and cracking in the fire. He blinked blearily, eyes stinging, to see the railing. He staggered toward it. —Did someone call his name? He didn’t really care. Hands shaking, throbbing with burns, he slid over the edge and allowed himself to tumble to the ground. He hit the grass hard, eliciting a low groan. At least he was out of the smoke now. “Kai!”
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